Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Apple : BBC News launches Tor mirror site

Apple : BBC News launches Tor mirror site

BBC News launches Tor mirror site

Posted: 23 Oct 2019 01:04 PM PDT

In an effort to circumvent censorship attempts, the BBC has made the international version of its news website available via the Tor browser.

Tor, which stands for The Onion Router, is a privacy-focused web browser that allows users to access sites hosted on the deep web that traditional browsers are unable to view.

The browser is able to obscure a user's activity and location online by routing all browsing through multiple anonymous servers. Tor is particularly useful for journalists and whistleblowers but also for those looking to avoid government surveillance and censorship.

China, Iran, Vietnam and other countries have tried to block access to BBC's news website and programs which is why the broadcaster has decided to create a version of its site available exclusively for the Tor browser.

Avoiding censorship

Now instead of visiting the BBC's website, Tor broswer users can visit the site's new .onion address to keep up with the latest international news no matter where they are in the world. However, the new .onion address will not work in traditional web browsers.

The Tor version of the BBC News website will be the international edition and it will also include foreign language services such as BBC Persian, BBC Arabic and BBC Russian. Due to broadcast rights though, UK-only content and services such as BBC iPlayer will not be accessible.

In a statement, the BBC explained why it decided to launch a version of its international news site specifically for the Tor browser, saying:

"The BBC World Service's news content is now available on the Tor network to audiences who live in countries where BBC News is being blocked or restricted. This is in line with the BBC World Service mission to provide trusted news around the world." 

Tor often gets a bad rap as the browser is often used by cybercriminals to commit illegal acts, though in this case, the BBC has found a way to use it for good in its fight against censorship.

  • Browse the internet without restrictions with the best VPN services

Via BBC

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OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren Edition will be a T-Mobile exclusive in US

Posted: 23 Oct 2019 12:56 PM PDT

The OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren Edition is real - and it’s headed to the US as an exclusive carried by T-Mobile.

It seems the phone is the same as the OnePLus 7T Pro McLaren Edition revealed at the launch of the OnePlus 7T and OnePlus 7T Pro earlier in October - except, of course, it can hook up to a super-fast 5G network. It will be the second phone capable of hooking up to the T-Mobile 5G network after the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G.

The phone itself, like previous McLaren Editions of T-Mobile phones, is top of the line even beyond the 7T Pro: the RAM has been increased from 8G to 12GB and features an orange-and-black color scheme. It’s been available to buy outside the US as a 4G version, while this is the first we’re hearing about a 5G edition.

Unfortunately, we don’t know how much the OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren Edition will cost or when it will be available on T-Mobile’s network. 

When it does, owners will be able to hook up to the company’s 5G network - which, since it operates on the sub-600MHz spectrum, won’t be nearly as fast as the 1Gbps-and-higher speeds we’ve seen from Verizon’s mmWave network, but T-Mobile’s coverage should go much farther than the scant few blocks that millimeter wave can reach.

Where it fits in T-Mobile’s 5G plans

T-Mobile spent 2019 rolling out its US 5G network, launching in six cities including New York City, Los Angeles, Dallas at the end of June. While the company boasted it would expand to 30 cities throughout 2019, it’s been quiet about the other 24 - or if it won’t meet its rollout goals.

Which might not matter, given the FCC approved the Sprint and T-Mobile merger in mid-October and put it that much closer to reality. Both carriers have been strategically complementary about their 5G plans, with T-Mobile using 600Mhz while Sprint 5G has mmWave and sub-6Ghz spectrums. 

Once that merger goes through, the New T-Mobile will add the LG V50 ThinQ 5G, the (non-phone) HTC 5G Hub, and even the OnePlus 7 Pro 5G - which will probably be a cheaper option for folks balking at the almost surely pricier OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition.

Via Android Authority

  • See how the new OnePlus 7T Pro 5G McLaren Edition stacks up to all the current 5G phones

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The Last of Us 2: release date, news, and rumors

Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:57 AM PDT

You read that right: The Last of Us 2 is nearing the end of development and will be in our hands in 2020.

As endings go, The Last of Us's was pretty conclusive. But as it turns out, that hasn't stopped The Last of Us developer Naughty Dog from cranking out a sequel in the form of The Last of Us 2 – or, The Last of Us: Part 2 if we're using its proper name. 

Given the first game was hailed by players and critics alike as a masterpiece with excellent, emotional storytelling and engaging, realistic characters, we have to admit that the decision to release a follow-up isn't particularly shocking. We'd probably have been more surprised if there wasn't one. And yet, when The Last of Us 2 was first announced, we'd be lying if we said our hearts didn't skip a beat. 

The Last of Us 2 was first announced by Naughty Dog at PlayStation Experience in 2016 alongside a teaser trailer but it wasn't until September 2019 that we were finally told the game's release date during a State of Play livestream. Now we know for sure that we'll be joining Ellie on her next adventure in February 2020. 

[Update: Naughty Dog's Halley Gross has been talking to Official PlayStation Magazine about The Last of Us 2, Ellie and what's driving her. Read on to find out more.]

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? The sequel to the critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic game The Last of Us
  • When can I play it? February 21 2020
  • What can I play it on? PlayStation 4

The Last of Us 2 trailers 

The most recent trailer for The Last of Us 2 is also its release date announcement trailer. Shown during the September 2019 State of Play stream, it confirms the game will be coming on February 21 2020 and shows Ellie in action as well as a glimpse at Joel. 

The Last of Us 2 was shown during E3 2018. This trailer finally gives us a look at Ellie in an intimate scene before cutting away to some of the brutal but stealth-based combat we can expect to see in the game when it's launched.

The gameplay sequence gives us a look at Ellie fighting for her life in the wild. Success in a fight appears to require the right balance between stealth and all out attack as damage seems to have a more realistic impact. Ellie can move quietly between areas, taking weapons from bodies and crafting, before bursting out and taking down her enemies. It's a different creature in many ways to the original The Last of Us but it looks like something to look forward to, with more advanced enemies to challenge us and more complex gameplay to thrill us. 

See the gameplay for yourself below.

The Last of Us Part 2 had another trailer drop during PSX 2017. During a panel it was confirmed that the game will be set in the city of Seattle and the darker themes we know are coming were touched upon. You can watch the panel for yourself below:

Another trailer for the game was shown at Sony's press conference during the 2017 Paris Games Week. This trailer is around 5 minutes long, focusing on conflicts between the human factions in the game. It shows part 2 is going to have a dark story, perhaps even darker than the first, and the trailer is fairly harrowing to watch. 

Visually impressive though it is, do note that it's gory before you watch it for yourself below. 

The first look at The Last of Us 2 came with its announcement at PlayStation Experience in 2016. Despite the fact that the game was early in development, the trailer showed a full (non-gameplay) scene that features both Ellie and Joel. You can watch it below:

The Last of Us 2 release date

After hoping, praying and speculating we finally got confirmation during the September 2019 State of Play that The Last of Us 2 will be released on February 21 2020. 

What we know so far

Halley Gross Interview

Narrative Lead and Co-Writer of The Last of Us 2, Halley Gross, has been talking to Official PlayStation Magazine (via Wccftech) about working at Naughty Dog and writing the character of Ellie. 

In the interview, Gross praised her colleagues at Naughty Dog as "wizards" and said that they're working together to "make the most complex, nuanced character in a videogame". This character is undoubtedly Ellie who Gross touches on later in the interview. 

Ellie, Gross explains, is a traumatised character on a "mission for justice" who is, overall, "driven by love" for other characters like Joel and Dina. 

According to Gross, the narrative is about seeing who Ellie "can become when she grows up in such a hostile environment." This, unfortunately, means putting Ellie in difficult situations which will test her values and her drive: "while we love Ellie, and we’re really excited to see her grow up, we’re certainly not going to coddle her".

Neil Druckmann Interview

In an interview with the official PlayStation Blog, Neil Druckmann has been casting some light on what we can expect from The Last of Us Part 2 when it’s released in 2020. 

Rather than throw in new enemies just because they can, Druckmann says that the studio has carefully considered new Infected additions like the Shamblers. These new enemies emit clouds of burning acid and will force players to consider how they approach combat in a different way, especially when they’re appearing alongside the fast Runners and powerful Clickers.

Human enemies are also more dynamic. According to Druckmann, every human enemy in the game will have a unique name so that when they die their comrades might scream out their name in grief. Human enemies can become emotional and unpredictable, making combat more dynamic and realistic. 

Fans of visuals will also be happy to know that The Last of Us 2 will be making the most of the power of the PS4 like The Last of Us did with the PS3 before it. This means, according to Druckmann, that the game is “able to have much wider environments, sequences with a horde of infected, several squads of enemies looking for you in big spaces.”

Similarly, this has made it possible to give Ellie and all of the other characters a new animation system called motion mapping making their movements more responsive and more realistic:

“The fidelity we can get in the faces and the motion capture — we can better translate what the actors are doing on stage into the game, and get these nuances so we can rely more on the way someone blinks or the way they squint instead of lines of dialogue. It allows the writing to be much more nuanced than it’s been before.”

Two Discs

The Last of Us 2 is going to be an ambitious game. So ambitious that the adventure will be split across two discs. Following Sony’s State of Play livestream where the game’s release date was confirmed, it was confirmed in retail listings that Ellie’s adventure will be sold in two discs. At the very least you’ll be getting them together and not years apart. 

Allies

There are few things more frustrating than a completely incompetent ally in a combat scenario when you're playing a game and, fortunately, it seems that won't be a concern with The Last of Us 2. In an interview with GameSpot, the game's co-director Anthony Newman said that the team took criticisms with regards to allies in the first game on board and are looking to rectify them in the sequel. 

“In the past in almost all of our games, the allies have done kind of fake damage, where you see them shoot enemies and it's a little bit theatrical—like their bullets are clearly doing way less damage than yours,” Newman said. 

For The Last of Us 2, however, ally bullet “do exactly as much damage as yours do" so players can count on the AI to help them. 

September PlayStation Events and Multiplayer

The Last of Us fans finally got confirmation that The Last of Us 2 will launch on February 21 2020 during the September State of Play alongside a brand new trailer that features plenty of action and a look at Ellie and Joel.  

Over the course of the event, it was also confirmed that The Last of Us 2 will not launch with a multiplayer element. In a tweet, Naughty Dog stated that its main focus for the game's launch is its single player which is "far and away the most ambitious project Naughty Dog has ever undertaken". 

That doesn't mean, however, there will never be any online element to The Last of Us 2. The tweet goes on to clarify that at some point in the future an online element for the game will be launched when it's ready. 

Any online element will be worth the wait, however, according to series co-creator Bruce Straley who left the studio in 2018. Taking to Twitter, Straley noted that the online multiplayer is "extremely ambitious" and that any delay is for "good reasons" and that fans are "in good hands". 

GameStop Conference

Some brand new The Last of Us 2 footage was apparently shown behind closed doors during the recent GameStop managers conference in Nashville. The footage, which will be available to the wider world "soon", was short and showcased some of the game's stealth aspects, including how clickers can be used to your advantage. 

When this "soon" that the footage will be released is isn't yet known but one opportunity for Sony and Naughty Dog to show some new footage would be during Paris Games Week in October if it doesn't drop even sooner.

More from Troy Baker

The teasing for The Last of Us 2 continues at Manchester Comic-Con. Troy Baker, voice of Joel, has once again been talking about the game and this time he’s said:

“There is nothing about this game, nor the reveals, that hasn’t been 100% carefully crafted and methodically curated. All I can tell you is that as much as you’re clamoring for it, you’re not ready.”

If that’s true then the careful curation possibly extends to Baker’s excellent hyping here. What that tells us is that we’re not going to hear anything about this game’s release date until Sony and Naughty Dog want us to and it could be a little while longer before we do. 

Troy Baker shedding some light

Things have been a little quiet around The Last of Us Part II lately so Troy Baker, the voice of Joel, has caused some excitement merely by mentioning the game. During Manchester Comic-Con, Baker was asked what can be expected from the sequel and wasn't able to give away much. What he did say, however, was that "it's hands down the most ambitious game that Naughty Dog has ever done for sure. It's far larger than I thought was going to be possible." That's a pretty big statement to make and one guaranteed to leave fans salivating. 

When it came to the release date, though, Baker wasn't able to make any announcements. Not because he didn't want to (though obviously and understandably he didn't) but because he and his fellow cast members don't know the release date just yet. "Last time we announced, we slipped," he explained, "And they don't want to do that again." 

(Via PlayStationLifestyle)

The Last of Us 2

Rumors of a delay

There was much excitement on May 29 as a result of PlayStation exclusive Death Stranding finally getting its release date confirmed as November 8 2019. This has, however, had a ripple effect which is concerning fans of The Last of Us 2.

With Death Stranding now slotted in as PlayStation's big exclusive release for the holiday season of 2019, it's been rumored (by Kotaku's Jason Schreier among others) that The Last of Us 2, also originally said to be looking at a late 2019 release, will now be pushed into early 2020.

This has not been confirmed by Naughty Dog or PlayStation so it remains nothing more than rumor at the moment. It's also worth pointing out that The Last of Us 2 has never had a set-in-stone release date anyway. 

However, an early 2020 release date for The Last of Us 2 does not seem impossible at this point as PlayStation having two such huge releases close together at the end of 2019 would be a surprise indeed.

A recent interview with Ellie actress, Ashley Johnson, has also added to those early 2020 rumors as, when asked by the interviewer when the game will release, she appears to begin to say February. However, nothing has been confirmed by Naughty Dog just yet so everything stands as rumor only at the the moment.

Into the final stages

News around The Last of Us 2 has been hotting up recently as the game inches closer towards completion. Naughty Dog has now confirmed that the final scene for the game has been shot and the game’s co-director, Anthony Newman, has tweeted out a recruitment call as the studio begins to “close out” the game’s development. 

As promising as these announcements are, they don't reveal anything about whether or not we can expect to see The Last of Us 2 this year or next. Regardless, development has reached a critical stage and though Sony won’t be attending E3 2019, that doesn’t mean it can’t make some announcements around the time of the show. In fact, recent rumors have suggested that we will see some kind of news around this time. Hopefully we’ll see a confirmed release date in the coming months. 

Mocap is underway

Things have been quiet on the official news front for The Last of Us 2 but we've been glad to see some studio insiders and actors from the game posting images on social media which show that the game's motion capture is well underway. Actors Ashley Johnson and Shannon Woodward have both posted images of themselves wearing mocap suits. They didn't give much away but the fact that Naughty Dog is this far into the motion capture process suggests we might at least be closer to hearing about a possible release date. 

Troy Baker is impressed

The Last of Us 2 is still in the works, but we now know that one of its lead voice actors, Troy Baker, has had an in-depth look and he thinks the game is 'awesome'. It's not clear whether Baker just saw some gameplay or had the chance to go hands-on himself but according to GameRant he said during MCM Comic Con at Birmingham “It’s a fantastic story. It’s a fantastic game. We just finished a playtest. It’s looking awesome. I can’t for it to be on shelves.” Though we can't be sure where exactly in the development process it is (during PSX, it was said that Naughty Dog had reached around the 50 to 60% mark) this playtest is an encouraging sign. 

Directors

With Neil Druckmann having been promoted to Vice President of Naughty Dog, The Last of Us 2 now has two confirmed directors. Druckmann will, of course, still be heavily involved in the creation of the game but it's now being headed up by Anthony Newman and Kurt Margenau, both of whom were lead designers on Uncharted 4. 

Story

Although it was no slouch in the gameplay department, it was the story told by The Last of Us that stuck with us for months afterwards. Naturally Naughty Dog had to give us some kind of hint about where the sequel would go. 

At the moment we know The Last of Us 2 will take place in the city of Seattle, five years after the end of the original game, with a 19 year old Ellie taking the starring playable role. Joel will still appear in the game but if the teaser trailer is anything to go by, he could be a much more passive presence. 

This time around, Ellie is extremely angry about...something. From what we saw from the teaser trailer she wants revenge, which to her appears to be a dish best served deadly. 

She does, after all, promise to “kill every last one of them.” It’s not clear who “them” is but it could signal that the Fireflies, the first game's well-meaning but morally grey antagonists, will make a return. Anger, hate and revenge are going to be key themes this time around so expect to be in for an emotionally heavy ride. 

The Last of Us 2

In the trailer for the game shown at Paris Games Week in 2017, we got a look at how dark the game is likely to be. The trailer focuses on the opposing relationships between human characters in the game and features some seriously cringe-inducing violence. 

It doesn't tell us much about any new characters of how they'll relate to one another but it does confirm that we're going into a dark game world in The Last of Us part 2. 

In a recent panel at PSX both Druckmann and Gross said that though the game's story will indeed be dark and there'll be a focus on the theme of hate, "there is hope" and there will be "lighthearted moments." 

We can't pretend we're not relieved to hear this after the game's controversial Paris Games Week trailer which, Druckmann said, was intended to highlight the game's exploration of the pursuit of justice.

Ellie is one of the most real and refreshing characters we’ve seen in gaming so it’s exciting that Naughty Dog are going to take her story further and put her in center stage. 

The creative director of the game, Neil Druckmann has said that the story will be about Ellie and Joel’s relationship and that though the story would be complementary to the story of the first game, it would be much larger. 

The Last of Us 2

When asked at a PSX panel whether or not Joel or Ellie may die, Druckmann responded that "no one is safe" highlighting that the game's story really could go anywhere. 

Hopes are particularly high for this larger story as it’s been revealed that one of the writers of Westworld, Halley Gross, will be co-writing the game’s story. Having someone who’s written scripts for such an incredibly popular and successful show should be a boon for the game's story. 

Gameplay

E3 2018 brought us our first proper look at the gameplay in The Last of Us Part 2. Given Ellie is now the leading playable character, it was expected that things would be a little different from the first game and the presentation at the show made this fairly clear. 

Ellie will have some moves similar to Joel but there are some things she'll be able to do that are completely different. For one thing she can jump - the new jump button should make the world of The Last of Us Part 2 more complex and more enjoyable to traverse. It also has the potential to make combat more interesting. Speaking of combat, Ellie doesn't really throw punches as her first form of attack, she has a stealthy knife. Melee combat generally appears to offer a little more than the original game, with evasions and an environment that can help as well as hinder your fighting.

Not only has Ellie matured as a character, the enemies she faces have developed and they're more realistic than ever. The Infected in The Last of Us Part 2 are smarter and more reactive than their predecessors, making them a tougher foe to face. AI has improved, allowing enemies to communicate with one another and to look for Ellie when she's hiding. Expect some tense moments to arise from this. 

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Best Buy takes on Amazon with its own free next-day delivery

Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:47 AM PDT

For a few years now, Amazon has been far and away the most convenient online retailer out there. With its Amazon Prime program, you can get free next-day shipping on plenty of products. But, now Best Buy is coming for Amazon's turf. 

Just in time for Black Friday 2019, Best Buy is implementing free next-day shipping to "99% of its customers." And, if one day is too much to ask, you'll even be able to get same-day shipping in many areas – though you'll have to pay extra for that.

In order to get free next-day delivery at Best Buy, there are a couple requirements. First, you'll have to make sure the product you're trying to buy supports next-day shipping. 

Luckily, it'll say whether the product you're looking at is available for next-day shipping right above that big, yellow "Add to Cart" button. Then, you'll just have to make sure you're spending at least $35, not including digital codes.

That means you might not be able to get free next-day delivery if you just buy a new Blu-Ray, but if you've just acted on an amazing PS4 Pro deal, you should have no problem getting free next-day delivery. Just be aware that this program isn't available everywhere, so you may want to plug in your zip code before you actually hit that buy button. 

So, basically, if you're looking to pick up some new techy gifts for your loved ones (or for yourself, we don't judge), you shouldn't feel pressured to just go for Amazon. With this free next-day shipping, you can get your shiny new technology faster, so you can just get to playing with it. And, with all the Best Buy Black Friday deals we're expecting to see, this new shipping policy is just in time.

Via PC Gamer

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Splunk Mission Control looks to make security management easier than ever

Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:30 AM PDT

Keeping on top of the latest security threats could be about to get a whole lot easier thanks to a new release from Splunk.

At the company's .conf19 event in Las Vegas, the data analytics giant has announced the launch of Splunk Mission Control, a new end-to-end security service allowing insight into the entire threat lifecycle.

The new cloud-native SaaS platform brings together a wealth of information into a single dashboard, allowing security operatives a full view of any threats targeting their organisation.

Custom

Mission Control dashboards can be fully customised, allowing security teams to create personalised views for their business. This includes looking at the mean times taken to detect and respond to threats, as well as the number of attacks hitting a company over time, as well as how sever the impact has been.

Security teams can track a threat from the moment it enters the company network, monitoring how much damage is being caused, allowing them to spot progress and shut down attacks before they disrupt too much.

Using specially-created playbooks and action templates, threats can then be contained quickly, with alerts arriving in real-time. Teams can even call in extra help from other security experts, and share knowledge on the type of threat being seen thanks to the real-time ChatOps collaboration platform.

“For decades, security analysts have been struggling to keep up with the rising volume of data to help them fight back against emerging cyber threats that can cripple businesses, disrupt governments and impact customer privacy. Today, the industry has grown to recognise that the answers are often sitting right in front of them, within their data,” said Haiyan Song, senior vice president and general manager of security markets, Splunk.

Mission Control is available now to all Splunk users, with the company also launching new versions of its Splunk ES, Splunk UBA and Splunk Phantom offerings.

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Death Stranding: release date, trailers and news

Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:26 AM PDT

Finally, after years of being in development, we know when Hideo Kojima's upcoming title Death Stranding will release and we also know a little bit more about what to expect from the game...kind of...probably as much as we ever will.

As the game's November release date approaches Kojima has been taking advantage of events like Gamescom and Tokyo Games Show to steadily release more information about the game and show us more footage. But with Kojima, nothing is simple. 

While we have now seen more gameplay footage, more trailers and learned of further confirmed features which has cleared up some of our confusion, there's still a part of us that's not entirely sure of what to expect from Death Stranding. We're not actually sure we'll have a real handle on it until we can play it in its entirety.  

So while fans try to work out what to expect from Kojima's latest offering, let this article guide you through everything there is to know about Death Stranding so far.

[Update: PlayStation UK has announced that a mysterious new event for Death Stranding is coming to London at which fans will have the chance to meet Hideo Kojima. Read on to find out more about what to expect.]

Death Stranding

 Image credit: Kojima Productions 

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? It’s the debut title from Hideo Kojima’s new studio Kojima Studios. 
  • When can I play it? November 8, 2019 
  • What can I play it on? Sony PS4 (maybe PC at a later date)

Death Stranding trailers and screenshots

Kojima made an appearance at Tokyo Games Show in 2019 and brought with him the longest chunk of Death Stranding gameplay footage we've seen so far. At just under an hour, this footage gives us a good look at how the game will play.

Death Stranding trailers are becoming increasingly focused and two released on August 19 at Gamescom 2019 brought the enigmatic infants into closer view. 

The trailers revealed a new character that is the mother to an infant who was born still, and so its soul exists in a mirror plane to the real world, the world of the dead. Then, some of the characters in this world have managed to manipulate and navigate this world with actual stillborn infants connected across planes with still mothers ... we think. 

It's wild stuff that borderlines on taboo – and it features Guillermo Del Toro, too.

Finally, Kojima revealed gameplay of Death Stranding, which detailed a character interacting with a character modeled after Geoff Keighley (who is literally in the game now). Then, he fell off a cliff onto the baby resting in its artificial womb on the character's chest ... unscathed. We have no idea.

Prior to Gamescom, Kojima gave us a two minute look at a brand new character: Heartman. Played by Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn, this character's heart stops every 21 minutes. Each time his heart stops he dies for around 3 minutes and enters the world of the dead before being revived by a defibrillator strapped to his chest and returned to the land of the living. 

The most revealing Death Stranding trailer dropped on May 29, announcing the game's release date and attempting to shed some light on the storyline.

Check it out below:

The Tokyo Game Show 2018 trailer revealed voice-acting veteran Troy Baker has joined the cast as the mysterious villain The Man in the Golden Mask.

E3 2018 brought Death Stranding gameplay to our eyes and left our minds somewhat confused. 

Before E3 2018, Death Stranding featured at the Game Awards 2017. Coming in at nearly eight minutes long, this isn't a quick watch and unfortunately it doesn't answer many of the questions we have about the game (actually we think we have more). 

Watch it for yourself below:

The reveal trailer that was shown at E3 in 2016 may have been more than 3 minutes long, but it didn’t reveal much about the game at all other than that it would star The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus.

A second even longer and 4K trailer was shown at The Game Awards at the end of 2016. This trailer starred Hannibal’s Mads Mikkelsen and Guillermo Del Toro and although it didn’t give us any more of an idea of what the game will actually even be about (in fact leaving us more confused than we were before) it did send expectations soaring. 

Death Stranding release date

Death Stranding will release on November 8. 2019.

Death Stranding is available to pre-order now from the PlayStation Store. The standard digital edition will cost you £54.99 / $59.99 / AU$99.95, while the deluxe digital edition costs £64.99 / $79.99 / AU$114.95.

Death Stranding

Image credit: Kojima Productions

What do we know so far about Death Stranding?

London Event

PlayStation UK has announced that it will be holding a Death Stranding event in London and that Hideo Kojima himself will be in attendance. Called The Death Stranding Experience, the event will be non-ticketed and will take place on November 2 between 10am and 7pm with the chance to meet Kojima between 11.30am and 1.30pm.

For those who cannot make the initial day when Kojima is attending, further Death Stranding Experiences will be available on November 3, 8, 9 and 10 from 10.30am until 6pm. 

What exactly will happen during The Death Stranding Experience is currently unclear and we've heard little other than that it will be a “unique experience that draws on the environments of the game.” For those not entirely sure what Kojima's game will be about, this is probably a good opportunity to get a better idea. Naturally, there will also be opportunities to purchase official merchandise. 

It seems likely that this is part of Kojima's World Stranding Tour which is happening in the run up to the game's release on November 8. Before London, Kojima will be visiting Paris and afterwards he will be touring around Berlin, New York, San Francisco, Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Taipei and Singapore. 

Tokyo Games Show

Hideo Kojima and Death Stranding made an appearance at Tokyo Games Show; quite a long one as well. The creator took to the stage to show off almost an hour of gameplay footage which is the longest look at the game yet. From what we could see from the footage, there's a lot of walking in Death Stranding though it's mercifully broken up by some vehicles and, of course, some combat with enemies. As Reedus' character Sam, players will pull their cargo across the game world, struggling as it gets heavier. As players walk they'll need to contend with the little things like replacing their worn out boots and they'll be able to pick up cargo dropped by other players in their playthroughs. 

Another round of footage was shown at the close of the show which gave us a glimpse of the game's Safe House, a more intimate place in the game world where time will be spent between missions. The Safe House is a place where you can hang out as Sam and mess around with selfies, customise your gear, plan your next move, take a shower and, er, eat some bugs.  

Kojima also took some interviews during the show and in one particular interview he admitted that the game won't get "really fun" until players get around halfway through it. According to Kojima the game will have a slow start and "there is no explanation or anything". The reason for this is, in part, to make the game more accessible to every kind of player which has been a key concern for Kojima. 

Accessible difficulty settings
According to a tweet by Kojima, Death Stranding will have a "very easy" mode (via GamesRadar). This is one for movie fans who are interested in the game's leading actors but aren't really interested in playing the game. Kojima is known for his long cinematic cutscenes so this isn't an entirely inexplicable move for Death Stranding. 

No longer listed as PS4 exclusive
All mentions of Death Stranding being a 'PS4 exclusive' have been removed from all official PlayStation sites (via Resetera). Previously we've heard rumors that Death Stranding may only be a timed exclusive on PS4 and now it seems more likely than ever the title will be coming to PC at a later date.

Gamescom 2019
We knew Hideo Kojima was going to make an appearance at Gamescom: Opening Night Live to premiere new footage from Death Stranding, but it was probably too hopeful of us to think his appearance would be straightforward. Kojima just doesn't roll like that.

While the gaming auteur certainly tried to explain Death Stranding, and in particular the baby we see Norman Reedus carrying about, it still manged to be a convoluted affair.

We kind of have a better idea about what Death Stranding's Bridge Babies are about thanks to a couple of new trailers. 

It seems like Bridge Babies (or BBs) are babies who are born on "the other side" (aka stillborn). However they remain attached to their mothers via some sort of supernatural umbilical cord, which means they exist in a kind of mirror plane to the real world - ethereal, but still 'connected' to their mothers.

The babies then seem to be used to allow people in the real world, like Norman Reedus' character Sam, to see BTs (supernatural, shadowy creatures). So Sam attaches a device to him that acts like a mother's womb, so the BB thinks it's still in there. 

It seems Sam needs to keep his BB calm and happy because they're "unpredictable" and can possibly fail. It seems like Sam will die if the BB dies. So essentially you're a delivery man and a surrogate mother...

After the two trailers on BBs, Kojima revealed gameplay of Death Stranding which started with Sam urinating to empty his "tank". The pee also caused a mushroom to grow a bit. We can only assume there's a survival mechanic that means you need to drink, eat and pee. We assume...

Next, the trailer detailed Sam interacting with a character modeled after Game Awards founder Geoff Keighley (who is literally in the game now). Sam delivers a package and then a new strand is uncovered, showing more of the map. Then, he fell off a cliff face-down into the ground, flat on the baby resting in its artificial womb on the character's chest, which was... unscathed. We have no idea.

The baby then start crying and Sam has to rock it to calm it down.

The new trailers didn't shed a whole lot of light on Death Stranding but it seems the babies are technically dead and create a link to another world, allowing Sam (and anyone attached to BBs) to see the shadowy BT figures. Maybe? Who knows.

Death Stranding could be out on PC as soon as May 2020
Death Stranding will only have a period of exclusivity for the PS4, before seeing a PC release, according to a fresh rumor.

Bear in mind that it is just a rumor, and nothing more at this point, but the source of the speculation, an Italian journalist by the name of Antonio Fucito, previously leaked the game’s release date correctly (before it was officially revealed as November 8).

In a livestream session, Fucito said that Death Stranding would be a PlayStation 4 exclusive for a set period, before releasing on PC (but not Xbox). Regarding the possible length of exclusivity period, he added: “I don’t know if it’s a 6 or 12 months exclusive.”

So we could potentially be looking at a PC release in May 2020, a year from now, or November 2020. Of course, that’s pure guesswork, and we still have to be cautious about any PC release happening at all.

Keanu Reeves was almost cast in Death Stranding
During a panel at San Diego Comic-Con, Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima revealed that Reeves was initially recommended for a main role in the game. However, Kojima decided to go with Hannibal's Mads Mikkelsen instead.

"I originally was recommended Keanu Reeves but I wanted Mads," Kojima explained during the panel, according to Twitter user Kalai Chik.

Check out the tweet below:

Release date revealed in trailer
According to the latest Death Stranding trailer, the game will release on November 8, 2019. The trailer is pretty odd and includes scenes such as Norman Reedus' Sam traversing open-world grasslands on a motorbike, Mads Mikkelsen leading an army of undead soldiers and more jar babies.

Kojima has stated the game centers around 'connection' 
Following the release of the new Death Stranding trailer, Kojima tweeted an image which states what he believes the game is about and what its key themes are.

Check the tweet out below:

Death Stranding's pre-order page is live now
Death Stranding's pre-order page is now up on the PS Store, showing off a bunch of pre-order bonus content.

Check out all the items below:

Death Stranding

Image credit: Sony

Tribeca Film Festival
We learnt a few new tidbits at the Tribeca Film Festival, which hosted a panel discussion with Hideo Kojima and Norman Reedus. Much of it was about how immersed Reedus was with development, with his entire face and body (tattoos and all) having been scanned into the game.

“In Death Stranding I’m trying to put every aspect [of Norman] in there,” Kojima said through his interpreter, “and you will see his … everything, in the game,” he finished, suggestively, cracking up the crowd. By the end of the game, he says, you’ll “love Norman”.

Non-branching narrative
Kojima also stated there would be some painful choices to make in the game, though followed up by saying the player wouldn't really be able to influence the story through their decisions. Sounds like some different cutscenes or dialogue options, though not much in the way of affecting plot.

Online features
One of the biggest teases at Tribeca was the recurring mention of online features, though Kojima avoided talking directly about what this would look like in the game: "You're connecting the game, and everyone is playing it together, and you'll be connected, everyone will be connected together as well." Maybe a way to communicate or leave notes for other players, in the vein of Dark Souls?

Death Stranding

Image credit: TechRadar

Troy Baker is a villain
Veteran voice-actor Troy Baker (who voices Joel in The Last of Us series) stars in Death Stranding as the enigmatic antagonist The Man in the Golden Mask. Baker was introduced in a teaser trailer shown during Tokyo Game Show, with his skull-masked character summoning a black tar-like demon to take on Norman Reedus' character.

E3 2018
E3 brought a brand new trailer, few answers and even more questions. The trailer for the game had the most revealing description we've seen yet, stating the game is about Sam ‘Porter’ Bridges, a delivery man who must journey across a vast world so that he can “reunite the shattered world one step at a time.”

We also got look at two more famous faces who will make an appearance in the game – Léa Seydoux and Lindsay Wagner.

Something edgy
Back in 2015 Kojima starting giving hints around the game's tone and star-studded voice cast in an interview with IGN. According to Kojima his first title with Sony is going to be “slightly more edgy”, as while he wants “to create something that’s what people expect” he also wants to bring “something new that people haven’t seen before.”

We do know that Kojima is planning to do something different with the game’s mechanics, most notably around the concept of dying and involving the baby that has appeared in every trailer. Kojima said in the interview that the mechanics of Death Stranding were inspired by a Japanese short story. 

Death Stranding

Image credit: Kojima Productions

In the story it’s stated that the first tool mankind creates is a stick for protection, but that the second tool mankind created was a rope to keep things close and secure. “Most of your tools in action games are sticks,” Kojima explained, “You punch or you shoot or you kick. The communication is always through these 'sticks.' In [Death Stranding], I want people to be connected not through sticks, but through what would be the equivalent of ropes… But of course you will be able to use the sticks too.”

Unfortunately we haven’t seen any gameplay that would give us a better insight into how this rope approach will actually work. 

A mystery to its own devs
At a Q and A session at the E3 Coliseum in 2017, Kojima himself said that his own team didn't understand the game: "I started explaining a year ago to the team what I wanted to make. No one got it!"

Before this, the game's star Mads Mikkelsen admitted he "got lost" when Kojima tried to explain the game's plot to him. 

Sporadic details
Though Kojima has been coy, he’s given some nice teases into what we can expect from Death Stranding in terms of tone and gameplay modes.

We know the game will run on the Decima engine which was created by Horizon: Zero Dawn developers, Guerilla Games. Kojima praised this engine during PSX 2016 as being an excellent engine for creating open world games, something that Horizon: Zero Dawn’s reception suggests has an element of truth to it. 

Though its unsettling trailers suggest otherwise, Kojima has said that Death Stranding won’t be as dark as some fans are expecting. It’s certainly not a horror game, he told Glixel, and it would have comedic moments which isn’t entirely surprising considering the overarching tone of the Metal Gear series. 

Death Stranding

An impressive cast
We already knew Death Stranding had some big names attached to it including Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen . But now we know they'll be joined by writer and actress Emily O'Brien and the voice of video games, Troy Baker. 

O'Brien posted a picture to Instagram which showed her alongside Baker and Reedus, with a caption stating "Honored to be working alongside these two fine lads on [Hideo Kojima's] new project Death Stranding." 

While Baker is well known for his starring roles in video games such as The Last of Us and Bioshock Infinite, O'Brien has had roles on both TV and in games, featuring in Telltale's Guardian's of the Galaxy and Batman: The Enemy Within as well as Rock in a Hard Place.

Players won't die
In an interview with IGN, Hideo Kojima was slightly more open with details than he usually is. The strange underwater sequence from the 2017 Game Awards trailer for example? That's apparently a kind of purgatory where players will go and freely explore when they die in the game, though Kojima notes that "death will never pull you out of the game." 

The game apparently explores the themes of life and death and it's for this reason that Kojima would like to explore the traditional death mechanic in games and let players know that  in-game death isn't the end for them when it happens.

In this underwater area, he explains, “you're not dead or alive. It's the equivalent of that screen that says 'Continue?' and a counter ticking down towards zero.” When players decide they're ready to leave and return to the game world, they won't be returned to a point before their death. Instead the game acknowledges their defeat and coming back to life is more of a reincarnation than a respawn.

There's a weird time rain
During the trailer shown at the 2017 Game Awards, fans noticed there's a strange kind of rain that has an effect on time. In makes plants grow and wilt and makes human bodies age and degenerate when it touches them. The rain is apparently called Timefall and it has a big role to play in the game's story. 

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US court system hacked to send phishing emails

Posted: 23 Oct 2019 11:01 AM PDT

A man from Texas has been sentenced to 145 months in federal prison after he hacked the Los Angeles Superior Court (LASC) computer system and used its servers to deliver some 2m malspam emails.

The man behind the hack, 33 year old Oriyomi Sadiq Aloba "was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, 15 counts of wire fraud, one count of attempted wire fraud, one count of unauthorized impairment of a protected computer, five counts of unauthorized access to a protected computer to obtain information, and four counts of aggravated identity theft."

Aloba was found guilty in July and faced a statutory maximum sentence of over 350 years for his crimes but during his recent sentencing hearing, the judge sentenced him to roughly 12 years in federal prison and he will also have to pay $47,479 in restitution.

Following a phishing attack that compromised one of LASC's employee email accounts in July of 2017, Aloba was able to infiltrate the court's computers. He then later used this account to launch a spear-phishing attack which targeted the accounts of thousands of other LASC employees.

In order to collect the email addresses and passwords of other Superior Court employees, Aloba sent phishing emails that contained a fake Dropbox notification asking them to send over their user credentials

Compromised email accounts

According to the initial indictment from February of 2018, Aloba used these stolen credentials “to log into LASC servers” where he sent test emails to himself to make sure that he had full access to the accounts. These compromised email accounts were then used by Aloba to send over two million phishing emails in which he impersonated companies such as American Express and Wells Fargo.

In a press release, the US Department of Justice explained how it discovered Aloba's phishing scheme, saying:

“Hyperlinks in the fraudulent emails led victims to a webpage that asked for their banking login credentials, personal identifying information, and credit card information. The link for the fake American Express website used source code that designated Aloba’s email account as the delivery address for the information that the victims input into the fake website.”

Aloba was finally apprehended by law enforcement authorities after they used a search warrant to search his home. There the investigators found signs that he attempted to destroy any evidence that could incriminate him such as the “dozens of phishing kits” discovered on his laptop. They also found a thumb drive Aloba tried to dispose of in his toilet, a damaged iPhone in his bathroom sink as well as a laptop with a smashed screen covered in fresh blood.

However, Aloba did not work alone and his co-conspirator 28 year old Robert Charles Nicholson (aka Million$Menace) also pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Additionally three other defendants who Aloba hired to develop the phishing kits used in his attacks remain at large outside of the US.

Via Bleeping Computer

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Huawei Nova 5T now on pre-order with Watch GT 2 shipping

Posted: 23 Oct 2019 10:59 AM PDT

Pre-bookings for the Huawei Nova 5T  have gone live in the UAE. The rather reasonable priced but spec heavy phone can be pre-ordered at the Huawei Experience Stores and across select retailers starting October 23.

The Huawei Nova 5T is priced at AED 1,599 and comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. 

Huawei Watch GT 2 now on sale

Along with the pre-orders for Nova 5T, Huawei Watch GT 2 has also gone on sale today and you can pick one up at the Huawei experience stores and select retailers. Prices start at AED 849.

The HUAWEI WATCH GT 2 46mm, is powered by Huawei's Kirin A1 chip that delivers a two week battery life due to the chip’s ultra-low power consumption capability.

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Pokémon Go updates: all the news and rumors for what's coming next

Posted: 23 Oct 2019 10:54 AM PDT

Pokémon Go: the world's first augmented reality app to become a household name. Niantic's mobile AR game is still going strong two years after it first released, with a constant drip of events and updates keeping budding trainers glued to their phones and pounding the streets.

And while it hasn't managed to top the peak of its popularity in 2016, it's still going strong and finding plenty of new ways to improve its player experience.

So what's the latest news for Pokémon Go? As you'd expect, brand new features are being added all the time and community events are still going strong. Plus we have some more themed events and brand new Gen 5 Pokémon to catch!

But without further ado, here's our guide to all the latest Pokémon Go news and updates.

Pokémon Go news and Pokémon Go updates

  • What's new? Good news trainers, a GO Battle League will be coming to the game in 2020. Read on to find out more about it. 

First global ticketed event 

Players across the world will soon be able to purchase tickets for a special Pokémon Go event called A Colossal Discovery. 

The research story event will see the introduction of Regigigas, a Pokémon from the Sinnoh region. Players who purchase tickets will be able to embark on a series of tasks over a limited period which will see them have a chance to encounter the new Pokémon before it appears in EX Raids come November. 

Unlike other Pokémon Go events, this one is not location-specific so as long as players have tickets they can take part wherever they are. 

In addition to this chance of encounter, players will also receive a Colossal Discovery medal, up to 10 more Raid Passes for no extra cost, a Unova Stone, and a Sinnoh Stone.

The event will take place on November 2 between 11am and 7pm local time. Tickets can be purchased in the in-game store for $7.99/£7.99 until 5pm on November 2.

Flower Crown Eevee

There's also a brand new Research Breakthrough reward to enjoy. From September 1 until November 1, Eevee wearing flower crowns will appear in encounters for you to catch. Even more appealing, there's a chance some of those you encounter will be Shiny. Research Breakthroughs will be the only way you'll encounter these Pokémon so if you want to evolve every Eeveelution wearing a flower crown you'll have to get started now!

When's the next Pokémon Go event?

Halloween spooktacular

It's October so naturally there's a spooky Halloween event coming to Pokémon Go. This year, starting on October 17, more Shadow Pokémon will be available to save from Team GO Rocket. They include Weedle, Kakuna, Beedrill, Electabuzz, Magmar, Lapras, Mareep, Seedot, Nuzleaf, Sableye, Trapinch, Cacnea, Shuppet, and Duskull.

Brand new outfits will be added to the in-game store, among them a Zubat Bag, a Pikachu Onesie, a Cubone Cap, a Litwick Cap, and a Mimikyu Bag.

And a new Shiny Pokémon is being added: Shiny Yamask.

For a limited time between October 17 and November 1there will be more Halloween-specific treats. 

During this time, more Ghost-type and Dark-type will appear in the wild, in raids and from eggs. 

Some Pokémon that you come across in the wild will be wearing costumes. Naturally, they're costumes of other Pokémon so expect to see adorable sights like Charmander dressed as Cubone or Squirtle dressed as Yamask. Even weirder, you might see some Pikachu dressed as Mimikyu. Some of them will also appear in Shiny form.

Five-star raids will be given a spooky twist with Darkrai making its debut and themed Field Research tasks will be available for a limited time. 

As far as special bonuses across this period there will be double Catch, Hatch and Transfer Candy. 

When's the next Pokémon Go Community Day?

  • What date is the next Community Day? November 16
  • Who's the starring Pokémon? Chimchar

Now that Trapinch has had its day, the next Pokémon Go Community Day has been confirmed to be taking place on November 16, between 11am and 2pm local time. The featured Pokémon for the event will be the fire-type Pokémon Chimchar. 

Across the day Chimchar will spawn more often and there will be a possibility you could encounter it in its shiny form. The event-specific move for Chimchar hasn't been confirmed yet but this will be revealed closer to the time.

During the event, eggs will only require one quarter of their usual distance to hatch and any Lure Modules will last for three hours rather than thirty minutes.

Pokémon Go update: what's next?

GO Battle League

Niantic has announced that a new feature called GO Battle League will be coming to the game in early 2020. It will build on the current trainer battles system and will encourage players to get out and explore. According to Niantic, players will walk to earn entry into the Battle League. Once they're in they'll be able to battle players from around the world through an online matching system. Win and lose, they'll rise and fall in the ranks of the worldwide league. We'll keep updating with more information on Battle League as it's announced. 

Niantic Wayfarer beta

Niantic will soon launch a beta of its Wayfarer tool which will allow players to review nominations for Gyms and Pokéstops, giving them a say in new places to play. Over the next few weeks the beta will roll out to a select playerbase with larger rollouts to come at a later time.

Pokémon Go Plus deals

Want to buy yourself a Pokémon Go Plus wearable? Check some of today's best deals down below.

(Image credits: Niantic/Pokémon Company)

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Top Tech Conferences: The ultimate B2B tech events and show guide for 2019

Posted: 23 Oct 2019 10:38 AM PDT

For information about adding your event to this list and featured listing opportunities please contact mike.moore@futurenet.com.

Love it or loathe it, events and conferences are often where wheelers and dealers in the world of technology meet to decide on the future of the industry.

Ironically, technology itself has accelerate the demise of some massive tech events (like CeBit) but the result is that the remaining ones are more focused, alive and bustling than ever before.

TechRadar Pro and ITProPortal have joined forces with the tech B2B PR industry to curate a list of national and international technology events, conferences and happenings.

Money 20/20

October 27th - 30th, Las Vegas

Money20/20 is the doorway to the epicenter of the Payments, Banking, Fintech and Financial Services ecosystem. 

Why attend? As the home of the Money Revolution, the event unites captains of industry, dreamers, trailblazers, innovative thinkers and fearless leaders that hold the keys to fundamental changes in the way the world uses, spends, borrows and moves money.

IoT Solutions World Congress

October 29th - 31st, Barcelona

The IoT Solutions World Congress is dedicated exclusively to joining IoT providers with industry in order to help the latter increase productivity via this disruptive technology.

Why attend? The IoT Solutions World Congress is committed to bringing together the best minds in the industry to discuss hot topics in the IoT business. 

Big Data LDN 2019

November 13th-14th, London

Big Data LDN is a free to attend conference and exhibition where delegates discuss the big questions and share ideas with forward-thinking peers and leading members of the Data community. Hear from 130 expert speakers in 8 technical and business-led conference tracks, including real world use-cases and discuss your business requirements with 100 leading technology vendors and consultants.

Why attend? Big Data LDN (London) will host leading, global data and analytics experts, ready to arm you with the tools to deliver your most effective data-driven strategy.

CES 2020

January 7th-10th, Las Vegas

CES is the world's gathering place for all those who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. 

Why attend? The world's largest technology show attracted 175,000 attendees last year, with over 4,500 companies exhibiting.

Running Remote 2020

April 20th-21st, Austin

Running Remote is carefully curated to teach you next-level, actionable strategies and tactics you can utilize the very next day to manage and grow your distributed team.

Why attend? The conference will provide education and tools that founders & professionals need to succeed in the future of work. This is a gathering of leaders who will share everything they’ve learnt running a remote first organisation.

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Earn up to 200k bonus miles or $2k cash with Capital One's new credit card offers

Posted: 23 Oct 2019 10:32 AM PDT

Already thinking of your Black Friday tech shopping and want to be rewarded for your next big purchase? Or are you frequent flyer who wants to earn points for travelling? Capital One's new credit card offers could be ideal for you - whichever camp you're in.

The provider has announced vastly improved bonuses on two of its most popular credit cards - the Capital One® Spark® Miles for Business and Capital One® Spark® Cash for Business

The Capital One Spark Miles credit card is ideal for any frequent flyers and travellers out there who want to get big rewards for all their travels. With this credit card, you can earn 150,000 bonus miles once you spend $50,000 in the first six months of your account opening - that instantly makes this one of the best credit cards for travel you can get right now.

As if this wasn't enough, Capital One is now giving you unlimited 5X miles on hotel and rental car bookings when booked through Capital One Travel. Meaning that with each booking you do through with this credit card you get five times as many miles as you'd normally get. And these perks are all unlimited, meaning there's no cap on the amount of points you can rack up.

Not a frequent traveller, but still want to be rewarded for your purchases and spending? Look no further than Capital One Spark Cash for Business card, where there's up to a $2,000 cash bonus if you expect to spend $50,000 within the first six months of the account opening (as long as you also spend $5,000 in the first three months). And then there's 2% back on most spending, too, that you can redeem whenever you wish.

Any of this sound right up your alley? Keep reading, below we've got both credit card offers outlined in detail for you.

TechRadar has partnered with The Points Guy Affiliate Network for our coverage of credit products. TechRadar and The Points Guy may receive a commission from card issuers. Please note: the offers mentioned below are subject to change at any time and some may no longer be available at the time of reading.

Honestly, it entirely depends on your financial circumstances. If, for example you have a list of Black Friday deals an you've been eyeing up one of the market's best laptops, then a credit card is a great way to get paid back for your spending. Especially if you pay off your balance immediately. 

Or if you're a frequent flyer and you want to get rewarded in miles for all your travelling and spending - a credit card that has travel rewards is a great idea.

But if you're trying to buy something that's actually beyond your budget and the only way you can afford it is by using a credit card, it's probably a bad idea. The only thing that's really good for is getting you saddled with debt that you can't clear and potentially harsh interest rates to make things even worse.

Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.

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Amazon Music could use Black Friday as a secret weapon against Spotify

Posted: 23 Oct 2019 10:21 AM PDT

As controversial as this is going to sound, I believe Amazon Music Unlimited could become the best music streaming service in 2020 – better than Apple Music and, yes, better than Spotify.

What makes that such a controversial opinion is that Apple and Spotify are absolutely dominating in terms of subscriber count and market share in an area that Amazon, despite its position as the world’s leading online retailer, just can’t seem to win… and not for a lack of trying.

To chip away at the competitors, Amazon has created a number of different music streaming services (three, if we’re being precise) each of which serves a different audience: There’s Amazon Prime Music that has around 2 million songs and comes free with your Prime subscription. There’s Amazon Music Unlimited that has around 30 million songs, but costs a monthly fee. And then there’s the newly announced Amazon Music HD, that has the most songs of the bunch, with some of them are available in Hi-Res 24-bit/192KHz. 

For years, Amazon has only had the two tiers but the new third tier – in addition to some competitive advantages Amazon has in the works right now – could give it the momentum it needs to finally cut through the static and reach the mainstream music listener.

Amazon’s roadmap to taking over the charts 

Admittedly, it’s not going to be easy for Amazon’s smaller, less-popular music service(s) to take over the charts next year – Spotify has the industry in a vice grip and Apple Music courted its fanbase with a free three-month trial at launch and several deals since then.

If you sign up for the former right now, you'll get three months free – that's just as good as Apple Music and Spotify – but Amazon will need to sweeten the pot to get listeners on-board.

If Amazon wants to win, it’s going to have to fight fire with fire… or, rather, deals with deals: To start, Amazon needs to offer a killer Black Friday deal on Amazon Music Unlimited and Music HD. If you sign up for the former right now, you’ll get three months free – that’s just as good as Apple Music and Spotify – but Amazon will need to sweeten the pot to get listeners on-board. 

The good news for us? There’s a historical precedence for this and it’s not just wishful thinking. In fact, earlier this year, Amazon offered a pretty killer deal on Amazon Music Unlimited during Amazon Prime Day where you could pay $1 for four months of service. 

Obviously there’s no guarantee that Amazon will run something like that again this year, but if it really wants to launch its service into the stratosphere, it’s deals like these that will push it into a position where it can compete with Apple and Spotify.

Meet the Amazon Echo Studio. It's Amazon's Hi-Res answer to the Apple HomePod and, from what we've seen so far, it could really change the game for Amazon's streaming service.  

Roll out the new audio equipment 

But, as we all know, having a high subscriber count doesn’t make you the best music streaming service on its own. Sure, popularity is good and it has its advantages, but at the end of the day it comes down to the sound quality and device support – two areas that Amazon is making a massive improvement on in the next six months. 

One of the keys here, in terms of hardware, is going to be the Amazon Echo Studio. It’s Amazon’s Hi-Res answer to the Apple HomePod and, from what we’ve seen so far, it could really change the game for Amazon’s streaming service. 

At $199.99 / £189.99 / AU$329 it’s not the cheapest speaker on the planet but, if Amazon delivers any sort of discount, its Hi-Res compatibility and serious smart home chops could be the key to getting more folks to sign up for Amazon’s higher-end streaming service.

Not only does it make use of Amazon’s “ultra high definition” music streams (to use the term Amazon is co-opting for its hi-res offering), but it’s also supporting and championing Dolby Atmos and Sony’s 360 Reality Audio formats. These immersive, relatively-new audio tracks can make it appear as sounds are coming from above and all around you, singling out individual instruments from a mix. Amazon Music HD is the only streaming service to support these formats, and the Echo Studio will be one of, if not the, most affordable single speaker you can listen to them on.

Now if only there were some sort of massive shopping holiday coming up that Amazon, a company notorious for marking down its own products, could take advantage of...

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EU says speedy 5G rollout is key

Posted: 23 Oct 2019 10:15 AM PDT

A draft document of presidency conclusions seen by Reuters has revealed that the EU believes it should be the leading market for the deployment of 5G mobile networks as it will help increase its global competitiveness.

The rollout of 5G will bring a great deal of change to mobile networks, devices and applications and as a result this will “make it necessary for the EU and the member states to pay particular attention to ensuring the cybersecurity of these networks and new services”.

Security concerns regarding 5G aside, the document also highlights the fact that “a swift roll-out of 5G networks is key for enhancing the competitiveness of the EU and requires a common approach”.

Unfortunately for the EU, you can't have it both ways as a speedy rollout of 5G could open those networks to potential security issues though waiting to implement 5G in order to make these networks more secure could potentially hurt the bloc's competitiveness.

5G security

Although the draft fails to mention Chinese telecoms maker Huawei by name, it recommends that the EU promote European technological sovereignty. Additionally, the document calls for “robust” security standards to be put in place for all manufacturers and service providers throughout the entirety of the lifecycle of 5G networks.

The rotating EU presidency is currently in the hands of Finland and the country is trying to have its draft document formally adopted at a meeting of EU telecommunications ministers which is scheduled for December.

Earlier this month, EU member states published a joint risk assessment report on 5G that highlighted how increased security risks will require a new approach to securing telecoms infrastructure. The report identified a number of security challenges that 5G will pose as the next generation wireless network will require more software to run.

The role that suppliers play in building and operating 5G networks was another security challenge brought up in the report which warned that too much dependency should not be placed on individual suppliers.

With great power comes great responsibility and while 5G has the potential to change the way we work and communicate with one another, the security risks associated with its implementation are something that no country should overlook.

Via Reuters

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Nintendo Switch Lite giveaway - get one completely free with these cheap phone deals

Posted: 23 Oct 2019 10:12 AM PDT

Last year, EE launched a deal just before Black Friday we couldn't quite believe, offering up free Nintendo Switches with a host of phone contracts. Now Mobiles.co.uk has followed suit, releasing a similar promotion - just a whole lot cheaper.

With prices as low as £23 a month, these phone deals would be classed as 'affordable' in pricing on their own. Throw in the addition of a completely free Nintendo Switch Lite and we can't quite believe the prices available.

Obviously, these aren't flagship phones, instead this is a round-up of some top mid-range phones. Including devices from Samsung, Huawei and Nokia there is a fair bit of choice.

We've listed all of the mobile phone deals available with this promotion below. While both phones and Nintendo Switches are likely to come down in price, they are highly unlikely to drop to prices like this.

These free Nintendo Switch Lite offers in full:

Mobiles.co.uk - is it a reliable phone deal retailer?

Not sure if Mobiles.co.uk is the right retailer to buy from? Having won Best Online Retailer at the Mobile Choice Awards in 2018, you can rest easy knowing Mobiles.co.uk is a safe bet.

With some of the market's best pricing, fast delivery and excellent reviews - you can see how they managed to bag that title.

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iPhone 12: what we want to see

Posted: 23 Oct 2019 10:01 AM PDT

The iPhone 11 range includes a trio of well-rounded handsets, but in many ways they’re a conservative, safe upgrade from the iPhone XS. As such we’re hoping for big changes from the upcoming iPhone 12 series, and given they'll be premium Apple handsets, we’re already hearing rumors about what they could bring.

These include the possibility of 5G support, new cameras, a new design, a higher refresh rate, or even wilder changes. So if every rumor proves right then the iPhone 12 could be the big upgrade we’re hoping for.

You’ll find everything we’ve heard so far below as a growing list of rumors and leaks. We'll also have our speculations on the likely release date and price of the iPhone 12 range as well as a wish list of the things we most want to see from the 2020 iPhone models.

Cut to the chase

  • What is it? The next phones from Apple
  • When is it out? Probably September 2020
  • What will it cost? They won't be cheap

iPhone 12 release date and price

While there aren’t any iPhone 12 release date rumors yet, we can take a good guess at when it will be announced, as Apple unveils new models at a similar time each year.

As such, we can be fairly sure that the iPhone 12 range will be announced in September 2020.

More specifically, it might land on the Tuesday or Wednesday of the first or second full week of September, meaning September 8, 9, 15 or 16. Following that, pre-orders are likely to open the following Friday, with the phones probably going on a sale a week after that.

iPhone 11 pro

As for pricing, it’s likely to stay broadly in line with the current models. For reference, the iPhone 11 starts at $699 / £729 / AU$1,199, the iPhone 11 Pro starts at $999 / £1,049 / AU$1,749, and the iPhone 11 Pro Max starts at $1,099 / £1,149 / AU$1,899.

Having said that, one report suggests that the cost of materials for the iPhone 12 range might go up, which could mean even higher prices at retail.

iPhone 12 news and leaks

First things first: we're pretty confident the 2020 Apple handsets will be the iPhone 12 series, not the 11S or similar thanks to an industry analyst (with a great track record) saying as such.

That's why we're calling it the iPhone 12, even though Apple hasn't confirmed this name.

Apple could be making some big changes to the design and screen for the iPhone 12 range, including getting rid of the notch.

Or at least, one of the upcoming phones might lack a notch according to analysts, with the front-facing camera potentially set to be embedded under the screen instead. If this happens we’d expect it to be the most expensive iPhone 12 model that has this feature – likely the iPhone 12 Pro Max, or whatever it launches as.

Another leak suggests Apple is developing new Face ID tech which will lead to a redesigned and potentially slimmer notch. Allegedly, the company is trying out several combinations, including ones that minimize the front-facing optics so much that they fit in the top bezel.

That leak affirmed several much-rumored trends, like the iPhone 12 Pro versions adding a time-of-flight sensor, the budget flagship adding a telephoto lens, and series-wide support for 5G as well as finally switching to USB-C. 

It might not just be the camera that’s built into the screen either, as Apple is also rumored to be equipping its next phones with an in-screen fingerprint scanner.

iPhone 11 Pro

This would be a big change for the brand, since current models don’t have a fingerprint scanner at all. That said, if the camera really is in-screen then it might not be possible to have all the Face ID sensors, so it could be that this fingerprint scanner will replace Face ID, though we're not convinced Apple would go that far.

One or more 2020 iPhone models might also have a 120Hz refresh rate, up from 60Hz on current models. This – which has been rumored by a reputable leaker - could make interactions feel smoother. Some phones already have higher refresh rates than 60Hz, as do some iPads, so this isn’t unbelievable.

The screen sizes could be changing too, with respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo saying that the iPhone 12 Pro Max could have a 6.7-inch screen (up from 6.5 inches on the iPhone 11 Pro Max), and the iPhone 12 Pro could have a 5.45-inch screen (down from 5.8 inches on the iPhone 11 Pro).

He adds that the standard iPhone 12 will apparently stay at 6.1 inches, but will get upgraded from LCD to OLED. That’s a claim we’ve heard more than once, and would mean all three 2020 iPhones would have an OLED screen.

As for the design, we might get more than just a notch removal, with Kuo also saying that he expects the metal frame to be more like the iPhone 4’s frame, suggesting it won’t be curved like on current models. He also says that overall the design is likely to be “significantly” different to current iPhone models.

iPhone 11 Pro

Another big change could take the form of 5G, which has been widely rumored for the iPhone 12. Kuo even says that he thinks all three models will support 5G. We fully expect at least one of them will, given that multiple sources have suggested as much and that a number of other phones already support 5G.

The iPhone 12 might also get a camera upgrade, with a laser-powered 3D camera rumored for inclusion. This would be on the back, and while only one rumor mentions lasers, another also talks about a depth-sensing snapper, so this might well be something we see in some form.

Finally, there’s an outside chance that Apple could add a fourth handset to its line-up in 2020. By the sounds of things this could be a lower-end option, but we’d take its existence with a serious side of salt.

What we want to see

The iPhone 11 range is a strong but safe upgrade for Apple. For the iPhone 12 we want to see bigger, riskier changes, such as the following.

1. A new design

iPhone 11 Pro

Perhaps the thing we want most from the iPhone 12 is a new design. Apple has been rolling out basically the same design for several years now, ever since it refreshed the look with the iPhone X.

Sure, some things get tweaked, but the core is the same. And it’s starting to look a bit dated. That’s thanks mostly to the large notch, which might be necessary for all the camera components needed for Face ID, but which we’d like to see shrunk or removed if possible.

Beyond that, we’d really like a whole new look. There’s not too much wrong with the rest of the iPhone 11 Pro’s design, but it certainly feels overly familiar at this point.

2. An in-screen everything

We’d like the iPhone 12 to have an all-screen front, and one way to achieve that is to move the front-facing camera under the display. If Apple can effectively achieve that, it’s sure to impress.

While it’s on, we’d like Apple to re-add a fingerprint scanner, for those times when Face ID isn’t working quite as slickly as it should. But we want this in the screen too, or better yet, make the whole screen one big fingerprint scanner, as it has been rumored Apple might be planning for a future phone.

3. A higher refresh rate

One way some companies are further improving their displays is by upping the refresh rate from the standard 60Hz. The OnePlus 7 Pro for example has an optional 90Hz refresh rate, while the Razer Phone 2 goes up to 120Hz.

This can help make interactions with the handset and animations feel silky smooth, so we’d like to see Apple offer a higher refresh rate of its own. It’s not out of the question, especially as some iPad Pro models have a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Indeed, exactly that refresh rate has been rumored for the upcoming iPhones.

4. Further battery boosts

For the first time in years, with the iPhone 11 range it feels like Apple has really prioritized battery life in its phones, but we want the company to go even further with the iPhone 12. Or at the very least not go backwards.

We’re still waiting on an iPhone that can comfortably last two days, and we’d like the iPhone 12 (or at least the iPhone 12 Pro Max) to be it.

5. 5G support

Apple is behind when it comes to 5G, as none of the iPhone 11 range offer it, while rival handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G and OnePlus 7 Pro 5G do.

Apple’s lack of support isn’t a big deal right now, as 5G coverage is still very sparse in most countries, but by the time the iPhone 12 launches it will be more widely available and a large number of other handsets will support it, so it will be time for Apple to jump on board.

The good news is that it’s heavily rumored that 2020’s iPhones will support 5G, so this is one thing we’re likely to get.

6. A lower price

We ask for this every year with new iPhones and this year we actually kind of got it, with the base iPhone 11 starting at less than the iPhone XR did. So it’s actually not impossible that we could see an even lower price – or a reduced price for the rest of the range – with the iPhone 12.

We wouldn’t count on it, but Apple’s more affordable phones are typically its best-selling in recent years, so there should be some incentive to cut costs where possible.

7. Exciting new features

We’re talking things that we haven’t even thought of. Things that we’re hoping Apple’s brightest minds are currently dreaming up in the company’s labs. Because a tweaked design and improved specs are expected, ordinary, and no longer enough.

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Best Android phone 2019: which should you buy?

Posted: 23 Oct 2019 09:23 AM PDT

The best Android phones sport slimmer bezels and introduce startling new design quirks. With more and more killer Android smartphones coming out, it can be tough to pick the best one to suit your particular needs, but we’ve had plenty of hands-on time to list the best – and the rest.

For now, Samsung is still holding strong thanks to its talent for blending features, high specs, and exciting design alongside some stunning cameras in its new S10 line. But given the advancements coming from competing Google Pixel and Huawei phones, the roster of best Android smartphones will keep getting more interesting. The new OnePlus 7 Pro is a scrappy contender in its own right, which is notably lower cost than many other flagships. 

If you’re shopping for a new Android smartphone, be sure to check each of these handsets out, as you'll see some you might not have been aware of or taken seriously - but we can assure you they're all quality picks.

You can also compare the list to our best phones and best unlocked phones to see how Android and iOS devices stack up. And, if you need mobile service to go with your phone, we can help you find the best unlimited data plan.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at the best Android phones on the market right now.

Best Android phone

While the Samsung Galaxy S series has only made incremental improvements in recent years, the Galaxy S10 Plus makes a bit more of a substantial leap ahead with new features and an even sleeker look. While the other models in the series have their advantages, the S10 Plus is simply the best of the best – top specs, an expanded camera suite and some shiny new tricks.

The Snapdragon 855 at the phone's core competes with the Apple A12 for the fastest chip you can get in phones, and the 8GB RAM makes browsing and gaming speedy. The baseline 128GB of storage is great, but you can also pick up the phone with 512GB – or even 1TB, if you pay for the premium ceramic-backed version (which boosts the RAM to 12GB). If that's not enough, storage can be boosted by 512GB via microSD, bumping potential storage to 1.5TB...whoever should need it.

The phone has few drawbacks, with a huge 6.4-inch screen in the smallest frame we've seen thanks to a 93% screen-to-body ratio. The in-screen fingerprint sensor is cool, the ability to wirelessly charge other devices using the new Wireless PowerShare feature is even cooler, and we just love the clean look of the phone. Aces all around...if you're willing to pay the (very) high price.

Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus

Best Android phone

The Samsung Galaxy S10e is essentially the iPhone XR for Android: flagship specs at a lower price, with a few features shaved off to cut costs. And yet, the S10e is less of a compromise. It retains an AMOLED display (the XR's is LCD), starts at 6GB of RAM and packs a second ultrawide rear camera to the XR's single wide lens.

There are several things the S10e lacks compared to its pricier siblings, but nothing you'll terribly miss: its side-mounted sensor is still more reliable than the in-screen fingerprint sensor on the S10 and S10 Plus. The 2x telephoto lens on its bigger siblings isn't as useful as the ultrawide sensor it keeps. 

But most importantly, it's a cheaper, smaller phone in a sea of Android phones that are getting larger and pricier. The S10e is a more distinct alternative to the S10 Plus than the standard S10, which ends up being a middle child that doesn't quite earn its price hike from its budget flagship sibling. 

Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy S10e

Best Android phone

Image credit: TechRadar

The OnePlus 7 Pro is the pinnacle of the company's design ethos: top-tier specs and software at sub-flagship prices. While the latter is still true - and you can get the standard OnePlus 7 a little cheaper, if you want - the pricetag for the elite OnePlus 7 Pro is creeping closer to the competitors it had previously outvalued.

But arguably, the upgrades from last year's OnePlus 6T are worth it. The new handset adds a third ultrawide camera (following the Samsung Galaxy S10 line and Huawei Mate 20 Pro before it), retains its in-display fingerprint sensor, and even bumps up the resolution to an impressive WQHD+ (1,440 x 3,120) for a sharper-than-ever picture.

The OnePlus 7 Pro's real innovation is a seamless, no-notch display - made possible by a persicope 16MP selfie camera. It pops up when taking selfies, but also when unlocking the phone with facial recognition. It even auto-retracts when the phone's gyroscope detects it's been dropped, though we haven't tested how effective this is. 

All in all, the phone is a solid upgrade over its predecessor, though its extreme value over leading flagships has diminished somewhat.

Read more: OnePlus 7 Pro review

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus

The Galaxy Note 10 Plus is the most supreme this smartphone series has been, with a big gorgeous display, four rear cameras, and the same reliable S Pen stylus. 

Following the Samsung Galaxy S10's lead, the Note 10 Plus adds a 16MP ultrawide lens and a Time-of-Flight depth sensor. And the phonemaker has really leaned into the premium edge with the Plus, as it starts at 256GB of storage and 12GB of RAM.

Otherwise, not much will surprise you about this phone, which is okay: it's less thick, has a bigger screen, and is more stylish than ever. It's pricey yet powerful, with a bit more S Pen functionality. 

Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus

The Google PIxel 4 XL still takes incredible photos, but its curious features and disappointing battery life make this year's version a bit tougher to recommend. New Soli radar components and a return to a thick top bezel instead of a notch make this a more conservative, but still stylish, phone.

The fingerprint sensor is gone, replaced by facial recognition unlocking that's not quite on par with Apple's Face ID - and not yet recognized by many banks, meaning the phone doesn't have biometric authentication for financial apps. The new Motion Sense lets you control audio and alarms via aerial hand gestures, but it's not used for much more than that - and works erratically to boot.

Other new features are neat, like Live Caption and live transcribing in the Recorder app, though those features are coming to the Pixel 3 series. Still, the Pixel 4 XL is a great phone with a minimal design style compared to the flashier flagships out there, and with a Snapdragon 855 chipset and 6GB of RAM, it's powerful enough to get the job done. Just be prepared to recharge: the phone rarely lasts more than a day at full capacity, which is why we recommend the XL over the Pixel 4's pitiful 2,800mAh battery.

Read more: Google Pixel 4 XL review

Best Android phone

The Samsung Galaxy S10 is an incredible phone – a true flagship that ticks all the boxes and even has a few new tricks that make it a bit more than just an incremental upgrade over the Galaxy S9. But with the addition of the 'budget flagship' S10e to the S10 line, the standard edition is a bit harder of a sell.

Don't get us wrong, it's still a fantastic phone. Packing the latest Snapdragon 855 chip and doubling the RAM to 8GB makes the standard S10 a powerful device, and the baseline 128GB of storage is very welcome. The new in-screen fingerprint scanner is pretty cool, and the extra 2x optical telephoto and ultrawide lens are reasons alone to pick this over last year's Galaxy S9. The new Wireless PowerShare is very handy in a pinch to charge other devices.

But for a noticeable price cut, you aren't missing much if you opt for the S10e; and on the other side, for a bit higher price, the S10 Plus offers a slightly larger screen, another selfie camera for portrait depth, and a higher spec ceiling. Thus, the standard S10 is likely for folks who want a flagship that's not too big, not too small, yet is powerful enough to last years of use.

Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy S10

Best Android phone

Huawei's P series has always taken photography seriously, and the P30 Pro takes that to an extreme. Where other phones have struggled to fit more than a 3x optical zoom in ever-slimmer phones, Huawei circumvented that limit with a novel design: lay its lens stack along the phone's length and use a mirror to reflect it out the rear cover. Hence the "periscope" lens, which manages 5x optical zoom, a 10x digital zoom and a baffling 50x full digital zoom.

The phone is no slouch in other departments, either, sporting Huawei's latest Kirin 980 chip to reach speeds on par with Apple and Samsung flagships. Respectable RAM and storage round out the phone's specs, but you'll pick up the P30 Pro for its astounding photo capabilities, which include impressive DSLR-level ISO, per Huawei's claims. 

Alas, Huawei phones aren't the easiest to get in the US – you'll have to pick them up wholesale from a retailer, since no carrier currently sells the company's devices and network support is limited. If not for that scarcity issue, this phone would likely rank higher in our list. But if sourcing your phone isn't much of an issue, the P30 Pro looks to be a great choice.

Read our full review: Huawei P30 Pro

Best Android phone

Huawei’s Mate 20 Pro isn’t the easiest to get your hands on in the US, but that doesn’t make it any less impressive a phone. It’s the best we’ve ever seen from Huawei, and stacks up well against all other Android phones.

It’s QHD display measures 6.39 inches and supports HDR10 for a great visual experience, as long as notches aren’t an issue There’s a fingerprint sensor embedded underneath the display as well. Inside, it’s offering impressive performance with Huawei’s own Kirin 980 chipset and 6GB or 8GB of RAM. It comes with plenty of storage and a large battery as well. 

The camera offering on the Mate 20 Pro is truly impressive, with a combination of three cameras on the back and a super-sharp 24MP selfie camera. The rear camera system combines a 40MP wide-angle sensor, an 8MP telephoto sensor, and a 20MP ultra-wide sensor. The result is an incredibly versatile snapper with AI backing it up.

Read more: Huawei Mate 20 Pro review

Best Android phone

Google’s Pixel 3 XL is a bit bigger and blockier than its smaller sibling, with sizable bezels that are less and less ignorable in 2019. The phone still has one of the best camera setups on the market, and it does that with just one rear sensor, two front-facing sensors, and a whole lot of software optimization, so credit where credit is due. 

The design of the Pixel 3 XL isn’t quite as dazzling as the other offerings on this list, but it’s passable. It boasts a 6.3-inch OLED screen, but has a glaring notch at the top. The dual front-facing speakers help make up for that unsightly notch.

The internals are also competitive with the other flagship phones. And, with regular operating system updates guaranteed by Google, the Pixel 3 XL may have a longer life than some of the competition. 

Read more: Google Pixel 3 XL review

Best Android phone


The recent LG G8 isn't the company's strongest offer in recent years. It launched with a design that wasn't keeping up with its contemporaries, yet it had a price that was just about as expensive.

All the same, it comes with the latest Android experience and all the power that's offered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset. That combination is enough to make it a worthwhile consideration as an Android phone.

The screen may have a notch cut out of the top, but it's otherwise bright, sharp, and decently large. The cameras aren't top-class, but with a wide angle lens on one, they offer some handy versatility. If you can find the LG G8 at a discounted price, some of its detractors get easier to forgive.

Read more: LG G8 ThinQ review

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Best website builder for musicians in 2019

Posted: 23 Oct 2019 09:20 AM PDT

A host of different services will now let you put a website online, quickly and easily, no coding skills required – but if you're looking for something to show off your talents as a musician then you need a more specific set of features.

Primarily, a way of uploading and sharing your tunes in a simple and secure way, even if it's just snippets of songs rather than whole tracks or indeed albums.

If you're a musician for hire then it can be useful to have some kind of booking system in place as well, or at least a contact form. On top of that, there are all the extras you might be interested in, like support for your own domain name or gallery pages to show just how many people came to your last gig.

Here are our picks for the best website builder for musicians to create a presence online.

Bandzoogle

You won't find too many website builder services aimed specifically at musicians, but Bandzoogle gleefully jumps in to provide a bespoke service specifically for bands and artists. While it lacks some of the polish of the big names, because it focuses on the musician niche in particular, it has everything you should need.

That includes, of course, the ability to upload your own tracks and let visitors stream them from your website. You can get tracks organized into entire albums if you really want to go to town, or just share (or even sell) single tracks. And then, as well as that, you've got simple ways to post gig dates, blog updates, and so on.

Whether you need to build a contact form or a video diary, Bandzoogle makes it easy, no coding required – you can really make a site that's as simple or as complex as you like, and the end result is something that looks like you hired a specialist.

You've got over 100 themes to choose from (there is even one for crowdfunding), they're all straightforward to edit and tweak, and connecting up social accounts (including the likes of SoundCloud and Bandcamp) only takes a few clicks as well. As an added bonus, you can sell fan subscription, merchandise and tickets right through Bandzoogle as well.

Wix

Check out any list of website builders for any purpose and Wix is likely to feature on it, but not only does this service earn that high reputation, it also has some useful tools for musicians – not least the ability to upload your own tracks so visitors to your website can listen to them without any extra software or browser extensions.

Platforms that you're probably already using, like Bandsintown and Songkick, can plug directly into your Wix site: you can set up integrations like these in just a few clicks. What's more, you can add on an e-commerce portal to your site, for the purposes of shifting albums, T-shirts, or whatever else you need to sell.

Wix has a very solid selection of templates, with more than 500 to choose from, and if you delve into the music section you'll see there are options for solo artists, bands, DJs, producers, or anyone else connected to the industry. Have a click around these templates to see the kind of sites it's possible to create.

After that you've got all the features Wix has become known for: a site editor that's a breeze to use whether or not you know what CSS stands for, custom domain name support, easy blogging and simple social media support, and a free tier that lets you work out whether Wix is for you before you part with any cash.

Music Glue

Music Glue is a little different to the other website builder services we've featured here: it focuses first and foremost on the merchandise and ticketing aspects of the music business, and indeed powers the online stores for some of the biggest names in the industry. Its pricing system is unusual too, taking a 10% cut of whatever you sell rather than a flat fee.

That does at least mean you won't be out of pocket if your online marketplace doesn't attract much attention to begin with. There are no additional fees for payment processing, and customers can rock up with debit or credit cards, or PayPal.

Music Glue is less impressive on the website building side, although you do get the basics – a choice of themes for the site attached to your online shop, the option to bring over your own custom domain name, tools for tweaking the code and layout of your site, and so on. It's possible to plug in social media accounts and even set up a mailing list.

If your priority is the mechanics of selling music and tickets to your audience, then Music Glue is a good bet, and has some very famous clients on its books, as we mentioned. If you don't really have anything to sell right now and want to spend more time fiddling with a site design and layout, then maybe look elsewhere.

Difymusic

French site builder Difymusic isn't the most well-known service out there, and doesn't have the same breadth of tools and features as some of the big names – but where it really comes into its own is in getting your music online quickly and easily.

If you'd rather just get your stuff up quickly with a few pictures and links, rather than spend ages choosing a theme and editing HTML, Difymusic could be for you. It relies on plug-ins – like Spotify or SoundCloud for getting your music up, for example – but it supports an awful lot of them, so you're bound to find something that works.

If you want to sell merch and tickets, then you can pay to add that on your main site, with a one-time €9.99 setup fee (about £9 or $12) and then 5% commission based on sales, but the basics are free. Connect up your Facebook page and your YouTube channel and you're good to go in just a few minutes.

Admittedly the choice of templates and editing options aren't very strong, but the designs you can play around with are decent enough, and certainly won't put anyone off your music. Difymusic lets you get started quickly, and scale up as required.

Tumblr

Tumblr isn't a website builder in the conventional sense – it's more of a half blogging, half social media platform – but if you take a longer look at what Tumblr has to offer, it's actual very appealing for musicians. For one thing, it's completely free to use, plus it already attracts a busy community of creatives.

You can post up to one 10MB MP3 file every day, as well as links, text posts, videos, photos and more. Those MP3s appear as streamable files for visitors to your site – they can listen to the tunes in their browser, no plug-ins or extra software required, so it's a great way of showcasing your talents without paying anything.

If Tumblr was simply a blogging platform and that was it, we probably wouldn't recommend the service, but it also supports pages alongside your blog (for a gallery or a contact form), custom domain names (so you can pay extra for whatever URL name you like), and posting from mobile apps too.

On top of all that there are a host of themes to choose from, some of which cost money, but many are free, and a lot of them would suit a musician's portfolio. If the theme isn't exactly to your liking, you can tweak it with the integrated options or your own CSS, and switching between themes whenever you like is simple, too.

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Nintendo Switch Online features, cloud saves, and brand new SNES games

Posted: 23 Oct 2019 09:15 AM PDT

The Nintendo Switch Online service has been live for near enough two years now – though even then it was late to the game. Rival services like Xbox Live or PlayStation Plus had been going for years previously, offering a host of online benefits to Switch owners who subscribe for a monthly or annual fee on top of the cost of a console. (If you haven't got one yet, check out our Nintendo Switch review, too.)

Is the service worth it? That may depend on what you want from your games, though getting access to online multiplayer, cloud saves, and free retro NES titles – with even a bundle of SNES games having been dropped earlier in the year – will no doubt be enough to get you interested.

This is Nintendo's first paid online service, though the basic $3.99 (£3.49 / AU$5.95) per month subscription is a far amount below Xbox Live or Playstation Plus. (You can check out these Nintendo Switch Online subscription prices for the best deal).

As new games and features get added each month, Nintendo Switch Online is increasingly looking like a necessary service for any committed Switch owner – whether you have the original console, the scaled-down Nintendo Switch Lite, or are keeping an eye out for whatever new Nintendo Switch model that might come after. 

But what exactly does Nintendo Switch Online give players that they don’t have already?

UPDATE: There are now 20 Super Nintendo Entertainment System – or 'SNES' – games available on the Switch's retro games emulator, even if Nintendo's monthly release schedule for retro titles has dried up for now. Are they worth subscribing to Nintendo Switch Online? You can see the full list of new SNES games below.

Nintendo Switch Online: what can I play online?

Nintendo Switch Online gives you the online capability to play, compete, and cooperate with players around the world – which means not having the service restricts your access to all of those things.

If you don't sign up to the service, you can still play all your single-player or offline Switch games to your heart's content: you don't need it to play Breath of the Wild, or for playing local multiplayer with friends in your living room. But many players will want a Nintendo Switch Online subscription to get the most out of their purchases.

Online play was free until mid-September, and competitive games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate have proved hugely popular. There’s also a tie-in smartphone app that provides players with in-game battle stats, voice chat functionality, and additional information on select titles – mainly Splatoon 2 and other first-party titles like Smash Bros and Mario Tennis Aces.

Super Smash Bros Ultimate

Sadly there are still no dedicated servers, so players will have to make do with less reliable P2P (peer to peer) hosting for online matches. On the upside, free-to-play online games like Fortnite, Paladins, or Warframe don't require a paid subscription to the service.

Or, if you're after the swag, there's a members-only outfit for use in Splatoon 2, and the ability to buy Nintendo’s wireless NES controllers for playing those retro games in style.

We had a slight shock when some listing info for the Pokémon Sword and Shield games hinted at a payment option for online features that could circumvent a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. It turns out that wasn't the case, and you will need a NSO subscription to battle or trade with players online – though we'll let you know if anything changes.

Nintendo Switch Online NES / SNES games

If the warm fuzzy feeling of supporting your favorite video game publisher wasn’t enough, your extra pennies each month will also net you access to a library of classic and retro games, via the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) emulator.

This isn’t the Virtual Console from the Wii and Wii U, though. Instead of a marketplace for one-off game purchases, Nintendo Switch Online members are able to play select titles bundled into their subscription.

At launch you got 20 NES titles, including Ice Climber, The Legend of Zelda, Balloon Fight, Soccer, Tennis, Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros., Dr. Mario, Super Mario Bros. 3, Donkey Kong, Ghosts ’n Goblins, Excitebike, Tecmo Bowl, Yoshi, Double Dragon, Gradius, Ice Hockey, River City Ransom, Pro Wrestling, and Baseball.

This was followed by two or three additional titles each month, adding Donkey Kong 3, Wrecking Crew, Double Dragon II: The Revenge, Volleyball, City Connectio, Punch out!!, Star Soldier, Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels, Kid Icarus, StarTropics, Kirby's Adventure, Super Mario Bros. 2, Blaster Master, The Legend of Zelda II, Adventures of Lolo, Ninja Gaiden, Wario's Woods, Metroid, TwinBee, Mighty Bomb Jack, NES Open Tournament Golf, Solomon's Key, and Super Dodgeball to the emulator.

However, that stopped with the release of 20 SNES games (box, right), and it looks like we won't get the same regular content drops as before – but expect more titles from the  SNES, N64, and (god-willing) the GameCube down the line.

Nintendo Switch Online NES games

Image Credit: Nintendo

Each title is 'remastered' in 4:3 HD, but with the option to play in a more 'authentic' arcade viewing mode with a 'CRT' (Cathode Ray Tube) style display.

Handy features include being able to pause each NES game at any point, or save and reload your own checkpoints, making the experience much more forgiving than the arcade cabinets of yore. Online capability also lets you play two-player games competitively with friends, or swap over control between devices in one-player games.

Custom button mapping is absent, so you are stuck using the A and B buttons the wrong way round from an actual NES controller – unless you buy Nintendo's wireless NES controllers, which are only available for sale for Nintendo Switch Online members.

Nintendo Switch Online cloud saves

One sore point for Switch users has been the omission of cloud saves for their games, meaning that a busted Switch console will take all your hard-earned progress with it. To prevent you having to start Breath Of The Wild all over again – again – the paid service will back all of your save files onto Nintendo’s own servers for safety.

This is in keeping with the save data on Sony's Playstation Plus program, though any Xbox One owner can access cloud saving for free. If your Nintendo Switch Online subscription lapses, your save files are protected for up to six months before they vanish from the cloud.

While Nintendo Switch Online's cloud saving will be enabled by default for most titles, developers can choose to opt out to prevent online cheating – since reloading an old save file could restore items someone had traded to another player, or even reset their online ranking. 

Games like Splatoon 2, FIFA 19, and Pokemon Let's Go games are all missing the feature – so once you've traded that Eevee, there's no reloading an old save.


Nintendo Switch online price and subscriptions

Individual users can sign up for $3.99 (£3.49 / AU$5.95) per month, with reduced rates for longer membership options (see box, right). There’s also a separate ‘Family’ option that includes allows up to 8 Nintendo Accounts to use the same subscription, for $34.99 (£31.49 / AU$54.95).

There's naturally a seven-day trial to sample the online wares before you buy – while subscribers to subscribers to Amazon Prime can claim up to 12 months of Nintendo Switch Online for free.

Players will also be able to buy a subscription with My Nintendo Gold Points – a rewards service that gives you spending tokens when you buy games on the Switch eShop, and came into effect earlier this year.

By comparison, an Xbox Live membership costs users $24.99 (£14.99 / AU$29.95) for a three-month subscription, while Playstation Plus will put you back $24.99 (£19.99 / AU$33.95).

On price alone Nintendo Switch Online is the winner, though its limited features and lack of dedicated servers currently don't match up to competing services. But if you own a Switch, it may be what you need to get the most out of the console.

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10 best Android phones 2019: which should you buy?

Posted: 23 Oct 2019 09:02 AM PDT

If you're looking out for the best Android phone you can buy, this is the place to be, as we've put all the biggest and best Google-powered handsets through their paces to come up with this rundown of all the best Android smartphones.

If you're an Android fan, you'll certainly appreciate the key way in which Android is hugely different from its Apple-branded smartphone competition – the sheer number of devices out there running Google's mobile operating system (OS).

The big names are all here. The many variations in screen size, processor power, software features and design makes finding the best Android phone for you extremely tough.

If you're keen to part your money on a new phone, though, it may be worth holding on to your cash for just a tiny while longer. With 2019 over soon, this could end up being our list of the best Android phones of the year, unless there are new surprises in store.

This list is being updated all the time, with the Google Pixel 4 the last handset we tested (although that didn't make the cut, with its bigger brother just squeaking in). So which of these Android phones give the new iPhone a run for its money, or even top it? Will the new Android phones of 2020, like the Samsung Galaxy S11, Huawei P40 and more, work their way into the list? Only time will tell.

To help find the most fitting Android phone for you, we've rounded up the best Android handsets out there today, rating the phones on hardware performance, OS upgrade potential and, of course, how shiny and nice they are to have and boast about to work colleagues.

So here they are - the best Android phones money can buy today.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 , and in particular the plus-sized S10 Plus, is the best Android phone you can buy right now, packing the best of what Samsung has to offer.

It's a big phone that's designed for big hands - and it takes the very best of what's on the smartphone market and puts it together in a compelling package that we've loved testing.

The Super AMOLED display has been measured as the very best around, with super colours, plus there's a fingerprint scanner embedded in the display.

Battery life is an improvement over the S9 Plus, thanks to the larger battery inside, and you also get Samsung's new Wireless PowerShare, allowing you to wirelessly charge other devices on the rear of the handset.

The trio of cameras on the rear of the Galaxy S10 Plus are among the best on the market, offering more features, shooting modes and overall clarity. 

Read more: Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus review
Read more: Samsung Galaxy S10 review


Best Android Phone

Image Credit: TechRadar

The Huawei P30 Pro could be the best Android phone we've used when it comes to photography. Its 5x and 10x zoom capabilities are staggeringly good. It also performs fantastically well in low light.

For those who really want to get up close to their subject, the P30 Pro also offers a 50x digital zoom, and although quality is reduced it's still impressive.

You also get plenty of power under the hood, an in-display fingerprint scanner, premium design and wireless charging with the ability to wireless charge other devices from the back of the P30 Pro.

It's a top, top Android phone and only narrowly misses out on top spot due to the Galaxy S10 Plus' overall slicker and more rounded smartphone experience.

Read more: Huawei P30 Pro review

Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus

Image Credit: TechRadar

While the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus may not top our list of the best Android phones, that's only because it's a bit too niche to recommend to everyone, with its huge price tag and S Pen stylus.

There's a lot to love in Samsung's Note phablet, from its beautiful 6.8-inch screen to the powerful selfie camera and the S Pen stylus which transforms your smartphone experience.

Sure, the cameras aren't as good as the Huawei P30 Pro, and the body leaves a bit to be desired with its huge frame and slippery design, but this is still a great smartphone if you can stomach the price.

Read more: Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus review

Image Credit: TechRadar

What's this? Another Huawei phone in the top ten? Your eyes do not deceive you, the Huawei P30 really is sixth in our best Android phone rundown.

It has a smaller screen than the P30 Pro, and makes do with just the three rear cameras (rather than four) and a maximum zoom of 30x, but it's still a great Android phone.

There's heaps of power, a handy headphone jack (something the Pro can't boast) and a more manageable form factor for one-handed use. And of course, it's a little cheaper too.

Read more: Huawei P30 review


OnePlus is a Chinese manufacturer that's been making better and better phones, and this is its second handset that's got into our top Android phones list, after the OnePlus 7 Pro. The 7T Pro is a small step up over that handset, but a small step up over a great handset is still a good thing.

The OnePlus 7T Pro has an impressive rear camera array and a front snapper housed in a pop-up section. It also has a beautiful 90Hz display, that makes gaming and scrolling through social media that much more enjoyable.

Sure, OnePlus have yet to introduce useful technologies into its phones like wireless charging, and the camera isn't as good as some of the others higher on this list, but it's still one of the best Android phones you can buy without breaking the bank.

Read more: OnePlus 7T Pro review

Image Credit: TechRadar

This is the first time a smartphone from Oppo has made the cut for our best Android phones list – but the Oppo Reno 10x Zoom deserves its place, with a phone that's as powerful as it is novel.

With three powerful cameras that facilitate up to 10x hybrid zoom and 60x digital zoom, as well as a range of fantastic modes to enhance your photography, the Reno 10x Zoom is one of the best non-Huawei phones for photography. It also has a great design, and it stands out from other Android devices.

The pop-up selfie camera is one of the most intriguing features though, as it's a novel solution to the front-facing-camera problem that pops up in a 'shark-fin' form. It's a unique look that means the Reno 10x Zoom stands out from the crowd.

The handset isn't higher on this list because there are a few issues with it, like the heavy weight, questionable UI and because the name is a little misleading (as it suggests there's 10x optical zoom, not hybrid). Still the device should be one of your first inquiries if you're looking for a great camera phone without breaking the bank.

Read more: Oppo Reno 10x Zoom review

Samsung Galaxy Note 10


While the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 is beaten in many ways by the Note 10 Plus, earlier on this list, the Note 10 Plus does have a way higher price too.

The 'basic' Galaxy Note 10 loses a rear camera from its bigger sibling, and has a lower res display less RAM so it's not exactly as powerful in a few ways.

At its core though, the Galaxy Note 10 is the same device as the one sitting at our third slot on this list, with an S Pen stylus, good-looking design, and all of Samsung's software, so if the price of the Note 10 Plus puts you off, this is a great alternative.

Read more: Samsung Galaxy Note 10 review

Image Credit: TechRadar

Many of the top Android phones on this list are plus-sized versions, or premium handsets, but the OnePlus 7T is neither; it's just a great Android phone that's made its way onto this list because of its great features.

There are three powerful rear cameras, a beautiful AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate (which is almost unheard of at its price point) and you get an all-around impressive user experience when you're using it.

It's not going to blow you away when you put it head-to-head against any of the other smartphones on this list, except in one regard: price. The OnePlus 7T is supremely affordable, and so it's worth picking up if you want a phone on this list yet can't afford the huge monsters that precede it.

Read more: OnePlus 7T review

Image Credit: TechRadar

Like the look of the new S10 and S10 Plus, but not a fan of their lofty price tags? Well fear not, as Samsung has catered for you with the Galaxy S10e.

The Galaxy S10e has many of the flagship features of its pricier siblings, while offering a more palm-friendly size and a few compromises to help keep the cost down.

It’s hard not to recommend the S10e to anyone who prefers a smaller phone. Size queens, look elsewhere - this smartphone is for folks who want to text and browse apps one-handed without compromising performance.

Read our in-depth Samsung Galaxy S10e review


The Google Pixel 3 series of phones got high on this list, but only the Google Pixel 4 XL made the cut of Google's 2019 offerings, due to a few problems introduced, like the fact there's only face unlocking, and low storage options.

That being said, this is still one of the best Android phones you can buy right now, thanks to Google's fantastic software. It can tell what picture you're taking to enhance it, work out what apps you use frequently to pre-load them for you, and the Google Assistant is more intelligent than ever.

It's also a very simple device, and when more handsets are trying for novelty over simplicity, with pop-up cameras, stylus and foldable phones soon, that's a good thing.

Read more: Google Pixel 4 XL review

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