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Well things have certainly changed somewhat since Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain were drawn together in the Champions League last 16 back in December. What looked like it might be a one-sided affair now looks very tasty indeed, and with this guide you can live stream Man United vs PSG no matter where you are in the world. Cast your mind back almost two months ago when the names Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain came out next to each other, and you would have seen a despondent Jose Mourinho at the helm of a faltering United. One day later he was sacked, and the Red Devils haven't looked back since. Caretaker manager and club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer remains unbeaten in his 11 matches in charge and has the likes of Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford playing the high quality football that everybody knew they could. They've gone from no-hopers to Champions League contenders in a matter of weeks. PSG's fortunes have headed in the opposite direction thanks to some terribly timed injury woes. Two of their star men - Neymar and Edinson Cavani - are sidelined, leaving manager Thomas Tuchel to make some creative choices...expect Dani Alves to start in midfield, for example. But don't forget that this is a side 10 points up with two games in hand in Ligue 1, and boasting superstars like Kylian Mbappe, Gianluigi Buffon and ex-United winger Angel Di Maria. And they'll be up for the fight. It's poised to be a fascinating first leg of the Champions League last 16 knockouts, so make sure you follow the instructions below for how to live stream Manchester United vs PSG from wherever you are in the world. See how to live stream every single Champions League game this seasonhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VgyagGS9HpAEPUQtUJBfrg.jpg Use a VPN to watch Champions League football outside your countryIf you're away from your country but are desperate to get around geo-blocking from your home broadcaster, don't sweat. Thanks to the tools provided to you by a VPN service, you can tune in no matter where you are in the world. And best of all, it's really easy to do. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/B9XNGCRYNHKJzN5zVfTMje.jpg Stream the Man U game live in the UK http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/x4WvmjGdnEUCFeqhMUrnWo.jpg How to watch Man United vs PSG: US live streamshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jgvvohCEmS99W9XuRfJMSo.jpg How to live stream Manchester United vs PSG in Canadahttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/D39crXd3gob7KPsE3LAFUo.jpg How to live stream Man United vs Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League: Australiahttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kZWNrTtXZs7Ep2c7452KSo.jpg How to watch Champions League football in New Zealandhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WWQ7UGT97CVJAVBcELPxRQ.jpg How to live stream the UEFA Champions League football in Indiahttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ebGZgkd4qVX7mUuvz3WNkH.jpg http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/m65QO7MuJ-4
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In an effort to make it easier for businesses to recruit the best talent for their organisations, Google has announced that its G Suite recruitment app Hire is now available in the UK and Canada. The search giant first launched its recruitment app for the US market back in July 2017 and now it is extending the service to the UK and Canada where its success could possibly lead to a global rollout later down the line. Hire helps organisations by making it easy to collaborate on identifying talent, building strong candidate relationships and allowing them to efficiently manage the end-to-end interview process within their existing workflows. Transforming the recruitment process with AIGoogle hikes G Suite pricesHow businesses can secure top Cloud talent amid fierce competitionGoogle's recruitment app also integrates seamlessly with other G Suite apps such as Gmail and Google Calendar by enabling customers to run an efficient recruiting process alongside G Suite's other familiar tools. Recruiting with Hire and G SuiteHire and G Suite were designed to work so well together that an organisation's recruitment team can focus on their top priorities as opposed to wasting time copying and pasting across tools. Using Hire, businesses can recruit directly from within Gmail and the emails will sync automatically in both services. The app also allows users to schedule interviews that automatically sync to Google Calendar. Businesses can also track candidates in Hire and then use Google Sheets to analyze and visualize the data. Companies that are already using G Suite in their day to day operations can easily take advantage of Hire and we could see Google expand the service to more countries if it is successful in the UK and Canada. We've also highlighted the best small business softwarehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/V7Orp3SoscE
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Stuff your open worlds and your battle royales – sometimes you just want to put on some studded leather gloves, dust off your New Rock boots and slice seven shades of sin off a demon with a bum for a face. Enter Devil May Cry 5 – what’s being considered to be the first true sequel in the hack-and-slash series for over a decade, if you skip counting the DmC: Devil May Cry reboot of 2013. Except, it’s sort of a sequel to Devil May Cry 2 due to some time-jumping plot elements, we think based on what we’ve seen so far...which actually makes it a prequel to Devil May Cry 4? Sorta? Stop thinking – you’re here for bombastic special moves, outlandish monsters and more combo options than a hot wings and wedges sharing platter. Cut to the chaseWhat is it? The next entry into the Devil May Cry series, a hack-and-slash monster-slaying adventureWhen can I play it? March 8, 2019What can I play it on? PC, Xbox One and PS4Devil May Cry 5 trailersDevil May Cry 5, after months of teasing from director Hideaki Itsuno, was finally revealed during Microsoft’s press conference at E3 2018. A whole slew of trailers have followed since: here’s a playlist direct from Capcom that not only includes the latest Devil May Cry 5 trailers, but also some gameplay playthroughs too. Plenty to rest your eyes on here. Devil May Cry 5 release dateDevil May Cry 5 will release on March 8, 2019. The last Devil May Cry game, DmC: Devil May Cry, was released back in 2013, but being a reboot isn’t wholly considered part of the core series. In some respects then, this is the first ‘proper’ Devil May Cry release in over a decade, since 2008’s Devil May Cry 4. Devil May Cry 5 storyThe fifth core entry into the Devil May Cry series, DMC 5 introduces a new mystery man, ‘V’. He’s tasked returning heroes Dante and Nero with taking out a tremendous new enemy that threatens the world, and is laying waste to the London-like Red Grave City. The game opens with Dante being beaten to within an inch of his life, but giving Nero just enough time to escape. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xqtEqSWeMKWF54UqkevKg5.png Fast-forward a month, and we’re with Nero, who’s working his way through Red Grave City one demon infestation at a time, working on monster-slaying contracts out of a camper van with his new buddy, the chain-smoking inventor Nico. Where the action will take us beyond that point remains a mystery, but you will get to play as Dante, Nero and V throughout the course of the adventure, with Nico acting as your upgrade repository. Devil May Cry 5 gameplay and charactersIf you’ve played a DmC game in the past, you’ll be familiar with its core loop of combo rushes and boss battles. Both Nero and Dante return, and again they’ll work through a library of close-combat, ranged and air-juggling attacks to smash through foes – not only progressing the story, but earning them improved rankings for each level, making the game as much a leaderboard chase as it is a narrative adventure. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TeN3bYrPHpiJqJNhJAPrJS.png V, however, is an all-new take on combat in Devil May Cry. Looking something like Star Wars Kylo Ren if he’d been dragged through a My Chemical Romance mosh-pit, the tattooed and cane-wielding character doesn’t attack foes directly. Instead, he summons a ghostly panther to do close-combat attacks on his behalf, and a raven for ranged attacks. V is vulnerable up close, and only comes in to deliver finishing blows on baddies, recharging his pet’s powers by reading from a magical book. Build up enough power from battles and he can also summon a massive golem heavy character to take on tougher baddies, which V can ride to take direct control over. It’s a very different approach to combat for Devil May Cry, making it far more about tactical planning than direct button-mashing prowess. Over the course of the game we can imagine V’s levels being a welcome change of pace. Dante and Nero have some new tricks up their sleeves too though. Nero still has his Red Queen sword and Blue Rose revolver, but now has a new assortment of ‘Devil Breakers’ – robot arms to replace the one he lost earlier in the series. These can do everything from freezing enemies to dragging them in from a distance, as well as dropping devastating explosives. You can swap these out mid-mission too, giving you some tactical-load out options as you play. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PHsiDstCXgtjNM8yfAKCXY.png Dante has his familiar Rebellion and Sparda blades, but gets two new Devil Arms, a pair of weapons that look a bit like buzzsaws and can combine to become a motorcycle. His Swordmaster, Gunslinger, Trickster and Royalguard move sets from Devil May Cry 3 return – a point some fans consider the series at its best. And so, when you throw in each characters’ individual branching upgrade paths, there’s plenty to sink your teeth into, as well as plenty of potential for replayability across multiple playthroughs. It’s going to be a wild, bloody ride. Devil May Cry 5 Cameo systemHere’s an interesting addition to the series. DmC 5 has levels in which the characters you’re not currently controlling duke it out alongside you. Whereas many games would have this work with purely an AI companion, Capcom is introducing a kind of asynchronous ghost-mulitplayer option here. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/REx7zHfJek5zUwrJPRXifK.png As you’re playing, you’ll get a note stating that the Cameo system has been triggered, and that one of the other characters, as previously controlled by another player, is battling through the level. We’ve yet to see this in action, and how much it will change the moment-to-moment gameplay remains to be seen. But adding a dash of community to what is otherwise a solitary gameplay experience sounds like an intriguing concept at the very least. Devil May Cry 5 in-game purchasesThe game has courted some controversy over the decision to include in-game purchases. You’ll be able to spend real-world money to buy in-game orbs, used to upgrade the game’s characters. However, Capcom has stressed that this doesn’t affect the game’s natural progression system, and that players will not be penalised in any way for opting not to splash extra cash. Put simply, it’ll just be a way for lazy gamers to speed through to some of the more extravagant upgrades that everyone else will naturally earn as they play, so be still your beating hearts. Best PlayStation 4 gamesBest Xbox One gameshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/q9c6xvH3vAM
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Can we expect a new Apple TV for 2019? Or is Apple happy with the most recent 4K edition pushed out in 2017? We're certainly ready for more, and we've collected all the rumors and our personal wishes for the new device right here. To put the Apple TV 2019 in context, it's been a tough road for the Apple TV as a whole. Labeled a “hobby” project by Steve Jobs, the idea of a set-top box was very much on the back burner at Apple for many years. The 4K-enabled Apple TV that arrived last year finally saw the streamer meet the promise it’s always held, boasting super-high resolution playback, some fun gaming options and voice control that actually worked. So what will the follow-up look like? Here's what we might see from the Apple TV 2019, which would be the 6th generation of the box. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WRApsWBafZc8yuH92KbDMg.jpg Cut to the chaseWhat is it? A new version of Apple’s set-top boxWhen is it out? We’d expect an announcement in September 2019What will it cost? Hopefully around the price of previous modelsApple TV 6 (2019) release dateAs ever with unannounced Apple products, outside the annual iPhone release, it’s hard to know when, if ever, a new product will hit stores. But we can make educated guesses based on previous models’ release dates. The fifth-generation, 4K-capable Apple TV model was revealed on September 12, 2017, almost two years to the day that the 4th generation Apple TV was announced. By that reckoning, a September 2019 reveal is most likely, giving time for TV technology to progress enough for Apple to have something new to discuss. An Apple TV in 2018 might just not be worth it for Apple – though we're got our eyes on the new iPhone launch event today in case they get in an announcement early. Of course we now know that WWDC 2018 came and went without any mention of a new Apple TV. Maybe next year. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5CTnZnjmop67eGnHkEDxoD.jpg Apple TV 6 (2019) priceOf course, without a confirmed spec sheet, it’s difficult to speculate on cost. Apple knows that messing with the formula too much might hurt sales, though. It's worth bearing in mind that as far as set-top boxes have gone in the past, Apple’s has always commanded a premium price. For the sake of context, the current-gen Apple TV costs £179 / $179 / AU$249 for the 32GB version, while the 64GB option costs £199 / $199 / AU$279. The Apple TV 2018 (or 2019) would be around that, we think. Apple TV 6 (2019): what we want to seeThe Apple TV line has made some solid steps forward over the last two generation revisions, but there’s still room for improvement should a 6th-generation Apple TV ever hit stores. Apple’s approach to content and voice control still frustrates at times, and it’s in these areas we’re mostly looking for some progress with a new Apple TV, what with the underlying hardware being reasonably solid at this period in time. An open approach to apps and third-party video The walls of Apple’s closed garden have been slowly eroding over the years, but it’s still quite picky about what makes it to its TV-based app store. That’s particularly clear when you’re comparing the Apple TV with something like Android TV-based set-top boxes, where a wide range of applications (including some more controversial options like Kodi) are available. It’d be great to see Apple take a similarly open approach to its TV viewing options in the future. Tastes across the globe vary, and a wider variety of programming and streaming options (as well as ways to play back your own media) would go down a treat if they were included in the Apple TV 2018. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6ac39561cd1128782c6b8d55cd006af2.jpg More gaming options The last two generations of Apple TV have seen the company dip its toes deeper into the world of gaming – something that, outside of the iOS app store, it’s been reticent to do in a home space in the past. But with the 5th-gen release and the partnership with Thatgamecompany for its game Sky, it started to seem like it was finally taking home gaming seriously. However, outside of Sky’s release, Apple TV gaming still hasn’t been particularly high profile. Its clearest rival in this respect is the Nvidia Shield, which takes gaming very seriously with built-for-purpose console conversions for its hardware, and a cloud streaming gaming service. It’d be great to see Apple get more high-quality developers onboard – which shouldn’t be as hard as it's making it seem, considering the relationship that it already has with mobile developers. Deeper voice control with Siri Controlling your TV with voice commands is still a thrill, but Apple’s Siri lags behind the capabilities of Google’s Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa. The TV space would be a great area for it to invest in, given the relatively narrow contextual window it has to work within. We’d love to see Siri integration really dive deep with the 6th-gen Apple TV 2018 – perhaps scheduling a calendar notification for your favorite show release date, for instance. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kPhfVKFB4FJTaFvsH3mirJ.jpg Better HomePod syncing Apple’s smart speaker can frustrate thanks to Siri’s sometimes weak recognition capabilities, but one thing that is undeniable about the hardware is its sound quality. It’s easily the best-sounding smart speaker on the market – if among the most expensive of them, too. Now that HomePod speakers support stereo pairing and multi-room, would it be possible to get the HomePod to automatically set up in a surround sound configuration if multiple speakers and the TV box are present? It’d be great to be enveloped by an epic Hollywood soundtrack through those speakers. Better exclusive content Apple’s been investing in exclusive content for a few years now, and while Carpool Karaoke still has a relatively loyal following, there wasn’t much fanfare around its reality TV Planet of the Apps Show. Compare that to what Amazon is producing for its Prime service and Fire TV devices, and it seems majorly lacking. Apple needs to do better to pull in big name TV and movie directors if it’s going to compete with Jeff Bezos’s service and Netflix. Perhaps this could be integrated and subsidized by the long-rumored Apple TV subscription service that the company has been allegedly trying to iron out for years. Amazon Echo vs Apple HomePod vs Google Home: the battle of the smart speakershttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/U7F5aJuUgrY
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Analysts, patent filings and our general gut intuition all point to one thing: Apple AirPods 2 are coming sometime in 2019. How can we be so sure? The AirPods 2 haven't yet been officially announced by Cook and Co, but thanks to some trademark and Bluetooth SIG filings, we know they're close - and they might be radically different than the AirPods you know and love. The trademark filings say that the second generation AirPods will be a health and fitness device, in addition to being a pair of true wireless earbuds. That designation is usually reserved for fitness trackers, so it's interesting that Apple is pursuing it for its earbuds and could integrate nicely with what Apple's doing with the Apple Watch. Curious what else the second generation of Apple's true wireless earbuds might have in store for us? Read on below. [update: A recent report has suggested that the AirPods 2 could have 'deeper' bass and support AirPower wireless charging, whereas Twitter user OnLeaks's has suggested that we won't see the AirPods 2 until the end of 2019.] Are there AirPod alternatives? Yep, here are the best true wireless earbudsApple AirPods 2 release date and priceWhen are they out? The latest predictions indicate an early 2019 releaseHow much will they cost? That's TBD, but if analysts are right, expect them to be similar to the existing AirPods at $159 / £159 / AU$229We have every reason to believe that AirPods 2 are coming in 2019 but, without any official confirmation from the powers that be, that's just an educated guess. That said, there are analysts who have been overseas to Apple's fabrication facilities and have said that Apple is just about ready to produce units but couldn't provide an exact date for that to happen. The best guess we have right now, based on a report from a Barclays analyst, is a late 2019 launch. Very likely that means we'll see them at Apple's 2019 WWDC event in June, Apple's September 2019 iPhone event or, at the very least, at the October 2019 iPad launch event that closes out Apple's events for the year.] Twitter user OnLeaks's has suggested that we won't see the AirPods 2 until the end of 2019, so it could coincide with the iPhone 11's predicted launch date in early September. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/So8KPAHGgqaktuLm4EDsoe.jpg Apple AirPods 2: rumors, design and potential featuresDespite their divisive design, the Apple AirPods sold very well – you just have to jump on public transport and see just how many of them are poking out of music fans' ears on the way to work to note they've overcome any early online ridicule. But improvements will need to be made in order to justify the release of a follow up. So far we've heard a number of crazy rumors (including the AirPods 2 being a pair of over-ear headphones akin to the Beats Studio line-up) so it's important to take all the rumors with a grain of salt and a pinch of anticipation. That said, here's what we've heard so far. Better wireless connectivity The anonymous sources that spoke to Bloomberg claimed that both the 2018 and 2019 updates are going to have better Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity thanks to the inclusion of the W2 chip used in the Apple Watch 3. This is an upgrade on the W1 chip that currently handles the AirPod wireless connectivity. Siri By the sounds of things, the Apple AirPods arriving in 2018 (AirPods 1.5?) are going to feature baked-in voice activation, meaning you'll be able to access Apple's voice assistant by just uttering "Hey Siri". We haven't caught wind of when, exactly, that feature will go live, but chances are good it will be available alongside the new wireless charging case in September or October of 2018. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/47nAt29bNNXxBKAzJZ7q3W.jpg Waterproofing Still working from the Bloomberg report, it looks like the 2019 update is going to have waterproofing, although it looks like it's going to be splash and rain resistant rather than true waterproofing like the Apple Watch, so no taking them in the pool with you. Still, that would make the second-gen AirPods a better workout-based headphone, and would mean that they'd be safe to wear around the pool without worrying about them getting splashed. Fitness tracking Back in July Apple filed a patent for biometric sensors which would allow the AirPods 2 to take on fitness tracking capabilities like those seen in the Jabra Elite Wireless. This followed another patent filed in March. Perhaps more interestingly than heart rate sensing, the sensors would also allow the AirPods 2 to measure stroke volume, which combined with heart rate would allow it to calculate your cardiac output. Essentially this means the AirPods 2 would theoretically be much better at establishing how fit you are overall rather than just measuring your heart rate. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jCZJmhfvmrR6CuWHqN8JQR.jpg A recent patent suggests the AirPods 2 might make use of some fancy valves to dissipate pressureBetter ambient sound handling Another patent from July suggested that Apple is working on some pretty nifty tech for how the earbuds handle outside noise as well as dissipating pressure from inside the ear canal. The patent outlines a valve system that would allow sound to escape your ear canal to avoid that weird reverberating effect that occurs when you speak with earbuds in your ears. The patent then goes on to describe how the earbuds would handle ambient noise, using a microphone to filter in noise from the outside world so that you can remain aware of your surroundings while still hearing your music. Wireless charging Apple now supports wireless charging in some of its devices. Called AirPower, the new standard will support the iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, Apple Watch 3 and the existing AirPods (via a new charging case). Given that the standard supports the existing AirPods, we'd be surprised if the technology wasn't included as standard with the AirPods 2, allowing you to easily charge all your Apple products from a single charging pad. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NDE2GMMv7guU83BmUifhs6.jpg AirPods 2 as an over-ear pair of headphones? This one's a long-shot, but there has been a number of rumors going around that the AirPods 2 might be a pair of over-ear, noise-cancelling headphones. It seems unlikely based off all the patents floating around out the integrated fitness tracker, but it's always possible that Apple will better leverage its Beats brand in 2019. Need something now? Here are the best truly wireless AirPod alternatives aroundSo – you've seen what we've seen so far in terms of AirPods 2 rumors and news. But what about the items we'd put on an AirPods 2 wishlist, if we could cherry pick the feature list for ourselves? Here's what we felt was lacking in the original AirPods, and why we'd like to see them in the AirPods 2. Noise-cancellation Only a couple of years ago, companies were struggling just to get true wireless earbuds working, but now the goalposts have already shifted to packing more and more functionality into their shells. The Sony WF-1000X manage to include noise-cancellation technology inside their diminutive shells, and we’d love to see similar functionality make it to the second generation of AirPods. Apple’s fancy ambient noise technology outlined above suggests the company is thinking along these lines, but we’ve still got our fingers crossed. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/msGgi7h7Mk82CkubiToUiX.jpg The Sony WF-1000X feature noise-cancellation technologyPhysical controls Apple isn’t much of a fan of buttons, but there are some cases where they save you a lot of time and effort, and headphones are one of these instances. On-board controls have become an almost essential feature in headphones in recent years, allowing us to control music playback and volume without having to struggle to get our phones out of our pockets. Now the AirPods did allow you to control music in a sense, but they relied entirely on Siri, Apple’s voice assistant. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LRNzHSgwinYxGVfy3sx5jK.jpg The B&O Beoplay E8 feature touch-sensitive controls to allow you to control your musicOn the one hand Siri is much more powerful than the usual button controls by allowing you to request specific songs, for example. But on the other hand, Siri comes with some pretty big limitations. It doesn’t work without a Wi-Fi connection, it can only play music from Apple Music (so not Spotify), and probably most problematic of all is the fact that it forces you to speak out loud to control anything - hardly ideal if you want to listen to music on the bus. The original AirPods already had a touch-sensitive control for activating Siri, so we’d like to see this extended to controlling music directly. The BeoPlay E8’s have shown how this can be done with simple tap controls, and it’s time for Apple to follow suit. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nhrmdKfUrzEdNQTAYSyb8L.jpg Changeable ear tips Apple likes to rely wholly on sleek white plastic, but we weren’t a fan of the lack of rubber tips on the original AirPods, especially when there’s no cable to catch them if they fall. We want any true wireless earbuds to feel nice and secure in the ears, and including a number of changeable ear tips so we can select those that perfectly fit our ears would be the ideal way of achieving this. One individual in the TechRadar office even went to the length of fixing some rubber tips from an alternative pair of headphones onto their AirPods to make them feel more secure. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BcPMRpoBMgDZBRX6nfaQHj.jpg Changeable rubber ear-tips are common on lots of in-ear headphonesBetter Android pairing Given that Apple likes to ensure all its products are designed to work as a family this has little chance of happening, but we’d love to see the AirPods play slightly nicer with Android phones. On iPhones, pairing is a dream. You simply hold the AirPods near your phone and they connect more or less automatically. However with Android the process is a lot more complicated and involving jumping into settings menus to select the AirPods manually. We’d love to see Apple simplify this process for the AirPods 2, though we're not holding our breath. Different designs and colors We get it, Apple likes white things. But in an era where iPhones and iPads are available in a range of different colors we’d love to see this same courtesy extended to the AirPods. We just want our headphones to match our phone and our Apple Watch; is that so much to ask? Although Apple has experimented with different colors for its various devices, its earbuds have always stayed the same iconic white, making it pretty unlikely that we’ll get to see the AirPods 2 show up in another color. Better battery life This one’s pretty self-explanatory, but given the AirPods’ small size it’s not entirely unexpected that the battery life was just five hours. This is pretty good compared to a lot of the other true wireless headphones out there, but we’d like to see Apple push themselves to go better and try and rival the battery life of over-ear wireless headphones. It’s a lofty goal, but if anyone can do it, it would be Apple. We might see the AirPods 2 announced alongside the 4K Apple TVhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/r_HGnNegqo8
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You could make a collage by piecing images together using a photo editor like Photoshop or GIMP, but it requires a lot of careful resizing and measuring, and really isn’t much fun. It’s much better to use a dedicated free photo collage maker, and there are some fantastic tools that make the job as simple as dragging and dropping, and make the process of creating an original design a real joy. Tweak your pictures with the best free photo editorModern phone cameras can take stunning print-quality photos, and you probably have some real gems stored on your handset right now – so why leave them there? These are the tools – both web apps and desktop software – that will help you make gorgeous collages in moments, ready to print to canvas. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/g63SMwa7g2kuQ2imDoiYV6.jpg Image credit: Fotojet 1. FotojetFeature-packed and fun; the best tool for making print-ready collages Online photo collage maker Fotojet looks very much like Fotor and Canva (below), but is more flexible and fun to use than either, making it our number one choice. To get started, click 'Collage' and choose either a grid or an illustrated design (in our opinion a simple grid-based layout shows off your photos better). Those marked with a crown are available to premium account holders only, but you can resize the image frames in any grid, so this isn't much of a drawback. You can also adjust the spacing and roundness of the boxes, and pick an aspect ratio for your canvas. Click 'Add photos', then drag and drop them into the template. Once you’ve inserted an image you’ll be presented with a list of customizable Instagram-style filters to give your collage a bespoke look, plus advanced options for tweaking exposure, brightness, contrast, saturation, and hue. There’s a good selection of backgrounds to choose from too (either plain colors, or tasteful geometric patterns), plus clip art and text. Once you’ve finished, you can save your creation as a JPG or PNG file (there’s no PDF option) at a compression setting and size to suit you. You can also share it via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, or Tumblr, or even print it directly from the browser. It's great fun to use, and easy to master. Try it online: Fotojet http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gAMXsFStcw9UKkg75HB2n9.jpg Image credit: Canva 2. CanvaFor printing to canvas, this online photo collage maker is a great choice Like all the other browser-based collage makers here, most of Canva’s photo collage templates are free to use, but there are also premium designs available for a fee. These are clearly marked, so there’s no need to worry about creating a design, then being unable to export it without parting with a handful of cash. To begin, set a new username and password, or sign in with your Facebook or Google account. Select "Personal use" and you’ll be presented with a menu of project types, including social media graphics, banners, book covers, and presentations. Select "Photo collage," then "See all collage templates" to see the full set of free options available. Alternatively, click "Elements" and choose a grid, then start adding the images, borders, icons, and other items that will make up your collage. To add your own pictures, click "Uploads" and drag them from your desktop. You can then drag them straight onto your collage canvas. You can also add images from Facebook, or from Canva’s own library of free pictures. If you’ve chosen a grid layout, they will be resized and cropped to fit automatically. Once you’re done, you can save your collage as a printable PDF, PNG, or JPG file, or make it public for others to use. You can even add crop marks and bleed space – an option that’s very useful for professional printing, and absent from most free collage makers. The only drawback of Canva is that you can’t set the resolution of the output file (although you do have a choice of standard or print-quality PDFs). Beyond that, it’s a truly superb free collage maker. Try it online: Canva http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BHgn9c3xxmhbFHvJMZ3gMC.jpg Image credit: Fotor 3. FotorNot just a great photo editor, browser-based app Fotor also has a module dedicated to making stylish collages from your best pictures There are currently two versions of Fotor’s collage maker – one that uses Flash, and another built with HTML5. The former will soon be phased out in favour of the latter, but they work the same way. Fotor's design isn’t quite as intuitive as Canva’s, but it’s still much quicker and easier than creating a collage from first principles. All of Fotor’s essential features are free, with extras available for a subscription fee. Premium membership also removes ads from the collage creator. To get started, click "Sign in" and either create a new account using your email address, or log in with Facebook (you’ll need an account in order to save your work as you move between tools). Once that’s done, click "Collage", pick a template (those marked with a diamond icon are only available to premium account holders) and upload your pictures using the "Import" button on the right. Click "Fill in" on the left, and the spaces in your chosen template will be populated with the uploaded pictures – cropped and resized to fit automatically. It’s incredibly simple, and the quickest way to create a collage if you don’t mind letting the web app make creative decisions for you. Stickers and text let you give your design a personal touch before it’s exported. Unlike Canva, Fotor lets you choose the aspect ratio and resolution of your finished collage before saving it in JPG, PNG or PDF format. Fotor is an excellent free collage maker, though its design is a little less intuitive than Canva, pushing it into a respectable third place. Try it online: Fotor http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pDPWnYviNxdAJfEiBhehNF.jpg Image credit: NCH Software 4. PhotoPadA desktop-based free collage maker that’s fast, if a little utilitarian PhotoPad is a desktop collage maker, making it faster and more flexible than its browser-based counterparts. You don’t have to relinquish your email address or Facebook username to use it, either. Unfortunately, it looks a little dated, and lacks some of the features that make online collage makers so much fun, including stickers and filters. Click "Collage" to begin, and set up your canvas by choosing a size for the finished print. Next, pick the background that will show behind your images. Most of the patterns provided here are quite cheesy, but you can also use your own picture or a solid color. Once that’s done, it’s time to choose a layout. There’s a great choice of grids (none are locked away behind a paywall), and you can customize the spacing between photos and roundness of the corners using a pair of sliders. Click a space in your grid to add a photo from your PC. They will be resized to fit, and you can adjust the area to be cropped by clicking and dragging. Unfortunately there’s no way to add text or shapes within the collage editor, and neither are there any filters to give your pictures a fresh look before finalizing your design. If you really want to add extra elements, you’ll have to re-open the saved collage using PhotoPad’s main photo editor and make the alterations manually. Download here: PhotoPad http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4JLMRqbaZ4UTf4NNbP3XpH.jpg Image credit: Digital Palette LLC 5. piZapA fun way to create collages for Facebook, but not the best for wall art Unlike other browser-based free photo collage makers, piZap doesn’t ask you to part with your email address before you start creating your first design; just get stuck straight in. This is a handy time-saver, but has the disadvantage that you can’t save your progress and edit your creation at a later date. First, pick a free design; there are options based around rectangles (our preferred choice), hearts, circles, and other shapes like stars. The latter options are better suited to greeting cards than wall art, and risk detracting from the impact of your photos. We’d also avoid the themed options, which are all rather cheesy. Once you’ve picked a template, simply click each frame in turn to insert a photo. Not only can you upload images from your PC, you can also grab pictures from Facebook, Instagram, Dropbox, and Flickr. The now-defunct Google Picasa is also listed. Once your photos are in place, you can set a background color, adjust spacing, and add a drop shadow. There’s a good range of filters available, though they can only be applied to the entire canvas, not individual photos, and the clip art options lack subtlety. The remaining tools (paintbrushes and meme text) are fun for creating something silly to share online, but not for stylish wall art. Once you’ve finished, the free collage maker only gives you one export option – a standard resolution JPG that’s fine for a small print, but not for a large canvas. Overall, piZap is best for making fun compositions to share on social media. If you want something to hang on your wall, the other tools here are much better choices. Try it online: piZap How to make a free photo collage onlinehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/maSHgrz3prw
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Update: Could a new model of the Apple TV be around the corner? Head to our new Apple TV 2019 page to see what we want from a new iteration on Apple's streaming set top box. Otherwise read on for our comparison below... Apple is finally joining the civilized world of 4K Ultra-HD with its new Apple TV 4K, a new streaming box that can output the higher resolution in conjunction with HDR. It’s something that probably should’ve happened back in 2015 when Apple announced the new-and-improved Apple TV, but hey, it’s better late than never, and now Apple can make use of the newer standards that have emerged in the meantime. If you just purchased the original Apple TV or are looking to buy into the Apple streaming video ecosystem for the first time, you might be wondering which of the two sets are right for you. Conversely, if you're new to streaming video devices entirely, you might even be considering something else – like, say, a Roku or Amazon Fire TV – and we’ll walk you through those options as well. With so many devices at your fingertips and two of them branded with an Apple logo, it can be hard to sort out which ones you actually need. But we’re here to help. Not sure if you absolutely need an Apple TV 4K? Read on to figure it out. Get all the best Apple TV dealsResolution – 4K/HDR vs HD/SDROne of the easiest qualifiers of whether you need an Apple TV 4K is whether you actually own a 4K HDR TV or not – as that’s probably the new box’s biggest selling point. Only the new Apple TV 4K supports the new technologies, and a lot of its functionality is redundant if you don't have a television that supports it. But wait. Just what, exactly, is the big deal about 4K HDR? 4K, also known as Ultra-HD or by its technical resolution of 3,840 x 2,160, simply means that the Apple TV can output around four times the amount of pixels than standard HD boxes can. The HDR part, however, is a bit more important. HDR, also known as high dynamic range, is a technology that allows for TVs to display better, more colorful and much brighter pictures. Going from SDR to HDR is like upgrading from a box of eight Crayola crayons to the awesome 16-crayon box: there are more colors available to choose from and those colors are be brighter and more vibrant than the ones you’re used to. If you don’t own a 4K/HDR TV (and trust me, you’ll know if you do) or don’t plan on upgrading to one in the near future, you’re probably best sticking with the old hardware. If you do, then the Apple TV 4K is probably a worthwhile upgrade. Simple, right? Well before we move on, it’s worth mentioning the neat little feature called Dolby Vision – a souped-up version of HDR that allows for even higher (and lower) levels of brightness and richer colors. Like HDR and 4K, you’ll need a Dolby Vision TV to actually see the images in the new and better format. HDR10 vs Dolby Vision: Here’s what you need to know about the HDR format warhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PvThyZzDmGnwwQpXzCUQJX.jpg Specs – Apple A8 vs A10XThe other major change besides resolution is the hardware under the hood of the new system. Namely that change is an upgrade from the old Apple A8 processor (the one found inside the Apple iPhone SE) in the Apple TV to the newer Apple 10X (the one found in the iPad Pro) in the Apple TV 4K. According to benchmarks run by Apple, the upgraded chip helps the Apple TV 4K perform at twice the speed of the original Apple TV and offers four times the performance with games and apps. The bottom line? If you’re going to use your Apple TV as a faux game console or can’t stand buffer times, you should consider shelling out for the extra power. Unfortunately, though, if you want a bit more space to store those games and apps, you won’t get any advantage by upgrading to the Apple TV 4K. In fact, both the Apple TV and the Apple TV 4K offer the same storage options – 32GB and 64GB. And considering that games and apps can now be as big as 4GB each, those storage options might run out rather quick. As for weight, size and every other physical characteristic (including the amount and types of ports offered) the two are almost identical in every way with the minor exception that Apple TV offers a USB-C port on the back. Price differencesWe never thought we’d utter these words but, everything considered, we’re a bit surprised Apple isn’t charging more for the Apple TV 4K – especially considering the price of the original. For the record, the original Apple TV will set you back $149 (£129, AU$269) for the 32GB model. The new Apple TV 4K starts at only $30 more and will come in at $179 (about £135, AU$225) for the 32GB model. That said, if you want more space, the 64GB model of the TV 4K is only $20 more and will be available for $199 (about £149, AU$249). Based on price alone it’s tempting to upgrade from a 32GB Apple TV to a 32GB Apple TV 4K and from a 32GB version of the Apple TV 4K to the 64GB version. Well played, Apple. Where Apple’s pricing model falls apart, however, is when it’s compared to the other options on the market. Roku has a 4K Ultra HD HDR player for $99 called the Roku Premiere+, as does Amazon in the form of the new Amazon Fire TV. For a bit more than the $99 sticker price, you can get a Nvidia Shield, which offers 4K HDR and doubles as a PLEX server, and for $30 less, you can get the Chromecast Ultra which offers 4K HDR for $69 (£69 or about AU$90). So, is it worth buying the new Apple TV 4K?Let’s wrap this up in a nice little bow, shall we? If you’re dead-set on buying into the Apple ecosystem and own a 4K HDR TV with plans on doing some gaming on it, the Apple TV 4K is absolutely the system you need. No questions asked. Even if you don’t own a 4K HDR TV right this second but would like one in the near future, it’s probably worth shelling out a little bit extra now to upgrade to the Apple TV 4K and save yourself the headache down the road. But, all that said, if you’re not 100% sure about the Apple ecosystem or would like to save significantly on your 4K HDR streaming video player, it might be worth checking out some other options like the Roku Premiere+, Amazon Fire TV and Chromecast Ultra first before you make any decisions one way or the other. The advantages of the Apple TV models are their integration with other Apple technologies like HomeKit and AirPlay. If your whole household already uses Apple products, this might justify the price premium of the streaming boxes over the competition. These are the best video streaming players ranked best to worsthttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/jvlZGSjJPSg
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Pokemon Go is getting a new enhanced AR photography feature, which will allow players to take photos of Pokemon in the real world. Go Snapshot will allow players to pose and take pictures of Pokemon in any real world location they choose. Essentially hosting your very own Pokemon photo shoot – but keep it clean. Pokemon Go update: all the news and rumors for what's coming nextCheck out the best phone for gaming 2019What ever happened to Pokemon on Switch?How does Go Snapshot work?http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tb5fJqCL9cZmPWN3QNUQW6.jpg Image credit: Niantic Inc Go Snapshot seems pretty straight forward. You simply choose a Pokemon from your collection, scan your real-world surroundings, pose the chosen Pokemon, take your photograph and share it with your friends. Even better, the Pokemon will be scale to their environment – so no Godzilla Pikachu or tiny Growlithe. It may not be Pokemon Snap but it's a feature fans have wanted for some time now, considering images of Pokemon in the real-world could only be taken during battles previously - when you're not exactly worries about how they're posing. Niantic hasn't announced when we will see the new feature, but we do know it's "coming soon". Read more: Pokemon Go: Does anyone even care anymore?http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/VMnjw2ic6VU
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I have to admit something: I don’t really know how to use the Garmin Fenix 5 Plus. I’m not an elite runner by any stretch of the imagination, but I also don’t think that I could be classed as a novice. I’ll look at the ‘advanced’ section of any running plan first, and I’ll always look at joining the fastest group session at my running club (before, often, chickening out). I’ve run multiple marathons and half marathons and so many 10k races that I’ve actually lost count. I say this not to brag (liar - Ed), but just to prove that I’m not a novice runner. I'm one that has pushed myself to the limit many times and always have a watch strapped to my wrist to make sure I’m recording all that sweet, sweet data. These are the best Garmin running watchesOr you could try our best running watches overallHow about some great headphones for running while you're at it?You see, I am a data-hungry fool. I’m certainly at the point where I’ve saturated myself too hard in all the little bits and pieces that you can learn from popping wearable tech all around your body, but man alive… I love it. I love knowing that my cadence was higher on that Saturday at that Parkrun compared to the training session I did later in the week, and it brought a certain speed level improvement. I adore being able to do a training run and then see that 18 months ago I was around 30 seconds per mile faster with only a 5% increase in heart rate. I used to talk about this kind of things at parties, but then people stopped inviting me to parties. I assume that’s just because I’m getting older. Is there such a thing as too much data?OK, I know it’s really boring, and that’s usually why I keep my fascination with data to myself. But when the chance to have a watch, like the Fenix 5 Plus, that can tell you pretty much everything about everything that happens when you run comes along, surely that should be my absolute zenith, a runner’s version of catnip? So I thought when strapping it on, the idea of being able to track nearly everything seemed like a dizzying high. I should have known something was up though when I balked at the thought of the Fenix 5X Plus, which packs a pulse oximeter to tell me how much oxygen is in my blood. I didn’t feel like I needed it. I should have recognized right then that I was reaching saturation point in terms of being told everything that's going on in my body when running. Now, after a few months of wearing the Fenix 5 Plus and training for a marathon with it on my wrist, I’m feeling increasingly guilty about it. There are modes and settings on it that I’m never going to use, and this watch is never going to realize its true potential. I’ll never throw myself out of a plane to test out ‘Jumpmaster’ (essentially parachuting that uses the altimeter to see how far and fast you’re falling). I’m never going to connect it to cameras and bike lights and turbo trainers to really take my cycling to the next level. I’m never going to climb, paddleboard or use ‘Tactical’, mostly because I’m afraid of what that really is. I just want to jog around with it. I did use boat mode when on a barge recently, although I was quite lost over the difference between knots and miles per hours - that said, it was awesome to have a speedometer on my wrist and really helped us chug through six hours to make it back to the dock in time. Also, as it’s so packed with sensors and designed to be used for so many sports, it’s a chunky beast as well - there’s definitely some weight and size to overcome when choosing one from the Fenix range. Why can't I quit you?There are reasons that I still run around with it strapped to my wrist though. Firstly, it’s got the entire suite of run tracking that I actually use. I can program in interval sessions from my app. I can customize the screen to show only the metrics I care about. It’ll tell me how tired I am from reading the variations in my heart rate, and even has a tiny map that I can sort of read when I’m trying to work out where I am. However, (map aside, and I don’t really need that) these are all things that I could get on the Garmin Forerunner 935, which is a lot sleeker and cheaper (the Fenix 5 Plus comes in at £550 / $700 / AU$1000, where the 935 can be found for around two thirds of that price). If you're interested, we have sniffed out the best Garmin deals on many different watches from the range.The one thing that keeps me locked to the Fenix 5 Plus is down to one simple fact: it’s got Spotify on board, meaning I can sync my playlists and podcasts to the watch and leave my phone fully at home. This is functionality that is sadly not widespread enough through the fitness watch industry, and is still pretty new on Garmin too, locked to only the Forerunner 645 Music and the Fenix 5 range (and I’m still not desperate to buy the 645 Music after the poor battery life performance in my review). So, for now, I’m sticking with the Fenix 5 Plus - but I get the feeling that in 2019 we’re going to see more Spotify-enabled running watches hit the market from Garmin, complete with all the running data I crave but without the guilt of holding back something better suited to the wrist of an Iron Man contender. Gareth Beavis is TechRadar's Running Man of Tech, testing the latest in fitness technology in a never-ending quest to run further and faster and bringing you the results in this column.If you want to say hi, he's @superbeav on TwitterYou can see his stumblings on StravaAnd for more data, follow him on SmashrunAnd if you want to get the full lowdown on the latest and greatest running tech, read the rest of the Running Man of Tech story herehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/FU2Wwp3_cuU
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There seems to be no stopping Apex Legends hitting fresh highs following its debut, and the latest revelation is that the game has reached 25 million players in its first week – and last weekend it exceeded two million concurrent players. The 25 million milestone was shared by the game’s official Twitter account, complete with the comment that the success of the past week has been beyond Respawn and EA’s wildest imagination. There’s a good reason why the big cheeses on Twitch are being thanked directly in the tweet, because Apex Legends streamers are a big part of how the battle royale shooter has been pushed so hard. We’ve got you covered with all the latest Apex Legends newsBattlefield V is soon getting a battle royale modeThese are the best gaming monitors for FortniteThat has definitely helped the game’s success, as has the fact that it’s completely free, and smartly polished with a somewhat different take on the genre. Apex Legends is a little like Fortnite crossed with Overwatch – with heroes (Legends) to choose from – but it’s squad-based with teams of three players pitted against each other (although duo squads and a solo mode could well be in the pipeline). Mucho momentumLet’s not underestimate just how fast the player base is building, either: 25 million in a week is pretty incredible when you consider that Fortnite only hit 10 million players in twice that timeframe. Indeed, it took Fortnite the best part of six months to climb to 45 million players, and if EA’s rival shooter continues at this sort of pace, that record will be decimated. Of course, a strong start is one thing – but maintaining that momentum is completely another. Still, Vince Zampella, Respawn’s CEO, chimed in with his own post to remind us of what’s to come. Season One of Apex Legends will begin in March with the introduction of new weapons and loot, as well as new Legends of course – and a Battle Pass will be available for purchase. There are goodies coming this week, though, in the form of Valentine’s Day themed loot (which will be available for only a limited period – presumably on the day itself). Further bolstering the streaming momentum behind the game, there’s also the Twitch Rivals Apex Legends Challenge, which pits EU teams against North American squads, featuring 48 of the biggest streamers on Twitch. That kicks off later today. These are the best gaming PCs of 2019Via MS Power User http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/OL5rucMBVns
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A couple of new leaks regarding the Nokia 9, or Nokia 9 PureView, just surfaced – and they’re from a source rather close to the matter. A bunch of specs and features of the device were left in the wild, and the culprit in both cases is none other than Google, which makes the Android operating system. First, the Nokia 9 device was briefly listed on Google’s Enterprise Recommended site, which recommends products for businesses, alongside plenty of specs and features for the device. The information was only available on the mobile site, and was quickly removed, but it still gives us a reliable source for the information. Find out what we know about the iPhone 11We round up the most exciting 5G phonesThe Samsung S10 is another exciting upcoming phoneAccording to the listing, the device will have a 6-inch screen size, 4GB RAM, and 128GB storage space. A feature listed as zero-touch appears on the leak, and while we don't know what that will offer, it is listed alongside a fingerprint scanner which we can work out. Most interestingly, isn’t listed as the PureView – that name has been dropped in favor of the ‘Nokia Nokia 9’. Following on the heels of the Enterprise leak, the phone also appeared on the Google Play Console, providing a more in-depth breakdown of the device’s specs. Once again, it was taken down from the site quickly. That leak suggests the device will run a Snapdragon 845 processor and a Qualcomm Adreno 630 GPU, have a screen size of 1440 x 2880 with a resolution of 560dpi, and be powered by four Qualcomm Kryo 280s at 1.9GHz and another four Qualcomm Kryo 280s at 2.45GHz. It also says the device in question has 6GB RAM – so if both the leaks are accurate it looks like the Nokia 9 will come in 4GB and 6GB storage options. Neither of these new leaks is confirmed, although leaks via Google certainly carry more weight that rumors and leaks from most other sources. Previous leaks have suggested the Nokia 9 could have a penta-lens rear camera, as well as a 4100mAh battery and an in-screen fingerprint scanner – if the phone does come with these features, they’d surely make the device Nokia’s most impressive phone yet. It’s looking likely we’ll see the Nokia 9 on February 24 before MWC 2019, judging by a tweet from HMD Global's Chief Product Officer. We’ll be covering all the news of the Nokia event and more, to keep you updated on the latest phones. Everything we currently know about the Nokia 9 PureViewhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/_nxhv3tm6Xw
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What's the best DAB radio for you? No matter how many years go by – or how many newer, better-sounding audio standards come into vogue – the good ol' digital radio is still going strong. DAB radios make great gifts for that person who's difficult to buy for, or who doesn't necessarily care about the difference between FLAC and MP3. But the sheer variety of DAB radios available on the market by now can make finding the right one a pain. To save you the trouble, we've taken the best DAB radios in the country and rounded them up into a single unified list. So whether you're looking for a good digital radio for the kitchen, something for the bedside table, or a radio you can take on the go, we'll have the best option for you – whatever your budget. Here are the 5 best DAB radios available in the UK today. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dPf7H8Ut6JMnoKutBddFCU.jpg Image Credit: TechRadar The Pure Evoke C-F6 marries modern connectivity options with old-school CD playback, and is just about the best stereo system you can buy today. Easy to set up, a delight to listen to, and featuring just about every bell and whistle you could need from a single-room audio device, this is a fantastic choice for anyone looking for a one-stop audio box. With 3-inch stereo speakers and a 20W output, too, it can crank up to party levels while maintaining a rich, balanced sound. Read: Pure Evoke CF-6 review http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/de291f84b10ec69b693f0ed0ac9b032b.jpg Image Credit: Revo The build quality in the Revo is truly excellent, and so is the sound, though it's how Revo has addressed the needs of real people in real rooms that we like most. The touch-snooze feature, the volume dial and Bluetooth are all brilliantly convenient, though we reserve most praise for the use of an OLED screen that keeps the bedroom dark. The OLED screen uses some great-looking typography, too. Sound is the most important feature and the quality here is precise, warm and powerful. That said, a mono rather than stereo speaker is always a shame, though it does make sense on a bedside table. Read: Revo SuperSignal review http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JKrCBfjrfsf6Gzv5dJuq99.jpg Image Credit: Tivoli Taking your music on the go? Few digital radios have built-in batteries and splash-proof, portable designs, so the PAL+ BT is a bit of a one-off. Its 16 hour battery is simply superb, and makes it a great – though expensive – alternative to a Bluetooth speaker that you might take out into the garden or on a longer jaunt to the beach. Its headline slot and aux-in are handy, while the sound quality is thoroughly decent. But Bluetooth isn't exactly an expensive technology and the sound quality isn't perfect enough for Tivoli to be charging the kind of money it's asking for the PAL+ BT. The design has, however, smartly improved over the past few years, shrinking the remote and ditching the oversized analogue knob for a more capable LCD screen. The Tivoli's PAL+ BT isn't the most cost-effective way of getting a DAB+ radio, but it is still one of the best out there. In the end, this is a compact, versatile DAB radio that can be taken around the home (and anywhere else) quite easily thanks to a 16-hour battery – while the PAL+BT's inclusion of Bluetooth and a bass-heavy sound goes some way to justifying its high price. Perfect for occasional forays into the bathroom. Read: Tivoli Audio PAL+ BT review http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UC9cYLs9pCAmJfEnJ9ugyf.jpg Image Credit: TechRadar What makes the Pure Siesta Charge stand out is – you guessed it – its charging capabilities. If your smartphone or phablet is compatible with QI wireless charging, you’ll be able to leave it on top of the Siesta Charge as it fills up your battery. It has a lovely sound, with simple customization options and presets, while all the practical alarm, timer and radio functions of Pure's popular Siesta range position it as a hugely practical bedside gadget. Not to mention an auto-dimming LED display and dashing glass screen. Not everyone will make use of the wireless charging feature: but either way you're getting a sleek, well-designed DAB radio and speaker that's well worth a look. Read: Pure Siesta Charge Review http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/24668f4a579785e3235f1eb343f40d99.jpg Image Credit: Geneva With DAB, DAB+, Bluetooth, touch-sensitive buttons, line-in and a hard carry case that both protects and props-up the stereo 2.1 speaker, the Model XS is excessively impressive. Music is refined, well balanced and gets to high volumes without a hint of distortion; for DAB fans who like taking radio around the world, or want a cute desktop option, this is the best compact all-in-one in the business. The price might be a tad high for some, but there's no doubting the top tech going on inside this product which is absolutely one of the best DAB radios we've tested. Read: Geneva Sound System Model XS DAB+ review Best Bluetooth speakers 2019: take your music portablehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/RefmKxb-qWU
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Have you got one of those ‘always connected’ Windows 10 on ARM laptops powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, but you fancy running an alternative non-Microsoft OS? Well, the good news is it looks like big strides are being made to facilitate installing Linux on these machines. We’re talking about the HP Envy x2 and Asus NovaGo, which were among the initial crop of these ARM-based notebooks, and along with the Lenovo Miix 630, are the first machines to benefit from the AArch64 Laptop project which allows for the installation of Ubuntu on these devices. These are the notebooks supported with a pre-built image at the moment, at any rate, although note that the Ubuntu operating system that’s installed will be seriously limited in a number of ways, as this is still very much a work in progress. See how our week with the HP Envy x2 wentAnd here’s our review of the Asus NovaGoShould you buy a 2-in-1 laptop?To install Ubuntu, you’ll need to head here and follow the instructions. Essentially, that involves downloading a prebuilt image to put on an SD card via the supplied Flash Tool, then you can put the SD card into your machine to boot Ubuntu rather than Windows. Storage and Wi-Fi woesThe aforementioned serious caveats are that the version of Ubuntu you end up with, while functional, won’t support hardware accelerated graphics, and there’s no Wi-Fi or access to on-board storage. Naturally, the latter two drawbacks in particular are fairly crippling for most users, but the developers are working on solving these issues (indeed, the storage problem may have just been cracked, at least on the Asus NovaGo, according to some of the most recent bug squashing updates). Also, with the NovaGo, there’s a further technical hitch in that the touchpad doesn’t work, so you’ll need to plug a mouse into a USB port and use that instead. As well as installing one of these prebuilt images, you can have a go at building your own – or simply have a look at how the process is done – by checking out the further details here (which aren’t for the faint hearted). Those who want more options for these ARM-based laptops can certainly keep their fingers crossed that swift progress is made, and wider support for various Linux distros is introduced – and hopefully for more hardware, too, such as more powerful Snapdragon 850-toting machines. Linux would certainly offer an interesting alternative on the performance front, where a lot of criticism of these laptops lies – at least with the initial crop of machines. One of the major issues we called out in our review of the HP Envy x2 was that the hybrid feels clearly underpowered. We’ve picked out all the best 2-in-1 laptopsVia Liliputing http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/U5NqH-_e9RY
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Now that macOS Mojave is here, and anyone can download it, everyone has access to some key iOS apps, like News and Stocks on their Macs. However, that’s not even close to representing the broad range of software you can get on macOS. Your Mac can do everything from playing games to getting some work done. At the end of the day, the software, more than anything else, is what keeps people coming back to the Jony Ive-designed hardware each year. There are so many things you can do with the best Mac apps, so some may not appeal to you. However, there are some Mac apps like Evernote, the best note-taking app around, that anyone can find a use for. And, you won’t find all of these apps on the Mac App Store, but they’re still worth your consideration. With this guide, we found all the best apps, most of which we use every day. From free apps and utilities to professional music applications, these Mac apps will make even the best Mac better than ever. Bill Thomas and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article Check out our Linux vs Windows vs Mac - OS comparison video below. Protect yourself online with the best Mac VPNGet it from: App StorePrice: FreeA computer free of annoyances simply doesn’t exist – and Macs are no exception. For the longest time, it’s been impossible to use our MacBooks – unbound by the chains of a power adapter – while video outputs to an external monitor. As we all know here at TechRadar, Apple’s laptops will automatically enter sleep mode when the lid is closed. This can be a huge inconvenience should you prefer the sheer magnitude of one of the best monitors as opposed to a 12, 13 or 15-inch screen. Fortunately, Amphetamine allows you to continue using your MacBook while closed. Before, you could do this by using a similar app called Caffeine, but we prefer the UI features you get with this freebie. Not only does it fit in naturally with the rest of your Menu Bar items, but Amphetamine also supports hotkey commands as well as deactivation reminders – not to mention there are no annoying ads in sight. Get it from: App StorePrice: $9.99 (£7.99 or around AUS$14)While you’ve been able to snap programs to the edge of the screen in Windows since Windows 7, Apple didn’t have a solution until OS X El Capitan. What’s more, even then it lacked some of the comprehensiveness of Microsoft’s alternative. Luckily, HyperDock gives us that full-fledged functionality we so desperately crave, allowing anyone with a Mac to apply it to both the app Dock and windows. In Windows, you can drag an app to the left or right edges of the screen (or the corners) and it’ll automatically fill that space. This makes it much easier to be productive on the desktop without wasting time dragging windows from the corners. For the Dock, hovering over apps activates something close to Windows 7’s thumbnail previews, giving an overview of the window that can be accessed by a click or closed directly from the preview. Useful. Get it from: ParallelsPrice: $79.99/year (Home & Student) Around £60 or AUS$100)If you have recently picked up a Mac and miss some of your old Windows applications, don’t fret – Parallels Desktop 13 can bring them back. Instead of having to dual-boot your Mac into a Windows partition, Parallels Desktop 13 allows Windows and macOS Sierra to co-exist side by side, and you can even run Microsoft-only programs such as Visual Studio 2015, or the Windows versions of the company’s Office 365 apps, alongside your native macOS ones. All you need is a Windows 10 license – so prepare to buy one if you haven't already. Or, alternatively, you can use Parallels to try a handful of free operating systems including Chromium (a free distribution of Chrome OS) or Linux Debian. The latest version of Parallels in particular has seen improvements such as Touch Bar support, better resolution scaling for Retina displays and picture-in-picture for using other operating systems in conjunction with macOS. Get it from: App StorePrice: £14.99 (around $20 or AUS$25)If you’re anything like us, working on just one monitor or screen is just painful. Portable monitors are still fairly expensive (and bulky), luckily, though, you can use an iPad instead using a nifty app called Duet. Developed by ex-Apple engineers, it works by tethering your iPad to your Mac using one of Apple’s Lightning cables and firing up the app on both devices. You can then drag apps and windows onto your iPad’s screen just like you would with a second monitor, and if you have a more recent iPad with a Retina display, you’ll get the full benefit of all those beautiful pixels. Just realize that the bandwidth isn’t quite what you would get with one of the best monitors, so it can be a bit laggy when you bump the quality up. But it’s still better for watching videos, reading websites and typing up documents. Get it from: AtomPrice: FreeAtom is a text editor that's primarily designed for coders, but its flexibility and customization options make it a viable option for many different types of users. That's because of two reasons: first, you can download a number of different Packages - effectively plug-ins - to make it bend to your will. It can be transformed into a Markdown editor for writing blog posts, for example, or you can hook it up to Evernote for storing notes in the cloud. There's at least 10 different word counters out there, and you can even add typewriter sound effects as you hammer out your delicious prose. Atom is also infinitely customizable on the visual side thanks to an editable back-end, allowing you to do anything from changing the font size, line height and colors to giving the caret Word 2016-like elasticity. Get it from: App StorePrice: £149.99 (around $195 or AUS$255)Whether you’re a big time producer or you just like making some jams in your downtime, Macs are kind of known for being among the best laptops for music production – and Logic Pro X is a big part of that. Developed by Apple itself, its accessible interface hides a ton of advanced functionality. The latest version also comes with a svelte design, 64-bit architecture and a new session drummer that will save you from having to drop more cash on a drum machine (or a real drummer). It also works in natural harmony with iPads, providing a touch-based alternative method of creating song structures to dragging and dropping blocks in the main visual editor. Whether you're a seasoned producer already (Sia used the app to record her hit song 'Chandelier') or are looking to upgrade from Garageband, Logic Pro X likely has what you need. Get it from: App StorePrice: FreeAn uncomplicated app, but a great one, to do app Wunderlist’s selling point is its cross device functionality. It’s available on Mac, PC, Android and iOS, allowing you to sync your to do list wherever you’re using macOS’ Handoff feature. Once you've started a list, you can schedule reminders, add notes and embed it into the macOS Notification Center using a widget. Team-based features are unlocked by signing up for Wunderlists’s pro subscription, and you can add files of any size without running into limits. Get it from: App StorePrice: FreeEvernote has morphed into a mighty note-taking app over the years. While some people will say that it's too bloated, the sheer number of things that you can do with it still makes it best-in-class. You can type up notes, obviously, organizing them using a combination of folders and tags. You can even embed Google Drive documents, which are accessible in a click. There's also the ability to set reminders, share notes with friends, find information related to notes using Evernote's 'Context' feature, create lists, and favorite notes that you frequently return to. Better yet, all of your notes are synchronized using the company's servers, making them accessible on nearly any PC (through a browser or the native Evernote app) or mobile device in the world. The paid version lets you use Evernote with more than two devices while upping the amount of data you can sync each month. Get it from: WebsitePrice: FreeGIMP or GNU Image Manipulation, is one of the best free image editing apps out there. It’s a great alternative to Adobe Photoshop and comes with a wide array of pro-level functions that let you tweak existing images in a range of formats or create fresh ones from scratch. Features include layers, highly customizable brushes, automatic image enhancing tools and filters. You can do even more with plugins, which are available to download from the GIMP Plugin Registry. Get it from: App StorePrice: £34.99 (around $45/AUS$60)These days, balancing features with simplicity and good design in the best Mac apps is critically important. However, unlike Word 2016, or even Apple’s own Pages, Ulysses has an extremely minimalistic interface. This allows you to get on with writing without being distracted by so many buttons and menus. The app uses its own version of Markdown – a type of text formatting engine – that allows users to focus on their writing in a way that not only makes organization easier but also makes exporting easier – Ulysses will format it in an attractive way, using one of many export styles, when you’re done writing. There's a handy attachments bar on the right-hand side that features an attractive word counter and lets you write notes to assist you in your writing. Notes can be accessed anywhere thanks to iCloud support, so you can pick up your iPad and carry on where you left off using macOS's Handoff feature. Get it from: WebsitePrice: $20Sometimes you want to play your Xbox One, but you can’t because your roommate has decided to use the living room TV for watching the whole run of Ugly Delicious in one sitting. Now, you could technically stream Halo 5 or Sea of Thieves if you had a Windows PC. However, you just have a Mac. That’s where OneCast comes in, a third-party work of reverse engineering performed by an independent developer to bring Xbox One game streaming to macOS. It works as easily as connecting both your Mac and Xbox One to the same network and subsequently logging in to Xbox Live. It works pretty well in our experience, though you should have both systems connected to your modem via ethernet if possible. Get it from: App StorePrice: FreeNobody can deny that the best Macs are great for network admin uses, and if you need to manage a bunch of Windows devices, being able to remote into a PC to diagnose problems is critically important. Luckily, Microsoft has provided an app just for that. With Microsoft Remote Desktop 10, you get an officially-supported app that gives you remote access to any PCs on your network – as long as you’re a network admin or an authorized user. It can be a bit of a pain to set up, and the PC you’re trying to access will need to be running Windows 10 Pro. But once you get going, you can access files, copy/paste across desktops and even run games – though, we don’t recommend that last bit. Microsoft Remote Desktop 10 is a godsend for network admins and IT professionals, and is easily one of the best Mac apps you can download right now. Get it from: App Store Price: Free Microsoft Office has been available on Mac for years now, but you always had to go through a couple hoops to download it. We’ve been asking for a release on the Mac App Store for a while, and, well, it’s finally here. We’re sure we don’t really need to go into too great of detail what Microsoft Office is, but it’s essentially Microsoft’s suite of office apps, from Word to PowerPoint to Excel. It’s absolutely an essential app to have, but you should keep in mind that you’ll have to get a subscription to Office 365 to use it. It’s one of those Mac Apps that should be essential for any professional, and the fact that it’s finally on the Mac App Store means that you don’t have to worry about keeping it updated. Get it from: App StorePrice: FreeThe market for disk optimization apps is neither desolate nor particularly interesting, particularly on the Mac – where Apple usually does a good job of cleaning up its drives on its own. However, for a program that’s far more intuitive and user friendly than, say, the built-in Macintosh HD storage management software, your best bet is to turn your attention to Dr. Cleaner. This app splits up all your data into easily digestible chunks that would otherwise be obtuse. Dr. Cleaner groups up all the trash on your Mac and labels them in groups like ‘Junk Files’ and ‘Big Files’ – rather than listing off 30GB of documents and 10GB of iOS files you can’t comprehend. Then, you can look at the file names themselves and decide whether or not you want to keep them on your PC. You can also use Dr. Cleaner to monitor CPU, network and RAM usage as well, for the sake of putting some pep in your aging Mac’s step. Get it from: WebsitePrice: FreeIt might be kind of like three apps than just one, but SoftMaker Office 2018 takes all the key features of Microsoft Office and puts them into an interface that tailors to your needs. It comes with a group of programs called TextMaker, PlanMaker and Presentations 2018 that are similar enough to Office 365 without the rolling subscription. Regardless of whether you need an easy-to-use word processor or a spreadsheet or slideshow creator of equal accessibility, SoftMaker Office has what you’re looking for. And, because it’s still in beta, you can get a complimentary, albeit temporary, license over email if you want to give it a spin. Otherwise, there’s a permanent free version called SoftMaker FreeOffice, but it’s only available on Windows, Android and Linux. Get it from: App StorePrice: $9.99 (about £7.19, AU$12.82)Since you’re obviously going to install all of the other apps we’ve mentioned, you’re going to need at least a utility that, well, declutters your desktop. Unclutter is the solution you’re looking for whether you’re a frivolous notetaker or a temporary file hoarder like we are. It’s designed to keep your memos, documents and pasteboard clips in one place rather than scattered across several folders. It’s a brilliant idea made even better by the fact that it can be configured for use with gesture controls. At any given point, you can swipe down from the top of the screen with two fingers on the trackpad (or one on the mouse) to reveal a trio of windows that can be concealed and re-summoned whenever you please. Get it from: WebsitePrice: FreeWhen you’re out there hustling every day, it’s easy to lose track of messages. With so many social media companies, SMS platforms and instant messaging services to choose from, most of us also have a number of different accounts used to administer to all of those messages. But what if you only had to log into one? That’s the central idea in Franz, a messaging app that allows you to view and send messages in WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Slack, HipChat and more. It lets you seamlessly switch between any of these apps as easily as you can toggle between Slack workspaces. Best of all, there’s no limit to the amount of services you can use at once. That way, even if you have 10 Facebook accounts for whatever reason, all of your messages will be visible in the same place. Get it from: App StorePrice: $4.99 (£4.99, AU$7.99)If you’re anything like us, you have tons of packages coming in all the time – and it can get hard to keep track of everything. Luckily, there’s an app for that. With Deliveries, you can keep track of all your incoming deliveries in one place in an easy-to-read interface. It will notify you whenever there’s a change in your delivery, syncing the information between macOS and iOS so you are on top of things, even on the go. All you have to do to track a package is hit Command + New and paste in the tracking number – that’s it. It really is one of the best Mac apps for anyone with a busy mailbox. Get it from: App StorePrice: $29.99 (£28.99, AU$46.99)If you do a lot of cooking, and you have a hard time keeping your recipes organized – especially on a digital platform – you’re going to love Paprika. With this app, you can download any recipe you find online, and it will automatically format it in a way that’s extremely easy to read. What’s more, if you download the iOS app, you’ll be able to sync your recipes between all of your devices, so that you can keep tabs on the ingredients you need when you run to the store in a panic. Get it from: App StorePrice: $49.99 (£48.99, AU$79.99)Sometimes, life gets hectic, and you need some help getting everything organized. Luckily, there’s an app for that. Fantastical 2 is the most fully-featured calendar and reminder suite we’ve ever seen. You’re able to set events and reminders using natural language, and it’s fully compatible with your iCloud reminders. There’s also an iOS app for iPhone and iPad that will effortlessly sync with the Mac app, so that you can stay on top of your busy life no matter where you are. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/Bqs0zK9sP-s
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Although the best PC games with cash to splash are quickly evolving, so are the best indie games you might not have heard of. One of the best things about our best indie games list is that most of the titles, unlike AAA game publishers, don’t try to manipulate you out of every penny any chance they can get. Free from corporate influence and constant badgering for your money, the best indie games represent the pure artistic vision of the developers – especially if you have one of the best gaming PCs. But, just because the best indie games haven’t reached mainstream, bestselling status doesn’t mean that the games on this list don’t keep up with the latest AAA bestsellers. In fact, the best indie games regularly surpass mainstream games in both quality and scope, which is often due to their less repetitive nature. Unlike their big-budget counterparts, they don’t need to rely on tired tropes and cliches to appeal to a mass market. If this all sounds exciting to you – and, it should – you’re in luck. We’ve gathered up our favorite indie games available right now. We’ve included both in-vogue indies like Return of the Obra Dinn and Dead Cells, and classic titles like Dwarf Fortress and Braid. Don’t worry, we’re going to keep this list updated with all the latest and greatest indie games. So, if you’re looking for the next great indie title, keep reading. Linux, Windows or Mac - which one is best for you? Watch our guide video below: Bill Thomas, Joe Osborne, Kane Fulton and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article Described as a sort of combination of Pokémon, Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing, we couldn’t help but recommend that you keep your eye on Ooblets until it releases at some point in 2018. This indie game is being developed by first-time studio Glumberland with the backing of the beloved Double Fine studios. The art style here curiously reminds us of Adventure Time. However, the game itself revolves around collecting creatures called ooblets in a town called, well, Oob. Upon doing so, you’ll be able to train and battle your ooblets against other ooblet trainers. At the same time, you’ll have to balance your ooblet training with the real-world responsibilities of being a farmer. That’s right, drawing influence from the likes of Stardew Valley, you can cultivate produce and decorate your house with various trimmings as well. You’ll also be able to join an Ooblet Club comprised of friends (NPCs) you’ll meet along the way. If you don’t know what to do in Ooblets, simply walk around and discover new shops and buildings that suit your interest. While you’re at it, you can open up your own shop and sell produce that you’ve grown on the farm in addition to items you’ve scavenged from throughout the world. Otherwise, you can feed the leftover crops to your ooblets to watch them level up and learn new techniques to be used in the turn-based RPG-style battles. Expected: 2018 Jonathan Blow's masterpiece first appears to be a simple pastiche of Super Mario Bros, with a middle-aged curmudgeon replacing the titular plumber but still seeking to rescue a princess. But, the longer you spend in the game, the more that’s revealed to you, moving from a series of time-bending puzzles to quiet reflective texts – which doesn’t stop it from being the smartest puzzle game until SpaceChem. Blow himself has subtly hinted that the ultimate story may revolve around the atomic bomb. First released as PC freeware by Japanese designer Daisuke "Pixel" Amaya back in 2004 after five years of 100% solo development, Cave Story predates the recent indie renaissance by a few years. Because of when and how it was first released, it's often forgotten in discussions of indie gaming. But this classic deserves to be on every best-of list for its loving homage to the classic action platforming games of the Super Nintendo era, its incredible music and its incredibly vibrant world. Oh, and don't forget the hugely intuitive controls, gobs of secrets and weapons that are entirely too fun to use. If you've yet to enjoy this one, just put it on your backlog already. From family-owned and operated Studio MDHR, Cuphead has connected with millions of people around the world, many of whom normally wouldn’t touch a run-and-gun platformer with a ten-foot pole. Although its gameplay was inspired by classic games like Mega Man and Contra, most gamers would likely compare it to a Fleischer Studios cartoon, like Betty Boop. Because Cpuhead utilizes a hand-drawn art style likened to a 1930s animation, it’s been universally praised for its gorgeous visuals. Cuphead is more than just its beautiful visuals – it’s a series of 19 challenging and engaging bosses, with platforming bits interspersed between them. It was already one of the best indie games, but Studio MDHR has announced the , slated for 2019, with a new isle to explore, new bosses to conquer and, most importantly, a new character to master.Many AAA games serve as escapist power fantasies, where the player is ultimately able to dominate the game’s universe – right up until the game ends. However, many indie games serve as the opposite – like the IGF award winner and misery simulator Cart Life. Papers Please is similar to Cart Life – it's also an IGF winner with elements of misery about it - but it's better, being a smart, weird sim about the compromised life of a border guard under a totalitarian regime. It's ugly and desperate, but also innovative, uproariously funny and terribly smart. Among the hardcore gamers of my acquaintance, Spelunky is the go-to drug. Even today, several years after its release, some of them still play it every day, despite having completed it many times over. That's because Spelunky, an ostensibly rogue-like platformer with a definite end, is tough, varied and highly randomized. It also has more dark secrets than a presidential candidate, meaning there are many, many ways to finish it, and its daily challenges are a sure-fire way to public humiliation. Unfortunately, humor is often missing among games, mostly being restricted to slapstick comedy or crude one-liners. The Stanley Parable, however, is hilarious without being dumbed down. Players follow (or don’t) a very British narrator who changes the world around you, depending on your decisions. No decision is punished, every play-through throws up new humor and weirdness. Being trapped in the closet in the Stanley Parable is more moving and funny than 9/10 of other games. If you missed out on this ironic gem back when it first launched, the developer announced the Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe edition for 2019, with new content, more endings and a console release. Actually, that Ultra Deluxe edition sounds pretty tempting even for us – and we played it a bunch when it first came out. Further reading: Retro-me-do! Digitiser's Mr Biffo on his top PC games of all timeIt took more than nine years to make, but Owlboy was definitely worth the wait. Originally contrived for PCs and released in late 20166, the clever masterpiece of an indie game is now available to experience on Mac and Linux as well – and there’s even a Nintendo Switch version! Owlboy centers around a race of owl-human hybrid characters called, well, Owls. Of them, you control Otis, an Owl who is censured by his mentor for his inept flying skills. The story sees Otis’ village dismantled by pirates who clearly have conflict with the Owls. As a result, Otis has to work with an assortment of villagers in-game to take out enemies. Of course, when boss battles arise, you’ll need to manage allies accordingly, as each character comes with their own set of unique skill sets to use in conjunction with one another. If you’ve ever played and enjoyed a Kid Icarus game, this is one for the books. Otherwise, play it anyway. Similar to The Stanley Parable, Gone Home falls into the unofficially labeled ‘walking simulator’ genre. Where it diverts from the clever and philosophical Stanley Parable, however is its focus on life’s difficult realities, instead of light humor. After arriving at your childhood home after an overseas visit, you play as 21-year-old Kaitlin Greenbriar who is greeted by a vacant house. While gameplay is basically limited to scavenging through notes to find out where your family is, the gripping story is a extremely emotional and compelling, as long as you keep an open mind. After all this time, Gone Home stands out as one of the best indie games out there. Only SpaceChem has mingled education with entertainment as successfully as The Kerbal Space Program. The game is simple - design and build spacecraft to take the cutesy Kerbals to the Mun and beyond. Yet its focused use of real physics means that you'll find yourself following NASA in building multi-stage rockets, space stations and exploring the Kerbal's strange universe on EVAs, before bringing your discoveries back to research on the Kerbal planet - that's if you can get off the ground at all. It's a huge, complex, challenging and fun game, that's smart without being preachy. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth is the exact opposite of something like Kerbal Space Program – it’s an action roguelike par excellence. You play as a young boy attempting to kill his damned siblings, mother and possibly the Devil, using only your tears. Which he shoots from his eyes, of course – it’s matched only by the equally visceral Nuclear Throne. With dozens of bizzare items to collect, endlessly procedurally-generated levels, and tons of secrets, the Binding of Isaac is a very dark take on the exploratory model established by Spelunky. Though you might get put off by the pixel art graphics, Undertale isn’t a game that would have fit on the Super Nintendo. That’s because, in Undertale, you decisions make a huge difference in how the game ends and, more importantly, how it continues in New Game Plus. While playing Undertale, you’ll come to realize just how much freedom the game gives you. Despite its ingenious and intense boss matches, you’ll be able to make it through the entire nine or so hours of Undertale as a complete pacifist. Plus, when you go through the game a second time, you’ll bear the weight of the consequences from your previous run. And, now Undertale is out on the Nintendo Switch, so you can take this masterpiece of game design wherever you go. From developer Playdead, Inside is comparable to its predecessor, Limbo, in some ways but with an added layer of depth that inspires frequent wonder. This is mostly a result of the unspoken narrative, which revolves around yet another nameless boy. In Inside, however, the boy in the story is running away from a group of men who – if you fail to stay out of their sights – will try to mercilessly kill you. Though it isn't quite clear why the boy is running from these men or why you should even care since you don't know who he is, Inside will leave you begging for answers. The bleak, lifeless setting of Inside is more than worth the price of admission. Its minimalist art style alone is avant-garde enough to feel right at home in a museum. Add in a game that's both fun to play and dripping with curiosity, though, and Inside is one of the best indie games money can buy. Developed single-handedly by Eric Barone, Stardew Valley is undoubtedly a technical feat for that little facet alone. If you’ve ever played a Harvest Moon game, you’re already familiar with the premise of Stardew Valley – you may just not know it yet. Stardew Valley is an addictive farming simulator which sees you interact with townees to the point where you can literally marry them. Stardew Valley isn’t just farming, though – it’s a whole bunch of things at the same time. You can go fishing, you can cook, you can craft stuff – you can even go explore procedurally-generated caves to mine for items and even attack slime-monster-things. However, you should keep in mind that your health and energy are finite, so you'll want to keep your character rested and fed to avoid suffering from exhaustion. Pass out and you’ll lose a considerable amount of money and items you’ve worked hard to attain. Stardew Valley will have you addicted for hours on end, for better or worse. (Definitely better.) From Canadian game developer Alec Holowka, the creator of the award-winning Aquaria (also featured on this list) and independent artist/animator Scott Benson, Night in the Woods is an unconventional side-scrolling adventure game centering around a 20-year-old protagonist named Mae who drops out of college to move back in with her parents. Featuring a story largely based around dialog choices and mini games that put a spin on mundane tasks, like carrying boxes up the stairs and eating perogies, Night in the Woods is a timeless coming-of-age tale. Not only will you experience middle class America through the eyes of a personified cat, but virtually every interaction in-game will have you laughing aloud. And now that it’s coming to the Nintendo Switch on February 1, you’ll be able to take it wherever you go. If you’re a fan of the recent wave of games inspired by Dark Souls, you’ll absolutely love Hollow Knight. You take control of the Hollow Knight, and lead them through the deceptively adorable landscape to take on bosses and other difficult challenges. Much like Dark Souls, it’s not immediately clear what you’re actually supposed to be doing as the narrative is intentionally obtuse. The Dark Souls inspirations don’t end there, however. It also adopts Dark Souls’ ‘tough but fair’ philosophy, where the game is only as hard as you make it – you can overcome anything as long as you have patience and learn from your mistakes. Hollow Knight takes these lessons from Dark Souls and injects them into a MetroidVania, with all the side-scrolling and upgrades you could possibly want. You can even play it on the Nintendo Switch now. If you’re looking for a game that’s as unforgiving as it is fun, look no further than Dead Cells. It takes gameplay inspiration from so many places – from roguelikes, to MetroidVania to even a hint of Dark Souls, to create a unique action game that will test your limits. Each time you play this game, it will be different. And, while you’ll lose some progress each time you die – and you’ll die a lot – the game will become more and more rewarding as the complex and fluid combat becomes second nature. In the final release of the game, you get access to over 90 weapons, skills and abilities that’ll let you tailor your gameplay however you want. Whatever you do, don’t get discouraged when you fail. Get up and try again, Dead Cells will only reward you in the end – which is why it’s one of the best indie games 2018 has to offer. Introversions was one of the earliest 'indie' companies, releasing games like Uplink, Defcon and Darwinia whilst Vlambeer were still in short pants. After years of struggling, they've finally hit a huge success with Prison Architect, a game where you build, staff, outfit and manage a maximum security prison. With smart prisoners who are willing to do anything to escape, you'll struggle to keep them all inside - or keep them from rioting - and turn a profit. It's still in alpha, but it's eminently playable right now.. While something like Kerbal Space Program can actually take you to the moon, To The Moon is a game about wish fulfillment, and thrives on narrative beauty. If we were to make comparisons to films, Kerbal Space Program is Gravity, The Binding of Isaac is Saw and To the Moon is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. You control two doctors who are exploring a dying man’s memories to implant a false memory so he can die in peace. Which is all depicted in a classic 16-bit Zelda style. It’s a rare, emotional, adult game. Dwarf Fortress is its own genre, its own industry. This is a game that, before you've even set foot in it, has to generate the entire geography, mythology and history of its massive world. Then it tracks every single one of the dwarfs you're managing down to the hairs on their legs and the particular horrible elephant murder that they witnessed and they're now carving on an ornamental chair. Your task is to keep the dwarves alive as they carve out their subterranean kingdom - given that insanity, monsters, and starvation plague are thrown at them at every stage that's not easy. And dwarves, always, always mine too deep. Run. Jump. Die. Repeat. That’s essentially the gameplay loop of Super Meat Boy, a fiendishly addictive 2D platformer that’s also bloody hard, with an emphasis on bloody. Gallons of blood is spilled as the game’s eponymous meaty hero leaps over deadly drops, spinning saws and walking chainsaws in a bid to rescue his girlfriend, Bandage Girl, from the evil Dr Foetus. Obviously. Boasting tight controls, plenty of humor and colorful graphics, Super Meat Boy lept onto the PS4 and Vita last year in style – with a Nintendo Switch release coming soon, as well. It might not be Playdead’s most recent game, but Limbo is timeless. Even five years after its release, the game’s haunting storyline still affects us. You play the Boy, a child with glowing eyes who’s cast into Limbo to find his sister. Making your way through a bleak and dangerous world full of hostile silhouettes, giant spiders and deadly gravitational fields, you’ll need to think quickly and perfectly time your movements if you’re going to survive. But Limbo is much more than a simple platformer: it's an experience, and one that has you pondering the very essence of life by the time it's over. Deep, profound and absorbing, it's one indie game everybody should take time out to play. If you're yearning for a retro-styled multiplayer archery combat game (aren't we all?), TowerFall: Ascension is the pick of the lot. Fast, frenetic and teeth-gnashingly hard in hardcore mode, the game's mechanics are simple: fire arrows at enemies or jump on their heads to stay alive until the round ends. Arrows that don't hit are embedded in walls, making for tense scenarios when you have to traverse the map while dodging enemies to retrieve them. As such, practicing until you achieve Robin Hood-esque levels of accuracy is recommended. Ascension is best experienced with friends in local multiplayer mode, which recalls Super Smash Bros' most manic moments. It’s not often that a platformer manages to balance challenging and engaging gameplay with an emotional and thought-provoking narrative, but Celeste pulls it off. From the developers of Towerfall, Celeste follows the story of Madeline, a young girl who decides to face her mental health issues by climbing to the top of the mysterious Celeste Mountain. Ind doing so, she learns more not only about the mountain, but about herself amid the heartwarming process. An inevitable classic, Celeste integrates the obvious jump, air-dash and climb controls into a brutal series of platforming challenges in upwards of 700 unique screens. And, if that’s too easy, you’ll unlock B-side chapters along the way, designed for only the bravest of hardcore players. Better yet, you don’t have to worry about waiting an eternity between each respawn. Instead, Celeste brings you back from the grave instantaneously, a welcome departure from the typically extensive load screens. Admittedly, exclusive indie games always wind up with the short end of the stick. That continues to ring true for Golf Story, an homage to Mario Golf on the Game Boy Color developed by Sidebar Games. As it’s a debut title for the Nintendo Switch, you might have overlooked Golf Story considering it came out on the same day as Stardew Valley, but here’s what you need to know. You don’t have to obsess over the PGA Tour to get into Golf Story, as you’re likely better off appreciating it for its RPG elements. Substituting combat for an athletic sport, you begin your adventure as a kid who is mentored by his dad before realizing he isn’t very good at golfing, something you’ll have to overcome as you pursue professional golf. After the raging success that was the original Nidhogg, it’s a shame to see the superior sequel get thrown under the bus. Nevertheless, in spite of its controversial art style, Nidhogg 2 packs a refined, gorgeous look that the first version, a cult-classic, couldn’t even think to compete with. In still frames, we can see how this could get misconstrued, but fortunately, it’s the fun and addictive local multiplayer gameplay that makes Nidhogg, well, Nidhogg. And it’s all there in Nidhogg 2. Plus, every time you respawn, you get one of four unique weapons that only bolster the challenge. Esteemed indie designer Jon Blow's follow up to Braid may look like an entirely different adventure, being 3D and all, but the two are more thematically alike than you might think. The Witness, at its core, is another puzzle game that tells an interesting story through said puzzles. This puzzler takes place in an almost equally impressionist – albeit heavily Myst-inspired – world, but it's story is far more nuanced and mysterious than Blow's previous. At almost every corner of this island that you've simply woken up on (or beneath), there is a clue as to how you got onto this island and why you're here. Don’t get us wrong, we liked Bastion, but we won’t deny that Transistor was SuperGiant Games’ best work to date. Much of that has to do with the convergence of action-based and turn-based RPG elements contained within its cyberpunk futurescape. Likewise, in classic SuperGiant fashion, those mechanics are complemented by a gorgeous art style and a music score so unforgettable it’ll make you want to buy the soundtrack. Leaving key gameplay beats up to the player, the story isn’t so variable. Transistor’s main character, Red, is a renowned singer in the city of Cloudbank. However, she’s been attacked by a group of vicious robots who call themselves the Process, operated by another group called the Camerata. In her journey, she finds the Transistor, a mysterious sword with the voice of a man. Soon enough, she’ll learn more about him and how he will shake up her world. It’s weird to think that Oxenfree came out before the first season of Stranger Things, and yet, the two properties coincidentally have a lot in common. The 80s-inspired heavy synth music composed by scntfc, for one, accentuates some truly gripping sci-fi horror centering around – you guessed it – a group of teenagers stuck on an island. The story involves a handful of uniquely written characters, namely the main character Alex, along with her stoner friend Ren, her newfound stepbrother Jonas, her dead brother Michael’s ex-girlfriend Clarissa and her best friend Nona (who Ren happens to be in love with). The plot is explained through branching speech dialogue, similar to Life is Strange or modern-day Telltale games, and features five different endings depending on your choices. Exploring a surreal wilderness seems like quite the trend these days in gaming, and developer Campo Santo's debut only serves to keep it going strong. Set in the wilderness of 1989 Wyoming, you're Henry, a fire lookout that's all alone in the woods after exploring something strange in the distance. That is, save for your partner on the other line of a walkie-talkie: Delilah. She's your only point of contact as you explore the wilderness. Will you make it back alive? Will the decisions you make help or harm the relationship with your only lifeline to the outside world, your boss? Don't worry about those questions just yet – just look at those forestscapes! Rust is one of the more successful indie titles of recent times. By the end of 2015 it had sold more than 3 million copies, which isn't too shabby considering it isn't even finished — the game has been on Steam's Early Access scheme since launching in December 2013. Still, it seems people can't get enough of the Day Z-inspired survival sim. It sees you use your wits and bearings to survive its harsh open world, starting off with nothing but a rock. After gathering resources needed to build a house and weapons to fend off attackers (other online players, in other words), Rust gradually becomes more intense as you defend your growing base — or attempt to breach others'. Fans of the original Overcooked will not be disappointed by the second installment in the chaotic couch co-op series from British indie game developer Team17. This time your task is to defeat the 'Un-Bread' (zombie baked goods) that have taken over the Onion Kingdom, by battling through brand new recipes including sushi, pizza, and burgers in increasingly chaotic kitchens with up to three other people. To add to the frantic fun, you must battle obstacles including random fires, collapsing floors, and interfering passers by, all while getting your orders out to the pass in time. Things get complicated incredibly quickly, and relationships, friendships, and family bonds will be tested as you work together to complete your recipes on time, making it a fun and challenging couch co-op game that will make you truly understand the meaning of "too many cooks spoil the broth." The natural progression of survival games, SCUM takes what both predecessors like Rust and PlayerUnknown’s battlegrounds succeeded at and iterates in impressive ways. And, while it’s still in early access, it offers a unique twist – combining the frenetic gameplay of battle royale games with the slow, thoughtful gameplay of a survival sim. SCUM, unlike other similar games, is extremely heavy on the simulation side of things, however. You shouldn’t expect to run in guns blazing, as you’re going to get tired quickly (just as you would if you tried running outside yourself with a ton of stuff in your backpack). But, if heavy statistic systems is something your into, you’ll find a lot to love here. It’s like spreadsheets with a physics engine. Just don’t go in expecting a polished experience just yet. However, developer Croteam is promising to add more features over time, and as they’re backed by Devolver, you can trust that the game is going to shape up into something great. Every so often there’s a game that perfectly merges aesthetic, gameplay and narrative – where everything feels like it just, well, fits. The best indie games are always the best at this, and Return of the Obra Dinn is a great example. A mystery taking place on a derelict ship, you’re tasked with figuring out how the crew of this lost ship died, disappeared or worse. The entire game has this old-school visual style that, combined with the simple controls and gameplay style make it feel like a nostalgic adventure. Right from the settings menu, you’ll get to choose what kind of monitor you’d like to emulate – we picked an old school Macintosh option – that should give you an idea of the type of retro revivalism on offer here. Return of the Obra Dinn is a game that will require critical thinking, exploration and a ton of reading. So, if that all sounds appealing to you, and you’re all good with retro aesthetics, you will find a lot to love – it’s one of the best indie games, in a season marked with AAA decadence. If you’re anything like us, you’ve spent hundreds of hours playing Roller Coaster Tycoon during your childhood. And, while there have been plenty of amusement park simulators over the last few years, they’ve never quite hit the spot. Until now. Parkitect is the closest we’ve ever been to those early aughts park simulators, and we’re absolutely in love. From the cartoonish art style to the realistic simulation and Steam Workshop integration, Parkitect is one of the best indie games 2018 has to offer. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/5lUN9oLF_FE
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If you would have asked us to find the best gaming laptop a few years ago, the answer would have been to find something with an Intel Core i7 CPU, dedicated graphics and 8GB of RAM. A lot has changed in the last few years, though, and the best gaming laptops come in every shape and size. Because it’s harder than ever to find the best gaming laptops, we’ve picked out a few of our favorite devices. And, while plenty of gaming laptops look like ordinary office devices, you shouldn’t ignore them. Thanks to Nvidia Turing Max-Q graphics for laptops, revealed at CES 2019, the best gaming laptops are stealthy – like the aptly named MSI GS65 Stealth. Don’t worry, though, there are still huge desktop replacement laptops like the MSI GT75 Titan if that’s more your style. So, no matter what kind of games you like to play, and no matter what your budget looks like, you can find a traditional thicc gaming behemoth, or a cheap gaming laptop under $1,000/£800/AU$1,400 like the Dell G3. You’ll find all the best gaming laptops right here. And, because we’ve tested all these laptops ourselves, you can be confident that you’re getting something worth your time. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mPiaXGCBPsAZynfD7uaJqN.jpg If you want to play some of the best PC games on the move, but you don’t want everyone to know you’re playing games, the MSI GS65 Stealth is the best gaming laptop for you. Coming in at just .69 inches thick and featuring impressive hardware like Intel Coffee Lake processors and Nvidia GeForce GTX 10-series – refreshed with RTX 20-series graphics at CES – the MSI GS65 Stealth packs a ton of power into a very svelte package. There’s nothing you won’t be able to throw at this thing that’ll slow it down. And, thanks to the subdued design, you’ll be able to bring this beefy rig everywhere you go, making it the best gaming laptop on the market right now. Read the full review: MSI GS65 Stealth http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aVJYnow5kyS8vKcDQAWXHA.jpg Kicking Nvidia’s Max-Q technology off right, the Asus Zephyrus GX501 combines the heralded thinness of an Ultrabook with the performance of a gaming PC to bring the best of both worlds to your feet. Despite exhibiting subpar times in our battery life benchmarks, this svelte powerhouse of a notebook is one for the books when it comes to both portability and style. Plus, it’s virtually silent if noise is a cause for distraction in your everyday routine. Read the full review: Asus ROG Zephyrus GX501 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9jtKYfAVydhmV2qH5VF6Zg.jpg If you’re looking for a gaming laptop that doesn’t pull any punches, and can run any game you can throw at it without a care in the world, you’ll want to look at the MSI GT75 Titan. It’s a titanic desktop replacement rocking 6-core Intel Coffee Lake CPUs, tons of RAM and GTX 1080 graphics. You’re not going to be able to carry it around with you, and it’s not going to be something you’ll want to be caught with in a coffee shop, but if raw power is what you’re after, look no further. Just be ready to break open your piggy bank. Read the full review: MSI GT75 Titan http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mshe2Fg8qjeY6DvNQAghnB.jpg Thin and light gaming laptops are everywhere right now, but if you don’t care about that, and want a thick, heavy and monstrous laptop that can demolish any game you throw at it – the Asus ROG G703GI is for you. This is a massive – and expensive – laptop, but it justifies its size and price with gaming performance that rivals the best gaming PCs. Just don’t think you’ll be able to haul it along with you to your local coffee shop without its two power bricks – or awkward stares. Read the full review: Asus ROG G703GI http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mM4rCuzC3Wa8Ux2KWahNxU.jpg The Razer Blade might still have an unbearably edgy name, but now that the 2018 version is here, it’s fitting – it’s still on the cutting edge. Beyond its insanely high-end specs and beautiful chassis, it can fit up to a 4K Ultra-HD display, with the specs to actually back it up. That’s not to mention the expandability that the Razer Core X opens up. It might be expensive, but if you’re a Razer fan looking for the best gaming laptop, it might just be for you. Read the full review: Razer Blade http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/k976GJLUC9iNfC5orutNqk.jpg If you want one of the best gaming laptops, but don’t want to miss out on the ultra-portable craze, you need to consider the Dell XPS 15 2-in-1. Packed with an Intel Kaby Lake G-series processor, this gaming laptop can keep up with its competitors rocking a GTX 1050 without featuring truly discrete graphics. And, when you combine that gaming horsepower with a chassis that looks this good, it’s a total win – even if you have to endure some fan noise to get there. Read the full review: Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bf20bd5c2294ade84abd646aada7d238.jpg It may not boast the most innovative design, substituting the usual black and red aesthetic for one that makes it feel like Halloween all year round (no complaints here). But, it’s undoubtedly one of the best when it comes to gaming in 1080p. In fact, we were able to crank the setting s all the way up in Overwatch without ever straying below 60fps. It doesn’t feature the longest battery life, but the screen, power and onboard sound system more than make up for it. Read the full review: Asus ROG Strix GL502 This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Alienware 17 R5http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eZuwQhcHM5JWvWK6FeHXW3.jpg When you’re setting out to buy one of the best gaming laptops, one of the first things you’ll likely notice is how expensive they can get. Luckily, the Dell G3 15 is not just extremely affordable, but it punches above its weight class with great 1080p gaming performance. With up to an Nvidia GTX 1060 GPU, you’ll be able to play all the latest games at 1080p without breaking a sweat, even if it’s not at max settings all the time. And, that blue on black color combo is quite a looker, if that’s your aesthetic. Read the full review: Dell G3 15 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cxyU49vRf2uKPVa7KNPBUk.jpg It used to be that the best gaming laptops were thick, bulky devices that were necessary to experience the best PC games on the move. Those days are over. The Gigabyte Aero 15 packs a 6-core 8th-generation Intel Core i7 processor and a GTX 1060 into a package that allows it to pass as an Ultrabook. And, thanks to that beefy 6-core processor, it’s not just one of the best gaming laptops – it’s one of the best laptops, period. Read the full review: Gigabyte Aero 15 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qgnnP7LvU5knjdLqM4JPFo.jpg Ever since Intel unveiled its i9-8950HK, we just knew that it would find its way behind the best gaming laptops 2018 had to offer, and we’ve been proven right heading into 2019. The Alienware 17 R5 is a beast of a gaming laptop with the aforementioned CPU and an overclocked GTX 1080. If you’re willing to get an absolute tank of a laptop that weighs nearly 10 pounds, this hulking computer will demolish any and all games you throw at it. Just don’t expect to throw it in a bag without some severe back pain. Read the full review: Alienware 17 R5 Image Credit: TechRadarGabe Carey and Bill Thomas have also contributed to this article Want more choices? Check out our list of the best laptop 2019http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/tpExyFxcKbw
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If your keyboard is starting to show its age, collecting dust and looking like something from a horror film, you might want to think about picking up one of the best keyboards. Even if you don't’ have a keyboard that’s on its last leg, the benefits to comfort, speed and reliability you gain with one of the best keyboards easily pays for the cost of admission. Once you get your hands on a great keyboard, you’ll never go back – trust us on this. No matter what you’re doing with your keyboard – whether you’re writing code, or just chatting with friends, the best keyboards will make your life easier. And, if you’re looking for the best gaming keyboards, we’ve got you covered there, too. Whether you’re trying to get some work done, talk to friends or even get some gaming in on your lunch break, you should look for any keyboard that can get the job done. Fortunately, you don’t need to worry about breaking open the piggy bank, as many of the best keyboards are affordable. So, here’s our list of the best keyboards for work and play, so you can get to typing. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tDDvE2U6se3vxJ5DKrgXf7.jpg It has become the norm for keyboard manufacturers to implement their own custom keyboard switches, and Roccat – with the Vulcan 120 Aimo – is no different. While this keyboard is primarily marketed as a gaming keyboard, its Titan Switches are tactile enough to be satisfying, while still bouncing back quickly enough to be comfortable to type on for extended periods. And, we’d be remiss to not mention the looks – the Vulcan 120 Aimo looks like a science fiction keyboard, we love it. Read the full review: Roccat Vulcan 120 Aimo http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/662fd36e6e838f246c6d26b4d3e57cab.jpg Manufactured by the Topre Corporation in Japan, the Realforce is, truly, a force of nature in the keyboard landscape. It comes down to the unique Topre switches, which are super smooth to type on and are usually compared to playing on a piano. The RealForce comes in both 45 and 55-gram configurations, but the one that’s right for you will depend on the importance of key weight. Oh, and, it’s expensive – but it’s worth it to have one of the best keyboards. This product is only available in the US at the time of this writing. UK and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the HyperX Alloy Elite http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5f692f67865fc6874967835d7f867718.jpg As long as you don’t mind missing out on some of that signature ‘thock’ sound that’s associated with regular Realforce keyboards, opting for a silenced model like the 104 UBS offers some solid benefits. Hitting the 104 UBS’s keys produces sound on par with a membrane keyboard, so it’s going to be great if you work in a busy office or a shared bedroom. The ‘dampened’ feel of Topre’s silenced switches can feel kind of like typing on sandpaper compared to a non-silenced board, but we found that it’s worth the trade-off if you need a quieter keyboard. This product is only available in the US and UK. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Razer Blackwidow Chroma V2.http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4a95f6c2b361608b53b81c30ee6f2ad5.jpg Filco's keyboards tend to be built like tanks, and the Majestouch TKL is no different. This space-saving mechanical keyboard features a compact tenkeyless design that has less than 1cm of space between the edge of the keys and the keyboard. Its durability doesn't simply allow it to stand up well to knocks and scrapes – it has a positive impact on its typing feel too. You can hammer away on it at speed, even bottoming out to your heart's content, and the Majestouch 2 will take every bit of punishment. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaSSRGDXdyE3iueGGazUi6.jpg We’ve seen all kinds of keyboards over the years here at TechRadar, from stylish tenkeyless keyboards to RGB-laden gaming behemoths, but something has always been missing – a focus on creatives. Thankfully, with the Logitech Craft, this is no longer the case. Not only is this a sturdy, tactile and attractive keyboard but it also features a unique dial on its top left corner, which will help creatives expedite their workflow. This dial’s utility will vary depending on the application, from simply controlling the volume on the desktop, to changing levels in various tools in Photoshop. If you spend a lot of time creating content on your PC, the Logitech Craft is one of the best keyboards you can buy today. Read the full review: Logitech Craft http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/603faa4a5cf14c6a6406f1026553479c.jpg Somewhat legendary in keyboard circles, the PFU Happy Hacking Professional 2 (or HHKB2 as it's usually referred to) is that rare beast - a 60% Topre keyboard. Aimed at coders but fantastic for document warriors too, it foregoes traditional arrow keys, instead making use of function keys and key combinations to provide such functionality. It only takes a short while to get used to, once you've got there the huge benefit is that the HHKB2 is small and light enough to take anywhere, giving you access to that sweet Topre "thock" sound and feel anywhere, anytime. This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Das Keyboard Prime 13http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7NFWKm6cLqMBTsK2tjxCSM.jpg You just need to look at Microsoft’s Surface devices to know that they’re kind of killing it when it comes to design, and the Microsoft Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID takes things to a whole new level. If you’re running Windows 10, and you’re into the Surface aesthetic, this is easily one of the best keyboards out there. Not only does it feel great, but it also features biometric security, by including a discrete fingerprint scanner right next to the “Alt” key. It is an expensive device, but as with everything Microsoft, you can be sure you’re getting what you’re paying for. Read the full review: Microsoft Modern Keyboard with Fingerprint ID http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/f0c33dd4f78331187dab3356b4324749.jpg Leopold's Fc660c is more portable than the Realforce 87u, but less so than the lighter and more compact HHKB2. However, the Fc660c benefits from its extra heft and feels like the more solid board. Despite having the same 45 gram actuation force as the HHKB2, the Leopold's keys feel slightly weightier - somewhere nearer to 50 grams. It results one of the most satisfying "thock" sounds on a Topre board. This product is only available in the US at the time of this writing. UK and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the HyperX Alloy Elite http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3004dbe881393a46f811edb5c75d684b.jpg Remember those old IBM Model M keyboards? Well, that’s what the Unicomp Classic 104 seeks to emulate. Available in both USB and PS/2 versions, it uses a buckling spring switch that takes more effort to press than just about every other modern switch. You’re rewarded for this hard pressing with a tactile response that feels like the classic mechanical keyboards of old, along with a noise that will drive everyone around you mad. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5917a600046e59101eca155f7cf7ce45.jpg Some keyboards just ooze class, and the Das Keyboard Prime 13 is one of them. Its features a solid aluminum top panel for added rigidity and a very minimalistic look. With Cherry's MX Red or Brown switches under the keycaps, you're given a choice between linear and non-linear offerings with a range of actuation points. It's a great option for media enthusiasts thanks to side lit media control and the inclusion of white backlighting is another bonus. It's not the most affordable keyboard on our list, but if you're looking for something a little bit more premium, Das is the way to go. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/1848a82e430c927920a7bfc21f2b2a21.jpg According to a government survey, the average British household owned 7.4 internet-connected devices in 2015. Logitech is targeting smartphone and tablet owners who prefer to see their device's display while sat at a computer with its latest keyboard, the K780. If you liked its predecessor, the K380, there's more to love here. (Literally thanks to its added numberpad.) The K780 can still pair with up to three devices using Bluetooth or wireless, allowing you to chop and change between them, and it features the same comfortable rounded keycaps that remain a pleasure to type on. The star of the show, however, is the keyboard's base, which can hold mobile devices up to 11.3mm thick in an upright position. This places them within arms' reach to make anything from replying to WhatsApp messages or reading a digital magazine easy as pie. How to determine the best keyboard for you It goes without saying that if you demand the look and feel only mechanical switches can provide, rather than those that are slim and stealthy, we suggest perusing our best gaming keyboards round-up instead. Gamers prioritize the actuation that clicky feeling mechanical keyboards bring, whereas traditional home and office users are more about practicality. That said, the sheer magnitude of sound produced by a lot of mechanical keyboards is offputting to some. For those folks, we have some membrane keyboards to recommend as well. Image Credit: TechRadarBill Thomas and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/K0xqSvSzDs4
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Best computer speakers 2019: the best audio systems for your PC
sincity posted a topic in Technology
You’ve probably already heard plenty of people out there telling you that the best headphones are the only way to get fantastic sound when using a computer. But, what if you’re not comfortable wearing headphones day-in and day-out? For everyone else, the best computer speakers are a fantastic ideal. Still, like any PC hardware, finding the best computer speakers isn’t quite as easy as you’d think. Before you decide on the best computer speakers for you, there are a few questions you should ask yourself. What do they sound like? Is the surround or stereo separation up to snuff? Do you start to get a headache after a couple minutes? Do they have balanced sound? These are all important questions to ask. You should also think about what you’re going to do with the best computer speakers. Are you going to get into some of the best PC games, like the upcoming Metro Exodus, where immersion is everything? Are you going to watch some of your favorite movies? Or, maybe you want to rock out to the new Cherry Glazerr album. No matter what you’re looking to do with them, the best computer speakers can revolutionize the way your computer sounds. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zjtHMcEuosviH2UVY6eSVP.jpg Image Credit: Audioengine Sure, the Audioengine A2+ launched four years ago, but they’re still the best computer speakers on the market. These aesthetically pleasing speakers will work with your PC’s USB port for uncompressed audio and beautiful audio quality with its built-in DAC. The Audioengine A2+ doesn’t come with a bass, but that’s not a problem unless you need really deep bass. Luckily, there is an RCA output, so it’s a breeze to connect an external woofer. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cMMLKZ9NGa2UekRfXfC4XR.jpg Image Credit: Logitech While they may be more expensive than you’d expect to pay for the brand’s speakers, the Logitech Z623 is still very affordable when you consider just how powerful they are. The Z623 may look like your average pair of speakers, but its subwoofer produces a thundering sound that can easily dialed up or down depending on your preference. And, it offers a great soundstage – with great highs and mids – making for a more immersive gaming and movie experience. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9jnDLnGKRGySkxHBx8a3km.jpg Image Credit: Logitech Logitech is practically a household name in home entertainment and gaming, but never before has it combined the two so spectacularly. The first Logitech computer speakers designed for gaming, the Logitech G560 are the best computer speakers for gaming – no contest. Not only do they feature RGB lighting, but through Logitech’s software, the multi-colored illumination can adapt to any kind of content you consume – whether it’s your favorite game, or the latest music. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rR39u5i96rX4GECrJaD92P.jpg Image Credit: Razer One of the first things you’ll notice about the Razer Nommo Pro speakers – beyond the weird name – is the immense price. We get it, it’s kind of hard to justify forking over 500 bucks on speakers. But, not only do you get a beefy down-firing subwoofer that’ll almost literally blow you away, but it also features Razer Chroma, so they’ll look just as good as they sound. Sure, there are cheaper options out there – but for speakers this good, the price is well worth it. This product is only available in the US as of this writing. UK and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Audioengine A2+. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kmD5GYFddermdVJcVtMVif.jpg Image Credit: Harman Kardon If you look at the Harmon Kardon Soundsticks III long enough, they’ll start looking like some kind of jellyfish. These translucent computer speakers look more like a modern art installation, rather than a functional speaker system – but that all changes once you turn them on. This speaker and sub combo features booming bass thanks to its woofer, while still producing crisp highs. You’ll get excellent sound at a decent price, making it perfect for music fans with a mid-range budget. This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Edifier E25 Luna Eclipse. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qYtUCduJuvMHuK9PTheFrh.jpg Image Credit: Edifier It might be a bit bassy for some people, but the Edifier E25 Luna Eclipse is a gorgeous speaker setup that not only looks good, but it also features amazing sound. The Luna, which comes in red, white and black, offers a powerful but controlled bass, fantastic balance with sharp mids and good stereo separation. It even includes a really nifty little remote control. The Luna Eclipse are some of the best computer speakers out there, especially if you like to pump up the volume with little to no distortion – and, who doesn’t? http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wsrshvuf2d7NJZJjvum9Uj.jpg Image Credit: Logitech The Logitech MX Sound Speakers are simply the best wireless PC speakers you can buy today. They’re a thing of beauty, with their eccentric circular design and silver accents. And, for the price, they definitely deliver a little more than what you’d expect from the best laptop speakers. The bass may sometimes overpower the mids and highs, but it still delivers an excellent soundstage and powerful audio, which makes it great for gaming. It also features dual Bluetooth connectivity so you can connect two devices simultaneously. Finally, the backlit motion sensor controls are so sensitive, a light touch is all it needs. Read the full review: Logitech MX Sound http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YvRADWod9Fu2EkgggrDE9n.jpg Image Credit: Klipsch The Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speaker system brings enhanced sound for versatile use, so that whether you’re listening to music, watching movies, or playing games, you’re getting the best computer speaker experience. These THX-certified speakers boast power, a wide frequency range (31Hz to 20kHz), and a detailed audio quality with punch bass, maximum clarity and great balance. We’re not exaggerating when we say it’s powerful enough to replicate that home theater quality. This product is only available in the US at the time of this writing. UK and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Logitech Z623 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gTEDodbbVnkSttidtdjByn.jpg Image Credit: Dell Dell’s AE715 may not be the most powerful speaker in the market. It produces a decent 360-degree sound that, while is fairly common in portable audio, is a rarity with computer speakers. For it's low, low price, this Bluetooth speaker is nothing amazing; not a lot of bass and there’s a bit of delay, but the audio quality good enough if your listening standards aren’t quite as demanding. However, what you’re getting in exchange are its wireless functionality, the USB charging port so you can charge the device, and the built-in mic so you can use it for conference calls. It’s definitely a great portable, wireless solution. This product is only available in the US and UK as of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Jabra SPEAK 510. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3BPvnPi9tYYiFnYNBanee3.jpg Image Credit: Mackie Mackie CR4BT promises professional-grade performance, which is a lot more than what its competitors offer. The question is, does it really do that? Well, they sound good for a premium pair of speakers, but there are drawbacks including thinner mid range, and high bass cut off at 70 Hz, which means while there’s good bass presence, you might be missing the really low stuff. The pros, however, include the acoustic foam pads to isolate the speakers from the surface it’s standing on, and the front auxiliary input. Overall, these aren’t your run-of-the-mill computer speakers. They are useful for multimedia creation and production as well. This product is only available in the US and UK as of this writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Logitech MX Sound. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/IyDJpDpuKY0 -
These days, the best PC games can take you to places and let you do things that you never thought possible, which is why you should think about picking up one of the best gaming monitors to bring your experience to the next level. But, what separates the best gaming monitor from any old monitor. Well, it usually depends on the kinds of features you need and your own personal preferences. There are all kinds of gaming monitors out there, and what you need will vary greatly on what kind of games you usually play. If you just want to get absorbed into your favorite single-player games like Resident Evil 2 or Metro Exodus, you may be interested in a 4K Ultra-HD gaming monitor with HDR. However, if going head to head with strangers on the internet in eSports titles like Overwatch or CS:Go is more your speed, you’ll want one of the best gaming monitors with a high refresh rate and response times. This is a lot to take in, but we have you covered. We've gathered up all the best gaming monitors we’ve ever used. So, no matter what kind of games you’re into, we’ll help you find the best monitor for gaming. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/B4CivWPqqJC8DbKzqaui9W.jpg HDR has been a major selling point for the best TVs for a little while now, but it has been suspiciously absent from the best gaming monitors. Until now. The BenQ EX3501R takes HDR and runs with it, crafting a curved ultra-wide that is not only what we would deem ‘attainable’, but beautiful as well. BenQ bills this monitor as a ‘video enjoyment monitor’, but from the moment you launch your favorite HDR-enabled games, you’ll see straight away why it tops our list of the best gaming monitors. Read the full review: BenQ EX3501R http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/b5NjmopyQRnnpiNQp4X3tR.jpg The Alienware AW3418DW is one of the few ultra-wide monitors that can offer the level of immersion that only 21:9 monitors offer, while also featuring a high refresh rate. With a gorgeous 3,440 x 1,440 display, lightning fast 4ms response times and a stunning 120Hz refresh rate, the AW3418DW is the best of both worlds. However, all these features come with a high price, so it may not be the best choice if you’re looking for a bargain. Still, it’s not hard to see why it’s one of the best gaming monitors 2019 has to offer. Read the full review: Alienware AW3418DW http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PHtAF7pxuUs93omoiYvER7.jpg The AOC Agon AG352UCG was already one of the best gaming monitors we’d used, so when we heard that a new revision was coming out, with a higher refresh rate and better contrast, we couldn’t wait. The AOC Agon AC352UCG6 Black Edition takes everything the original did well and turns it up to 11, making it one of the best ways to experience ultra-wide gaming. It’s pricey, yeah, but if you have the hardware to back it up, you’re doing yourself a disservice by not buying it. Read the full review: AOC Agon AG352UCG6 Black Edition http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/o7M7YMD9hgiw8gi2FQqzzn.jpg The Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ may just be the most advanced and best gaming monitor out there – as long as you have the cash. Not only does it feature a gorgeous 4K Ultra-HD resolution and HDR, but it also features G-Sync and a 144Hz refresh rate. These specs make for one of the most impressive gaming monitors that’s ever existed – and when you see it in action, your mind will be blown. The only thing that holds this thing back from true greatness is the insane price tag. But, then again, if you have this kind of cash lying around, you should be able to afford a PC powerful enough to drive it. Read the full review: Asus ROG Swift PG27UQ http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oMxArjCj8G5zzzgDhh59yA.jpg The BenQ PD3200U is primarily targeted at CAD professionals, but it’s still one of the best gaming monitors out there. This is because it has a rock-solid focus on graphic design, so it’s able to offer fantastic viewing angles – meaning your friends can watch you play in comfort. Plus, unlike a lot of 4K monitors on the market, you don’t need to mess around with the settings in order to get the best picture – every unit is individually calibrated by BenQ before it’s shipped. This is one of the best gaming monitors out there, even if it’s not actually a gaming monitor. Read the full review: BenQ PD3200U http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YY3NkHTSMbHJduZyKkKez9.jpg There’s a certain subset of PC gamers out there that need the absolute best hardware money can buy, and the Acer Predator X27 may be the best gaming monitor for them. The list of high-end features packed into the panel is almost as long as our arm – 4K resolution, HDR-10, G-Sync, 144Hz refresh rate – you’d be hard pressed to find a more advanced monitor. And, once you get a look at this monitor in person, you’ll be sold. That is, until you see the price tag – at two grand, only recent lottery winners need apply. Still, there’s nothing wrong with dreaming. Read the full review: Acer Predator X27 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cmH6m3uPBV8aFY9CpqJaKL.jpg You might not believe it at first glance, but the BenQ Zowie XL2540 is every bit the gaming monitor that the other monitors on this list are. And though it may not seem it from the outside looking in, it does its job remarkably well too, sacrificing dazzling lighting effects for a zippy 240Hz refresh rate and nigh-instantaneous 1ms response time. There’s no G-Sync or FreeSync, as this monitor assumes you already have a rig that’s plenty capable of eliminating screen tears on its own. Instead, this monitor keeps it simple by supplying you with lots of visual presets, an “S Switch” control pod for managing those presets and even a pair of adjustable light screens. If you're a professional gamer, then this is the best gaming monitor for you. Read the full review: BenQ Zowie XL2540 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ViZRxC2UQx64qe9oXBKh48.jpg With this display, Samsung not only brings QLED to gaming monitors in a big way, but they also offer the widest ultra-wide monitor on the market today. Coming in at 49.5 inches, this behemoth will take up a lot of space, likely peeping over the sides of your desk, but with its impressive 3,840 x 1080 resolution and HDR, you’ll at least be blown away by the image. Even if you decide not to play in this resolution (it will require a beefy rig), you can still use all of the extra screen real estate to have a browser or a movie playing on the same screen. The only real drawback is the monstrous price tag. But for a display this premium, it may very well be worth it. Read the full review: Samsung CHG90 QLED http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FwwPGCwbtpnDbQpUVHJmVc.jpg If you have a powerful graphics card that you want to take full advantage of, and you don’t mind missing out on 4K Ultra HD, Samsung’s got something just for you. The Samsung CHG70 is a curved 1440p monitor with a blazing fast 1ms response time and 144hz refresh rate, which makes this one of the best gaming monitors you can buy in 2018. And, considering it’s regularly going on sale, this screen is a bargain as well. Check it out. Read the full review: Samsung CHG70 QLED http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/syCcKbDR7GehRbfv82s927.jpg When you’re playing competitive shooters like Overwatch or Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, you’re going to need speed more than anything to stay on top of the leaderboards. That’s where monitors like the MSI Optix MAG271CR come in. With a 1080p resolution, 144 Hz refresh rate and 1ms of latency, you’re going to have fast, smooth gameplay as long as you have the hardware to drive it. After all, 60 Hz panels are so 2014 – the best gaming monitors embrace high refresh rates. Read the full review: MSI Optix MAG271CR How to buy the best gaming monitor in 2018When you are shopping for the best gaming monitor 2018 has to offer, there are a few things that you should consider before you decide on what display should grace your desk. By studying the following terms and specifications, you can make sure you pick the best gaming monitor for your needs – which also means you're not paying extra for additional features that you don’t need. Screen size: When shopping for the best gaming monitor, one of the most crucial things to think about is screen size. Larger display sizes can contribute to more immersive gaming experiences, as the game fills more of your field of vision, but you'll need to make sure you have the room to feature a large monitor. It also goes without saying that larger monitors will usually mean a higher price. Aspect ratio: The aspect ratio of a gaming monitor determines the width and height of the screen. Most widescreen monitors have an aspect ratio of 16:9, while older monitors had a more square 4:3, which will likely look pretty outdated in 2018. Ultra-wide monitors with aspect ratios of 21:9 are quickly gaining prevalence – they offer a wide view of your games, and many ultra wides have made our list of the best gaming monitor 2018. Resolution: Another important factor when looking for the best gaming monitor for your needs is resolution. Here, the higher the numbers, the sharper the picture.. You will, however, need a more powerful graphics card for anything over full HD (1,920 x 1,080), even if many gaming monitors feature resolutions as high as 2,560 x 1,400 (WQHD) and 3,840 x 2,160 (4K). Refresh rate: When you’re looking to primarily play Counter-Strike, or shooters like it, refresh rate is especially important. The higher the refresh rate, the more frames per second (fps) it can support, which lends to a smoother experience on high-refresh-rate displays. A 60Hz refresh rate is most common, with refresh rates rising to 144Hz and even 200Hz. Response time: The best gaming monitors have low response times, which means the action remains fast and fluid, with little to no input lag. The lowest response time for TN monitors (we explain this in the next section) is 1 millisecond, whereas the newer IPS monitors usually have more delayed, 4ms response times. When you’re playing games competitively, it’s crucial to keep this number as low as possible in order to combat lag. Panel type: This is where things get a little technical. The type of panel the gaming monitor uses will largely contribute to its response time and image clarity. TN panels (twisted nematic) have the lowest response times, and they are usually cheaper as well, but they generally don’t have great viewing angles. IPS panels (in-plane switching) have fantastic viewing angles and color reproduction, but usually higher response times. Meanwhile VA panels (vertical alignment) sit between the two, though the slow response times makes these panels rare amid the best gaming monitors. Viewing Angle: Most people play games while positioned in front of their gaming monitor, but this may not always be the case, particularly when you’re among spectators. A monitor’s viewing angles tell you what angle you can look at the monitor from and still clearly make out the image. The closer these numbers are are to 180, the better your viewing experience will be when standing further to either side of the monitor or looking at it from above or below. G-Sync and FreeSync: You'll likely notice that many of the best gaming monitors in 2018 come with either G-Sync or FreeSync technology – sometimes both. This helps keep frames per second (fps) smooth, combats screen tearing and diminishes input lag. G-Sync is developed by Nvidia, so you'll need an Nvidia GPU, and the tech is built into the monitor, which can bump up their price tag. Meanwhile FreeSync was developed by AMD but, as it is free to use by manufacturers, the monitors usually cost less. Check out our HDR Explained video below. Image Credit: TechRadarGabe Carey and Bill Thomas have also contributed to this article Looking for a more general monitor? Check out our list of the best monitorshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/uhJgYZTxaww
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After hiding them away in a private screening room at this year’s CES, Samsung is finally ready to show its next-generation QLED TVs to the public. To that end, you can expect four new series of 2019 QLED TVs – the Q90, Q80, Q70 and Q60 – to offer 4K HDR support as well as totally new features like AMD Radeon FreeSync support via Samsung’s Real Game Enhancer feature and a dedicated iTunes app on the Tizen store. Don't forget, Samsung's 2019 TVs will let you access your computer remotelyThese TVs will also use AI to get smarter, fasterThese were the best Samsung TVs from last yearLike last year, you can expect Bixby to make a reappearance on the 2019 QLED series as well as a larger selection of Ambient Mode content. In terms of screen sizes, this year’s models will (unsurprisingly) be bigger than any year previously with all four series sporting 65-, 75- and 82-inch screen variants - though, if you’re looking for something smaller, the Q70 will be available in 49- and 55-inches while the Q60 drops all the way down to 43-inches. Here's a full breakdown of the prices for this year's models, based on information from Samsung's US website: Samsung Q60 QLED TV: $1,799.99 (65-inch), $1,199.99 (55-inch) Samsung Q70 QLED TV: $2,199.99 (65-inch) Samsung Q90 QLED TV: $3,499.99 (65-inch) Unfortunately, no UK or AU pricing has been announced yet. Plus tech TV buffs will appreciate While the new TVs are pretty feature-heavy, Samsung has introduced a few crucial upgrades on the display side like adding Direct Full Array lighting to its mid-range Q70 this year alongside the Q80 and Q90 (a.k.a. the 8FN and Q9FN equivalents for this year). There's also a new technology called ‘Ultra Viewing Angle’ now found on the Q90 and Q80 restructures the TV’s panels to reduce glare and enhance colors at wider viewing angles. We hope it will help make LCD-LED TVs more competitive with OLED when it comes to viewing them off-axis. Other new additions include AirPlay 2 support – a huge boon for Apple aficionados – and a far-field microphone-equipped remote that will allow you to use voice commands from anywhere in the room. Speaking of voice commands, we can’t forget Bixby support (although we wish that we could) that will also be available on this year’s QLED TVs. Samsung has yet to announce release date for the TVs, but pre-orders are available starting today at Samsung's website. Not sure what to buy? Here's a complete guide to Samsung's 2019 TVshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/afid2XTtRAU
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Cyberattacks are growing in volume and the average number of breaches in the UK has increased according to Carbon Black's second UK Threat Report. The endpoint security firm surveyed over 250 UK CIOs, CTOs and CISOs from organisations across a range of industries to compile its report which builds on its first survey conducted in August of last year. Carbon Black found that 88 percent of UK organisations reported suffering a breach during the last 12 months with the average number of breaches per organisation over the past year reaching 3.67, up from 3.48 in its last report. Over 59,000 data breaches reported in EU since GDPRRemote working is leading to a rise in data breachesThe true cost of a data breachAdditionally, 87 percent of organisations have seen an increase in attack volumes and 89 percent said that attacks have become more sophisticated which is why 93 percent of organisations plan to increase their spending on cyber defense. Rise in breachesCarbon Black's Head of Security Strategy, Rick McElroy provided further insight on the findings of the report in a statement, saying: “We believe our second UK threat report underlines that UK organisations are still under intense pressure from escalating cyberattacks. The report suggests that the average number of breaches has increased, but as threat hunting strategies start to mature, we hope to see fewer attacks making it to full breach status.” The report also found that humans are often the weakest link in cybersecurity and phishing attacks appear to be at the root of one in five successful breaches. Malware remains the most prolific attack type in the UK with more than a quarter (27%) of organisations saying it was the attack type they most commonly encountered while ransomware took second place at 15 percent. Carbon Black's report also shed light on how organisations are utilizing threat hunting and 95 percent of those surveyed said that the practice had helped strengthen their defenses. Protect your organisation from the latest cyber threats with the best antivirushttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/gAbK7veNQtc
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Even if you have one of the best gaming PCs already, you shouldn’t ignore the best gaming chairs. You don’t want to walk away from your gaming session crouching over like Igor from Young Frankenstein. With the best PC gaming chair, you can bring your gaming and sitting experience to the next level. Because, if you’re going to dive into the best PC games for hours at a time, why not be comfortable while doing it? That’s why we decided to gather up the best gaming chairs you can buy in 2019. Some may end up looking like your dad’s office chair, with all-black ‘real leather’ designs – others fully embrace the gamer style with RGB lighting and loud, clashing colors, so you can look like some kind of race car driver from the future. We’ll help you find the perfect gaming chair for your set up, so you can spend more time sitting and gaming, and less time shopping. Because – let’s be honest – we do our own fair share of sitting here at TechRadar, and we’re very familiar with the best gaming chairs. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XN9xtDyFnTYURiyQ6KbQaG.jpg It’s no exaggeration to call the Noblechairs Epic Real Leather the best gaming chair. From the cross-thatched embroidery to the real leather of its namesake, if you’re looking for a no-compromises gaming throne, this is it. Plus, it’s surprisingly quick and easy to set up. And, once the set-up is complete, the Epic Real Leather is a dream to sit on – and you can customize your position however you want. Just do us a favor, and read the instructions while you’re setting it up. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WGgrnA7KnW5DrT4nGZnRMa.jpg If you want to play games all day in comfort, but you don’t want a chair that looks like you’re playing games all day, the Autonomous ErgoChair 2 is for you. Marketed as an office chair, the ErgoChair 2 has a very modern and stylish aesthetic to it that will appeal to anyone that doesn’t use RGB as a personality trait. It’s not all style either, as the ErgoChair lets you adjust basically every part of the chair, so that no matter how your body is built, you’re guaranteed to be comfortable while gaming. This product is only available in the US at the time of this writing. UK and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Respawn 115 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YrsYxcwSMg9ED2KQin2Zi9.jpg Leather and fabric have their advantages, namely to comfort and texture, but sometimes a mesh office chair is best – especially if you live in a warmer climate, where breathability is of utmost importance. The Respawn-300 combines the racing-seat design and lumbar support and mesh material from some high-end office chairs. It really does take comfort to another level and is one of the best PC gaming chairs you can buy today. This product is only available in the US at the time of this writing. UK and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Noblechairs Epic Real Leather. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wDTigh6K729XPwELKYUh6U.jpg Corsair is known for making popular and high-end PC components and gaming peripherals. It’s only fitting, then, that they dip their toes into the gaming chair game – and they may have made one of the best gaming chairs yet. Covered top to bottom in breathable PU leather with neck and lumbar pillows wrapped in microfiber, you’ll be able to game both in comfort and style. And with its rollerblade-style wheels, you’ll be able to move it around on any surface without having to worry about scratching up your floor. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tt35EV28Dbom7XG5WSDu3k.jpg Noblechairs is well known for crafting some of the best gaming chairs out there – and the Noblechairs Icon makes it clear why. While it’s more affordable than the flagship Epic Real Leather, it’s still extremely comfortable and one of the best PC gaming chairs out there. This is thanks to its nice lumbar pillow, which you can easily remove if you don’t like it. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Um3dv5Vyhs75nfAKSAaWhV.jpg The Edge GX1 is a gaming chair that actively avoids the popular racing style that is increasingly popular with modern gaming chairs. Rather than sticking to a form factor that’s designed to limit your movement, the Edge GX1 instead aims to give an ergonomic experience, where comfort is the priority – while also providing a premium chair. And when we say premium, we mean it, with the Edge GX1 costing £800, a huge amount for a gaming chair. It’s hand-crafted in the UK, and there’s some great touches, such as inflatable lumbar support. It’s a huge asking price, but we’ve been using it for a while now, and it is very comfortable. You’ll have to adjust a bit, but once you get it right, it’s worth the high price. It ships worldwide from the UK, but US and Australia readers should beware the high shipping costs. You can only buy this chair direct from Edge http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2QJ2fP5CBbHmicZB8tjvwe.jpg There’s a certain subset of the PC gaming community that needs to have the absolute best of everything, at whatever the cost. These people are going to be absolutely enamored with the Vertagear Triigger 350 SE. It features over 350 individual components with a mix metal, mesh, leather and high-end plastics to create the ultimate PC gaming chair. If you have the money to spare, and you can’t stand to have anything less than the best, you might want to give this chair a look. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/i3XzXkJxeyM3AARkbWdjJG.jpg Another day, another Noblechairs gaming seat – and the Noblechairs Epic is the best gaming chair for the classier gamer. It features a faux-leather covering inspired by car seats, combining both comfort and a high-end design to make it one of the best gaming chairs you can buy today. And, if you’re the type that shies away from the ‘gamer aesthetic,’ the Epic’s subtle black design is far more elegant than some of the more brightly-colored seats on this list. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CKm4FSHdJJjyvbNwKEwqPG.jpg For the gamer looking for some extra room in their seat, the Vertagear Racing Series PL6000 is a must-have. Specially designed to provide both added width and height, this is the best gaming chair for anyone with a larger frame – no matter how tall you are, the adjustable headrest means you’ll never experience discomfort. However, this is a complicated chair to assemble, so use the buddy system to build this masterpiece. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q3pmwvNfak9q5SUL2WUqNG.jpg The Nitro Concepts C80 is a gorgeous, comfortable gaming chair that could easily blend in in an office environment – it looks more expensive than it is. Nitro Concepts made one of the best gaming chairs by keeping the price down, while keeping compromises to a minimum – like using polyurethane instead of leather. And, no compromises were made in the build quality, either – this is an impressively sturdy gaming chair. Just make sure you get a friend to help you put it together – constructing this thing had us tearing our hair out. This product is only available in the UK at the time of this writing. US and Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the Noblechairs Icon Image Credit: TechRadarhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/2WADe9IfRHE
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For companies still using Internet Explorer (IE), now is the time to move on to a new modern web browser according to Microsoft which has issued a warning regarding the security implications of continuing to use its once ubiquitous browser. IE is often used by enterprises and organisations that wish to run legacy web apps, as the outdated browser still supports them, but choosing the easy way out now could come back to haunt businesses later. In a blog post titled “The perils of using Internet Explorer as your default browser”, Microsoft senior cybersecurity architect Chris Jackson explained how using its legacy browser is increasing the “technical debt' of organisations. Internet Explorer 10 set for termination in January 2020Microsoft releases emergency security patch for Internet ExplorerMicrosoft joins OpenChain platformBasically, by continuing to use IE as opposed to a more modern web browser, organisations are creating additional costs for themselves later by choosing the easiest, most convenient solution now as opposed to the best long term approach. The case for modern browsersIn his post, Jackson does not call on users to make the switch to Microsoft Edge (which will soon be Chromium-based) or to use Chrome or Firefox. He only highlights the fact that developers are no longer testing their sties for IE which could lead to security as well as stability issues. IE is no longer even really a browser in Jackson's opinion which he explained, saying: “You see, Internet Explorer is a compatibility solution. We’re not supporting new web standards for it and, while many sites work fine, developers by and large just aren’t testing for Internet Explorer these days. They’re testing on modern browsers. So, if we continued our previous approach, you would end up in a scenario where, by optimizing for the things you have, you end up not being able to use new apps as they come out. As new apps are coming out with greater frequency, what we want to help you do is avoid having to miss out on a progressively larger portion of the web!” The days of IE's dominance have come and gone and if your organisation has not done so already, now is the time to make the switch to a modern browser before it's too late. Via Engadget We've also highlighted the best VPNhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/I9x5QULLfHE
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We have tested a lot of VPN services, ranging from the most impressive to the down right terrible. So of the 100s (literally) we've reviewed, it's no mean feat to make it in to the top 5 of TechRadar's best VPN chart. But CyberGhost has earned a spot, and now you can get it for an incredibly low price. For just $89.90 - the equivalent of $2.75 a month - you can get your hands on three years worth of CyberGhost protection. That works out at roughly 79% off the usual monthly rate ($12.99) or, in other words, a huge saving on one of the most impressive VPNs around. - Go straight to CyberGhost to grab this incredibly cheap VPN deal Not in the US? Don't worry. Although the listed price is in US dollars, this reduced plan is available to purchase wherever you are. So the $2.75 per month works out at around £2.15, €2.45 or AU$3.90. With CyberGhost, you're not only getting the ability to mask your IP address but also incredibly fast speeds, access to over 3,500 servers, simultaneous protection of up to seven devices, and integrated apps for your phone, laptop, TV and more. So if you like the idea of cheap yet effective online protection for the next three years, scroll down to see all of the details of this deal and how to get it. Or if you want to see all your other best-in-class VPN options, check out our best VPN deals guide. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VgyagGS9HpAEPUQtUJBfrg.jpg CyberGhost's three-year VPN deal in full Read our CyberGhost review to see what makes it stand out What can you do with a VPNThe main reasons to get a VPN can be broken up into two categories: being safe online and circumventing blocks. In terms of cyber safety, a VPN uses encryption technology to hide or change your IP address so you can't be tracked. So using a VPN can make it far harder for your data to be used by somebody else in the future. The second use is a little bit wider in its functionality. VPNs can allow you to work around restrictions online which means watching your favourite channels in other countries, getting cheaper deals on flights and trains and watch any country's Netflix no matter where you are. See also: Our list of the best VPN services2019's best antivirus software packageshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/ux8LKgAqZdw
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Valentine’s Day is is almost here and if you, like many others, are still searching for that perfect gift then placing an order online for flowers is always an easy and romantic option. You can order a beautiful floral arrangement in minutes from a variety of online retailers including; 1-800-Flowers, Amazon, ProFlowers, Teleflora, and many more. Right now most U.S. retailers (get U.K. deals here) are still able to guarantee a Valentine's Day delivery for an additional fee. The retailer Bouqs is even offering 20% off all Valentine's Day flowers with code SENDLOVE20 which includes Valentine's Day delivery. For all those who love to procrastinate, fear not, because most of the online flower delivery services we've listed below offer same-day delivery, and if you're an Amazon Prime member Amazon is offering free shipping on a wide selection of flowers if you order by tomorrow. Online flower delivery services:If flowers aren't your thing, we've listed a wide selection of Valentine's Day sales and collections below from retailers such as Walmart, Victoria's Secret, Shari's Berries and more. Amazon has knocked down the Amazon Echo prices ahead of Valentine's and has a great Kindle Paperwhite deal running too. You can also find the popular Ring Doorbell devices on sale for up to $50 off. If you're just wanting to send a card this year, we also have a guide on how to make Valentine's Day cards online. Valentine's Day salesAmazon - A wide selection of gifts for him, her, kids, pets and moreWalmart - Gifts that include flowers, jewelry, chocolates and perfumeGodiva Chocolates - 20% off select Valentine's Day products + free shipping on orders $25+Victoria's Secret - Free slippers with $50 sleep or lingerie purchaseShari's Berries - 20% off gifts $29+Lindt Chocolates - Free Standard Shipping on orders $60+ with code FREESHIP60Nordstrom - Handpicked gifts that ship for free Overstock - Save up to 25% on Valentine's Day giftsKohl's - 25-30% off select watcheshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/wQc6Kj5VpS0