Sunday, January 26, 2020

Apple : WWE Royal Rumble 2020 live stream: how to watch tonight's wrestling online from anywhere

Apple : WWE Royal Rumble 2020 live stream: how to watch tonight's wrestling online from anywhere


WWE Royal Rumble 2020 live stream: how to watch tonight's wrestling online from anywhere

Posted: 26 Jan 2020 01:43 PM PST

Boom! WWE's first pay-per-view of 2020 is upon us in the form of the annual high-octane chaos of the Royal Rumble. And with TechRadar's help, you won't miss a minute of a Royal Rumble 2020 live stream - regardless of where in the world you are.

Taking place this year in Houston, Texas, as ever we're expecting surprise returns, big debuts and plenty of twists.

There's eight scheduled matches this year, but the expected highlight will be the mayhem of the men's and women's Royal Rumble - a battle royale match whose participants enter at timed intervals.

There's a pretty impressive 27 of the 30 superstars confirmed for the men's Rumble, including Roman Reigns, Rey Mysterio, Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, Drew McIntyre, and AJ Styles, while Brock Lesnar will enter the match at number one. 

While only seven superstars have confirmed their place in the women's match, its a big-name field nonetheless, with Natalya, Charlotte Flair, Alexa Bliss, and Nikki Cross all set to be involved in the big face off.

Outside of the Rumble excitement there's some pretty strong undercard fights, with Becky Lynch set to defend her Raw Women's Championship vs Asuka while Roman Reigns will face King Corbin in a Falls Count Anywhere match.

It's going to be a packed event for sure and we’ll show you how to watch a WWE Royal Rumble 2020 live stream online from anywhere in the world so that you don’t miss a minute.

Live stream WWE Royal Rumble 2020 from outside your country

Scroll down if you're reading this in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Japan or India - we've described your watching options in more detail down there (assuming that the WWE Network doesn't tickle your fancy).

But if you're unlucky enough to be in a country where the only way to catch the wrestling is via some dodgy, illegal stream you've found on Reddit - or if you discover that your home coverage is geo-blocked where you are- then we have a top tip to get a much better way to watch.

Live stream Royal Rumble 2020 on the WWE Network (for FREE!)

Your other ways to watch WWE Royal Rumble 2020 live stream

If you’re watching from the United States, then subscribing to the WWE network is your best bet as it is the most cost effective way to watch. Other pay-per-view providers including Dish and Xfinity are showing WWE Royal Rumble 2020 but they cost upwards of $44.99.

How to get a WWE live stream in Canada tonight

As is the case in the WWE’s home country, the WWE Network is also the cheapest, most convenient place to watch WWE Royal Rumble 2020 in Canada. However, you could choose to go with SaskTel, Shaw or BellMTS but expect to pay similar prices to PPV providers in the US. 

How to stream WWE Royal Rumble 2020 live in the UK

How to watch WWE Royal Rumble 2020: Australia stream

How to live stream WWE Royal Rumble 2020 in Japan

How to watch WrestleMania: India stream

2020 Men's Royal Rumble Match - Declared Superstars

  • Brock Lesnar
  • Roman Reigns
  • King Corbin
  • Dolph Ziggler 
  • Shinsuke Nakamura
  • Braun Strowman
  • Erick Rowan
  • AJ Styles
  • Randy Orton
  • Elias
  • Rey Mysterio
  • Ricochet
  • Drew McIntyre
  • Otis
  • Tucker
  • Rusev
  • Bobby Lashley
  • Aleister Black
  • Buddy Murphy 
  • Seth Rollins
  • Kevin Owens
  • Samoa Joe

2020 Women's Royal Rumble Match - Declared Superstars

  • Charlotte Flair
  • Natalya
  • Alexa Bliss 
  • Nikki Cross
  • Sarah Logan
  • Carmella
  • Dana Brooke

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How to watch 2020 Grammys: live stream the awards show from anywhere

Posted: 26 Jan 2020 01:42 PM PST

It's been deemed 'Music's Biggest Night' and from what we know so far, the 62nd annual Grammy Awards is definitely looking like it will live up to that title. So if you're ready to see some unforgettable performances, keep reading to find out how you can get a 2020 Grammys live stream.

Alicia Keys will be returning to host the awards again, making her the first female artist to host the Grammys twice.

Both Lizzo and Billie Eilish will make their Grammy stage debut by performing at this year's award. Not only is Lizzo putting the 'sing in single', it turns out she's also 100% that Grammy nominee - Lizzo has picked up the most award nominations this year of anybody.

Other artists that have been nominated include Latin sensation Rosalía, pop-star Ariana Grande, queen bee Beyoncé, youngest artist to record 007's theme song Billie Eilish and many more. A star-studded event, this year has been filled with a wide diversity of nominees and attendees after the #GrammysSoMale controversy of 2018.

Make sure you don't miss this incredible event - keep reading to find out how to live stream the 2020 Grammy Awards from anywhere in the world. 

How to watch the 2020 Grammy Awards: live stream in the USA

  • Hulu with Live TV $54.99 per month - Hulu with Live TV includes CBS, Fox, NBCSN and ESPN.
  • FuboTV $54.99 per month - FuboTV gives you access to CBS, Fox, NBC as well as other channels.
  • YouTubeTV $49.99 per month - YouTubeTV gives you access to CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN.
  • AT& TV NOW $65 or $80 per month - AT&TV Now includes CBS, Fox, CNBC, and ESPN.

How to watch a Grammys live stream from outside your country

If you've mismatched a holiday or are away for work when the 2020 Grammy Awards happen, don't panic - you can still catch the awards on your home TV channel and avoid the geo-blocking that broadcasters put in pcae when you watch from overseas.

By using a VPN, you can change your IP address to one back in your home country which will allow you to stream the event as if you were back at home.

How to get a Grammys live stream in the UK

Unfortunately for UK music fans, there will be no live broadcast of the Grammy Awards this year. However, you can still watch the highlights show on 4Music at 7.30pm GMT on Monday, January 27.

However, the good news is that if you’re just interested in seeing what your favorite artists are wearing and who they’re attending the awards with, channel E! will be showing live coverage from the red carpet between 11pm and 1am GMT on Sunday when the ceremony begins in Los Angeles.

2020 Grammy Awards - what else is happening

If you need more Grammy gossip, then you'll want to know that there was a pre-Grammys gala held on Saturday night where Sean "Diddy" Combs was recognized with the 2020 Grammy Salute to Industry Icons to honor his 25-year career in the music industry.

And the Friday before the Grammys, rock band Aerosmith were honored as the 2020 Person of the Year for MusiCares, the Recording Academy's charity for musicians in critical financial need. The band earned the title for their philanthropy and impact on music history.

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Is a radical design change coming for the iMac?

Posted: 26 Jan 2020 10:48 AM PST

The Apple iMac revolutionized what we expected out of a computer when it was released. The bulkiness of the desktop transformed into a sleek for its time, all-in-one design that has been refined continuously since its inception. Its current look, that of a super-powered monitor, could take a big jump in its next redesign.

Apple may have just applied for this next revolution in its design with the US patent and trademark office. AppleInsider reports that the “electronic device with a glass housing member” patent application was just published and shows a device that abandons the brushed aluminum that’s been Apple’s visual style for a mostly glass device.

According to the patent, the upper portion housing the display and lower portion housing the inputs (keyboard and trackpad) will connected by a transition portion for a “continuous, curved surface”.

The patent also mentions a support structure to help hold up the glass display which might also contain the processing unit and other computing components. It looks like most of the computing power will be housed in the support structure with the glass surface being just fitted with sensors for the inputs, display and camera. 

When does the future become reality?

It is entirely too early to say that this will be the future of the iMac but it’s definitely a compelling direction for the product if Apple moves this concept beyond its research phase. Even though the patent was just published on January 23, 2020, it was filed last May, meaning that the ideas here have been kicking around for a while.

The patent allows for a lot of variations in materials and functionality such as a potential folding keyboard but not much is certain beyond the broad strokes of the concept. 

We hope to find out more sooner rather than later on what seems like a next-generation device, whether this becomes the next iMac or something complementing it in Apple’s line of products

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Pro Bowl 2020 live stream: how to watch the NFL all-star game online from anywhere

Posted: 26 Jan 2020 09:51 AM PST

With just one week to go before the 49ers and Chiefs battle it out at the Super Bowl, the best NFL players from the AFC and NFC are heading to Camping World Stadium in Orlando for this year’s Pro Bowl - the last time you can see the league’s top stars in action this season. We’re here to make sure you catch every minute of today’s game - see how to get a Pro Bowl 2020 live stream regardless of where in the world you are. 

Each year players are selected for the Pro Bowl based on their achievements throughout the season. They are voted into the game by the league’s coaches, fans and by the players themselves. However, players selected from the 49ers and the Chiefs will be sitting out today’s game as they get a free pass thanks to their Super Bowl appearances.

Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh will lead the AFC team and the Raven’s Lamar Jackson will be the team’s starting quarterback. The NFC team will be led by the Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carrol and Seattle’s Russell Wilson will be the team’s starting quarterback.

Whether you’re rooting for the AFC or the NFC at today’s game - we’ll show you how to get a Pro Bowl 2020 live stream from anywhere in the world.

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Watch the Pro Bowl 2020 online from outside your country

Watching this game from the US, UK, Canada or Australia? We'll tell you how to catch the NFL game further down in the article.

But if you're somewhere else in the world - or if a coverage blackout is stopping you from watching in the US - then there's still a way you can live stream the Pro Bowl 2020 online (and you don't even have to slum it with a grainy, illegal feed you've found on Reddit). Instead you could use a VPN - or Virtual Private Network - to change the IP address to one in a different state or country which does have a stream. And it's not even hard to do.

Watch the Pro Bowl 2020 in the US

Can I watch with the NFL Game Pass?

Well it's a no and a yes. The NFL Game Pass in the US will only let you watch a replay of the Pro Bowl, but not the live action.

Interestingly, it's a different story with an International NFL Game Pass where all post season games are being shown absolutely live...shame you can't officially get access to that if you and your laptop's IP address is in the US. 

Other ways cord cutters can stream NFL live online

Sling TV $40 per month - Sling TV splits its live NFL options across its $30 a month Blue plan and $30 a month Orange plan. By combining the two, you get a $10 dollar discount and access to Fox, NBC, ESPN and the NFL Network.  

Hulu with Live TV $40 per month - Hulu with Live TV includes CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN but does not come with NFL Network.

FuboTV $35 for the first month - FuboTV gives you the first month at a discounted rate but after that the price increases to $45 a month. The service includes CBS, Fox, NBC and the NFL Network but does not come with ESPN.

DirecTV Now $50 per month - DirecTV Now includes CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN and for $5 extra you can add the NFL Network. However, with this service you can only watch football on local TV stations live.

YouTubeTV $40 per month - YouTubeTV gives you access to CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN but just like with Hulu with Live TV, there is no NFL Network.

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Live stream Pro Bowl 2020 in the UK

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Watch and live stream the Pro Bowl 2020 in Canada

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How to get a Pro Bowl 2020 live stream in Australia for free

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The 5 best ever Super Bowl halftime shows

Posted: 26 Jan 2020 06:49 AM PST

Needless to say...we're SUPER pumped for next weekend's Super Bowl. But forgetting the actual football for a moment, we've been taking a look at the best halftime shows in history to get us ready for the main event. In the past we've had spectacle, we've had controversy, we've had surprise guests and even more surprising fashion slips. We've had the world's biggest stars taking to the field to put on a show once the second quarter's all washed up and we want more. 

Thankfully, we're getting it as Jennifer Lopez and Shakira take up the mantle in 2020, but to welcome them to the Super Bowl halftime hall of fame, we're counting down our top shows over the last 53 Championship games. 

That means we're running through all the silhouette guitar solos, left shark antics, helicopter exits, and genre-mashing dance offs to find the craziest, most awe-inspiring performances yet. Each year is exciting, but there are some special years when magic is made on the field and it all happens between the second and third quarters. The Super Bowl halftime show is one of the most bombastic blasts of entertainment of the year, and we're bringing you the very best of the best for some pre-game study.

5. Super Bowl XLIX halftime show: Left Shark steals the show from Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott

You'd be forgiven for any confusion the day after Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott took on the Super Bowl halftime show. Instead of raving about the stars of what was, anyway, a fantastic show, the world was obsessed with a hapless extra dressed in a shark costume. 

Left Shark quickly became an internet phenomenon after some lacklustre dance moves became a hilariously human distraction on a stage of superstars. Aside from the lovable shark mishaps, we enjoyed Katy Pretty being propelled into the sky for a rendition of Firework, after Missy Elliott joined her on stage for a three song diversion. Still, it was an electric show that demonstrated just how deep the halftime show has become ingrained in entertainment culture. 

4. Super Bowl XXX halftime show: Diana Ross has lift off

A Diana Ross Super Bowl halftime show was never going to be a low-key affair. But 14 costume changes, sparkling airlifts, a field-covering golden cape, and a helicopter exit set to I Will Survive and Take Me Higher took the short entertainment slot to new heights. 

If you can try and ignore the theatrics for a second, you'll also realize that this 1996 show was filled to the brim with the medleys and mashups of Diana Ross's hottest tracks. We kick off with Stop In The Name of Love and flit through some of Ross's top tracks before reaching costume change number six at Chain Reaction, then it's a whistle stop tour past Reach Out And Touch before a sublime Ain't No Mountain High Enough is belted from the heights of an airlift. 

3. Super Bowl XXXV halftime show: the best of 2001 come to party

Aerosmith. NSYNC. Britney Spears. Mary J. Blige. Nelly. You could have ripped the Super Bowl XXXV lineup straight off a 2001 USB MP3 player. It was a never ending roster of fireworks (coming out of JT's hands no less), boyband power poses and dance offs. And then Walk This Way happened. 

Suddenly you have Britney taking the stage to duet a verse with Justin, and then Mary J. Blige joins the party. Who next? Nelly jumps out to complete this Who's Who of everyone's bedroom poster collection and the world seems to stop spinning for just a moment. The 2001 Super Bowl halftime show was stuff of legend, bringing together the biggest artists of the day to perform in new and spectacular ways - plus, it was the first show to allow the audience onto the field so no wonder the entire show feels different. 

Oh yeah, and the whole thing starts with a Ben Stiller Dodgeball cameo.

2. Super Bowl XLVII halftime show: Beyonce brings out the single ladies

We were happy with a Beyoncé halftime show, if a little shocked she had never held the show solo before. We were happy with a slew of hits infused with the kind of raw power you only find in a Knowles performance. We were even happy with a solo artist taking on the entire Super Bowl halftime show by herself... until she wasn't. 

Dreams came true when Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams joined their former Destiny's Child frontwoman on stage just before a legendary Charlie's Angels pose. Bootylicious and Independent Women ensued, before a rendition of Single Ladies and Halo melted the nation. Not only was Beyoncé's Super Bowl halftime show an explosive success in its own right, but it served to somewhat alleviate the reputation of the singer herself after controversy over lip syncing earlier in the year. 

1. Super Bowl XLI halftime show: Prince's Purple Rain

There's something about performing in the pouring rain that makes everything so much more intense. To be honest, Prince never needed the added flair to raise the stakes of his shows, but the Super Bowl XLI halftime show was on another level of showmanship. Take big budget spectacle and combine it with an artist as extravagant as the man who made himself a symbol and you've got yourself a show. 

Every second, from the opening thunder of a We Will Rock You cover to the finale of a particularly fitting Purple Rain was dripping in finesse. A simple silhouette and a shredding guitar solo made for one of the most powerful moments in halftime history. 

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Who is performing at the Super Bowl 2020 halftime show? 

From helicopters to awkward sharks, we've enjoyed swathes of legendary performances over the last 53 Championship games. Following in the footsteps of these star-studded spectacles are Jennifer Lopez and Shakira as they take to the stage for the 54th Super Bowl in Miami, Florida.

We're expecting some of each artists' biggest hits to boom out over the speakers of Hard Rock Stadium so get ready for some Jenny From The Block, Hips Don't Lie, Let's Get Loud mashups. Celebrating the history of Latin music in the heart of Miami, the two artists will also likely treat us to a live selection of their Spanish-language hits.

To make sure you don't miss a minute of the spectacle, we've put together a handy guide to watch the Super Bowl halftime show online from anywhere.

Read more:

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Motorola's upcoming flagship phone may come with its own stylus

Posted: 26 Jan 2020 06:30 AM PST

Rumors of a flagship Motorola phone are gathering pace – and a newly leaked picture potentially showing off the handset suggests that the flagship is going to come with its own integrated stylus.

That's as per a tweet from well-known tipster Evan Blass, who has also previously suggested Motorola Edge Plus as a possible name for whatever is in the pipeline.

There's certainly room for a flagship phone at the top of the Motorola range. The Lenovo-owned brand has focused on budget models in recent years, including handsets like the Motorola One Zoom.

This new upcoming phone could change all that – details are thin on the ground at the moment, but we have been hearing talk of a premium Motorola phone for several months now.

Motorola Edge Plus

The only tidbit of information that's leaked out so far, besides the image you see above, is that the phone is going to be available on Verizon in the US. That leaves a lot of gaps still to be filled in.

For the time being Motorola is concentrating on getting its revamped Motorola Razr handset out of the door, with preorders set to be shipped in the first week of February. The folding clamshell certainly has high-end looks, but not high-end specs.

The Moto Z2 Force launched in 2017 is the most recent Motorola phone that could claim to have flagship-level specs, but since then the Moto lines haven't been going head-to-head with the top iPhones, Galaxy phones, and Pixels.

That could soon change – and a stylus is one way of getting a premium phone to stand out. Aside from the Galaxy Note line, very few phones offer a built-in stylus, so it would be another selling point for whatever Motorola is planning next.

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PS5 wishlist: the most wanted specs, features and games

Posted: 26 Jan 2020 06:00 AM PST

After years of speculation, months of teases and tantalising rumors, the PlayStation 5 launch is nearly upon us. But, now expected to be just weeks away from launch, there’s still much we don’t know.

Sure, there’s SSD tech in there. And AMD will be behind the processing and graphics units.

But what about the design? What about the launch games? What about the features to make the PS5 not just a games console, but a hub for all your entertainment needs?

Throwing caution to the wind, the TechRadar team has put together it’s most-wanted features for the PS5 – however realistic or, in some cases, outlandish they may be.

More ports, more varied ports
Bill Thomas: Computing Editor

One of my biggest bugbears with the PS4 and the PS4 Pro is the lack of ports on offer. Admittedly this is probably a niche case, but I like to be able to charge multiple controllers without having to buy an awkward dock or dongle, along with connecting an external hard drive. One of my favorite things about PC gaming is the ability to have something like 10 USB ports on a single device. 

I also want more kinds of ports. When the console hits the streets it’s going to be 2020, nearly 2021, so it absolutely needs USB-C. External SSDs are more common than ever, and having that fast data throughput is going to be absolutely essential for anyone that wants to store their games remotely. Also, DisplayPort: I want to connect my PS5 into a fancy gaming monitor and have it be able to take full advantage of it.

 A controller with decent battery life and charging
Tom Bedford: Staff writer - phones

I’m sick of how slow the PS4 controller charges, and how quickly it runs out of power – sometimes it feels like I spend more time powering the controller up than I do actually using it wirelessly.

The PS5 controller absolutely needs a USB-C connection and bigger battery capacity if it doesn’t want to be hopelessly behind the times, but it’d do well to include wireless charging (preferably with a charging pad built into the console itself) so that powering up the piece of tech is easy and simple.

Dolby Atmos and Vision for home cinema superiority
Gerald Lynch: Senior Editor - Home and Lifestyle

The PlayStation 4 Pro was a step in the right direction, bringing 4K visuals and HDR support to Sony’s gaming and streaming line-up. But it’s not quite the full cinematic picture we desire just yet.

With the PS5 now known to be capable of playing back 4K Blu-ray media like the Xbox One X before it, I’d like to see Sony double down on the premium cinema technologies that are now available to people. Namely, wider HDR support and better surround sound options.

I’m mostly talking about Dolby technologies here. If you’ve yet to see a film on a Dolby Vision screen, using the dynamic metadata to tweak contrast, black levels and peak brightness on the fly, you haven’t lived. And the same goes for Dolby Atmos audio, which uses discrete overhead speakers or smart upfiring speakers to bounce audio from above you, leading to a more immersive and emotive viewing experience. They’d be great technologies and features to include not just for film viewings, but for real next-generation gaming experiences, too.

Argos Black Friday PS4 deals

Lots and lots and lots of storage
James Peckham: Phones Editor

As I write this, I have a maximum of 10 games downloaded to my PlayStation 4. It’s a day one console so there’s only 500GB of storage inside and as I now have some games that have tipped over the 100GB mark it’s getting unbearable.

With one version of the PS4 Pro sporting 1TB of storage, I’m hoping for that and more on the PlayStation 5. One rumor suggested the console would come with 2TB, but I’m hoping for even more than that when the console lands under my TV.

I want to be able to have all of my games installed at one time without having to uninstall a behemoth such as Red Dead Redemption 2 or Hitman 2 to make enough space for the latest PS Plus addition to my catalogue. Sure, I could just buy an external harddrive… but I think I’m going to just wait until the end of the year and get a whole new console.

Native backwards compatibility...with everything
Samuel Roberts: Senior Entertainment Editor

Sony's attitude towards backwards compatibility has been pretty poor compared to Microsoft. It's like the manufacturer forgot it made two of the biggest-selling consoles of all time, each of which had a vast library of software (the PS3 was also pretty good). I'm sure there are both technical and cost-based reasons why it's not easy to do backwards compatibility with games from past PlayStation consoles, and clearly for Microsoft, emulating all these games on Xbox has been a vast undertaking. 

But what a way to celebrate your legacy as a platform. It's not enough to be able to stream (and download, in some cases) those games on PS Now, if you ask me. Sony should make the effort to get more of its various software libraries onto PS5 than it did on PS4. It just makes an all-in-one subscription option far more compelling, as Xbox Game Pass illustrates. 

If I could insert the discs for 7/10 PS2 classics like The Matrix: Path of Neo and True Crime: Streets of LA into my PS5 and play them in 4K, I'd be a happy man. But it makes no sense that I can play PSone games on my PS2 and PS3, but not my PS4. 

We need more PlayStation Now downloads
Henry St Leger: Home Technology Writer

Despite a drip-feed of specs (and that pitiful logo) for the PS5, we’ve still heard little-to-nothing about how Sony’s game streaming service, PS Now, will evolve on the next-gen console. More power should certainly help stream those games more capably, but the real triumph would be in giving a download option to its whole 800-game streaming library as well.

The PS Now platform already does this for some titles, but not enough of them – given offline play neatly gets around issues of lag or dropout during online streaming. (Bloodborne is punishing as it is!)

We know game streaming is going to be big, with Google Stadia growing its offering – and Xbox’s Project xCloud set to take on PS Now too. But as long as internet speeds vary as much as they do between households, cities, and countries, Sony needs to take care it doesn’t leave a generation of gamers behind.

A strong roster of exclusives
Vic Hood: Gaming Writer

A big part of why the PlayStation 4 was so successful is down to the high quality of PlayStation exclusives on offer. The likes of Spider-Man, God of War and Horizon Zero Dawn can be considered some of the best games of this console generation - and they were only available on PS4. This was a key factor in which console I, and many others, chose when it came to PS4 vs Xbox One and it’s something I really hope Sony continues to build on.

We may not know much about what PS5 exclusives are in the pipeline, although we do expect upcoming games like The Last of Us 2 and Ghost of Tsushima to be cross-generation. But I’m hoping we see a Horizon Zero Dawn 2 revealed, an eventual God of War sequel and at least one fantastic new IP to sink hours into. Hopefully we don’t have to wait too long and we’ll see at least one of these games as a PS5 launch title.

PlayStation Remote Play that actually works… and GTA 6
John McCann, Deputy Editor

The idea of being able to stream and play your PlayStation on another device in your home is a fantastic one. Whether that’s streaming it to a tablet, or a TV in another room, I was all in on Remote Play… until I actually tried it.

It’s bad. Like, really, really bad. Slow, lagging, low quality. You can’t comfortably play any game which requires quick reactions - especially if you’re playing online against others.

The PS5 has the chance to fix this. Reduce lag and latency, improve the efficiency of streaming and provide 4K resolution, so you can get the same experience remotely as you do sitting on the couch in front of the console.

One more thing...

Yes, this one is a stretch. But if there’s anything that will guarantee that I buy the PS5 on launch day, it would be this. If Rockstar and Sony can team up to align the launch of the PS5 with the launch of GTA 6 I will be sold.

It’s also the sort of big name title that will get people excited, and encourage sales. If GTA 6 offers a much improved experience over the PS4 build (like GTA 5 did between PS3 and PS4) then there will be even more reason for consumers to bag themselves the next-gen machine. Plus, I’ll be delighted - and that’s really what’s important here.

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That PS5 start-up sequence video is officially a fake

Posted: 26 Jan 2020 05:55 AM PST

We're less than a year away from the PS5's release date and, with Sony keeping fairly tight-lipped regarding further details for now, the rumor mill is working overtime. But, some rumors are more believable than others, and this isn't one of them.

An unlisted video was posted to YouTube, which claims to show the PS5's start-up sequence. The video was spotted by a user who posted it to Reddit then proceeded to send it far and wide to publications directly and on social media. We were not convinced it was the real deal for a number of reasons and, it turns out, we were right. 

Check out the original video below:

Connecting the dots

So what does the video actually show? Seemingly recorded on a mobile phone, the footage shows two monitors with a black, slightly PlayStation-like box beside them. On one of the screens, the PS5 logo appears with a nice wavey, blue background and a calming boot-up sound, followed by the Sony logo.

After the PlayStaion's usual photo sensitivity warning, a QR code (which is unreadable) appears along a plus sign and PlayStation symbol sign. The Google Play and Apple Store logos sit in the corner, but there's a large part of the screen blocked by a black bar.

If the video got you excited, we understand. It's a lovely sequence, but it's a fake. We were already sure of this for a number of reasons.

To start, the unlisted video 'leak' that is supposed to be an accident has been up on YouTube for two days at time of publishing. If this was an actual leak, and someone messed up, that video would be down in a heartbeat. There's no way they wouldn't have noticed it was still up by now. Our guess is that whoever made the sequence, and the video, is waiting until it picks up more momentum. 

We also noted that the YouTube poster in no way mentions working at Sony, or a Sony-affiliated company.Instead, they seem to make a lot of videos and renders. 

It's also odd that the Reddit poster is pushing so hard to get it in front of so many people's eyes, in our experience that's not something that happens often with legitimate leaks - because no individual benefits from that. 

However, if you made your own video then you would want as many people to see it as possible and maybe, just maybe, think it's the real deal. But everything feels staged about this leak, from the description, to the random sock puppets accounts commenting things like: "Can't wait till this dude realizes the video is public"

That brings us on to the video itself. The PlayStation 5 that's supposedly sitting on the desk is nothing like the dev kits we've seen and someone on YouTube pointed out it looks like a Blu-Ray player. In addition, the start-up sequence seemed to take too long to boot up considering the PS5 is meant to essentially do away with loading screens. None of this video added up and that's for a very simple reason: it's a fake.

The YouTuber who originally posted the leaked video has since released a video called "How to win the interwebs - make a PS5 video". In this new video, the creator of the fake sequence goes through how they actually made it - and props to them, it took a fair amount of work, even if it didn't fool everyone.

You can watch the VFX breakdown below:

But this does go to show that not every PS5 rumor is a winner and, here at TechRadar, we aim to use our expert knowledge to help you sort the wheat from the chaff and avoid any unlikely PlayStation 5 rumors.

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PS5 vs Xbox Series X: what we know so far

Posted: 26 Jan 2020 05:52 AM PST

There's a lot of information to digest when it comes to the PS5 vs Xbox Series X competition. And, with both next-gen consoles releasing at the tail-end of this year, there's going to be plenty more on the way in the coming months.

While Microsoft has been a bit more forthright with Xbox Series X information, revealing the next Xbox's design, name and some upcoming Series X games, Sony hasn't given away many details on the PS5 quite yet - but we're expecting that to change in February, with the rumored PS5 reveal event.

We may not know a huge amount about what these next-generation consoles are packing under the hood, but what we do know is that their release dates are at the same time, so they'll be going directly head-to-head, most likely splitting gamers once again into camp 'Xbox' or 'PlayStation'.

The upcoming console launches represent big stakes for both manufacturers, with Sony's lead in the current console war up for grabs as new high-powered hardware hits the market. But can the Xbox Series X take the crown, and what will the new consoles actually do differently from the older Xbox One and PS4?

We've put together this Xbox Series X vs PS5 guide to put both next-gen consoles under the microscope, and gauge whether what we know about their pricing (definitely expensive), release date (late 2020), and hardware capabilities (lots) can tell us about the future of console gaming.

Xbox Series X vs PS5: key facts

PS5 vs Xbox Series X

Image credit: Sony

  • What are they? Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 are the forthcoming next-gen games consoles from Microsoft and Sony, set to deliver more ambitious and graphically impressive gaming experiences than ever before.
  • Xbox Series X and PS5 release date: Both Sony and Microsoft have confirmed "Holiday 2020" release dates, meaning sometime October through to December.
  • What can I play on it? So far, we’ve not had many games confirmed. However, both consoles will have elements of backwards compatibility, and we’re expecting games like Cyberpunk 2077 to make an appearance on both machines.
  • Is the PS5 more powerful than Xbox Series X? Their processing capabilities seem pretty similar so far, but you can read more on this below.
  • What will the PS5 and Xbox Series X cost? We could be looking at $500 / £500 / AU$500 price tags, but there's no official word so far.

Xbox Series X vs PS5: specs so far

Though it was Sony to make the first move, giving the first concrete details about its PS5 back in April 2019, Microsoft’s E3 2019 showcase showed that both companies appear to be singing from the same hymn sheet with their new machines’ internal specs. 

The PlayStation 5 will run off a custom-built version of the third generation AMD Ryzen chipset, packing in 8 cores with the company's new Zen 2 architecture and Navi graphics. It’s a system that will be able to support ray tracing – a performance-intensive lighting technique that has previously been the reserve of expensive high-end PC GPUs, and which we now know will be "built into the GPU hardware" for the PS5.

Sony has also talked of the console setting a new “gold standard” in immersive, 3D audio, particularly for those using a headset whilst playing. (Some leaked patents, too, show off some intense ventilation design for handling all that processing power.)

The PS5 will also support screen resolutions of up to 8K – far higher than the standard 1080p HD of most people’s televisions, let alone that of the increasingly popular 4K. It’ll also work at 120Hz refresh rates, allowing for super-smooth movement in games. These are incredibly performance intensive specs, so we wouldn’t expect a game to hit these standards regularly (not to mention requiring an expensive TV that will support them), but it’s good to see what Sony is aiming at.

Perhaps the most interesting element of the Sony build is its commitment to using SSD storage. The solid state drive in the PlayStation 5 will again be a custom-built piece of hardware, and Sony has already been showing off its technical prowess with a demo of its existing Spider-Man PS4 game. On PS5 hardware, the game is able to race around an incredibly-detailed New York City at incredibly high speeds without any delay in geometry loading or texture streaming, something that would never be possible on PS4.

PS5 vs Xbox Series X

We've got some new tidbits on the next DualShock controller too – though there's currently no official 'DualShock 5' branding. A blog post by PlayStation said that haptic feedback technology would replace last-gen "rumble" features, while "adaptive triggers" will be able to recreate different levels of resistance for different weapon loadouts or types of terrain you might be navigating in-game.

The Xbox Series X, at this stage, is looking startlingly similar.

It too will use custom AMD internals using the same Zen 2 and Navi architecture of the PS5, making it 4x more powerful than the Xbox One X – this generation’s most technically-impressive gaming hardware.

It too will be able to run content (if not games) at an 8K resolution, and it too will support 120Hz refresh rates. The Xbox Project Scarlett will match the PS5 by offering ray tracing capabilities, and it’ll have an SSD too, here also used as virtual RAM to lift load times by up to 40x. Standard RAM will be of the GDDR6 variety, in an amount yet to be determined.

The next Xbox will also be backwards compatible with the Xbox One’s supporting hardware accessories, meaning that you won’t have to rush out and buy new pads and headsets to accompany the console at launch. And, if you’re a sucker for buying boxed games over making digital purchases, it’s already confirmed to have a physical disc drive included.

It’s worth mentioning that rumors surrounding Xbox Series X have also involved the possibilities of there being another disc-less console on the horizon codenamed Project lockhart. The theory here is that the Xbox Series X will be a high-end machine, while Lockhart would be a budget option focusing on streaming (possibly in the vein of the Xbox One S All Digital Edition). At this stage however, they remain merely rumors, as Microsoft is yet to confirm or deny the existence of a duo.

If you're concerned about being eco-friendly then the Xbox Series X may not be the best choice. While Sony has claimed the PS5 will be much more energy efficient than its predecessor, the PS4, analysis by Digital Foundry suggests Series X will be pulling twice the power of the Xbox One X - and putting out more heat as a result.

Xbox Series X vs PS5: games we expect to see

PS5 vs Xbox Series X


It’s early doors for the new next-gen consoles, but already we’re getting a picture of the sort of experiences you can expect to see on the Xbox Series X and the PS5. 

Let’s kick off with the Xbox, as Microsoft has been a little more open with its line up upfront. First off, Microsoft has confirmed that Halo Infinite, aka Halo 6, will be a launch title for Xbox Series X. The Halo franchise is a unit shifter for Microsoft, a big-budget FPS series that will have been left on a bit of a cliff hanger for five years come the ‘Holiday 2020’ release of Halo Infinite. This is a very big deal. In addition, we also know Senua's Saga: Hellblade II will be releasing for Xbox Series X.

Perhaps just as much of a big deal as Halo is the fact that Xbox Series X will be backwards compatible with all existing Xbox platforms from launch. If you have games for the original Xbox, the Xbox 360 and the Xbox One, there’s a good chance they’ll work on Xbox Series X – especially your Xbox One library. How deep Microsoft goes on the libraries of the other generations remains to be seen, but it’s been relatively generous in their support during the Xbox One’s lifetime.

We currently don't know any of the PS5's launch titles but we do know the likes of Watch Dogs: Legion and Godfall will be making their way to Sony's next-gen platform. Sony has also confirmed that its PS5 will be backwards compatible, at least with your PS4 game library. How far back it will support the PlayStation family’s game history remains to be seen, but it’s been a little less supportive in this regard during the current generation, aside from within its paid-for PlayStation Now streaming service. 

Which brings us onto the conversation surrounding game streaming. With Google entering the gaming fray with its Google Stadia game streaming platform, Microsoft and Sony have actually entered a partnership to share and collaborate on game streaming technologies for the next generation. Exactly how this will play out remains to be seen. But with Sony already hosting PlayStation Now, and Microsoft pumping cash into its Project xCloud, don’t be surprised if a good chunk of your game playing time is streamed in over the web during the next generation.

As for other titles? We can make some educated guesses that some of the more ambitious games that are currently slated as swansongs for this present generation of consoles will make their way over to the newer machines in "remastered" or "definitive" editions. 

We're expecting a lot of games that are currently in development, and due for release next year, will be cross-generation titles. That means we're expecting to see the likes of Cyberpunk 2077, Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us: Part 2 on both current and next-gen consoles.

Xbox Series X vs PS5: price expectations

PS5 vs Xbox Series X


At this point, talking about the price of Xbox Series X or the PS5 cost is an exercise in speculation. It’s simply too early to tell, and there are too many missing factors in their make up for us to make an informed decision on the specifics of their final price. 

But what we can say for certain is that the specs teased above don’t come cheaply. These are going to be high-end machines at launch, and will have significant price tags attached as a result.

What we can do, however, is look back at the comparative pricing of the Xbox One and PS4 at launch. One of the reasons the PS4 proved the more popular console during this generation was the fact that it launched at the more attractive price point of $399.99 / £349.99. That was a relative steal compared to the $499 / £429 Xbox One, which at launch had to factor in the cost of its ill-fated (and relatively short lived) Kinect motion tracker. The Kinect was initially hailed as one of the key differentiators between the consoles, but proved unpopular with both developers and gamers, leading to Microsoft slowly phasing it out in an effort to drive the price of the overall package down with later console revisions.

Microsoft will not want to make similar mistakes again – its launch pricing (along with its strange initial focus on entertainment capabilities over gaming software), were key factors to its initial struggles, which it’s spent this entire generation fighting against. One company will inevitably undercut the other, but with specs at this stage looking so similar, don’t expect it to be so dramatic a difference this time around.

Gut feeling

PS5 vs Xbox Series X

Image credit: Sony

There’s so much yet to learn about the PS5 and Xbox Series X. But at this early stage, the similarities between the two consoles are striking.

The commitment to SSD tech, suggests a parity across both consoles for third party developers to work with. Both consoles will be making great efforts to offer deep backwards compatibility across their archives. And the astonishing fact that they’ll be sharing streaming technologies is the sort of collaboration that would once have been unheard of. Microsoft and Sony have clearly been listening to their fanbases – people don’t care about inter-company politics, they just want the best gaming experience possible.

But there’s still a tribalism among the fans, and so, as ever, first party gaming content is going to be perhaps more important than it’s ever been. With so many ways to play, from remote access to streaming, the hardware becomes far less important than the experiences they offer – especially when the two platforms are looking increasingly similar. Microsoft is the first out of the gate to announce a platform exclusive title with Halo, but Sony absolutely destroyed the competition in the PS4 generation with its exclusives. Hope for, and expect, nothing less in the console wars to come.

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AMD’s Wraith coolers for Ryzen CPUs haven’t been upgraded – there are fakes out there

Posted: 26 Jan 2020 05:28 AM PST

AMD’s Wraith Prism cooler, which comes bundled with some of its latest 3rd-gen Ryzen processors (and the Ryzen 7 2700X), is suffering from a surprising problem – namely fakes of the cooling solution are floating around.

Initially, it was thought that the respected RGB stock cooler had been upgraded by AMD, and just not announced yet, when photos of a very similar-looking model to the Wraith Prism emerged over at XFastest – except this one had six heat pipes, rather than the four that the standard model has.

However, AMD quickly took to Twitter to clarify that these cooling solutions with six heat pipes are illegitimate fakes designed to look like the Wraith Prism, and that they (obviously) have not been tested and validated by AMD.

Thermal trickery

So instead of speculation about how good this six pipe cooler might be, now the speculation is about what on earth is going on here. And indeed if this cooler is bundled with an AMD CPU, could there be something amiss with the chip itself?

Obviously something shady is happening, and it raises the prospect of an operation perhaps buying OEM chips, and pairing them with the fake cooler, to sell at full retail price (or possibly even fake chips – which we’ve seen in the past with Ryzen – with the fake cooler).

Although if this is the idea, quite why the cooler would be slightly different with the additional heat pipes, well, that’s anyone’s guess (in terms of not raising the profile of this counterfeiting).

Regardless, obviously you should be careful about this new counterfeit product. While it might be tempting to think that with the two extra heat pipes, this could be a better cooling solution than the official AMD-produced Wraith Prism, if it’s been made as a third-party knockoff, there’s every chance there could be all manner of things amiss in terms of the innards. Even if externally, it looks like a good copy of the original.

Via PC Gamer

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By forcing Bing on Chrome users, Microsoft is back to its bad old ways

Posted: 26 Jan 2020 05:00 AM PST

Come on Microsoft. You must know that no one likes Bing. Cramming it into a Spider-Man film in a bid to make it appear cool didn’t work – mainly because in a film involving radioactive spiders, superheroes and lizard people, the idea of anyone willingly using Bing rather than Google was the most unrealistic aspect.

In fact, I have a sneaky suspicion that the most searched-for term in Bing is “How to download Chrome”, as people use Microsoft’s Edge browser, which comes with Windows 10 and has Bing as the default search engine, to download Google’s Chrome browser.

I'd even wager that the user numbers for Bing compared to Google must be so small, they are practically an anomaly. More of a blip than a bing.

And Microsoft must know this. Which is why the company has been trying to foist its unloved search engine on us. Not only does Edge default to Bing, but using the search box in Windows 10 brings up Bing results when you search the internet, with no easy way to change it.

And even worse, it’s now emerged that Microsoft is planning to include a “Bing extension for Chrome” that will be automatically installed alongside a forthcoming update to Microsoft Office 356 ProPlus.

This will change the default search engine of Chrome from Google (or any other search engine) to Bing. Quite why Microsoft thinks that anyone using Microsoft Office 356 ProPlus would also want to have their search engine changed to Bing is beyond me. It’s come up with some old excuse about needing to use Microsoft search or whatever, but to be blunt, that’s no reason to forcibly change people’s search engines.

Microsoft Bing

With great power comes great responsibility

Instead, Microsoft wants people to use Bing not through choice, but through force. And while many people will change back to Google as soon as they’ve noticed that their search queries bring back Bing results, I’m sure Microsoft is banking on enough people not realising, or just sticking with it, victims of digital Stockholm syndrome.

In my view, this is a move that hearkens back to Microsoft’s shadier past where it has tried to force its products on users. Anyone who has used a fresh version of Windows 10 will know that if you use Edge (and Bing) to search from Chrome to download, you used to get messages popping up trying to dissuade you from doing so, and instead stick with Edge.

Not only was this annoying (and a bit desperate), but it was using an unfair advantage of having Edge being pre-installed in Windows 10.

Now, those little pop-ups and messages seemed to have calmed down a bit lately, and I was hoping that maybe Microsoft has learned its lesson. But if it does go ahead with changing people’s default search engines when they update Microsoft Office 356 ProPlus, then I fear the company hasn’t learned anything.

The bottom line is if Microsoft wants more people to use products like Edge and Bing, then rather than forcing people to use them, instead Microsoft should work hard to make those products better than the completion – so people willingly use those products, rather than being held hostage.

Microsoft has done better with its updates to Edge – but it’ll take a lot more to make me consider using Bing.

But tampering with my choices in an unrelated program just because I use another Microsoft product? I believe Spider-Man would agree that that goes against everything Uncle Ben stood for.

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Dubai Government has 24 use cases on blockchain platform in last three years

Posted: 26 Jan 2020 03:12 AM PST

Dubai Government has 24 blockchain use cases in the last three years and is on target to achieve its objective of digitising the journeys of the residents by 2021.

Digital transformation is not a new concept to Dubai. The city’s smart transformation journey began in 1999 with the establishment of the e-Government.

The digital transformation strategies have been led by the government and public sectors unlike in other parts of the world where the private sector is ahead and, at the same time, the public sector sets the vision and drives innovation and this helps to rally the private sectors.

Wesam Lootah, Chief Executive Officer of the Smart Dubai Government Establishment, the technology arm of Smart Dubai office, the government entity entrusted with Dubai’s city-wide digital smart transformation, told TechRadar Middle East that the blockchain strategy was launched in October 2016.

“Right now, we have use cases in finance, education, real estate, tourism, commerce, health, transport and security. Blockchain plays a significant role in eliminating the use of paper and move from manual to a fully-digitised transaction,” he said.

 “Government, private and public sectors are leveraging this technology to create seamless transactions. By 2021, the Dubai Government will achieve its paperless strategy. We are in the early days and we will continue to leverage the emerging technologies. Our focus is not on the technologies, but on the impact these technologies can create,” he said.

Dr. Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr, Director General of Smart Dubai, said that Dubai’s ambition goes beyond simply bringing advanced technologies and automating tasks.

“The emirate is looking to establish itself as a full-fledged smart city of the future, build a robust, integrated and interconnected ecosystem where advanced technologies are utilised to serve the people and ensure their well-being,” she said.

A key goal for Dubai’s smart transformation is the execution of the Dubai Paperless Strategy by 2021. The strategy aims to 100% digitise all government services, and offer these services to the residents and visitors of Dubai via one mobile platform.

Setting a benchmark

In the next three to four years, Jyoti Lalchandani, Vice-President and Regional Managing Director of research firm International Data Corporation Middle East, Turkey and Africa, said that blockchain will be embedded into the compute and that will open a significant amount of opportunities.

“The blockchain technology will be matured when you have high volume and low-value transactions. Currently, a lot of the blockchain investments happen in low volume and high-value transactions,” he said.

Bin Bishr said that Smart Dubai has launched blockchain-as-a-service that allows government entities to implement use cases without investing in individual platforms.

Moreover, Lootah said that a global blockchain exhibition will be launched during Expo 2020 and a permanent blockchain campus.

Currently, blockchain technology has no standard or protocol globally but he said that Dubai has announced its blockchain policy in November last year that includes the governance and framework that helps to achieve the standard and it was developed in collaboration with all the private and public entities working on blockchain applications using the best benchmarks.

He added that Smart Dubai has implemented the Hyper-Ledger and Ethereum technologies on its platform.

“We focused on the challenges of the implementations. Right now, there is no standard for blockchain technology and no operating procedures globally and unfortunately, the pitfalls are many. If we don’t coordinate properly, there would be duplications of work and in cases, the network may not be able to talk to each other,” he said.

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Watch Dogs: Legion director gives an interview from inside the game

Posted: 26 Jan 2020 03:10 AM PST

In what it’s calling a world first, the BBC has sent one of its reporters into the world of Watch Dogs: Legion for an interview with the game’s creative director. 

On behalf of BBC Click, Marc Cieslak travelled to Ubisoft’s Toronto studio where he went through the motion capture scanning process and was dropped right into Watch Dogs: Legion’s post-Brexit London.

Cieslak was joined in a virtual Piccadilly Circus (with traffic sounds and all) by the game’s creative director, Clint Hocking, to discuss Watch Dogs: Legion and the developer’s thoughts on its setting. 

Get your head in the game

Given Ubisoft’s decision to set Watch Dogs: Legion in a post-Brexit London which has descended into a dystopian surveillance state against which players must fight back, Cieslak was interested to know whether or not the studio is anticipating any backlash as a result of touching on a thorny topic. 

Hocking gave a surprisingly straightforward answer, stating that he looks at the matter as “a creator of culture.”

“If we were creating films or movies or books, it’s the same with video games,” he explains, “it’s our responsibility to look at the things that are happening in the world around us and have something to say about that. To create something that’s meaningful, that people can look at and engage with and it speaks to the world that they live in.”

Hocking also points out that Ubisoft has had to think about a lot of topics that are relevant to our present and future and consider whether or not they’re worth touching on in the game, including, but not limited to, drone regulations and self-driving cars. 

Other than that, the interview doesn’t reveal much new information about the game or its progress but it is a fun insight into what’s possible with motion capture. Between this surprisingly natural interview—given the cumbersome headgear and studio set-up it requires—and the recent decision to debut a Star Wars trailer in Fortnite we’re seeing increasingly interesting examples of the potential of virtual spaces.

After it was delayed late last year alongside Gods and Monsters and Rainbow Six Quarantine, Watch Dogs: Legion still doesn’t have a firm release date. At the moment, all we know is that it’s been moved into Ubisoft’s next financial year and should be playable sometime before the end of 2020. When it is released, the game is expected on current-get consoles as well as the next generation PS5 and Xbox Series X

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New iPhone SE 2 price needs to be incredibly low to stay relevant in 2020

Posted: 26 Jan 2020 03:00 AM PST

When the iPhone SE was released in 2016, it was a breath of fresh air to many phone fans; the ‘cheap phone’ market was in a sad state, as you couldn’t buy many great phones without splashing out, but in came Apple with a handset that brought notable features at a relatively low price point.

Many are hoping Apple repeats this with the anticipated iPhone SE 2, expected to launch in March 2020, but thanks to recent price leaks we’re worried Apple won't be able to replicate the success of the iPhone SE. 

According to the most recent leaked information, the iPhone SE 2 price will come in at $399, and due to Apple pricing conventions we’d expect it to cost £379 and AU$679 in the UK and Australia respectively.

Sure, that would mean it costs exactly the same as its predecessor, but we’d argue Apple needs to actively reduce the cost to stay competitive in 2020, for one big reason.

The budget market has changed

Back when the iPhone SE launched, you typically had to pay lots of money to get a decent smartphone, as few of the cheap phones on the market were any good. That’s why the iPhone SE was popular – it sat almost alone on that intersection between ‘affordable’ and ‘good’.

However, four years have passed since then, and the budget phone market is a radically different place. Now you can get great Moto G handsets, Redmi phones, and various ‘Lite’ devices, each packed to the brim with great features and specs, and none of them costing you more than the iPhone SE's launch cost.

So the Apple iPhone SE 2 will enter a different market than its predecessor, one that’s packed full of impressive devices and affordable phones that could easily rival the iPhone SE 2.

We’re expecting the new Apple phone to be similar to the iPhone 8, a phone which arguably isn’t as good as most handsets that cost $399 / £379 / AU$679.

The iPhone 8 - and perhaps the iPhone SE 2 too?

If Apple does launch its new iPhone at that price, it’s going to be a moderately expensive phone with seemingly fewer features than rival handsets.

It’s only expected to have one rear camera, two fewer than the £239 / AU$499 (roughly $310) Moto G8 Plus, and a 4.7-inch screen, much smaller than the 6.3-inch Xiaomi Redmi Note 8T, which costs £169.99 (roughly $220, AU$320).

So the iPhone SE 2 could be pricier and less feature-laden than its competition; therefore the only prospective customers who might be won over by it are people who are absolutely committed to iOS over Android – but even they’ve got a preferable alternative.

As of writing, a new iPhone 6S or iPhone 7 is more affordable than the stated iPhone SE 2 price, and if you’re willing to buy a second-hand or refurbished phone you can get even newer iPhones for affordable prices. These devices still hold up too, and are barely any different from the iPhone 8, so other than a newer chipset there’s likely to be little reason to buy an iPhone SE 2 over them.

So whether you're looking for a cheap new smartphone, or an Apple fan looking to save money on a new handset, there’s little reason to look at the iPhone SE 2 over competing devices – if Apple goes with the leaked price and the expected specs.

If it does launch with the expected specs then the only way the new iPhone SE 2 can replicate the iPhone SE’s popularity is by going for a super-cheap price – we’re talking less than $200 / £200 / AU$500.

At that price or below, the iPhone SE 2 will be a competitive device that many people will flock to. But if Apple goes for a price above that, it would be hard to recommend the new ‘affordable’ iPhone over the legions of competitors out there today.

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Leaked image shows off the camera bumps for the Galaxy S20 Plus and S20 Ultra

Posted: 26 Jan 2020 02:30 AM PST

We haven't been short of leaks around the Samsung Galaxy S20 phones so far, but not many have been in such crisp quality as this one – we've now got a promo image showing off the camera bumps on the S20 Plus and the S20 Ultra.

Posted by renowned tipster Evan Blass, the image also shows the upcoming Galaxy Buds Plus as well, and it looks as though they'll be included for free with preorders of the two more expensive S20 phones.

Both the S20 Plus and the S20 Ultra are tipped to come with quad-lens rear cameras, though the specs of the S20 Ultra array will be superior: the more expensive phone is apparently going all the way up to 108MP on one of its rear cameras.

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The S20 Ultra is also rumored to be offering a whopping 10x optical zoom and 100x digital zoom with its rear camera setup. You can see these camera bumps and a couple of phone colors in the tweet, which we've embedded below.

Samsung Galaxy 20 promo

The Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 Plus and Galaxy S20 Ultra are getting their official unveiling on February 11 at Samsung's Unpacked 2020 event. We're also expecting another foldable phone from the same event.

All three phones will run the same Exynos 990 or Snapdragon 865 processor (region depending), but they'll have different screen sizes – 6.2 inches for the Galaxy S20, 6.7 inches for the Galaxy S20 Plus, and 6.9 inches for the Galaxy S20 Ultra.

Those displays are being tipped to offer a refresh rate of up to 120Hz as well, so we're talking about three very high-end smartphones to get the new year started from Samsung. More Note phones are likely to launch later in the year too.

While all of these details remain unofficial for now, they've come from very good sources, and are likely to be mostly accurate. We will of course bring you everything from the Unpacked 2020 event as it unfolds on February 11.

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Google IO 2020: Android 11, Google Pixel 4a and everything else to expect

Posted: 26 Jan 2020 02:00 AM PST

Google IO 2020 (the company’s annual developer conference) is still months away, but it’s fast approaching, with May 12-14 being the dates when all the action will happen. And while a developer conference might not sound that exciting, we’re expecting to see plenty that Android fans should be interested in – most notably the reveal of Android 11.

There’s also a high chance that the Google Pixel 4a and Google Pixel 4a XL will be unveiled there, and we may even see the long-rumored Google Pixel Watch, among many other things. So in other words, Google IO isn’t just for developers.

Below we’ve highlighted all the things that we know or expect we’re going to see there, along with some things that are longer shots but could well make an appearance. And we’ll be updating this article as more news and rumors pour in, so make sure to check back regularly.

Android 11

Android 11 is likely to be the biggest reveal at Google IO 2020 and we’re almost certain we’ll see it there, as Google tends to at least partially unveil its major Android updates at IO.

That said, it probably won’t appear on phones until September or October, likely landing alongside the Google Pixel 5 range. Certain features also probably won’t be unveiled until after IO.

So far we haven’t heard much about Android 11, but one thing we do know is coming is ‘Scoped Storage’, which changes the way apps access other files on your device, with a view to increasing speed and security.

That’s not much to go on, but we should learn plenty more about Android 11 at IO 2020, and it’s likely that a developer beta will even be launched there.

Google Pixel 4a / Pixel 4a XL

Google Pixel 3a

While the Google Pixel 5 range probably won’t land until around October, there’s a high-chance that we’ll see the mid-range Google Pixel 4a and Google Pixel 4a XL at Google IO 2020, given that the Google Pixel 3a range was announced at Google IO 2019.

You can think of these as more affordable alternatives to the main Pixel 4 handsets, though some sources reckon there won’t be an XL model, so we might only see one Pixel 4a.

In any case, leaks suggest the 4a might actually have a fairly different design to the Pixel 4, with a punch-hole camera and a 3.5mm headphone port. It might also have 5G, which no current Pixel does.

Not much else is known about the Google Pixel 4a yet, but it’s unlikely to have the Motion Sense feature from its pricier siblings, which to be honest is probably no great loss for most people.

Wear OS updates

Wear OS has felt a bit neglected, with no significant updates to the platform since the launch of Wear OS 2 in August 2018, but if Google is going to release a big new update then the software-focused IO is the obvious place for it to happen.

We’re not actually expecting to see any big changes, as no such things have been rumored, so if you’re hoping for Wear OS 3 you’re probably going to be out of luck, but you never know.

And it wouldn’t be at all surprising if the platform saw a smaller, more incremental update, though what it would include is anyone’s guess right now. At IO 2019, for reference, Google showed off the widget-like ‘Tiles’ feature.

Google Assistant

Google Assistant

Google is always working on Assistant, and at IO 2019 it unveiled tech to make Google Assistant faster, along with a driving mode.

For Google IO 2020 we’d expect more new features and improvements to be announced. Having said that, Google announced a whole bunch of new features – such as scheduled actions and a speed dial feature - at CES 2020 in January, so maybe some of them will be rolled out.

Google Search

Google Search also got some love at IO 2019, and we wouldn’t be surprised if it’s further improved at Google IO 2020.

We’re not sure yet what will change here, but for reference, Google added augmented reality (AR) images to search results at Google IO 2019.

Other software updates

Beyond the things mentioned above, we’re likely to see updates and improvements to other key Google software, such as Maps and Duplex.

Perhaps we’ll see Duplex more widely supported, while Maps may become more detailed or have other features added. That’s just speculation for now, but we’d be surprised if these or other key Google apps don’t get some sort of update.

Google Pixel Watch

We’ve been hearing rumors about a Google Pixel Watch for years, and to be honest we don’t really expect it to land at Google IO 2020, but the company has shown off wearables from other companies in past years, so it’s possible.

Right now we’re not entirely convinced the Pixel Watch even exists, and if it does, it may well not land until October alongside the Pixel 5 range, or maybe not even until next year.

If it does land at Google IO 2020 though then we might also see a bigger Wear OS update than we’re expecting, as it would make sense for Google to launch its first smartwatch with exciting new software.

New smart home devices

From speakers to screens to cameras, we could see a variety of new smart home devices at Google IO 2020.

At IO 2019 we saw the Google Nest Hub Max smart display, but google has its fingers in many smart home pies, including the Nest Hello doorbell, Google Nest Wi-Fi, and the Google Nest Mini speaker, plus smart thermostats, smoke alarms and more.

So we may see new entries in any of these product lines, or maybe smart versions of other devices altogether.

Google Stadia

Google Stadia (the company’s game streaming service) is already here, but currently only ‘Stadia Pro’ is available – meaning you need a subscription to use the service, rather than just being able to buy the games. That will be changing at some point in 2020, so it’s possible that Google will use IO 2020 to launch the ‘free’ tier.

There are also some promised features that are currently absent, such as ‘Crowd Play’, which will let you join a streamer’s game at the press of a button. So this or other features might launch at Google IO 2020. We might also see new exclusive games announced or launched for the platform.

Perhaps most excitingly, we might see Stadia opened up to non-Pixel phones. We know this is happening at some point, and it’s one of the main selling points of the platform.

Google Play Pass

Google Play Pass, like Google Stadia, is already here, but currently it’s only available in the US. We know it’s only a matter of time before it will launch elsewhere, so perhaps Google IO will be the venue where its reach is widened.

We wouldn’t be surprised if Google also announces all sorts of new content for its Apple Arcade-like game and app subscription service.

Augmented and virtual reality

AR and VR have been very up and down over the last few years, but we wouldn’t be surprised if we see new developments in these fields at Google IO 2020.

One obvious thing we might see is improvements to ARCore – the development kit Google created that allows AR experiences to be built for Android and other platforms.

VR announcements are perhaps less likely, given Google has largely abandoned its VR headsets, but you never know.

5G

While many 5G networks and the first 5G phones arrived in 2019, it’s during this year that we’re expecting 5G to really start getting big – 5G phones will likely become more affordable and 5G networks should start becoming much more widespread.

As such, we’d expect the likes of Google to start looking at 5G too. The Pixel 4a above is rumored to come in a 5G flavor, but we might also see Google announce apps and software features that take advantage of the speed of 5G.

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Bitdefender wants to protect your device for just over 7 dollars, but there's a catch

Posted: 25 Jan 2020 09:00 PM PST

If you're looking for a great deal on security - Bitdefender has extended its Black Friday sale and its Total Security 2020 platform has never been so cheap.

The company is offering a huge 60% discount, which means you pay only $35.99 (excluding taxes) for a year's protection instead of the usual $89.99. 

That’s about $7.20 per device, or just pennies per day, for one of the best security suites on the market.

While there is a VPN tool includes, it's not the best in town for a number of reasons - and we believe you'd be much better off using a standalone service such as  ExpressVPN.

In a nutshell, you get complete protection across up to five of your devices (Windows, MacOS, iOS and Android). The new version includes webcam and anti-ransomware protection and zero system slowdowns, plus dozens of other features.

Just bear in mind that this deal is only valid for the first year and you will likely pay far more going forward. One way to get around the issue is to use a different email on renewal to pass as a new customer. 

We'd recommend leaving the company's Antivirus Plus 2020 and Internet Security 2020 offerings; both of them are fantastic products but will run you $12 and $4 respectively. With Total Security 2020, you get a much better all-rounder with extra device coverage to boot.

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New Zealand vs India live stream: how to watch 2nd T20 cricket match 2020 from anywhere

Posted: 25 Jan 2020 08:15 PM PST

India's cricket fixture list just never seems to let up - and neither do their victories! They''re back on the road and battling out a five-match T20 series against New Zealand. To make sure you don't miss a single six or wicket, we've put together this guide to getting a New Zealand vs India live stream from pretty much anywhere in the world.

New Zealand came into this five-match series looking to bounce back after a 3-0 test thrashing to great rivals Australia and a Super Over loss to England in their last T20I. But visitors India chased down a 203 target with relative ease in the first T20 of the series.

Despite having to contend with a lengthy injury list, the Blackcaps still boast a strong squad, but will their second string be enough to knock a rampart India off their stride? Key players Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson, along with Tom Latham and Matt Henry are all missing for the hosts, but there's a recall for paceman Hamish Bennett. Another plus for the Blackcaps will be the return of Kane Williamson who will lead the side after missing out on the series against England. 

While not as severe as their opponents, India have their own injury problems, with Ishant Sharma set to miss the series after turning his ankle. Mohammed Shami comes into the bolster the bowling attack, but otherwise its a largely unchanged Indian side from the one that saw them ease past Sri Lanka in their last T20 outing at the start of the year.

Follow the instructions below to find out how to grab a New Zealand vs India live stream from pretty much anywhere on Earth.

Live stream New Zealand vs India from outside your country

In India, New Zealand, Australia, or the UK and looking to find out how to watch the T20 matches between New Zealand vs India? We've got all the details about the broadcaster with the rights to show the series in your region below. 

But if you're away from home country - maybe abroad on business or on holiday - but still want to tune in to your domestic coverage of the match then you'll run in to issues. Because of broadcaster geo-blocking, you won't be able to watch online from overseas. By using a VPN however, you'll be able to watch the game without having to resort to watching a potentially illegal feed from a dodgy Reddit link.

How to watch the T20 cricket series in India

How to watch a live stream of the Blackcaps in New Zealand

Live stream New Zealand vs India in Australia 

How to stream New Zealand vs India live in the UK

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