Friday, February 21, 2020

Apple : PS5 could help propel Sony to six million consoles sold by next March

Apple : PS5 could help propel Sony to six million consoles sold by next March


PS5 could help propel Sony to six million consoles sold by next March

Posted: 21 Feb 2020 01:13 PM PST

We're still waiting on an official announcement of the PS5, but that doesn't mean there aren't already massive expectations for the future console. Many of those predictions are centered around the design, the performance, and the price, but some are on sales figures. One analyst from Japanese research firm Ace Research Institute suggests Sony could sell six million units by March 2021, reports Tom's Guide.

That six million unit figure isn't just for the PS5, though. It also takes into account sales of Sony's PS4. Given that the PS5 isn't available yet, it makes sense to continue including the current model in the year-long sales estimate. Though, as PS4 sales are expected to continue winding down, the majority of those sales are expected from the PS5. The analyst's report also suggests Sony will sell 15 million more PS5 units in the subsequent year.

It's not so unfair to have huge PS5 sales expectations given the PS4 has been so popular that it became the second bestselling console of all time. By the numbers, the PS4 has sold over 108 million units since its launch in late 2013, and it managed 7.5 million sales in its first two fiscal quarters on the market. If the PS5 launches late into 2020, the predicted sales figures would line up well with what the PS4 managed. 

The expectation of 15 million PS5 sales in Sony's following fiscal year from March 2021 to March 2022 would also line up with the 14.8 million units the PS4 sold during its first full fiscal year on the market.

High expectations

Those are some high expectations for a product that is still shrowding in mystery and a certain level of uncertainty. The recent coronavirus outbreak is expected to have some impact on the tech market given that plenty of the manufacturing and supplying of chips and other components happens in China. The PS5 and Xbox Series X are both expected to need chunk of the flash storage and DRAM market, which could be squeezed by the virus outbreak.

Any shortages might also drive up the price of the PS5, and we've recently learned that many gamers will prioritize next-gen console price above all else. A sky-high price could flatten those sales expectations. If the consoles start inching high enough, it's possible they could even start to drive more gamers to gaming PCs that can outperform consoles.

We'll hopefully start to get a better idea of the way things will go for the PS5 when Sony officially announces the product and its price.

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WordPress is the world's most popular CMS

Posted: 21 Feb 2020 12:50 PM PST

New research has revealed that WordPress is the top content management system (CMS) among enterprise businesses using two or more CMSs and it is also the dominant CMS for headless technology applications.

WP Engine's new report, titled “The Rise of Multi CMS, WordPress and Headless in the Enterprise”, found that using a CMS is no longer optional for enterprise companies and that headless applications, which control the content that is separated from the display layer or the front-end user experience, are on the rise.

Vanson Bourne surveyed 300 enterprise-level IT and marketing decision makers in the US and UK to compile the new report that is a follow up to a similar survey conducted back in 2017. 

The report shows a marked increase in the use of WordPress among enterprise customers and the popular CMS showed the highest increase in usage when compared to other CMSs including Adobe Experience Manager, Sitecore, Joomla, Drupal and Umbraco.

Enterprise CMS use

One of the most interesting findings from WPEngine's survey was the clear return on investment advantage of WordPress. Of those surveyed, 31 percent viewed ROI as a major benefit of using WordPress and no other CMS scored higher than 27 percent with the average of all other CMSs at 20 percent. Of the IT and marketing decision makers who are already using WordPress, 38 percent saw ROI as a major benefit making the case that once an enterprise is using the CMS, its ROI is even more pronounced.

According to the survey, WordPress and Adobe Experience Manager are still battling it out for the top spot. While Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) is still the most commonly used CMS overall at 68 percent, WordPress is catching up fast at 66 percent. At the same time, WordPress use in the enterprise has risen by 16 percent since 2017 and this is driven by businesses using multiple CMSs. Almost half (49%) of enterprises are also planning to expand to additional CMSs in the future.

Founder and CTO at WP Engine, Jason Cohen provided further insight on the report's findings and how enterprises are now using multiple CMSs, saying:

“For today’s enterprise organizations, using a CMS is no longer an option, it’s a mandate. The research results clearly show that not only are most, if not all, enterprises using a CMS, they are most likely using more than one. WordPress is one of the top two leading platforms for both primary and secondary uses, with clear benefits in terms of ease of use, ROI, agility and a faster time to market. It’s also one of the leading CMSs for headless applications, which continue to grow in this all-important market.”

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Intel Comet Lake-S prices have leaked, and it looks like AMD will win in price again

Posted: 21 Feb 2020 11:29 AM PST

Historically speaking, the Intel vs AMD battle has typically played out like this: Intel was more expensive while offering top-end performance, while AMD processors were much more affordable. But, that's changed recently, with AMD providing better performance and prices, while Intel is just expensive – and it doesn't look like that's about to change. 

Renowned leaker @momomo_us spotted EU pricing for a pretty wide range of 10th-generation Intel Comet Lake processors from the low-end Celeron G5900 to the mid-range Intel Core i5-10600. And well, they're pretty expensive. 

This pricing leak places the Intel Core i5-10500 at €252 (about $270, £210, AU$412), which is far more expensive than even the Ryzen 5 3600X which is currently €225 (about $240, £190, AU$370) on German retailer CaseKing. Now it's very likely that Intel could pull out a single-core win over AMD's chips, but even with Hyperthreading, it probably won't win in multi-core workloads. 

That's not even considering the elephant in the room that is AMD Ryzen 4000. We still haven't seen Intel announce a release date for its Comet Lake processors, and it's very possible that they'll have to face up directly against AMD's Zen 3 processors. If that happens, AMD's refinement of its 7nm architecture could see IPC improvements that put Intel's chips to shame.

It's very possible, however, that these leaked prices are simply wrong – keep in mind that Intel did absolutely slash prices on its 10th-generation Core X processors when it knew they wouldn't compete with Threadripper 3rd Generation. Either way, we won’t know what the actual prices for Intel’s 10th-generation processors will look like, we just hope they’ll be affordable and Intel won’t price itself out of relevance. 

Via PCGamesN

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Forget foldable phones – an all-glass iPhone could be the future

Posted: 21 Feb 2020 11:03 AM PST

The Cupertino behemoth is looking into different ways to innovate the iPhone. Not that Apple isn’t exploring the trending foldable phone route, as evidenced by the “Foldable Cover and Display for an Electronic Device” patent it filed way back in 2017. But, clearly, it’s looking at other avenues as well.

AppleInsider reports that a new Apple patent shows an all-glass iPhone that will boast display and touch sensitivity on all its surfaces – front, back and all four sides. US Patent 20200057525, called “Electronic Device with Glass Enclosure” shows what this device could look like and how it will potentially work.

All-glass iPhone

With Apple recently struggling to innovate the phone that started it all, could this new design finally be what the iPhone needs to crush its rivals? This design might seem incredible, but we’re not quite sure if it’ll work in the real world, and at a price point that will prove competitive in the mainstream market.

 Six-sided touch-sensitive display 

All-glass iPhone

According to the patent, this device will move away from the conventional front touchscreen smartphone design. Instead, it will come “with enclosures that use glass to define multiple sides of the enclosure. In such cases, the enclosure may appear visually and tactically seamless, such that the entire enclosure may appear to be formed from a single piece of glass (even though it may be formed from multiple separate pieces attached together)."

This means that instead of the typical phone design we’re used to, this device will have an all-glass interface that seamlessly wraps around it, ditching apparent edges and resulting in a more rounded shape.

All-glass iPhone

This all-glass device will also boast multiple sides that “may facilitate or enable numerous additional functions and uses that are not realized with conventional enclosures."

"For example, glass backs and glass sides may be transparent, allowing the electronic device to include additional displays that are viewable through the sides and/or the back.

Moreover, the side- and back-viewable displays may be made touch and/or force sensitive using touch- and/or force-sensing systems, effectively turning the side and back surfaces into additional input devices or surfaces with which a user may interact to control the electronic device."

In other words, while Apple still intends to utilize the front of the device as the main display, as is traditional, it will also use the other five sides of the device as additional output and input surfaces.

Use cases of such a design could be anywhere from displaying graphical outputs like images and applications to spill over the sides or even wrap around the back, to having touch controls for such things like volume and mute as well as single touch toggles for WiFi and airplane mode.

Though how all that is extremely necessary and life-changing, we still can’t imagine. We’re still stuck on how you can possibly hold such a device with your hand without accidentally pressing on things, since all of it is basically touchscreen. But hey, if anybody can make this into reality, it would be Apple.

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How to watch Love Island online: stream the winter series from UK or abroad

Posted: 21 Feb 2020 11:00 AM PST

The race to the Love Island final is officially on, with the first ever winter edition reaching its climax this weekend. Who will be named the winners? Keep reading to find out how you can watch Love Island online from anywhere in the world.

Inevitably, there has been a shadow cast on this TV series due to the tragic death of the former Love Island presenter Caroline Flack. 

An ITV spokeswoman said: “Everybody at Love Island and ITV is shocked and saddened by this desperately sad news. Caroline was a much loved member of the Love Island team and our sincere thoughts and condolences are with her family and friends.”

Understandably, due to the devastating news - both last Saturday and Sunday’s episodes along with After Sun were cancelled. Love Island returned on Monday and featured a tribute to Caroline Flack.

If you’re not fully caught up, we won’t give anything away but there was another couple dumped from the villa and Wednesday's episode was filled with romance as all the couples went on a final date ahead of the final episode.

So whether you’re ready to watch the next episode or still have a few to catch up keep scrolling as we tell you how to watch Winter Love Island online whether you're in the UK or mismatched a holiday.

How to watch Winter Love Island online for free in the UK: 

If you're going to be in the UK the whole time the show is on then watching it couldn't be easier. Simple gather your friends and families around the TV at 9pm every day (apart from Saturdays) and tune in to ITV2.

But if you would rather watch Love Island online you can easily catch it via the ITV website or watch it on your mobile devices via the ITV Hub app which you can download here for Android and here for your iPhone or iPad.

The other way to watch ITV online is to go via TVPlayer.com - we actually prefer this option as the stream tends to be better quality and more robust. It's also a faster site, more responsive and quicker to get up and running with. It's still free and legal, too.

How to watch Winter Love Island online from outside the country:

If you’re from the UK and have planned a holiday while the show is on we won't be jealous that you're in the sun whilst we face the cold and rain - we'll just tell you how you can still get your fix and avoid any annoying geo-blocking. By using a VPN, you can change your IP address to one in the UK which will allow you to stream the event using your ITV account. Keep reading and we’ll show you how.

Who are the Winter Love Island 2020 islanders?

  • Siannise Fudge, 25 from Bristol
  • Finnley Tapp, 20 from Milton Keynes
  • Jess Gale, 20 from London
  • Paige Turley, 22 from Scotland
  • Mike Boateng, 24 from Manchester
  • Luke Mabbott, 24 from Middlesbrough
  • Luke Trotman, 22 from Luton
  • Demi Jones, 21 from Portsmouth
  • Priscilla Anyabu, 25 from London
  • Ched Uzor, 23 from Surrey

Who has been dumped from the villa?

  • Ollie Williams, 23 from Cornwall
  • Eve Gale, 20 from London
  • Connagh Howard, 27 from Cardiff
  • Connor Durman, 25 from Brighton
  • Leanne Amaning, 22 from London
  • Sophie Piper, 21 from Essex
  • Wallace Wilson, 24 from Inverness
  • Nas Majeed, 23 from London
  • Rebecca Gormley, 21 from Newcastle 
  • Jordan Waobikeze, 24 from London
  • Shaugnha Phillips, 25 from Londom
  • Natalia Zoppa, 20 from Manchester
  • Jamie Clayton, 28 from Edinburgh
  • Molly Smith, 23 from Manchester
  • Callum Jones, 23 from Manchester

Who were the winners of Love Island 2019?

Amber Gill and Greg O'Shea, and although they have now parted ways - it's safe to say they were everyone's favourite couple for a while. Amber entered the villa on day one and although she had a bit of a tough time, she definitely rose above as she was crowned the winner - and Greg entered the villa on day 43.

What do the winners of Love Island 2020 UK get?

Apart from finding their soul mates of course, they also get a whopping £50,000 which they can choose to split with their partner or keep to themselves. And of course, they get to be crowned as that year's winners inevitably going down into the Love Island hall of fame.

How long is Love Island 2020 on for?

Although ITV have kept it fairly quiet, we can expect for this season to run the usual time as the other seasons so you should be getting six to eight weeks of drama, bombshells and plenty of gossip!

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These are the five strongest SIM only deals this weekend - Three, iD, Smarty and more

Posted: 21 Feb 2020 10:58 AM PST

The weather is terrible, so realistically why would you even want to go outside this weekend. Instead, use your hard-earned time off from work, school or whatever is going on in your life to do what is most important...finding a new SIM only deal.

Okay fair enough, there are much better things to do this weekend - watching a Wilder vs Fury live stream for example! So if you were planning on spending hours scouring the web for the best SIM only deals, we're here to speed up the process.

Below, we've picked out the five best offers currently on the market including the best EE offer, flexible 1-month plans, cashback galore and even just the best SIM plan in general.

  • Still looking for a new phone? Check our best SIM-free phone price guide

Our top 5 best SIM only deals this weekend:

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First Look: Harmon Kardon Citation Oasis is the smartest wake up call you can get

Posted: 21 Feb 2020 10:18 AM PST

We’ve got smart assistants in our phones, in our earphones and in our speakers. Why not bedside clocks too? Amazon opened the floodgates with its Echo Dot with Clock speaker. But how about if you want something Google flavoured instead?

You might want to take a look at the Harmon Kardon Citation Oasis alarm clock. The Citation range, you may remember, is Harmon Kardon’s answer to the likes of Sonos, a multi-room proposition that includes soundbars, bookshelf speakers and floor-standing towers. We enjoyed earlier entries into the range enough to award it a Best of IFA gong a few years back. 2020 will see the range expand to include the Oasis, a little Google-powered bedside number.

Available in black and grey fabric wraps, the Oasis, like all good alarm clocks should, sneaks into the background with an understated, rounded design.

In terms of connectivity and playback, it’s about as well-featured as you could hope for. As well as standard Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, the Oasis can playback tunes via Apple AirPlay and Google Chromecast, and can take voice input thanks to its built-in mic and support for the Google Assistant helper.

A smart wake up

As such, not only can you talk to the Oasis to organise alarms, but you can also ask it for information on all manner of topics in Google’s cloud-based brain, ask it for specific radio stations and have it control any smart home devices you’ve got hooked up to Google’s eco-system.

Being a clock, of course, the Oasis has a small front-facing display that will show you the time and other information relating to what you’re doing with the speaker. But its tricks don’t just end there. On its top side, where you’ll also find a range of playback controls, also sits a wireless charging matt. Pop a compatible smartphone on top, and you’ll wake with a fully-charged phone in the morning, saving you a plug socket and valuable bedside real estate.

We took a look at the Citation Oasis at the Bristol Hi-Fi show in the UK, where unfortunately the unit we saw was not set up for music playback. However, in terms of raw specs, it appears to have a healthy 12W power output, and support for 24Bits / 96 KHz HD audio streaming playback. 

There’s no set release date for the Harmon Kardon Citation Oasis yet, but we’ve been told to expect a Q2 2020 launch. As for pricing, only US numbers have been released, weighing in at $199.95. That translates directly to close to £155 or AU$300, but we’ll keep you posted on confirmed local pricing when we receive it.

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Hackers impersonate top VPN to steal cryptocurrency

Posted: 21 Feb 2020 10:16 AM PST

Researchers at Kaspersky have discovered a new malicious campaign which uses a fake version of a popular VPN service's website to spread the Trojan stealer AZORult by tricking users into thinking they are downloading a Windows installer.

AZORult is one of the most common stealers on Russian hacking forums because of its wide range of capabilities. This Trojan poses a serious threat to infected computers as it allows an attacker to collect a wealth of data including browser history, login credentials, cookies, files and folders, cryptowallet files and it can even be used as a loader to download other malware.

As more users have turned to VPNs to protect their privacy online, cybercriminals have begun to abuse the growing popularity of VPNs by impersonating them, as is the case in this AZORult campaign.

In the campaign discovered by Kaspersky researchers, the attackers created a copy of ProtonVPN's website which looks identical to the service's actual site except for the fact that it has a different domain name.

AZORult campaign

Links to the fake VPN website are spread through advertisements via different banner networks which is a practice that is also referred to as malvertising.

When a victim visits the phishing website, they are prompted to download a free VPN installer. However, once a victim downloads the fake VPN installer for Windows, it drops a copy of the AZORult botnet implant. Once the implant is activated, it collects the infected device's environment information and reports it back to a server controlled by the attackers.

The attackers then steal any cryptocurrency stored locally on the device from cryptowallets as well as FTP logins, passwords from FileZilla, email credentials, information from browsers including cookies and credentials from WinSCPm, Pidgin messenger and others software.

After discovering the campaign, Kaspersky immediately informed ProtonVPN and blocked the fake website in its security software. TechRadar Pro has also contacted ProtonVPN for a statement on the matter.

  • Also check out our complete list of the best VPN services

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Disappointing Intel Core i9-10900 benchmarks leak, it doesn't look like it'll beat AMD Ryzen

Posted: 21 Feb 2020 10:08 AM PST

We've been waiting for new desktop processors from Intel for what feels like an eternity. And while they're surely on their way, some new benchmarks have leaked that have tempered our expectations a bit. 

Spotted by the folks over at Wccftech, these benchmarks appeared on Hong Kong tech site XFastest, and they don't look too hot for Intel. However, what might be holding this processor back is that it's rocking a tiny 65W TDP, which is much less than the 95W that its predecessor the Intel Core i9-9900K features. It is important to note, though, that the Intel Core i9-9900 has the 65W TDP. 

Because of this low TDP, the 10 cores on this supposed processor don't boost super well when pushed to their limits, and even on single-core tests it doesn't hit the 5GHz that the Core i9-9900 or 9900K would. Again, we can't even be sure if these benchmarks are real, but if they are it could very well be because Intel is cramming an extra 2 cores in there without shrinking the manufacturing process down from 14nm.

Anyways, this growth in core count with an apparent reduction in clock speeds results in some pretty disappointing benchmark results. For instance, in Cinebench R20, the apparent Intel Core i9-10900 manages a paltry score of 3,714 points. Out of curiosity we ran Cinebench R20 on our AMD Ryzen 9 3900X with Google Chrome, Tidal and Photoshop still open and we managed a score of 6,519 points. This is the chip Intel is going to have to top on the high-end if it wants to remain relevant in the desktop space, and if these leaked benchmarks are any indication, we're not getting our hopes up. 

Still, we won't know whether or not these are even the final specs. Assuming that this chip is real, it's very possible that Intel will raise clocks before the final release – especially since temperatures were only hitting around 68C. Either way with all the Intel Comet Lake-S leaks we've been seeing recently, we can only assume an official reveal is right around the corner, and we can't wait to see what Intel actually has in store. 

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Tesla Cybertruck: Hot Wheels ne realizza due versioni telecomandate.

Posted: 21 Feb 2020 10:01 AM PST

Mattel, una delle più grandi case produttrici di giocattoli del mondo, ha annunciato che realizzerà due versioni telecomandate del Tesla Cybertruck con il marchio Hot Wheels. 

Come riporta il sito The Verge, è possibile già preordinare il prodotto sul sito ufficiale, scegliendo quale versione si desidera ricevere. Come detto precedentemente, il Cybertruck telecomandato sarà disponibile in due versioni: il più piccolo in scala 1:64 e il più grande in scala 1:10, al costo rispettivamente di 20 e 400 dollari, che al cambio attuale corrispondono a circa 18 e 370 euro.

La spedizione di entrambi i modelli è prevista a dicembre 2020, ma bisogna sottolineare che si tratta di edizioni limitate.

Secondo la descrizione del sito ufficiale, il modello più grande può essere usato per fare fuoristrada. Il corpo della macchina può essere tolto per accedere alla batteria e al sistema di trasmissione, quindi un eventuale guasto potrebbe essere di facile riparazione. 

Se vi piace il Tesla Cybertruck ma non avete i soldi necessari per comprarne uno (quello vero), forse la versione realizzata da Mattel potrebbe in qualche modo rendervi ugualmente felici.

Fonte: The Verge

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Cheap Xbox One X deals just hit $299 / £299 in stunning price cut

Posted: 21 Feb 2020 10:00 AM PST

Xbox One X deals just hit $299 at Walmart, offering the lowest prices yet on the latest and greatest Xbox console. This is a great time to be hunting for a cheap Xbox One X bundles, with these consoles hitting fantastic new sales prices just in time for the weekend. That stunning $299 price is even cheaper than the fantastic Xbox One X bundle deals we were seeing over Black Friday, so grab yours before they run out of stock this weekend. 


Meanwhile, the UK is seeing some fantastic prices on cheap Xbox One X deals with costs dipping well below £300. You'll find top of the range bundles like this Forza Horizon 4 bundle for just £289 or Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order for £290 - fantastic prices on blockbuster releases. 

With Xbox Series X steadily creeping up, it's little wonder retailers are discounting these cheap Xbox One X deals with such abandon. That said, there's every reason to pick up the current powerhouse of the Xbox world right now. Now that the next console is firmly insights, we're seeing some fantastic prices landing on the current-gen console. Plus, games are only going to get cheaper once that new machine hits store shelves. 

You can find cheap Xbox One S bundles for even less right now, so if you're happy to forego some fancy features you might want to check out the latest sales. There are plenty of cheap Xbox games on sale right now as well - perfect for stocking up on the latest titles. 

Cheap Xbox One X deals in the US

Cheap Xbox One X deals in the UK

We're also tracking all the latest Xbox One S sales to keep you in the loop on the best prices out there. Plus, we're also keeping an eye on Xbox Game Pass prices and the best Live Gold deals as well. You'll find plenty more Xbox One X deals right here on TechRadar. 

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Wilder vs Fury 2 live stream: how to watch the boxing rematch from anywhere this Saturday

Posted: 21 Feb 2020 09:26 AM PST

If the result of the Deontay WIlder vs Tyson Fury rematch came down to trash talk only, then this one would probably be heading for another hard fought draw! But the time for the pantomime is coming to a close, and the serious business of boxing will soon take over.

It's a fight even casual fans aren't going to want to miss and we're here to tell you exactly how to live stream Wilder vs Fury 2 no matter where you are in the world - plus key information like the Wilder vs Fury time, date and undercard.

This weekend's big fight is being promoted as 'Unfinished Business', after the first Wilder vs Fury clash in 2018 ended in a controversial split draw decision. Nothing less than the WBC heavyweight title is at stake in Las Vegas, with both boxers also defending undefeated records.

Standing at an imposing 6ft 7in in height, Deontay Wilder is simply a knockout artist. The 34-year-old American boasts a 42-0-1 record that includes a staggering 41 wins by KO. The most recent saw the Bronze Bomber floor Luis Ortiz in November 2019 for yet another decisive victory.

On the opposite side of the ring, British man-mountain Tyson Fury's height is an even more intimidating 6ft 9in. The Manchester fan favorite will fly out to Vegas with a 29-0-1 record that features 20 wins by KO. He's best known for defeating Wladimir Klitschko in 2015 to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

By now, you probably can tell that this has the potential to become a legendary fight, so allow us to tell you how to live stream Wilder vs Fury 2 and watch all the action from Vegas as it happens.

How to watch Wilder vs Fury 2: live stream the big fight from outside your country

Read on for specific information on who is showing Wilder vs Fury 2 on TV and PPV in different countries including the US, UK, New Zealand and Australia. But the first thing worth mentioning is that anyone who finds themselves abroad for the big fight can still watch Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder via their usual home broadcaster or service by using a VPN. Otherwise known as a Virtual Private Network, it's a nifty bit of software that lets you access content from your home country completely legally. Crucially, this means you and won't have to loiter around the internet's sketchier corners for a stream.

Wilder vs Fury 2 live stream: watch the fight in the US

Stream the Fury fight live in the UK 

How to watch Wilder vs Fury 2: live stream this week's big fight from Australia

Live stream Wilder vs Fury live in New Zealand

Fury vs Wilder 2: undercard details 

In addition to watchin Tyson Fury take on Deontay Wilder, there are a number of other blockbuster fights set for this Saturday in Vegas.

The first undercard encounter of the night will be a junior middleweight bout between Sebastian Fundora and Daniel Lewis. While neither of the two are household names, it's an intriguing clash for boxing fans eager to get a potential glimpse of the future. The main talking point here is the fact that Fundora stands at 6ft5in tall but still manages to make the 154 pounds. Lewis, for his part, is a promising Australian fight who has previously fought at the Olympics.

After that, Emanuel Navarrete will defend his WBO super bantamweight title on the night against challenger Jeo Tupas Santisima just prior to the main event.  Heavyweights Charles Martin (27-2-1, 24 KOs) and Gerald Washington (20-3-1, 13 KOs) will also enter the ring in a potential title eliminator. 

Wilder vs Fury 2: UK time and date

Wilder vs Fury 2 takes place on Saturday, February 22 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The action gets underway at 6pm US Pacific time, which is 9pm ET and 2am UK time. However, with a full undercard to get through before Fury and Wilder take to the ring once again, the main event isn't expected to start until around 5am UK time. This means you'll be burning the midnight oil or setting an early alarm if you want to watch all the action live. Should you want to make a full night of it, here's what you can look forward to.

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Windows 10X: Everything you need to know about the foldable PC OS

Posted: 21 Feb 2020 09:06 AM PST

By now, you’ve probably heard the term “Windows 10X” thrown around. With the age of foldable PCs and laptops upon us, Windows 10X is perhaps going to be one of the most important operating systems to hit the computing world. So, it’s high time you stop hearing about it and start delving into what it has to offer.

But what exactly is Windows 10X? Codenamed Santorini, it’s the upcoming version of Windows 10 that’s specifically designed to power foldable PCs and dual-screen laptops. Essentially, it’s going to be the operating system for such Windows-based devices. And, as such, it will boast some features and capabilities that other Windows 10 versions won’t.

Foldable PCs are about to take over the computing world. Dual-screen laptops like the ASUS ZenBook Pro Duo and the HP Omen X 2S are out. Meanwhile, both foldable phones and laptops like the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold, Dell’s Concept Duet and Intel’s Horseshoe Bend (hopefully) are well on their way. So, it’s no surprise that Microsoft is throwing its hat in the ring. Not only is it gearing up to launch two foldables – the Surface Neo and the Surface Duo, though the latter is rumored to run on Android. But, it’s also hard at work in streamlining this operating system that will power them.

Windows 10X is key to making sure that this new generation of portables runs seamlessly when they hit the streets. It’s time to know everything about it, from its release date to its unique features. 

 Cut to the chase 

  •  What is it? The upcoming operating system for foldable PCs 
  •  When is it out? Q3 2020
  •  How much will it cost? Most likely free 

 Windows 10X release date 

Having showcased their concept foldable PCs at CES 2020, both Lenovo and Dell might release them sometime in late 2020. Lenovo said as much of its ThinkPad X1 Fold, at least. Dell still hasn’t shared any hints as to when the Concept Duet will officially launch, so we might not see it until 2021 – if we see it at all. As for the Surface Neo, Microsoft says we’ll see it hit the shelves “Holiday 2020.”

It makes sense, therefore, for Windows 10X to be ready before these foldables hit store shelves, as Microsoft’s partners will need to test it on their respective foldable devices. Microsoft will also be making the operating system available to developers earlier to give them plenty of time to port their apps over to the unique dual-screen Windows 10X ecosystem. As to when that will be, Microsoft has yet to say. We’re sure we’ll hear more details at Microsoft Build 2020 in May.

As for us consumers, we don’t have long to wait. According to Microsoft, the operating system will be “available on dual-screen and foldable devices starting in the fall of 2020.” If everything goes according to plan, Windows 10X will be polished and ready before Microsoft releases Surface Neo. 

 Windows 10X compatibility 

According to Microsoft, Windows 10X will be available on both Microsoft Surface and devices from several Windows ecosystem partners including ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo.” That’s as specific as Microsoft is willing to get at this time. 

We don’t know exactly if it will work with already existing dual-screen laptops, though from the looks of it, Windows 10X has different orientations that will ideally fit with those laptops’ layouts. The Asus ZenBook Pro Duo’s second screen, ScreenPad Plus, for example, looks like it’s perfectly set up to home Windows 10X’s Wonder Bar.

What we do know for sure is that Windows 10X will be available on the Surface Neo. And, according to Tom’s Hardware, Lenovo has confirmed that ThinkPad X1 Fold will be utilizing the OS as well, though not at launch.

But, that’s about it. We’ll make sure to update this page as soon as new Windows 10X compatibility information comes our way, so be sure to bookmark it.

 Windows 10X features 

Different orientations, different layout
Thanks to the Windows 10X emulator that Microsoft made available, we now know that even though it’s another version of Windows 10, much like Windows 10 S, it’s noticeably different in terms of look and layout. The changes aren’t all that drastic, but they are noticeable and will certainly feel like a whole new experience for Windows users.

Gone, for example, is the Start Menu, replaced by what Microsoft is calling a Launcher. When on dual-screen or book mode, this Launcher appears on both screens and may be controlled on either. And, instead of the regular tile mode, your apps will now appear as they would on your tablet home, only in a pop-up menu. This pop-up menu also now houses the search bar.

But, what’s really impressive about the Windows 10X’s design is its orientations. Microsoft designed it to have a more adaptive user interface (and experience), changing its orientation as you change the mode of your device.

When you have your device in tablet mode, this operating system takes on the typical single-screen tablet interface. When you have your device in book mode, it takes a dual-screen orientation. It’s also got a laptop mode and an extended canvas mode. Microsoft calls it “multi-posture.”

In addition, Windows 10X will let you snap two windows in a screen – allowing you to have four applications neatly stacked and next to one another when in book mode. And, if you enjoy landscape orientation, it will also let you drag an app across the two screens so it spans both.

So, even though it’s looking more like a trimmer version of Windows 10, Windows 10X looks like it’s going to deliver its own brand of versatility, taking advantage of the strengths that only foldable PCs and dual-screen laptops can offer.

Running Win32 applications in a container
While Windows 10X is not as stripped down as Windows 10 S, it does have a couple of similarities to the lightweight OS. 

It doesn’t look like it has Windows Defender, Windows 10’s anti-malware program, which could mean that its final version may not be able to run all desktop applications. For example, PCWorld has reported that its emulator isn’t able to run certain applications like Slack.

Now, bear in mind that they did test it on an emulator, and the final version of the operating system could very well support many of your favorite desktop apps. Microsoft did also say that it does support Win32 applications.

However, it’s worth noting that Windows 10X will be running Win32 applications within a container. In essence, the app will be running within a sandbox separate from the operating system, and this could cause performance issues.

At least, you won’t have to suffer through long updates. Microsoft has promised that Windows 10X will download and install an update in under 90 seconds.

The Wonder Bar
Another good thing about Windows 10X is its Wonder Bar, a touch panel that takes Surface Neo’s magnetic flip keyboard experience to a new level. When the keyboard is flipped into place on Surface Neo’s second screen in laptop mode, the Wonder Bar appears above the keyboard, fully stocked with emojis, gifs and kaomojis.

However, it’s much more than that. It has a clipboard and a keyboard, and it can host that Netflix show you’ve been binging on, while you’re getting some work done on “main” screen. 

It’s a nifty feature that we, for one, can’t wait to test.

Bye, Cortana. Windows Hello!
The Start Menu and tile layout aren’t the only things that Windows 10X ditched in an effort to become a more streamlined version of Windows 10. Cortana fans will not be able to utilize their favorite virtual assistant when they’re on their Windows 10X devices.

That’s right: it doesn’t look like Windows 10X will be utilizing Cortana.

Microsoft has yet to explain the snub, however. And, again, we only have the emulator to base this on. It’s entirely possible that Microsoft is waiting until the last minute before adding Cortana back to the mix.

For now, we can at least take comfort in the fact that Windows 10X will support facial recognition with Windows Hello. It will even forgo the need to dismiss the lock screen once you’re logged in, saving you a bit of time.

There are a few other bonuses as well. Aesthetically-inclined foldable PC users should enjoy jazzing up their devices, as Windows 10X will feature dynamic wallpapers programmed to change to reflect the current time of day (or indeed night). And finally, those who are concerned about staying connected will be happy to know that the operating system will support 5G, LTE and cloud connectivity.

Windows 10X will, of course, offer more features that Microsoft will reveal the closer we get to the operating system’s release date. Again, keep this page bookmarked as we will update it as soon as new information comes our way.

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Best website defacement monitoring service of 2020

Posted: 21 Feb 2020 09:05 AM PST

In July 2001, the Code Red worm infected over 359,000 hosts which were running a vulnerable implementation of Windows NT. Visitors to compromised websites were greeted with the message: "HELLO! Welcome to http://www.worm.com! Hacked By Chinese!"

Code Red and the phrase "Hacked by Chinese!" have long since passed into internet legend but the danger of website defacement is clear and present. Hackers can target your site at any time, so unless you are viewing a page as its been changed, it's hard to respond quickly.

In this guide, you'll discover an elegant solution to the issue of website defacement in the form of the very best security tools on the web today. These automate the task of regularly checking your domains for anomalies and make sure to notify you if any unauthorised changes are detected.

There are options to match all budgets from free services suitable for the occasional blogger to premium platforms for large business owners.

Visualping

Visualping is a deceptively simple tool which offers powerful protection against website defacement. Users of the website or iOS/Android mobile apps need only enter a URL and their email address to receive regular updates of any changes made.  

The tool works by making regular snapshots of the page in question then comparing these on an hourly, daily or weekly basis. It can also be customized to trigger an alert for tiny, medium or significant changes.

Visualping is not designed specifically for website defacement. As the developers' website mentions, it will work equally well for checking on the release on concert tickets or a new product launch. However its ability to display superposed 'images' as well as the fact you can control the frequency Visualping checks for changes means it's certainly fit for purpose.

The basic free version of Visualping allows you up to 2 free checks per day. Costs vary after this on a very reasonable sliding scale depending on the number of checks required. For instance, to have Visualping check your site 40 times a day (every 36 minutes) would cost just $13 (£9.72) a month.

If you need to monitor multiple domains consider installing the Visualping Chrome web extension. Once installed just click the Visualping button to start monitoring the current page.

Through to its name Visualping may not be able to detect invisible to changes to pages such as modifications of source code. If malware is a concern consider one of the other tools in this guide.

StatusCake

StatusCake is a many-layered treat for webmasters. This British-based site offers a way to check your pages for defacement and downtime from a variety of locations: the project maintains 48 monitoring centers in 28 countries around the world. Many centers support the more recent IPv6 protocol.

This offers subscribers a much more refined experience over simpler competitors. Not only can you adjust the frequency of checks but you can also specify the location from which you want to monitor pages. StatusCake even offers a speed test to show how quickly a page loads when checked.

There is a free package which can perform up to 10 checks at 5-minute intervals. This is fine for hobby bloggers and those with very monolithic websites but business owners can benefit more from a paid subscription.

These are very competitively priced compared to other monitoring services. StatusCake's 'superior' subscription, for instance, costs only $24.49 (£18.50) a month and performs up to 100 checks at 1-minute intervals. You can lower that to $20.41 per month with annual billing.

Regardless of which package you choose, StatusCake includes multiple notification options including email, text message and even push notifications via Android/iOS. This service also works with some third party apps such as PagerDuty.

Sucuri

Sucuri began in 2010 under the guiding hand of developer Daniel Cid who envisioned a tool which could give webmasters better insight into the security status of their websites.

It's safe to say that Mr. Cid has been successful. The cloud-based SaaS (Software as a Service) Sucuri works not only as a monitoring platform but contains many tools to help prevent malicious attacks by hackers such as a Firewall, anti-virus and DDoS protection. This may be why Sucuri was acquired by legendary hosting provider GoDaddy in March 2018.

The Sucuri Website Firewall can handle malware prevention through use of a dedicated whitelist, so that only authorised parties can connect to your site. Sucuri also regularly monitors changes to your pages and can display appropriate warnings. Furthermore, there is a free website malware and security scanner that you can use at sitecheck.sucuri.net.

The service also maintains a dedicated incident response team, who work 365 days a year to assist you with restoring your site if anything goes wrong. Subscribers to the 'basic' Sucuri package for $199 (£149.46) per year are guaranteed a response within 12 hours to all support requests of this kind. The basic tier also includes features such as the firewall (with support for whitelists and blacklists), continuous scanning for defacement and malware cleanup.

Sadly, there is no free trial for Sucuri, however the main site offers a money back guarantee within 30 days if users aren't satisfied.

OnWebChange

OnWebChange is one of the most versatile and useful tools when it comes to defacement protection. Since it was originally developed by Briton Tom Carnell in 2009 the service has exploded and can boast tens of thousands of users. This is due in part to the sophisticated monitoring features. In the first instance, users can select one or more areas to monitor within a web page. This is ideal if you maintain pages with dynamic content.

OnWebChange will notify you each time a change takes place, either via email or via push notifications in Android/iOS. Power Users can also use a HTTP CallBacks with their own login data to adjust website content automatically e.g. to restore a defaced page. Furthermore, users can use multi-region tracking which allows you to visit the web pages as if you were visiting them from different geographic regions around the world.

The generous free tier offers subscribers advanced CSS (Page Content Selection) as well as the ability to scan both PDF and plain text files for changes. Free tier users are permitted a maximum of 3 tracked sites a month. Checks are made up to 30 times (roughly once a day).

Premium subscribers such as those who opt for the 'Standard' package for $3.10 (£2.55) a month, benefit from advanced features such as unlimited trackers and checks every 60 minutes. The highest tier of subscription called "Turbo-100", enables 5 minute tracking with some additional features.

IPVTec

IPVTec was created in 2014 under the supervision of a founding member of cybersecurity firm IPVSecurity who was unhappy with the monitoring solutions available to clients at the time.

Like Sucuri, the monitoring toll IPVmon is cloud-based meaning setup is minimal and you can start monitoring no matter how small the resources of your own network.

The monitor routinely checks for website defacement but also contains a number of other handy features such as verifying your SSL certificates are in date, detecting if pages are unreachable, as well as scanning for malware.

Emphasis has been placed on pro-active searches for anomalies to prevent problems before they occur. This includes actively scanning for domain hijacking and DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks as well as defacement.

If any irregularities are detected, users are notified with details via text message and email. Messages include a recommended 'call to action' to remedy the issues. IPVTec also has a dedicated dashboard for viewing notifications.

Sadly there is no free version but the IPVTec website offers subscribers a free 30 day trial to accustom themselves to the platforms features. The basic (Pro 5) package costs $24 (£17.94) a month ($19 a month annually) and permits monitoring of 5 pages and a single domain.

 Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons (Peter Angritt)  

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How to watch Star Trek: Picard online - stream the new show from anywhere

Posted: 21 Feb 2020 09:00 AM PST

Trekkies rejoice! Patrick Stewart is beaming to our screens once again as Jean-Luc Picard, former Captain of the USS-Enterprise. There's definitely a guaranteed thrill for fans who watch Star Trek: Picard online as Stewart reprises the iconic role and reunites with The Next Generation cast members Brent Spiner, Jonathan Frakes, and Marina Sirtis after 18 years.

The new series isn't all phasers blazing and warp speeds, however. Executive producer Alex Kurtzman has promised a more “contemplative show” with a “real-world” look, and the final Star Trek: Picard trailer certainly establishes a wistful mood in addition to impressive visual spectacle. 

And so far, he has delivered upon his promise - episode four was set at the end of the 24th century, with a very candid perspective on Jean-Luc Picard's reaction to the loss of Lieutenant Commander Data and the destruction of Romulus. 

Although, it was episode five that left us on a cliff-hanger as just before the episode ends, a mystery craft which was being piloted by none other than Star Trek's Voyager's former Borg, Seven of Nine, swoops in. 

Ready for the next episode and to 'make it so'? Keep reading to find out how to watch Star Trek: Picard online wherever you are.

Watch Star Trek: Picard online from outside your country:

If you find yourself far from home when the latest episode drops – abroad on business or taking an extended vacation – don’t let geo-blocks ruin your fun. “There’s a way out of every box, a solution to every puzzle” Captain Picard once said, and rightly so.

Say you’re in a country where this content isn’t available. Utilizing a VPN will allow you to watch Star Trek: Picard online no matter where you’re situated. This simple piece of software changes your IP address, so you can access each episode live or catch-up with the series, just as if you were at home.

How to watch Star Trek: Picard online in the US

How to watch Star Trek: Picard online in the UK (and for FREE)

  How to watch Star Trek: Picard online in Canada

  How to watch Star Trek: Picard online in Australia

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Best e-commerce WordPress themes of 2020

Posted: 21 Feb 2020 08:40 AM PST

WordPress is far more than a simple platform for blogging enthusiasts. Many WordPress themes are devoted to e-commerce, meaning that if you want to monetize your skills and/or start a small business, you can set up a payment processing site with little or no coding knowledge.

Not all e-commerce platforms are created equal, though. Some may require advanced technical skills, or they might not display well on tablets and smartphones.

In this guide, we’ve rounded up five of the very best e-commerce WordPress themes. These all represent a good balance between value for money and useful features such as being able to display product slideshows.

Each of these themes also has a free demo, so feel free to test drive them before you buy.

Shopkeeper

Shopkeeper is a user-friendly WordPress e-commerce platform. The homepage consists mainly of one large slider, designed to catch the eye of any potential clients. This is part of the Slider Revolution plugin which is included. Various optional plugins like "Shopkeeper Portfolio Addon" can also be installed.

The theme integrates completely with WooCommerce, and translation is supported with the WPML plugin. Shopkeeper is Retina-ready and fully responsive, making it perfect to view on both tablets and smartphones as well as your desktop computer.

The theme is easily customizable. Users do not need knowledge of complex codes in order to use it.  There are a huge array of pre-built layouts to suit your needs, but failing this, users can create their own layout from scratch.

Users can also upload their own logo, change fonts and colors. Visual Slider and Revolution Slider plugins are included with the Shopkeeper theme; these cost around $26 (£19.5) each. Shopkeeper itself sells at $59 (£45.5) for a regular license. Users can upgrade to 12-months support for a further $17.63 (£13.6).

Some online commentators have noted that the huge amount of customizable settings contained within Shopkeeper can be overwhelming for newer users.

Bazar Shop

Bazar Shop is a slightly more complex e-commerce platform. To be precise, it’s a multi-purpose theme which offers a variety of ways in which to build your website.

The theme is fully responsive making it perfect to view on platforms other than a desktop PC. Users can choose from several different sliders and there are no restrictions to the number of sliders you can have on your page.

There are two custom checkout pages to choose from. The ‘zoom’ effect is included in these so there is no need to bother with a third-party plugin. Users can also add multiple images of a product, similar to what you see on eBay and Amazon.

The homepage includes social media sharing, email subscription forms, featured products and contact information.

Bazar Shop has over 300 ready-to-use shortcodes, which are perfect for users who do not have any coding knowledge.

Users can utilize the option panel to change layouts, edit headers and footers, create a sitemap, change the colors, turn on responsive, and customize blog pages.

Bazar Shop costs $64 (£49) for a regular license and includes 6-months of support.  Users can upgrade to 12-months support for a further $19.5 (£14.65). 

Online commentators have noted that it is inconvenient to be forced to pay for support after the initial half-year period.

Divi

Divi is a multi-purpose theme featuring website options to cater for most users, plus it’s highly customizable.

The theme comes with WooCommerce functionality. The drag and drop feature allows users to include pricing tables, video sliders, tabs and videos. A rating module is also available.

Users can access a variety of pre-built layouts. These include creating a sales page, multiple blog layouts and a variety of portfolio types.

Divi is one of the few WordPress themes to include a frontend page builder tool with point and click editing. This gives users instant feedback on any editing that takes place.

Users can upload logos, choose a new color palette, decide how many posts are displayed on a page, set up social media integrations and more.

Newer users will find Divi particularly handy as you don’t need any coding skills or any former experience building websites. The user-friendly interface makes the whole process seamless. Furthermore, with various CSS transform options, users can offset the position of any page element with ease.

Divi allows you to use multiple rows, columns and content elements. All layouts are fully responsive.

The theme comes with an impressive array of content elements which include an audio player, bar counter, blog, number counter, shop, testimonial and contact form amongst others.

Divi can also be translated into more than 30 languages such as Chinese, Arabic, Czech, Russian and Spanish to name but a few.

Users can try a demo version of Divi for free, and there’s the option to purchase a one-year subscription to all of Elegant Themes’ products for $89 (£68) or $249(£187) for a Lifetime access. 

Halena

Halena is the perfect choice for users with a minimalist philosophy, as its design is clean and simple, meaning that any web page you build will load almost immediately.

Users can employ the custom-built product quick view mode to get a better view of their items, and the AJAX filtering tool makes inventory searches simple.

Halena comes with a large variety of pre-built layouts. These include options for product display, shopping cart, checkout and customer accounts.

The theme also includes WPBakery Page Builder, a drag and drop content editor. This can be used to customize templates as well as creating unique web pages. The Builder also come with its own selection of templates.

Halena costs $49 (£36.8) for a regular license which includes 6-months of support, future updates and quality checks. Users can extend support for a further 12-months for $13.88 (£10.4).

Artemis

Artemis is aimed at those wanting a stylish and classy look for their website. It’s a multi-purpose WordPress WooCommerce theme which includes a variety of online shop demos. All the demos are laid out on the Artemis homepage, making it easier for users to find the right one for them.

Designs are easily imported onto your WordPress site. Artemis comes with Visual Composer included – a drag and drop page builder plugin which will save you time when building your site.

Slider Revolution is also part of Artemis. Users have a large variety of number options to choose from, and even novice users will have no trouble creating their perfect website.

The whole theme is built around WooCommerce. Users can choose to have a full width shop or add left or right sidebars to their web page. Artemis is fully responsive, making it perfect for viewing on tablets and smartphones.

A regular license costs $59 (£45) with 6-months support and future updates included. Users can upgrade to 12-months support for a further $17.63 (£13.32). Many online commentators have praised the customer support provided.

Top image credit: Donald Trung (Wikimedia Commons)

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Best beginner DSLR cameras 2020: 7 cheap DSLRs perfect for new users

Posted: 21 Feb 2020 08:25 AM PST

Looking for the best beginner DSLR you can buy? If the time has come for you to upgrade from your smartphone or compact, this buying guide will help you find the perfect first DSLR to suit your skills and needs.

Smartphones and mirrorless cameras might be the most popular photography formats nowadays, but the DSLR is far from dead. DSLR (or digital single-lens reflex) cameras still offer greater shooting power and control than most mobiles, as well as superior physical handling and battery life compared to the majority of mirrorless cameras. And if you want a true viewfinder – one that uses a mirror to reflect light directly to your eye, rather than a small electronic display – you’ll only get that with a DSLR.

With most camera makers focused on developing mirrorless models, there aren’t many new DSLR cameras hitting the shelves in 2020, which is actually beneficial to first-time buyers. Alongside the occasional newer model – such as the feature-packed Canon 90D – there’s a whole range of slightly older but very capable DSLR cameras on the market. And thanks to their age, they're very competitively priced.

What’s the difference between basic variants and more advanced models, such as the Canon EOS 1DX Mark III? Entry-level DSLR cameras tend to be more limited when it comes to features, custom settings and the degree of control offered – but they still promise more than enough flexibility to keep novice DSLR users occupied.

Keen to jump in? The established giants of the genre – Canon and Nikon – continue to offer the greatest choice, courtesy of their long DSLR lineage and extensive lens collections. That said, the list below also includes a selection of very capable cameras from other brands, as well as certain older models that still offer excellent value for DSLR beginners.

Best beginner DSLRs 2020 at a glance:

  1. Nikon D3500
  2. Canon EOS Rebel T7i / EOS 800D
  3. Nikon D5600
  4. Canon 90D
  5. Canon EOS Rebel T7/ 2000D / EOS 1500D
  6. Canon EOS Rebel SL3 / EOS 250D / EOS 200D Mark II
  7. Pentax K-70

The Best DSLRs for beginners in 2020:

Nikon D3500

Nikon may not have announced any new entry-level DSLRs for a while, but the D3500 remains an excellent option for those new to photography. It picks up from where the D3400 left off, but with a handful of extra perks. Unlike power-hungry mirrorless models, the major advantage of this camera is battery life. You can keep going for 1,550 images between charges, which is way ahead of most other DSLRs, while the 24MP sensor delivers excellent image quality. Nikon has also revised the body and control layout, not only to make it nicer to handle but easier to use too, while the Guide Mode takes the first-time user's hand and walks them through all the key features in a way that makes everything easy to understand. We love it – and if you're just getting started, we reckon you will too. 

Canon’s EOS Rebel T7i (known as the EOS 800D outside the US) might be a little dated, but it still sits at the top of Canon’s entry-level EOS DSLR line-up – at least for now. Its successor, the 850D, is on the horizon and due to deliver several key upgrades. As our Canon 850D vs 800D feature shows, the new model is more evolution than revolution, taking the capable core of the 800D – resolution is essentially the same, for example – and adding 4K video, better low-light focusing and Live View focus points. Canon’s latest Digic 8 chip will also add 7fps burst shooting, better noise-handling and improved metering. So should you forget about the 800D and wait for its usurper? Not necessarily: if 4K footage isn’t a deal-breaker, the 800D remains a solid all-round option for those who like the heft and handling of a DSLR. It offers a user-friendly interface, excellent touchscreen control and a 24.2MP sensor that delivers impressive overall image quality. What’s more, with the 850D on the way, prices for the 800D have fallen significantly, making it better value than ever.

Nikon D5600

Here's another model which is still holding its own against the rise of mirrorless. The D5600 is a step up from the D3000-series models, with a stronger set of specs to rival the likes of the Canon EOS Rebel T7i / EOS 800D (position 2). Key advantages over the D3400 and D3500 include a larger LCD screen, which not only flips out and swivels all the way around to face the front for vlogging, but also responds to touch, together with a more advanced autofocus system, Wi-Fi and a healthy range of additional control on the inside. Sure, you pay a little bit more for the privilege, but if you need a little more growing space it makes sense to go for the D5600 so that it stays with you for years to come.

Canon EOS Rebel T7 / Canon EOS 2000D

Canon’s 90D might be the last enthusiast-level DSLR the company ever makes – and if so, it’s going out with a bang. The versatile 90D packs a high-resolution sensor which, paired with Canon’s Digic 8 imaging engine, offers the enticing prospect of uncropped 4K video at 30fps. Color reproduction is superb and there’s plenty of detail in both stills and video, aided by a new 216-zone metering system – though noise can be an issue above ISO 8000. A deeper grip means the 90D is also really comfortable in the hand, while a joystick makes selecting from the Dual Pixel CMOS AF points a cinch. Battery life is a boon, too, with 1,500 shots possible on a single charge. It's possibly a bit too much camera for an absolute beginner (both in price and features), but there's no doubt it offers a lot of room to grow into. Either way, the 90D proves that DSLRs still have a place in the mirrorless world.

This is one of the cheapest DSLRs in Canon's current line-up, which also makes it a very cost-effective way to get access to an endless assortment of lenses, flashguns and other accessories. Its low price tag means that it understandably lacks some of the fancy tricks of its bigger brothers – flip-out LCD, 4K video and so on – but there's still a very good level of physical control on offer. And, most importantly, image quality from the 24MP sensor is sound. It's designed very much with its target audience in mind, with a Feature Guide to help you understand everything, and battery life is also better than many mirrorless models at this price point – still a key advantage of DSLRs. Wi-Fi, NFC and Full HD video recording round off the specs, making it a well-rounded first-time option.

Canon EOS Rebel SL3 / EOS 250D

The EOS Rebel SL3, also known as the Canon EOS 250D, is the latest entry-level arrival to this list – indeed it's one of only a handful of beginner models announced in recent years. Like its name suggests, it picks up from where the Rebel SL2 (EOS 200D) left off, adding a fresh processing engine and 4K video recording on top of a collection of smaller extras. There may be lots of competition from mirrorless right now, but if you like the traditional handling of a DSLR – including an optical viewfinder – the 250D is one of the most attractive models available right now.

Pentax K-70

Although a couple of years old now, the K-70 remains a good value option for anybody who is not overly bothered by the main two manufacturers . Even better if you have a stash of old Pentax lenses gathering dust in a basement from manual days. It has a very useful articulating screen, while the hybrid live view autofocus system makes it an actual practical alternative to using the viewfinder. Possibly our favourite thing about the K-70 is its tough credentials - something which is typically lacking for entry-level models. If you're keen to take lots of pictures outdoors - such as landscapes - being able to rely on it not to be destroyed by inclement weather is a big bonus. One slight disappointment is the kit lens which is often bundled with the camera – while it offers a much longer focal length than most others here, it can be a little soft in places.

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Canon EOS 80D

Sitting on top of Canon's entry-level DSLR pile, the EOS 80D is one of the older cameras from the camera maker, having been around since 2016. Despite that, it's one of the more 'advanced' beginner cameras, thanks to its feature set and specs, including a 24.2MP sensor with a 45-point autofocus system that's actually remarkably reliable. There's a guided menu system that's easy to navigate, and on-board Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to transfer images wirelessly if needed. The only downside is that the kit lens that comes with the shooter is a tad soft around the edges, and we'd recommend buying the body only and a better lens separately.

Also consider...

None of the above take your fancy? Here's another option to consider.

The EOS 77D is a slightly more advanced beginner DSLR, and it provides a few extra treats for those who feel they may outgrow more basic models before long. While we weren't too excited about it at the time of its release, the fact that it's spent some time on the market now means it can be bought for a much more agreeable price tag. On top of the bones of the EOS 800D, there's a top-plate LCD screen that gives you shooting options at a glance, as well as two control dials to make adjusting options faster. You also get some extras on the inside such as bulb and interval timers. If you can stretch to the EOS 80D that sits just above it, even better – otherwise, this would be a slightly more capable option than its more basic siblings.

What should you look for when buying a beginner DSLR?

There are three main factors to consider when buying a beginner-friendly DSLR: the camera's size, screen and kit lens options.

If you're trying to learn your way around manual settings like aperture and shutter speed, which is one of the main benefits of a DSLR, then you'll ideally need a model that's small and light. This means you'll be more likely to take it out regularly and master those controls. The most beginner-friendly cameras, like the Nikon D3500 and Canon 250D, tend to be particularly small for DSLRs, so take a close look at those.

Looking to shoot lots of video along with your stills? DSLRs can be a cheap way to get into vlogging too, so make sure you look out for models with a vari-angle screen if you need this. These can help you shoot from different angles and also flip round to the front so you can check your framing while vlogging to camera.

Lastly, you'll want to consider lenses. As a beginner, you'll most likely be starting from scratch, which means it makes more sense to buy your DSLR with a kit lens. A word of warning here, though – most manufacturers offer two types of kits lens, one with image stabilization and one without. It's best to go with the image-stabilized kit lens, as you'll be able to shoot sharper images at slower shutter speeds.

While an 18-55mm kit lens will be more than enough to get you started, one of the big benefits of DSLRs is being able to add extra lenses for different kinds of photography. For example, wide-angle and telephoto zoom lenses, as well as high-quality macro options. You can also add a flashgun and other accessories, which help you to make the most of whatever types of photography you're into.  

Still not entirely sure whether you need a DSLR or a mirrorless camera? Don't forget to check out our Mirrorless vs DSLR cameras: 10 key differences guide. Alternatively, if don't quite know what kind of camera you need at all, then read our easy-to-follow guide to camera types: What camera should I buy?

Should you buy a mirrorless camera over a DSLR? Watch our guide video below to learn more: 

  • Turn your snaps into a beautiful photo book - we've picked out the best

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HP Presidents' Day sales extended - cheap laptop deals continue until Sunday

Posted: 21 Feb 2020 08:13 AM PST

HP has extended its Presidents' Day cheap laptop sales, meaning there's still a little time left to grab your laptop deals. We say a little time, because this sale ends in a matter of hours, with prices ticking back up on Sunday morning. You'll want to jump on some of these fantastic cheap laptop deals while you still can, then, which means taking a look at the excellent $519 HP Pavilion sooner rather than later. You're grabbing the latest 10th generation i7 processor with an astonishing 12GB RAM and 256GB SSD in this Presidents' Day sale, so get in quick to grab yours. 

There are plenty more cheap laptop deals available right now, and prices start at just $279.99 with some incredible specs to squeeze into such costs. We're also seeing some fantastic laptop deals at the higher end of the price spectrum, with excellent prices on the HP Envy ($1,099.99) in particular.

Plus, you can save an additional 5% on cheap laptops over $599 with code 5PDS2020 and an extra 10% on laptop deals sitting at over $999 with code 10PDS2020. That means even more money saved on some great HP laptop builds. 

If you want to go the extra mile, HP's Presidents' Day sales have also extended to a range of cheap PC accessories including fantastic savings on mice, keyboards, bags, software, and headsets. If you're looking for more RGB lights, you'll find an excellent sale on HP's range of OMEN gaming laptops and accessories live right now as well.

We've picked out some of our favorite laptop deals on offer right now in HP's Presidents' Day sales, but you can shop the full range at HP

Best HP Presidents' Day laptops sales

More HP Presidents' Day sales

On the lookout for more cheap laptop deals? We've got you covered with all the latest sales this week, plus we're also tracking the best gaming laptop prices for the button mashers. 

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Best free blogging site of 2020

Posted: 21 Feb 2020 08:13 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

You can host a WordPress blog yourself, or create one online and have it hosted at wordpress.com

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

Blogs on Weebly are built from a combination of content blocks

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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1 comment:

  1. In this fashion my colleague Wesley Virgin's biography begins in this SHOCKING and controversial VIDEO.

    You see, Wesley was in the army-and shortly after leaving-he found hidden, "MIND CONTROL" secrets that the CIA and others used to get everything they want.

    These are the same methods lots of celebrities (especially those who "became famous out of nothing") and top business people used to become wealthy and famous.

    You've heard that you only use 10% of your brain.

    Really, that's because most of your brainpower is UNCONSCIOUS.

    Perhaps this thought has even taken place IN YOUR very own mind... as it did in my good friend Wesley Virgin's mind around seven years ago, while riding an unregistered, beat-up trash bucket of a car without a driver's license and with $3.20 in his pocket.

    "I'm so fed up with living check to check! When will I get my big break?"

    You've taken part in those questions, am I right?

    Your very own success story is going to happen. All you have to do is in YOURSELF.

    UNLOCK YOUR SECRET BRAINPOWER

    ReplyDelete