Sunday, May 17, 2020

Apple : Why Amazon Prime Day 2020 postponed until August makes sense for everyone

Apple : Why Amazon Prime Day 2020 postponed until August makes sense for everyone

Why Amazon Prime Day 2020 postponed until August makes sense for everyone

Posted: 17 May 2020 02:23 PM PDT

The Amazon Prime Day 2020 date is reportedly happening in August 2020, not July, offering a one-month reprieve on what's normally an epic deals marathon.

That's the right move for everyone. People still need to save money – now more than ever – but this year's Prime Day has to be timed right: for consumers, for Amazon employees, for delivery workers, and for all of the manufacturers.

Officially, Amazon hasn't said much. There's just one line on its website: "Prime Day 2020 has not been announced." But Reuters threw up an exclusive in April, noting that it will be delayed until "at least August", citing internal meeting notes.

Amazon hasn't come to a decision, or publicized one at least. That said, everything points to August making the most sense – if Prime Day 2020 happens at all.

Amazon Prime Day

Amazon Prime Day

Everyone needs time to stay safe and recover

First and foremost, Amazon needs to make sure its employees aren't vulnerable to further Covid-19 infections before even considering a Prime Day 2020 date. There are a lot of unknowns that prevent that decision from happening right now.

So far, seven Amazon employees have died of Covid-19, reports the Daily Mail. The company needs to make sure its warehouse and contractors are safe, and so far we don't have all of the facts.

Amazon has an ongoing Covid-19 blog, which begins with a statement: "Our top concern is ensuring the health and safety of our employees, and we expect to invest approximately $4 billion from April to June on COVID-related initiatives getting products to customers and keeping employees safe."

Prime Day puts incredible strain on warehouse and delivery workers. We've talked to delivery people in the past who note that the actual deals dates aren't bad for them – it's the two days following sales that stress them out. Now imagine feeling that way during the tail end of a pandemic.

Likewise, consumers need to have a better understanding of how the economy will bounce back and ensure their jobs are safe before making big ticket purchases. Anyone recently laid off is undoubtedly less than eager to splurge in July.  

Amazon Prime Day 2019

But people still need to save... and sell

If consumers are really putting off big purchases and Amazon is prioritizing essential goods right now, there's going to be pent-up demand to both buy and sell by August. Or that's the hope for Amazon Prime Day 2020, at least. 

What's selling today? Our data shows that people are adjusting to the sudden work-from-home lifestyle by buying webcams and monitors. They're by and large sold out. It's not just face masks and cleaning supplies flying off store shelves. 

Consumers have been putting off big ticket purchases until they know more about the economy's recovery and how safe their jobs are long-term. That confidence is more likely to start to return in August than July.

Manufacturers, meanwhile, have inventory sitting in warehouses, and many rely on the annual Prime Day sales push to counteract a sleepy July. Companies have also delayed product announcements. There's pent-up demand on both ends.

Anything beyond August runs close to Black Friday

Pushing Amazon Prime Day until "at least August", as Reuter reported, doesn't mean it'll actually happen in August. It could happen later or be scrapped entirely.

But here's our thinking: delaying the Prime Day date beyond August runs the risk of happening in a crowded season.

In September, we expect Apple to announce the iPhone 12 (which it won't be on sale through Amazon) and control the media narrative (not to mention the the budget of consumers).

How about October or beyond? Well, that runs into an even bigger risk: Black Friday 2020 and Cyber Monday happen in November. Sure, they're at the end of November, but retailers begin their sales push on November 1 or sooner.

August is the Goldilocks month for Prime Day

July may be too soon for the safety of Amazon workers and for consumer confidence to return. People will need haircuts in June more than they need a new 4K TV or a laptop at a discount. But anything from September onward seems too late to have the impact that Amazon and manufacturers need. 

That leaves August as the best option for Prime Day 2020. When will Amazon finally announce the official Prime Day date? We don't typically find out about the date until two weeks before it happens, so even if it was July, we wouldn't know today.

In fact, Jeff Bezos and company may not know when to launch Prime Day internally. Amazon is likely waiting on the same data regarding new Covid-19 infection rates and consumer confidence that we're all waiting on.

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India allows eCommerce companies to deliver non-essentials

Posted: 17 May 2020 09:05 AM PDT

E-commerce companies including Amazon and Flipkart besides vertical e-tailers like Lenskart will be able to deliver non-essential items across India starting Monday, save for areas designated as containment zones. 

In a notification earlier today, the Ministry of Home Affairs in the Federal government issued a notification extending the Covid-19 lockdown till May 31 but with a series of relaxations including allowing delivery of non-essential items. 

However, online sales would be restricted to containment zones across India where only essential goods would be permitted. These zones, to be demarcated by the states, will be strictly monitored with no movement allowed except for medical emergencies and supply of essential goods, the notification said. 

On May 4, the federal government had allowed E-commerce platforms to deliver non-essential goods to green and amber zones while it was decided to extend the lockdown till May 17. Several states had petitioned the federal administration to relax the restrictions in order to restart business activities that had been paralysed since India went into lockdown on May 25. 

With the previous relaxations, E-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Flipkart had started accepting orders for smartphones and other electronic devices on pre-booking. However, for those residing in red zones, these bookings appeared as "not delivered" or accompanied by a message stating that the area was not serviceable now. 

Amazon India had revealed then that the Covid-19 impact had contracted the business considerably as the US giant was only allowed to sell essential items including groceries, and sanitary products. 

A report on ETTech.com quoted a Snapdeal spokesperson as saying that the company was equipped to start serving customers across India, resulting in thousands of small and medium online sellers to start rebuilding their businesses across cities and towns. 

However, under the latest order, cab-hailing companies Uber and Ola have not been permitted to resume full services. Both these companies have been off the radar for close to two months and are being allowed only essential travel activities, which comprise less than 3% of their total business. 

The latest move would come as a sigh of relief for smartphone manufacturers who have announced several launches including the OnePlus8 and Apple's mid-price offering the iPhone SE 2020 among others. 

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The 15 best Netflix Original animated series, from She-Ra to BoJack Horseman

Posted: 17 May 2020 08:55 AM PDT

“Animation is not a genre. Animation is an artform and it can do any genre.” 

As director of The Incredibles and The Iron Giant, Brad Bird should know what he’s talking about – and looking at how the medium’s evolved over the last 30 years, it’s impossible to disagree.

As recently as the early ’90s, cartoons were still widely regarded as something for the kids. Since then, however, The Simpsons, Family Guy and South Park have paved the way for more adult-oriented animation on TV, while the groundbreaking likes of Pixar, DreamWorks and Laika have pushed the boundaries of what animators can achieve on screen.

These days animation is a broad church taking in everything from comedy for pre-schoolers to sophisticated examinations of the human soul. As with its live-action programming, Netflix’s animated content explores a huge range of styles, genres and themes – and a lot of its shows are absolutely essential viewing.

In this list, TechRadar has brought together 15 of the best Netflix Original animated series you can watch right now – whether you’re into gritty sci-fi, family comedy or sword-wielding warrior princesses, there’s something for you here.

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power

(Image credit: Netflix)

The original She-Ra was a spin-off from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, an ’80s cartoon that was much better at flogging toys than telling stories. Few seriously believed it needed a comeback, until this hit Netflix show proved otherwise. Series creator Noelle Stevenson put the emphasis on reinvention, crafting a fun, intelligent, sophisticated saga that couldn’t be further from the po-faced source material. 

With He-Man nowhere to be seen, twin sister Adora takes centre stage, wielding the magic sword that turns her into She-Ra and displaying refreshingly 21st century attitudes to representation. The kind of Saturday morning cartoon you encourage your kids to watch.

Love, Death + Robots

(Image credit: Netflix)

With the likes of Black Mirror, a rebooted Twilight Zone and Inside No 9, the anthology series has gone through something of a renaissance in recent years. The genius at the heart of Love, Death + Robots, however, is that by telling its one-off tales via the medium of animation, the show has ensured its only limitations are the imaginations of its writers. 

Luckily it has an ingenious plan for navigating that particular obstacle – adapting short stories from some of the finest genre authors on the planet, Peter F Hamilton, Alastair Reynolds and John Scalzi among them. Among the best sci-fi currently on TV.

Disenchantment

(Image credit: Netflix)

After creating The Simpsons, Matt Groening would have been forgiven for throwing away his pencil and stepping away from animation for good. Thank goodness he didn’t, because then we wouldn’t have been treated to the peerless 31st century adventures of Futurama – or Disenchantment, a deliciously twisted take on epic fantasy. 

With plenty of trademark Groening overbites, lots of pop culture references, and some razor-sharp skewering of the modern world, there’s no doubt the new show comes from the same stable as its predecessors. But it’s also home to more grown-up themes, and boasts a more serialized arc plot – perfect for the era of binge TV.

BoJack Horseman

(Image credit: Netflix)

A cartoon about a talking horse who was once the star of his own hit sitcom? BoJack Horseman looked – on paper, at least – like it was going to be the height of silliness when it cantered onto Netflix back in 2014. Raphael Bob-Waksberg’s undefinable show has been defying expectations ever since, evolving from a hilariously acerbic satire on Hollywood – albeit one where animals and humans live alongside one another – into something much more ambitious. 

By turns funny, bleak and toe-curlingly awkward (and sometimes even heartwarming), few TV shows have ever delved further into the human (and equine) condition. One of the jewels in Netflix’s impressive crown.

Castlevania

(Image credit: Netflix)

The long-running, vampire-infested console actioner that’s been scaring players since the ’80s gets reinvented as a TV series – and puts most other videogame adaptations to shame. The Hobbit’s Richard Armitage voices monster-hunting hero Trevor Belmont, teaming up with Dracula’s half-human son Alucard (Battlestar Galactica’s James Callis) against the infamous Count. 

With plenty of gore, every episode written by comics legend Warren Ellis, and anime-inspired visuals, it’s clearly aimed at old-school fans of the franchise – indeed, chances are you wouldn’t want your kids tuning in.

Voltron: Legendary Defender

(Image credit: Netflix)

A re-dubbed, re-edited reinvention of Japanese anime show Beast King GoLion, Voltron has retained plenty of cult appeal since it debuted in the ’80s. This latest incarnation picks up the story of five teen pilots whose robot lions come together to form a giant mecha fighting machine called Voltron – Earth’s last defence against the evil Galra Empire. 

Luckily, showrunners and Avatar: The Last Airbender veterans Lauren Montgomery and Joaquim dos Santos realize cool iconography isn’t enough to carry the show, and load the series with epic outer space action and fun character beats – along with surprisingly dark themes about PTSD and bereavement.

Dragons: Race to the Edge

(Image credit: Netflix)

TV spin-offs from movies don’t have to be cheap cash-ins. Just as the Star Wars universe was undeniably enhanced by the existence of The Clone Wars and Rebels, this long-running series is a vital addition to the soaring Viking adventures of How to Train Your Dragon. 

Okay, Cressida Cowell’s stories don’t have quite as much dramatic scope as George Lucas’s saga, but nevertheless, Hiccup and Toothless’s adventures between the first two movies are suitably epic. The CG animation is much better than you’d usually expect on TV, and – with many of the movie cast reprising their roles – Dragons feels like a blockbuster sequel in episodic form.

Trollhunters

(Image credit: Netflix)

From Hellboy to Pan’s Labyrinth, to The Devil’s Backbone to The Shape of Water, Guillermo del Toro has a long history of infusing tales of the supernatural with memorable characters and plenty of heart. It’s no surprise, then, that the animated series he created should follow a similar blueprint. 

There’s a definite Buffy vibe to the show, as ordinary kid Jim discovers he’s the chosen one destined to protect his town from subterranean beasts, taking on the mantle of the first ever human Trollhunter. It’s part of a wider universe, too: the second series in del Toro’s Tales of Arcadia trilogy, the sci-fi-tinged 3Below, debuted in 2018, while final instalment Wizards is due in August 2020.

The Midnight Gospel

(Image credit: Netflix)

Pendleton Ward, creator of hit animation series Adventure Time, teams up with comedian Duncan Trussell to create another slice of trippy surreality. Where Adventure Time focused on the fantasy world of Ooo, The Midnight Gospel sets its coordinates for outer space, namely a weird dimension known as the Chromatic Ribbon. 

From here a spacecaster called Clancy (effectively a podcaster with interstellar reach) uses his illegal multiverse simulator to interview beings from other planets. Despite only eight episodes being available so far, The Midnight Gospel has already proved itself infinitely inventive, visually stylish and emotionally powerful – and totally unlike anything else on TV. Cross your fingers it gets a greenlight for season two.

Tuca & Bertie

(Image credit: Netflix)

With a pair of anthropomorphized birds as its lead characters, Tuca & Bertie looks a lot like a BoJack Horseman spin-off. Despite the fact it was created by BoJack production designer Lisa Hanawalt, however, this one-season wonder is very much its own beast. At its heart are two avian best friends, loud-mouthed toucan Tuca, and her song thrush roomie Bertie. 

Packed with clever puns and visual gags (anyone fancy posting to Facebeak?), the show delivers a unique perspective on life and love in the 21st century. Yet its trump card is the casting of top comedians Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong in the lead roles – this is one double act we’d love to have seen more of.

Big Mouth

(Image credit: Netflix)

Don’t be put off by the unsophisticated animation style. Like Netflix stablemate Sex Education, Big Mouth is impressively candid when it comes to bodily functions and other issues associated with growing up – despite the fact its characters are regularly visited by surreal products of their imaginations such as a Shame Wizard and a Hormone Monster called Maurice. 

Co-creators Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg drew on their own teenage experiences to tell the story of best friends Andrew and Nick, but it’s hard to believe their real lives were quite this funny – as with The Inbetweeners, Big Mouth shows that teens can get away with the kind of crude gags nobody else can.

F is for Family

(Image credit: Netflix)

If you thought that The Simpsons, King of the Hill and Family Guy were all the animated, suburban family comedies you’d ever need, think again because F is for Family is a worthy addition to the sub-genre. In fact, co-creator/star Bill Burr’s show instantly distances itself from those other shows with its 1970s setting, an era that puts a very different perspective on the world. 

Family patriarch Frank Murphy is an angry guy, increasingly disillusioned with his lot in life and struggling to deal with society evolving faster than he’d like. With plenty of pathos to go with the humour, it’s impressively three-dimensional stuff.

 

Carmen Sandiego

(Image credit: Netflix)

If there are prizes given out for the most stylish animated series on Netflix, the elegant production design of Carmen Sandiego has to make it a contender. Based on a 1980s videogame (which also spawned two game shows and a cartoon series in the ’90s), this Netflix incarnation tells the story of the eponymous super-thief, voiced by Jane the Virgin’s Gina Rodriguez. 

Of course, this being a kids’ show, Carmen isn’t really a criminal – despite what the authorities claim. Instead she uses her heisting skills to steal back what’s been taken by the despicable operatives of V.I.L.E – aka the Villains International League of Evil – in a series packed with fun adventures and plenty of backstory. Stranger Things and IT’s Finn Wolfhard co-stars as sidekick Player.

Hilda

(Image credit: Netflix)

This cartoon series may look like something from the 1980s, but it actually debuted in 2018. Based on an award-winning series of independent graphic novels by British creator Luke Pearson, the show mixes a Scandinavian setting that evokes the Moomins with a visual style reminiscent of Studio Ghibli legend Hayao Miyazaki. 

It follows the exploits of titular blue-haired pre-teen Hilda (voiced by Bella Ramsey, the heroic Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones) when she moves from her magical village to the big city – and discovers there’s just as much supernatural stuff going on behind the scenes... The series clearly has younger audiences in its sights, but there’s also a surprising amount of emotional depth lurking beneath the surface.

The Hollow

(Image credit: Netflix)

A trio of teenage strangers wake up to find themselves in an underground bunker. With their memories erased, they have to come together to survive the bizarre, dangerous, puzzle-filled world they find themselves in – all while working out why the hell they were brought together in the first place. 

If the ingenious Maze Runner-like premise of The Hollow isn’t enough to draw you in, rest assured that there’s plenty more to like in this super-smart kids’ show. It’s fast-paced, the core characters are memorable, and there’s plenty of genre-hopping in a gripping serialized story arc.

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Driving Relief live stream: how to watch today's charity golf game with Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler

Posted: 17 May 2020 08:51 AM PDT

It's been a grim couple of months for golfers and golf fans, with 2020 The Masters postponed to November and this year's Open Championship cancelled entirely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Things are looking up now, though, as four of golf's best return to the tee box today for a charity skins match. Here's how to watch Driving Relief online and live stream the golf action today, where it's Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy vs Rickie Fowler and Matthew Wolff.

Today's course is the Donald Ross-designed Seminole Country Club in Juno Beach, Florida - a superb venue by all accounts. The Driving Relief skins match sees world no.1 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland paired with American Dustin Johnson, who's currently no.5 in the PGA Tour rankings.

They'll be competing against an Oklahoma State all-star team of Rickie Fowler and Matthew Woolf. Rickie is a familiar face on the Tour, with nine victories to his name and an agonizing habit of falling just short at the majors, where he's placed second in the Masters, US Open and British Open - and third in the PGA Championship.

You'll likely be able to spot him from afar due to his penchant for donning Sooner orange on Sunday in tribute to his alma mater, though golf fans may be less familiar with Matthew Woolf.

They might not be for long. The 21-year-old is one of the brightest talents in the game and turned pro in 2019 after winning the 2018 NCAA Division I Championship at Oklahoma State. He already has one PGA Tour victory to his name and you won't easily forget him once you've seen him tee-off, due to his rather...unconventional swing.

The format this Sunday is a best-ball skins game, and Driving Relief boasts a hefty $3m purse - all of which will go directly to the American Nurses Foundation and CDC Foundation to aid their fight against the coronavirus. An additional $1m birdie and eagle pool will raise funds for Off the Plate, a charity initiative that helps frontline healthcare workers and shift employees affected by the pandemic - and you can make a donation too, if you wish, via the PGA Tour website.

Now that you know what this skins game is all about, here's how to live stream Driving Relief and watch today's golf from anywhere in the world - including for free!

How to watch a Driving Relief live stream for FREE

As it's a charity event, Driving Relief is being widely aired across the US and in a number of other countries around the world - so watching the golf today for free is absolutely possible.

That's because PGA Tour Live is currently offering FREE streaming until golf resumes as normal, which covers Driving Relief. You only need to input an email address and a couple of other basic personal details to sign-up.

It's a US-based service, though most international fans will be redirected to a global equivalent - and anyone from the United States who wants to access a PGA Tour Live stream from abroad can make use of a VPN to do just that. Here's how.

How to watch TaylorMade Driving Relief from outside your country

We've got a full breakdown of country-by-country Driving Relief 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 Driving Relief live stream 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 live stream Driving Relief for FREE and watch online in the US

How to watch the Driving Relief skins match in the UK

Driving Relief live stream: how to watch the golf online in Canada

How to watch Driving Relief: live stream today's skins match in Australia

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The Apple AR glasses might be launching as soon as 2021

Posted: 17 May 2020 08:00 AM PDT

When it comes to gadget rumors, not all of the stars align all of the time: for example, we've just heard that the long-awaited Apple augmented reality glasses could be launching in 2021, right after another prediction put the year of release as 2022.

So which is it? Pushing the 2021 launch schedule is noted Apple tipster Jon Prosser, who has a track record as good as anyone when it comes to staring into the Apple crystal ball. His sources are usually some of the best in the business.

In the 2022 camp is analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, another very well-respected figure in Apple and tech circles. That prediction is based on supply chain leaks, and we've got no reason to doubt the accuracy of the information.

Whichever year these AR specs do arrive, Prosser has added another couple of tidbits of information: the device is apparently "sleek as hell" and runs a dashboard user interface with the name (or codename) Starboard.

We've now heard so many rumors about Apple's AR glasses that it would be a surprise if development wasn't already well advanced. We know that the tech giant is keen on augmented reality, as demonstrated by the AR features in its iPads and iPhones.

Ming-Chi Kuo and other sources had previously specified the launch window for the AR wearable at sometime this year, 2020, though that now seems unlikely to happen (especially with a global pandemic happening as well).

Other media reports have previously hinted that 2023 will be the year of the Apple AR specs, with a bulkier AR headset coming in 2022. It may be that the date keeps changing as Apple makes new breakthroughs and hits new challenges with the technology.

Apple being Apple, it won't want to launch the device until everything is just right. Remember that Google Glass launched all the way back in 2013, though the specs never achieved the sort of mainstream adoption that Google was presumably hoping for.

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Union Berlin vs Bayern Munich live stream: how to watch Bundesliga online from anywhere

Posted: 17 May 2020 07:14 AM PDT

In seemingly unstoppable, title-winning form before the Bundesliga was interrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, Bayern Munich will be hoping to maintain their momentum in their first game back after lockdown - read on to find out how to watch a Union Berlin vs Bayern Munch live stream online from anywhere in the world.

Hosts Union Berlin had been enjoying a cracking debut season in the Bundesliga up until the league's suspension, with Urs Fischer's side muscling their way into contention for European qualification.

The tight makeup of this year's league means that while Union are seven points away from a Europa League spot, they're also just eight away from a relegation play-off position.

Bayern Munich have a four-point advantage at the top of the table, wining 10 of their last 11 games before lockdown, but there's plenty of games left for their title run to potentially go astray and rivals Borussia Dortmund are hot on their heels.

The enforced break has allowed Bayern to get star striker and current Bundesliga top-scorer Robert Lewandowski fit again, but an ankle injury looks set to keep on-loan Philippe Coutinho sidelined.

Union have lost just two of their last eight league matches on home soil but their visitors on Sunday afternoon couldn't be any tougher. Check out our guide below and see how easy it is to get a reliable Union Berlin vs Bayern Munich live stream, regardless of where you are in the world.

How to watch Bundesliga football from outside your country

If you're abroad this weekend but still want to watch coverage of the match from your home broadcaster, you'll need a VPN to do so. That's because your normal coverage will be geo-blocked. It's really easy to do and stops you having to tune in to some dodgy stream you've heard about on Reddit.

How to stream Union Berlin vs Bayern Munich live in the UK 

How to watch Union Berlin vs Bayern Munich: US live stream 

How to watch a Bundesliga live stream in Canada

How to live stream Union Berlin vs Bayern Munich in Australia

How to watch Union Berlin vs Bayern Munich: New Zealand live stream 

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Early Memorial Day deal: the Apple Watch 3 is on sale for just $199 at Best Buy

Posted: 17 May 2020 06:39 AM PDT

Just ahead of the Memorial Day sale event, Best Buy has slashed the price on the best-selling Apple Watch Series 3. You can get the Apple Watch 3 on sale for $199. That's an $80 price and a fantastic price for a feature-rich smartwatch.

The Apple Watch 3 is packed with health and fitness-focused features while also keeping you connected. The smartwatch tracks activity, workouts, and calories burned and offers 24/7 heart rate monitoring. The swim-proof smartwatch will even notify you when an unusually high or low heart rate is detected and features a breathing app to help with everyday stress. The Series 3 watch provides an 18-hour battery life and includes basic smartwatch features such as the ability to make calls, send messages, and receive notifications.

The all-new Apple Watch 5 will set you back $399, which makes the $199 price tag on the Series 3 extremely attractive. We don't know how long Best Buy will have the smartwatch on sale, so you should take advantage of this early Memorial Day deal while you can.

Shop more deals with our roundup of the best Memorial Day sales.

Discover more Apple watch sales with the best cheap Apple Watch prices and deals or just out our roundup of refurbished Apple Watch deals.

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Netflix streaming quality looks to be getting back to normal in Europe

Posted: 17 May 2020 04:00 AM PDT

With more of us staying indoors for more of the day because of the coronavirus outbreak, some of the biggest platforms in streaming have been cutting down on video quality. Now it seems that normal service is being resumed, at least for Netflix in Europe.

That's according to data collected by FlatPanelsHD: the previous Netflix high of 4K HDR up to 15 Mb/s bitrate is now available again. Users in Denmark, Norway, Germany and other European countries have reported seeing the increases.

However, normal service doesn't appear to have been resumed everywhere just yet – depending on where you are in Europe, you might still find your video quality capped while you're trying to stream movies and shows.

In a statement to FlatPanelsHD, Netflix said it was working with ISPs to increase capacity on its network. Four times the normal capacity was added in April, according to representatives from the video streaming portal.

Improving conditions

While you might not be able to get as many pixels on screen as quickly as you did before the spread of Covid-19, Netflix says the limitations that it has temporarily put in place will be removed "as conditions improve".

Netflix initially committed to reducing its demands on internet infrastructure for a period of 30 days in Europe – a move that would reduce its data consumption by around a quarter. That 30-day period has now passed.

Due to the smart compression algorithms that Netflix uses, you might not have noticed too much of a difference while you've been sitting at home binge watching. Some of the top-level bitrate settings should now gradually return.

Of course the global pandemic has had all kinds of effects on the tech industry and the gadgets we use every day. The biggest launch events of the year have been canceled or moved online, and the easing of lockdown restrictions across the world could well depend on contact tracing apps.

Via The Verge

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Intel Tiger Lake-U laptop CPU leak shows it could be considerably faster than Ice Lake

Posted: 17 May 2020 03:06 AM PDT

Intel’s Tiger Lake 11th-gen quad-core laptop chip – which could possibly turn out to be the Core i7-1165G7, rumor has it – has been spotted again in an online benchmark, and it’s looking like this CPU could boost performance considerably over Intel’s existing 10th-gen (Ice Lake) mobile chips.

This leak comes courtesy of Rogame, who has spotted the quad-core (8-thread) processor in other benchmarks in the past.

And as before, the purported Core i7-1165G7 – although it could well turn out to be a different model – is listed with a base clock of 2.8GHz. That’s a significant baseline performance increase compared to the fastest existing Ice Lake notebook processor, which has a 2.3GHz base clock (that’s the quad-core Core i7-1068NG7).

The boost clock is reported as the same as the stock clock speed in this benchmark (and the previous one we’ve seen of this chip, for that matter), which is obviously not correct, and a reflection of this being sample silicon rather than a finished product yet. Which also means that the base clock speed could potentially be slightly higher still when it comes to the finalized CPU…

Further bear in mind that Rogame has leaked a Tiger Lake chip in the past which actually runs up to a base clock of 3GHz (this was spotted back in April via a 3DMark benchmark).

The fact that we are seeing an increasing amount of spillage relating to Tiger Lake-U mobile processors indicates that the launch could be coming rapidly nearer, which marries up with what Intel itself has indicated. The chip giant has previously stated that it expects these CPUs to ship in the middle of the year, so that could mean June.

End of 2020

That said, before you get too excited about the prospect of more powerful laptop chips from Intel arriving soon, remember that the silicon shipping to manufacturers is one thing – and laptops using these 11th-gen Tiger Lake CPUs won’t actually go on sale until the end of the year (or that’s the current plan anyway).

Tiger Lake is built around an entirely new architecture (Willow Cove) and will also be a big boost on the integrated graphics front, with Intel’s Xe graphics coming into play.

These mobile chips are a big deal for Intel, given AMD’s new Ryzen 4000 products have made quite an impression, and they’re shaping up to be a distinct threat in the laptop arena which Intel dominates – and it can’t afford to lose that crown.

Via Wccftech

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UAE loses ground and falls to fourth place in global mobile broadband speed test in April

Posted: 17 May 2020 02:41 AM PDT

UAE, which dethroned South Korea to take the top spot in the global mobile broadband speed test in March, has fallen to fourth place in April.

According to Ookla’s Global Speed Test stats, South Korea is ranked first, followed by Qatar and China.

In the UAE, the average download speed was 78.56Mbps in April compared to 83.52Mbps in March and 86.35Mbps in February.

The average upload speed in the UAE was 20.39Mbps compared to 21.79Mbps in March and 23.71Mbps in February.

The global speed test compares internet speed data from around the world every month. Data for the index comes from the hundreds of millions of tests taken by real people using speed test every month.

The global average download speed stood at 30.89Mbps in April compared to 30.47Mbps in March while the upload speed stood at 10.50mbps in April compared to 10.73Mbps in March.

In South Korea, the average download speed was 88.01Mbps compared to 81.39Mbps in March while it was 84.81Mbps in Qatar in April compared to 78.38Mbps in March.

When compared to other Gulf Cooperation Countries, Saudi Arabia rose two places to 10th with a download speed of 55.71Mbps compared to 54.13Mbps in March while Kuwait rose eight places with 39.65Mbps compared to 35.34Mbps in March, Bahrain fell two places to rank 41st with 36.71Mbps compared to 36.49Mbps in March, Oman fell seven places to rank 45th with 35.43Mbps compared to 36.51Mpbs in March.

Fixed broadband benefits from Covid-19

In the fixed broadband space, all the countries have increased their speeds to absorb the strain on the fibre optic network due to work-from-home initiatives due to Covid-19 pandemic.

UAE rose two places to 24th with an average download speed of 106Mbps in April compared to 100.95Mbps in March and 95.80Mbps in February while the average upload speed was 57.61Mpbs in April compared to 51.17Mbps in March and 46.66Mbps in February.

The Telecommunication Regulatory Authority of the UAE has increased the average fixed broadband speeds to 100Mbps across UAE to ensure a seamless continuation of distance learning and remote working.

According to telecom operator du, its fixed customers are benefitting from an average of 130Mbps – 30% above the average speed in the UAE.

Saleem Al Blooshi, Chief Technology Officer at EITC, the parent company of du, said that du has managed to double the capacity of its fixed network to meet the demand during the Covid-19 period.

An industry expert said that both the telecom operators in the UAE – Etisalat and du – had increased their bandwidth and improved their network to absorb the strain on the fibre optic network due to work-from-home strategy.

The global average download speed slowed stood at 74.74Mbps in April while the upload speed stood at 39.62Mbps.

The top three countries for fixed broadband speed are Singapore, Hong Kong and Thailand.

In Singapore, the average download speed was 198.46Mbps in April compared to 197.26Mbps in March while in Hong Kong, it was 176.70Mbps in April compared to 168.99Mbps in March.

When compared to other Gulf Cooperation Countries, Qatar jumped four places higher to rank 26th with a download speed of 102.69Mbps in April compared to 94.94Mpbs in March, Kuwait jumped eight places to 40th with a download speed of 75.97Mbps compared to 62.51Mbps in March, Saudi Arabia rose one place higher to 48th with a download speed of 62.66Mpbs compared to 61.03Mbps in March, Oman rose five places higher to 84th with a download speed of 31.11Mbps compared to 28.41Mbps in March, Bahrain rose four places higher to 89th with a download speed of 26.95Mbps compared to 27Mbps in March.

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This is the cheapest laptop with 8GB RAM, and it even comes with Windows 10 Pro

Posted: 16 May 2020 08:00 PM PDT

Our quest to find the most affordable laptop with 8GB RAM has brought us once again to Chinese retailer Gearbest, which is selling the Lhmzniy KUU Kbook for a mere $189.99 (£163.80/AU$311.99) with coupon code O4A70D05475EB001.

8GB is the magic number because it's the minimum amount of memory Windows 10 will run on comfortably. Remember, 1GB of memory tends to be allocated to graphics, so very often you’re left with significantly less than 80% of available RAM.

Thankfully, this notebook from Lhmzniy hits the all-important threshold. Just note that exact prices will vary region by region, depending on the day’s exchange rate, and international customers may be levied additional charges by customs.

The notebook's only major weakness is its processor - a relatively slow Intel Celeron N3350, which is about 10% faster than the ubiquitous Intel Atom x5-Z8350 CPU.

The rest of the configuration, though, is more than adequate; beyond 8GB RAM, there’s a 128GB SSD, full HD 14.1-inch display, 802.11n Wi-Fi and Windows 10 Pro.

Design-wise, it looks a lot like the older Apple MacBook Pro laptops, but with a greater number of ports (two USB 3.0, one HDMI, one card slot and one audio connector).

We’re doubtful about claims its battery can last eight hours, but find it plausible the machine can accommodate both a SATA drive and an M2 drive.

If you don’t mind a larger laptop, the Lhmzniy A8 could prove an even better buy (for a 22% premium), with its Celeron J3455 CPU offering twice the performance of the N3350.

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