Apple : LG pulls out of MWC due to Coronavirus - will launch phones later in 2020 |
- LG pulls out of MWC due to Coronavirus - will launch phones later in 2020
- New Zealand vs India live stream: how to watch ODI cricket series 2020 from anywhere
- Yubico makes it easier for businesses to adopt security keys
- WhatsApp desktop has a worrying security flaw
- Your future phone will be able to record 8K video that looks like this
- The new Fujifilm X100V is (almost) the perfect street photography compact
- The MSI Prestige 14 Rose Pink Edition is a creator's laptop, but fashion
- Gaming Chromebooks might finally be on their way, according to leaked commit
- Nvidia GeForce Now is missing some RTX games - but still has more than Stadia
- Best free blogging site of 2020
- Best cloud storage of 2020 online: free, paid and business options
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| LG pulls out of MWC due to Coronavirus - will launch phones later in 2020 Posted: 04 Feb 2020 02:16 PM PST LG Electronics has officially pulled out of MWC 2020 citing safety concerns around the coronavirus outbreak and its spread beyond Chinese borders. "With the safety of its employees and general public foremost in mind, LG has decided to withdraw from exhibiting and participating in MWC 2020 later this month in Barcelona, Spain," an official LG Electronics statement read. "This decision will prevent needlessly exposing hundreds of LG employees to international travel, which most health experts have advised." Instead of revealing handsets at Mobile World Congress, LG will hold separate events "in the near future" to announce its lineup of 2020 phones and mobile products. Hours before, ZTE had announced it would officially be pulling out of MWC and canceling its press conference over concerns of the coronavirus, per The Verge. Developing... This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| New Zealand vs India live stream: how to watch ODI cricket series 2020 from anywhere Posted: 04 Feb 2020 02:14 PM PST With India on the rampage, hosts New Zealand will be looking to make amends in this three-match ODI cricket series after being on the end of a 5-0 humbling in the preceding T20 series. Don't miss a moment of the action with our New Zealand vs India ODI series live stream guide. This series marks New Zealand's first ODI action since their painful Super Over defeat in the World Cup final to England last year, but this looks like it could be a tall order against an Indian side that's in imperious form. To compound matters for the Black Caps, they'll also be without the injured trio of Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry. India have suffered an injury blow of their own, with Rohit Sharma set for a spell on the sidelines with a calf injury, adding to the loss of the equally influential Shikhar Dhawan. Despite missing those key players, India are clear favourites to continue their rampant form, and will have added motivation as they look to avenge their Cricket World Cup semi-final defeat to New Zealand in Manchester last 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 countryIn India, New Zealand, Australia, or the UK and looking to find out how to watch the ODI 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 ODI cricket series in IndiaHow to watch a cricket live stream in New ZealandLive stream New Zealand vs India in AustraliaHow to stream New Zealand vs India live in the UKThis posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Yubico makes it easier for businesses to adopt security keys Posted: 04 Feb 2020 01:42 PM PST Procuring and deploying enough security keys to outfit an entire organization can be challenging which is why Yubico has introduced a new range of services to help large businesses do so. The security key maker's new YubiEnterprise Services provide a cost-effective turnkey approach to improve company-wide security by making YubiKey authentication more accessible to both large and even international organizations. Chief product officer at Yubico, Guido Appenzeller explained how YubiEnterprise Services will take the complexity out of security key adoption in a press release, saying:
“YubiEnterprise Services take the planning, budgeting, and logistical complexities out of the equation for enterprises and lets them focus on securely growing their core business. Customers don’t need to think about which YubiKeys they’ll need, how many, or how they’ll be distributed. They simply request a subscription for a certain number of users, and Yubico handles the rest. This is the type of flexibility and consumption-based purchasing power that IT departments have come to expect and demand.” YubiEnterprise ServicesYubiEnterprise Subscription and YubiEnteprise Delivery are the first two offerings from Yubico's YubiEnterprise Services. They will initially be available to customers in the US and Canada but the company is planning a phased rollout in Europe and other regions. YubiEnterprise Subscription is a subscription-based pricing model that allows businesses to purchase YubiKeys for a fixed fee, per user, per month. The service has a user-based subscription that gives customers the option to choose from any YubiKeys within their subscription tier, replace lost or stolen YubiKeys and even upgrade to new models when they become available. YubiEnterpsie Subscription is available with a minimum initial purchase for 750 users. YubiEnterprise Delivery is a logistics service that helps customers streamline YubiKey distribution to end-users in both domestic and international locations, including residential addresses. IT department admins can easily oversee product inventory levels, request single or bulk YubiKey shipments and track delivery statuses though Yubico's cloud-based self-service console. Security keys have proven effective at fighting phishing and credential theft which is why YubiEnterprise Services will likely be welcomed by organizations looking to improve their security posture.
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| WhatsApp desktop has a worrying security flaw Posted: 04 Feb 2020 01:26 PM PST UPDATE: A WhatsApp spokesperson has reached out to TechRadar Pro with the following statement saying that the issue has now been fixed: “We regularly work with leading security researchers to stay ahead of potential threats to our users. In this case, we fixed an issue that in theory could have impacted iPhone users that clicked on a malicious link while using WhatsApp on their desktop. The bug was promptly fixed and has been applied since mid December.” A cybersecurity researcher has discovered multiple security vulnerabilities in WhatsApp, revealing that one of the most widely used messaging apps is not as safe as once thought. PerimeterX's Gal Weizman used his JavaScript expertise to find multiple vulnerabilities in the popular messaging app that could leave users at risk of attacks by allowing both the text content and links in website previews to be tampered with to display false content and modified links which point to malicious destinations. The vulnerabilities found in the WhatsApp desktop app can be used to aid phishing campaigns, spread malware and potentially even ransomware to put millions of users at risk as the messaging service currently has over 1.5bn monthly active users.
Modifying messagesBy finding a gap in the Content Security Policy (CSP) used by WhatsApp, Weizman was able to enable bypasses as well as cross site scripting (XSS) on the messaging service's desktop app. This allowed him to gain read permissions from the local file system on both the Mac and Windows desktop apps. By exploiting these flaws, hackers could target unsuspecting users with harmful code or links injected into their messages. To make matters worse, these message notifications would be completely invisible to the untrained eye. These kinds of attacks are made possible by simply modifying the JavaScript code of a single message before it is delivered to its recipient. Through the WhatsApp desktop platform, Weizman was able to find the code where messages are formed, tamper with it and then let the app continue to send these messages as it normally does. This bypassed filters and sent the modified message through the app as usual where it appeared relatively normal in the user interface. Weizman even discovered that website previews, which are displayed when users share web links, can also be tampered with before being shown. To prevent falling victim to this kind of attack, WhatsApp users should look for text that might appear more like a piece of code than like legitimate text. Also a malicious message can only work if it contains the text “javascript”, so users should look out for this as well if code is visible. Finally users should exercise caution and avoid opening any links sent by unknown accounts. Interested users that want to learn more about Weizman's discovery can check out his blog post on Perimeter X's website.
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| Your future phone will be able to record 8K video that looks like this Posted: 04 Feb 2020 01:15 PM PST We’re just getting to smartphone cameras that can shoot in 4K - so, naturally, Qualcomm has released a video showing 8K video shot on a phone. We don’t know which phone it was, of course, except that it was packing the chipmaker’s new Snapdragon 865 5G (yes, with the 5G appended) accompanied by a Sony IMX586 image sensor and Qualcomm Spectra 480 image signal processor. Qualcomm noted the footage was shot in November 2019 in parts of Arizona, including the iconic Grand Canyon, the river-split Horseshoe Bend, and the Petroglyphs. The point is to show what kind of video the Snapdragon 865 package is capable of, which Qualcomm claims will be able to also shoot 4K HDR video with 64MP photo, 200MP photo standby, and 960fps slow-motion with no recording limit. The video does indeed gorgeously capture the rich red-and-white rock, the carved petroglyphs, the river water caterwauling around the bend...on our 4K screen. Of course, anyone who doesn’t own an 8K TV won’t be able to enjoy this footage to its fullest extent, but you can consider this Qualcomm's way of throwing down the gauntlet: 8K video is possible on phones packing its Snapdragon 865 chipset. ...Which phones were those again?
First Snapdragon 865 phone: the Samsung Galaxy S20Oh right - the Samsung Galaxy S20 line, which is expected to be unveiled on February 11 with a release likely in subsequent weeks. This will almost certainly pack the Snapdragon 865 and likely some or all of the other parts that achieved this footage. We wouldn’t be surprised if the Galaxy S20 (or perhaps even the highest-tier Galaxy S20 Ultra) was the device that took this 8K video, but in theory, it won’t be difficult for similarly-kitted phones to also shoot in such high-resolution video - at least as far as Qualcomm’s claiming. Whether this is an effective bragging point is another question. 4K TVs are just managing to filter out into the mainstream as they reach terminal affordability; 8K TVs exist, of course, but they’re still a long way from wide adoption. And yet, there isn’t even that much content available in such a high resolution. Even if folks start taking 8K video with their 2020 flagship smartphones, there won’t be too many displays or TVs capable of showing it at full sharpness.
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| The new Fujifilm X100V is (almost) the perfect street photography compact Posted: 04 Feb 2020 01:00 PM PST One of the most anticipated cameras of 2020, the Fujifilm X100V, has been officially announced – and the premium compact brings a host of new features that (very nearly) make it the perfect street photography sidekick. How does it improve on its predecessor, the X100F? There are three main new features. The X100V brings a new 26.1MP APS-C X-Trans 4 sensor (the same as the one in the Fujifilm X-Pro3), a two-way tilting touchscreen, and a redesigned 23mm f/2 lens. This means the Fujifilm X100V is effectively like an X-Pro3 with a fixed lens – in other words, a charming retro compact that should be ideal for street photography and travel shooting. Other new features include the ability to shoot 4K/30p video and boosted continuous shooting speeds (up to 20fps with electronic shutter, or 11fps with the mechanical shutter), which should help when capturing unpredictable action scenes. Perhaps the most noticeable difference for X100F owners, though, will be the improved autofocus, with the on-sensor phase detection AF benefitting from the improved speed of the new X-Processor 4. Elsewhere, the X100V also boosts the series' electronic OLED viewfinder resolution up 3.69 million dots, while the battery life goes up to a claimed 350 shots when using the EVF (up from the X100F's 270 shots).
Under the weatherSo where does the X100V miss the mark? While it's difficult to criticize it too much until we give it a full review, it's a little disappointing that the X100V's body still lacks weather resistance. That said, Fujifilm says you can make the X100V weather-resistant by adding a kit comprising the AR-X100 adaptor and filter, which will be available for £99.99 (about $130 / AU$195). The camera's magnesium alloy construction will, of course, make it a hardy little companion, but it would be nice to know that it could survive all conditions out of the box, rather than needing an adaptor and filter. Another potentially polarizing change is that the X100V, like the Fujifilm X-T30, has lost its D-pad. We didn't find this to be major issue with the X-T30, and you still have the quick 'Q' menu button and touchscreen swipes for navigating settings, but those upgrading from an older X100 camera might find this to be a step back for the series. Still, as long as you like the idea of shooting with a fixed, 23mm lens (equivalent to 35mm), then the X100V is shaping up to be a very fine retro, premium compact. Its lens now has two aspherical elements, which will apparently improve its resolution and help reduce distortion. We're looking forward to seeing if that's the case in our full review. Looking forward to snapping up an X100V? You won't have to wait too long. It's available in two finishes – all black and black/silver, with both versions priced at $1,399 / £1,299 (about AU$2,500). The Silver model will be available from February 27, while the Black edition (above) will hit shelves from March 12. This means that, when you take inflation into account, the X100V is effectively the same price as the X100F was when it launched in 2017, despite rumors that it might become a lot pricier. Still, if that price tag is a little too steep for you, it'll be worth looking out for price cuts on its X100F predecessor, which could become a street photography bargain in the coming months.
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| The MSI Prestige 14 Rose Pink Edition is a creator's laptop, but fashion Posted: 04 Feb 2020 12:28 PM PST In a world full of neutral colored laptops, MSI has apparently gone rogue with its latest addition to one of its Content Creator Series lines. Or rather, a touch of rouge. The Taiwanese company just rolled out its limited-edition Prestige 14 Rose Pink in all its candy pink glory – just in time for Valentine’s Day – and we're here for it.
Part of MSI’s Prestige laptop line, the Prestige 14 Rose Pink might just be the pop of color in the sea of blacks, space grays and silver we never knew we wanted until now. Plus, with this release, MSI - known for its incredible gaming laptops and PCs - is proving that one, designing gaming machines isn’t the only thing it’s good at and two, it has serious plans on expanding its Content Creator Series. Don’t let its fun new color fool you. The new Prestige 14 Rose Pink boasts sophisticated diamond-cut edges and sandblasted texture. It also comes with other pink trimmings: a pink prestige mouse, a pink dragon keychain and a pink notebook pouch. It’s time to take pink seriouslyBecause this super pink laptop is for creators, the MSI Prestige 14 Rose Pink touts some impressive features. It’s armed with a 10th-generation Intel Core i7 Ice Lake processor and a Max-Q NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 graphics card. Those might not be enough for intensive gaming, but they’re definitely more than enough for your photo editing, moderate video editing and other designing needs when on the go. And seeing as the Prestige 14 Rose Pink is designed for portability with its 2.84-lb weight, 0.63-inch thickness and 10 hours of battery life this focus on light workloads makes sense. As MSI Pan America President Andy Tung puts it: “The Prestige 14 Rose Pink edition adds a pop of color for content creators who want to express their individuality while also having the highest performance tech on the go.” Other notable features of the Prestige 14 Rose Pink are its extra-large touchpad, CalMAN-verified 4K Ultra HD IPS-level display, 100% AdobeRGB wide color gamut, a 180-degree flip-n-share design, and a Micro SD card reader with UHS-II support. Finally, it boasts MSI’s Creator Center software, which enables creators to easily allocate and optimize the laptop’s hardware resources for better performance. The Prestige 14 Rose Pink bundle, which includes the sleeve bag, mouse and the dragon keychain, is now available on Amazon and Newegg starting at $1,399.
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| Gaming Chromebooks might finally be on their way, according to leaked commit Posted: 04 Feb 2020 12:04 PM PST The best Chromebooks tend to be low-cost machines that can handle simple computing tasks, though there are some premium machines. But, one thing they've all had in common is basic, integrated graphics. That might change with dedicate graphics in a leaked Chromebook.
A Chromebook spotted by Chrome Unboxed and codenamed "Mushu" may fall into Intel's Project Athena program. And, that device appears to include its own dedicated graphics processor. It's not clear at present which chipmaker is behind the dedicated GPU, though, but AMD and Nvidia are likely candidates. This will be a first for Chromebooks, and can deliver a new level of performance in some workloads. One possible workload is gaming. Sensible or non-sense?The idea of a Chromebook getting a discrete graphics processor may seem a bit out there, or at least it would have seemed that way a year ago. Editing spreadsheets, streaming Netflix, writing up documents, and browsing the web are typical tasks for a Chromebook. What they all have in common is a lack of any need for a powerful, dedicated graphics processor. They don't even need a very beefy CPU. There's still a market for powerful Chromebooks with the likes of the original Pixelbook and the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook, though. And that's the side of the market where we could see the dedicated graphics processor show up. Photo and video editing could benefit from an upgrade away from integrated graphics. So could gaming. Considering Valve and Google are working to bring Steam to Chromebooks, a dedicated graphics processor starts to make a lot more sense. Existing Chromebooks, even on the premium end of the spectrum, will only be able to handle running a small number of games from the already reduced library of Steam games readily supported on Linux. That equation will change with a dedicated graphics processor. And, depending on how well Valve and Google get Steam and its library working on ChromeOS, we could be looking at our first gaming Chromebook this year. We hardly expect it will be anything close to the best gaming laptops, though. Via Liliputing This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Nvidia GeForce Now is missing some RTX games - but still has more than Stadia Posted: 04 Feb 2020 11:55 AM PST Nvidia GeForce Now launched today after one of the longest beta tests of all time, taking the fight directly to Google Stadia's doorstep. And, while it's got a bulky library, GeForce Now is missing some huge titles. This first came to our attention when both Ars Technica and The Verge put out some brief impressions pieces noting that some games were missing, apparently due to licensing issues with some major publishers.
Chief among these publishers are behemoth companies like Rockstar Games and Square Enix, who are behind some of the biggest games around like Red Dead Redemption 2 and, well, the entirety of Final Fantasy. That's right, the entire Final Fantasy series is missing from a platform that advertises itself based on the ability to play your PC library wherever you go. Either way, even if Nvidia GeForce Now is missing all of these games, the fact that you can use your existing Steam, Origin or Epic Games Store accounts means that there are thousands more titles than Google Stadia offers - a service that's currently stuck at 27 available games. We're not sure when or if the missing games will make their way onto Nvidia's nascent-but-still-somehow-ancient game streaming service, but we reached out to Team Green for comment, and we'll update this article as soon as we hear anything. What happened to all the RTX games?Even though they've been out for awhile, there are three games that serve as an excellent showcase of what ray tracing powered by Nvidia Turing technology could be capable of: Metro Exodus, Control and Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Right now, the only one of those games that are available on GeForce Now is Metro Exodus. And, we don't mean to knock Metro Exodus - it's a fantastic game and an even better showcase of technology - but the lack of Control and Shadow of the Tomb Raider isn't a great look. Back when we tested ray tracing in Control with a bunch of Nvidia RTX cards, we were blown away by what this technology could do. Before Control, in fact, we thought that ray tracing was a neat little gimmick that looked cool, but wasn't absolutely necessary. If any game out there makes the case that ray tracing is, like Nvidia wants us to believe, the future - it's Remedy's Control. Nvidia GeForce Now could have easily been an excellent way to give folks that couldn't afford an expensive Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060 a way to actually live in Nvidia's ray traced future without breaking open the piggy bank. It's entirely possible that this early lack of ray tracing heavy hitters is only temporary while Nvidia works out licensing agreements, but it's still an odd way to launch the service. If you do subscribe to GeForce Now and want to experience ray tracing, you can still do it through games like Metro Exodus, Wolfenstein: Youngblood and Deliver Us the Moon. And that's definitely more than the zero ray-traced games that Google Stadia has. Look, as time goes on and more PC games adopt ray tracing, this will likely be much less of an issue. But as it stands right now, some of the best ray traced games aren't on the platform, and we hope they find their way onto GeForce Now as soon as possible.
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| Best free blogging site of 2020 Posted: 04 Feb 2020 10:45 AM PST Free blogging sites have come a long way in recent years, and it’s now easier than ever to create a professional-looking blog to share a hobby with likeminded people, express your opinions, and establish an online presence. These free blogging sites are aimed at hobbyist bloggers – blogs are created and managed online, and hosted on the blogging platform’s own servers. If you want to create a self-hosted blog, the downloadable version of WordPress is an excellent option, with total flexibility, support for third-party plugins, and as much storage as your hosting plan allows. If you're interested in making a static website rather than an online journal, take a look at our guide to the best free website builders. Wix makes it dead easy to design and realize your blog, and you can do a lot more besides Wix has a range of paid-for subscription plans, but also a free offering, although it’s best to note upfront that this has some caveats. With the free product, your site will have Wix branding, and you’ll be limited to 500MB of data transfer per month, so it’s not for heavily trafficked sites. You also only get 500MB storage, too, so bear that in mind. You are, however, free to build a blog with an unlimited number of pages, and where Wix really shines is with its powerful blog functionality. The editor may be simple, but you get access to all the stuff you need – from image galleries through to videos and music – and there are a ton of ways to customize a post. There’s also a lot of flexibility in the way you can schedule posts, and neat touches like being able to set things up so that posts are automatically pushed to Facebook when they’re published. For instance, you have a feature called WiX Bookings, that allows customers to schedule appointments and classes right on your website. And what makes Wix truly compelling is on top of this, you get the run of the rest of what this website builder offers aside from blog support. That includes using Wix’s ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) editor to make building your site a snap even for novices, plus impressively diverse support for various different types of media, and quality customer support to boot (yes, even on the free plan). As of recently, Wix introduced Wix Turbo, which increases the speed and performance of websites considerably. When you consider what you’re getting for nothing, the bandwidth and data limits don’t seem like such a heavy set of shackles. And you can always upgrade at a later date if you want to break free of them in the longer run. Try it online: Wix Powerful and highly customizable, WordPress is a brilliant platform for blogs of any size, and bloggers of any level of experience. Creating your first blog is very straightforward, with a simple wizard that guides you through the process of choosing a name and suitable theme. You can leave it there and begin writing posts immediately, but the real fun lies in the more advanced editor, which lets you customize virtually every aspect of your blog’s appearance. Unlike some blogging sites, WordPress isn’t a drag-and-drop affair, and you’ll have to familiarize yourself with its system of menus. It’s well worth the effort, though, and enables you to create something truly personal. The editor also lets you create static pages – like a writer’s biography, for example. The post-writing interface is much like an ordinary desktop word processor (though some options are presented in a toolbar at the top, while others are in a menu at the side, which can be a little confusing at first). Again, time spent getting to know the interface is rewarded with advanced features like customizable social media sharing buttons, geotagging, and the ability to pick a custom style for individual posts. Sometimes you might want to create a photo gallery, for example, and other times a more text-focused style would be more appropriate. You can also view and edit the HTML source. As your blog grows, WordPress lets you track its stats, including page views, visitors, likes and comments over time. You can also see how readers reach your site, which content they viewed, and where they are in the world, so you can tailor your content accordingly. Your site is hosted on WordPress servers, with an address in the format yoursite.wordpress.com. Users of the free service don’t get email or live chat support, but the WordPress community forums are very active and questions are usually answered within a few minutes. Additionally, privacy protection for domains that are registered at WordPress.com is free. WordPress displays ads on free blogs, but provided you can live with that, it’s a top-notch solution for a free blogging site. Try it online: WordPress Blogger has been around for many years, but has kept up with current trends and technology, including responsive blog templates Blogger is another superb blogging platform. It’s not quite as powerful as WordPress, but more accessible for new users, which comes as no surprise when you learn that it’s owned by Google. Blogger offers an excellent selection of templates, all of which include mobile versions optimized for smaller screens – a very sensible addition with so many people accessing online content through smartphones. Blogger’s post-editing tool is much like WordPress, but offers fewer options. As a result, its toolbars are less confusing – a trade-off between power and usability. One of Blogger’s best features is its integration with other Google apps and services. For example, it uses your Google Drive account to store images and other files for your blog. Google Drive gives you 15GB of space free, so Blogger is a good choice if you’re planning to share a lot of high-res photos. Spam comments are a big problem on blogs, so Blogger’s automatic spam filter can help save your sanity. You can monitor comments via Blogger’s dashboard, which also lets you see visitor stats. There are some handy visualizations here, including a world map to show the global distribution of your readers. Your blog will have an address in the format yoursite.blogger.com, and, like all Google services, will include ads. Support is available through the Blogger user forum, which is very active but has a strange layout that can be a little off-putting. In all other respects, Blogger is brilliant – one of the best free blogging sites if you prioritize ease of use over flexibility and are a fan of the Google ecosystem. Try it online: Blogger Weebly takes a modular approach to blog building, with a drag-and-drop editor that lets you choose which elements to add to your site, and where. Pick a basic template, then plonk various types of content onto the page, including social media links, text, images, maps, and sections of code. It’s a refreshingly simple way to build a blog that feels unique to you, but doesn’t require any messing about with menus. It’s worth noting, however, that certain content blocks can only be positioned in certain areas; it isn’t a total free-for-all. This makes sense – forcing you to stick within the confines of your chosen template stops the page looking messy – but you might find it limiting. Blog posts are made in the same way: drag text boxes, picture frames, buttons and page breaks into position, then click to edit them. One particularly nice feature is the ‘secret draft link’, which lets you preview your unpublished post, and even share it with others via email before releasing it into the wild. Weebly has some other interesting tricks up its sleeve too, including an area for pasting in Google Analytics tracking code (though it doesn’t offer analytics itself). You’re only given 500MB for uploaded content, so photographers might want to look elsewhere. Weebly puts an ad in your site’s footer, but it doesn’t obscure any of your content. Try it online: Weebly Penzu is a personal blogging tool that lets you create your own private diary Whereas the other free blogging sites are designed to get as many eyeballs on your posts as possible, Penzu is the equivalent of a locked diary stashed in a safe. Penzu is a journal platform that makes your posts private by default and locks them down with at least one password (even after you’re logged in, you need a second one to read or edit your posts). That’s because it’s designed for private thoughts and personal reflection. There are free apps for iOS and Android that enable you to update your Penzu diary anywhere, but the contents are for your eyes only. Penzu isn’t a tool for self-promotion, so although it’s far from ugly, it understandably focuses on function rather than looks. Custom colors and backgrounds come at a price – currently $20 (about £14, AU$25) per year. It’s a shame that 128-bit AES encryption is also limited to the paid-for version, and there’s a fair amount of pressure to upgrade. Extra options are often dangled under your nose then yanked away, but the core offering is a good one, and if you simply want a place to record your thoughts and practise writing, Penzu could be just what you need. Try it online: Penzu
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| Best cloud storage of 2020 online: free, paid and business options Posted: 04 Feb 2020 10:06 AM PST Businesses and consumers are increasingly reliant on cloud based storage solutions instead of in-house, on-premise local storage hardware. Your files are stored in the cloud, which is a simplified view of what is essentially someone else's infrastructure (data center, server, hard drive, connectivity etc). Ever since Amazon popularised storage online with S3 (Simple Storage Service), 13 years ago, Google data shows that interest for "Cloud Storage" alone has increased by 40x over the past decade. So much so that people less frequently refer to it as "online storage". Given the multitude of cloud storage providers out there, one has to wisely choose a provider who will offer the maximum amount of low-cost storage and bandwidth, while still keeping your data safe. This list represents our top picks for cloud storage: most offer a free tier allowing you to see if they're right for you before handing over any hard-earned cash. And it's iDrive that leads the way thanks to how fast, thorough and easy to use it is. And it's an added bonus that its Cyber Monday sale pricing is still going strong (for a limited time only): Business users will need to consider carefully what their needs are as terms and conditions as well as quality of service is likely to differ significantly from their consumer alter ego. Go straight to your desired option through the jump links below: Best cloud storage of 2020 at a glance:
IDrive secures servers, desktop system and mobile devices with equal aplomb (Image credit: IDrive) IDrive offers continuous syncing of your files, even those on network drives. The web interface supports sharing files by email, Facebook and Twitter. Cautious or click-happy users will be pleased to hear that files deleted from your computer are not automatically deleted from the server, so there's less danger of removing something important by accident. Up to 30 previous versions of all files backed to your account are retained. Another thing to note is that IT admins have access to IDrive Thin Client application, which allows them to backup/restore, manage settings, and more for all their connected computers via a centralized dashboard. For photos, you have a neat facial recognition feature that helps you to automatically organize them as well as syncing them across all your linked devices. IDrive also offers IDrive Express which sends you a physical hard disk drive if you lose all your data, allowing for the swift restoration of all your backed up files. That applies to the newly introduced disk image backup feature. A business version exists and offers priority support, single sign-on as well as unlimited users and server backup. Furthermore, IDrive Cloud, an enterprise-class cloud object storage is also available. pCloud delivers an affordable Cloud storage facility with a selection of apps (Image credit: pCloud) While some bandwidth limits apply, there seems to be no limit to the size of files you can upload, so feel free to sync large media files with pCloud. The service is available for all desktop and mobile platforms – users can also log in via the website. The company itself is registered in Switzerland which has strong privacy laws and you can also pay a premium of $4.99 a month for pCloud Crypto to lock (and unlock) individual files with passwords. Note that it is one of the very few cloud services that offer lifetime subscriptions. The latter come with 30 days trash history and unlimited remote upload traffic (you only need the URL of the file); you are - as expected - limited on the download link traffic: 500GB for the Premium package and 2TB for the Premium Plus package.
Image credit: Zoolz There are lots of things to like about Zoolz Cloud Backup for both personal use and business deployment. It offers an easy to follow interface with excellent web management options, and the ability to combine cloud operations with local external storage. This UK-based company leverages Amazon’s Glacier infrastructure to deliver a compelling price/performance ratio, with prices far cheaper than the competition. With 20PB of data stored for three million users for more than a decade, Zoolz is also not as ephemeral as some of its rivals. Image credit: Degoo Swedish outfit Degoo is not a household name, and therefore it comes as a surprise that it has managed to carve itself a niche inside the ultra-competitive cloud storage market. With only two offerings, this outfit has managed to attract more than 15 million users globally since its inception earlier in 2019 – an estimated 20,000 people join Degoo every day. It is one of the few cloud storage companies worldwide that encrypts stored files and disperses them across four different continents. It also supports two-factor authentication via the Google sign-in. Image credit: Mega With an insanely generous free tier and a simple drag-and-drop interface, New Zealand-based Mega is one of the cloud storage heavyweights. There's a handy mobile app to allow you to upload files and photos, as well as sync clients with desktop machines. The company also has business tailored plans. Mega claims that all data stored in its cloud is encrypted on your device before it reaches the firm’s servers. As the company has released the source code to its sync client, experts can check that there are no vulnerabilities. Price: 50GB free. 400GB for $6 a month (£4.50, €4.99, around AU$7.50). 2TB for $12 a month (£9, €9.99, around AU$16). 8TB for $23 a month (£17, €19.99, around AU$30). 16TB for $35 a month (£26, €29.99, around AU$46). Image credit: Microsoft OneDrive is integrated into Windows 10's File Explorer. You don't have to download an additional app – it's there to use out of the box, which is obviously very convenient for those who have made the jump to Microsoft’s newest operating system. Microsoft's Photos app can also use OneDrive to sync pictures across all your devices. As of late March, Autodesk AutoCAD has been integrated with OneDrive which is good news for anyone using the software's drafting tools. In addition, you have a feature called Personal Vault, which gives you an added layer of protection. There's an app for Android and iOS devices, and there's even one in the App Store for Mac users (although it has received mixed reviews). Price: 5GB free. 100GB for $1.99 a month (£1.50, around AU$2.9). 1TB for $7 a month (£5.99, around AU$11). Unlimited (as part of Onedrive for Business) for $10 a month (£7.99, around AU$14) Image credit: Apple If you want to back up your iPhone to iCloud, you'll need more than the free 5GB allowance Apple gives you, but compared to rivals iCloud prices are very reasonable. The Mac Finder app integrates iCloud Drive, where you can store any files you wish. Documents created in the iWork office suite are also saved to iCloud and can sync across your devices. Windows users can also sync their files with iCloud Drive using the official client, and access the iWork apps on the iCloud website. Price: 5GB free. 50GB for $0.99 a month (£0.79, AU$1.49). 200GB for $2.99 (£2.24, AU$4). 2TB for $9.99 (£8, AU$13) Image credit: Google Google Drive is a natural choice for owners of Android devices as it's already integrated, but users of other platforms may appreciate the generous free storage too. You can also store high definition photos on your mobile phone with companion app Google Photos, and make use of Google's own office suite (now known as G Suite). Also, upgrading to paid Google Drive plans is now called Google One (although it might not yet be available, depending on the region). Downsides include the fact that the web interface isn't very easy-to-use, although Windows and Mac users can download a desktop app to drag-and-drop files easily. Price: 15GB free. 100GB for $1.99 a month (£1.59, around AU$2.50). 200GB for $2.99 a month (£2.35, around AU$4.10). 2TB for $9.99 a month (£8, around AU$13). 10TB for $99.99 a month (£74, around AU$130). 20TB for $199.99 a month (£148, around AU$260). 30TB for $299.99 a month (£236, around AU$426). Image credit: Box Box's website currently seems to be pushing its Business plans as clicking ‘sign up’ takes you to the pricing page where for $15 per user (£11, around AU$19) you can benefit from advanced collaboration options and unlimited storage. But there is a 10GB free option, too. As Box has been around for a while, it is supported by a number of mainstream apps such as Google Docs and Office 365. It's also integrated with G-Suite, which means Docs, Sheets and Slides are automatically saved and managed in Box. Additionally, like OneDrive, it's also been integrated with AutoCAD. The Box Sync client is available from the Downloads page for Mac and Windows, plus there's also an official Android client. Price: 10GB free. 100GB for around $10 a month (£7.50, around AU$13) Image credit: NextCloud NextCloud isn’t an online cloud storage provider itself, but offers free software to download and install a cloud storage service on your own server. Using a server on your home network for cloud storage is much faster. You can also enable encryption and make sure the information never leaves your home network, which is far safer. If you've no server or IT experience, you can even purchase a preconfigured NextCloud Box (if you can find one) which comes with a 1TB hard drive and will work with an inexpensive Raspberry Pi board to keep your data synced. Unfortunately, NextCloud Box is sold out but you can check out the alternatives on their website Price: Free to install and use. Self-hosting so storage costs vary. Image credit: SpiderOak SpiderOak is part of a new trend of zero knowledge cloud storage providers. The website claims that after installing the client your data is encrypted before syncing. Unfortunately since SpiderOak hasn’t made the client source code public, there's no way to confirm this. The SpiderOakOne client is available for Windows, Mac and Linux as well as Android and iOS (although, both Android and iOS are read-only apps, meaning you can only view files, and can't upload or sync anything). You can also log in via the web interface but privacy lovers may prefer not to as it exposes your password to SpiderOak employees. Price: 21-day free trial. 150GB for $6 a month (around £4.5, AU$8.25). 400GB for $11 a month (around £8.4, AU$15). 2TB for $14 a month (around £10.7, AU$19.25). 5TB for $29 a month (around £22.1, AU$39.9) Best free cloud storageImage credit: Google Free storage allowance: 15GB (expandable) If you're a Google user, you already benefit from Google Drive integration, such as the ability to save email attachments from Gmail. However, anyone can sign up for the free cloud storage, even if they don't have a Gmail address, by creating a new Google account. Google is also in a process of releasing Google One as a sort of substitution for Google Drive, although depending on your region it might not be available yet. With 15GB of space for new users, Google Drive is one of the more generous cloud offerings, and there are occasional ways to boost this capacity free of charge. The catch is that this Google storage space is also shared with a user’s other Google services including Gmail and Google Photos. Mobile apps are available to allow easy access for iOS and Android users, and Google’s Backup and Sync desktop app lets you synchronize files from your PC to the cloud. Google Drive also includes online office tools for word processing, spreadsheets and presentations which can makes sharing files with others effortless. Image credit: pCloud Free storage allowance: 10GB (expandable) You might not recognize the name, but if you're looking for a decent chunk of cloud storage free of charge, pCloud could be just the ticket. To kick things off, you're given a fairly generous 10GB to play with, and there's a bandwidth allowance of 50GB of downlink traffic per month. While we're primarily interested in the free version of pCloud, note that you can upgrade to 500GB of space for a monthly plan of $4.99 (£3.70), or 2TB for $9.99 (£7.50) a month – both of which are great deals for storage. You also have annual and lifetime plans, which are a cheaper option in the long run. The initial 10GB free offering can also be expanded up to 20GB via an additional 4GB for completion of offers, as well as referrals that add 1GB each. It’s also worth noting that pCloud offers well-designed desktop and mobile apps that supplement the website for seamless integration into a user’s workflow. With no limit on file sizes, and simple sharing options, pCloud is a great way to send large files to friends and colleagues – it's even possible to share with people who aren't using the service themselves. Add in decent streaming options and a neat online interface, and pCloud is well worth a look. Image credit: Microsoft Free storage allowance: 5GB Coming from Microsoft – a company with plenty of money to throw at the cloud – it's a little disappointing to find that OneDrive doesn’t include more space free of charge. Free users get a mere 5GB of storage, although it's relatively inexpensive to increase this to 50GB. If you have Office 365, you'll automatically get boosted to 1TB of space, but not everyone wants an Office subscription. Like Google Drive's appeal to Google users, OneDrive will be a good fit for anyone who is committed to using Microsoft's services. There's neat integration with Outlook.com, for instance. It's also integrated with non-Microsoft services like AutoCAD. OneDrive also ties in nicely with Windows 10, and there is a selection of reasonable mobile apps to facilitate access on the move. It's possible to share files with other people even if they aren't OneDrive users (complete with customizable permissions), and the ability to edit files online without downloading them is a welcome touch. Image credit: Dropbox Free storage allowance: 2GB (expandable) Dropbox is a stalwart of the free cloud storage world, with a web interface that remains streamlined and easy-to-use. Despite its popularity, Dropbox actually has one of the least generous free packages for new users (just 2GB), but there are various ways to boost this space without paying, including inviting friends to join (you get 500MB per referral up to 16GB), completing the Getting Started guide (250MB) and contributing to the Dropbox forum (which elicits 1GB per 'Mighty Answer' provided). DropBox really comes into its own when you start delving into the service’s extra features. There's a great collaborative working tool called Dropbox Paper that acts as a group workspace, and – if you install the desktop app – you can back up photos automatically. The File Requests feature also allows you to request another user to upload a file to your Dropbox account. Additionally, a feature called Dropbox Rewind lets you restore folders or your entire account to a specific point in time. There are desktop apps for Windows, Mac and Linux, and mobile apps including Android, iOS and even Kindle. This gives Dropbox broad appeal, as does the support for third-party apps and services. The web version of Dropbox lets you edit files without needing to download them, and really the only thing that counts against the cloud storage service is that most alternatives offer more space to free users. Image credit: MediaFire Free storage allowance: 10GB (expandable) MediaFire has been around for over a decade, and those years of experience really show. You're given 10GB of free space initially, but you can boost this by an extra 40GB through activities like referring friends and following MediaFire's social media accounts. Few people would disagree that 50GB of free cloud storage is impressive. Free accounts carry ads, but this is a small sacrifice to make. There's support for large files up to 20GB, and the sharing options are very impressive, even allowing sharing with non-users. The web-based interface is excellent too, and MediaFire offers mobile apps for convenient uploading and downloading on iOS and Android. These make it easy to access files you're storing in the cloud, and include convenient features such as automatic photo syncing. Best business cloud storageImage credit: SpiderOak SpiderOak is a collaboration tool, online backup and file hosting service founded in 2007. The platform allows users to access, synchronize and share data using a cloud-based server. The company places a strong emphasis on data security and privacy. They offer a cloud storage, online backup and sharing service which they claim uses a ‘zero knowledge’ privacy environment. This means the client is the only one who can view all stored data. Not even SpiderOak themselves have access to your data. SpiderOak’s main focus is on privacy and security. As a result, the tool itself has a very basic design. This makes the admin console and all central device management very straightforward to use. They also include a handy drag and drop feature for organising files. From the centralized device management dashboard, users can access settings for all applications such as backup selection and sharing. The dashboard also allows users to manage their accounts, set group permissions and gain insight into usage. Prospective business clients will need to contact SpiderOak’s Sales Team directly to obtain a quote. 500 users minimum is required. Online commentators have observed that SpiderOak lacks many of the collaboration tools available from other cloud storage providers. Image credit: Tresorit Tresorit is a cloud storage provider based in Hungary and Switzerland. It was founded in 2011. The provider emphasizes enhanced security and data encryption for businesses and personal users alike. If you are concerned with ensuring that your stored data is kept safe online then Tresorit is the service for you. This provider allows you to keep control of your files through ‘zero-knowledge encryption’ meaning that only you and the chosen few you decide to share with can ever see your data. Your Tresorit account can also be secured by two-factor authentication login and you can choose where to keep company data with Data Residency Options. Furthermore, you also have features like Document Scanner which securely scans and uploads documents directly to Tresorit. Tresorit’s ‘Small Business’ Packages starts at $25 (£19.60) per month (or $20 monthly for the annual plan) for teams with 2-9 users. This includes 1000GB encrypted storage, secure access on up to 10 devices and synching of existing folder structure. Tresorit’s ‘Business’ plan begins at $30 (£23.30) per month (or $24 monthly for the annual plan) for businesses with over 10 users. This comes with extras such as digital rights management, remote wipe and phone support. At the time of writing there is a 50% discount on "Business plan", so you can pay as low as $12 (£9.4) per month The ‘Enterprise’ tier weighs in at $34 (£26.65) per month (or $27 monthly for the annual plan) for businesses with more than 100 users. Extras included in this are personalized staff training, admin API and on-premises deployment. In order to sign up for this plan, users need to contact Tresorit directly. All tiers come with a 14-day free trial. The extra security offered by Tresorit makes it relatively expensive compared to other cloud backup solutions. However most users will probably appreciate the greater piece of mind and extra features offered by Tresorit. Image credit: Egnyte Egnyte was founded in 2007. The company provides software for enterprise file synchronization and sharing. Egnyte allows businesses to store their data locally and online. All types of data can be stored in the cloud, whilst data of a more sensitive nature can be stored on servers on-premise. This makes for better security. Business teams can work how and where they want with an easy to use collaboration system through Egnyte’s content services platform. Egnyte integrates with popular industry applications such as Office 365 or Gmail. This allows both remote and internal employees to access all files with ease. Egnyte’s ‘Office’ plan starts at $8 (£6.21) per employee per month. This covers 5-25 employees, 5TB of storage and 10GB max file size. The ‘Business’ packages starts at $20 (£15.7) per employee per month. This includes 25-100 employees, 10TB online storage and 10GB max file size. In order to take advantage of their ‘Enterprise tier’, which includes over 100 employees, 25GB max file size and unlimited storage, you will need to contact Egnyte directly. Egnyte offer a 15-day free trial for all packages. Users have observed that some files, such as photos, can take a long time to load. Image credit: Dropbox Dropbox is one of the oldest cloud storage providers. It was founded in 2007. To date it is one of the simplest storage providers to use. Dropbox can be installed on most computers or devices and syncs easily between apps. The app can store almost any kind of file while never having any issues with compatibility. You can drag and drop files into the desktop app with ease. You can also share files with other users easily through links. These can be shared with users who don’t have a Dropbox account. Also, teams can make use out of Dropbox spaces, which transforms folders into collaborative workspaces. Furthermore, with Dropbox Transfer you can send up to 100 GB of files in just a few clicks. As Dropbox has been around for a long time it integrates with most other apps such as MS Office and Slack. All files and folders can be shared with other users even if they are not part of your account. These users will be limited to their own plan's storage limits. Dropbox Business can be connected to your personal account so you can access all your files in once place. Personal account feature "automatic camera upload" is now also available to Business accounts, as of November 2018. The dashboard is simple and easy to use. From here, admins can see how many team members they have as well as any pending invites. You can restrict sharing, and allow/block commenting as you see fit. The dashboard allows you to access settings and to monitor usage. Dropbox offers a 30-day free trial which asks for your payment details. Your plan will automatically upgrade after the trial at which point your card is charged. The ‘Standard’ plan starts at $12.50 (£9.71) per user per month starting at 3 users and includes 3TB storage. The ‘Advanced’ package begins at $20 (£15.70) per user per month with unlimited storage. In order to subscribe to the ‘Enterprise’ tier, users will need to contact Dropbox directly. Some users have commented on the lack of online editing tools. Image credit: Box Box is a cloud content management and file sharing service for businesses. It was founded in 2005. Box offers strong management capabilities and security features. The interface is made for ease of use and is simple to navigate. The dashboard allows access to settings, files and folders. Admins can manage all users, monitors activity and control sharing. As Box has been around for a while, it is supported by a number of mainstream apps such as Google Docs and Office 365. The Box Sync client is available from the Downloads page for Mac and Windows. There's also an official Android client. Box offers a 14-day free trial for all packages. Their ‘Starter’ plan is priced at $5 (£3.88) per user per month. This includes 100GB secure storage, 2GB file upload with a maximum of 10 users. The ‘Business’ plan starts at $15 (£11.80) per user per month which includes unlimited storage, 5GB file upload and no maximum number of users. The ‘Business Plus’ package is $25 (£19.60) per user per month and comes with unlimited storage, 5GB file upload and unlimited external collaborators. In order to subscribe to Box’s ‘Enterprise’ plan, users will have to contact them directly for a quote. If you choose to share files external users are limited to read-only access.
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| The voicebot I’ve always wanted is in the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300 Posted: 04 Feb 2020 10:00 AM PST We’re getting there. Slowly but surely, the autonomous, intelligent car of tomorrow is arriving one feature at a time. The latest? Mercedes-Benz now offers the Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) intelligent assistant in the 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLC 300. This fantastic sport-utility is loaded with new technology like an augmented video overlay for the navigation system. However, I was most interested in testing out the new voicebot because it connects to some of the car features and doesn’t just tell you the weather. MBUX is actually something I’ve been wanting to test for quite some time, and a feature I’ve dreamed about in cars ever since I first tested out Apple Siri, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant. Those bots work fine for navigation, weather, and controlling your music, and when you connect your phone they work seamlessly in the car (you can use the steering wheel voice activation button, for example). Amazon Alexa now works in many Ford vehicles. The problem is that they don’t really know you're in a car. While Apple phones do know you are driving (an iPhone can interpret the speed and movement and will lock down your phone automatically), no phone assistant today can actually lock the doors on command, change any settings in the car, or do much of anything that’s directly related to driving. Just say the wordMBUX is different. For an entire week, I took great joy in being able to tell the bot to raise the climate-control by two degrees, change the ambient color, or set the seat warmer to level two. I only had to say "Hey Mercedes" to activate the bot and make my voice command. The bot can also answer random questions about celebrities or give you the forecast. It’s nice to be able to ask about the weather and then see the forecast in the center display. In a parking lot at Trader Joe’s one evening, while my wife was inside shopping, I activated the reading light by voice. Then I did it a few more times only because I thought that was really cool. It’s not so magical in terms of a safety feature or even that high-tech (after all, it’s a reading light), but the fact that there’s now a voicebot that can control settings in the car opens up a whole new world of automation and, eventually, autonomous vehicle control. Forget navigation and the radio. What I really want is to talk to my car all day. I want to eventually be able to ask the car to drive me home, or to go pick up my kids. “Hey Mercedes, go add some air to the left rear tire” is a dream of mine for autonomous vehicle control. (Whether there will be another bot waiting at the service station to do the fill-up is still an open question.) I’d like to be able to control all of the lights, all of the safety features, make commands about where to drive even when I’m not in the car, and hand over control for those long and boring stretches of the road when I’ve driving to see family in another state. I’d like the car to talk to me as well. “John, we’ll arrive at your destination in a few minutes, you might want to wake up.” That’s coming eventually. For now, I was impressed with all of the MBUX features and how easy it was to use for common functions. I’ve officially started talking to my car all day. 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. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Alphabet reveals Google Cloud revenues for the first time Posted: 04 Feb 2020 09:42 AM PST Alphabet has reported its fourth-quarter and full-year financial results revealing that the company's revenue grew from $39.3bn in 2018 to $46.1bn in 2019. At the same time, the company's net income also expanded from $8.9bn to $10.7bn over the same time period. However, when compared to expectations, these figures were mixed as Alphabet managed to beat analyst estimates on profit but missed on revenue. The company's reported Q4 and full-year 2019 results stand out from previous results because this is first time that it disclosed the revenues of both YouTube's advertising business and Google Cloud.
YouTube brought in $15.1bn in 2019 revenue, which is up from 11.2bn in 2018 while Google Cloud's revenue shows that the search giant is making headway in the cloud wars against Microsoft and Amazon. Google Cloud revenueAlphabet announced that Google Cloud brought in $2.6bn and this figure includes the company's enterprise productivity suite, G Suite as well as Google's cloud infrastructure revenue. Last year, the company's cloud revenue came to $1.71bn during Q4. Back in 2018, Google Cloud's former CEO Diane Greene was proud to report $1bn in quarterly revenue for the group. After Greene stepped down last year though, former Oracle executive Thomas Kurian took over and he brought several industry veterans from Oracle and SAP along with him in an effort to help sell Google Cloud to the enterprise. As for Alphabet's competitors in the cloud space, Amazon's cloud revenue came in at just under $10bn for the quarter while Microsoft reported a combined cloud revenue, which includes its SaaS products such as Office 365 and Dynamics along with its cloud computing division, of $12.5bn for the quarter. Google Cloud certainly still has some catching up to do but its recent financial results show that the company is making progress towards that goal.
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| EE is still the UK's top-ranked mobile phone network Posted: 04 Feb 2020 09:32 AM PST Early tests of the UK’s active 5G networks are promising, according to RootMetrics, with speeds of 450.9Mbps recorded on the streets of Birmingham. Testers also measured the performance of EE and Vodafone’s 5G services in London and Cardiff, with the former offering faster speeds and greater availability across the three cities. It was on EE’s network that the headline figure in Birmingham was recorded, with Vodafone faster in Cardiff thanks to a maximum speed of 349.5Mbps. The capital was behind both cities, with the maximum speed recorded on EE being 327.1Mbps and the speediest on Vodafone being 314.8Mbps.
UK 5G speedsO2 and Three’s 5G networks were not tested by RootMetrics due the fact they were not commercially available at the time, and the findings were not taken into account when calculating the overall performance of all four operators. O2 launched 5G late in 2019, while Three’s service is expected to launch in Q1 this year. It’s also worth pointing out that the maximum speeds in the US and South Korea are 1.1Gbps and 902.7Mbps respectively. Nonetheless, RootMetrics say the future is bright for the UK as operators continue to rollout and invest in 5G technology. “The speeds recorded in our 5G testing show game-changing differences, whilst lower latency will improve immersive user experiences such as virtual reality and gaming,” declared Kevin Hasley, Head of Product at RootMetrics. “Combine the faster speeds, lower latency and greater capacity of 5G, and we’re moving closer and closer to the core of what is required to provide a hyper-connected world.” The UK’s 4G networks are also getting faster. Two years ago the fastest median download speed recorded in a major city was 38.4Mbps on Vodafone. In the second half of 2019, testers were able to get 51.6Mbps on EE. The BT-owned operator cemented its position as the UK’s leading mobile network, finishing number one in all six categories tested. Vodafone was comfortably second, while O2 made significant strides in terms of speed and reliability thanks to the operator’s technical upgrades. O2 shared third place overall with Three, which was the only operator not to record a median download speed above 20Mbps in any of the 16 locations tested. EE was the only network to provide 30Mbps in all markets, scoring an aggregate of 36.5Mbps. Vodafone achieved 19.8Mbps, O2 12.5Mbps and Three 11.7Mbps.
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| The Last of Us 2 release date, trailers, news and rumors Posted: 04 Feb 2020 09:29 AM PST There are only a few months left to wait until we can all finally get our hands on The Last of Us 2 - and we're getting excited. The ending of The Last of Us was pretty conclusive. But as it turns out, that hasn't stopped developer Naughty Dog from cranking out a sequel in the form of The Last of Us 2 – or, The Last of Us: Part 2 if we're using its proper name. Given the first game was hailed by players and critics alike as a masterpiece with excellent, emotional storytelling and engaging, realistic characters, we have to admit that the decision to release a follow-up isn't particularly shocking. We'd probably have been more surprised if there wasn't one. And yet, when The Last of Us 2 was first announced, we'd be lying if we said our hearts didn't skip a beat. The Last of Us 2 was first announced by Naughty Dog at PlayStation Experience in 2016 alongside a teaser trailer, but it wasn't until September 2019 that we were finally told the game's initial release date of February 2020 during a State of Play livestream. However, Naughty Dog later announced that the release date has been delayed by a few months, and we now know we'll be joining Ellie and Joel again in May 2020. Now we're into 2020 there's not long to wait, so let's break down everything we know about the highly-anticipated The Last of Us 2 so far. [UPDATE: The Last of Us: Part 2 sounds like it'll be much more violent and sexually explicit than its predecessor. Read on to find out more.] Cut to the chase
The Last of Us 2 release dateThe Last of Us 2 was initially due to release on February 21, 2020. However, Naughty Dog later announced that the game's release date was being pushed back to May 29, 2020. The game's director, Neil Druckmann, apologized in a blog post and explained that the developer wanted to prioritize game quality over a punctual launch. "We realized we simply didn’t have enough time to bring the entire game up to a level of polish we would call Naughty Dog quality," Druckmann wrote. It seems The Last of Us 2 is still on track for this new release date and it's been confirmed the game will launch on PS4. However, it's possible we will see The Last of Us 2 as a cross-generation title, launching on PS5 also. Although, neither PlayStation nor Naughty Dog have confirmed if this is the case yet. The Last of Us 2 trailersThe most recent trailer for The Last of Us 2 is also its (initial) release date announcement trailer. Shown during the September 2019 State of Play stream, it revealed the game's initial release date and shows Ellie in action as well as a glimpse at Joel. Check it out below: Probably the most emotion-evoking Last of Us 2 trailer was shown during E3 2018. This trailer finally gave us a look at Ellie in an intimate scene before cutting away to some of the brutal but stealth-based combat we can expect to see in the game when it's launched. The gameplay sequence gives us a look at Ellie fighting for her life in the wild. Success in a fight appears to require the right balance between stealth and all out attack as damage seems to have a more realistic impact. Ellie can move quietly between areas, taking weapons from bodies and crafting, before bursting out and taking down her enemies. It's a different creature in many ways to the original The Last of Us but it looks like something to look forward to, with more advanced enemies to challenge us and more complex gameplay to thrill us. See the gameplay for yourself below: The Last of Us Part 2 had another trailer drop during PSX 2017. During a panel it was confirmed that the game will be set in the city of Seattle and the darker themes we know are coming were touched upon. You can watch the panel for yourself below: Another trailer for the game was shown at Sony's press conference during the 2017 Paris Games Week. This trailer is around 5 minutes long, focusing on conflicts between the human factions in the game. It shows that part 2 is going to have a dark story, perhaps even darker than the first, and the trailer is fairly harrowing to watch. Visually impressive though it is, do note that it's gory before you watch it for yourself below: The first look at The Last of Us 2 came with its announcement at PlayStation Experience in 2016. Despite the fact that the game was early in development, the trailer showed a full (non-gameplay) scene that features both Ellie and Joel. You can watch it below: The Last of Us 2 news and rumorsMuch more violent and sexually explicit The game's website now features an ESRB rating of 'M' for Mature (via DualShockers) which, in itself, isn't a surprise as it's the same rating awarded to its predecessor. However, the content warning describes 'blood and gore', 'intense violence', 'nudity', 'sexual content', 'strong language' and 'use of drugs'. And, while The Last of Us's rating warned of 'blood and gore', 'intense violence', 'sexual themes' and 'strong language', it seems that Naughty Dog is upping the nudity and sexual content in the game's sequel. While we're not surprised that The Last of Us 2 is going to be extremely violent (the trailers have suggested that), this will be the first Naughty Dog game to feature nudity. But what does that mean we can expect? Well, as GameSpot points out, the ESRB defines 'nudity' as "graphic or prolonged depictions of nudity", while 'sexual content' is defined as "non-explicit depictions of sexual behavior, possibly including partial nudity". That means we'll be seeing a lot more nudity and sexual scenes than we did with The Last of Us, which had a "sexual themes" descriptor that warns about "references to sex or sexuality." We're not sure exactly what form this will take, and the ESRB hasn't published the rating publicly, but it looks like things are about to get much sexier in The Last of Us. Pointing out Parallels It's a teasing comment that's left many fans asking for more information and some are theorising that there could be narrative and visual parallels between the games. Regardless, those who enjoyed the original game are likely going to be happy to see any nod of acknowledgement which will tie the titles together in a more meaningful way. New job listings Last year, Naughty Dog confirmed that The Last of Us 2 won't launch with an online mode due to a wish to completely focus on the game's substantial single-player story. However, it was added that something would be coming eventually and separately from the main game. We won't know for certain what game this online project is related to but it's exciting to see that something is in the works. There's been another job-listing recently that also hints at some exciting news: could The Last of Us 2 be coming to a PC near you?. There's been a lot of online speculation recently thanks to a LinkedIn job posting, which specifies some interesting skills for a graphics programmer to be part of the team working on The Last of Us 2 - including PC programming chops. Halley Gross Interview In the interview, Gross praised her colleagues at Naughty Dog as "wizards" and said that they're working together to "make the most complex, nuanced character in a videogame". This character is undoubtedly Ellie who Gross touches on later in the interview. Ellie, Gross explains, is a traumatized character on a "mission for justice" who is, overall, "driven by love" for other characters like Joel and Dina. According to Gross, the narrative is about seeing who Ellie "can become when she grows up in such a hostile environment." This, unfortunately, means putting Ellie in difficult situations which will test her values and her drive: "while we love Ellie, and we’re really excited to see her grow up, we’re certainly not going to coddle her". Neil Druckmann Interview Rather than throw in new enemies just because they can, Druckmann says that the studio has carefully considered new Infected additions like the Shamblers. These new enemies emit clouds of burning acid and will force players to consider how they approach combat in a different way, especially when they’re appearing alongside the fast Runners and powerful Clickers. Human enemies are also more dynamic. According to Druckmann, every human enemy in the game will have a unique name so that when they die their comrades might scream out their name in grief. Human enemies can become emotional and unpredictable, making combat more dynamic and realistic. Fans of visuals will also be happy to know that The Last of Us 2 will be making the most of the power of the PS4 like The Last of Us did with the PS3 before it. This means, according to Druckmann, that the game is “able to have much wider environments, sequences with a horde of infected, several squads of enemies looking for you in big spaces.” Similarly, this has made it possible to give Ellie and all of the other characters a new animation system called motion mapping making their movements more responsive and more realistic: “The fidelity we can get in the faces and the motion capture — we can better translate what the actors are doing on stage into the game, and get these nuances so we can rely more on the way someone blinks or the way they squint instead of lines of dialogue. It allows the writing to be much more nuanced than it’s been before.” Two Discs Allies “In the past in almost all of our games, the allies have done kind of fake damage, where you see them shoot enemies and it's a little bit theatrical—like their bullets are clearly doing way less damage than yours,” Newman said. For The Last of Us 2, however, ally bullet “do exactly as much damage as yours do" so players can count on the AI to help them. Multiplayer Story At the moment we know The Last of Us 2 will take place in the city of Seattle, five years after the end of the original game, with a 19 year old Ellie taking the starring playable role. Joel will still appear in the game but if the teaser trailer is anything to go by, he could be a much more passive presence. This time around, Ellie is extremely angry about...something. From what we saw from the teaser trailer she wants revenge, which to her appears to be a dish best served deadly. She does, after all, promise to “kill every last one of them.” It’s not clear who “them” is but it could signal that the Fireflies, the first game's well-meaning but morally grey antagonists, will make a return. Anger, hate and revenge are going to be key themes this time around so expect to be in for an emotionally heavy ride. In the trailer for the game shown at Paris Games Week in 2017, we got a look at how dark the game is likely to be. The trailer focuses on the opposing relationships between human characters in the game and features some seriously cringe-inducing violence. It doesn't tell us much about any new characters of how they'll relate to one another but it does confirm that we're going into a dark game world in The Last of Us part 2. In a recent panel at PSX both Druckmann and Gross said that though the game's story will indeed be dark and there'll be a focus on the theme of hate, "there is hope" and there will be "lighthearted moments." We can't pretend we're not relieved to hear this after the game's controversial Paris Games Week trailer which, Druckmann said, was intended to highlight the game's exploration of the pursuit of justice. Ellie is one of the most real and refreshing characters we’ve seen in gaming so it’s exciting that Naughty Dog are going to take her story further and put her in center stage. The creative director of the game, Neil Druckmann has said that the story will be about Ellie and Joel’s relationship and that though the story would be complementary to the story of the first game, it would be much larger. When asked at a PSX panel whether or not Joel or Ellie may die, Druckmann responded that "no one is safe" highlighting that the game's story really could go anywhere. Hopes are particularly high for this larger story as it’s been revealed that one of the writers of Westworld, Halley Gross, will be co-writing the game’s story. Having someone who’s written scripts for such an incredibly popular and successful show should be a boon for the game's story. Gameplay Ellie will have some moves similar to Joel but there are some things she'll be able to do that are completely different. For one thing she can jump - the new jump button should make the world of The Last of Us Part 2 more complex and more enjoyable to traverse. It also has the potential to make combat more interesting. Speaking of combat, Ellie doesn't really throw punches as her first form of attack, she has a stealthy knife. Melee combat generally appears to offer a little more than the original game, with evasions and an environment that can help as well as hinder your fighting. Not only has Ellie matured as a character, the enemies she faces have developed and they're more realistic than ever. The Infected in The Last of Us Part 2 are smarter and more reactive than their predecessors, making them a tougher foe to face. AI has improved, allowing enemies to communicate with one another and to look for Ellie when she's hiding. Expect some tense moments to arise from this.
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| Super Bowl 2020 live stream | Watch as the Chiefs win Super Bowl LIV Posted: 04 Feb 2020 09:25 AM PST UPDATE: It's all over and the Kansas City Chiefs have won Super Bowl 2020 after beating San Francisco 49ers by 31-20. Super Bowl 2020 - the climax of NFL's 100th season - has certainly lived up to the billing. It was even at halftime before the 49ers took a healthy lead, but now the Chiefs have blasted them and have a hand on the Vince Lombardi trophy. However, if you're looking to re-watch it or you didn't quite catch every pass or tackle - don't panic just yet, simply keep reading to find out how you can watch the Super Bowl LIV no matter where in the world you are (or with a VPN. Well, it's safe to say that the Super Bowl LIV certainly lived up to it's name - not only did the Chiefs beat the 49ers in spectacular form, but Shakira and Jennifer Lopez made history in the half-time show by being the first two Latina women to headline the event. Even though the Chiefs went in to the fourth quarter with 10 points behind, they managed to score three touchdowns over the course of just 5 minutes 1 second of game clock after quarterback Patrick Mahomes engineered a stirring fourth-quarter comeback. Ready to re-watch this incredible sporting event? Keep reading to find out how you can watch the Super Bowl LIV from anywhere in the world! If, like us, you'd like to watch a live stream online without any commercial breaks, then following these three simple steps will help: 1. Download and install a VPNIf you don't have easy access to stream Super Bowl live online in your country - or you're away from your home country when it's on - the best way to watch it for free is to download and install a VPN. We've tested all of the major VPN services (more than 100 in total) and we rate ExpressVPN as the absolute best. It's compatible with a whole host of devices (including Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox and PlayStation, etc) and ranks amongst the fastest options out there. What's more, there's a great deal running offering a 49% discount, a 30-day money back guarantee and 3 months free with an annual plan - especially for TechRadar readers! So if you were already interested in VPNs now is a great time to sign up. - Check out ExpressVPN and get started with that 30-day money back guarantee 2. Connect to a UK server locationSimply open the VPN app, hit 'choose location' and select a UK location - it doesn't matter which one and it's super easy to do. The reason to choose the UK? Because it's being broadcast live for free, so as soon as you have a UK IP address you're free to live stream the Super Bowl hassle free. 3. Go to TVPlayer.comTVPlayer is a free legal online streaming service, which offers hundreds of channels. Among the channels you'll find on offer at TVPlayer.com on offer is BBC One which will show the entire event live. And the best bit? The BBC doesn't have commercials so you'll be able to enjoy a totally uninterrupted Super Bowl live stream without a single commercial break.
How to watch a Super Bowl 2020 live stream for free in the US:How to watch Super Bowl online in the UK for FREE:How to watch Super Bowl 2020 in Canada (and for FREE)How to live stream Super Bowl for FREE in AustraliaSuper Bowl live stream: worldwide coverage where you areSuper Bowl 53 was available live in seven languages and 170 countries and territories around the world. We can tell you that the some of the streaming platforms and channels that were showing it last year are showing it this year. And although we can't confirm that all of the below listed will be streaming it, here are a few listed for the most popular territories for watching NFL: Mexico - ESPN, Fox, TV Azteca; Brazil - ESPN; South Korea - MBC Sports; Germany - ProSieben, DAZN; France - TF1, BeIN Sport; Argentina - ESPN, Fox; China - Fox Sports, BesTV. If you want to know more about how to watch your favorite TV and live stream sport then click the link to see our dedicated guide This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Valentine's Day deals at Amazon: the all-new Echo Buds get a $40 price cut Posted: 04 Feb 2020 09:24 AM PST Starting today Amazon is launching Valentine's Day deals on its best-selling devices. You can find discounts on an array of fantastic gift ideas which include the all-new Echo Buds. Shop more of Amazon's device deals below and keep in mind, these fantastic deals are limited-time offers, so you should take advantage now before it's too late. Amazon deals:f you're interested in other Amazon E-reader offers, check out our roundup of the best Kindle sale prices and deals and you can see more of the best cheap Amazon Echo prices and deals that are currently available. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| PS5 release date, specs, news and rumors for Sony’s PlayStation 5 Posted: 04 Feb 2020 09:23 AM PST PS5 is the next-generation PlayStation, releasing in late 2020, after a long and incredible decade that saw Sony emerge as the clear winner in the home console wars in the eyes of many (sorry Xbox). So what do we know about the PS5 so far? The hysteria started in early 2019, when Mark Cerny, the chief architect on Sony's next console, confirmed that the company was working on the successor to the PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro. We wouldn't get the official name or release date until much later, but Cerny did shed some light on the next-gen console's capabilities, revealing that it would retain a disc drive, and would have something to do with Sony's game streaming ambitions; other than that there was little else to go on. Since then, Sony has been feeding us juicy tidbits such as an official PS5 release window, logo, name and a few key details about features. According to Sony, the PS5 still has big surprises to come – but it won't be revealing them at E3 2020, as the company has confirmed it won't be attending this year, again. That's not to say we won't see the PS5 anytime soon - the official PS5 website is now live, further fueling rumors that Sony is planning a PS5 reveal event in the near future, although this hasn't been confirmed. In addition, we've had some surprising leaks, in the form of a Sony-registered patent that seems to show off the PS5's general shape, button inputs, and cooling vents – this was confirmed to be the PS5 dev kit in a leaked photo, and we expect the end product design will be different for the PlayStation 5's official launch later in the year. Sony can only keep the finer details of the next-generation PlayStation a secret for so much longer – especially with Microsoft having officially unveiled the Xbox Series X. But between the rumored specs, likely next-gen titles, and official features we are aware of, there's plenty to keep us busy for now. Here's everything we know about the PS5 so far – and what we hope will be revealed the closer we get to launch. [UPDATE: The PS5 price is still undecided, Sony says. Read on to find out more.]
God of War (Image Credit: SIE) Sony has officially confirmed that the PS5 will release "in time for Holiday 2020" in the US, so likely some time between October and December 2020. A leak has suggested that the release date will be November 20, 2020 but that's yet to be confirmed – but it's in the right window, and it would leave time before Christmas to get those orders in. This would put the PlayStation 5 in direct competition with Microsoft's Xbox Series X (formerly Xbox Project Scarlett), which is releasing during the same period. Game on. Death Stranding Sony hasn't officially confirmed a PS5 price yet and, according to the company, that's because it hasn't actually decided how much the next-gen console will cost. In a quarterly earnings call (via Spiel Times), Sony's chief financial officer Hiroki Totoki revealed the company still hasn't nailed down the PS5 price. "What is not very clear or visible is because we are competing in the space, so it’s very difficult to discuss anything about the price at this point of time, and depending upon the price level, we may have to determine the promotion that we are going to deploy and how much costs we are prepared to pay," Totoki explained. “First, we must absolutely control the labour cost, the personnel cost, it must be controlled, and the initial ramp up, how much can we prepare initially, we will work on the production and the sales and we will have to prepare the right volume as we launch this," Totoki continued. “It’s a balancing act it’s very difficult to say anything concrete at this point of time," Totoki said. But we do know that Sony is aiming for "the best balance so that we will be profitable in the life, during the life of this product." While Sony may not have a price nailed down, there have been rumors about how much the PS5 could cost. One such rumor has suggested that the console will cost $499 in North America when it launches. Naturally this should be taken with a pinch of salt, but it would be welcome news if the console did launch at this price, as it's only $100 more than the launch price of the PS4 and PS4 Pro. There's also been a less believable rumor claiming the PS5 will cost up to £900 in the UK, which would be around $1,200, but Sony quickly debunked that. We can expect that the console's price will be in line with the technology it uses, but Sony will also have to be aware of its competition. It's unlikely, with the Xbox Series X, that Microsoft will repeat the mistake it made by launching the Xbox One at a prohibitively high price point, so Sony will have to ensure that it doesn't make a similar mistake by making the PS5 too expensive. There were also concerns that a US trade tariff on Chinese imports of electronics would hike up the price of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, however the tariff has now been halted, meaning we shouldn't have to deal with next-gen consoles being even more expensive. Ghost of Tsushima (Image Credit: SuckerPunch)
So what is the PS5 packing under the hood? We don't know a huge amount about the PlayStation 5's specs, but here's what we do know. That AMD one-two punch of CPU and GPU unlocks the powers of ray tracing, an advanced lighting technique that can bring next-level immersion to gaming visuals. It's Hollywood tech that's used in big-budget CGI spectacles, putting into context the levels of visual fidelity you can expect from the PS5. Ray tracing is enabled by GPU hardware rather than software level, Mark Cerny told Wired. “There is ray tracing acceleration in the GPU hardware,” he explained. Sony has confirmed that the PS5 will support 8K gaming, and we think AMD SmartShift could be the secret sauce that makes this possible. With 8K TV support comes far more detailed textures, and much larger-scale ones at that. The news of a bespoke SSD drive will be heartening then – just because the games will be getting more complex, that doesn't mean they'll be slower to load. It's estimated that the new SSD is 19 times faster than traditional SSD storage methods (but given the speed difference between the SSD and the optical drive, installation of games will be mandatory). Not only that, but by harnessing the power of the SSD, developers could potentially reduce the install sizes of games because, as Cerny told Wired, “there is no need to duplicate data to compensate for slow seek times that optical drives and HDDs have”. The PS5 will benefit from simplified data management due to its SSD, and this will allow players to have more control over installing and removing games, for example by allowing players to install (or remove) only certain parts of a game – so instead of installing the full game, you could choose to just install the single-player mode and then do multiplayer later, or vice versa. Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (Image Credit: Naughty Dog) Physical games for the PS5 will use 100GB optical disks, inserted into an optical drive that doubles as a 4K Blu-ray player, and the next-generation hardware will boast a completely revamped UI. Speaking about the new UI to Wired, Cerny said: "Even though it will be fairly fast to boot games, we don't want the player to have to boot the game, see what's up, boot the game, see what's up. "Multiplayer game servers will provide the console with the set of joinable activities in real time. Single-player games will provide information like what missions you could do and what rewards you might receive for completing them – and all of those choices will be visible in the UI. As a player you just jump right into whatever you like." Audio will reach a new "gold standard" on PS5 too, according to Cerny, thanks to a new audio engine that will deliver immersive sound – particularly if you're using headphones. While the details remain unclear, expect something resembling the experience of a Dolby Atmos setup. Sony's PS5 next-generation console will also offer improved cloud gaming performance, and "dramatically improved graphics rendering" power. That's the word straight from the company itself, as it showed off a sneak peak during a corporate strategy presentation. Marvel's Spider-Man (Insomniac Games) In a statement sent out following the presentation, Sony said the "two keywords for the future direction of PlayStation are 'immersive' and 'seamless'", with the 'immersive' experience "created by dramatically increased graphics rendering speeds, achieved through the employment of further improved computational power and a customized ultra-fast, broadband SSD". The company also reinforced the importance of its cloud-gaming plans with Playstation Now, and somewhat surprisingly doubled down on its underused Remote Play feature, saying the "evolution" of this would in the future "provide a seamless game experience anytime, anywhere". Remote Play is already available as part of the PS4 package, enabling you to stream a game direct from the console to a computer, smartphone, tablet or PS Vita handheld console. But Sony says that going forward it will be "leveraging the latest computing, streaming, cloud, and 5G technologies" to allow it, and the performance of PlayStation Now, to improve. If that's not enough, Sony has confirmed the PS5's "incredibly powerful" backwards compatibility will let you play online with PS4 players. There have also been rumors that the PS5 could be backwards compatible with the PS3, PS2, and original PlayStation, meaning its games library could stretch right back to the glory days of the mid 90s. We've seen several leaked images of the PS5 dev kit, with each showing the same console design, along with the above render based on one of those images, courtesy of Let's Go Digital). What does the render above show us? There are a number of buttons: on/standby, reset, eject (for the double-layer 100GB-reading Blu-ray drive), system initialization and network initialization, all on the front-left. There are also a number of status lights, numbered '0' to '7', which likely relate to CPU cores engaged, but which could also be status lights for controllers connected. To the right are six USB ports (one USB 2.0 and five likely USB 3.0 ports – the final port being obscured by a cable). A small circle above could well be a camera built into the console, according to earlier patent filings. Interestingly, rubber feet appear to be on the top side of the console, suggesting that devs are being encouraged to either flip the console for stress testing and convenience, or to stack them when working on demanding games. However, these images should only really be used to speculate on what the final design of the consumer console will be, rather than considering it wholly indicative on the machine to come. If we look at older PlayStation dev kits, the final product rarely resembles the dev kit. Dev kits are specially designed to be robust, and to support a console working under extreme load so as to allow the developers to push their creations to the maximum without frying the hardware they're working on. They're also designed to help developers find any flaws in the final PS5 consumer hardware design. With Sony still several months away from the launch of the PlayStation 5, there's plenty of time for its team to create something a little less alien-looking. While we may not know exactly what the PS5 will look like, Sony did reveal the PS5's official logo at CES 2020. It's essentially just the PlayStation 4 logo with a '5' replacing the '4'. But Sony PlayStation president, Jim Ryan, did tease during Sony's CES keynote that “there’s plenty to share about the PS5 in the months ahead. And we look forward to sharing more details, including the content that will showcase the platform and the future of gaming”.
The PS5 will come with a new controller, according to Sony. The PS5 controller (we don't know the official name yet) will include haptic feedback to replace the DualShock 4's rumble technology, designed to improve the controller's feedback and therefore player immersion. The PS5 controller will also feature adaptive triggers, which Sony says have "been incorporated into the trigger buttons (L2/R2)". These adaptive triggers will allow developers to program the resistance of the triggers to simulate actions more accurately. In an interview with Business Insider Japan (translated by Gematsu), SIE CEO Jim Ryan said: “3D audio and the haptic feedback support of the controller are also things that, when you try them, you will be surprised at how big a change they are. Even just playing the racing game Gran Turismo Sport with a PlayStation 5 controller is a completely different experience. While it runs well with the previous controller, there is no going back after you experience the detailed road surface via haptic control and play using the adaptive triggers." If that's not enough for you, a patent suggests new back buttons are coming to the PS5 DualShock controller – perhaps along similar lines to the Back Button Attachment that Sony just launched for existing DualShock 4 gamepads. But what will it look like? According to a Sony patent for a new controller, published by the Japanese patent office (via VGC), the PS5 controller could look very similar to the DualShock 4 – with some key differences. For a start, the potential PS5 controller seems to have a slightly chunkier design, built-in microphone, larger triggers, no light bar and smaller sticks. It also seems the DualShock 4's micro USB port has been replaced by a smaller USB-C port, which is placed on the top rather than the bottom of the controller. The lack of a light bar does make us question how the PS5 would track the controller when it comes to PSVR and PS Camera games. Usually this is done via the PS Camera, so we're hoping the console will have a different means of tracking the controller, otherwise compatibility will suffer. Unless, of course, Sony is gearing up to move solely onto PSVR 2 – although this doesn't seem likely, as Sony has promised that the PS5 will be backwards compatible with PSVR. It also looks like the stereo headset jack and extension port at the bottom of the headset have been replaced by two larger circular ports. We think these will still be for plugging in headsets, but the two jacks could be headphone and microphone slots respectively, to expand compatibility with headsets. There's also a rectangular design that seems to wrap around the headset, which is potentially for compatibility with a charging dock – but again, this is all speculation on our part. Be wary of controller 'leaks' like these, though, as the rumor mill can work at a feverish pace when there's not much solid to go on. Sony has also patented a controller feature that would enable voice commands, meaning we could see more smart integration come to the PlayStation platform – which ties in with chatter around an AI voice assistant called PlayStation Assist. This would apparently offer "gaming assistance", such as pointing out health packs on a map or reminding you what your objective is, similar to what Google has said its Stadia controller will do.
The entire PS4 library, including PSVR games, will be supported by the PS5; that much is known. But we're now hearing more about confirmed – and rumored – PS5 games. At this point, any first-party PS4 game in the pipeline – from Ghost of Tsushima to The Last of Us 2, would be prime candidates for PS5 cross-gen upgrades. We've also heard enough chatter around a Horizon Zero Dawn sequel and new God of War game to assume we'll be seeing both land on the PS5 console. But what about third-party titles? We've had confirmation that Gearbox's new IP Godfall is coming exclusively to PS5, as is a new title from Bluepoint Studios. In addition, Ubisoft has confirmed that Watch Dogs: Legion, Rainbow Six Quarantine, and Gods and Monsters are all coming to Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. In addition, not only has EA has said that Battlefield 6 will be coming to Xbox Series X, but the company has sung the praises of the incoming next-generation machines during an investor call. "The power of the new consoles is gonna be substantially greater than existing consoles," said EA CFO Blake Jorgensen. "We can do a lot more [with PS5 and Xbox Series X]. Things we’re doing will blow people’s minds." While this is a good start, we're expecting plenty more third-party games to be announced in the coming months. According to a survey by GDC, when it comes to developer interest it seems the PS5 is already beating Xbox Series X – and the Nintendo Switch. That's according to GDC's State of the Game Industry 2020 survey, which surveyed 4,000 game developers on a variety of industry topics ahead of GDC 2020 in March. And, of course, the next-gen consoles were top of the agenda. When asked which platform they planned to launch their next project on, 23% of those surveyed said the PlayStation 5, while 17% said the Xbox Series X and 19% said the Nintendo Switch . When it comes to the platform devs are most intrigued by, the PS5 once again leads the pack when it comes to consoles, with 38%, but the Switch only just behind on 37%. Again, the Xbox Series X is seriously lagging behind, piquing the interest of just 25% of devs. The survey also revealed that 10% of developers are currently working on a game for the next-gen consoles. However, while we know of a few third-party games in the pipeline for the PS5, there's still no confirmation on what the PS5's launch titles will be, but we're expecting first-party games to take the lead. In addition, Sony has confirmed that the PS5 will prioritize AAA games over indie games in an effort to focus on "serious gamers".
With Microsoft having officially revealed the Xbox Series X, we're waiting with bated breath for Sony to unveil the PlayStation 5. While the company isn't giving much away about when that'll be, there are several rumors which suggest a PS5 reveal event will take place in February. Rumors of a February reveal were ignited last year, when a 'leaked marketing email' from Sony found its way to 4Chan. The email claimed that a "PlayStation Meeting 2020" is scheduled for February 12, and will see the PlayStation 5 revealed in all its glory. While Sony never confirmed these rumors, there have been other leaks which also suggest February for a PS5 reveal, even if the exact dates aren't the same. One of these other leaks came via 4Chan, which supposedly spilled a bunch of information on the PS5 reveal event. The leak, which was reposted on Reddit, claims the PS5 will be unveiled on February 5, 2020 at a PlayStation Meeting event for the media – much like the initial email leak suggested. According to the leaker, the event will see Sony revealing the console's design and specs, several PS5 exclusives, and a renewed focus on PlayStation Now, alongside the console's price and various other features. However, that's only a few days away and Sony has not confirmed any of this - so we don't think February 5 is a likely date. PlayStation fans on Reddit believe that Sony's next-gen console will be revealed on February 29, at New York City's Sony Hall. As there's a private event booked for that date and because they believe Sony will host the reveal event in a Sony-branded venue. But we're not quite convinced by this theory. All signs are pointing to a February reveal. Even former Sony designer David Scott Jaffe seems to think a reveal is imminent, tweeting that he believes the reveal is "less than [four] weeks away" and calling the event "the worst kept secret in games right now". However, whether the reveal will actually be in February is looking less and less likely. We're now in February and have heard nothing of an event from Sony. But perhaps that's because the reveal event is actually in March? One PS5 leak claims that Sony's next-gen console will be revealed at a PlayStation Meeting in March, with pre-orders opening as early as March. That's according to Twitter user @PSErebus, who previously correctly leaked the Last of Us Part 2's initial release date; however, as always, we're treating the claim with a suitable dose of skepticism. Regardless of exactly when the reveal is, it looks like a PS5 launch event is imminent, especially given that Sony has now launched the official PS5 website which allows fans to sign up for updates on the next-gen console. A rumor has cropped up suggesting that Sony will double down by launching the PlayStation 5 Pro at the same time as its base-model PS5. As spotted by Wccftech, noted Japanese games journalist Zenji Nishikawa made the claim in a video on his YouTube channel, and while that kind of thing wouldn't normally be considered a rock-solid lead, Nishikawa has been proven correct in the past with his predictions about the PS4 Pro and Switch Lite. According to Nishikawa, the PS5 Pro will cost around $100-$150 more than the basic PS5 console. The report states that Sony is taking this approach because it has "acknowledged the interest in a high-end model and wants to give players what they want right from the beginning of the generation".
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| Now is the last chance to save over 30% with these Sky TV and broadband deals Posted: 04 Feb 2020 09:16 AM PST If there's one thing we can always count on Sky for, it's to have some pretty sweet offers and deals, especially on its Sky TV packages. And now with its latest flash sale, you're looking at saving over 30% on Sky TV and broadband deals! What better way to cure the January blues then by curling up on the sofa and binge watching the Crown or gearing up to watch UFC 247: Jones vs. Reyes? With these deals you're looking at paying £37 a month for Superfast broadband + Sky Entertainment or £54 a month for Superfast broadband plus Entertainment and Sports! Click here to go to Sky's website and bag any of these amazing deals There's currently three deals on offer and we've outlined our favorite two below, as both come with superfast broadband! Or if you haven't seen anything you like make sure to check out our best broadband and TV deals guide. And keep scrolling to read more about these deals - although if you're sold we recommend you bag these bargains quickly as both expire on Thursday, January 6. The Sky TV deals in fullIf you're also in the market for a new TV to enjoy all this content on , we can help you save a lot of money and get the best price via our roundup of the latest cheap TV deals. Want to make sure you don't miss a game this season? Then check out our guide, Premier League 19/20 live stream for advice on how to watch every game online and from anywhere. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| The best Mother's Day flower delivery services available now Posted: 04 Feb 2020 09:13 AM PST If you're already thinking about ordering Mother's Day flowers, you're in for a real treat. There are plenty of amazing florists ready and waiting to take your mind off Mother's Day flower delivery with fantastic services offering beautiful bouquets at competitive prices. Plus, because you got here so early, you can still enjoy slightly reduced delivery rates while retailers have day to day charges listed. You can now get your Mother's Day flowers sorted well ahead of time and avoid the risk of all the best looking bouquets selling out before the big day. With all the Mother's Day flower delivery services available in the UK, you can get your gifts sorted well ahead of time and relax knowing everything's sorted for the big day. There's a fantastic and broad range of beautiful bouquets and gifts available from our selection of florists below. And online Mother's Day flower delivery from a specialist company means you don't have to worry about the usual hassle of buying from a regular florist and getting them home safely through the commuter crowd. So yes, shop smarter this year for Mother's Day flowers and leave it to the professionals in our list below. Many of the florists below are already taking orders for Mother's Day flower delivery, meaning you can sort everything well ahead of time without that shock on the 22nd of March (that's the 22nd of March, mark it on the calendar now). Plus, getting in early often means you can save on delivery charges - trust us, things can get costly if you're after last-minute flower delivery. You'll still pay a little extra to have the flowers arrive on the day itself at most of these, but we'll let you know if we spot any free ones. You can order Mother's Day flowers to be delivered to your mum's home or workplace and if you're not sure if they'll be home to receive the delivery, be sure to check out the letterbox-friendly options we've mentioned. That's where the flowers can be delivered boxed in the regular post before they open up and bloom. If you're thinking of something else that could be a great gift for Mother's Day, how about creating a unique gift via our roundup of the best photo books for a more personalised gift? If you have siblings and you want to win Mother's Day, doubling down with some memories is the way to go. Order Mother's Day flowers for deliveryWhat are letterbox flowers? Easy Mother's Day flower deliveryIf you don't want to rely on your mum being home to receive her Mother's Day flowers, letterbox flowers are here to keep everything running smoothly. These are flower bouquets, delivered in bud, within a letterbox-sized parcel to be slipped through the door while the recipient may not be home. The result is a stress-free Mother's Day flower delivery service perfect if you don't know when she's going to be home. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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