Apple : SpaceX launch video replay: how to rewatch Saturday's liftoff |
- SpaceX launch video replay: how to rewatch Saturday's liftoff
- The Beats Solo 3 wireless reach their lowest price on Amazon ever in US and UK
- SIM only deals: get six months of Disney Plus and 10GB of data for £10 a month
- This weekend's best gaming laptop deals can save you up to $500
- Thought the lockdown would lead to a spike in smart speaker sales? Think again
- Apple Watch deals: the Series 3 is still available for one of it's lowest prices ever
- India blocks File transfer service WeTransfer - here's what we know
- You can now hire Uber drivers by the hour in select US cities
- Patience is a virtue: 5 things I want to buy during Amazon Prime Day 2020
- Nintendo Switch hidden gems: 6 underrated Switch games you need to play
- Americans are wary about contact tracing apps
- What's next for WhatsApp: new features and tools on the horizon
- Virgin's broadband and TV deals are great value this weekend and with no setup fee
- Space Force on Netflix isn't funny enough
- Android 11 release date, beta, features and what we know about the next OS update
- Android 11 reveal delayed as Google pushes back its big event
- Fibre broadband deals: TalkTalk is a top choice with an £80 voucher and low bills
- Massive Hisense 4K TV deals offer lowest prices yet this weekend
- Call of Duty: Warzone finally has the mode everyone’s been asking for
- This extraordinary 12GB for £8/pm SIM only deal from Three ends soon
| SpaceX launch video replay: how to rewatch Saturday's liftoff Posted: 30 May 2020 01:42 PM PDT Update: The SpaceX launch video replay and continued livestream videos are below via YouTube. We've also embedded the Falcon 9 booster separation and return video replay. All of the important SpaceX video replays are below: liftoff happened at 3:22pm EDT and, beyond the T-0 countdown, we also saw the Falcon 9 rocket back to Earth (and land successfully). You can rewatch videos or tune into the live stream below. How long is the SpaceX live stream? Well, it'll take US NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken 19 hours to get to dock with the International Space Station. The new spacecraft lifted off on Saturday, returning American NASA astronauts to space from US soil for the first time since 2011. Watch the SpaceX launch replay: Video replay for the SpaceX Falcon 9 booster return to Earth Video replay of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket separating from the Dragon Capsule Watch ongoing SpaceX launch live stream via YouTube: Right now, NASA astronauts are above Earth in the SpaceX-made Dragon capsule as you read this, and they're wearing SpaceX-designed spacesuits. The US government's Space Shuttle program ended nine years ago and the private SpaceX has picked up where NASA left off. It's a giant step for space exploration. The live stream commentary is brilliant, insightful and inspiring regarding the future of commercial space travel. Here's a fantastic view from the SpaceX live video of the Dragon Crew fully separated and on the way to the International Space Station, at first rocketing, then boosting a key moments and finally floating their way to the ISS. Okay, yes, it felt like deja vu today if you were like us and watched the SpaceX live stream this past Wednesday. But unlike that first launch attempt, Saturday's launch countdown didn't stop at T-minus 17 minutes. Instead, history was made. It wasn't always clear that today's launch would happen, even minutes before the launch window. "We are predicting a 50/50 shot of going this time," said NASA administrator NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine at the top of the SpaceX live stream. "But given the fact that we are in late May – in Florida – we have to take every shot that we can get." SpaceX and NASA officials were very glad to take that shot. You can see from SpaceX founder Elon Musk's most recent tweet, we're well underway, and there were plenty of cheers from the watch area surrounding the Florida launchpad. Today's SpaceX Demo-2 mission was delayed and a second attempt, but it was always going to be historic, as it's happening at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It's the first such launch on US soil in nearly a decade – since NASA retired the Space Shuttle nine years ago. It's also the first time that a SpaceX reusable spacecraft has sent NASA astronauts into space. It's the birth of commercially-backed human space travel.
The destination of this SpaceX launch is the International Space Station (ISS) for a one- to four-month duration for NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, according to our friends over at Space.com. SpaceX launch time happened on Saturday, May 30The official Demo-2 SpaceX launch time was today, Saturday, May 30 at 3:22pm EDT, so the times across the continental US were 2:22pm CDT / 1:22pm MDT / 12:22pm PDT. The UK SpaceX launch time was 20:22 BST. In addition to tuning into the video live stream, you were able to go outside soon afterward and maybe catch a glimpse of the SpaceX-built spacecraft in the night sky at around 20:40 BST. In Australia, it was already Sunday morning, with the new launch time occurring at 5:22am AEST. SpaceX launch weather concerns subsideUp until the last few minutes of Saturday's SpaceX launch, weather was a concern. It wouldn't have been time, as we saw this play out on Wednesday: "The weather got us," admitted NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine in a somber 30-second Twitter video on Wednesday. "I know there was a lot of disappointment today." Bridenstine went on to explain the reasoning behind what we all saw: the SpaceX launch was scrubbed just 17 minutes inside the launch window, with NASA hanging on until the last minutes in an effort to save its efforts. The weather didn't cooperate. NASA has strict weather rules for clearing spacecraft launches and noted that three weather violations existed, including the chance of the craft triggering 'natural lightning'. If they would have been able to wait ten minutes beyond the countdown, they could have cleared those three violations, according to SpaceX and NASA officials. Waiting even ten minutes wasn't an option, though. This launch was what's known as an 'instantaneous launch window', meaning due orbital mechanics a delay wasn't possible if the crew wanted to get to the International Space Station (ISS) on time and lock in accurately. Blame Newtown's law of universal gravity, if you'd like. The good news is that everything technical with the SpaceX craft and NASA crew was 'go for liftoff' on Wednesday when the hatch door successfully closed. So as long as this weekend's weather cooperates and doesn't trigger NASA's risk calculations, the mission will happen on Saturday. Weather was the only concern, according to NASA during the live stream wrap-up. Even with all of the exceptional planning ahead of this SpaceX launch, NASA and SpaceX can't control the weather (not yet anyway). Florida, while normally sunny, does have frequent quick-moving thunderstorms (anyone who has ever visited nearby Disney World knows that), and that's what the crew faced Wednesday. The SpaceX launch live stream had constant chatter from operators discussing rain conditions. They waited until a few minutes before the countdown expired to scrub the mission, hoping to pull it off. They got to T-minus 17 minutes before making the final decision. Saturday, May 30 will be the next launch date for the SpaceX launch. Another weather variable is the fact that the weather conditions need to be good everywhere this spacecraft might be. For example, if the crew had to abort anywhere along their ascent and come down, recovery crews would need to access the capsule, so it's more than just the immediate Florida launchpad that needs ideal weather. How to watch the SpaceX launch on SaturdayThe official NASA and SpaceX YouTube accounts will be offering a live stream of the preparations, which they noted will feel like deja vu if you had already tuned in for the Wednesday launch. We have the YouTube video embedded (at the top of the page) that is now¸ live. You won't have to travel very far. And don't worry, you don't have to tune into both the NASA and SpaceX live stream videos – they're offering the same content across the two live streams, On Wednesday, we saw SpaceX founder Elon Musk visit suited-up astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken and exchange a few words before liftoff time. Sadly, there was no audio during this portion of the live stream. Musk then greeted US Vice President Mike Pence, who is there to watch the launch, while President Donald Trump joined soon after. Hurley and Behnken traveled to the launch site in a Tesla Model X (Tesla being another company Musk founded). NASA continued to monitor the weather via data sensors around the launch site in an effort to get everything into 'the green position' on their maps. At the time, NASA said, "the weather is trending in the right direction," but as the countdown got to T-minus 17 minutes, favorability went the other direction. This meant that the crew was seated in the capsule after crossing the crew access arm, and the crew arm had already retracted. Steam started to come off of the rocket before the launch was called off. It was that close to liftoff. SpaceX spacecraft, SpaceX suits and NASA astronautsNow that it's Saturday, astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are back inside the small Dragon capsule, which sits atop the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It's situated on a launch pad at legendary Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida’s Cape Canaveral. LC-39A was originally built for the Apollo missions and remodeled for the Space Shuttle program. Now it's home to the first space flight to send astronauts into space using a private aerospace company. Hurley (the spacecraft commander) and Behnken (the joint operations commander) are NASA astronauts, engineers and both former members of US military (Hurley is a former marine, while Behnken was in the US Air Force). The two-man NASA crew will not only be flying in a SpaceX-built spacecraft, but also outfitted in SpaceX pressurized suits, first shown off in 2017. They're back suited up again for Saturday's SpaceX launch.
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| The Beats Solo 3 wireless reach their lowest price on Amazon ever in US and UK Posted: 30 May 2020 09:25 AM PDT The Beats Solo 3 wireless headphones are reaching their lowest price ever this weekend at Amazon, where you can pick them up for just $159 / £120 - a neat saving of $40 and £58 respectively. These are sitting at great value right now with the real selling point of the Beats Solo 3 being their fantastic wireless functionality and stunning 12-hour battery life. With Apple's much-lauded W1 wireless chip under the hood, these wireless headphones are made to pair seamlessly with iOS devices, although Android users shouldn't feel left out as they're fully supported as well. They also feature the signature Beats bass response, which ensures that all your favorite tunes' low ends are rendered in an appropriately thumping manner. Audiophiles may prefer the more balanced mid-range on the Bose QuietComfort 35 II's, but for those bass junkies out there, nothing quite does it like the Beats - and they're under half the price of the Bose right now. If you're looking for something a little less bulky, and a little cheaper, then there's also a fantastic Beats deal on the PowerBeats3 wireless earphones for just $89.95 (was $199) - a massive saving of $110 overall, and a perfect addition for any lockdown workout routine. Not in the UK or US? Check out the best Beats deals in your region below. The best cheap Beats deals this weekend
While you're here, we recommend checking out our best Beats deals main page, where we're constantly on the hunt for all the best deals we can find. If you're looking for the Beats sister-line, then head on over to our best Apple AirPods deals page, where we're finding fantastic prices weekly on a whole array of deals. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| SIM only deals: get six months of Disney Plus and 10GB of data for £10 a month Posted: 30 May 2020 09:14 AM PDT There are a lot of great cheap SIM only deals out there but a recent offer from O2 takes it a step further. On top of the excellent data to cost ratio, O2 is also throwing in a pretty tempting freebie. For the first six months of your 18 month contract, O2 will throw in Disney Plus completely free. Considering that's a subscription that would normally cost £5.99, the £10 a month you're paying for this SIM is fantastic. At that price, you're getting 10GB of data which would make this a pretty strong offer even if the subscription wasn't included. With Disney Plus you're getting access to Disney films, Marvel movies, Star Wars content and more. You can find out more about both this O2 SIM only deal and Disney Plus below.
O2 SIM only deals + Disney Plus:What's Disney Plus like?Disney Plus is the new hyped up streaming service and it couldn't have come at a better time. Included is most of the Marvel movies, the popular new Star Wars show 'The Mandalorian' and even all of the episodes of The Simpsons. Read our full Disney Plus review to find out more This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| This weekend's best gaming laptop deals can save you up to $500 Posted: 30 May 2020 08:23 AM PDT Still on the hunt for that lockdown gaming rig? Some first-rate cheap gaming laptop deals can be had this weekend from the likes of Dell, Amazon and Best Buy. Our pick of the bunch is this Asus ROG G531GT for $897 (was $999), which is currently enjoying a neat $100 discount. Without a doubt, the highlight here is the Core i7-9750H - an incredibly fast processor that you don't often see for under $1000, let alone $900. A GTX 1650, 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD round out the rest of the components to offer one speedy competitor for the money. While a faster graphics card would be nice, having an Intel Core i7 makes this Asus great value overall. Though, if you did want that faster graphics card, then consider this Dell G3 15 for $949.99 (was $1149). With this Dell, you can upgrade to a GTX 1660Ti, which is significantly faster, though you'll have to sacrifice that Core i7 for an i5. If you'd like to skip the compromise altogether then this Asus Zephrus for $1099 (was $1199) is a Ryzen 7 equipped beast that offers both a GTX 1660Ti and a top of the line processor to boot. If you feel like really splashing out, then there's also this insane $500 saving to be had on an Alienware M15 R1 at Dell for $1,749.99 (was $2,249). With an RTX 2070, Intel Core i7-8750H, 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD, this is one powerful elite level machine that carries a hefty price tag to match. Not in the US? Check out the best gaming laptop deals near you just below. The best gaming deals this weekend
Want to see what else is around? Head over to our best gaming laptop deals page, where we're constantly on the hunt for the fastest and cheapest machines we can find. If you're simply looking for a laptop for streaming or browsing, then our cheap laptop deals page is another fantastic resource to check out. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Thought the lockdown would lead to a spike in smart speaker sales? Think again Posted: 30 May 2020 08:00 AM PDT Since their inception, smart speakers have been touted as the new center of the home, providing us with music, supplying us with virtual PAs in the form of voice assistants, and acting as the control hub for the myriad smart home devices designed to make our lives easier. However, smart speaker sales are slowing down – and that’s in spite of the lockdown conditions that many people across the world are facing, forcing more and more of us to spend much of our time at home.
You might have expected that all that time at home would lead to more people looking to improve their home audio setups, set up or expand smart home systems, and stay in touch with family using smart displays like the Google Nest Hub and the Amazon Echo Show. That’s not what the numbers suggest, though: according to research firm Strategy Analytics (via Voicebot.ai), 28 million smart speakers were sold globally in Q1 of 2020, down from a peak of 55.8 million in the preceding months. Usage is up, sales are way downIt’s not that people are using their existing smart speakers any less; on the contrary, a report by NPR and Edison found that 52% of people who have speakers equipped with voice assistants said they were using voice tech several times a day or nearly every day, compared to 46% before the Covid-19 outbreak. Similarly, the survey found that “36% of adult smart speaker owners say they are using their device more to listen to music and entertainment”, while 35% of users are listening to more “news and information”. David Watkins, director of Strategy Analytics agrees that lockdown conditions could strengthen the relationship we have with our smart speakers. Explaining the market research firm’s findings, he said that “much opportunity lies ahead of course, but the current stay-at-home conditions present an opportunity for smart speaker vendors and voice assistant operators to reinforce the value proposition of voice-first experience”. So, with smart speaker users clearly finding their devices more useful during the lockdown – we’ve all seen an increase in TV adverts extolling the virtues of making video calls with smart displays – why isn’t that translating to stronger sales? The Lenovo Smart Display (pictured) can be used to make Google Duo video calls with friends and family members. A universal problemWell, it’s a problem that’s affecting the wider tech industry, not just smart speaker manufacturers: people just aren’t buying devices in the numbers they were before the pandemic took hold and disrupted industries – and lives – the world over. Smartphone sales have also plummeted, dropping from 99.2 million in February 2019 to just 61.8 million in February 2020, as Asian factories shut down and shoppers became hesitant to visit brick-and-mortar stores to make purchases. Strategy Analytics’ executive director Neil Mawston, says this was “the biggest-ever fall in history of the worldwide smartphone market”, adding that it’s been a period that “the smartphone industry will want to forget”. Smart speaker manufacturers will likely want to do the same. After all, they’ve seen their sales nearly cleaved in two in a matter of months – aside from production interruptions plaguing the industry, as with other products many of us are simply more cautious when it comes to making big purchases. A silver lining?It’s not all bad news, though. For some manufacturers, the lockdown has been an unexpected source of inspiration that could change the way smart speakers and voice assistants are designed in the future. Mark Spates, Google’s product lead for smart speakers, has admitted that, in some ways, the lockdown has been advantageous for the tech giant. “I think it’s enhanced the insight that we have on these devices, because now we’re spending 100% of our time with them,” he explained. “I would actually say some of the new features you’re going to start seeing is because we’ve been living with our products every single day, finding new use cases for them and actually questioning some things.”. So, as a direct result of the lockdown, we could see better, smarter, easier-to-use Google Nest speakers in the near future – and that could be a boon to smart speaker sales, just when the industry needs it the most. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Apple Watch deals: the Series 3 is still available for one of it's lowest prices ever Posted: 30 May 2020 08:00 AM PDT There's still time to grab a cheap Apple Watch deal with this Apple Watch Series 3 for just $179 (was $199) at Amazon US right now. Surprisingly, this already discounted cheap Apple Watch sale hasn't sold out yet since it was put up as part of the Amazon Memorial Day Apple sale. This is one of the cheapest Apple Watch prices we've seen yet since the Apple Watch 3 settled into it's new $199 retail asking price late last year and a great way to pick up a cheap Apple Watch. The Apple Watch 3 may be a little older than the newer series 4 and 5, but it's still running on the latest iOS software and is so much more affordable right now. It's a little bulkier around the edges but if you're looking for a cheap Apple Watch that will still monitor heart rates, play tunes, and is water-resistant then this is a great option. If you're in the UK, there's also a fantastic offer to be had with this Apple Watch Series 3 for £199 at John Lewis. Not only is it a good price for an Apple watch, but you're also getting John Lewis's two-year warranty included and the option to trade in your old Apple Watch for up to £120 - which makes this potentially a really cheap buy. Not in the US or UK? check out the best Apple Watch deals just below The best Apple Watch deals in the US and UK
If you're looking for the whole range, then our Apple Watch deals article looks at every generation of smartwatch and compares all the best retailers near you. If you'd like to see what other brands are on offer, then our best smartwatch deals page is the best place on the web for smartwatch model and price comparison. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| India blocks File transfer service WeTransfer - here's what we know Posted: 30 May 2020 07:58 AM PDT Popular file transfer service WeTransfer went off the radar for many across India today with reports coming in later in the evening that it has been blocked by the federal government. Responding to user complaints on social media, the company confirmed the block. Early reports suggested that the Department of Telecommunications issued an order blocking the Netherland-based company's file transfer service that is used to send large files (of up to 2GB for the free version) across the world using the cloud-based service.
A partial blockageAs we write this, while some internet providers such as Reliance Jio and Idea-Vodafone have blocked access to WeTransfer, others such as ACT Fibernet continue to allow sharing of files across two email IDs, a fact that was checked by us before writing this piece. The reason proffered by the federal government for taking this decision appears vague as the media reports merely say that it was done in the public interest and national security. It is unclear what specifically led to this decision at this precise moment. Social media outrageEarlier today, users took to social media asking what had happened to the service with some tweeting that the service was not working for them in specific areas. While we tried accessing the service via Ideas-Vodafone, we got the message "You are not authorised to access this webpage as per DoT compliance." On its part WeTransfer responded claiming that their service had been blocked in India and that the team was currently investigating the issue. "We hope to have more details soon. In the meantime, the best workaround is to use a VPN service to access our site," it said. Ban only for two webpages?A report in the Mumbai Mirror claimed that the DoT order was passed close to two weeks ago where two specific webpages of WeTransfer was to be banned. The reasons related to a precondition in the unified license that applies to all internet service providers. Though, now how the entire service got banned today is still something that's not clear. In fact, the timing of the move appears to be intriguing as with several companies getting their staff to work from home, file transferring and sharing had assumed added importance during the lockdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, even the federal government has been actively using WeTransfer for sharing press statements with the media. While there is concern related to how an entire service got blocked without clarity over the reasons behind it, enterprises may not be overly worried about transferring files as there's Google Drive and DropBox that can easily do the same task. Not the first time thoughWeTransfer is not the only file transfer service to have been banned by the government of India. In 2011, the now defunct service MegaUpload too faced the ire of the administration after it was found that miscreants were uploading latest movies onto their server at the height of the cinema piracy episode in the country. In 2014, a court in Delhi ordered the closure of several file sharing services including Google Docs, Rapidshare and Sendspace following complaints filed by Sony network, the official broadcaster of the FIFA World Cup over illegal uploads of matches by similar miscreants. It appears as though a similar fate has befallen WeTransfer due to some isolated misdemeanours of a few of its users. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| You can now hire Uber drivers by the hour in select US cities Posted: 30 May 2020 07:30 AM PDT Uber has announced it's giving users in selected US cities the option to hire drivers by the hour, so you can get a feel for what it's like having your own personal chauffeur on call. The new feature will set you back $50 (about £41/AU$75) per hour, with a variable add-on fee if you cover a lot of miles. Passengers will be matched with a vehicle that fits the Uber Comfort guidelines, with more headroom and legroom. Uber Hourly is going live on Tuesday, June 2, in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle, Tacoma, Tampa Bay, and Washington DC, with a wider roll out planned eventually.
"We built this feature for riders that anticipate needing additional flexibility when taking care of essential tasks, and for drivers so that they could access an additional earning opportunity," says Uber in a blog post. Safety firstApparently the hourly option has already been attested in cities across Australia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East, so presumably it will eventually make its way to most or all of Uber's markets. As yet there's no word on pricing internationally. Uber will be hoping to ramp up ride numbers as countries across the world emerge from self-isolation and lockdown, and has been putting new safety measures in place to protect drivers and passengers. Both drivers and passengers are being asked to wear face masks or covers, while passengers are also requested to sit in the back seat and to keep the windows open. The maximum number of suggested passengers for an UberX ride is now three rather than four. Uber says it has been providing face masks and sanitizing kits for drivers, and will continue to do so over the coming months. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Patience is a virtue: 5 things I want to buy during Amazon Prime Day 2020 Posted: 30 May 2020 07:30 AM PDT Even if the Amazon Prime Day 2020 date is postponed, the deals will be here before you know it. With countless sales across a range of products in a little over three months from now, I’ve found it hard not to second guess my purchasing decisions recently. Should I buy it now or wait for Amazon Prime Day? Inevitably, after shaking my head at the mere idea of waiting, I quickly succumb to the silly “I need it now” mantra that’s largely responsible for all the superfluous tech that fills my home (hello, five pairs of over-ear headphones). But there are some items that I still haven’t bought that I’m banking on getting a big discount, if I can show a little patience and self-restraint… From a super-fast solid state drive to a pair of wireless earbuds, here are five things I’m holding off buying until the rumored Amazon Prime Day date in September. 1. Western Digital Black 1TB NVMe Internal Gaming SSDFor productivity and gaming, nothing beats a solid state NVMe drive. Standard SSDs are great, but they usually have read speeds of around 500 MB/s. A top-tier NVMe drive, however, can deliver read speeds of around 3,500 MB/s. Now that’s fast. Once you’ve experienced how quickly video games can load on an NVMe drive, it’s hard to go back to anything else. The problem is, though, the drives are still very expensive, particularly if you’re looking for anything above 500GB of storage. Here’s hoping Amazon Prime Day 2020 can help me snag a Western Digital Black 1TB NVMe drive on the cheap, then. 2. Amazon Kindle PaperwhiteThe Amazon Kindle is still the king of ereaders, but my 5th generation Paperwhite model is starting to show its age. It doesn’t help that my partner has the latest the Kindle Paperwhite (its one of our best Kindle picks) and is an avid reader, which means I’m reminded of its superiority over my model every night. The 5th generation Paperwhite isn’t obsolete by any means, but the Kindle’s e-ink display has come a long way, and makes my older model look rather pixelated and blurry in comparison. It would be a luxury purchase for sure, but the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is almost guaranteed to go on sale during Amazon Prime Day. 3. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate 12-month subscriptionXbox Game Pass is a phenomenal service that offers truly incredible value, especially if you can save on a yearly subscription. Amazon usually has some great offers on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions, and as a PC and Xbox gamer, if any appear during Amazon Prime Day 2020 I won’t be able to stop myself from snapping up another 12 months. Call it prior preparation for the launch of Halo Infinite and Xbox Series X. 4. Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 earbudsOne tech trend which I haven’t got on board with yet are wireless earbuds, but that could change depending on what deals pop up in September. As an Android user, Apple AirPods aren’t an option, so I’ve got my eye on the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 earbuds. With noise-canceling, support for Hi-Res Audio (I’m a Tidal subscriber so this is a plus), there could be a real bargain to be had if these premium buds go on sale. 5. Logitech Brio Stream WebcamWith more people using video conferencing and communicating over webcam than ever before, this product might be hard to get hold of, especially if it goes on sale during Amazon Prime Day. The Logitech Brio Stream Webcam has everything you could ever want from a webcam: 4K video quality, 60fps and HDR technology to make you look your best in any illumination. As someone who is getting more invested in live-streaming on Twitch, this webcam would make a fine replacement for my Logitech C920.
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| Nintendo Switch hidden gems: 6 underrated Switch games you need to play Posted: 30 May 2020 07:00 AM PDT There are plenty of fantastic Nintendo Switch games out there, but it's fair to say that some titles hog the limelight more than others. (That's right, Mario and Zelda, we're talking about you.) This sometimes means that wonderful (but smaller) Switch games get lost in the Nintendo eShop and never truly get the recognition they deserve. Well, here at TechRadar, we've decided to shine a light on these games. We've put together a list of great Switch games that you may never have heard of – but that you definitely should play. So get your wishlist ready, as these are the top Nintendo Switch hidden gems (AKA the most underrated Switch games) available right now.
1. Dungeon of the EndlessThis recent port of a six-year-old rogue-like game, technically set in the same universe as PC strategy game Endless Space, is a perfect multiplayer dungeon crawler with gorgeous 2D visuals. You pick a character with a specialty, descend ever deeper into the dungeon and fend off waves of enemies. An unexpected good action game that's well worth checking out on Switch. 2. OverlandOverland is a curious Nintendo Switch game, if just for its unrelenting bleakness – as you attempt to travel across post-apocalyptic America in search of some remnants of civilization, with plenty of pitfalls, monsters, and permadeath getting in your way. But beneath the dour setting is also a smart and varied strategy game, with procedurally generated levels (and characters) that feel eerily familiar each time over, and the confidence to take its narrative to the only possible conclusion. 3. Bad NorthSure, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla may be close to launching, but why go big when you can go North? This beautifully-animated Switch game puts you in charge of an army of Viking warriors, beset on all sides – and we mean all sides – by invaders you have to deflect from your island home. The real-time strategy is based on simple mechanics, but which can quickly get taxing if you aren’t paying close attention to the layout of the islands themselves, which are effectively 3D puzzles for you to figure out how best to defend. Watching approaching boats from the mist, with the slow thud of drums in the distance, is as satisfying no matter how many times you experience it too. 4. Sunless Sea: Zubmariner EditionDo the words Lovecraftian-seafaring-text-adventure-roguelike take your fancy? If your answer is “no” then you’re going to have to walk the plank, as you’ll be missing out on one of the Nintendo Switch’s most unique games. Sunless Sea: Zubmariner Edition is an excellent port of the hit indie PC game, which casts you as the captain of a steampunk ship amidst in the gothic tides of a collapsed London, now submerged in a cavernous, waterlogged underworld. You’ll take part in ship-to-ship combat, exploring a randomised map while evading sea monsters and the ever-increasing demands of your loot-hungry, easily terrified crewmates. The real joy here though is in the first-class writing This download-only Nintendo Switch title also includes the Zubmariner DLC pack, which lets you dive the depths of the game’s murky waters. A game to truly lose yourself in. 5. Ape OutEnjoy frenetic jazz, bright colors and rhythm-based violence? The Ape Out may be for you. This top-down, single-player beat-em-up is sure to be unlike anything else you’ve ever played. Players take on the role of a gorilla frantically trying to escape from gun-wielding humans through a series of mazes - each one different than the last. Kill the humans in your way, and use others as shields, as you make your way through the labyrinths to victory. Oh, and the whole thing is scored by chaotic, all-percussion jazz music. The further you get, the more chaotic the music becomes. Ape Out is truly a feast for the eyes and ears. 6. OxenfreeOxenfree is a great Switch choice for those who love classic point-and-click adventures. You play as Alex, an angsty teenager who goes on a weekend trip to a military island with her friends and step-brother. But, unwittingly, the teens open up a supernatural rift on the island, causing things to go a bit awry. Oxenfree is largely choice-based, with players being presented with a variety of dialogue options that range from classic-teenage moody to optimistic, while bigger choices impact how the game plays out. What results is a supernatural thriller combined with a coming-of-age tale – and a Switch game you absolutely have to play.
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| Americans are wary about contact tracing apps Posted: 30 May 2020 06:00 AM PDT New research from ExpressVPN has revealed that while many Americans distrust contact tracing apps, they are still willing to use them for the greater good during the global pandemic. The VPN provider surveyed 1,200 American adults to find that 75 percent of respondents believe that contact tracing apps violate a person's privacy and 77 percent think these apps put them are at risk of long term mass surveillance. However, Americans do realize that these uncertain times require complex, out-of-the-box solutions. Despite the potential loss of privacy as a result of contact tracing apps, 59 percent of those surveyed did indicate a willingness to forgo some of their rights for the sake of public health.
Vice president of ExpressVPN, Harold Li provided further insight on the survey's findings in a blog post, saying: “It’s clear that most Americans are invested in the public-health benefits of using contact-tracing technology. However, privacy concerns continue to weigh heavily, and it’s clear that governments and tech companies need to place clear limits and safeguards on contact-tracing efforts,” Contact tracing appsGoogle and Apple have developed a contact tracing API which use Bluetooth and GPS data to provide a low-cost solution to find out who those infected with Covid-19 have come into contact with. Contact tracing is not a new idea and in the past, it has been done manually but this requires a lot more work as well as time. Singapore, South Korea, Iceland and Israel are all currently using contact tracing apps to fight the spread of Covid-19 while Australia and the UK are in the process of creating localized versions of these apps for their residents. However, states such as New York, California and Massachusetts have eschewed contact tracing apps and have instead decided to take an analog approach. These states have hired tens of thousands of people to act as manual contact tracers and doctors and public health officials across the US are urging the federal government to follow suit. They argue that manual contact tracing has been practiced for decades and the current situation is too dire to use an untested tech-based approach. Over half (54%) of ExpressVPN survey respondents expressed willingness to voluntarily download a contact tracing app, though concerns about potential data misuse are still high. Of those surveyed, 84 percent believe the government could overstep its boundaries with the data and 79 percent believe that tech giants could as well. Contact tracing will soon be coming to your iPhone or Android smartphone. In fact, Apple's latest iOS 13.5 update includes a new feature called Exposure Notifications that contains the API needed for contact tracing apps to function. The update also makes it easier to use Apple's Face ID when wearing a face mask so that users don't have to remove them to unlock their phones.
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| What's next for WhatsApp: new features and tools on the horizon Posted: 30 May 2020 06:00 AM PDT It’s been a busy few months for WhatsApp. In February, the app’s long-awaited dark mode arrived, accompanied by a tongue-in-cheek video soundtracked by a rare recording of Paul Simon’s The Sound of Silence. It was no mean feat – creating a new look for an app used by 1.5 billion took months of work, and the fanfare was justified – but the developers soon had a far bigger challenge on their hands: the coronavirus crisis. With physical contact banned throughout much of the world, developers had to move fast to keep up with the demands of millions of users depending on its services to keep in touch. Features like animated stickers were seemingly pushed to the back burner, and video calls came to the fore. "Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic we have seen that the use of voice and video calls has increased substantially on WhatsApp,” a WhatsApp spokesperson told TechRadar. “We expanded voice and video calling to eight participants in order to help bigger families and groups of friends stay connected at this difficult time, safe in the knowledge that their private calls are protected by end to end encryption." Messenger RoomsWhatsApp’s video chat service will get a further boost very soon with the integration of Facebook’s newly released Messenger Rooms. As its name suggests, Rooms was first launched as part of Facebook Messenger, but the company is integrating it into other apps and products too, including WhatsApp, Instagram and Portal devices. Rooms differs from WhatsApp’s video chats in a number of ways, allowing up to 50 people to pop in and out of a conversation in an ad-hoc way. Rather than scheduling a meeting at a specific time, as you would in Zoom or Google Meet, you can simply open a room and friends can drop in if they happen to be around – more like a lounge than a boardroom or a phone call. Tiffany Dohzen, product manager for Messenger Rooms, told TechRadar about her experience making the new app, and what sets it apart from tools like Zoom, Skype and Google Meet. She explained that while Facebook had been exploring ways to expand further into video chat for some time, the coronavirus pandemic was what really kickstarted development. Up to eight people can now join a standard WhatsApp video chat “The idea of rooms as a product came around once we realised the accelerating needs for a product where you can spontaneously join and have hangouts really in the last few months,” she said. “Some of the cool things, beyond just video calls, are a lot of safety controls. We put huge value on not just making sure Rooms was fun, but also really safe. The creator can lock the room, kick someone out if they are misbehaving, and if you’ve blocked someone on Facebook they can’t join the Room. “We’ve also added lots of collaborative features, cool effects on the mobile apps, and new ones like lighting and backgrounds. The backgrounds are really cool. Some are animated, you can move them around.” Links to Messenger Rooms have already been spotted in WhatsApp beta releases for iPhone and Android, and although we don’t yet know when it will be fully integrated, the teams are wasting no time. Messenger Rooms on the desktop As Dohzen explains, the Messenger Rooms team themselves are using the tool to keep in touch on a daily basis, which has resulted in faster development than might have been possible in ‘normal’ times. “It’s early days,” she explained. “We want to adapt and respond to what people need. We’re really excited that in a time when people are working remotely we were able to launch a product remotely using the product itself. “It’s really rare that you get to use a product like this [every day] because you need it. We ended up getting it to a place of polish much faster than if we hadn’t been using it remotely. Seeing it evolve into different use cases and feeling that we have that universal access – everyone can use it for free without worrying about time limits.” Stickers, encrypted backups and moreSo what else is on the way? The previously mentioned animated stickers haven’t been spotted since April, when they were found by the ever-vigilant writers at WABetaInfo, but they seem to be well into development might still appear later this year once things have settled down into a ‘new normal’. New automatic download rules look like another very handy addition. If and when these are implemented, they would prevent frequently forwarded images, videos and documents from being downloaded automatically, saving your phone’s precious storage space. Business users are likely to get some attention as well, as encrypted backups and QR codes have both appeared in a recent beta. Once implemented, this would allow iPhone users to choose whether their backups are encrypted on iCloud, and set a password that would be required for the backups to be recovered. Businesses would also be able to share their contact details with customers via a scanned code displayed on-screen. However, with the continued demand for video conferencing and chat tools, it looks like Messenger Rooms shortcuts will be the next big feature to arrive in WhatsApp. “Right now it’s rolled out worldwide through Messenger,” explained Dohzen, “Messenger on the desktop or apps. We’re working on launching it from WhatsApp and Instagram – those are already in testing. That’s the biggest. And it will be coming to portal – the ability to create a room from your Portal, [which has] a bigger screen – bur we don’t have a date specifically for it yet.” We’ll keep you posted as soon as we do. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Virgin's broadband and TV deals are great value this weekend and with no setup fee Posted: 30 May 2020 05:33 AM PDT Spending your weekend scouring the web for the perfect broadband and TV deals to upgrade to? There is a lot of choice out there from the likes of Sky, BT and more but two offers especially stand out at the moment - and they both come from Virgin. The cheaper of these two offers is Virgin's Big Bundle. It offers speeds averaging 108Mb, over 110 channels, inclusive weekend calls and the ability to pause live TV. All of that comes in at just £29.99 a month and, for this weekend only, you don't even need to pay any fees upfront. That's great for those on a budget but for those who want something a bit more feature packed - that's where Virgin's Bigger Bundle steps in. This package is a...well, bigger version of the Big Bundle, offering a host of additional channels. Your speeds are the same, the weekend calls are the same but when it comes to TV there is a major bump up. You're getting in excess of 220 channels including BT Sport in 4K Ultra HD and a number of top Sky channels in HD. We've listed both of these offers below so you can choose the one that best fits your needs. It is worth nothing however that the upfront costs will go back up to £35 on Sunday at 11.59pm so you'll get an extra saving if you get there in time.
Is Virgin fibre broadband available in my area?Approximately 60% of UK households can get superfast Virgin broadband. It's quite simple to find out of you're part of this percentage - head over to our dedicated Virgin broadband deals page, enter your postcode where indicated (at the top of the page) and if deals show as available then you're good to go. If no results are returned, then head to our best broadband deals page instead and do exactly the same thing to see whether you can get superfast fibre broadband with another provider, such as BT Fibre broadband. Existing Virgin Media broadband customersSorry, the Virgin website states that these limited time offers are for new customers only. However, there's no harm in trying to get a slice of the pie, so if you're already a Virgin broadband customer we suggest you get in touch with customer services before trying to place an order.
Today's best broadband and TV deals:This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Space Force on Netflix isn't funny enough Posted: 30 May 2020 05:00 AM PDT After The Good Place, it feels like we've seen a spike of 'big idea' comedies that look a lot more expensive than traditional sitcoms. In 2020 we've had HBO's space station-based Avenue 5, which kicked off with such a disappointing opening episode that I didn't continue with it, and Amazon Prime's Upload, set in a digital afterlife where niceties are bought with microtransactions. In Netflix's Space Force, which shares Upload's creator, Greg Daniels, General Mark Naird (Steve Carell) is put in charge of the titular new armed forces branch. Can America successfully conquer the stars? Things aren't as straightforward at Space Force as Naird hoped. A science versus military tension exists at the heart of this branch, with Dr Adrian Mallory (John Malkovich) pushing back on the branch's more aggressive ambitions. The existence of Space Force itself and how much it costs is under scrutiny. And Naird himself is forced to move his family across the country for his new job, which creates tension with his daughter Erin (Diana Silvers). Reaching for the starsThe Space Force concept is so big that it sometimes feels like it gets in the way of the show being what it really is: a workplace sitcom. A few of the episode plots feel like they could be from earlier seasons of The Office, if you remove the space context. Take the fifth episode, which is themed around war games, with Space Force competing against the air force in a series of team-building exercises for bragging rights. This plot is in most '90s sitcoms in some form, except here the budget is a lot higher and you've got John Malkovich in the cast. As a parody of the American military, Space Force isn't as rich for jokes or satire as I hoped, probably because its real life counterpart seems just as outlandish. Even when the main Space Force idea drives the story, like in episode two where Naird and his team of scientists try to instruct a chimpanzee to repair a satellite, it's just hard work to watch. Jokes about space chimps just seem very out-of-date, even with Space Force's expensive-looking CG simian. It just doesn't find enough to do with its main idea, and laughs are fairly thin on the ground. That said, Space Force is breezy enough viewing, and my investment in the characters slowly increased over the course of the episodes. It's just not as funny as I hoped it would be given the caliber of the show's talent. And maybe after a couple of months in lockdown where streaming is one of a limited selection of hobbies, my expectations might've been slightly too high. Maybe I'm just being grumpy, but the reason Daniels' past creations (Parks and Rec, The Office, King of the Hill) resonated is that they brought humor out of the mundane. Maybe Space Force can be a good vehicle for jokes, but here there just aren't enough good ones. The episode length, which frequently exceeds 30 minutes, makes the show feel languid, too. I wonder if the same episodes forced into a traditional 20 minutes might improve the pace of the show, and result in a higher rate of jokes per minute. Space Force's ensemble is the best thing about it. Carell, also a co-creator, is a major get for Netflix, and alongside him and Malkovich you have Friends' Lisa Kudrow and Parks and Rec's Ben Schwartz. You'll see many more familiar US sitcom regulars, too. The series also features the final TV performance by actor Fred Willard, and he is a treat to watch here. Netflix US will lose The Office at the end of 2020 and gain Seinfeld in 2021. Old comedy is still important to the world's most popular streaming service, and Space Force is a valiant attempt to give subscribers a newer offering to get excited about. It's just not as funny as it should be. Like The Office, maybe Space Force will take a second season to really hit its stride.
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| Android 11 release date, beta, features and what we know about the next OS update Posted: 30 May 2020 04:13 AM PDT It's going to be a while before you can use Android 11 on your phones, as it's only set to start rolling out towards the end of 2020, but we already know a few features it might bring since the company has released a few developer previews already. Developer previews are version of the operating system released ahead of time so app developers can see all the new features, but inevitably these features end up getting leaked online, so we have a good glimpse at Google's upcoming operating system update. The official reveal of Android 11 was going to happen on June 3, but that date has now been pushed back. Typically it would have landed at Google IO 2020 in May, but that event got canceled. The 2020 Android update is set to be called Android 11 – that’s not speculation, but fact, since Google has confirmed the name itself. This follows, because with Android 10 Google pledged to follow a numerical system of operating system organisation. That means while Android 9 was Android Pie, Android 10 wasn’t Android Quiche, and Android 11 won’t be Android Rhubarb and Custard (sadly) or Android Rocky Road - but it will be packed with updates and, likely, a few long-awaited features. We've already started hearing rumors and news surrounding the upcoming Android operating system. Here we’ll collect everything we know about Android 11. Update: We're still not sure when the Android 11 public beta will arrive.
Cut to the chase
Android 11 release dateGoogle tends to unveil some of the features of its newest operating system at Google IO in May, before releasing the OS for Pixel phones with an Android 11 release date of sometime in September – in 2019, for example, it debuted on the Pixel 4. We know that Google IO 2020 isn't happening in 2020 thanks to coronavirus concerns. Having originally booked an replacement online event for June 3, Google has now decided that isn't happening either. Subsequent betas will land in July and then August, followed by the finished release probably in September. After that, different smartphone brands will have their devices eligible for the update slowly over time. The OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro were the first non-Google smartphones which came with Android 10 in the box, but it could be a different company for Android 11. Not all smartphone manufacturers upgrade immediately, however, and it’ll likely be some time in 2021 that all smartphones that can upgrade, have had the upgrade made available. Android 11 featuresThe main Android 11 information we know of comes from the first Android 11 Developer Preview which was unveiled to software developers in mid-February 2020, and it details a few new features of the upcoming operating system. Not all the features are shown, just the ones useful for developers, but it's an intriguing first look. An important Android 11 feature seems to be how apps can now find out if you're on 5G, continuing a feature which lets apps distinguish whether you're on 4G or Wi-Fi connection. This would optimize content and performance for however you're connected, likely stopping you draining loads of data unnecessarily. Additionally, it seems that the notification bar in Android 11 will have its own messaging tab, so notifications from ongoing conversations, or from other apps, will be divided to let you ignore some if you want. Some smartphones let you schedule a night shield, so that past a certain time blue light from the screen is reduced. Well, it seems Android 11 will have a similar function but with dark mode, so you can schedule when dark mode is enabled. Hopefully that also means dark mode will be rolled out to far more An Android 11 feature that will please the security-minded is changed app permissions. Typically, for an app to use your camera, access your contacts, or anything else like that, you need to grant it permission. It seems in Android 11 you can choose to give permission 'Just this once', so you know exactly when the app is accessing other parts of your phone. Google Pixel 3a XL As an extension of this, it seems that the option to give an app location settings access will only be available 'just this once', so you won't be able to give an app carte blanche to check where you are all the time. This will stop apps like Facebook checking where you are all the time. If you often have trouble lining up your smartphone on its wireless charging pad, it seems Android 11 might come with a fix for that. It'll show you an error message when your phone is poorly aligned, so you know you need to shift the device to get the full charge. Another feature that some people might love? Now, when you're connected to Bluetooth headphones and you turn on Airplane mode, the Bluetooth won't disconnect from everything. This'll save some people a lot of annoying hassle. Before the developer preview, Google also confirmed an Android 11 feature called ‘Scoped Storage’, which was initially meant to be available in Android 10, but Google pushed it back due to complaints from Android developers. Scoped Storage is a new way of organizing what information and files your apps can read – in short, it makes memory read speeds much quicker, improves your security, and stops you needing to give every new app permissions. Google Pixel 4 The third Android 11 developer preview also showed us some more features that might be coming in the future smartphone update. The most important new change is that you can now dismiss all notifications, including those you previously couldn't like Bluetooth alerts, charging reminders and more. This is sure to clean up lots of clutter for some people. The Recents menu is seeing some changes too including an undo button for if you accidentally close an app you didn't mean to, a screenshot button so you can capture a screenshot without actually opening the app, and more. Some buttons are having their sizes tweaked, so you don't accidentally miss them, and the 'Volume' menu is getting changed to 'Sound' for some reason. Also there's an option to hotspot your phone via ethernet cable, not Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, for if you have the right cable to do so.
What we want to see in Android 11These are the improvements we'd like to see in Android 11, that we still don't have in the latest build of Google's operating system. 1. A new NFC file-sharing alternativeWith Android 10 came the removal of Android Beam, which let phones share files over NFC. All you had to do was tap phones together to share files, but it's gone now. It'd be useful to have some easy-to-use alternative that lets you share photos, videos, music, or other files just by pressing the phones against each other – at the moment it can be quite a hassle to use a specific app to do so, and Apple's Airdrop is a useful feature that has no equivalent in Android. 2. Improved dark modeDark mode isn't for everyone, but those who use it love it – or they want to, at least, but in Android 10 it has a lot of problems. Firstly, not that many apps have their own dark modes, not even all Google apps, so using your smartphone with dark mode on can often see you jumping straight from dark apps to light ones, and back again. Secondly, on apps that do have dark mode some text isn't color-swapped, and can remain invisible – this actually happens on Google search, so you can't see suggested results. For dark mode to be useful on Android smartphones, it needs to actually be usable for most apps, instead of just an optional toggle here and there. 3. Extended chat 'bubbles'One of the new features of Android 10 was the introduction of chat 'bubbles', similar to Facebook Messenger, laid over the top of other apps, that let you see all your conversations over several apps all in one easy-to-access format. Not all apps are compatible though, and while some of those that you use to message people, there are many that aren't, with only the main text app Messages, and Google Hangouts, compatible. That means if you want to have conversations over various apps, for the most part you're still going to be using those apps. It'd be really useful if more apps became compatible – WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, Twitter, and perhaps even dating apps! Then, it'd be incredibly easy to keep on top of your various conversations across all the different apps that fill up your phone. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Android 11 reveal delayed as Google pushes back its big event Posted: 30 May 2020 03:30 AM PDT We had been looking forward to hearing a lot more about Android 11 this coming Wednesday, June 3 – and maybe trying it out – but Google has now decided to push back the launch of the public beta. That's according to a tweet from the official Android Developers account, which says: "We are excited to tell you more about Android 11, but now is not the time to celebrate." It's not explicitly stated, but it would appear the ongoing unrest and protests in the US, sparked by the death of George Floyd, are the reason behind the move. Google will apparently be "back with more on Android 11, soon".
That leaves us with no official launch date for the Android 11 public beta, though a developer preview has been available since February. It remains to be seen whether the full release of Android 11 will still launch as planned in the third quarter of 2020. The Android 11 scheduleGoogle traditionally uses its IO developer conference in May to tell us all about the latest version of Android. Given the global pandemic that we're all living through, the 2020 edition got moved online and then canceled completely. Nevertheless, we were expecting the roll out of Android 11 to happen more or less on the same schedule as previous editions of the mobile OS (in fact, the developer preview launched earlier than normal). The developer preview is usually followed by a public beta that anyone can test – which was due to appear on June 3 – and then Google tends to push out the finished version of the software a few months later, before the annual launch of its Pixel phones. World events have put that schedule in doubt, so we're still waiting for a proper unveiling of Android 11 (though we do know a little bit about what's coming). As soon as Google announces a new date for the Android 11 public beta, we'll let you know. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Fibre broadband deals: TalkTalk is a top choice with an £80 voucher and low bills Posted: 30 May 2020 02:44 AM PDT With everyone spending more time at home, fibre broadband deals have become more of a necessity, giving you the speeds to stream in HD, game and fight off buffering in a large household. But if you're looking to upgrade, which plan should you go for? Right now, TalkTalk is looking like the best value option of all the broadband deals out there. Go with its cheaper fibre plan and you'll get speeds averaging 38Mb and only have to pay £23.50 a month, there's not even any upfront costs. Then the cherry on top of this broadband shaped cake - an £80 voucher to use at Amazon, M&S, Tesco or as a Mastercard. That's going to be one of the cheapest options out there, rivalling the usual cheap internet winner - Plusnet. You can see this promotion below but keep in mind that it will be coming to an end on June 3 so you don't have a huge amount of time to grab it.
TalkTalk's great value cheap broadband deal:
What other broadband deals are there?There are two fibre broadband deals that best compete with this offer right now - Vodafone and Plusnet. Go with Vodafone and you're getting speeds averaging 63Mb at a price of £22.95. That means you're getting roughly double the speeds that TalkTalk has above but you're tied into a 24 month contract and you don't get the voucher that TalkTalk is giving out. Plusnet on the other hand is offering similar speeds and pricing with 36Mb averages at a cost of £22.99. Like TalkTalk there is a reward card (a Mastercard in this case) with a value of £75. Read more:
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| Massive Hisense 4K TV deals offer lowest prices yet this weekend Posted: 30 May 2020 01:57 AM PDT Hisense 4K TV deals are seeing new price lows at Argos this weekend, with the exclusive Roku-based display on offer for as little as £299 right now. That means you can secure a cheap 4K TV for even less right now, and pick up a size above what we usually see at this price. These sales begin at 50-inches right now, so you're getting far more screen real estate for your cash on top of a cheaper price point. For just a little change more, you can, however, upgrade to the 55-inch model at a reduced price of just £329. Once you move past 55-inches, prices start to climb, but you can still grab yourself a massive 65-inch 4K TV for under £450 this weekend. Hisense are well known for producing cheap 4K TVs with some fantastic display properties hidden in that low price tag. You're picking up all the usual features of a 4K TV in 2020 - Ultra-HD resolution with HDR and a powerful sound system, just at a much more budget-friendly price point. If these models aren't shaping up right now, however, you can always take a look at the latest cheap TV deals from around the web. Not in the UK? We're rounding up all the latest 4K TV deals in the US and Australia further down the page. Cheap 4K TV dealsLooking for something a bit more premium? Check out the best OLED TV prices and deals from around the web. Or, if you want to kit out your new display, take a look at the latest Fire TV stick deals and sales. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Call of Duty: Warzone finally has the mode everyone’s been asking for Posted: 30 May 2020 01:50 AM PDT After weeks of pleading, Infinity Ward has finally added duos mode to Call of Duty: Warzone battle royale—and it’s available to play now on all platforms. The news was announced in a tweet from the official Infinity Ward account, which confirmed that, thanks to the new playlist update, Warzone now has solos, duos, trios, quads and plunder quads all at once. That still leaves plenty of choice for those who can't settle on just one battlefield buddy. In a blog post that gives a little more detail, Activision explained that the new duos mode will see players drop into the Battle Royale’s Verdansk map paired up with either a friend or with another random player. Overall, the mode plays in much the same manner as Warzone’s trios and quads, but naturally a smaller team increases the pressure because everyone has to pull their weight if they want to survive and win: It takes two“Duos is quite possibly the ultimate test of friendship and teamwork; with only one other teammate to rely on, you’ll have to coordinate your strategies, make good callouts, and most importantly, hit your shots if your fellow Operator’s life is at stake.”
The other good news is that it looks like the mode could be sticking around for a while as Infinity Ward hasn’t given an indication of when, or if, it’ll be disappearing. Players tired of fighting in a trio with a stranger or in an incomplete trio have been requesting a duos mode since Warzone Battle Royale’s launch. Although Infinity Ward had previously promised it was coming and even briefly added duos to Plunder mode, the developer also said (via VGC) it had to iron out some bugs and find “the right time” to launch. The right time has come shortly before the launch of Modern Warfare and Warzone’s Season 4 on June 3. Although we’re not entirely sure what changes the new season will bring just yet, a recent trailer has hinted Captain Price could be stepping into the Warzone as a new operator. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| This extraordinary 12GB for £8/pm SIM only deal from Three ends soon Posted: 30 May 2020 12:30 AM PDT Three doesn't often do 'flash sales'. But when it does, it really makes them count. And the network's current blink-and-you-miss-it SIM only deal is no exception. As long as you grab it by June 1, Three is offering a SIM only tariff that will give you 12GB of data a month with unlimited calls and texts for a mere £8 per month! - Click here to sign up to this SIMO deal on the Three website That is genuinely outstanding value. 12GB each month is enough for hours of Spotify streaming, the odd Netflix or YouTube video and downloading plenty of podcasts, all without having to hold back on the usual social media scrolling and Google Map exploring. Frankly. Three SIM only deals have the market cornered at the moment, and if you still think that 12GB won't quite be enough for your streaming and downloading habits then there may be an even better option for you. Three is currently also offering its unlimited data SIM plan for an unheard of £16 per month - a traiff exclusive to TechRadar readers only!
Why go with a Three SIM only deal?If you haven't already been won over by this amazing offer from Three then you'll be excited to hear that the network doesn't shy away from offering up some extra incentives as well. Whether that be free exclusive prizes or extra roaming. Here are some of the main benefits currently on offer by going with a Three mobile deal: - Personal Hotspot: Use your data to tether your laptop so you and use your phone like your own mobile broadband router - Go Roam: Roaming abilities in 71 worldwide countries at no extra cost - Control your spending: Features that allow you to block calls and texts to certain numbers that might otherwise run up extra costs on your bill - Data flexibility: Add extra data to your tariff at anytime, even halfway through a month - Travel Swagger: Get travel upgrades with Easyjet with bag drop and early boarding (well...it's nice in theory!) Read more:
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