Saturday, December 14, 2019

Apple : Here's the new Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker clip shown in Fortnite

Apple : Here's the new Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker clip shown in Fortnite

Here's the new Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker clip shown in Fortnite

Posted: 14 Dec 2019 12:44 PM PST

Today, JJ Abrams unveiled an all-new clip of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker inside Fortnite, with the footage debuting at Risky Reels inside the game. Luckily, you don't need to play the game to actually see the clip. It's been captured and uploaded online for your viewing pleasure. 

Check it out below. You'll see Rey performing a Jedi mind trick on some First Order soldiers, in the company of Poe Dameron and Finn. The clip is roughly a minute long, but it'll help pass the time until Episode 9 releases next week:

The event was an impressive achievement by Epic and its collaborators. It actually kicked off with a Star Wars-themed set piece, as the Millennium Falcon circled Risky Reels in battle with some TIE Fighters. Geoff Keighley, who hosts and runs The Game Awards, then interviewed Abrams inside the game, before the clip was presented. Check out the video below for more on what it looked like in-game, starting at about two minutes in, for the highlights:

Fans who logged in to watch the event got an exclusive TIE Fighter-themed glider, which caused so much demand that Epic took to Twitter to address login issues, bumping the reveal by an extra ten minutes. 

Finn, Rey and Sith Trooper uniforms are now available in Fortnite, too, which you might've seen a few times in the clip above. Take a look at them below: 

If all that has you excited about seeing the movie, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is less than a week away. It'll be released in cinemas around the world beginning on December 19, and in the US on December 20. 

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How to watch Strictly Come Dancing 2019 Final online for free: stream from UK or abroad

Posted: 14 Dec 2019 09:05 AM PST

The time has come for the ultimate yet fabulous dance-off! It's time to bid farewell (just for a year) to Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman's co-hosting and our hilariously ruthless judges and watch the final three contestants dance their heart out. 

Who will win the coveted glitter ball and score a TEN from the judges? Keep reading to find out how to watch the Strictly Come Dancing 2019 Final online - regardless of where in the world you are.

The remaining three contestants (Kelvin Fletcher, Emma Weymouth and Karim Zeroua) will be giving it all they have got to impress the judges and be crowned this year's winner - it's time for everyone to get their dancing shoes on and cha-cha your way to the floor.

Kelvin, Emma and Karim will have to perform not one, not two but three routines! So that's their top performance from the whole show, a fresh Showdance and the judges' favourite of their previous dances. 

What can we say except that the challenge is on and the pressures are running high. Ready for this amazing final?  We will tell you how to watch the Strictly Come Dancing 2019 Final online. And for those of you outside of the UK, do not worry you don't have to miss out on all the dancing drama, you can simply live stream using a VPN service.

How to watch Strictly Come Dancing Final online for free in the UK:

For all UK residents, it is very simple to get your dancing fix by having a TV license and tuning into BBC One broadcast, via aerial, satellite or cable. 

You can also watch the show online, using the BBC iPlayer or TVPlayer.com. So if you've got other plans during its broadcast, you don't need to miss out - you can catch up on all the episodes on BBC iPlayer. Plus, you can do this on your laptop, tablet, smartphone or smart TV.

Stream Strictly Come Dancing Final from anywhere else in the world for free:

Not in the country currently or living abroad? Don't fret, simply quickstep into a UK IP address - which you can do with a VPN.  Then all that is left to watch via a dedicated TV streaming website like TVPlayer.com. 

Now the ultimate question.... Which VPN is best for you? Our fave is ExpressVPN . And how do you use that to access a Strictly live stream? Read on to find out all you need to know in three silky steps:

Who are this year's Strictly contestants?

Here are the superb 16 contestants on this years Strictly Come Dancing

  • Kelvin Fletcher, 35, actor.
  • Viscountess Emma Weymouth, 33, Socialite.
  • Karim Zeroual, 19, CBBC presenter

And here's who's already been eliminated:

  • Anneka Rice, 60, presenter.
  • James Cracknell, 47, sports presenter and former rower.
  • Catherine Tyldesley, 35, actress.
  • David James, 49, former England goal keeper. 
  • Emma Barton, 42, Eastenders actress.
  • Mike Bushell, 53, TV presenter.
  • Michelle Visage, 50, judge on Ru Paul's Drag Race.
  • Saffron Baker, 19, Youtube star.
  • Alex Scott, 34, pundit for the BBC and Sky Sports.
  • Chris Ramsey, 32, comedian.

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You're spending more on headphones, phone cases, power banks than you realize

Posted: 14 Dec 2019 08:00 AM PST

It's no surprise that the smartphone industry makes a lot of money – after all, many of us buy a new device roughly every two years, far more often than a new PC, TV or games console. However, the rest of our spending is a little surprising.

Deloitte's Technology, Media and Telecommunications group recently released its 2020 Predictions paper looking at the state of the tech market, and there are some pretty surprising findings and predictions contained.

Deloitte estimates that in 2020, the smartphone market will be worth $484bn, eclipsing the combined $169bn for PCs, $117bn for TVs, $25bn each for tablets and wearables, $15bn for games consoles, $9bn for smart speakers and $7bn for VR sets.

That shows almost three times as much money is spent on smartphones as its nearest competitor. Another huge surprise is games consoles, as although they only cost around the same amount as a phone yet are released far less frequently, they're still much more of a small fry in the grand scheme of tech hardware than most people realize.

However, there's another category that Deloitte examined, and which, coming in at $77bn, trumps all but phones, PCs and TVs. So which product area is it that's worth more than games consoles, wearables, tablets and smart speakers combined? It's something you might not expect: smartphone accessories.

What's a smartphone accessory?

Headphones are a major growth area in phone accessories, with many people owning several pairs for different activities

Simply put, smartphone accessories are things you buy to complement your handset experience. In broader terms they include wearables and smart speakers, which aren't part of the $77bn, but also headphones, battery packs and chargers, cases and other small peripherals, all of which are included in the figure. Analysts call this the 'smartphone multiplier' market.

Deloitte's projected growth for these products is based on the constant innovation in those areas, which in turn fuels demand: the trend towards wireless headphones, for example, means people are spending more on high-tech cans; and with numerous types of headphones now available, many people own multiple pairs for different activities like commuting, relaxing, and working out.

And, now that most phones (and many phone accessories) use high-speed USB-C charging, new and improved portable power packs and chargers are needed to keep devices powered up. Deloitte estimates that over half of all people in 'developed countries' own a portable power bank, with the market for these indispensable products alone exceeding that of the entire games console hardware industry.

And then there's the app market…

The market for game apps is forecast to be worth $80bn in 2020

If you think that's a lot of money being spent on smartphone accessories and hardware, just wait until you see the numbers for software. Deloitte predicts that in 2020 some $118bn will be spent on smartphone, smartwatch and tablet apps.

Three-quarters of these apps are being bought on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store; the rest are split between own-brand app stores from smartphone manufacturers, and a range of other stores, particularly in China, which has around 300 digital app stores.

And what apps are most people buying? Overwhelmingly, it's games, which are expected to make a whopping $80bn in 2020, or just over three quarters of the total amount spent on apps. This figure includes both paid-for games and free games that include in-app payments – so all that cash you dropped in Candy Crush counts.

Deloitte expects this trend to grow thanks to the number of dedicated gaming phones hitting the market, despite the fact that Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass could make mobile gaming a lot more affordable.

It's worth pointing out that subscriptions to services like Spotify and Netflix aren't included in that $118bn figure, although Deloitte estimates music and video subscription services to be $10bn and $8bn industries respectively.

The world gets more mobile

We're increasingly consuming entertainment and other services via apps on our phones

The huge amount of money expected to be spent on smartphones, smartphone accessories and smartphone software shows how the world is becoming increasingly mobile, with people consuming more and more entertainment and information through their phone, rather than buying separate devices like gaming consoles, cameras, and TVs.

It's worth pointing out that Deloitte expects there to be a slight decline in smartphone sales in coming years, as there's only so much more innovation that can take place before the devices become as good as they can realistically get. In addition, the analysts don't expect 5G phones to be as big a boon to the phone industry as some think they'll be, because the benefits of the next generation of connectivity are limited.

At the moment, however, the only way seems to be up, for sales of both phones themselves, and everything else you need to make your mobile experience great. 

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How the cameras in the 2020 Chevy Equinox create some surprising external views

Posted: 14 Dec 2019 08:00 AM PST

Camera technology in cars is starting to evolve. What started as a simple back-up camera (now required in all new cars) has evolved into an all-seeing, roving eye that stitches together images from multiple angles.

In a recent test of the 2020 Chevy Equinox, I was pleasantly surprised at how the camera automatically showed a front-facing view of the car, stitched together side views to help me pull into parking stalls, and even created a view of the car from behind.

2020 Chevy Equinox

First, about that forward-facing camera. That’s not common or something I’ve noticed in any recent car test. As you pull away from your driveway in the morning or from a parking spot, the camera view changes from rear-view to front-facing, so you can keep an eye out for anything that might be in the road.

In my case, I managed to spot some small but potentially hazardous snow mounds at the end of my driveway (since winter has arrived here already). Glancing at the front-facing cam, I pulled slightly away from the mounds.

Not that they can cause too much damage in a crossover, which is raised up off the ground compared to a typical sedan. However, you never know if crunching over one can manage to hit the front fender. It’s happened to me before and caused damage with cars I own. Back-up cams are helpful, but a front camera was unique and helpful in different ways. I could see someone using the front camera as they pull into a tight parking spot.

The best angle, any time

In terms of the side angle views, that’s also helpful for parking and a bit of a conversation starter. In the Equinox, you can press the camera app icon and then switch views easily as you drive or as you sit idle. With these multiple views, and the ability to easily switch between then, I was able to park a little closer to a curb when I parked by a pizza place. It meant the crossover didn’t stick out into traffic as much, and my wife could exit to the sidewalk and avoid the slush.

2020 Chevy Equinox

I was most impressed with the read view of the car. It’s not really a miracle of engineering but it is pretty astounding to those who don’t know what is happening. Of course, it is simply a 3D render of the car -- there isn’t a drone tracking you from behind and showing live video. However, the stitched camera views are live and help you see all around the vehicle.

It’s also helpful because you can access the camera at any time, not just at low speeds. The front camera only shows up for a few seconds automatically, but you can press the camera icon and access the live views at any time. An interesting side note here is that, if you do spend too much time clicking on camera icons and changing the view angle, a warning message appears telling you to pay attention to the road. (I asked a passenger to fiddle with the settings.)

Looking to the future

In the future, cameras will be everywhere – pointing around the car as they do now on the Equinox but also available to stream in the car from a road-side camera, perhaps one that is just up ahead and shows traffic congestion levels. And, we really will deploy a follow-me drone at some point to show an overhead view of the car, although the biggest challenge there is not technical but regulatory. (I’ve tested follow-me drones in cars on closed roads already, including one that took pictures and video. It was a blast but potentially not too safe for other drivers.)

One thing that will definitely improve is automation. The car will automatically show congested traffic if it is relevant to your route and your typical preferences and patterns. Cameras will work like the front-facing camera that helped me avoid a snowbank.

2020 Chevy Equinox

On The Road is TechRadar's regular look at the futuristic tech in today's hottest cars. John Brandon, a journalist who's been writing about cars for 12 years, puts a new car and its cutting-edge tech through the paces every week. One goal: To find out which new technologies will lead us to fully self-driving cars.

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This Xbox Game Pass Ultimate deal gets you six months at an amazing price

Posted: 14 Dec 2019 07:00 AM PST

You can get three months free with this Xbox Game Pass Ultimate deal, simply purchase a standard price $44.99 three month subscription to Game Pass Ultimate and Walmart will double your months for free! At $7.49 a month, you're getting a half-price deal on Xbox's most expensive (but oh so alluring) membership to date. 

Game Pass Ultimate works to combine the online Live Gold service with the wildly popular game subscription library, Game Pass. You're getting access to exclusive discounts, a massive library of amazing free games (to which Microsoft will now be adding their first-party titles on day one), and the ability to play online with one easy to manage subscription. 


The best Game Pass Ultimate deal

If you've never used Game Pass Ultimate before, stop what you're doing. Walmart is also running the same offer on their Xbox Live Gold subscriptions. That means you can pick up a three-month Live Gold deal for just $24.99, get another three months free, and then convert it to Game Pass Ultimate with the handy Xbox trick of the year. This can only be done by those new to Ultimate, so unfortunately if you're just looking to top up your months, you won't be able to take advantage.

But how?

Xbox is currently running a promotion in which first-time users can try Game Pass Ultimate for just $1 - the punch line is that when this is activated on an account that has Xbox Live Gold months already stored up, those months are automatically converted to the premium service. Make sure you've activated your Live Gold months before you sign up for the $1 trial and once you do, you'll watch all those cheap months you paid for magically turn into a glorious Game Pass Ultimate subscription. This way, you're essentially picking up six months of Game Pass Ultimate for $24.99 - just $4 a month.

The trick is fully endorsed by Xbox, who are encouraging their punters to take advantage of the deal for as long as possible, though you'll only be able to stack your months until June 2021.

Looking for more? We've got all the best Xbox Live Gold prices around, and a collection of great Xbox Game Pass subscription sales from across the web. 

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16 ludicrous James Bond gadgets (that he never used)

Posted: 14 Dec 2019 07:00 AM PST

This feature was originally published in 2015 in time for the release of Spectre, the fourth Daniel Craig Bond film. To celebrate the full trailer of his next outing as Bond, No Time To Die, we present this feature again. 

Poor Q. The guy dedicates his time to building some of the most impressive contraptions the world has ever seen, only for some sleazy, misogynistic know-it-all from "upstairs" to waltz in and start breaking things. Rewatching only Q's scenes from the entire Bond franchise, I've come to fully understand why the Quartermaster is always so grumpy. James Bond is a dick.

There's no doubt that, without Q, Bond would have been dead long before the credits rolled in From Russia with Love. Funny how there's always a gadget perfectly suited to every situation Bond finds himself in – it's almost as if they're plot points.

But for every gadget that saves Bond's life there's one that didn't make it into the field. Here's a list of the best devices which remained stuck in Q Branch.

1. Deadly umbrella (For Your Eyes Only)

What is it? An umbrella with deadly spikes that will close on and kill the holder the moment it gets wet.

How would Bond use it? By carefully replacing Blofeld's brolly with this more deadly alternative, and then praying for rain. "Torrential pain," he'd joke to himself in the 1/100000 eventuality the plan works.

2. Radioactive lint (On Her Majesty's Secret Service)

What is it? A piece of lint that can be placed in an item of clothing and used to track a suspect.

How would Bond use it? 007 creates a secret identity as Bames Jond, the travelling tailor who "just happened to be in the area" of Blofeld's secret lair and wondered if he wanted a fitting. Don't worry, he's wearing a fake twizzly mustache to keep his real identity under wraps. Suits you, sir.

3. Deadly tea tray (The Spy Who Loved Me)

What is it? A sharp tray that hovers just above a surface (presumably using magnets), which can be fired at a great speed to decapitate some unfortunate at the other end of the table.

How would Bond use it? In the classic dinner scene where Bond and the villain enjoy the "last supper" before some diabolical scheme takes place. "It was good to ketchup" Bond quips with a raised eyebrow, after sending the tray hurling towards his foe at 100mph.

4. Deadly door (Octopussy)

What is it? A door decorated with deadly spikes (again). Try to use the knocker and you'll be crushed flat.

How would Bond use it? In his most elaborate plan yet, Bond goes on Come Di(n)e With Me to catch the villain. "I score you a seven out of… dead," he probably jokes when his guest comes knocking.

5. Shisha gun (The Spy Who Loved Me)

What is it? A sheesha pipe that doubles as a machine gun. Not subtle. In the James Bond universe, if something's even remotely phallic you can assume it's some sort of gun.

How would Bond use it? The Spectre employees became increasingly suspicious about that Facebook event invite to James Bond's 'tea and sheesha party'. But the past few months had been tough – British intelligence was creating obstacles at every turn, the economy was in bad shape, and nobody was investing in the company's kickstarter campaigns anymore – so a party sounded like a good way to unwind. They just hoped it wasn't one that ended with Roger Moore quipping "Don't be chai" and blowing them all up with a teapot.

6. Killer cast (For Your Eyes Only)

What is it? An arm cast that swings 180 degrees outward at a ferocious speed.

How would Bond use it? He'd tell the villain that he's got a really big secret but they have to come really close so he can whisper it in their ear. Or he could just ask Jaws to kindly sign it, only for the gadget to swing into action and smash him in his metal teeth.

7. Bagpipe gun (The World Is Not Enough)

What is it? A set of bagpipes that doubles as a flamethrower.

How would Bond use it? Hardcore fans of the Bond franchise will know that Ian Fleming's spy is half Scottish, meaning he's got a good excuse for having bagpipes on him at all times. "Pipe down," he'd say as he blasted his enemies away – but quietly under his breath, because he doesn't want anyone to point out that Q made the same joke at the start of The World Is Not Enough.

8. Spring stool (The Spy Who Loved Me)

What is it? It looks like a stool. You sit on it. It goes 'boioioioioioing' as it launches you into the air.

How would Bond use it? Probably to play a prank on M at the Christmas party, thoroughly underestimating its strength as the spring launches her through the ceiling of the MI6 headquarters.

9. Extending rope (Octopussy)

What is it? This is actually just the classic Indian rope trick, except Q's prototype breaks so it isn't even as good as the real thing.

How would Bond use it? Strapped for cash and stranded in Egypt all alone after women around the world unanimously agree he's a terrible person, James could perform for admiring crowds to raise money for a flight back to London, and maybe a kebab.

10. Swallowing sofa (The Living Daylights)

What is it? A sofa that swallows anyone who sits on it.

How would Bond use it? With its fast-acting mechanism, this could help Bond camouflage himself on the field in a flash. "When did we get a new sofa?" Blofeld would ask his henchmen, before loudly announcing the exact details of his plans for world domination while stroking his cat. "Sofa so good," Bond whispers under his breath, scribbling down the bomb codes on a piece of paper from inside the chair.

11. Explosive alarm clock (Licence to Kill)

What is it? An unassuming alarm clock that explodes like a grenade when it's time to wake up.

How would Bond use it? Erm, a novelty grenade? A shoehorned plot device so that he can say "time flies" as he hurls it at an enemy? We can't see any way this could be used that doesn't end up with Bond accidentally blowing himself up.

12. Rocket leg cast (GoldenEye)

What is it? A leg cast that's actually an explosive rocket.

How would Bond use it? This is the spy's ultimate leg-over: Bond would use it to infiltrate the infirmary where Blofeld is recovering after his last run-in with MI6, perhaps combining it with the arm cast for maximum effect.

13. Electromagnetic ring (Diamonds Are Forever)

What is it? The electromagnetic RPM (revolutions per minute) controller. A small amount of pressure can cause the cylinders inside a fruit machine to stutter, making it easy to line up those sweet 7s.

How would Bond use it? We imagine this is the kind of device that would help Bond out in a number of possible scenarios involving deadly machinery. But he'd probably just use it to gamble, or to unhook a bra. Typical.

14. Phone box airbag (GoldenEye)

What is it? An airbag that inflates inside a phone box, immobilising any poor individual who steps in to make a call.

How would Bond use it? 007 has cunningly jammed all mobile phone towers in the nearby area, meaning Blofeld can no longer order his cronies around via their usual WhatsApp group. He'll have to find the nearest pay phone – conveniently, one was installed only two days ago just a few meters from his volcano lair, although strangely the area code is +44 07.

15. Tear gas parking meter (Goldfinger)

What is it? A parking meter that spurts out tear gas.

How would Bond use it? Retired from MI6, a jobbing 007 turns up as a traffic warden with a killer streak. Not content with handing out fines, he now unleashes a cloud of gas on those who attempt to put coins in his parking meter, cackling "That'll teach you for stepping on the gas."

16. Q's sandwich (GoldenEye)

What is it? Q's lunch – or so he claims. Nice try Q, but we're not falling for that classic. This thing is loaded with more than baloney.

How would Bond use it? By disguising himself as a Subway employee, and luring in Goldfinger with that delicious smell they always pump outside. "Eat dead," he quips, handing Auric the meatball sub before making a dive over the counter.

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You can now listen to your Apple Podcasts through an Echo speaker

Posted: 14 Dec 2019 06:30 AM PST

If you use the Apple Podcasts app to listen to your podcasts, and your home is kitted out with Amazon Echo speakers, it's now a lot easier to use the two in tandem.

How easy? Just ask Alexa to play one of the podcasts you're subscribed to, and the audio starts playing. The only setup you need to do first is syncing your Apple ID inside the Alexa app for Android or iOS.

Set Apple Podcasts as the default podcast player (via Link/Manage New Services under Music & Podcasts in Settings in the Alexa app) and you don't even need to say "Apple Podcasts" in your voice command.

Playback progress is synced across your Apple devices and your Echos using your Apple ID. For now, the feature is only available in the US, though we would hope it rolls out to more regions in the not-too-distant future.

Apple playing nicely

The new feature gives you access to the 800,000 or so podcasts in Apple's directory, but wouldn't be possible without some behind-the-scenes tweaks done by Apple and Amazon working together.

It's another sign of Apple opening up a few more entry points to its walled garden – we recently saw third-party smart TVs getting access to AirPlay 2, and now podcasts are available through Amazon's speakers.

Previously, only the Apple HomePod had this sort of direct access to the Apple Podcasts service. Apple obviously realizes that not every home has a HomePod or indeed an Apple TV for audio and video content.

As for the Amazon Echo range, it continues to expand and improve, with Alexa vying with Google Assistant to be the dominant digital assistant in the smart home space.

Via 9to5Mac

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Top Christmas tech gifts for kids

Posted: 14 Dec 2019 06:00 AM PST

Christmas shopping for kids can be a real challenge – you don't want to present them with a thoughtful gift that will be enjoyed for a couple of days and then spend the rest of the year gathering dust. That's where tech toys come in – particularly ones that can grow with their owners and keep presenting them with more fun challenges as they learn.

There's no shortage of tech toys that promise to inspire a passion for STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths), but we've rounded up the ones that are more than just a novelty, and will keep kids entertained for months or even years (plus a couple that are just fun).

We've picked out a range of top tech toys for all ages so you'll be able to find something that'll appeal to the youngsters on your Christmas list (and perhaps some of the adults, too).

Sphero SPRK+

Sphero is perhaps best known for its R2-D2 and BB8 droids, but it's now moved away from licensed toys into its own original designs, like the SPRK+. This rolling robot resembles a hamster ball, and is fully watertight so it can be used on the floor or in the bath.

It's seriously versatile too, and can be programmed using the accompanying mobile app to achieve all kinds of tasks, including navigating a maze, 'dancing' with multicolored lights, and even mimicking the movements of planets in the solar system.

SPRK+ can grow with your kids too, with a variety of different coding methods for different ages and abilities. Start by drawing simple paths, move onto building code from blocks and eventually work up to writing code by hand. It's not cheap, but SPRK+ is a great tech toy that'll last years.

Mekamon V2

Built more for fun than education, Mekamon is an augmented reality fighting robot controlled using a smartphone app (think Pokémon, but with mechanical spiders). Move your bot around the floor using simple touch controls, and fire various weapons to defeat enemies. 

You can fight against virtual enemies, which appear on your phone's screen, but it's even more fun to do battle with another Mekamon. The bots are wonderfully characterful, performing victory dances, stamping their feet in anger, and even collapsing on their backs when defeated. It's possible to create your own custom animations in the app too, and share them with others.

The only downside is that, although you can remove and replace its armor plates and guns into different configurations, kids don't get the fun of building it themselves, as they do with some of the toys in this list.

Lego Air Race Jet

Lego Technic is always a brilliant gift, and the Lego Air Race Jet is a fantastic way to get started. It won't actually take off, but it features lots of fun motorized parts: an adjustable jet nozzle, opening cockpit, hatch access to a spinning fan, retractable undercarriage and moving wing flaps.

With just over 1,000 pieces, it should keep kids of all ages occupied for many happy hours, and that's before they have fun combining it with their other Lego and Lego Technic sets. Lego says the Air Race Jet is suitable for kids aged 10-16, but older kids and adults will be equally pleased to find it under the tree.

The instructions also include details of how to build a smaller private jet using the same collection of parts, but it doesn't offer as many interesting motorized functions as the main model.

LittleBits Star Wars Droid Inventor Kit

Need a gift for a creative kid who enjoys thinking outside the box? This is the droid you're looking for. The LittleBits Star Wars Droid Inventor Kit includes a basic chassis, plus a wealth of components (known as 'bits') that can be connected and rearranged in various ways to perform different functions. It might look intimidating at first, but the whole process is explained in clear step-by-step instructions and 3D diagrams in the accompanying app.

The app also provides various 'missions', which are tasks that can be completed by configuring the droid in a particular way. One task involves recording a message to be played back later, while another requires you to build a droid that can perform a handshake.

Kids can create their own programs using blocks of pre-written code, helping kids understand the principles of programming, and introducing concepts gradually with practical applications to make the knowledge stick.

Fisher-Price Think & Learn Code-a-Pillar

The Fisher-Price Think & Learn Code-a-Pillar is a great toy for getting kids used to basic coding concepts, which will give them a head-start when they start computing lessons at school.

Each section of the caterpillar represents a chunk of code, which performs a particular function (making noise, changing direction or moving forwards). Kids can build their own mini 'programs' by arranging the sections so that the caterpillar performs the tasks in a particular order.

Once they've got the hang of the idea, you can expand their options with add-on packs containing extra sections, including extra sounds and 180-degree turns. Just clear some floor space and let them experiment.

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When is The Mandalorian episode 7 released on Disney Plus?

Posted: 14 Dec 2019 05:50 AM PST

When is episode 7 of The Mandalorian on Disney Plus? While the Star Wars TV series normally releases on Fridays, next week it's on Wednesday. This is the second time the series has been released on a different day - the first episode launched on a Tuesday with the Disney Plus streaming service. 

The reason The Mandalorian episode 7 is released on a Wednesday this week is likely to do with the release timing of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which launches on December 20 in the US and a day earlier in some other territories. 

Wondering how to watch The Mandalorian? We can help you with that. Below, you'll find the entire release schedule of season one on Disney Plus, and confirmation that The Mandalorian season 2 is in the works. 

Let's find out when you'll next see Baby Yoda again...

When is the next episode of The Mandalorian on Disney Plus?

The next episode of The Mandalorian, episode 7, releases on Disney Plus on December 18, which is this coming Wednesday. That's when you can stream it in the US, Canada, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand, which are all the territories where you can currently get Disney Plus. Episodes arrive at around midnight PT, although that exact time can change. 

If you're based in the US and can't wait for more Baby Yoda, then, you'll be staying up late. 

The Mandalorian season one release schedule

Episodes of the Star Wars TV series normally release on a Friday, but not this week. The Mandalorian episode 8 then releases on the last Friday of December, nine days after episode 7.

There are eight episodes in total for season one. Here's the official confirmed release schedule from Disney:

  • Episode one: Out now
  • Episode two: Out now
  • Episode three: Out now
  • Episode four: Out now
  • Episode five: Out now
  • Episode six: Out now
  • Episode seven: December 18
  • Episode eight: December 27

When is The Mandalorian season one finale?

As explained above, the season one finale of The Mandalorian arrives on Disney Plus on December 27. Between this show, Jedi: Fallen Order and The Rise of Skywalker, you can pretty much fill this holiday season with as much Star Wars as you like.

The Mandalorian season 2 is filming now

The Mandalorian season 2 is already underway, and it's been filming since at least mid-November. It'll likely release late next year or in early 2021, if they're filming it this early. 

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Salesforce: Why AI might just save the world

Posted: 14 Dec 2019 04:45 AM PST

Along with being the e-commerce backbone for thousands of companies around the world, Salesforce is also one of the world's largest investors in AI research, pouring billions into breakthroughs that aim to benefit customers.

The company’s recent Dreamforce 2019 event, which attracted around 170,000 visitors to descend upon San Francisco, saw Salesforce show off upgrades and new features for many of its most popular offerings, but under the surface, the company is hard at work on something potentially much more exciting.

Whether that’s helping wildlife conservation, improving customer service through super-smart bots, or just stopping the human race from wiping itself out, Salesforce AI looks set to become a huge presence in the supper-smart conencted world of tomorrow.

Dual-state

Salesforce found that three years ago, only 1 in 3 businesses were using AI, a number which now up to nearly half.

“The message is, if you're not using AI, it's time to get started,” Marco Casalaina, VP Products of Salesforce Einstein, said in his keynote at the show. Einstein is Salesforce’s up-and-coming AI platform, aiming to help businesses of all sizes get the most out of AI to hopefully grow and prosper.

At the heart of Einstein is a long-standing Salesforce goal of helping companies, whether they be a fast-growing start-up or multi-national business behemoth, communicate better with their customers using AI.

But AI itself is in a complicated place, Richard Schorer, Salesforce’s chief scientist, told TechRadar Pro when we spoke at Dreamforce 2019.

Schorer sees AI as being in a “dual state” currently, with the first part being what he calls the ‘electricity state’.

“Just like when electricity was invented, the fundamental breakthroughs (of AI) are there now,” he says, “now it is just a matter of, OK, how do we get all the lines connected to everything?” 

“Not every company that uses electricity needs to reinvent electricity, you just use it as is,” he adds, noting that every industry can benefit from AI, as long as they have the necessary layers of innovation in place, with large data sets and compute power needed to utilise AI properly.

Salesforce made a major push with Einstein AI at Dreamforce 2019

Salesforce is "uniquely positioned" to help customers, Schorer says, as its platform means users have the backing of the data already in its cloud, providing the compute power is also in place.

The other side of AI is what Schorer calls the “Sci-Fi state”, where the possibilities are stretched a bit further. This is the future of intelligent technology, as Schorer notes that we still don’t have what he labels AGI, or artificial general intelligence, which would provide the backbone for fully self-driving cars, or in-depth health technology.

This is the future Salesforce is gunning for, however, and the company is working hard at making advances towards this position.

“The future of AI is conversational,” Schorer notes, highlighting the work Slalesforce is doing with naturalistic conversations. Being able to translate natural language into SQL queries will enable huge steps forward in AI in areas such as customer service, allowing bots to staff support phone or online help systems, meaning companies will not be hamstrung by only being open for a few hours every day.

However Schorer doesn’t see AI as fully replacing human workers in many capacities, claiming that making life better is the main goal here.

“I think in general, most tasks in the next couple of decades...and most repetitive jobs are going to be automated to larger and larger things,” he predicts.

“AI will never replace people fully - there are very few cases I think you can think of where AI will replace an entire job category or automated entire industry - in most cases they will sort of layer on top.”

The company is also clear on using AI as a force for good, with Schorer noting that, “If you want AI to do good, (you need to) work on positive applications for it!” 

Although no-one can predict the future, he says that many concerns around AI can hopefully be mitigated by further research and planning, meaning the technology can be used to benefit humanity as a whole.

“We need to be a little more humble with what we're able to do now, in time for the future,” he notes.

It’s clear to see that Schorer and his team have a supreme passion for AI, and what it can do for the entire Salesforce ecosystem.

“I really enjoy building a platform that empowers all the different clouds and on our end, and our customers also to build these AI systems," Schorer says.

“We have multiple tasks and multiple goals we want to achieve...we're working on incubating and having a better platform that can support all the other use cases in the company.”

But as Schorer, and Salesforce as a whole, looks to the future of the company, he is positive about the possibilities AI can bring to the world.

“In some ways, I love AI because it covers a whole spectrum - a sort of philosophy, like what makes us intelligence as a human species, how we define ourselves as is largely through our intelligence compared to other animals and so on,” he says.

“I think that if we as a community focus on making the technology work for people, it'll be a huge net positive for humanity...even though there might be short term complexities and difficulties, I’m very optimistic for the future.”

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Save £100 with this Dyson V11 Absolute cordless vacuum cleaner deal

Posted: 14 Dec 2019 03:43 AM PST

Dyson introduced a new entry in their range of cordless vacuum cleaners this year, and this fantastic Dyson V11 Absolute deal is a steal right now. You can pick up the latest in Dyson's technology for just £499 at John Lewis today, a £100 saving over the previously marked price tag. That's a fantastic price that brings the Dyson V11 Absolute down to the same price as the entry-level Animal model. 

The crucial difference between these two models lies in the Torque Drive cleaner head employed in the Absolute cordless vacuum. You're still getting the LCD screen and all the information it provides, as well as an incredibly powerful cordless vacuum cleaner deal. We should know, we recently named it number one in our round-up of the best vacuum cleaners of 2019. 

The Dyson V11 Absolute offers three cleaning modes designed to maximise your battery efficiency depending on what type of cleaning you're up to. Auto mode is by far the easiest, taking advantage of a range of sensors throughout the cleaner head to automatically adjust suction power based on the surface you're cleaning. Next up is Eco mode, a less intelligent mode that gives you a strong clean without draining your battery. For the most stubborn of surfaces, however, you'll be able to fire up Boost mode - an incredibly powerful short burst of high-performance suction. 

This Dyson V11 deal is spread far and wide across retailers right now, but we're sticking with John Lewis because of their included two-year guarantee. When you're going all out on a new state of the art vacuum cleaner deal, you'll want to make sure you're covered after all. 

Today's best Dyson V11 cordless vacuum cleaner deals

If you want to see what else is on offer, we've rounded up all the best Dyson deals so you can shop the full range this week. Or, if you feel like putting your feet up and letting the machines do the work, these cheap robot vacuum deals are perfect. 

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Can the Surface Pro 7 play Crysis?

Posted: 14 Dec 2019 03:00 AM PST

Tablet gaming has always been faintly frowned upon by gamers from all walks of life. PC and console gamers are quick to put it in a box with mobile gaming, citing lacklustre graphics and a toxic dependency on microtransactions. 

Meanwhile, mobile gamers jest about the bulky size of tablets that run glorified smartphone processors. 

We're not here to stir up animosity between those two camps, though. We're here to say that the tablet will be ridiculed no longer: the arrival of Intel’s 10th-gen mobile processors is changing the game. 

We recently tested out the new Surface Pro 7, running a handful of game benchmarks on it as part of the process. 

To our surprise, it handled them pretty well – at least, far better than the older Surface Pro 4, packing an Intel Core m3-6Y30. So, we went ahead and tried actually playing a game on it. Then another… then another. Before long, we were testing out half of our Steam library on this dinky little sliver of technology.

Tablet graphics are no longer a laughing matter

Before we get into the nitty-gritty details of gaming on a Surface tablet, let’s have a quick recap of tablet graphics. 

While there do exist tablets and convertible laptops with discrete GPUs (typically low-powered graphics cards like Nvidia’s GeForce MX series), the vast majority get along with integrated graphics baked into the processor. That’s fine for your everyday tablet use; modern CPUs with integrated graphics can handle the majority of simple work tasks.

For gaming, though, integrated graphics are rarely sufficient. Desktop CPUs have made leaps forward in recent years, with the new Ryzen 5 3400G processor from AMD using Radeon RX Vega 11 graphics to decent effect. However, mobile parts have struggled to keep up; especially considering that AMD’s Vega technology is relatively scarce in the tablet market, with most tablets either using Intel’s laptop parts or Qualcomm’s mobile chips.

Intel’s 10th generation of laptop and mobile CPUs hit earlier in 2019, and it brought with it the usual slew of minor performance improvements. But there was one other thing; Intel’s old integrated graphics technology - annoyingly simply named Intel Graphics - was gone, replaced with the shiny new Iris Plus Graphics. 

An evolution of the underutilised Iris Pro, found in some Skylake-series processors, Iris Plus is the graphical technology that powers the Surface Pro 7, specifically via the Core i7-1065G7 CPU inside the model I’m testing.

Right off the bat, Iris Plus blows Intel’s older graphics out of the water. The first couple of games we tested (Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Ghost Recon: Wildlands) bring back relatively conservative figures at 1080p Ultra settings, but dropping the graphical fidelity down to Low or Medium sees us hit playable framerates (that’s 30fps and above for any performance PC fiends reading this). 

Suitably encouraged, we pushed on and tried out other games, trying to find the Surface Pro 7’s breaking point. As you might have guessed, that breaking point was Crysis.

A Crysis of confidence

We did actually get Crytek’s seminal PC-breaker running. 1080p Ultra settings prompted an immediate crash after the opening cutscene, and Medium didn’t fare much better, coming out horribly laggy. 

Dropping the settings right down to the lowest options available, though, and it managed a sturdy 45 frames per second, allowing me to stealthily pick off enemy soldiers as I stalked across Lingshan Island with the help of a wireless mouse.

Yes, we’ve seen Crysis lovingly rendered on an RTX 2080 Ti. No, this doesn’t even come close. But it’s certainly playable, and even on the Surface Pro 7’s little screen it still manages to capture some of the magic that makes the game still feel like a classic. 

Of the other games we played, a few stood out: Dirty Bomb looked and felt great, allowing us to eke out a few multiplayer victories, while Everspace brought us  glorious exoplanetary scenery to admire on the Surface Pro 7’s 12.3-inch display. Even the scuffles of Overwatch played reasonably well at lower settings.

Looking at raw performance data, Iris Plus more than doubles the potential framerates offered by the 9th gen’s Intel UHD Graphics 620. That doesn’t make every game playable – doubling 5fps isn’t going to work, sadly – but many games that weren’t quite viable on the previous generation now run perfectly well.

Demanding new triple-A titles aren’t really an option, mind you. Control was a stuttering mess at 1080p on Low settings, and The Outer Worlds was better but prone to choking during busy skirmishes. Meanwhile, Rainbow Six Siege and The Witcher III: Wild Hunt both refused to run altogether. 

The same goes for CPU-bound games; not all genres were created equal in the eyes of Iris, with large-scale RTS titles like Total War: Warhammer II really struggling even at the lowest settings.

We tested some games in 720p, but the Surface Pro’s display didn’t like that much, so performance gains were frequently offset by wonky aspect ratios or cropped in-engine cutscenes. 

Storage quickly became an issue, too; the Surface Pro 7 model we were using only had a 256GB M.2 drive, so we had to uninstall games before we could download and try out more. That SSD is a double-edged sword, though, as the M.2 NVMe meant that any load times in games were speedy as hell.

Now, we know some people are going to nitpick over the definition of the Surface Pro 7 as a ‘tablet’. There are arguments to be made that it’s a convertible laptop instead, doing the same job as any of the best 2-in-1 laptops. Yes, it runs Windows 10 and has a physical keyboard, but your average laptop doesn’t let you detach said keyboard and go full tablet mode. 

What does this mean for the future of tablet gaming? Windows-ready tablets are still something of a rare breed, but with more games arriving on mobile operating systems (like Fortnite, for example), Intel-equipped tablets will be capable of keeping up with laptops. As mobile gaming is further legitimised by big developers bringing their IPs to iOS and Android, the potential for powerful gaming in ultralight systems will only grow.

Another takeaway here is that integrated graphics as a whole are improving; Intel’s 10th generation of desktop CPUs will hit soon, and those chips could shake up the PC gaming world something fierce. 

Competent gaming PCs and laptops that run solely on Iris Plus graphics would be cheaper, quieter and more power-efficient than their discrete-GPU counterparts. Needless to say, we're excited to see what comes next.

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More Philips Hue smart lights could be on the way early in 2020

Posted: 14 Dec 2019 02:30 AM PST

Philips Hue bulbs have long been among the best ways to kit out your home with some smart lighting, and it looks as though the range is going to be expanding very early on in 2020.

A leaked product catalog discovered by Hueblog suggests we're going to see upgrades to existing lights as well as some new products, further expanding your options for inside and outside the home.

With CES 2020 getting underway on January 7, it seems a safe bet that Philips Hue (now owned by Signify) is going to reveal more at the tech expo. These new lights are slated to actually go on sale in the (northern hemisphere) spring of 2020.

If you've already got some Hue lights installed at home, and the all-important Philips Hue Bridge set up as well, these announcements could be well worth keeping an eye out for.

The lights fantastic

Of course it's no real surprise that new Philips Hue hardware is on the way – the company is always developing new products – but the leak does give us some specifics about what to expect.

A new version of the Impress light is apparently on the way, one that can be positioned anywhere, while the outdoor Lily light is getting an XL version.

The leaked brochure also mentions new lights called Nyro (with an unusual angular frame), Resonate (a wall lamp), Appear (a tube lamp), Attract (a lampshade-style wall lamp) and Daylo (a circular wall lamp).

It would seem these devices are all coming in white ambiance and multi-color versions, boosting what is already an impressive product line-up.

Via 9to5Mac

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The Outer Worlds DLC announced for 2020

Posted: 14 Dec 2019 02:22 AM PST

Developer Obsidian Entertainment has had a great deal of success with its sci-fi RPG The Outer Worlds since its release in October 2019, garnering reviews filled with praise for its colorful and personality-filled world as well as several nominations at the 2019 Game Awards. 

It’s unsurprising, then, that Obsidian has confirmed plans to extend that success into 2020 with some DLC. 

The news was announced on the official Obsidian boards where social media manager Shyla wrote a message of thanks to “the incredible team behind The Outer Worlds” before going on to thank all of the players who voted for the game in The Game Awards. 

Halcyon days

“To all of those who voted for us in The Game Awards, you are all fantastic and we are so grateful for your support. The reception to The Outer Worlds has been unbelievable to see, and even just being nominated means a lot. However, the journey isn’t over yet as we are excited to announce that we will be expanding the story through DLC next year! Details will be made available at a later date.”

As yet, there’s little in the way of details around the DLC other than that it’ll involve “expanding the story”. Given the game was a Best Narrative nominee that's likely to be something to look forward to. 

All we know for sure, however, is that details will be coming at a later date and the DLC itself is planned for some time next year. 2020 is likely to be another big year for the game as the Nintendo Switch version of the game is expected to launch early in the year. 

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Google’s fancy 4K Pixelbook Go is now on sale – but it costs more than a MacBook Pro 13-inch

Posted: 14 Dec 2019 02:11 AM PST

The top-tier version of Google’s Pixelbook Go is now on sale over in the US, but if you want this more powerful model – with a 4K screen – it’ll cost you more than an entry-level MacBook Pro 13-inch.

The Pixelbook Go with an Intel Core i7-8500Y processor and a 4K screen (compared to Full HD on the other models) will set you back $1,399 in the US or £1,329 in the UK. These territories, plus Canada, are the only regions where the device is available – although no Pixelbook Go models are actually on sale in the UK just yet (you can only join the ‘waiting list’ at this point).

So while the Pixelbook Go is designed to be a more affordable quality Chromebook offering than Google’s previous Pixelbook, it isn’t when you get to the high-end (and indeed as mentioned actually costs more than the base model of the MacBook Pro 13-inch which starts at $1,299 or £1,299).

Chrome Unboxed spotted that the flagship Pixelbook Go was now shipping, and indeed may have been for the best part of a week in the US, as Best Buy shows an availability date of December 7.

Power to Go

At any rate, whether you need the extra Core i7 oomph – compared to the other versions of the Go which run with Core i5 or m3 chips – in a Chrome OS machine is another matter. As we observed in our review, the Core i5-powered Pixelbook Go was plenty enough to cope with our varied and reasonably intense workload; but real power users may want more.

And that 4K ‘Molecular Display’ may prove more of a tempter, but again it’s arguable whether that’s really necessary for a Chromebook.

Still, more choice is always good, and if you do want the best Pixelbook Go, at least you can now actually buy it (albeit only in the US for the time being).

When it was released, we were highly impressed with Google’s Pixelbook Go: it went straight to the number one position in our article highlighting all the best Chromebooks (and even made the cut for our best laptops in the world roundup).

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These are the best cheap SIM only deals to get your hands on this Christmas

Posted: 14 Dec 2019 01:54 AM PST

Christmas is just around the corner which means a few things. Excessive food binges, passive-aggressive matches of Monopoly and of course, for a select number of people, the possibility of finally getting your hands on a new phone.

If you're lucky and a sparkling new iPhone, Samsung or Huawei is added to the equally impressive socks and abstract puzzle game you receive this year, you will also have to secure yourself a SIM only deal.

However, depending on what you go for, SIM only plans can rack up some high monthly costs. If you're more of the budget mindset then don't worry, we've got the solution for you.

Below, we've picked out five SIM only deals ranging from the UK's cheapest price to the lowest cost around for unlimited data so you can the best value option for what you need.

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With the Xbox Series X name, Microsoft risks repeating Nintendo’s Wii U blunder

Posted: 14 Dec 2019 01:00 AM PST

Microsoft saved a massive announcement for this year’s The Game Awards: the official name for its next-generation Xbox console, the Xbox Series X. Unfortunately, however, the name fails to tell us anything at all about what the console does.

We’d previously been working with the console’s codename, Xbox Project Scarlett, which now joins the Xbox Scorpio (what you’ll know as the Xbox One S) as examples of temporary names that actually had a lot more personality than the bland branding they were replaced with.

So what’s so bad about Xbox Series X? And does the name even matter that much? 

Certainly, we’re still getting a high-powered gaming machine that will see a massive boost in performance over the current generation of Xbox consoles, with 120Hz frame rates, ray tracing, and a solid state drive. (You can see more on these specs in our Xbox Project Scarlett guide.)

But Microsoft’s unwillingness to embrace a distinctive identity for its new console, perhaps taking inspiration from its enhanced capabilities, or run with the simple and consecutive ‘Xbox Two’ – as Sony has done with the PlayStation 5 – risks blurring the distinction between console generations. And this could doom the Xbox Series X’s chances of swinging players away from the PlayStation platform, which has proved the clear winner among the current console generation.

The Game Awards 2019 saw the unveiling of the next-gen console's official branding.

Nothing to see here!

Here’s the problem. The Xbox Series X sounds like a synonym for (or rebranding of) the current-gen Xbox One X, and there will no doubt be plenty of people struggling to see the difference between the two – especially given that both will be on sale alongside each other for a significant amount of time.

"The Xbox Series X sounds like a synonym for (or rebranding of) the current-gen Xbox One X."

The closest parallel to this situation is with the Nintendo Wii U, which saw dismal sales compared to its successful predecessor, 2006’s Nintendo Wii, something that was widely attributed to its confused messaging. Was it a new console? A tablet controller accessory? Or something else altogether? Many players weren’t quite sure what they were getting, and that meant relatively few of them felt the need to replace their current Wii console, or choose Nintendo over Xbox or PlayStation.

Nintendo sidestepped this problem with 2017’s Nintendo Switch by naming the device for its distinguishing feature – the ability to ‘switch’ between handheld and docked play. Even the DS family of handhelds are clear about what differentiates each from the other: the ‘New’ Nintendo 3DS is a new version, the 3DS ‘XL’ has a larger screen, and ‘2DS’ doesn’t have 3D. You know what you’re getting when you buy any of these devices.

Nintendo 3DS: you know what you're getting.

Much of the strength of Xbox and PlayStation hardware lies in the fact that it’s clear what they do: you don’t need to make sure that your PC has the necessary specs to run a particular game effectively, as you know that an Xbox One console will be able to play an Xbox One game. For gamers who don’t pore over detailed hardware specifications, strong communication as to the functionality and hierarchy of each console is necessary, and the name forms a big part of that.

Gunning for the X-factor

What makes Microsoft’s choice of Xbox Series X so baffling is that we were explicitly told the name would reflect the new console’s capabilities. Back at XO19, Xbox boss Phil Spencer went on record with Stevivor to say that “Our naming convention has been around what we think the capabilities are.”

Spencer added: “Xbox 360 was about the entertainment experience around the box and the box being in the center of that entertainment experience. Xbox One, if you remember our branding early on, was ‘always on input, all in one’. Those names were really built around the purpose of the box.”

"Our naming convention has been around what we think the capabilities are."

Phil Spencer

The Xbox Series X completely abandons this logic. While the Xbox One X’s name helped to distinguish it from the Xbox One S – and the letter ‘X’ certainly carries connotations of power, as in X-factor, Xtreme, and so on – Microsoft can’t get away with simply reusing the same shtick in the next console along. The Series X is supposed to be four times as powerful as the One X, and will certainly offer a far superior gaming experience, but that isn’t being communicated clearly enough.

The Xbox One X has already claimed the 'X'.

Something along the lines of ‘Xbox 120’ (for its 120Hz frame rate) or ‘Xbox Nitro’ (for its speed) would have made more sense in terms of describing its capabilities. ‘Xbox Pro Series’ or ‘Xbox Hero’ would stress the enhanced performance. ‘Monolith’, ‘Domino’ or ‘Jet’ would take inspiration from its black slab-like appearance. Even the relatively prosaic ‘Xbox 2.0’, ‘Xbox 2020’ or ‘Xbox Neo’ would have helped to make the console’s place in the Xbox family clearer.

All of those names are the result of a five-minute brainstorming session in the TechRadar office, and Microsoft certainly had the time, and the marketing budget, to come up with one of those, or think of something better.

We just hope the console’s strengths in terms of raw power and features, and Microsoft’s promise of a stronger lineup of exclusive games for the next-generation console, will help it to cut through the Xbox Series X’s mixed messaging. Otherwise, Microsoft may have to wait even longer for another shot at taking the crown as maker of the world’s favourite gaming console.

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Is your broadband deal the right one for the busy Christmas period?

Posted: 14 Dec 2019 12:33 AM PST

Say goodbye to pointless socks and generic chocolate boxes, because five of the top broadband providers are offering you a Christmas gift you may actually (shock) need and like - some of the best broadband deals in the UK.

OK, so even the promise of fast broadband isn't exactly what you want under the Christmas tree. But it's around this period when you really start to see a strain on your bandwidth as you slowly see a descent of your whole family into your home. Or when you start getting interrupted as you try to stream 4K television and play games on your mobile device. You won't need our broadband speed test tool to show that things are lagging.

The bundles we've picked out below include some of the best fibre broadband deals and have lightning fast speeds - this is perfect for streaming and ensuring that even if you have too many people in you're household, your Wi-Fi quality should not drop. And if you're looking for a full on broadband and TV deal we have got you sorted.

So if you want TechRadar (move over Santa) to help you sort out your awesome Christmas present, just keep reading as we outline the top five broadband deals in the UK right now for those super fast speeds.

Now, if you want to get these broadband deals sorted before Christmas day itself, you're probably just a little bit late. The connection times will likely now take you beyond the 25th. But if you start feeling the strain of your current speeds and know that 2020 should be the year you finally have an upgrade, then these five offers are where you want to be looking.

1. Where fibre speeds and affordable bills meet

2. It's a freebie free for all!

3. Did someone say cashback?

4. TV and broadband sorted all in one 

5. All-singing all-dancing package 

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This is the cheapest hard disk drive per terabyte right now

Posted: 13 Dec 2019 10:00 PM PST

If you're hunting for a great deal on a new HDD, Newegg is currently selling the Seagate BarraCuda 8TB hard disk drive for $150 direct with free shipping. 

This is the ST8000DM004, part of the “green” family of drives destined for desktop storage, all-in-one storage, home servers, and DAS devices.

Features include 256MB cache, a SATA interface, a 5400RPM spinning speed and, as mentioned before, an 8TB capacity with hardware-based data security and instant secure erase. At $18.75 per TB, it is the cheapest per-terabyte storage available on the market, at least as far as internal hard disk drives are concerned.

Speed

It comes with a two-year warranty as standard and what Seagate calls a multi-tier caching technology (or MTC). This, the company claims, delivers improved read and write performance by optimising data flow with intelligent layers of NAND Flash, DRAM, and media cache technologies. 

It is a well known fact that external hard disk drives on average cost less than internal ones because of economies of scale. Internal hard drives can be seen as a better bet if you want to increase the storage capacity of your desktop computer without resorting to destroying a perfectly good external hard drive to pry its component out. After all you don’t always know what exactly is inside the device and it can be a bit of a pot luck.

The deal may even make it cheaper for customers in other countries to buy it from Newegg than locally, even with taxes and shipping included.

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