Sunday, May 24, 2020

Apple : Get the all-new iPhone SE for FREE at Sprint's Memorial Day sale

Apple : Get the all-new iPhone SE for FREE at Sprint's Memorial Day sale

Get the all-new iPhone SE for FREE at Sprint's Memorial Day sale

Posted: 24 May 2020 12:27 PM PDT

If you're on the hunt for a cheap iPhone deal, then you're in luck. Sprint's Memorial Day sale is happening right now and the phone carrier is offering the all-new iPhone SE for free when you trade-in an eligible device on Sprint's Flex 18-month lease plan. At month 18, you can either return the phone and upgrade to a new model, buy it, or pay the balance in six monthly payments.

Once you order the iPhone SE, you'll receive a return kit for your trade-in device. You'll have 30 days to return your unlocked phone after activation, and you'll see the credit applied as soon as Sprint receives your old device.

This is a fantastic deal if you have an older phone to trade-in and an amazing price for a brand new Apple iPhone. Sprint's Memorial Day sale ends on Tuesday, May 26, so you should take advantage now before it's too late.

iPhone SE deal at Sprint:

Shop more offers with our roundup of the best Memorial Day sales that are happening now.

See more of the best iPhone SE deals: the best prices and plans available right now.

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The Match live stream: how to watch Tiger vs Phil / Manning vs Brady golf online right now

Posted: 24 May 2020 11:35 AM PDT

Golf is back on the small screen this week as The Match: Champions for Charity pits Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson vs Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning with a $10m charity purse at stake. Don't miss a shot of today's PGA action - here's how to watch a live stream of The Match online, no matter where you are in the world.

The Match: Champions for Charity is the follow up to Tiger and Phil's first skins clash back in November 2018, which saw Mickelson take home the full $9 million bounty after an epic 22-hole shootout.

That was back before anyone had ever searched for hand sanitizer on eBay, though, and today's encounter features an even bigger $10 million war chest  - all of which will be donated to Covid-19 relief efforts and charities like the American Red Cross and Save Small Business. Which frankly is a relief in and of itself, given Mickelson's estimated career earnings clear the $800 million mark.

Even more intriguingly, The Match 2 is being staged as a pro-am where Woods and Mickelson will be playing alongside NFL legends Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, respectively. The star quarterback duo both play golf to a very good standard, boasting single-digit handicaps, and will no doubt be bringing a taste of their former AFC rivalry to the fairways this weekend. 

The smart money suggests Peyton may finally have the upper-hand over TB12. Having hung up his cleats five years ago, the Tennessee native is likely to have spent more time on the course than Brady of late, as the GOAT was busy adding another three Super Bowl rings to his collection over the same period.

Know what today's golf is all about? Great - now just follow our guide as we explain how to watch The Match and live stream Tiger vs Phil and Manning vs Brady online from anywhere right now - there even seems to be a FREE viewing option in some countries, courtesy of CNN!

How to watch The Match from outside your country

We've got a full regional breakdown of The Match live stream options below, but the first thing you should know is that anyone who might be abroad at the moment can still tune into the action as usual by using one of the best VPNs. 

This nifty bit of software allows you to get around geo-blocking restrictions and watch the same high-quality golf feed you normally would at home. Best of all, they only take a few minutes to set-up and are really easy to use.

How to watch The Match LIVE - stream Tiger vs Phil and Manning vs Brady online in the US

How to watch The Match: live stream for FREE in the UK

How to live stream The Match in Canada right now

How to watch Tiger vs Phil: live stream The Match from Australia today

The Match format: how is Champions for Charity being played today?

Champions for Charity, or The Match 2 if you prefer, is being played a Best Ball Four-Ball on the front 9 (all players play every shot, best score wins), followed by a Modified Alternate Shot format on the back 9 - where both players tee-off and then select a ball to play on an alternate basis from there.

If that sounds straightforward, don't be fooled - as well as each hole being contested for the attached 'skin' (prize money), there's also a series of additional challenges that can be completed to raise even more money for charity.

One of these is a 'one-club challenge' on the par-4 fifth, where Woods and Mickelson will have to play the hole with a single stick - the 4-iron and 6-iron are popular choices because of the way they combine loft and distance, but they'll really hope they stay out of the sand. A whopping $25 million will also be awarded to charity in the event of a hole-in-one.

A final wrinkle is the venue: the Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida. It's Woods' home course, so the 15-time Major winner likely has a degree of advantage - something not lost on Phil Mickleson, who's already indulged in some playful banter, saying he's relishing the chance to take down Tiger in his own backyard.

Expect to see more forced trash talking as The Match gathers steam throughout the day, but at least they'll be faking it for a good cause. Let's just hope Tom Brady has all the necessary permissions for exercising outdoors in Florida this time round.

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The Best Buy Memorial Day sale 2020: here are the best deals

Posted: 24 May 2020 08:46 AM PDT

Best Buy's Memorial Day sale is an event not to be missed, and this year is no different. The retailer is offering record-low prices on best-selling items such as TVs, appliances, laptops, smartwatches, and more. There are hundreds of markdowns throughout the site, so to make things easier for you, we've rounded up our best Memorial Day sale picks from Best Buy below.

If you're looking for deals on tech, Best Buy has the all-new Apple Watch 5 down to a record low price of $299, the best-selling Samsung 50-inch 4K TV on sale for $329.99, a $200 discount on the HP ENVY x360 2-in-1 Laptop, and the popular Beats Studio 3 headphones on sale for $199.99.

The retail giant also has some fantastic deals on appliances like the powerful Dyson V8 Animal on sale for $299.99, the Insignia 6qt Pressure Cooker on sale for only $39.99, and a $50 price cut on the iRobot Roomba e5 robot vacuum.

Shop more of Best Buy's top Memorial Day deals below, and if you're interested in more bargains, check out our roundup of the best Memorial Day sale picks that are happening right now.

Best Buy Memorial Day sale picks:

Shop more of the best Memorial Day sales below that are happening online.

The best Memorial Day sales:

Shop more of the best Memorial Day sales: deals from Home Depot, Best Buy, and more.

You can also learn more about the upcoming Amazon Prime Day 2020 sale event.

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Best GTA 5 mods: transform Grand Theft Auto V

Posted: 24 May 2020 07:00 AM PDT

Now has never been a better time to install the best GTA 5 mods. Despite being seven years old, GTA 5 remains one of the most popular games ever – it was recently announced it has now sold over 130 million copies.

An influx of new and returning players is also expected after the Epic Games Store gave away GTA 5 on PC for free. And while that offer has now expired, you can still pick it up cheap – and if you’re one of the few people yet to play it, then you definitely should. There’s a reason why it’s still considered one of the best PC games ever made.

But what about the best GTA 5 mods? These are free modifications made by a passionate community, and GTA 5 mods not only give the game an overhaul when it comes to visuals (and makes it look like a modern game), but it can add extra gameplay features – and even turn GTA 5 into a completely new game.

Over the past seven years, GTA 5 has built up a huge library of mods, so it can be difficult to find the best Grand Theft Auto V mods that are worth installing. While many GTA 5 mods are excellent, there are also a huge amount which, sadly, aren’t very good at all.

So, to make things as easy as possible, we’ve highlighted the very best GTA 5 mods that you can install in 2020. We’ve also included a guide on how to install GTA 5 mods on PC.

How to install GTA 5 mods

The best GTA 5 mods can breathe new life into Grand Theft Auto V, but you need to do a couple of things before you begin tweaking the game. Follow these steps, and you’ll be playing the best GTA 5 mods in no time.

1. Download and install Script Hook V for GTA 5

The first tool you need is Script Hook V. Download the .zip file, then open it up and copy the ScriptHookV.dll file to the main GTA V folder where GTA5.exe is. For people using Steam, this is found in \SteamApps\common\Grand Theft Auto V\ on the drive where you installed GTA 5.

Also copy over dsound.dll and NativeTrainer.asi to the same folder.

2. Install GTAV LUA Plugin

Some mods also require the GTAV LUA Plugin. Download and open the .zip file, then move LUA.asi into the same folder at GTA5.exe (as in step 1).

3. Install GTA 5 mods

With those two tools you should be able to download and run any GTA 5 mod. Different mods have different instructions, so read them carefully when you download them. Most should simply need copying over to the main GTA 5 folder.

However, when you download a mod that requires the LUA Plugin, make sure you copy the LUA file that comes with the mod into the ‘addins’ folder, which itself can be found in the ‘scripts’ folder of GTA 5.

Now you should be ready to install and play the best GTA 5 mods.

1. GTA V Redux

best GTA 5 mods

GTA V Redux is our pick of the best GTA 5 mod of all time. It brings a huge graphical overhaul to GTA 5, with 4K textures, new weather effects, and much more. After seven years GTA 5 isn’t looking as cutting-edge as it once was, but GTA V Redux makes it look as good as any modern game.

Not only does it bring graphical improvements, but also makes vehicles handle better, fixes the police system so it’s more fair and improves NPC behaviour, so people in Los Santos act more believably.

2. Open All Interiors

The world of GTA 5 is large and wonderfully realized, but there are many buildings that you can't access. There are certainly fewer buildings you can enter than previous games, it feels. However, the Open All Interiors mod for GTA 5 changes all of that, by allowing you to enter a large number of previously inaccessible buildings.

Not only does this make an already large map even larger, but it helps make the world of GTA 5 even more immersive and realistic.

3. Complex Control

If you want a GTA 5 mod that essentially changes every aspect of the game, then Complex Control is the mod for you. It brings battle royale mechanics, popularized in games like PUBG and Fortnite to GTA 5, as well as over 100 unique character skins, new abilities and a lot more.

Complex Control is a perfect example of how ambitious the best GTA 5 mods can be.

4. Gang and Turf

Best GTA 5 mods

GTA 5 is the spiritual successor of the PlayStation 2’s GTA: San Andreas, being both set in the fictional state of San Andreas. However, while GTA 5 improves on a lot of the PS2 game, there are some noticeable absences, such as the fun gang warfare feature.

If you were gutted that GTA 5 didn’t include that, then you can relive it with the Gang and Turf mod.

5. Funny Vehicles Pack

Best GTA 5 mods

Fill GTA 5 with ridiculous – and famous – vehicles with the Funny Vehicles PacK #1 and Funny Vehicles Pack #2. With these mods installed, you can ride around in cars such as The Poolmobile, which features a tiny swimming pool, BBQ and sunbathers, as well as iconic vehicles like the motor home from Breaking Bad.

6. Gravity Gun

Bring a touch of Half Life 2-inspired chaos to GTA 5 with the Gravity Gun script. Simply equip the gun like you would with any other weapon in GTA 5, then hold down E on the keyboard to pick up basically anything in the world, including cars, pedestrians and animals, then fire them off into the distance. Ridiculously fun.

7. NaturalVision Evolved

NaturalVision Evolved is a highly ambitious GTA 5 mod that aims to take the graphics of Grand Theft Auto V to a whole new level. While there are plenty of great visual mods for GTA 5 out there, NaturalVision Evolved goes even further, and gives us a hint of what GTA 6 could look like in the future.

Unlike other mods on this list, NaturalVision Evolved is a work in progress, and you need to pay for early access. Usually this would be a bit of a red flag, but it does seem like this is a truly ambitious mod. Plus, you can try a (very) early version of it for free.

8. GTA Iron Man Armour

Put a bit of the MCU in GTA with the GTA Iron Man Armour mod, which lets you suit up and blast around San Andreas. Not only does it let you take to the skies, but it’s also a brutal weapon as well, and allows you to dish out justice using rockets and repulsor blasters.

9. Crime and Police Rebalance & Enhancement

Best GTA 5 mods

One of the biggest complaints about GTA 5 is the rather overzealous police department, which will swarm you with cops no matter how minor your offence is – even if there doesn’t seem to be any witnesses.

As the game is all about you being a criminal, brushes with the law are a big part of the GTA 5 experience, so if you want the cops to behave more realistically (and fairly), then make sure you install the Crime and Police Rebalance & Enhancement – it will make the game far more enjoyable.

10. Vice Cry:Remastered

Best GTA 5 mods

GTA: Vice City is one of the most fondly-remembered Grand Theft Auto games, and the Vice Cry:Remastered brings the PS2 classic to modern PCs. The full game is included, all rendered in GTA 5’s engine.

If you can’t get enough of GTA, then this mod brings you one of the best entries in the series with updated visuals. It’s an amazing feat.

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How to watch Rick and Morty season 4 online: stream part 2's new episodes anywhere free

Posted: 24 May 2020 04:20 AM PDT

After going off air just before Christma last year, fans of riotous cartoon series Rick and Morty are finally being rewarded for their patience, with the beloved show now into the release of a new batch of episodes. Read on and we'll tell you how to watch Rick and Morty season 4 online for free - including where you can stream all of part 2 anywhere, including the all-new episode 9 Childrick of Mort this week.

Yes, the bizarre show has now returned to help us get through some equally bizarre times. The part 2 trailer promised us all the unpredictability and madcap adventures we've come to expect from the show, including manga-style superhero outfits, electrocutions, and light sabres. Perhaps the latter should have come as no surprise given that the first new episode of Rick and Morty season 4 - episode 6 'Never Ricking Morty' - was first released on May 3, just 24 hours before Star Wars Day 2020, in the United States.

Now, we're into the fourth week of brand spanking new Rick and Morty season 4 episodes - with episode 9 dubbed 'Childrick of Mort'.

Created by Dan Harmon (of Community fame) and Justin Roiland, the show originated from a short parody of Back to the Future and first aired back in 2013. Since then, it graduated from its original cult status and grown to a show that counts the likes of Taika Waititi, Elon Musk and Liam Cunningham as some of its guest stars.

Not bad going for a permanently sozzled mad scientist and his naive 14-year-old grandson, really? For anyone totally new to the show, those are the titular characters of Rick and Morty, respectively. 

Will the wait have been worth it? We reckon so - read on and discover how to watch Rick and Morty season 4 and stream every new part 2 episode no matter where you are  in the world right now.

How to watch Rick and Morty from outside your country

Below we'll take yo through your Rick and Morty streaming options for various regions around the world, where you can see it for free in the likes of the US and UK. Those who already have a streaming service they use to watch Rick and Morty online may find themselves unable to access it when abroad, due to pesky geo-blocking restrictions. We know, we know - most people aren't going anywhere anytime soon right now. But global travel will one day resume and, god forbid, you may even be stuck abroad.

Fortunately, there's an easy solution to geo-blocking. Downloading a VPN will allow you to watch Rick and Morty no matter where you are. This simple bit of software changes your IP address so that you can access episodes on demand.

Watch Rick and Morty season 4, episode 8 in the US with Sling TV

We'll cut right to the chase because, like us, you've been waiting for part 2 of Rick and Morty season 4 for a while now. Your patience has paid off, however, as you can watch new episodes for less than ever courtesy of Sling TV and, more specifically, its Sling Orange package.

This includes the Cartoon Network (and therefore Adult Swim in the evenings), costs just $20 a month for the first month, and is currently offering a FREE month of Showtime and Starz.

Alternatively, read on and we'll explain all the other ways you can watch Rick and Morty season 4 in the US and beyond.

Where else to watch Rick and Morty season 4, episode 6 in the US 

How to watch Rick and Morty season 4 FREE in the UK

How to watch Rick and Morty in Canada

How to watch Rick and Morty in Australia

Is Rick and Morty on Netflix?

In many countries, yes! For instance, Rick and Morty is one of the best Netflix UK shows around and - as we've just said - it's also available on Netflix Australia. 

But Rick and Morty season 4 hasn't yet dropped on the servicea nywhere - and we don't really expect it to until part 2 has finished airing on Adult Swim.

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How to watch Billions season 5 online: stream new episodes anywhere for free

Posted: 24 May 2020 04:14 AM PDT

Featuring superb performances from Hollywood A-listers Damien Lewis and Paul Giamatti, Billions was first released in 2016 and quickly established itself as one of the most popular shows on TV. Now, steaming along in its fifth season, there's never been a better time to dive head-first into the murky world of Axe Capital. Read on as we explain how to watch Billions season 5 online for free - stream every episode from anywhere in the world with the help of our guide.

Billions season 5 is comprised of 12 hour-long episodes, the first seven of which will air on consecutive weekends on Showtime in the US started May 3. Thereafter, the show will go a Covid-19 enforced hiatus, with the remaining five episodes set to air later in the year.

Once again, the magnetic Lewis takes center stage as Bobby 'Axe' Axlerod, the talented but ruthless head honcho of Axe Capital. Keeping him on his toes is Giamatti's Chuck Rhoades, who begins the show as US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and is hellbent on proving that Axe's hedge fund success isn't solely down to good judgement. 

The supporting cast is every bit as impressive, featuring the likes of Maggie Siff (Mad Men, Sons Of Anarchy), Malin Akerman (Watchmen) and Toby Leonard Moore (Daredevil, John Wick).

Ready to get started? Read on to learn how to watch Billions season 5 online from anywhere - including for free.

How to watch Billions from outside your country

It may seem unlikely, but should you find yourself abroad during these difficult times, geo-blocking will almost certainly prohibit you from accessing the streaming services you would normally use (and pay for) at home.

Fortunately, there's an easy solution. Downloading the best VPN will allow you to watch Billions season 5 online no matter where you are. This neat bit of kit changes your IP address so that you can watch all your favorite shows live or on-demand, just like you would from the comfort of your sofa. 

Billions

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How to watch Billions season 5 for FREE in the US

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How to watch Billions season 5 online in the UK for FREE

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How to watch Billions for free online in Australia

Watch Billions season 5 online in Canada

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How to watch Snowpiercer online: stream the Bong Joon-ho TV series from anywhere

Posted: 24 May 2020 04:03 AM PDT

It was a different world earlier in the year when Bong Joon-ho ripped up the Oscars playbook and his vicious social satire, Parasite, became the first foreign language film to win the coveted Best Picture award. Now, the South Korean director is back - but this time his work is heading to the small screen. Here's how to watch Snowpiercer and stream the new TV series online from anywhere in the world.

Featuring 10 episodes, Snowpiercer is a TV adaptation of Bong's 2013 film of the same name - itself based on French graphic novel Le Transperceneige. The movie starred Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Song Kang-ho and Ed Harris - among others - and was widely lauded for its no-holds barred portrayal of class struggle in a post-apocalyptic world. In fact, it's one of the best Netflix movies you can watch right now.

Early reviews of Snowpiercer the TV show have been much more mixed, and it's worth noting it only counts Bong as an Executive Producer. It does, however, have a pretty impressive cast headlined by Academy Award winner Jennifer Connolly (A Beautiful Mind, Requiem for a Dream) and also featuring Hamilton star Daveed Diggs.

So whether you're a card-carrying member of the Bong-Hive or just need something new to switch on this Sunday night, here's how to watch Snowpiercer online and stream every new episode no matter where you are in the world.

watch snowpiercer online

How to watch Snowpiercer online in the US for free

How to watch Snowpiercer from outside your country

Anyone from the US who's currently abroad will likely find that they're unable to access their usual streaming platform - be it the TNT website or a service like Hulu - due to geo-blocking restrictions.

Fortunately, there's an easy solution. Downloading a VPN will allow you to watch Snowpiercer and more, no matter where you are. This simple bit of software changes your IP address so that you can access episodes live and on demand just like you would at home.

When is Snowpiercer on Netflix? 

International audiences have a small wait before they can watch the first episodes of the Snowpiercer TV series - but the good news is that it's set to drop on Netflix on May 25.

That's when the Snowpiercer release date is scheduled for Netflix in a number of the streaming service's key markets - including the UK, Canada, Australia, and Bong's native South Korea.

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How to watch Run online: stream the new show from anywhere

Posted: 24 May 2020 03:35 AM PDT

Looking for a punchy new show to watch that doesn't conform to TV norms? Then Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Vicky Jones, the dynamic duo behind Fleabag, have just what you need. Read on and find out how to watch Run online and stream every new episode from anywhere in the world, including for free.

Run follows Ruby (played by Emmy-winning Nurse Jackie star Merritt Wever) as she leaves her comfortable suburban family life behind to reunite with college sweetheart Billy, an Irish life coach. He's played by Domhnall Gleeson, who's come some way since his time as Bill Weasley in the Harry Potter franchise.

The story unfolds as the pair go off on a whirlwind trip across America to honor a pact they made back at university - if either one of them texts the word "run" and the other replies with the same, it's time to drop everything and meet at Grand Central Station in New York City.

A transatlantic co-production between HBO and Sky Comedy, Jones serves as writer and producer, while Waller-Bridge stars as key character Laurel in addition to her executive producer credit. Keep reading and we'll tell you where to watch Run online and stream every episode no matter where you are right now.

How to watch Run online in the US

How to watch Run in the UK

How to watch Run online in Canada right now

How to watch Run online in Australia 

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Google Messages app is preparing end-to-end encryption for RCS chat

Posted: 24 May 2020 03:30 AM PDT

Code spotted in an upcoming version of the Google Messages app suggests that end-to-end encryption is in the pipeline for RCS messaging – the SMS upgrade that Google has pushed out in the US, the UK and various other countries.

An unreleased build of Messages was obtained by APKMirror, and as 9to5Google reports, the app mentions end-to-end encryption as an option for RCS. The key security upgrade would put it on a par with the likes of iMessage and WhatsApp.

If we've completely lost you already, RCS (Rich Communication Services) offers a few benefits over SMS: better quality photos and videos, read receipts, and several other tweaks you would expect in a modern chatting app on your phone.

RCS is a little bit different from a chatting app like Facebook Messenger or Telegram though – it works on a more fundamental level, so the technology can be built into different apps. At the moment, Google is its biggest fan, which is why it's been integrated into Google Messages on Android.

Pick your chat app

While RCS in Google Messages is definitely an upgrade on SMS, the current lack of end-to-end encryption is one reason why you might not use it as your preferred messaging platform of choice.

End-to-end encryption means messages are completely scrambled for everyone except the contacts in the conversation. The contents of your conversations are hidden from app developers, phone makers, law enforcement, and so on.

The code fragments that have been spotted suggest Google is now working to add end-to-end encryption for sending messages, sharing a location and so on. On a weak internet connection, SMS and MMS could still be used as a fallback. At the moment though it's not clear how long these features might take to reach users.

XDA Developers also found mentions of RCS integration with Google Fi, and future improvements to the way that Google Messages is backed up in the cloud. As soon as any of these features become official, we'll let you know.

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Artificial intelligence is hopelessly biased - and that's how it will stay

Posted: 24 May 2020 03:07 AM PDT

Much has been said about the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to transform many aspects of business and society for the better. In the opposite corner, science fiction has the doomsday narrative covered handily.

To ensure AI products function as their developers intend - and to avoid a HAL9000 or Skynet-style scenario - the common narrative suggests that data used as part of the machine learning (ML) process must be carefully curated, to minimise the chances the product inherits harmful attributes.

According to Richard Tomsett, AI Researcher at IBM Research Europe, “our AI systems are only as good as the data we put into them. As AI becomes increasingly ubiquitous in all aspects of our lives, ensuring we’re developing and training these systems with data that is fair, interpretable and unbiased is critical.”

Left unchecked, the influence of undetected bias could also expand rapidly as appetite for AI products accelerates, especially if the means of auditing underlying data sets remain inconsistent and unregulated.

However, while the issues that could arise from biased AI decision making - such as prejudicial recruitment or unjust incarceration - are clear, the problem itself is far from black and white. 

Questions surrounding AI bias are impossible to disentangle from complex and wide-ranging issues such as the right to data privacy, gender and race politics, historical tradition and human nature - all of which must be unraveled and brought into consideration.

Meanwhile, questions over who is responsible for establishing the definition of bias and who is tasked with policing that standard (and then policing the police) serve to further muddy the waters.

The scale and complexity of the problem more than justifies doubts over the viability of the quest to cleanse AI of partiality, however noble it may be.

What is algorithmic bias?

Algorithmic bias can be described as any instance in which discriminatory decisions are reached by an AI model that aspires to impartiality. Its causes lie primarily in prejudices (however minor) found within the vast data sets used to train machine learning (ML) models, which act as the fuel for decision making. 

Biases underpinning AI decision making could have real-life consequences for both businesses and individuals, ranging from the trivial to the hugely significant.

For example, a model responsible for predicting demand for a particular product, but fed data relating to only a single demographic, could plausibly generate decisions that lead to the loss of vast sums in potential revenue.

Equally, from a human perspective, a program tasked with assessing requests for parole or generating quotes for life insurance plans could cause significant damage if skewed by an inherited prejudice against a certain minority group.

According to Jack Vernon, Senior Research Analyst at IDC, the discovery of bias within an AI product can, in some circumstances, render it completely unfit for purpose.

“Issues arise when algorithms derive biases that are problematic or unintentional. There are two usual sources of unwanted biases: data and the algorithm itself,” he told TechRadar Pro via email.

“Data issues are self-explanatory enough, in that if features of a data set used to train an algorithm have problematic underlying trends, there's a strong chance the algorithm will pick up and reinforce these trends.”

“Algorithms can also develop their own unwanted biases by mistake...Famously, an algorithm for identifying polar bears and brown bears had to be discarded after it was discovered the algorithm based its classification on whether there was snow on the ground or not, and didn't focus on the bear's features at all.”

Vernon’s example illustrates the eccentric ways in which an algorithm can diverge from its intended purpose - and it’s this semi-autonomy that can pose a threat, if a problem goes undiagnosed.

The greatest issue with algorithmic bias is its tendency to compound already entrenched disadvantages. In other words, bias in an AI product is unlikely to result in a white-collar banker having their credit card application rejected erroneously, but may play a role in a member of another demographic (which has historically had a greater proportion of applications rejected) suffering the same indignity.

The question of fair representation

The consensus among the experts we consulted for this piece is that, in order to create the least prejudiced AI possible, a team made up of the most diverse group of individuals should take part in its creation, using data from the deepest and most varied range of sources.

The technology sector, however, has a long-standing and well-documented issue with diversity where both gender and race are concerned.

In the UK, only 22% of directors at technology firms are women - a proportion that has remained practically unchanged for the last two decades. Meanwhile, only 19% of the overall technology workforce are female, far from the 49% that would accurately represent the ratio of female to male workers in the UK.

Among big tech, meanwhile, the representation of minority groups has also seen little progress. Google and Microsoft are industry behemoths in the context of AI development, but the percentage of black and Latin American employees at both firms remains miniscule.

According to figures from 2019, only 3% of Google’s 100,000+ employees were Latin American and 2% were black - both figures up by only 1% over 2014. Microsoft’s record is only marginally better, with 5% of its workforce made up of Latin Americans and 3% black employees in 2018.

The adoption of AI in enterprise, on the other hand, skyrocketed during a similar period according to analyst firm Gartner, increasing by 270% between 2015-2019. The clamour for AI products, then, could be said to be far greater than the commitment to ensuring their quality.

Patrick Smith, CTO at data storage firm PureStorage, believes businesses owe it not just to those that could be affected by bias to address the diversity issue, but also to themselves.

“Organisations across the board are at risk of holding themselves back from innovation if they only recruit in their own image. Building a diversified recruitment strategy, and thus a diversified employee base, is essential for AI because it allows organisations to have a greater chance of identifying blind spots that you wouldn’t be able to see if you had a homogenous workforce,” he said.

“So diversity and the health of an organisation relates specifically to diversity within AI, as it allows them to address unconscious biases that otherwise could go unnoticed.”

Further, questions over precisely how diversity is measured add another layer of complexity. Should a diverse data set afford each race and gender equal representation, or should representation of minorities in a global data set reflect the proportions of each found in the world population?

In other words, should data sets feeding globally applicable models contain information relating to an equal number of Africans, Asians, Americans and Europeans, or should they represent greater numbers of Asians than any other group?

The same question can be raised with gender, because the world contains 105 men for every 100 women at birth.

The challenge facing those whose goal it is to develop AI that is sufficiently impartial (or perhaps proportionally impartial) is the challenge facing societies across the globe. How can we ensure all parties are not only represented, but heard - and when historical precedent is working all the while to undermine the endeavor?

Is data inherently prejudiced?

The importance of feeding the right data into ML systems is clear, correlating directly with AI’s ability to generate useful insights. But identifying the right versus wrong data (or good versus bad) is far from simple.

As Tomsett explains, “data can be biased in a variety of ways: the data collection process could result in badly sampled, unrepresentative data; labels applied to the data through past decisions or human labellers may be biased; or inherent structural biases that we do not want to propagate may be present in the data.”

“Many AI systems will continue to be trained using bad data, making this an ongoing problem that can result in groups being put at a systemic disadvantage,” he added.

It would be logical to assume that removing data types that could possibly inform prejudices - such as age, ethnicity or sexual orientation - might go some way to solving the problem. However, auxiliary or adjacent information held within a data set can also serve to skew output.

An individual’s postcode, for example, might reveal much about their characteristics or identity. This auxiliary data could be used by the AI product as a proxy for the primary data, resulting in the same level of discrimination.

Further complicating matters, there are instances in which bias in an AI product is actively desirable. For example, if using AI to recruit for a role that demands a certain level of physical strength - such as firefighter - it is sensible to discriminate in favor of male applicants, because biology dictates the average male is physically stronger than the average female. In this instance, the data set feeding the AI product is indisputably biased, but appropriately so.

This level of depth and complexity makes auditing for bias, identifying its source and grading data sets a monumentally challenging task.

To tackle the issue of bad data, researchers have toyed with the idea of bias bounties, similar in style to bug bounties used by cybersecurity vendors to weed out imperfections in their services. However, this model operates on the assumption an individual is equipped to to recognize bias against any other demographic than their own - a question worthy of a whole separate debate.

Another compromise could be found in the notion of Explainable AI (XAI), which dictates that developers of AI algorithms must be able to explain in granular detail the process that leads to any given decision generated by their AI model.

“Explainable AI is fast becoming one of the most important topics in the AI space, and part of its focus is on auditing data before it’s used to train models,” explained Vernon.

“The capability of AI explainability tools can help us understand how algorithms have come to a particular decision, which should give us an indication of whether biases the algorithm is following are problematic or not.”

Transparency, it seems, could be the first step on the road to addressing the issue of unwanted bias. If we’re unable to prevent AI from discriminating, the hope is we can at least recognise discrimination has taken place.

Are we too late?

The perpetuation of existing algorithmic bias is another problem that bears thinking about. How many tools currently in circulation are fueled by significant but undetected bias? And how many of these programs might be used as the foundation for future projects?

When developing a piece of software, it’s common practice for developers to draw from a library of existing code, which saves time and allows them to embed pre-prepared functionalities into their applications.

The problem, in the context of AI bias, is that the practice could serve to extend the influence of bias, hiding away in the nooks and crannies of vast code libraries and data sets.

Hypothetically, if a particularly popular piece of open source code were to exhibit bias against a particular demographic, it’s possible the same discriminatory inclination could embed itself at the heart of many other products, unbeknownst to their developers.

According to Kacper Bazyliński, AI Team Leader at software development firm Neoteric, it is relatively common for code to be reused across multiple development projects, depending on their nature and scope.

“If two AI projects are similar, they often share some common steps, at least in data pre- and post-processing. Then it’s pretty common to transplant code from one project to another to speed up the development process,” he said.

“Sharing highly biased open source data sets for ML training makes it possible that the bias finds its way into future products. It’s a task for the AI development teams to prevent from happening.”

Further, Bazyliński notes that it’s not uncommon for developers to have limited visibility into the kinds of data going into their products.

“In some projects, developers have full visibility over the data set, but it’s quite often that some data has to be anonymized or some features stored in data are not described because of confidentiality,” he noted.

This isn’t to say code libraries are inherently bad - they are no doubt a boon for the world’s developers - but their potential to contribute to the perpetuation of bias is clear.

“Against this backdrop, it would be a serious mistake to...conclude that technology itself is neutral,” reads a blog post from Google-owned AI firm DeepMind.

“Even when bias does not originate with software developers, it is still repackaged and amplified by the creation of new products, leading to new opportunities for harm.”

Bias might be here to stay

‘Bias’ is an inherently loaded term, carrying with it a host of negative baggage. But it is possible bias is more fundamental to the way we operate than we might like to think - inextricable from the human character and therefore anything we produce.

According to Alexander Linder, VP Analyst at Gartner, the pursuit of impartial AI is misguided and impractical, by virtue of this very human paradox.

“Bias cannot ever be totally removed. Even the attempt to remove bias creates bias of its own - it’s a myth to even try to achieve a bias-free world,” he told TechRadar Pro.

Tomsett, meanwhile, strikes a slightly more optimistic note, but also gestures towards the futility of an aspiration to total impartiality.

“Because there are different kinds of bias and it is impossible to minimize all kinds simultaneously, this will always be a trade-off. The best approach will have to be decided on a case by case basis, by carefully considering the potential harms from using the algorithm to make decisions,” he explained.

“Machine learning, by nature, is a form of statistical discrimination: we train machine learning models to make decisions (to discriminate between options) based on past data.”

The attempt to rid decision making of bias, then, runs at odds with the very mechanism humans use to make decisions in the first place. Without a measure of bias, AI cannot be mobilised to work for us.

It would be patently absurd to suggest AI bias is not a problem worth paying attention to, given the obvious ramifications. But, on the other hand, the notion of a perfectly balanced data set, capable of rinsing all discrimination from algorithmic decision-making, seems little more than an abstract ideal.

Life, ultimately, is too messy. Perfectly egalitarian AI is unachievable, not because it’s a problem that requires too much effort to solve, but because the very definition of the problem is in constant flux.

The conception of bias varies in line with changes to societal, individual and cultural preference - and it is impossible to develop AI systems within a vacuum, at a remove from these complexities.

To be able to recognize biased decision making and mitigate its damaging effects is critical, but to eliminate bias is unnatural - and impossible.

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Weird tech we’ve bought during lockdown – and how it might help you

Posted: 24 May 2020 03:00 AM PDT

Lockdown has presented all sorts of challenges for each of us to overcome. Whether it’s adapting to working from home, protecting our devices or finding fun new activities to stave off boredom, we’ve all found it tough to cope during this difficult time.

But being stuck in one place has had some advantages. It’s encouraged us to think outside the box and come up with new solutions to problems we didn’t even know we had. With that in mind, we asked the TechRadar team if they’ve bought any new tech that they might not have considered before.

From beauty to self-care products and everything in between, here is some of the weird tech we’ve bought during lockdown.

Heattech thermal leggings 

Heattech thermal leggings

Even though summer is almost upon us, my flat continues to be a biome of wintry chill. Mornings are pleasant, as the sun fills my home office with warming rays of hope, but once the afternoon approaches things take a frosty turn. The sun makes its way to the opposite side of my flat and suddenly I’m plunged into what feels like total darkness. My legs quickly begin to absorb all the cold they can (a trait I’ve apparently inherited from my grandfather), and suddenly it feels like the lower half of my body is submerged in an ice bath. 

My solution? Thermal leggings. Specifically, I've opted for Uniqlo’s awesome heattech range, which are designed to keep you warm without the discomfort of wearing a second pair of pants. Heattech is made of a special blend of materials that wick your body’s moisture into the fibers, and convert its kinetic energy into heat. Honestly, they’re a total game-changer, and were it not for lockdown, there’s no way I would have had the foresight to purchase them. Now my pins are toasty warm, come rain or shine. - Adam Vjestica

Fitfort Blackhead Remover 

Fitfort Blackhead Remover

I’ve been using a manual blackhead remover for some time but, when I lost it, I decided it was about time to invest in an electronic blackhead remover. It’s essentially a small handheld vacuum for your face that aims to suck the dirt out of your pores, reduce grease and cleanse your skin. The Fitfort Blackhead Remover comes with a few nozzles to tackle big or small blackheads, plus an exfoliator head for those who want to get rid of some dead skin. 

You essentially run the device over your problem areas, sucking up all the badness and providing much satisfaction for those who love watching Dr Pimple Popper and the like – you can even see the sucked-out blackheads in the cleanable filter!

There are different suction levels depending on how embedded your blackhead may be, but be careful not to linger on any area for too long or you’ll end up with a bunch of tiny face hickies... and nobody wants that. - Vic Hood

Mobile Air Conditioner 

Mobile air conditioner

In the UK, it’s suddenly gotten hot, and our homes are not well-equipped to deal with rising temperatures. After a couple of disgustingly sticky nights and extremely muggy days, we made the call. Enough was enough. It was time to take a permanent journey to the cool side of the pillow in the form of making an entire room cool.

As we look forward to the delivery of our mobile air conditioner in just a couple of days, I am left sweating it out in front of my laptop – but the sweet release of cool air is now visible on the horizon, and I cannot wait.

However, how long will it last? The weather, I mean. As quickly as the UK heats up, it can just as quickly go the opposite way, potentially leaving us staring at a white elephant in the corner – the fear of buyers remorse is real, but the promise of an uninterrupted night’s sleep is far more appealing. 

Fingers crossed mother nature keeps her side of the bargain, to justify our outlay. - John McCann

iPhone Sports Band

iPhone sports band

New York City is slowly emerging from lockdown, and the ability to go outside and exercise has been a boon for our bicycle sharing program, Citibike. I see them everywhere and, with a fraction of car traffic on the streets of Manhattan, I decided to sign up. The only problem? I can’t look at my phone while riding – I need two hands on the handlebars (NYC’s potholes weren’t getting filled before and sure aren’t getting filled now) and Citibike’s thick handlebars discourage mounting smartphones and GoPros, annoyingly.

Enter the Comsoon Sports Wristband, 360° Rotatable Forearm Armband Phone Holder. This wristband meant for sports attaches to my arm and secures my iPhone 11 Pro Max to me as if I were wearing an oversized Apple Watch. No, I’m not using it to irresponsibly text people and watch YouTube videos while riding a bike – it’s helpful for figuring out where to go via the Maps app and opening up the Citibike app to pinpoint an open dock where I can return the bike. Pre-lockdown, I wouldn’t have considered this an essential, but now I’m using my ‘iPhone watch’ everywhere I go and patting myself on the back – with two free hands. - Matt Swider

Lego Land Rover Defender 90

Lego land rover

We’re all spending much more time at home, and there’s only so much Netflix we can watch, computer games we can play and time-wasting on our phones until our eyes really do turn square.

To give my eyes a break I needed an offline activity, something to occupy my time and mind. Say hello to the Lego Land Rover Defender 90. Ordered from the Lego website – via a cashback website, every little helps – the Defender arrived within just a few days.

It’s a significant set, with over 2,500 pieces and a complex 4-speed sequential gearbox and gear selector with 2 levers for engaging high or low gear, all-wheel drive, independent suspension, functioning steering and an in-line 6-cylinder engine with moving pistons. As you'd expect with such a complicated build, I’ve already ploughed more than seven hours into it and probably still have a couple more left. This 3D mechanics puzzle (not a children's toy, I tell myself) is a brilliant way to pass the time, and I’m already thinking about what I might get next. - John McCann

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The end of the road for OnePlus McLaren phones couldn't come soon enough

Posted: 24 May 2020 01:00 AM PDT

On December 11, 2018 I made the early-morning journey across London and out to the McLaren Technology Centre. The gleaming, pristine, lakeside headquarters of the supercar manufacturer welcomed the arriving media, but what I was there to see wasn't a vehicle. 

A shame, as I'd love to get behind the wheel of a McLaren, but I was there for a smartphone launch. This wasn't just any smartphone launch though, something felt a bit special about this particular event.

As we made our way down the spiral staircase into McLaren's Batcave-like underground Thought Leadership Centre the grandeur and excitement levels increased. A partnership between an up-and-coming handset maker and one of the most technologically advanced performance firm's on the planet - now that had the potential to be really exciting.

We filed into the circular, Star Trek Holodeck-like presentation room, took our seat in one of the large swivel chairs, marveled at the sheer number of screens at each seating position and watched the reveal.

McLaren's Star Trek Holodeck-like presentation room

We then made our way back to the atrium to be greeted by personalized podiums, atop of which sat review units of the OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition. My podium had my name on in, and the box for this special edition didn’t disappoint. 

As I wrote at the time: Slide the black box, with its carbon fiber texture effect, out of the papaya orange sleeve, and open it up and you're greeted by a book titled Salute to Speed. Pull it out and set it aside for a moment, and it will reveal goodies beneath.

There's a charging block, charging cable and 3.5mm adapter all finished in orange, alongside a carbon fiber effect case and a card with a message from OnePlus CEO and founder Pete Lau.

Under the case there's another special edition treat, a McLaren Speedmark logo made from the carbon fiber used in the firm's Formula 1 car. It's encased in glass, so you can show it off to friends at home.

Then you got to the phone itself. A flash of McLaren’s iconic Papaya Orange hue on the back, a custom wallpaper, more RAM, faster charging and a higher price tag were the only differences between it and the standard OnePlus 6T.

It was still a great phone at a good price, but the payoff didn’t match the build up.

The automotive obsession

This wasn’t the first time we’d seen smartphone manufacturers team up with automotive brands. BlackBerry made a number of highly-price Porsche Design handsets before the German automaker switched to Huawei for three more phones during 2018 and 2019 - the Mate RS, Mate 20 RS and Mate 30 RS.

Meanwhile, Oppo teamed up with Lamborghini in the middle of 2018 to bring us the costly Oppo Find X Lamborghini.

Along with OnePlus, these smartphone makers were keen to get their brand out to an even wider audience as they attempted to tackle the dominance of the likes of Apple and Samsung in an ever-increasingly crowded market.

However, it seemed that none of them managed to really harness the possibilities of the car firms they were working with - especially OnePlus.

It followed up the 6T McLaren Edition a year later with the OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren Edition and the differences between it and the standard OnePlus 7T Pro were just as minimal. The differences consisted of a tribal-tattoo design and splash of Papaya Orange on the rear, 12GB of RAM (up from 8GB) and 5G connectivity.

If you’re not going to utilize any of your partner’s technology in a special edition handset bearing both of your names, and instead just make cursory upgrades which could quite easily have been a secondary spec option of the standard model, it feels like a huge missed opportunity.

However, at the start of 2020 it appeared the penny may have finally dropped for OnePlus and McLaren. At CES 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada, the smartphone manufacturer had a concept phone it was showing off - and more importantly, it was actually using McLaren technology.

The OnePlus Concept One featured electrochromic glass

Dubbed the OnePlus Concept One, the smartphone had 'invisible' rear cameras. The handset used McLaren's electrochromic glass technology which allows you to adjust the opacity of the glass from opaque to transparent.

It’s the same technology McLaren uses in the glass roof of its 570GT and 720S supercars, allowing for electronically tintable glass on request. While the implementation of technology on the OnePlus Concept One was relatively simple in the fact that all it did was hide the rear cameras from view, we were finally seeing an automotive input in a device.

However, since showing off the concept phone at CES, OnePlus has stayed silent on any possible future of the technology on its upcoming phones, and with the news that OnePlus and McLaren may part ways after just two generations of handsets, it’s probably for the best.

McLaren can get back to focusing on its supercar and racing portfolios, while OnePlus can concentrate on its main handset range. 

We expect it to launch the OnePlus 8T and 8T Pro in the second half of 2020, and without a third-party brand tie-in it will hopefully mean it can get back to doing what it does best - making great, high-end smartphones - without diluting its offering with confusing and lackluster special editions.

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Huami Amazfit Bip S to launch in India on June 3rd

Posted: 23 May 2020 09:02 PM PDT

Update (May 24): Amazon has revealed the price of Amazfit Bip S on the site already. It will be priced at Rs 4,999, similar to the Amazfit Bip.

With the greater growth witnessed in the wearables segment in India, Huami Corporation, a biometric and activity data-driven company with significant expertise in smart wearable technology, will launch its Amazfit Bip S smartwatch in India.

Slated for a June 3rd launch in the country, the Amazfit Bip S was first unveiled at CES 2020. It is an affordable smartwatch equipped with power-packed battery life, compass, and sleep tracking with ultra-lightweight and thin body design. 

It has a colourful transflective display and 5 ATM water resistance which translates to “Water-Resistant to 50 Meters”, so a dip in the swimming pool should not be a problem. The company claims a battery life of 40 days which is quite exceptional for a smartwatch. 

Huami Amazfit Bip S

The wearable offers Bluetooth music control and an in-built GPS. At 31 grams, the device is quite lightweight and has a skin-friendly strap made from silicone and TPU. It also comes with GLONASS dual-mode positioning.

Bip S integrates Huami-PAI, a revolutionary personal activity indicator that gives users details about heart health and overall fitness. 

This lightweight and comfortable to wear smartwatch is equipped with 10 sports modes - Treadmill, Outdoor running, Walking, Indoor cycling, Outdoor cycling, to name a few. 

It rocks a 1.28" transflective MIP display with a large viewing area, making it easily viewable under direct and bright sunlight. The display of the smartwatch renders true bright colours with 64 Gamut, which is a welcome feature. 

Overall, the key features of the Huami Bip S promise to be a value for money proposition mainly due to the presence of a heart rate monitor and GPS. Being a lightweight device and offering great battery life also count in its favour. 

While the price in the US market is around $69.90, it is expected to launch in India below the Rs 5,000 mark.

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This 16-core laptop outperforms Apple’s MacBook Pro, with up to 24TB SSD storage

Posted: 23 May 2020 08:00 PM PDT

Portable workstations don’t come any more expensive than the Eurocom Nightsky ARX15, nor more powerful. The latest addition to Eurocom’s roster is built around AMD’s Ryzen processor family and is available with the Ryzen 9 3950X, the most powerful CPU available in any laptop.

It might outperform the MacBook Pro, but don’t expect it to resemble Apple's svelte and swish-looking device. At 2.6Kg and with a thickness of up to 32.5mm, this is a utilitarian laptop that will appeal to those looking for a device that is at least a little future-proof.

What separates Eurocom from other boutique workstation vendors is the bewildering array of options available, with a fully-kitted laptop costing more than $12,000 (roughly £10,000/AU$18,500).

A top-of-the-range Nightsky ARX15 workstation with all the bells and whistles comes with an RTX2070 (with 8GB GDDR6), 64GB Samsung RAM and 16TB storage (across three SSD), which should increase to a staggering 24TB once Sabrent 8TB SSDs are widely available.

The rest of the specs are less exciting: a 15.6-inch full HD 144Hz IPS display with 90% sRGB (not a 17-inch as some might expect), one GbE LAN with an Intel Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650x chip and a 62WHr battery, which we reckon will deliver a rather disappointing battery life.

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The XPS 13 laptop on sale for $699.99 is Dell's best Memorial Day deal

Posted: 23 May 2020 05:22 PM PDT

Dell's Memorial Day sale is happening now which means you score record-low prices on best-selling laptops. Dell's best Memorial Day deal is the XPS 13 laptop that's on sale for just $699.99. That's a $319 discount and the best price we've found for the powerful laptop.

The Dell XPS 13 features a 13.3-inch InfinityEdge display and packs 4GB of RAM, 128GB SSD, and an 8th Generation Intel Core i3-8145U processor. The powerful 2-in-1 laptop received an upgraded battery life of up to 19 hours, and the new 2.25mm webcam is now placed above the display. Perfect for students and travel, the lightweight XPS 13 is Dell's smallest 13-inch laptop and weighs just 2.7 pounds.

Shop more of the best laptop deals from Dell's Memorial Day sale below, and if you're interested in more offers, you can shop our roundup of the best Memorial Day sale events that are happening now.

Dell Memorial Day laptop deals:

See more laptop sales with the best cheap laptop deals: prices start at just $129 today and shop more offers with the best Memorial Day sales 2020.

You can also see more of the best cheap Dell laptop deals and prices.

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