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Vodafone and Virgin Media are the UK’s most complained about telecoms providers according to the latest figures from Ofcom. The regulator monitors complaints about providers with a market share greater than 1.5 per cent in the sectors they operate. Typical issues include quality of service, how the operators themselves handle complaints, or with billing. The idea is that consumers can make more informed decisions when choosing a landline, broadband, mobile or Pay-TV service, giving providers an incentive to improve. These latest figures cover the period between July and September last year. Ofcom complaintsVirgin Media is the most-complained about mobile operator in the UK, receiving 11 complaints per 100,000 customers. BT (8), Vodafone (8) and iD Mobile (5) all exceeded the industry average of 4 with Three (4), O2 (3) and EE (3) all coming under the benchmark. Tesco Mobile continues to be the UK’s least complained about operator with just 1 complaint per 100,000 subscribers. For the first time, Vodafone has met the 1.5 per cent threshold in the broadband and landline markets, and duly received the most complaints in both categories. The Post Office also featured for the first time in broadband and received a below-average number of grievances. In broadband, Vodafone received 27 – well above the industry average of 15. TalkTalk (23), BT (22) and Plusnet (21) also scored above average, while Virgin Media (13) the Post Office (9) EE (8) and Sky (5) recorded lower-than average figures. For landline services, Vodafone received 19 complaints per 100,000, ahead of TalkTalk (18), Plusnet (17), BT (13), Virgin Media (12), the Post Office (9), EE (6) and Sky (5). The industry average was 11. Virgin Media was the UK’s most complained about Pay-TV provider with 19 complaints, more than BT (15) and TalkTalk (8). Sky (1) was the only provider to record a figure below the average of 7. “With so much competition in telecoms and TV services, companies that are falling short need to make service quality and complaints handling their priority. Customers who aren’t happy with their provider can shop around and vote with their feet,” said Jane Rumble, Ofcom’s Director of Consumer Policy. Here are the best mobile phone deals for January 2019http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/djkO5WyUyE4

A content delivery network (CDN) works to accelerate almost any website by caching its files in servers around the world. Whether your visitors come from Europe, North America, Asia or anywhere else, content is automatically served from the nearest location for the fastest possible speeds. If you're new to the technology then it might seem intimidating, and there's no doubt that prices can be high, but don't let that put you off. A CDN is not just for massive corporations. You can set up the simplest services in less than five minutes, and if you choose your plan wisely, it might not cost you anything at all. Whatever your website, from a simple blog to a sprawling site for a big business, we've picked out some of the best services around to help point you in the right direction. If you find anything that looks interesting, give it a try – you can explore many of these CDNs for free, without handing over payment details or signing up for any contract. We’ve also rounded up the best VPN services of 2019http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iwxsPuWubYXaaYdKxdZVGR.jpg Cloudflare is a hugely popular American content delivery service which combines novice-friendly ease of use with expert-level features and functionality. Setup is simple, with no need to edit your code. Just update your DNS nameservers to use Cloudflare and the service kicks in automatically, caching content and serving it to visitors from their nearest location. But there's much, much more. Web filtering can block bots, limit content spam, keep you safe from hackers or detect and mitigate DDoS attacks. Smart image optimizations can reduce image file sizes by up to 35%, further improving speeds. There's wide support for standards like IPv6, HTTP/2 and SPDY, clever page rules to help you manipulate traffic, and a REST API allows developers to take full control of what the service is doing. Read our review of CloudflareCloudflare's free plan allows you to see what the service can do, without making any commitments. It's very usable, with unlimited bandwidth and no annoying restrictions to try and force you to upgrade. Upgrading to the Pro plan costs a reasonable $20 (£16) a month, and adds the image optimization rules, extra configurability and improved support. Whatever you choose, Cloudflare delivers great performance. As we write, the benchmarking site CDNPerf ranks Cloudflare at sixth place for worldwide HTTP request response times out of a field of 20 top CDNs. You can sign up for Cloudflare herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XsTGuTeBf4DCANkDfvCJJe.jpg Fastly provides CDN tricks for some really big organizations, including the likes of Spotify and Reddit, and the firm lives up to its name, delivering impressively fast performance levels. Going by the rough guideline of CDNPerf’s rankings, it’s the second fastest CDN for the UK, and worldwide speeds are mostly good, too. Perhaps Fastly’s strongest point, however, is just how configurable the service is. For example, there’s diverse support for different types of video caching, and tons of low-level controls for those who want to get stuck into the likes of manipulating HTTP headers to customize how content is served. Read our review of FastlyOf course, some know-how is required to set up everything, and novices to the CDN world will doubtless be confused by all the options on offer. But for those who need this level of flexibility and configurability, it’s priceless to have. Speaking of the price, Fastly operates a pay-as-you-go model with a minimum charge of $50 (£37) per month. You can sign up for Fastly herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GzoVYGgDuvep3nEBjWS5mJ.jpg KeyCDN is an easy-to-use budget CDN that might be a good pick for first-time users. Getting started couldn't be much simpler. Sign up with your email address and you get an immediate 25GB to play with, no payment details required. A well-designed web dashboard enables creating your first zone with the minimum of clicks, and there are guides to help you integrate the service with WordPress and other apps. Worth mentioning is that as of late November 2018, KeyCDN fully supports IPv6. More experienced users will appreciate options like Origin Shield – this allows you to specify a KeyCDN server to be the source for updates rather than the origin, reducing your server load. You're able to manipulate headers, cache or strip cookies, or set up a custom robots.txt. Once the service is running, a capable set of reporting tools enable watching CDN performance in near real-time. Read our review of KeyCDNKeyCDN's standout feature has to be its low prices. Bandwidth charges start at $0.04 (£0.032) per GB, less than half the price you'll pay with some of the high-end competition. The minimum charge is a tiny $49 (£39) a year. (Yes, really – a year.) The company doesn't even try to cash in on the extras, for example offering shared SSL and custom Let's encrypt SSL certificates for free. Perhaps unsurprisingly, these low prices don't get you leading-edge performance, but there's still plenty of power here and you do get a lot for your money. You can sign up for KeyCDN herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gEXYhqeopJEqDrv6HbXzRX.jpg MetaCDN is an Australian company which combines the CDNs of Amazon Cloudfront, Fastly and Verizon's EdgeCast into a single speedy service. Why? It's all about performance. When a visitor accesses your site, MetaCDN has three networks and more than 120 locations to choose from – way more than anyone else. In other words, there’s a much greater chance any visitor will have a server near them. This matters because every CDN delivers its best performance in different areas. EdgeCast scores highly in North America, for instance, but Fastly is quicker in the UK. MetaCDN automatically chooses the best network for every visitor's location, giving you the best of all worlds. Read our review of MetaCDNThis approach does have a catch. When you sign up with a single CDN, you can get access to all its individual settings and options, but combining three means you only get settings which apply to all of them (for obvious reasons). Which essentially means MetaCDN has barely any configuration options at all. (Check the Support site to get a rough feel for how the system works.) Still, MetaCDN is nicely user-friendly and it could be a good pick if speed is your top priority. Pricing is complicated (although not bad for access to enterprise-level CDNs) and there are three plans, Basic, Lite and Pro. The most popular one, Lite, is $50 on a monthly basis (you can also choose a yearly rate, for a $39 a month). You can sign up for MetaCDN herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/y9cC46sv3TJcJ62HGSDzRQ.jpg This CDN provider focuses mainly on the West, with 13 points of presence (PoPs) in North America, and nine in Europe. There are only five PoPs in Asia, and two in Australia and South America (Brazil). StackPath is user-friendly, complete with a straightforward web console to manage your settings, and if you do get stuck, there’s extremely efficient technical support available via either live chat or phone. Performance seems good in the US and UK, and indeed Europe, but further afield you may see things tail off a bit, which is hardly a surprise given StackPath’s aforementioned focus on Western nations. Read our review of StackPathAnother strength here comes on the security front, with this CDN giving users free shared SSL (or the option to use your own SSL certificate, if you prefer). There’s also anti-DDoS technology and a capable Web Application Firewall. All in all, this is a tempting offering with a baseline plan that charges $10 (£7.6) for up to 1TB of bandwidth per month. The first month is also free. You can sign up for StackPath herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VQzk5gq5JJVgteVQSGB9fj.jpg Update: The service has been now integrated with StackPath - "Everything you love about MaxCDN is being integrated into the new StackPath CDN service." MaxCDN is actually owned by StackPath now (the previously mentioned CDN), but provides a standalone service of its own which is well-suited for novices. You get 24/7 tech support with speedy responses promised (and indeed these claims stood up to our testing), and it’s easy enough to set up, and indeed use going forward. You don’t get as many settings to play with as some of the more advanced services, but that’s hardly surprising when trying to keep things more user-friendly. Read our review of MaxCDNAnother definite benefit is a range of useful reports, and a solid core network. MaxCDN offers eight edge locations in the US, five in Europe – and you can add additional locations in Asia (and Australia), but you have to pay extra for those. Overall, though, pricing is a strong point, starting from $9 (£6.75) a month for a 100GB account, with a clean pricing structure which isn’t confusing in the slightest (often not the case with CDN offerings). Performance is, generally speaking, solid enough, and this CDN does pretty well for speeds in the UK and US. You can sign up for MaxCDN herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/j5SDBwhgBmus2EbW97XC5J.jpg Amazon CloudFront is the CDN facet of AWS (Amazon Web Services), so it’s certainly part of a heavyweight operation. And indeed CloudFront offers a raft of advanced features as you might expect, and you can customize all manner of things such as enabling automatic GZip compression for better speeds. Another strength here is the in-depth analytics on tap, showing you details of your visitors’ device type, OS and so forth. There’s also the handy ability to set up alerts, meaning you can be warned when data transfer usage goes above a certain level. Read our review of Amazon CloudFrontThe downside to all the options on offer is that relative novices to the CDN world may find CloudFront’s control panel a little intimidating, at least initially. The other slight sticking points are that calculating pricing can be a rather tricky matter, and if you aren’t an experienced user familiar with CDN basics, tech support isn’t free – if you need help, you’ll have to fork out for it. Prices vary depending on region, but the good news is there’s a free tier (which gives you 50GB of data per month for one year). Performance levels are fairly average, too, but there’s no denying the power and configurability that Amazon offers to the slightly more tech-savvy user. You can sign up for Amazon CloudFront herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6BaYxUDwpW9P3H9ifQi7E8.jpg As you’re doubtless aware, Microsoft Azure is a big old stack of integrated cloud tools for building and managing applications and services, with a wide range of coverage including a CDN offering, which is what we’re focusing on here, naturally. Note that this doesn’t use Microsoft’s own edge servers, but rather three plans that use other CDN networks: Standard Akamai, Standard Verizon, and Premium Verizon. We fully discuss these various plans in our review of Microsoft’s CDN service, linked below, but suffice it to say that in terms of pricing – which can be somewhat confusing to work out – this isn’t the cheapest offering around. Still, those who want integration with other Microsoft technologies and services may well find the price worth paying. Read our review of Microsoft Azure CDNYou get a web dashboard which is absolutely crammed with features, although as ever, this means it’s not particularly easy to use for beginners (and the setup process is pretty involved, too). Performance levels are impressive, and at the time of writing, according to CDNPerf, Azure CDN is the fifth fastest content delivery network worldwide, and fourth in the US. This has to be a tempting prospect if you’re using other Azure services, or if you’re a developer who will appreciate the likes of .NET or PowerShell management features. You can sign up for Microsoft Azure CDN herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CiUgtXSigTpBf9pJhZ6Awj.jpg CDN77 is a big-name player in the content delivery game, with some heavyweight clients signed up including the European Space Agency. It has an expansive CDN network with 32 data centers across the globe, with many of those in Europe and the US, but there are also locations in South America, Asia and one in Australia. The web console interface is very streamlined and keeps any jargon to a minimum, making it suitably user-friendly for novices to the CDN world. The flipside of this is that there aren’t a huge amount of options, although you can do some tweaking of various settings. Read our review of CDN77In terms of performance, CDN77 is solid enough, and it ranks as a lower-to-mid pack player that’s unlikely to disappoint, but certainly isn’t the fastest CDN network we found when reviewing these various services. You get a free Let's Encrypt SSL certificate, and CDN77 is pretty good value for money overall in terms of its per-GB pricing, although it’s not the cheapest outfit we’ve highlighted here. Pricing starts at $0.049 per GB of data for US and European locations, with Asia and Latin America being more expensive. If you want to test the waters, there’s a 14-day risk-free trial, and you don’t need to supply any payment details for this. You can sign up for CDN77 herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2gn54atwVEN7YgTLWJbWdJ.jpg If you need a powerful CDN, look no further than Leaseweb, an enterprise-level operation which is still suitable for regular business users – just about, although we should say upfront that it isn’t cheap, as you might imagine. Pricing starts at $113 (£88, €99) per month for an entry-level plan with a 2TB data allowance, the good news being that even with this ‘basic’ subscription, you get all the same security and CDN features as the heavyweight enterprise plans. That includes a smartly designed console for overseeing your CDN needs, complete with an extensive raft of potential settings and tweaks, featuring many options you don’t get with your average service (like the ability to set the cache-control header, or determine how long to cache 404 responses). Read our review of LeasewebThere’s also an in-depth statistics section which displays graphs and charts showing many interesting stats, such as visitor and traffic breakdowns, cache performance and the top file types which are seeing action. The one somewhat bleak spot is Leaseweb’s performance, which seems somewhat off the pace going by CDNPerf’s findings, although it’s difficult to gauge exactly what results you’ll get in practice. Users who want a powerful range of features in their CDN could give the 30-day trial a go to find out. You can sign up for Leaseweb hereAlso check out our roundup of the best website hosting serviceshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/isCcWKGb6TI

Some games are best for playing solo, but others only come into their own with friends, family – or angry strangers on the internet. To help you pick the best online and mutiplayer games for playing on the Nintendo Switch, we've put together this extensive list to the best titles currently available. The Nintendo Switch Online service launched only in September, bringing a paid subscription service for accessing online play, alongside a host of other features like cloud saves and retro game emulation. The paid online service isn't necessary for playing most games on the Nintendo Switch eShop, but you'll still need it if you want to get the most out of your multiplayer titles. So whether you're a Nintendo Switch owner looking to make the most of the online service, or just someone wanting to know why the hell they should sign up to Nintendo Switch Online after paying for a $300 / £300 console, these are the local co-op and online multiplayer games that get all the better for having Nintendo Switch Online. Looking to enhance your experience? Check out our picks of the best Nintendo Switch accessoriesOr not got the console yet? These are the best Nintendo Switch deals aroundEasy to play, hard to master, Super Smash Bros has always been a Nintendo stalwart: a mad fighting game brawler that pits video game characters from across Nintendo’s extensive catalogue against each other in battle. Pikachu vs Luigi. Kirby vs Ice Climbers. Toon Link vs Samus. The chaos knows no ends. Super Smash Bros Ultimate is the closest thing to a definitive Smash Bros we’ve seen, with every single character ever to have appeared across the franchise – with some fun new ones bundled in, including Metroid’s Ridley and Donkey Kong Country’s King K. Rule. Add to that over 100 stages, countless gameplay improvements and a bunch of new modes to jump into, and you have a Smash Bros entry making a strong case for signing up to Nintendo Switch Online. Play for: online multiplayer, local co-op Let's be honest, the main selling point of Nintendo Switch Online is probably the NES games that come bundled in. There's no Virtual Console this time around, so you're reliant on Nintendo leasing you the retro classics rather than letting you buy what you want at any time. Even so, these games have been lovingly remastered with plenty of pleasingly modern features to let you pause, save, and reload each NES game at any point during play. Not to mention different viewing options if you want that more authentic arcade machine feel. Actual two-player games here Ice Climbers or Balloon Fight are perfect for a nostalgia trip with your buddies. And even the solo titles – Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, and so on – have been updated for more connected play, meaning you can swap between Joy-Con controllers with a friend or enjoy voice chat over the Switch smartphone app while you take a trip down memory lane. Other NES titles you get at launch include Soccer, Tennis, Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 3, Ghosts 'n Goblins, Excitebike, Tecmo Bowl, and Yoshi. But there'll be a steady trickle of other games each month for subscribers – the original NES Metroid game hits mid-November – which are bound to start including comparatively more recent SNES and N64 games down the line. Play for: local co-op We couldn’t make a list of the best online games without this: a beautifully Nintendo take on team-based shooters with teenage squids splaying maps with colored ink. The fun, cartoony art style and fluid gameplay are exactly what you expect from Nintendo, with a sharply competitive streak and quick-fire matches that make it perfect for short play sessions. The first game did the impressive job of pulling players to the struggling Wii U console, and while the loss of a second screen on the Nintendo Switch entry is mourned, this is still a wonderfully fun game. The single player offering has got stronger with the recent Octo expansion, but don’t be mistaken: this is a masterful multiplayer game through and through. There are local co-op options if you have more than one Switch to hand, though the game doesn’t support split-screen play on a television. Play for: online multiplayer Weapons, shields, engines, and... love? Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime is a funky 2D shooter that sees you pilot a spaceship across the galaxy to help restore love to the universe. The popping visuals and bumping soundtrack are what make this game, though the cooperative elements also aim to bring you and your other players closer together – you won't make it through the game without them. There's technically a single-player mode, but for the full force of this lovingly-made indie game, you'll want to find someone to share it with. Play for: local co-op Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is in a sense of repackaging of the Wii U entry – but is still well worth your time and money. Accessible with plenty of modes, vehicles, and on-track madness, Nintendo's iconic arcade racer is always one of the best multiplayer games out there, while this entry comes with a set of new characters and all the previously released DLC included from the starting line. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe caters for four players in split-screen co-op, or up to eight consoles linked up wirelessly – or against anyone you like online. Play for: online multiplayer or local co-op Get ahead of the competition with our Mario Kart 8 Deluxe tips and tricksHow to improve on ‘the beautiful game’ of football? By replacing humans with cars, obviously. Rocket League is that wonderfully simple premise that everyone can get behind: haphazardly zooming across a pitch and occasionally knocking a giant ball into the goal. It’s on pretty much every gaming system out there by now but is an affordabke must-buy if you don’t have it on another console already. Play for: online multiplayer and local co-op A casual co-op game about the most stressful restaurant kitchen imaginable. Overcooked 2 supports up to four players in couch co-op – though you'll need a joy-con for each one of you – and will see you cooking up a storm as you all try to keep your kitchen running in increasingly madcap and unstable environments (hot air balloons, anyone?). Cue flaming dinners, furious customers, and shifting stages that faithfully recreate the stress of being a working chef (not really). It’s simple but chaotic, and perfect for a quiet / loud night in after actually making yourself dinner. Play for: local co-op or online multiplayer Ok, so, technically Fortnite doesn’t require Nintendo Switch Online – like any free-to-play game on the console – but it’s a must-have for anyone into online competitive gaming. Fortnite is a stupidly successful take on the battle royale genre, which drops 100 players into a shrinking map and lets the chaos ensure, with neat building mechanics and plenty of llama-based humor to make it stand out from the crowd. Publisher Epic Games constantly tweaks and improves the service, bringing in new modes and items to make sure there’s always something new to try out too. And it’s played by everyone from 10-year-olds to full-grown adults, and apparently the Canadian rapper Drake, so don’t worry about not fitting in. Cross-play also means you can compete with players on their Xbox One, PC, or on mobile – though sadly still not PS4. The game makes its fortunes selling cosmetic items or letting you choose your own character – rather than randomly selecting one – but there’s no obligation to fork out. The Nintendo Switch version even supports motion controls, if you fancy setting yourself more of a challenge in the online arena. Play for: online multiplayer Pokken Tournament DX is a 360-degree fighting game with a roster of Pokemon to take each other on in 1-on-1 or 3-on-3 battles. Another fantastic Wii U game that didn’t get the love it deserved – until it was ported over to the Switch, with even more pocket monsters to play with. This isn’t the turn-based combat you’ll know from the mainline series, either – here you have to choose your moves and movements in real-time to take down your opponents, adding a real rush to proceedings. Not to mention the HD graphics, with character builds and attack animations brought into their lively 3D splendor. But it’s not all looks: this is a satisfying fighting game with great mechanics and plenty of nostalgia for fans of the series. Play for: local co-op or online multiplayer Minecraft on Nintendo Switch? The second best-selling video game of all time (after Tetris) has come far since it first launched in beta back in 2011. The mining and building mechanics offer near-endless scope for creation, combining the fun and freedom of Lego with the possibilities of virtual sandbox game. Make the castle of your dreams, create to-scale replicas of the Millenium Falcon, or wander around the countless creations of friends and strangers across the globe. It's well suited to the Switch's pick-up-and-play mentality, even if it's playable on pretty much everything by now – notably in VR – with plenty of cross-play between platforms. There are various modes for different styles of play, including a Creative Mode that lets you focus on building, or an Adventure Mode more geared towards exploring other user-created maps and areas. Play for: online multiplayer or local co-op Is this the Nintendo Switch's definitive party game? The Mario Party franchise has been running for 20 years and almost as many entries, pitting an eclectic mix of Mario characters against each other as they compete in a virtual board game. The eleventh in the series, Super Mario Party undoes some of the missteps of recent years and brings back the competitive edge, with a bunch of new modes, fresh new minigames, and added layers of strategy to bring the party all over again. If you have two Switch consoles between you, you can even link them up to fire cannons or splice together fruit from one screen to another – a neat addition that shows how much potential the Switch has for new kinds of play. The only place you'll be playing online will be Toad's Rec Room, where you can compete in four-person minigames for those prized leaderboard places – rather than risking strangers dropping out of a 20-turn board game mid-way. But whether you're playing online or just chilling on the sofa with some friends, this should be at the top of your multiplayer list. Play for: online multiplayer or local co-op http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/T43mauuQAoc

The Nintendo Switch Online service marks a new stage for Nintendo's bestselling console: a versatile hybrid of portable hardware and dedicated home gaming box. Though the service came a full 18 months after the Nintendo Switch first launched, it's now live and ready to take your gaming to the next level. Nintendo Switch Online bundles in cloud saves, online play, and even a game emulator for classic retro games (starting with NES titles, but see our full list below). This is Nintendo's first paid online service, though the basic $3.99 (£3.49 / AU$5.95) per month subscription is a far amount below Xbox Live or Playstation Plus. We're nearly two years into the Switch's life cycle, and the release schedule has slowed somewhat, meaning that Nintendo will be looking to its online service to keep up momentum on the widely successful console. So what exactly will Nintendo Switch Online give players that they don’t have already? http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SABSTqLc9UZgcMSG6FQGNL.jpg Best Nintendo Switch Online games: the best online games for co-op and versus multiplayerWhat is Nintendo Switch Online?Nintendo Switch Online is an online subscription service for the Nintendo Switch console. Much like Xbox Live or Playstation Plus, signing up to the service affords you a host of additional content, offers, and access to online multiplayer play. That means you can face off against friends or whoever in the likes of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Smash Bros Ultimate, Super Mario Party, Splatoon 2, or Rocket League. There’s also a tie-in smartphone app that provides players with in-game battle stats, voice chat functionality, and additional information on select titles – even if the app itself isn't very fleshed out. The latest system 6.0 firmware update gave all Switch consoles access to the service, alongside the ability to post up to four screenshots at once to connected social media apps. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CVbJ6uLf35tKosp4JuVZQF.jpg The update also allows users to re-download games they've already purchased on a second Switch system – though you have to stay online to play them – in what may turn out to be a flexible way to play games on different devices without depriving Nintendo of a fair wage. Anyone with a Nintendo console will already have a Nintendo Account, which functions as your personal profile for downloading updates or buying games through the eShop – and will now be permanently locked to your Switch user profile. This is, however, the first time Nintendo’s online service has required a paid subscription to use, so wary players will be looking to see if it matches up with equivalent offerings on competing consoles. Officially, users must be 13 years old or over to sign up for Nintendo Switch Online. What can I play on Nintendo Switch Online?Nintendo Switch Online gives you the online capability to play, compete, and cooperate with players around the world – which means not having the service restricts your access to all of those things. Online play was free until mid-September, and competitive games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate or Splatoon have proved hugely popular, though committed players still had to make do with a fiddly workaround for enabling voice chat through the console – and which only lets you speak with your friends. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will also be http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FpHwK7VUMVArUnXu92HjEA.jpg Splatoon 2 (Nintendo Switch) Sadly there are still no dedicated servers, so players will have to make do with less reliable P2P (peer to peer) hosting for online matches. On the upside, we've had confirmation that the likes of Fortnite, Paladins, Warframe, and other free-to-play games won't require a paid subscription to the service. And you naturally don't need one to play any games in single-player, local co-op, or offline. Or, if you're after the swag, there's a members-only outfit for use in Splatoon 2, and the ability to buy (how kind) Nintendo’s wireless NES controllers for playing those retro games in style. There’ll no doubt be more exclusive offers and the like down the line – and some retro games and cloud saving features we've detailed below. What classic games do I get with Nintendo Switch Online?If the warm fuzzy feeling of supporting your favorite video game publisher wasn’t enough, your extra pennies each month will also net you access to a library of classic and retro games, via the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) emulator. This isn’t the Virtual Console from the Wii and Wii U, though. Instead of a marketplace for one-off game purchases, Nintendo Switch Online members will be able to play select titles bundled into their subscription. At launch you got 20 NES titles, including Ice Climber, The Legend of Zelda, Balloon Fight, Soccer, Tennis, Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros., Dr. Mario, Super Mario Bros. 3, Donkey Kong, Ghosts ’n Goblins, Excitebike, Tecmo Bowl, Yoshi, Double Dragon, Gradius, Ice Hockey, River City Ransom, Pro Wrestling, and Baseball. Each title is 'remastered' in 4:3 HD, but with the option to play in a more 'authentic' arcade viewing mode with a 'CRT' (Cathode Ray Tube) style display. These are being followed by three additional titles each month – see the additions in the box, right – which we're sure will include games from more recent consoles like the SNES, N64, and (god-willing) the GameCube down the line. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/imXuY2sjaDDWRwvYAKTx29.jpg Handy features include being able to pause each NES game at any point, or save and reload your own checkpoints, making the experience much more forgiving than the arcade cabinets of yore. Online capability also lets you play two-player games competitively with friends, or swap over control between devices in one-player games. Custom button mapping is absent, so you are stuck using the A and B buttons the wrong way round from an actual NES controller – unless you buy Nintendo's wireless NES controllers, which are only available for sale for Nintendo Switch Online members. Does Nintendo Switch Online have cloud saves?One sore point for Switch users has been the omission of cloud saves for their games, meaning that a busted Switch console will take all your hard-earned progress with it. To prevent you having to start Breath Of The Wild all over again – again – the paid service will back all of your save files onto Nintendo’s own servers for safety. This is in keeping with the save data on Sony's Playstation Plus program, though any Xbox One owner can access cloud saving for free. If your Nintendo Switch Online subscription lapses, your save files are protected for up to six months before they vanish from the cloud. Nintendo Switch Online cloud saves remain for six months without paymentWhile Nintendo Switch Online's cloud saving will be enabled by default for most titles, developers can choose to opt out to prevent online cheating – since reloading an old save file could restore items someone had traded to another player, or even reset their online ranking. Games like Splatoon 2, FIFA 19, and the upcoming Pokemon Let's Go games will also be missing the feature. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4r4Zvh9HxJqKCfz3btDavf.jpg How much does Nintendo Switch Online cost?While the lack of online features at launch didn’t do Nintendo any favours, it helped that players were given access to a limited version of the service for free. This all changed when the paid service launched, requiring you to subscribe for a monthly fee – though you're able to sign up for a free seven-day trial, just to try it. Individual users can sign up for $3.99 (£3.49 / AU$5.95) per month, with reduced rates for longer membership options (see box, right). There’s also a separate ‘Family’ option that includes allows up to 8 Nintendo Accounts to use the same subscription, for $34.99 (£31.49 / AU$54.95). Players will also be able to buy a subscription with My Nintendo Gold Points – a rewards service that gives you spending tokens when you buy games on the Switch eShop, and came into effect earlier this year. By comparison, an Xbox Live membership costs users $24.99 (£14.99 / AU$29.95) for a three-month subscription, while Playstation Plus will put you back $24.99 (£19.99 / AU$33.95). On price alone Nintendo Switch Online is the winner, though its limited features and lack of dedicated servers currently don't match up to competing services. But if you own a Switch, it may be what you need to get the most out of the console. The best Nintendo Switch bundles and deals out therehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/8LKSEEVt7Vs

Update: The Gear Fit 3 is likely to actually be called the Samsung Galaxy Fit or Samsung Galaxy Fit E based on recent rumors. The Samsung Galaxy Fit could soon arrive and it might be one of the best fitness trackers of 2019 when it does. The truth is that we don’t know much about it yet, but based on the strength of the Gear Fit range, we’re somewhat excited by the prospect of it. The Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro is currently sitting in our best fitness trackers list, and that’s despite it being a conservative upgrade on the Gear Fit 2. If the Galaxy Fit (which is likely to be the Samsung Gear Fit 3 in all but name) is an upgrade worthy of a new number then it could be very impressive indeed. You'll find all the current rumors below, along with a wish list of what we want from the wearable and some educated guesses as to what it might feature and when it might launch. We'll also add anything new to this article as soon as we hear it, so make sure to check back regularly. Cut to the chaseWhat is it? Samsung's next fitness trackerWhen is it out? Possibly late FebruaryWhat will it cost? Likely upwards of $199 / £209 (around AU$370)Samsung Galaxy Fit release date and priceThere isn’t any real release date news about the Samsung Galaxy Fit yet, but it - or rather the Samsung Galaxy Fit E - has appeared in a Bluetooth certification, which suggests it's probably coming soon. That in turn means we might see it on February 20, as Samsung is holding an event on that date. The Samsung Galaxy S10 is expected to be the star of the show, but numerous other devices might make an appearance, including the Galaxy Fit and the Samsung Galaxy Sport (or Samsung Galaxy Watch Active as it might be called). Alternatively, it might get announced at MWC 2019, which is a major trade show that runs from February 25-28. As for the price, all we can do there is look at the current model. The Gear Fit 2 Pro launched for $199 / £209 (about AU$370), so there’s a chance the Gear Fit 3 will have a similar price. Samsung Galaxy Fit news and rumorshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vynp37wyFHKuBLEt6oEbm.jpg So far we don't know much about the follow-up to the Gear Fit 2 Pro Samsung trademarked the name Galaxy Fit in May 2018, so it looks like the company will use that moniker instead of calling it the Gear Fit 3. Nothing is certain, but that report came alongside the Samsung Galaxy Watch trademark, which turned out to be the name of Samsung's latest smartwatch, so Samsung Galaxy Fit is our best guess for the name. That said, more recently we've seen a Bluetooth certification listing for a Samsung Galaxy Fit E. So maybe that will be the name, or maybe Samsung will launch both a Galaxy Fit and a Galaxy Fit E. That might be more likely, since the addition of the 'E' seems a bit pointless if it's the only model. So far there aren’t any other Samsung Gear Fit 3 rumors, but while we wait for more to roll in we can speculate on a few things. For example, the Samsung Galaxy Fit will probably have many of the same features as the Gear Fit 2 Pro, including a heart rate monitor, GPS and water resistance, along with a color screen. What we want to seeWhile there aren't many rumors about the Galaxy Fit as yet, there are plenty of things we want from it, such as the following. 1. A simple setupSetting up the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro is a clunky experience, thanks primarily to the need to download multiple apps onto your phone just to get the most out of it. So for the Gear Fit 3 we’d like to see a simpler, more streamlined setup process that allows you to get properly up and running (literally) in a matter of minutes. 2. Better battery lifeWith limited usage you’ll get two to three days of life out of the Gear Fit 2 Pro and just one day with heavy use, which isn’t awful but certainly isn’t great. While we’re used to charging our smartwatches daily, fitness trackers often manage to last a little longer, so we’d like to see an extra day or so added to the life of the Galaxy Fit. 3. A reliable barometerhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3b115e6e1e3eb9b3431dfd3947697ea4.jpg The Samsung Gear Fit 2's barometer wasn't always accurate One issue we noted with the Gear Fit 2 was that water could mess with the barometer, causing it to think you’ve walked up many more flights of stairs than you actually have. We’re not expecting this to be an issue with the Samsung Galaxy Fit but we’ll certainly be disappointed if it is. 4. A reasonable priceWhile the Gear Fit 2 Pro isn’t wallet-weepingly expensive it did launch at a higher price than the Gear Fit 2, and that’s despite only being slightly improved and landing over a year later, so there’s a worry that the Gear Fit 3 could be a pricey wearable, but we hope Samsung keeps the price competitive. 5. Spotify pre-installedIt’s a small point, but despite Spotify (and specifically its offline mode) being one of the best features of the Gear Fit 2 Pro, it didn’t come pre-installed, even though a bunch of apps did, so we’d like to see the music streamer ready to go out of the box for the Samsung Galaxy Fit. 6. A refreshed designhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sPhzPHcXMqgjZH3f43BYm.jpg The Samsung Gear Fit 3 could do with a design refresh The Gear Fit 2 Pro has a fairly nice design, but it’s also pretty much exactly the same as the design of the Gear Fit 2, so we’d like to see Samsung freshen things up a bit for the Gear Fit 3, or even just give buyers a greater selection of colors to choose from. 7. A significant upgradeThe Gear Fit 2 Pro is an accomplished fitness tracker, but it’s only a small upgrade on the Gear Fit 2, so for Samsung to stay relevant and excite us we want some big upgrades from the Galaxy Fit. That could take the form of new sensors, more metrics, greater accuracy, improved smartwatch features or any number of other things, but we hope Samsung does something to make it stand out. The Samsung Galaxy Sport could also be on the wayhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/0na_irHhXZs

Samsung's latest monolith of a phablet has officially been unveiled, and we've now got the lowdown on what makes the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 special. For instance, we know it features a record-breaking display, and is quite capable of replacing the average user's home PC. The Note 9 has been announced in three different colours – Ocean Blue, Metallic Copper and Midnight Black – as well as two configurations, one with 128GB of onboard storage and 6GB of RAM for $1,499, and the other with an unprecedented 512GB of storage and 8GB of RAM for $1,799. For more in-depth thoughts, check out our Samsung Galaxy Note 9 hands-on review. See also: Galaxy S9 deals | Galaxy S9 Plus deals | iPhone X deals | Galaxy Note 8 deals The best Samsung Galaxy Note 9 plansGiven the $1,499 starting price of this monolithic handset, there's a good chance you'll want to soften that blow with a 24-month contract. Although the plans are still fairly steep, some come with some excellent bonus offers and other neat ways to reduce the wallet-damage. As you may be able to tell, Optus is crushing it on the Note 9 deals at the moment. This isn't all that surprising though, as the carrier has tended to favour Samsung's flagships with its deals in the past as well, while Telstra is a bit more of an Apple fan. Read more about the Samsung Galaxy Note 9http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/g9p6oL3nuM0

Samsung's Galaxy S8 took the smartphone world by storm with its sleek new look and powerhouse specs, so here's your chance to figure out what all the fuss is about without blowing up your wallet. If you're keen on the slickness of the Galaxy S8 but need something slightly bigger, check out our Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus plans here, or check out our Galaxy Note 8 plans if even that isn't enough phone for you. On this page you'll find the best overall value, best budget option and best big data contract across the major carriers, as well as each of these carriers best plan, so read on for some sweet savings. If you've already found a neat plan and just need the handset, compare prices for the Samsung Galaxy S8 over at our sister site Getprice. See also: Galaxy S8 review | Galaxy S9 deals | Galaxy S9 Plus deals http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gRgHDAhnsmMfvnC3FYdBxG.jpg The best Galaxy S8 planshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/gFq-lEoTEj8

Update: Optus has a crazy-good offer on the Galaxy S9 right now, easily the best we've seen so far, so scroll down for more info. Building on the success of the Samsung Galaxy S8, the South Korean tech giant hopes its latest flagship, the aptly titled Galaxy S9, will take over top spot in the Android smartphone world once more. On this page, we've sifted through everything the Australian providers have to offer and brought you the best plans and pricing on both the 64GB and 256GB versions of the Samsung Galaxy S9. Naturally, if you want the handset without the strings attached, you can purchase the Galaxy S9 from Samsung directly. If you're after the slightly larger brethren of the S9, you should check out our page for the best Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus plans and pricing. See also: Galaxy S9 review | Galaxy S9 Plus review | iPhone 8 deals | iPhone X deals The best Samsung Galaxy S9 plansIt's worth noting that carriers are no longer stocking the larger 256GB Galaxy S9, but the 64GB model of the handset has some truly excellent savings to be had. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/pB-_t4KFLhE

At its first earnings call of the year today, the company did damage control addressing the $9 billion shortfall in revenue that occurred in the last quarter – sticking to the script and avoiding mention of a few key things that consumers actually want to know more about like the AirPods 2 or Apple streaming service. In the company's defense, Apple announced just after New Year’s Day that its revenue in the last quarter of 2018 would be lower than expected, but failing to address the bigger challenges and upcoming milestones in today's call was a major misstep. The first glaring omission is the FaceTime bug revealed yesterday that made it easy for anyone to eavesdrop on whoever they called and peek at them through their front-facing camera. Apple crudely blocked the vulnerability by temporarily shuttering Group FaceTime entirely, promising a proper fix would come later this week – but the company might have been made aware of the issue over a week ago. Apple didn’t address this during the earnings call. Instead, CEO Tim Cook stuck to a script of impressive numbers, countering the 15% drop in iPhone sales with higher revenues in all other product families (everything but phones grew 19%). The case of Apple's missing productsUncomfortable security vulnerabilities aside, Apple also didn’t say anything about a couple other long-awaited products: the AirPods 2 wireless headphones and AirPower wireless charging mats. Recent rumors have pegged the second-gen AirPods for release in the first half of 2019, and they may even come with some sort of biometric monitoring capability – which is in line with the company’s expansion into medical monitoring. Apple has kept very quiet about its AirPower wireless charging mats, a concept the company introduced alongside the iPhone X and hasn’t set a release window for after missing its pledge to release in 2018. A tip earlier this month, supposedly coming from within Apple’s supply chain, claimed the product has entered mass-production. But we still haven’t heard anything official. What about Apple's shiny new streaming service? CEO Tim Cook chose not to get into specifics. “We will participate in original content world,” he said, “[but] we're not ready to extend that conversation today ... we'll share more on that later.” http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/So8KPAHGgqaktuLm4EDsoe.jpg Disappointing, but expectedConsidering Apple rarely (if ever) announces products outside of their carefully-scheduled events, these omissions aren’t surprising. Cook spent time shoring up public confidence in the company’s product lines, which makes sense, given Apple stock dropped 9% after its iPhone shortfall announcement early in January. And realistically, it’s valuable to get any numbers whatsoever from Apple. The company had several positive announcements it cherry-picked for this call, including hitting 50 million paid Apple Music subscribers; last we heard a year ago, that number was at 36 million, per The Washington Post. So it was unlikely we'd hear about the AirPods 2 and AirPower mats, though it's interesting to note that they may avoid the obstacles Apple ran into with iPhone sales this past quarter. On the call, Cook noted that a trifecta of issues primarily lowered smartphone revenue: fewer subsidies, more low-cost battery replacements extending device lifespans and currency fluctuation. In the Q&A session, Cook answered challenges that the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR were perhaps overpriced; the executive noted that carriers and others were offering fewer subsidies, pushing the pricey flagship phones out of reach of some consumers. In response, Apple is considering adjusting its smartphone prices in other markets, per Reuters (via The Verge): in today's earnings call, Cook described a 33% depreciation in the lira, Turkey's currency, which resulted in a $700 million drop in revenue from the country compared to this point last year. Preserving iPhone sales is crucial, as that product category raked in $51.2 billion in revenue for the company in Q4 2018, or roughly 61.6% of the company’s earnings, according to an Apple fact sheet. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KAmxFnoRZ9CW4xorqR36cN.jpg Even if they come out this year, the AirPods 2 and AirPower mats won’t singlehandedly make up that deficit; heck, their category (Wearables, Home and Accessories) revenue only modestly increased from $5.4 billion in Q4 2017 to $7.3 billion in Q4 2018, largely driven by multi-generational Apple Watch sales. In any case, Apple’s priorities are clear: Company executives spent much more time talking about the growth of services, which raked in $10.9 billion last quarter, up from $9.1 billion during the same period in 2017. Apple’s services reached 360 million subscribers all over the world, over 100 million gained from the same point a year ago, which synchronizes with all the payment methods it’s expanding (including, obviously, Apple Pay). Who knows when we’ll see those phantom accessories appear, but given the services focus on the earnings call, we know what we’ll likely see first. Especially since rumors emerged today whisper about a mid-April launch date for Apple’s content streaming service... Looking for the best iPhone? Here's our curated listhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/voemWRK5ytw

UPDATE: HMD Global's Nokia 6.1, has received its Android 9 update. Read on to find out where it placed and what else it has to offer! While handsets like the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, iPhone XS and the Google Pixel 3 are stealing headlines around the world, there's a lot of intriguing (and cheap) stuff going on in the world of budget phones. Sadly smartphone innovation isn't cheap – and most of it is reserved for high-end contract handsets. There is however such a thing as a good cheap smartphone, and ever so gently all those amazing features from the flagship devices are slowly trickling down to the budget phones. That's why we have sorted through hundreds of inexpensive smartphones in order to rank the best options that you can buy unlocked without monthly fees and, importantly, without a two-year contract. No, these aren't the best smartphones available in Australia, so you won't find the new Galaxy S9 among them. Likewise, the 4-inch iPhone SE is $599, so it misses the mark by about $100, as lovely as it is. Here's a selection of our favourite budget and mid-range smartphones. If you're looking to pick up a decent handset for not much cash, these are the top cheap phones your money can buy - even on a budget. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zMDsJua75LuwxyPY7Z5qQk.jpg Deceptively affordable for a phone that looks and feels premium, the Nokia 7.1 brings terrific specs, a striking HDR display and stylish design to the mid-range market and manages to do so for just $499. A phone that punches well above its weight, the Nokia 7.1 boasts a Snapdragon 636 chipset inside, 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage (of course, you can expand that with a microSD card). As part of the Android One program, the Nokia 7.1 runs a near stock version of Google's mobile OS, with two years of updates and three years of security patches guaranteed. It now runs the latest Android 9 Pie operating system, too. Plenty has been said about HMD's PureDisplay screen technology on the Nokia 7.1, and what it ultimately adds up to is a gorgeous display that supports HDR10 video content (that includes Netflix and Amazon Prime Video). What's also impressive is that this mid-ranger also sports a great dual camera setup (12MP + 5MP) on its rear, allowing users to take take brilliant depth-of-field shots with very little effort. On the front, you also get an 8MP snapper for selfies. Add to this a USB Type-C fast charging port, and what you have is the current high watermark for phones under the $500 price point. Read the full review: Nokia 7.1 (2018) http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yPAvRJTiUW84mCrodV2MzK.jpg Last year brought us a $300 Moto G5, and then eventually a $350 Moto G5S, but 2018’s more expensive $400 model is far from just another link in the iterative chain. With its well-established name, the G6 has bumped up its price but brought with it some premium features. Some of the most immediate of these include the new 18:9 aspect ratio across the G6 series, allowing for more vertical space when reading articles and a wider playing field when gaming or watching videos. Despite this aspect ratio change and a significant bump in screen-size, the handsets have kept to a similar size courtesy of a considerable thinning of the top and bottom bezels, resulting in a display-to-body ratio that brings the range comfortably into 2018. Another ‘premium’ trend that the series has adopted is a glass rear panel. This is an essential design point for handsets that offer wireless charging, but considering the G6 range doesn’t support this feature, it’s a purely aesthetic (and heavily smudge-laden) addition. It's exceptional fast-charging, and it’s a joy to see the G6 sporting the future-ready USB-C. You’ll also find the whole set running on an OS that’s delightfully close to the no-fuss stock Android operating system, but with just the right amount of clever Motorola features sprinkled on top. The G6 deftly balances its price with the features and performance you’d expect from a modern handset in this class. Despite sharing the same amount of RAM as its Play counterpart (3GB), the slight bump in its processor and graphics chip gives it a considerable performance edge over the more affordable alternative. Now, let’s consider the extra $80 you would need to drop to upgrade from the Play to the G6. You’ll be getting a snappy dual-lens rear camera, a USB-C port, NFC capabilities, an actual glass chassis, a front-facing fingerprint scanner, water-repellent coating, and a 1,080 x 2,160 display, bumping the pixel density up from 282ppi to 424ppi. Many of these upgrades would be worth the dollar-difference alone, but when combined with the performance boosts on tap, it’s easy to recommend forking out the little extra for the G6. It’s not without identically-priced competition, however — the notch-toting Huawei Nova 3e offers similar performance in an arguably trendier package. That said, fans of Motorola's midrange phones will find the Moto G6 to be a very attractive prospect. Read the full review: Motorola Moto G6 See the best Moto G6 outright deals here http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uumXh5JuSrUQSrHnRm5MfR.jpg Outperforming every phone we tested in processing power, graphics grunt and battery life benchmarks, the Y7 is a sleek and capable unit that pays close attention to the important details. This budget handset has some lower-level hardware — only 2GB of RAM and a 720p display are its weakest points, and it’s lacking a fingerprint reader — but at this price it works in its favour. Many of the fingerprint readers we tested were unreliable, and the 2GB of RAM doesn’t seem to slow the beast down when it comes to everyday operation. Plus, the 720p display looks surprisingly sharp and helps squeeze more out of the impressive 4,000mAh battery. Its closest competitor in this roundup, the Oppo A57, has identical internals with the exception of 3GB of RAM and still fell short across the board (albeit by a small margin most of the time). Round off the excellent performance with a capable camera and a seriously premium design and feel, and the Y7 is a steal for $249. See the best Huawei Y7 outright deals here http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/r4ZQiZCCKHKY6iNSDyXdNV.jpg With a beautiful design and feel that looks almost indistinguishable from Oppo's higher end models, the Oppo A57 delivers premium styling without costing an arm and a leg. Like all Oppo phones, the A57 has a magnificent camera that works well in low-light situations. It also has the benefit of carrying over Oppo's Beauty Mode for seriously flattering selfies (you know a smartphone is serious about selfies when the front-facing camera has a higher megapixel sensor than the rear). Add to this a front-facing fingerprint sensor, expandable storage via microSD, a terrific build that remains slim and stylish, and what you have is a mid-range phone that's easy to recommend at $328. Admittedly, we'd have liked a 1080p screen rather than the 720p one that the A57 sports, and ColorOS may be a little too close to iOS for many Android users' tastes, but it's still hard to overlook a phone of this quality at the price listed above. See the best Oppo A57 outright deals here http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xoMSXgZKdrDozttypqfS8M.jpg Once again offering a flagship feel at a fraction of the usual cost, this year's updated Nokia 6 (or the Nokia 6.1 as it's officially known) sports a terrifically sturdy build quality, also offering a pure Android One (which now supports Android Pie) experience for those who aren't willing to shell out for a Google Pixel 2. Its all-metal build is the first thing you're likely to notice, with a significant heft that makes it feel tough in comparison to most modern smartphones. Its matte finish feels smooth in the hand, with some metallic detailing around the phone's edges, buttons and camera offering a bit of added pizzazz. And, unlike most handsets in this price range, the Nokia 6.1 also sports a USB Type-C port for speedy data transfer and fast charging. That it also has a 3.5mm headphone jack is just the icing on the cake. At $399, it's great value, though there are some caveats — system data alone takes up over 12GB out of a 32GB total of onboard storage, leaving you with less than 20GB before you've even downloaded or saved a single thing. Thankfully, the phone allows for expandable storage thanks to its MicroUSB slot. Admittedly, its camera is nothing to write home about, taking adequate photos that probably won't blown anyone away. We also found that the Nokia 6.1 struggled to take decent low-light photos. Still, at this price it's probably unreasonable to expect flagship-quality snapshots (though the Oppo A57 and Sony Xperia XA1 come quite close), and in terms of design and overall performance, the Nokia 6.1 is a real winner. Read the full review: Nokia 6 (2018) http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/047c43e757f559493561b8bf6a15deb5.jpg It's really, really difficult to fit an Apple phone on a best cheap phones list, but there has to be at least one that's inexpensive enough for iOS fans who refuse to try Android. The cheapest is the iPhone 5S. The best deal we've been able to find through a carrier is Telstra, which has the 16GB version available for $369 on an pre-paid plan. Alternatively, you could buy it outright on the Kogan website for $429, no contracts required. You're only getting 16GB, but then again, so are entry-level iPhone SE owners. It comes in space gray or silver, has Touch ID and a still-impressive 8MP camera and runs iOS 10. Read the full review: iPhone 5S See the best iPhone 5S outright deals here http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bkQwM5q56ewsg2MijeVwy3.jpg Sony has aced this phone’s design in a few respects. It looks and feels slick, with metal used in the right places. This is also one of the cheapest phones you’ll find with a camera that wouldn’t have looked out of place on a flagship a year or two ago. Inside, you get an ample 32GB of storage, and there’s also a microSD card slot (next to the nanoSIM) in the pull-out tray. Colour reproduction on the 720p screen is respectably rich and vivid, and the display is also super-bright with superb contrast. Max out the backlight and outdoors visibility is excellent. In Geekbench 4, the Sony Xperia XA1 scored a solid 3,628 points, around 200 less than the 3,824 score the Moto G5 Plus achieved in our tests. Don’t read too much into that, though. This phone is very much in the same league as the Moto G5. The XA1’s rear camera is among the very best at this price, using a 23MP sensor of 1/2.3-inch size, the same scale as some dedicated compact cameras, and produces images with great detail. Read the full review: Sony Xperia XA1 See the best Sony Xperia XA outright deals http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sFZzpRBvfPyJ2BFAZWpzLA.jpg Often unofficially referred to as the ‘LG G6 Mini’, the LG Q6 takes that flagship phone’s design and shrinks it down slightly to deliver a much more attractive handset than its affordable price point would suggest. We’ve even seen it for as little as $299! The Q6 offers an impressive 18:9 FullVision display with reduced bezels. Dual SIM support is also included, and you can easily switch between two cards right from the device’s navigation bar, so when you consider that huge screen, this is a great device for international travellers with a lust for watching movies. It’s also quite capable when it comes to photography, with its 13MP rear camera producing some exceptional snaps under the right conditions. We’re also fans of the ability to switch between standard and wide-angle selfies. The LG Q6 isn’t without its downsides, though — it lacks a fingerprint scanner, and it’s slightly less powerful than some other competing phones in this price range. Still, you’re unlikely to find a prettier handset for under $400. Read the full review: LG Q6 See the best LG Q6 outright deals http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QyGH5Q8e79BfmQZa9YNxf8.jpg Officially Australia's cheapest Android One phone (meaning it's as close to stock Android as a non-Pixel phone can be), this year's Nokia 3 (officially known as Nokia 3.1) is a great option for kids and first-time smartphone owners. Even if you're neither of those things, the Nokia 3.1 is also great for those who want to check out the latest versions of Android soon as they're released (it runs Android Oreo right of the box, and is guaranteed to receive at least two full software updates in the future). While it's not the snappiest budget phone out there, the Nokia 3.1 offers a quality build, a bright HD+ (720p) display with an 18:9 aspect ratio, a microSD card slot (allowing you to expand upon the 16GB of onboard storage that's included) and a decent 13MP primary camera with auto focus capability. Priced at just $249, it's hard to look past the Nokia 3.1 as a budget smartphone that'll let you see what Android One is all about. It's also ideal as a first phone, particularly for kids. Read the hands on review: Nokia 3 (2018) See the best Nokia 3 (2108) outright deals Check out how these cheaper models compare to our overall top Aussie smartphone pickshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/gUCn3Q2w8Ww

While Apple’s iPhone business didn’t end 2018 on a high note, iTunes and Apple Music are growing at a good clip according to Apple CEO Tim Cook. During the company’s first earning call of 2019, Cook made the announcement that Apple Music had crossed the 50 million subscriber mark at the tail-end of last year and the services side of the business - which includes Apple Pay, Apple Music, Apple News and the 30,000 subscription-based apps on the App Store – is up 40% year-over-year. At last check, Spotify, the world’s largest dedicated music streaming service, only had around 70 million paying subscribers but was still leading the pack. That might not be the case for much longer if Apple can continue this momentum. This time last year, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple’s music streaming service only had around 36 million paying subscribers, which means that it’s packed on quite a few subscribers in the last 12 months. (It’s worth pointing out that Apple already announced it had 50 million subscribers in May 2018, but that number included trial subscribers as well.) But AirPods 2 and Apple streaming service are no-shows Disappointingly, however, Cook didn't have as much to say about the next-generation AirPods or video streaming service, which is rumored to come out by mid-April of this year - only commenting briefly during the Q&A section to say "We're not ready to extend that conversation today... we'll share more on that later." The silver lining, at least if you're Apple, is that both those two areas of the business are growing – 40% year-over-year in the case of services and 33% growth in wearables thanks to the AirPods and Apple Watch. Does that mean 2019 is the year Apple refocuses its efforts on the music side? Only time will tell. Looking for Apple AirPods 2 release date, news and rumors? We've got 'em! http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/-Tj2t9m5UNY

Surprise, Apple doesn't feel as if the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max are too expensive, defending its pricing structure worldwide in today's earnings call. "We priced the iPhone XS in the US the same as the iPhone X a year ago," said Apple CEO Tim Cook, responding to a question about the iPhone being too expensive. "The iPhone XS Max, which was new, was $100 more than the XS." This, of course, says nothing about the $1,000 iPhone X price that some consumers found to be hard to sallow in late 2017. He continued, talking up Apple's cheaper (but not exactly cheap) iPhone model for 2018. "Then we priced the iPhone XR right in the middle of where the entry iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus price were," said Cook. "It was actually a pretty small [price] difference in the United States compared to last year." Apple is absorbing price increases overseasApple's iPhone XR did see a rare price drop late last year – but only in Japan. Cook addressed this in the earnings call, saying this is Apple counteracting the strong US dollar: "What we have done in January in some locations and some products is essentially absorb part or all of the foreign currency move as compared to last year, and perhaps get close to or right on the local price from a year ago." In this case, when the iPhone price is out of Apple's control, Cook agreed: "Yes, I do think price is a factor." The perception of price is a problemA new iPhone no longer costs $199 on-contract in the US – it hasn't since iPhone 7 launch in 2016 – and for the second time this month, we've heard Tim Cook say that this may give some consumers pause. "The subsidy is probably the bigger of the issues in developed markets," he said, citing Japan and the US, where you either pay for the full price of a new iPhone upfront or the price broken down into monthly fees. "The subsidy has gone away for a period of time," Cook explained, noting that most analysts probably haven't factored that in as a current-day problem. "[but] if you're a customer and your last purchase was an iPhone 6, or iPhone 6S or in some cases even an iPhone 7, you may have paid $199. In an unbundled world, now, it's obviously much more than that." Cook's solution has been trade-in offers for your old iPhone and monthly payment plans. In other words, he didn't signal non-currency-related iPhone price drops now in the future. He does, it would seem, miss the old $199 subsidized iPhone price. The best iPhone 2019http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/051L3LACIjs

Samsung started officially rolling out Android 9 Pie to owners of its flagship Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus in Europe, Turkey and elsewhere in December 2018. Now it’s finally letting US users upgrade to the latest version of the mobile operating system, but it’s going to be a slow process. Android 9 Pie will be rolled out to Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9 Plus and Galaxy Note 9 owners with Comcast’s Xfinity Mobile subscribers being the first. Those on other carrier providers will see the update “in the coming days and weeks,” the company told The Verge. Xfinity subscribers are also get first access to Samsung’s One UI, the company’s new user interface with a decluttered, cleaned-up look. It’s designed to make using Samsung handsets one-handed easier, but its specific split-in-half philosophy may have also paved the way for potential foldable phones. What’s next?It’s not exactly clear when other carriers will get the update, which complicates an already-stratified Android Pie rollout scheme. We had originally anticipated the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus to get updated in January, so Samsung is barely making its own deadline. The Note 9 was slated to follow in February, with 2017’s flagship phones (Galaxy S8, S8 Plus and Note 8) getting it in March. The mid-range phones are next, with the 2018 models of the Galaxy A8 and Galaxy A8 Plus getting Android Pie in April, and so on. Of course, those are just the initial dates, and much like with the Galaxy S9’s update, we could see Android Pie rolling out internationally before hitting the US. And then trickling out among carriers. Sorry, Samsung owners! Looking for an Android Pie-packing phone? Check our list of the best Android phonesvia Android Policehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/8HoM2GRTFqk

Apple's once-unflappable iPhone revenue is officially in retreat with a 15% shortfall year-over-year, according to its latest earnings statement today, so CEO Tim Cook explained what went wrong in a conference call. Here's what we know so far about this developing Apple story. The company's total revenue was $84.3 billion (about £67b, AU$120b) for the last three quarters ending on December 29. For almost any other company but Apple, this would be an impressive number. However, for Apple, this is a rare earnings shortfall of $9 billion (about £7.14b, AU$12.9b) compared to what it had previously forecast for the quarter: a high of $93 billion (about £74b, AU$133b). Apple earnings highlights and breakdownEach quarter, Apple forecasts high and low numbers it expects for the next quarter's earnings. Apple is notoriously conservative with these numbers and hasn't missed in its predictions since 2002, almost 17 years ago. Here's the breakdown from Apple's official earnings report: iPhone: $51.9B (Q4 2018) vs. $ 61.1B (Q4 2017)Mac: $7.4B (Q4 2018) vs. $6.8B (Q4 2017)iPad: $6.7B (Q4 2018) vs. $5.7B (Q4 2017)Wearables, Home and Accessories: $7.3B (Q4 2018) vs. $5.4B (Q4 2017)Services: $10.8B (Q4 2018) vs. $9.1B (Q4 2017)Total net sales: $84.3B (Q4 2018) vs. $ 88.2B (Q4 2017)Apple did warn us about at the start of this year of the impending shortfall. It blamed China's economy and its discounted iPhone battery replacement program for the lack of smartphone upgrades in 2019, as well as fewer subsidies from carriers for iPhone purchases. “While it was disappointing to miss our revenue guidance, we manage Apple for the long term, and this quarter’s results demonstrate that the underlying strength of our business runs deep and wide,” said Cook today's earnings press release. Highlighting Apple's new areas of growthThe headline is that iPhone revenue declined by 15%, but Cook, in today's earnings call, stressed that other products and services grew 19% year-over-year. He specifically broke out services revenue, which had an all-time high of $10.9 billion, or up 19% year-over-year. Services hit 360 million subscribers, up over 100 million from last year. We know that Apple is investing heavily in services, with a streaming platform rumored to be due out in April. He didn't allude to the streaming platform yet, but did mention that Apple Music has 50 million paid subscribers and Apple News has 85 million active users in the three markets it's live in (US, UK and Australia). Apple's Mac and Wearables (meaning Apple Watch and AirPods) businesses are also on the upswing, growing 9% and 33%, respectively. iPad revenue grew 17%, and Cook spent time in the conference call talking up the edge-to-edge iPad Pro screen. He didn't break down how the iPad Pro did vs the cheaper iPad 9.7. Developing... http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/cYyNDfjQsvc

Everyone is expecting to see a new iPad Mini 5 in short order this year, but should we expect one with an Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard to match? That's what software developer Steve Troughton-Smith claims to have discovered digging through iOS 12.2 beta files. Of course, coming from simple name-drops, and coded ones at that, Troughton-Smith warns to take his findings with some salt. The developer has found several references to what he deduces are two different iPad model codenames, each of which will likely come in two configurations available: the J210/J211 and the J217/J218. He also notes that it's unclear whether the tablets use Touch ID, Face ID or neither for biometric login. Tiny accessories for a tiny tablet?While it seems as if these two new iPads will be par for the course in terms of design and form factor, we wonder if the iPad Mini 5 will support the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. Apple has certainly expanded support for its pro-grade peripherals last year with the launch of the general iPad, complete with education pricing. However, would those inputs even work with such a smaller tablet? Will Apple make special versions of these specifically for iPad Mini 5? We're holding out for an Apple product launch event in the March time frame, as the company has held events in March for several years now. Hopefully then we'll see a tiny stylus and keyboard for Apple's next tiny tablet. These are the best tablets we've tested in the past yearVia MacRumors http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/5OnDfFUOEu8

In 2017 AMD released its Ryzen line of processors, but it didn’t stop there. Later that year, AMD launched three impressively overclockable high-end desktop CPUs – named ‘Threadripper’. But, AMD wasn’t sitting on its hands after launching the Threadripper 1950X, one of the best processors out there when it first launched. Since then, AMD has launched the Threadripper 2950X and 2990X that have dethroned it. AMD also suggested – right at the height of the crypto mining craze – that bitcoin miners use Threadripper processors for cryptocurrency mining, to save cash on future upgrades, thanks to the high compute power of Threadripper. And, now that AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2nd Generation is here, and Ryzen Threadripper 3rd generation will likely launch this year, we’re on the cusp of much faster performance than ever before – creating a wider performance gap than what we saw when Ryzen 2nd Generation succeeded AMD Ryzen. This is thanks to the higher core counts, at the very least. So, here’s everything you need to know about AMD Ryzen Threadripper – from the release date to prices, even performance. And, as always, be sure to keep this article bookmarked, as we’ll update it with any new information that comes our way. Cut to the chaseWhat is it? AMD’s uber-powerful 8-, 12- and 16-core processorsWhen is it out? Available as of August 10, 2017What will it cost? Starts at $549 (about £420, AU$690)http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nGu4qESUPDeyKEsCC587S4.jpg AMD Ryzen Threadripper release dateAMD Ryzen Threadripper first two processors the 1950X and 1920X arrived on August 10, 2017. While AMD’s entry level Ryzen Threadripper 1900X came out a few weeks later on August 31, 2017. And, it looks like AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2nd Generation followed in the first’s footsteps – the AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2990X launched on August 13, 2018 with the rest of the high-end CPUs coming in the following months. AMD isn’t going to slow down, either, AMD is planning on supporting Threadripper with new chips until at least 2020, according to some leaks. AMD Ryzen Threadripper priceAt long last, we now have firm details on what price the AMD Ryzen Threadrippers will release at. They’re not cheap, but you can expect to pay less for more performance than you would get with a comparable Intel chip. The prices of all the AMD Ryzen Threadripper processors as they launched are as follows. Ryzen Threadripper 1900X: $549 (£449, AU$749)Ryzen Threadripper 1920X: $799 (£689, AU$1,069)Ryzen Threadripper 1950X: $999 (£999, AU$1,439)As for the competition, Intel’s closest competitor to the 1950X, the Core i9-7960X will set you back a whopping $1,699 (around £1,315, AU$2,200). The Threadripper 1900X’s closest octa-core competitor from Intel is the Core i7-7820X at a much more reasonable $599 (£529, AU$869). AMD Ryzen Threadripper specs and powerAMD Ryzen Threadripper processors absolutely destroyed everything else on the market when they first hit the streets. This is thanks to their insane core counts and multi-threaded performance. It wasn’t until Skylake-X hit the street that Intel got a leg up, and even then the price-to-performance ratio just wasn’t there. The specs for the Ryzen Threadripper chips are as follows: Ryzen Threadripper 1900X: 8-cores, 16-threads; 3.8GHz base, 4.0GHz boostRyzen Threadripper 1920X: 12-cores, 24-threads; 3.5GHz base, 4.0GHz boostRyzen Threadripper 1950X: 16-cores, 32-threads; 3.4GHz base, 4.0GHz boostTo put this into perspective, the Intel Core i9-7960X has packs the same 16-cores and 32-threads as the Threadripper 1950X and so on and so forth with the Intel Core i9-7920X vs Threadripper 1920X and Intel Core i7-7820X vs Threadripper 1900X we've setup. However, now that the Ryzen 2nd Generation has made it to market, you can find about 10% better performance in the Threadripper 2950X – with a lower price tag. Making it a great option for aspiring PC enthusiasts. The Threadripper series uses AMD’s SMT (Simultaneous Multi-Threading) technology found in other Ryzen chips. Finally, the Ryzen Threadripper series processors uses a TP3 socket, which is a modified variant of the SP3 socket originally designed for AMD’s beefy server chips that go up to 32-cores. What about graphics? AMD Vega release date, news and features: everything you need to knowhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/U0KJFVDqIBY

When it released its 8th-generation Coffee Lake processors, Intel had everyone guessing. But, we weren’t fooled again when it released the 9th Generation Intel Coffee Lake Refresh CPUs. This time around, Intel is bringing higher core counts and faster core speeds across the board – the 9th Generation is here. Coffee Lake Refresh bridges the gap between itself and AMD Ryzen 2nd Generation – at least until Ryzen 3rd Generation hits the street later this year. We’ll see how successful it is once we’ve finished testing all the different chips, but just judging by our time with the Intel Core i9-9900K, Intel has succeeded. With Intel’s first mainstream, 8-core, 16-thread processors for consumers, Coffee Lake Refresh changes the game. Now, these are just the highlights, but there is so much more Coffee Lake Refresh information out there, so strap in for the long ride and we’ll tell you everything there is to know about the latest from Intel. Cut to the chaseWhat is it? Intel’s 9th Generation mainstream processorsWhen is it out? October 19 What will it cost? From $262 or £349 (about AU$370) http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fJCp7hsjMkP5RbEvyaCZvg.jpg Intel Coffee Lake Refresh release dateAt its 2018 Desktop Launch Event, Intel finally revealed when we can get our hands on its 9th Generation desktop lineup. The good news is that all the speculation was pretty much spot on – preorders are live now, and the chips will start shipping out on October 19. However, we’ve only seen the announcement of there of the Coffee Lake Refresh processors – the Core i9-9900K, Core i7-9700K and Core i5-9600K. We’re sure that the lineup won’t end here, so keep this page bookmarked, as we’ll update it when new processors get announced. And, at CES 2019, Intel announced a few new processors along with variants of existing CPUs without integrated graphics to flesh out its Coffee Lake Refresh lineup, and to better compete with lower-end Ryzen chips – without lowering the prices. Intel Coffee Lake Refresh priceNow that Intel has announced its new desktop platform, we now know what the pricing is going to look like. For the most part, it falls in line with what Intel charged for Coffee Lake desktop chips, though the Intel Core i9 is much more expensive than the competition, namely the AMD Ryzen 7 2700X. But, at least Intel is giving users the choice to get processors without integrated graphics for the same price. The prices are as follows: Intel Core i3-9350KF – $173 (£194, about AU$230)Intel Core i5-9400F – $182 (£188, about AU$250)Intel Core i5-9400 – $182 (£194, about AU$250)Intel Core i5-9600KF – $262 (£259, about AU$360)Intel Core i5-9600K – $262 (£254, about AU$370)Intel Core i7-9700KF – $374 (£399, about AU$510)Intel Core i7-9700K – $374 (£409, AU$659)Intel Core i9-9900KF – $488 (£509, about AU$675)Intel Core i9-9900K – $488 (£519, AU$899) We’re sure that Intel is going to pad this lineup with other mid-range and entry-level processors over the next year or so to pad out these massive price gaps. Until then, though, we can still expect fantastic multi-core performance at a reasonable price. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JuPSnXFh4JxxLiv6D8mQPF.jpg Intel Coffee Lake Refresh specsNow that Intel has shown us what Coffee Lake Refresh is capable of, we have a clear picture of what these new processors look like. And, while only three Coffee Lake Refresh processors have been revealed, we’re sure there’s more to come in the near future. Intel Core i3-9350KF: 4-cores, 4-threads, no integrated graphics, clocked at 4.0GHz to 4.6GHzIntel Core i5-9400: 6-cores, 6-threads, Intel UHD Graphics 630, clocked at 2.9GHz to 4.1GHzIntel Core i5-9400F: 6-cores, 6-threads, no integrated graphics, clocked at 2.9GHz to 4.1GHzIntel Core i5-9600KF: 6-cores, 6-threads, no integrated graphics, clocked at 3.7GHz to 4.1GHzIntel Core i5-9600K: 6-cores, 6-threads, clocked at 3.7GHz to 4.6GHz Intel Core i7-9700KF: 8-cores, 8-threads, no integrated graphics, clocked at 3.6GHz to 4.9GHzIntel Core i7-9700K: 8-cores, 8-threads, clocked at 3.6GHz to 4.9GHz Intel Core i9-9900KF: 8-cores, 16-threads, no integrated graphics, clocked at 3.6GHz to 5.0GHzIntel Core i9-9900K: 8-cores, 16-threads, clocked at 3.6GHz to 5.0GHz This initial lineup is noteworthy, as it marks the first Intel Core i7 chip in a while without hyperthreading – instead it just features eight single-threaded cores. Still, that should be plenty, especially considering the impressive 4.9GHz boost clock. Luckily, there is still a 9th-generation consumer chip that retains hyperthreading in the Intel Core i9-9900K. Intel might be pushing these core counts even higher, too. A recent forum post suggests that Intel might be pushing out deca-core ‘Comet Lake’ processors, based on the same 14nm process as Coffee Lake Refresh. This is a pretty thin rumor, but, it could see an even bigger performance boost over the Ryzen 7 2700X. These new processors also feature much improved thermal performance, thanks to soldered thermal interface material (STIM). This should help these processors overclock more efficiently without having to resort to exotic cooling solutions to stretch the performance out. This is big, because Intel has stuck with non-soldered thermal paste to transfer heat between the processor dies and the IHS – much to the chagrin of enthusiasts and overclockers. This new soldered material should be a much more efficient heat transfer medium, which Intel says will lead to easier overclocking. One more thing – an Intel Core i9-9900T leak showed up on Yahoo Auctions. It seems to be a 35W version of the Intel Core i9-9900K with the same amount of cores and threads, but with a severely cut down clock speed. This part hasn’t been announced by Intel, so we would take it with a grain of salt – but this wouldn’t be the first time Intel launched low-power T-series chips for prebuilt computers. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BiJkbes6JJgLnr6NodnAS7.jpg Intel Coffee Lake Refresh featuresOf course, it wouldn’t be a new Intel processor lineup with a new motherboard and chipset platform. Interestingly enough, Intel’s forthcoming Z390 chipset is on the way, and can finally be preordered, after months and months of speculation. This new platform supports t onboard 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and USB 3.1 Gen 2 – both of which are features not found natively supported on the current Z370 chipset. This new chipset now supports up to 40 lanes of PCIe Express 3.0, but is still limited to dual-channel, 2,666MHz memory. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UHxt9RdX3DfJoftHuYVyuT.jpg Intel Coffee Lake Refresh performanceWe have finally fully reviewed and tested Intel Core i9-9900K and it is, without a doubt, the fastest consumer processor on the market right now. Intel’s high end chip absolutely dominated everything else in both single core and multi core performance, scoring a ridiculous 33,173 multi-core score in GeekBench 4 – compared to the Ryzen 7 2700X’s 26,011 – it even destroys AMD’s HEDT Threadripper chips in many everyday situations. However, be careful of the inflated price you’re paying for this higher performance. WE haven’t tested either the Intel Core i7-9700K or the i5-9600K yet, but those reviews are on the way. Until then, though, we have some preliminary results from Intel, but take these with a grain of salt. Back at Intel’s reveal event for Coffee Lake Refresh, we were able to test the new processors in gaming specific workloads, where the Intel Core i7-9700K was able to hit 30,339 points in a World of Tanks benchmark – compared to the Intel Core i9-9900K’s 33,108 in the same test at the same event. Meanwhile, the Intel Core i7-9700K was able to hit 30,339 points in that same World of Tanks benchmark – which is impressive given that chip doesn’t feature multithreading. That’s all we got right now. There’s surely a ton of information to come – so, per our usual advice, we encourage you to keep this page bookmarked, as we’ll keep it updated with in-depth coverage of the latest Intel Coffee Lake Refresh news, information and reviews. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/XXfpPgY161w

Intel Whiskey Lake has been officially launched, and it’s the latest line of 8th-Generation mobile processors behind the next generation of laptops. This next-gen mobile architecture was announced back at Computex 2018 alongside the Amber Lake Y-series fanless chips. Now, why there are two different microarchitectures for laptops is beyond us, but they’re both products of the third refinement of Skylake. Both Whiskey Lake and Amber Lake will take Kaby Lake Refresh’s spot as the best processors for laptops and Ultrabooks. But, wait, weren’t there some Coffee Lake U-series processors announced back in April? There absolutely were! But, we haven’t seen many Coffee Lake U-series show up, and now that Whiskey Lake was in a ton of laptops at CES 2019, we doubt we ever will. Especially since Ice Lake was also announced at January’s tech show, for a late 2019 release. So, even though Intel is still suffering from supply problems, Whiskey Lake is behind some of the best Ultrabooks out right now, like the new Dell XPS 13. So, with that in mind, we’ll dive into everything Whiskey Lake has to offer. Keep this page bookmarked, and we’ll keep it updated with all the latest info. Cut to the chaseWhat is it? Intel’s latest mobile microarchitecture When is it out? Fall 2018 What will it cost? Depends on the laptop http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ffcF8UYZWgfEKUzQEMJqhm.jpg Release dateWhile Whiskey Lake was announced back in 2018, it wasn’t until CES 2019 that we really started to see them show up in actual devices. There are plenty of new devices with Whiskey Lake and Amber Lake chips, like the Dell XPS 13, the new Asus ZenBooks and the thin and light Acer Swift 7 2019. And, we even got to get a hint of what’s going to come after Whiskey Lake, as Intel announced its next generation of mobile Ice Lake processors, built on a 10nm process. We should see those processors launch in late 2019, but we might have to wait until 2020 to actually see some laptops. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KCaPSHSRjH58DFx3qiuE3F.jpg PriceBecause Whiskey Lake is a mobile microarchitecture, it’s unlikely that the price of the actual chip will affect most consumers. For instance, the Intel Core i5-8250U is listed at $297 (about £225, AU$400) and the Intel Core i7 8550U at $409 (about £310, AU$551). However, these aren’t really public facing prices, and is rather what laptop manufacturers pay to include these chips in their laptops. So, we’re getting 3 15W TDP U-series processors and 3 5W Amber Lake Y-series chips. With a Core i3 (or m3), i5 and i7 in either category, we can expect a pretty wide range of laptops starting at around $500 (around £389, AU$680) for the m3 and i3 laptops, whereas Core i7-backed notebooks will be more expensive, likely around $1,000 (£760, AU$1,350). Either way, Whiskey Lake was just launched, so we’re sure we’ll see pricing for the laptops sporting these new processors in the very near future. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5e07853b7f3c85cf4615a3b02820224d.jpg SpecsIntel introduced three Whiskey Lake processors, a Core i3, a Core i5 and a Core i7. The Core i5 and i7 are both four-core, eight-thread chips, much like their Kaby Lake R brethren, whereas the Core i3 still rocks two cores and four threads. Where they really set themselves apart is in their clock speeds. The stock clocks on the Core i5 and i7 are virtually the same as the Core i5-8250U and Core i7-8550U at 1.6GHz and 1.8GHz respectively. But Intel, has boosted the boost clocks for the Core i5-8265U and Core i7-8565U drastically – up to 4.6GHz and 3.9GHz, respectively. We haven’t seen what this performance hike translates into RE: real world performance, but average users likely won’t notice a difference. However, this much of an increase in Turbo Boost speeds can back up Intel’s claim that Whiskey Lake can have up to a double-digit increase in performance over 7th-generation Kaby Lake processors. As far as the integrated GPU goes, though, it looks like Intel is sticking with the Intel UHD Graphics 620 chip found in the Kaby Lake-R chips, so don’t expect vastly improved GPU performance with this new microarchitecture – even if Intel says gamers will be able to play games using just the integrated graphics. What’s probably more noteworthy than clock speeds and GPU improvements, though is the fact that Intel has found a way to integrate 802.11 AC Wi-Fi into the PCH on Whiskey Lake processors. This functionality isn’t included in the Amber Lake Y-series chips, but Intel is offering discrete solutions for those fanless models – on top of eSIM support for laptop makers that want to build LTE modems into new laptops. We’re sure we’ll get more information about how these new processors perform once we get our hands on laptops running them. So, until then, be sure to check back often, as we’ll add any information that comes our way. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/H0X1a0Nth7c

Being a college student can get expensive – tuition, books, ramen – the costs add up. Luckily, you can save some cash by getting one of the best laptops for college students. Not only will these budget-minded machines have great aesthetics and respectable performance, but they’ll do it while saving money – so even the most frugal among you can find something to love. Trying to save up for a new laptop when you’re busy studying (or buying textbooks) can be hard, so the best laptops for college students don’t need all the best processors and graphics cards. You won’t be limited to Windows 10, either – the best Chromebooks are among the best laptops for college students – as you’ll be able to get all your work done while saving a ton of cash. It’s an understatement to say that College is stressful, but trust us – getting the right laptop is worth the expense if it’ll help you earn your degree with less stress. You don’t want to frantically run around campus because your laptop crashed right when you were almost finished with a project. So, we’ve picked out some of the best laptops for college students available today, so you can decide for yourself which laptop is right for you. You shouldn’t have to limit yourself to an old clunker to keep up with your loads of schoolwork. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jKY6CRwVGTyKXsrbAgoC58.jpg Once in a while we’ll get our hands on a laptop that completely revolutionizes everything – the Huawei Matebook X Pro is one such laptop. Not only does it feature modern, powerful components like an 8th-generation Kaby Lake R processor and 16GB of RAM, it’s also beautiful – incorporating all the latest trends in Ultrabook design. What’s more impressive, it manages to do all this while being a much more affordable than the competition. This is what makes it one of the best laptops for students – you’re not going to get a more powerful laptop for less cash than the Matebook X Pro. Read the full review: Huawei Matebook X Pro Australian readers, the Matebook X Pro has finally been officially released Down Under, but this Australian stock is only being sold via the Microsoft Store at present... and that limited availability means both models on offer (priced at $1,899 and $2,599) keep quickly selling out. If there's none available at the above link, we'd suggest checking back in one to two weeks.http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ffcF8UYZWgfEKUzQEMJqhm.jpg The Dell XPS 13 might be the best laptop for college students – and we’re not just saying that. For the last few years, we’ve watched in awe as Dell has continued to top its best Ultrabook every single year. Thin, light and powerful enough to handle everything college students might throw at it – the Dell XPS 13 is back with a vengeance. It might be expensive, but you’re getting the best laptop a college student could ever want. Read the full review: Dell XPS 13 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zLAnEBQNgwtkfL65RNtzFg.jpg The original Surface Laptop was already one of the best laptops for college students, though it was unfortunately held back by slow performance, a lack of modern ports, and it was stuck with Windows 10 S. With the Surface Laptop 2, however, everything has improved – well, except for the ports. You’re getting quad-core Kaby Lake Refresh processors, full-fat Windows 10 and a sleek new black color option that looks as good as it feels. We wish it had even a single USB-C port, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’ll be able to get all your school work done in style with the Surface Laptop 2. Read the full review: Surface Laptop 2 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pjyDo7hLwToHVewGiRXXTi.jpg The way we look at it, the best laptop for college students will strive to hit a golden balance between price and performance, without looking like you pulled it out of your dad’s study. The Microsoft Surface Go, then, isn’t just one of the best Windows tablets, but it’s one of the best laptops for college students, period. Don't’ be fooled by the low power components, either – Microsoft has engineered this 2-in-1 to be able to keep up with your schoolwork without breaking a sweat. You can’t do much better than the Surface Go, especially if you’re on a budget. Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Go http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bConBvTE28yrUpDQ8WEtte.jpg Dell’s XPS lineup has been among the best laptops for college students for years now, and the new XPS 15 is no different. Taking the approach of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, not much has changed year over year – but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. What you’re getting here is a reliable Ultrabook with enough horsepower to carry you through all of your coursework without costing an arm and a leg. While the entry level is perfectly fine for most people, you can configure this thing with up to a Core i9 CPU and 32GB of RAM, transforming the Dell XPS 15 into a killer media editing workstation. We just wish Dell would move that webcam. Read the full review: Dell XPS 15 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HPdWdk7qJuyQM38nQ22HKk.jpg The Samsung Notebook 9, unsurprisingly, has a gorgeous display. But, even without nit, the Samsung Notebook 9 is easily one of the best laptops for students. It radiates quality, from the portable design to the speedy 8th-generation Intel Core processor. Sure, the keyboard isn’t the best in the world, and it has a tiny SSD, but the benefits far outweigh the negatives. That’s not even to mention the amazing battery life – this is one of the best laptops for college students, because the things it gets right, it gets very right. Read the full review: Samsung Notebook 9 (2018) This product is only available in the US at the time of this writing. Australian and UK readers: check out a fine alternative in the Dell XPS 13.http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Jh9pK6YZEcn8QEhSPecmHF.jpg The Microsoft Surface Pro lineup has always been among the best laptops for college students – beautiful touch screens, incredible portability and long battery life. The Surface Pro 6, while not necessarily bringing anything new to the table, continues this tradition. What you’re getting here is a speedy Windows 10 tablet that can effortlessly turn into a laptop by use of the Surface Type Cover. You can get your work done and then effortlessly transition into break mode. The Surface Pro 6 is the best Surface yet, if only just barely. Read the full review: Surface Pro 6 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EQ2VarxUfBYYgvtYj9WCQf.jpg College gets expensive – you can’t avoid it. That’s why the best laptops for college students will offer awesome performance at a decent price, much like the Lenovo Flex 14. At under a four-digit price, there’s something to be said about getting an Ultrabook that can handle anything the semester throws at you – and the Lenovo Flex 14 looks good to boot. You won’t find a better laptop at a lower price. Read the full review: Lenovo Flex 6 14 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/i282cNE53mJcz9jqs9G7H9.jpg We were left waiting for Apple to renew the MacBook Air for years, as it languished with a 5th-generation Intel Core processor and an out of date, low-resolution display. Thankfully, those days are over. Apple has ushered the MacBook Air into the modern age, with 8th-generation fanless processors, a thinner and lighter design, and perhaps most importantly – a Retina display. No more do you have to compromise on modern features if you want an “affordable Mac”, and that makes the MacBook Air one of the best laptops for college students. Read the full review: MacBook Air http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/v95HifWh2VU9e9WJ2zGGf.jpg If you’re not too concerned with cash, and you’re a macOS addict (we get it), the 2018 MacBook Pro is the most powerful MacBook that’s ever existed. With its impressive hexa-core processors, and up to a whopping 32GB of memory, this cupertino workstation will get you through whatever you throw at it. It also includes the much-improved third generation Butterfly keyboard that will not only be less distracting to the students around you, but will be less prone to failure if some dust comes within 10 feet. Read the full review: MacBook Pro 15-inch (2018) http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg Want more choices? Check out our list of the best laptop 2019Bill Thomas and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/yIVtZ9W8BFo

If you would have asked us to find the best gaming laptop a few years ago, we would have just searched for one with an Intel Core i7 processor, 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 favorites. There are plenty of great gaming laptops out there that look like your Dad’s laptop, but you shouldn’t ignore them. Thanks to Nvidia Turing Max-Q graphics for laptops, revealed at CES 2019, you really shouldn’t. Some of the best gaming laptops in 2019 don’t look like gaming laptops – just look at the MSI GS65 Stealth. Don’t worry, though, there are still huge desktop replacement devices out there if that’s more your aesthetic. 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 Gabe 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/software-news/~4/tpExyFxcKbw

A serious flaw in Apple’s FaceTime application has gone viral on social media. First discovered by 9to5Mac, the bug allows callers to hear audio from the recipient’s iOS device while the iPhone is still ringing, or even when the call has been declined. Under some circumstances, the FaceTime bug also activates the receiving iPhone’s camera before the call has been answered, allowing callers to see what is happening at the other end without the receiver noticing. The TechRadar team was able to replicate this bug – we used an iPhone X to call users with an iPhone 8 and an iPhone XS Max, but this bug can be activated on any Apple handset running iOS 12 or above, with MacRumors confirming the bug can be replicated on MacOS Mojave as well. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fHuk4obLGMakbjfyUpmEzh.jpg Image: Apple Unfortunately, it’s surprisingly easy to eavesdrop on the caller. This is how it works: you video call another iPhone user via FaceTime, then swipe up to open the menu options before the call has been answered. Add your own number or Apple ID as another caller and FaceTime assumes a conference call has been initiated. This automatically activates the receiver’s mic, giving you access to audio even if the handset is still ringing or if the call has been rejected by the person you are calling. If the receiver happens to use the power button to decline the call, it activates the receiving device’s camera, allowing you to watch what is happening at the other end. If the receiver happens to use the power button to decline the call, it activates the device’s camera, allowing you to watch what is happening at the other end. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gqWXYJFh6Jdwy9y5YHJrLQ.png This is, quite obviously, a massive privacy issue and the Cupertino tech giant has confirmed in a statement that it is aware of the problem and will roll out a fix “later this week”. In the meantime, Apple has temporarily disabled Group FaceTime calls. iOS 12.2 release date and all iOS 12 features explainedhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/sS48g7J4qGQ

The chance you'll see Huawei phones and routers in the US grew bleaker today, as the Chinese telecom firm has officially been criminally charged by the US government. Huawei, now the No. 2 smartphone manufacturer in the world ahead of Apple, faces 23 criminal charges spanning two separate indictments by the US Department of Justice. It breaks down to 13 counts of financial fraud, Iran sanctions violations and money laundering, and 10 counts of theft and charges stemming from that action. "Criminal activity goes back at least 10 years and goes all the way to the top of the company," said US Attorney General Matthew Whitaker in a press conference unsealing the indictments. Doing business with Iran and covering it upThe first set of criminal charges surround Huawei CFO Wanzhou Meng and a little-known affiliate named Skycom. Meng, who happens to be the Huawei co-founder's daughter, was arrested in Canada in early December and faces extradition to the US. Skycom is said to be a Huawei affiliate set up to do business in Iran and undermine US trade sanctions on the Middle Eastern country. The US government accuses Huawei of covering up this fact by lying and committing bank and wire fraud, and it singles out Meng in particular. "As early as 2007, Huawei employees began to misrepresent its relationship with its Iranian affiliate," said Whitaker. "Huawei employees had allegedly told banking partners that Huawei had sold its ownership interest in Skycom." That didn't happen according to the indictment, with Whitaker noting, "In reality, Huawei had sold Skycom to itself." You may recall that Huawei and Chinese rival ZTE illegally did business with Iran and meticulously covered it up, too. It culminated in fines and a seven-year ban on doing business with US companies, essentially giving a 'death sentence' to the Android phone maker. That meant no Google software, no Qualcomm chips, etc. In ZTE's most recent case, President Trump stepped in to let ZTE off the hook. This decision came at the urging of Chinese President Xi, and around the same time China helped facilitate a meeting between the US President and North Korea's leader. Tappy on trialThe second indictment against Huawei surrounds its stealing trade secrets in 2012 and charges that stem from covering up the theft. It's not a vague case of Huawei's phone and software resembling those of an iPhone or Samsung phone, either. The US government is going after a specific case involving Huawei's alleged theft of a T-Mobile-made phone-testing robot named 'Tappy.' Tappy was T-Mobile's state-of-the-art phone-testing robot arm that could nimbly mimic human fingers on a touchscreen and buttons. Huawei allegedly wanted to build its own Tappy robot to test smartphones before sending them to T-Mobile and other carriers. Today's indictment alleges Huawei engineers secretly took Tappy's photos and measurements. There's more sad news for Tappy the robot. The Huawei employees are accused of actually stealing a piece of Tappy so that Huawei engineers in China could try to replicate it, according to the Department of Justice. When T-Mobile threatened to sue the Chinese company, Huawei claimed that this theft was by 'rouge actors' within its organization. However, the US government says it has emails that point to a conspiracy to steal secrets from T-Mobile and that it was indeed a company-wide effort. T-Mobile did end up suing Huawei and was awarded $4.8 million (about £3.65m, AU$6.7m) by a US jury in 2017, according to the Seattle Times. The US Department of Justice said that its case on behalf of the US government is separate and the timing was predicated on its investigation. Huawei's future in the USHuawei overtook Apple to become the No. 2 smartphone manufacturer in the world. It's second to Samsung, but its CEO predicted it'll capture the No. 1 position in 2019 or 2020. Complicating its bullish trajectory is the fact that it doesn't sell its smartphones in the US. If you want the Huawei Mate 20 Pro or Huawei P20 Pro, you'll have to buy it from a third-party reseller. US carriers and major retailers like Best Buy don't carry them at all. Things looked very different a little more than a year ago. Huawei was closing in on a potentially transformative deal with AT&T in early 2018, its first major US carrier deal for a flagship phone. But that fell apart at CES 2018, allegedly at the urging of the US government. Since then, its networking business has come further under threat, not just in the US, but the UK, Australia, Germany and Japan, among other nations. The US, urging allies to ditch Huawei equipment, fears that the Chinese government could tap into Huawei-made government infrastructure. Time to switch? iOS 13 release date, news and rumorshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/4pxQszQo-Gg

These days it's not hard to find streaming services that offer 4K movies and TV shows on-demand - Netflix and Amazon are certainly leading the charge but it's only a matter of time until more follow suit. However, if you're the kind of person who wants the best, uncompressed picture quality from your movie sessions and TV bingers, you need to invest in a 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player. Despite the fact that most of the rest of the world is happy to settling for streaming video, dismissing physical discs, no consumer video stream can get close to the quality of a 4K Blu-ray. At least not at the moment. If that’s not enough to convince you to upgrade your home cinema experience with a UHD Blu-ray player, then another argument for opting for physical discs over streaming is that your TV might be screaming out for it. For example, if you've invested in a top-notch television set such as the LG C8 OLED, then it deserves some 4K Blu-ray pampering. More importantly, gone are days the "4K" tax for high-end AV equipment. Sure, the highest-tier devices may still be on the pricey side, but there are affordable picks out there if your budget is tight. Most will even support 4K Netflix and Amazon Prime, too, allowing you to get the best of both worlds. Enjoy having your Ultra-HD cake and eating it too? Here are the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player you should go for. Don't miss our round-up of the Best 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray moviesWhat else do I need to watch a UHD Blu-ray?Before you get started, remember that in order to get a true 4K experience you’ll need to get a few things in place: You'll need a 4K Blu-ray player, a 4K Blu-ray disc and, of course, a 4K TV in order to watch it. (If you don't have that last one, then check out our guide to the best 4K TV.) If you don't have a 4K TV, your 4K Blu-ray player will still work, but it will only display images in 1080p. Buy a regular Blu-ray instead of a 4K version and it will still play in 3840 × 2160 resolution, but it won't be a native 4K image and will be noticeably different to an Ultra HD Blu-ray. Is your 4K TV all setup and ready to go? Here's a quick look at the best 4K Blu-ray players available to buy today. Panasonic DP-UB9000Panasonic DMP-UB700 Pioneer UDP-LX500 Sony UBP-X800Panasonic DMP-UB900 Sony UBP-X1000ESPanasonic DMP-UB300 Xbox One XXbox One S Samsung UBD-K8500http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/38VmVB2AeECB9pvSYPqqtk.jpg The DP-UB9000 is Panasonic’s latest flagship 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player and, after Oppo started winding down its competing devices, the new model finds itself in one of the top spots in the high-end player market. That said, beautifully made and enviably specified, this flagship 4K disc spinner is unashamedly premium. The plastic and tin build, familiar on mainstream Blu-ray players, has been replaced with heavy metal and luxe design. Beyond its good looks, however, the DP-UB9000 is also the first UHD deck from Panasonic to support all key HDR flavours: vanilla HDR10, its dynamic sibling HDR10+, HLG and Dolby Vision. The latter is included, despite the fact that Panasonic isn’t supporting Dolby Vision on any of its 4K TVs. Not only is the player more than capable with images, it has audiophile aspirations as well, sporting high quality DACs, two-channel and 7.1-channel analogue outputs, and Hi-Res Audio support. Toss in a host of smart features, and the UB9000 ticks nearly every box in the book. Naturally all these flagship features don’t come cheap - but, for those seeking the ideal replacement Blu-ray player after Oppo’s collapse, the Panasonic DP-UB9000 is a more than adequate replacement. Read the full review: Panasonic DP-UB9000 review http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jqP2haEQneSwhFZeTmMJYL.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9iwmekxKNyGAHWSYrF3HE5.jpg The Panasonic DMP-U700 is the 4K Blu-ray player we end up recommending most often. It's more affordable than an Oppo deck, and still gets you the amazing picture quality of Panasonic's top-end DMP-U900. Streaming service support, with HDR-enabled 4K Netflix, is well worth trumpeting and the player does a swell job with 24-bit audio. It supports both FLAC and DSD files. There's no Dolby Vision support, perhaps the main reason to upgrade to the DMP-UB900. But as it stands the UB700 offers the best balance of price, audio visual performance and features. Read the full review: Panasonic DMP-UB700 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/U6D3ofXKriRQ8SrHtFkjL4.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iaGJ9nMcECvMbq7XyZiaJQ.jpg While its £999 ($999, AU$1999) price tag might be a bit intimidating, Pioneer has produced a peach of a player with the UDP-LX500. This heavyweight home cinema hero deserves to be shortlisted by all high-end upgraders, and can comfortably claim to be one of the best universal 4K Blu-ray players available for less than a grand. There are caveats though. It’s not quite as brilliant a video performer as its main rival, the cheaper Panasonic DMP-UB9000, and it’s not quite as well finished either. However, if music is as important as movies to you, it’s clearly got broader appeal. Move over Bradley and Gaga, a new AV star is born. Read the full review: Pioneer UDP-LX500 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/U6D3ofXKriRQ8SrHtFkjL4.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JfETVuPkoorRN6tnmBaDtd.jpg Sony might have been a little late to the Ultra HD Blu-ray party, but its first player is a great machine. It's solidly made, and its overall image quality is superb. As an added bonus, the player also supports a wide range of audio formats, can play SACDs, and even DVD-As. So why does the player sit the number three slot in our list? Well, unfortunately it lacks support for Dolby Vision, the high-end HDR format that discs are increasingly offering support for, and which the Oppo UDP-203 does now support thanks to a firmware update. Its also more expensive than our top pick, the Panasonic DMP-UB700. If you want a UHD player that also doubles as a very capable music player, then the Sony UBP-X800 is a great choice, but if you're after something focussed solely on playing movies, then there are better or cheaper options out there. Read the full review: Sony UBP-X800 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/U6D3ofXKriRQ8SrHtFkjL4.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3d1a83222ddfc7224fdfb98d58292e60.jpg The DMP-UB900 will restore you faith in physical media. In full 4K HDR guise it offers a level of performance that will have new 4K TV owners gasping. Ultra HD Blu-ray brings the experience of 4K digital cinema to the home, and rewards with brilliant colour fidelity, deep contrast and almost three-dimensional clarity. Factor in solid file playback support, plus 4K iterations of Netflix and Amazon Instant Video, and you have a machine that'll make your new 4K HDR TV look sensational. Read the full review: Panasonic DMP-UB900 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/U6D3ofXKriRQ8SrHtFkjL4.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5avSh8cfNg7HAHf9pTbLk4.jpg The UBP-X1000ES is Sony’s premium 4K Blu-ray offering, a posh stablemate to the unfeasibly fine UBP-X800. In terms of performance and value, the latter can be considered one of the best value UHD Blu-ray players available, so clearly this more expensive sibling needs to be rather special to warrant a premium. To that end, the UBP-X1000ES delivers pristine UHD Blu-ray images and its audio performance is excellent, be it via HDMI or two channel analogue. The player is also artfully built, and incorporates a high-end 192kHz/ 32bit DAC and offers a gold-plated phono analogue audio output on the rear. Ultimately, though, the X1000ES is considerably more expensive than the UBP-X800, and doesn’t quite have the feature roster of the Dolby Vision-enabled, MQA-playing Oppo UHD-203 - and if you’re looking for a UHD player with comparable audio chops (although admittedly not universal disc compatibility), then Panasonic’s DMP-UB900 provides cheaper competition. Read the full review: Sony UBP-X1000ES http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/U6D3ofXKriRQ8SrHtFkjL4.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/C9GL98MTPZzSugyhKe5ke8.jpg You'll make a couple of compromises if you want to take advantage of the DMP UB300's budget price-tag – there's no built-in Wi-Fi for example, and rear ports are incredibly limited – but thankfully the machine doesn't scrimp where it matters. Picture quality is excellent, it supports a wide range of audio codecs and formats, and there's also streaming services built in if you're willing to go down the wired ethernet route. Read the full review: Panasonic DMP-UB300 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/U6D3ofXKriRQ8SrHtFkjL4.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xKZ2Ep8cuTsoVNL4MbU35m.jpg The Xbox One X is a beast of a gaming console. It offers 6 teraflops of performance, 12GB of GDDR5 RAM and an eight-core CPU clocked at 2.3GHz. By far and away, it's the most powerful device listed on this page. But despite all that power under the hood, it's not the best 4K Blu-ray player. Sure, it can play 4K UHD discs – and it even supports Dolby Atmos audio – but the images that it produces aren't likely to blow you away. That's probably because the Xbox One X doesn't have the same level of picture-upscaling that some of the other dedicated media players on this list have. While the Xbox One X might not be as good of a 4K Blu-ray player as the Oppo or the Sony, we'd like to see either one of those players handle an Xbox One X game. Read the full review: Xbox One X http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/U6D3ofXKriRQ8SrHtFkjL4.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8f023e72df1ac1ddb2f15481e2d7ecc1.jpg Not holding the title of a "proper Blu-ray player" doesn't stop the Xbox One S from being a great, cheap way to play 4K Blu-ray discs. Sporting a Blu-ray disc drive and the capacity to run Netflix in 4K Ultra HD, Microsoft's latest iteration of the Xbox is a great 'jack-of-all-trades' machine that's capable of satisfying your UHD disc needs as well as playing the latest console game released for the system. The downside of it being able to do everything is that you'll be working with an interface designed primarily for gaming. The controller that comes with the console isn't the most efficient way to control movie playback, and the machine lacks support for Dolby Vision. Regardless, if you want a machine that can handle both your gaming and your home cinema needs, the Xbox One S is the console for the job. Read the full review: Xbox One S http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/U6D3ofXKriRQ8SrHtFkjL4.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3e15e373c9c0e94fd21dcbdc2a0fcedc.jpg The K8500 is currently the cheapest route into 4K Blu-ray. It's also a useful hub for 4K OTT services from Netflix and Amazon, and while the design is a bit Marmite, you'll be consistently impressed by its loading speed and colourful UI. You can get better image quality, support for more formats and better build quality by spending more money, but if you want a cheap machine that covers the basics, then the Samsung UBD-K8500 is yet to be beaten on price. Read the full review: Samsung UBD-K8500 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/D5i6sObJUxs

Since the launch of Epic Games’ own digital storefront, the publishers best known for the smash hit Fortnite have been securing exclusive launch deals with some major gaming titles. Ubisoft announced that its upcoming title, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 would be exclusively releasing on the Epic Games Store, and now we’ve learned that this storefront will be the only place you can secure Metro Exodus on PC for the first year it’s available. After this year – i.e. on February 14, 2020 – Metro Exodus will be arriving on the Steam storefront, although customers who have already pre-ordered the title on this platform will have their orders honored. According to Steam, the option to pre-order Metro Exodus will be removed “later today” (as of January 28), and “Steam owners will be able to access the game and any future updates or DLC through Steam”. Mo money mo problemsWhile there has always been a few different avenues for PC gamers to purchase digital copies of games online, Steam has long dominated the space. With the explosive popularity of Fortnite, however, Epic Games has entered the storefront arena with a formidable contender. As a point of difference, Epic Games is offering a more generous revenue split to games sold on its platform, something Deep Silver (Metro Exodus’ publisher) has specifically praised. While Steam currently offers a 70/30 split, with the storefront raking in 30% of all the game’s profits, Epic’s platform present a much more generous 88/12 revenue ratio. The notice found on Steam’s Metro Exodus game page reads: “We think the decision to remove the game is unfair to Steam customers, especially after a long pre-sale period. We apologize to Steam customers that were expecting it to be available for sale through the February 15th release date, but we were only recently informed of the decision and given limited time to let everyone know.” Epic Games Store: exclusives, early access, and how it could take on Steamhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/cTSA2LwGd5w

TPG was keen on becoming the Australia’s fourth largest mobile career, sinking $1.9 billion on setting up its own 4G network. The service was switched on in 2018, and was supposed to cover 80% of the country’s population. With only a few metro areas in Sydney currently covered, the rest of the build has been abandoned, with TPG citing the August 2018 ban on Huawei as the main reason. Huawei has been TPG’s sole provider of small cell boxes needed for mobile services. The Federal Government’s ban on the Chinese manufacturer’s equipment, however, has thrown a spanner in the works, with TPG claiming it “does not make commercial sense” to carry on pouring money into building the network. “A key reason for the selection of the vendor and the design of TPG’s network was that there was a simple upgrade path to 5G, using Huawei equipment,” the telco announced in a statement. “In light of the Government’s announcement in late August 2018 that it would prohibit the use of Huawei equipment in 5G networks, that upgrade path has now been blocked.” Partnership plans postponedJust days after the Australian government banned the use of Huawei technology due to security concerns, TPG and Vodafone announced plans for a $15 billion merger. The idea behind the partnership was to provide Australia with a mobile network capable of tackling the competition from Telstra and Optus. The merger just needed the green signal from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to go ahead. However, TPG suffered a setback there as well, with the ACCC announcing in January 2019 that it would delay the decision till April as the two telcos had not provided sufficient information on the proposed merger. The ACCC is also considering how the merger will affect the competition in the telecommunications space, given Vodafone already has a 4G network in place and the telecom wars would restrict the competition between just three networks, not four. While the decision to can its 4G network rollout could have dire consequences for TPG, executive chairman David Teoh said that it was “extremely disappointing that the clear strategy the company had to become a mobile network operator at the forefront of 5G has been undone by factors outside of TPG’s control.” He added that, “While TPG remains committed to the planned merger with Vodafone Hutchison Australia, the Company must continue to make independent business decisions in the best interests of TPG shareholders pending the outcome of the merger process.” The best value Australian SIM-only dealsThe best iPhone XR plans and prices in Australiahttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/OdW_GN4gVsQ