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Huawei Technologies has warned against the politicization of innovation and intellectual property (IP) and said that it will threaten progress across the world. The Chinese telecom giant has been prevented from buying parts or technology from US suppliers without government approval as its equipment is considered potential tools for Chinese espionage which Huawei has openly denied. Song Liuping, Huawei’s chief legal officer, said in a statement that IP is the cornerstone of innovation and “if politicians use IP as a political tool, they will destroy confidence in the patent protection system. If some governments selectively strip companies of their IP, it will break the foundation of global innovation.” In its latest white paper on innovation and intellectual property, Huawei has been granted 87,805 patents in 2018, of which 11,152 are US patents. Since 2015, Huawei has received over $1.4b in licensing revenue and also paid more than $6b in royalties to legally implement the IP of other companies, with nearly 80% of that paid to American companies, according to the document. In the past 30 years, Song said that no court has ever concluded that Huawei engaged in malicious IP theft, and Huawei has never been required by the court to pay damages for this. Even though some countries do not buy products directly from Huawei, Song said that they still use the essential patents of Huawei in 3G, 4G and 5G, and share in the benefits of the technology Huawei creates. Song also addressed Huawei’s stance on its use of patents, saying the company will not weaponize its portfolio of patents. Rather, he said, Huawei will adopt an open and cooperative attitude and follow the FRAND principle, or “fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory,” when engaging with relevant parties in the industry on patents licensing. “As always, Huawei is ready and willing to share our technology with the world. That includes 5G. It includes US companies and US consumers. Together, we can drive our industry forward and advance technology for all mankind,” said Song. SIM swap fraud leaves two-factor authentication users at riskRussia and Iran expected to conduct disruptive cyber-attacks in Middle Easthttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/KL7tqvUZAnA

In an uncharacteristic show of camaraderie, the three major players in the video gaming console industry – Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft – have today banded together to warn the US government of the negative impact its proposed tariffs would have on the industry. An open letter has been sent to a representative of the US government after it asked for public comment on its proposal of a 25% tariff on all goods manufactured in China. This would include a huge range of consumer electronics, including video game consoles made by the three companies – the Sony PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Xbox One. Best PlayStation 4 games for 2019Best Nintendo Switch games for 2019Best Xbox One games for 2019The letter makes the point that “Video games are a core part of the fabric of American entertainment culture” and that “two out of three households have at least one video game player and 60% of Americans play video games daily.” The letter goes on to claim that “a price increase of 25% will likely put a new video game console out of reach for many American families who we expect to be in the market for a console this holiday season. For those purchases that do go forward despite tariffs, consumers would pay $840 million more than they otherwise would have.” The three companies state that more than 96% of all consoles in the US in 2018 were manufactured in China and, given the entrenched nature and already-tight margins of such production, any shift in this process would cause significantly increased costs of the products, which would be carried directly by US consumers. PlayStation 4 Pro reviewNintendo Switch reviewXbox One S reviewThe overarching intention of the letter is to highlight the “disproportionate harm caused by these tariffs” compared with the preservation of the US tech industry, which is what the proposed tariffs supposedly seek to address. Higher video game console pricing isn't the only adverse affect of the tariffs the letter addresses, with the document also claiming the taxation changes would “put thousands of high-value, rewarding US jobs at risk and stifle innovation in our industry”, which in turn would negatively impact the overall US economy. The government has yet to issue a formal response to the open letter. Best games console of 2019: PS4 Pro, Xbox One X, Nintendo Switch and morehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/1YRWmJcLAtA

YouTube has copped a lot of flak lately over the inappropriate content its algorithms have been recommending to users, leading the platform to update its policies regarding videos that promote superiority and discrimination, ban 'harmful or dangerous' prank videos and disable comments on videos featuring children. Now, the Google-owned video sharing website is implementing changes in its Android and iOS apps that will give users more control over the content that's featured on their homepages and in their 'Up Next' video roll. YouTube’s Android app could soon hide user comments by defaultHow to download YouTube videos for freeHow to repeat YouTube videos on an infinite loophttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8enHWmT2Vxuqt9EeHeuy9e.gif Credit: YouTube Announced via YouTube's official blog, the platform will roll out three specific changes from today, starting with the ability to explore topics and related videos that are based on your existing personalized suggestions from a scrolling bar at the top of the homepage. YouTube is now letting users remove suggestions from channels in the app's Up Next section by tapping the three-dot menu next to a video and choosing the 'Don’t recommend channel' option. Of course, you'll still be able to find channel's you've blocked from your feed by searching for them or visiting them in the app's Trending tab. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5qfYr8kWXs8erwB9PwtrAA.jpg Additionally, YouTube will now be more transparent about why certain videos and channels have been brought to your attention, offering extra information underneath suggested videos explaining that the recommendation has been made "based on what other viewers with similar interests have liked and watched in the past." At present, this specific feature is only available on the iOS version of the YouTube app, but will make its way to Android and desktop versions soon. YouTube and Universal Music are teaming up to remaster 1,000 classic music videoshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/x1-a_9j8XBA

Smart TVs are so common it doesn't feel necessary to add the 'smart' to them. You'd have to hunt high and low to find a new TV that doesn't come with some form of smart capability or features built-in, whether that's LG's WebOS, Google's Android TV that's used on Sony and Hisense TVs, or Samsung's Tizen. Although the majority of these smart TV platforms function in the same way: giving you access to apps, streaming services and smart home functionality, each has its pros and cons. So, for that reason, we've put together this guide to the best smart TV platforms available right now – with the very best smart TV models listed at the bottom of this article. We've come a long way from the early days of smart TVs, which were marked by sub-standard performance, non-existent software updates, and a general lack of manufacturer support. So what smart TV platforms are out there, what do they do, and how different are they from each other? [update: Sony's smart TVs are getting an upgrade with the new addition of the Amazon Alexa Music, Cameras and TV Control app that's rolling out in an update today. The new app adds a number of Alexa’s features – like the ability to control smart cameras from Ring and find music using their voice. So far the list of supported TVs includes all the Sony 2019 models, most 2018 models, the mid-range models from 2017 (A1E, X940E, X930E, X900E, X850E, X800E) and a few models from 2016 (Z9D, X800D, X750D, X700D).] Smart TV platforms: which is which?In 2019, there are five main smart operating systems: Android TV, webOS, Tizen, Roku TV and SmartCast that are used by Sony, LG, Samsung, TCL and Vizio, respectively. In the UK, you'll find that Philips also uses Android while Panasonic uses its own proprietary system called MyHomeScreen. The vast majority of TVs use one of the operating systems listed above - but not all TVs. At lower price points, you probably won't find any of the above as most TV manufacturers offer a narrow proprietary service instead. These will vary between manufacturers, however, by and large, they're not as good as the ones listed above for the sheer reason that they aren't updated as frequently. When in doubt, try to buy one a TV with one of the above. That said, if you're completely undecided on which smart TV to buy, it's worth considering the value of each of these smart systems - which we'll list below. (Scale: Awful, Bad, OK, Good, Better, Best) http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/av9Amf3i5PHaaGEUjXhWVG.jpg Image Credit: TechRadar Android TV (found on 2019 Sony 4K and OLED TVs) Setup: OK | Ease of use: Good | Speed: OK | Number of apps: Better | Universal search: Better Pros: Recommended content row. Clean layout. Cons: Most builds are very buggy and prone to crashing. Android TV is the nearest the smart TV universe has to a standardized operating system, but there are still variations between brand executions. Sony has the most comprehensive Google solution. For UK viewers, it has rather cleverly layered a YouView program guide platform on top, deftly addressing one of Android TV’s big weaknesses – catch-up TV provision. This YouView app ensures that all the main catch-up services are provided, and accessible via a roll-back 7-day EPG. Other supporters of Android TV are Philips (via maker TP Vision) and in the US, Sharp and Hisense. It’s also available on the Nvidia Shield streaming device. While other TV platforms make a virtue of their minimalism, Android stacks the screen with various layers of content: There’s also a row of specific Sony selected content, followed by apps for Netflix, Amazon Video, links to the Google Play Store, Google Play Music, Google Play Movies and TV, YouTube and so on. Owners of Android phones/tablets can use their device to control Android TVs via Sony’s TV SideView app, and Google Assistant continues to get more and more useful with its own Android TV integration. Android TV devices also have Chromecast built-in, which simplifies streaming from mobile Android devices (iOS users can download the AirBuddy app to Google Cast). Controllers from Logitech and Razer also promise gaming without needing a console. There is a caveat though. In our experience, Android is the least stable of the various smart platforms, with Sony TVs exhibiting more than their fair share of failures – it’s not unusual to be notified that various aspects of the Android platform have stopped working, and some of these messages are completely inscrutable (usually the best option is to simply restart the TV). To be fair to Google, this is becoming less of an issue as successive Android TV updates roll out – the latest incarnation is particularly slick on the Nvidia Shield, for example – but there's still room for improvement. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/460175a2c62f3badd78b981d4d5d6a5c.jpg Image Credit: TechRadar WebOS (found on 2019 LG OLED, Nano Cell and some UHD TVs) Setup: OK | Ease of use: Good | Speed: Better | Number of apps: Bad | Universal search: OK Pros: Alexa and Google Assistant integration. Fast to navigate. Cons: The least robust in terms of apps of all the smart TV platforms. LG rewrote the rulebook for smart TV platforms with its webOS, starting the trend for minimal, simplified user interfaces back in 2014. Since then it's been gradually refining its offering, leading us to the all-new WebOS 4.5 that's going to make its debut in 2019. The UI, which is still built around a Launch Bar for apps, inputs and features, remains tidy and customizable this year, plus you can change the running order to best suit how you use the set. If you like to Miracast images from your smartphone, grab the Screen Share app with LG's cursor-based Magic Remote and move up further up the pecking order. App support is excellent. Netflix streams in 4K with both HDR and Dolby Vision, as well as Dolby Atmos audio when available. There's also Amazon with UHD HDR and YouTube in 4K. Other options include Now TV, Sky Store, Wuaki.TV, plus all the main channel catch-up services. As we’ve seen on earlier webOS builds, these streaming apps remain open and live, even when you navigate away from them. This means you can pause Star Trek Discovery, browse the TV listings for The Walking Dead, and then return to the action. Other cool features recently added to the platform include 360-degree video playback (from 360-degree videos on YouTube), support for both Google Assistant and Alexa, and an OLED still image gallery. LG TVs also have Freeview Play in the UK, which means a full larder of catch-up television. For US viewers, there's Netflix, Amazon, YouTube and Google Play TV and Movies, as well as Hulu, VUDU, MLB.TV, and FandangoNow. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QnLiNpcUgai3VUXPpwURWj.jpg Image Credit: Tizen Tizen (found on Samsung 2019 QLED and NU-Series TVs) Setup: Good | Ease of use: Good | Speed: Better | Number of apps: Bad | Universal search: Bad Pros: TV Plus offers free channels. Fast to navigate. Cons: Universal search can be hit or miss. Samsung is another brand keen to keep things simple – its Tizen OS clearly owes much to LG's webOS interface, in so much as it consists of icons, apps and shortcuts all accessible via icons held a horizontal strip across the bottom of the screen. A dynamically changing ‘Recent’ box in the far-left corner cycles between recently used apps and TV channels. But it’s not overly intelligent as it stands right now, but that could change in the future when Samsung integrates its TV AI into Tizen. For now, we like the fact that on-screen icons can be changed: a sense of identity is welcome when it comes to some AV inputs and key apps you use everyday. The OS cuts down on clutter, although this sometimes works against navigation – there are plenty of occasions when it's necessary to go hunting for a specific app. Thankfully that's made easier by a Smart Hub multimedia page that divvies up content from apps and from your own USB sticks/home network. On some of the higher-end Samsung TVs, you'll also get Bixby built-in as well as Samsung SmartThings that allows your TV to act as the center of your connected home. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Fh8rAJ2pzWt4eWvukBUJ6U.jpg Image Credit: Roku TV Roku TV (found on 2019 TCL and Hisense TVs) Setup: OK | Ease of use: Better | Speed: Better | Number of apps: Good | Universal search: Best Pros: Best universal search. Very easy to use. Cons: Interface feels a bit plain in 2019.Despite Android TV and all the proprietary portals available, there's still room for other connected smart offerings. In Europe, Vestel has its own stripped back smart platform, which is used for TV companies it manufactures for, including Toshiba and JVC. It’s unfancy but does the basics. In the US, TV maker Element now offers a screen with Amazon’s Fire TV OS built in. But perhaps the most interesting second-division smart OS is Roku TV. Announced back in 2014 for TCL TVs, Roku TV has found support with low-cost US TV suppliers. Today, you can find Roku TV on quite a few Haier, Hisense, Insignia, Sharp and TCL TV models. As a platform, Roku TV borrows the interface and feature set from the company's popular media streamers, like the Roku Streaming Stick. What that means is that you'll find a universal search function able to scan over 30 different apps like Netflix, Google Play TV and Movies, Amazon, VUDU and more to find you the lowest price on the TV show or movie you want to watch, as well as around 4,500 channels of content to watch. Add to that some neat features like a dedicated app that helps you keep track of upcoming movies and TV shows via the My Feed section, and a private listening mode (via headphones that plug into the remote) when you want to watch TV without disturbing the whole house. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NZKZcGvV4ozsP6jWLMLdrH.jpg Image Credit: SmartCast SmartCast (found on 2019 Vizio TVs) Setup: OK | Ease of use: OK | Speed: Bad | Number of apps: Good | Universal search: OK Pros: Has Google Chromecast built-in. Cons: Slower than most other TV operating systems.SmartCast, on paper, is a great idea. It's all the fun extras of the Android TV platform - including the ability to Cast content to your screen - with a more logical layout. When you turn on a SmartCast TV be prepared to see three rows - one featured row that has huge marquee images to point you to specific shows or movies; one row for recommended content and one row for all your apps. If you want to drill down into specific content categories or settings, you can move to one of the other tabs (there's a tab for movies, TV shows, Support and Extras) or go to the top right of the screen to perform a search. Unfortunately, while SmartCast provides a lot of versatility in what you can stream, it's also one of the slower smart platforms and can misbehave on occasion. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/utacBeFqjyUpWyWiRhK7VM.jpg Image Credit: MyHomeScreen MyHomeScreen (found on 2019 Panasonic TVs) Setup: OK | Ease of use: Good | Speed: Better | Number of apps: OK | Universal search: OK Pros: Fast and responsive. Cons: A bit plain.If you live in the UK, Panasonic's My Home Screen 2.0 is one of the most customizable smart TV platforms around. Built on the open-source code of Mozilla’s Firefox TV OS, Panasonic's My Home Screen 2.0 smart TV interface combines an intuitive minimalism with extensive customization options. The platform looks simple but has some inspired functionality: the home screen launches with three buttons (Live TV, Apps and Devices), but you can pin more as required, perhaps for a favorite streaming service, or a specific input. There are now also folders for multiple users, while a My App button on the remote can be customised for faster access to favourite content. A revamped Media Player supports 4K HDR10 and HLG HDR, meanwhile. App provision on Panasonic TVs is good too. Netflix streams in 4K with HDR, and Amazon Video and YouTube also offer 4K support. Catch-up TV service support is integrated through the provision of Freeview Play. This includes iPlayer, ITVHub, Demand 5 and All4, and usability is great across the board. The OS is extremely convenient to live with, yet powerful enough to cater for a variety of different users, be they family members who just want their favorite channels pinned to the home screen, or TV enthusiasts keen to dive quickly between multiple sources. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SzMD9FbFs2HnrF5S9Qhxuj.jpeg Amazon Fire TV (found on some Toshiba and Insignia TVs) Setup: Good | Ease of use: Good | Speed: OK | Number of apps: OK | Universal search: OK Pros: Directly tied to Amazon VideoCons: Insignia and Toshiba TVs aren't greatOne of the lesser-known operating systems is Amazon Fire TV that comes installed on some TVs from Toshiba and Insignia. It's more or less the same operating system that you'd find on Amazon's Fire TV streaming dongle, but it's conveniently built right into the TV - no dongle necessary. The big problem here actually isn't the operating system - which, by all logical measurements, is totally fine. It's that the TV manufacturers Amazon has partnered with - Toshiba and Insignia - aren't great, and usually put out the cheapest TVs in the American market. Some of these TVs are OK, but many (including the ones that use the Amazon Fire TV platform) aren't. That's something Toshiba is hoping to fix with it's upcoming Amazon Fire TV Edition with Dolby Vision TV that was announced in June of 2019, but we'll need to wait for review samples to know for sure how the latest software stacks up. If you're interested in the speed and versatility of Amazon's smart TV platform, we recommend buying an Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K instead. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg TV stands: finding the best TV stand to suit your living room cinema needsWhat's the best smart TV?http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NeqeiNee5SNWACy3WjbruN.jpg Image Credit: LG The LG C9 boasts the latest iteration of webOS and while this game changing platform remains largely the same, there have been a few tweaks. For a start there’s now a second tier on the launcher bar that’s very reminiscent of the one found on Samsung’s Tizen system. It’s rather ironic that LG should take inspiration from Samsung, especially when you consider that Tizen copied webOS in the first place, however the second tier is a useful feature, making it quicker to access content and adding an AI Preview that makes recommendations based on your viewing habits. There’s also a new Intelligent Edit feature that lists your apps based on how often you use them. That’s very handy because the C9 has a lot of apps; not to mention a comprehensive selection of streaming services that includes Netflix, Amazon, YouTube, Now TV, Rakuten, and all the UK TV catch-up services. The AI-enhanced recommendation feature monitors and analyses your viewing habits based not only on content but also the time of day. It will then make recommendations according its analysis, although there’s the option to turn this feature off if it gets annoying. There’s a new Home Dashboard that collates all connected mobile, input and home IoT devices into a single hub. You can monitor and control just about any connected device in your smart home, and LG will be adding support for Homekit later this year. LG’s ThinQ open AI platform already includes Google Assistant, and the company plans to add Amazon Alexa via a future firmware update. You can access Google by pressing the mic button on the remote, and then voice control your C9 or simply use it as a smart assistant. Other new features include the ability to setup your C9 using an LG smartphone, and the ability to auto-detect connected HDMI devices. There’s also a mini-browser, a new TV channel banner, and an expanded Gallery mode with world famous travel attractions seasonally curated by TripAdvisor. Read the full LG C9 OLED reviewOr read more about webOS smart TVshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9DfAHmuviFnsMPubuasVFR.jpg Image Credit: Panasonic Panasonic’s My Home Screen smart platform is decidedly simple compared to much of the competition, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Currently on its third generation, it remains largely the same as the Firefox OS on which it was originally based. When you press the Home button on the remote, you get a choice of three options: Live TV, Apps, and Devices. This simplicity is the platform’s greatest strength, making it easy to navigate and find things by helpfully storing all the apps in single location; you can also pin your favorite apps to the home page for quicker access. Since the smart platform is relatively simple, it doesn’t require a vast amount of processing power to operate, which makes it responsive, robust, and free from crashes. My Home Screen isn’t fragmented like some platforms, nor does it bombard you with recommendations – it simply delivers all the streaming and catch-up services you need. Thanks to Freeview Play, a comprehensive list of catch-up services are included, covering BBC iPlayer, ITVhub, All4, My5, BBC News & Sport and UK Play. The iPlayer app supports 4K and HLG (Hybrid Log-Gamma – the broadcast version of HDR), both of which the BBC trialled during the World Cup. There’s also Netflix, Amazon and YouTube, all of which support 4K and HDR, along with services like Rakuten and Chili Cinema. In fact the only major streaming service missing is NOW TV. Read the full Panasonic FZ952/FZ902 OLED TV reviewOr read more about My Home Screen 2.0 smart TVshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/U6D3ofXKriRQ8SrHtFkjL4.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bs8tFd23RfSmxoq3HfPd5P.jpg Image Credit: Sony The A9F is unquestionably Sony’s best OLED offering to date, and arguably a strong contender for high-end screen of the year. When it comes to image quality and audio performance it’s deliciously impressive. While we experienced some minor issues with Android Oreo, the UX is now logical and inclusive. It no longer feels like you’re wrestling with an octopus. Oreo introduces plenty of nice new features, including a recently watched content rail, curated recommendations and a favorite channel listing. Thankfully, the UI is also significantly faster than previous Android TV OS implementations. It’s a massive upgrade all round. If you can live with the slightly idiosyncratic design, and afford the asking price, it’s a glorious UHD display. Read our full Sony Bravia A9F OLED reviewOr check out our page for Android smart TVshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/U6D3ofXKriRQ8SrHtFkjL4.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XeJnNUPLvzDVwQJT5xnBMj.jpg Image Credit: Samsung While it's not Samsung's flagship TV for 2019, the Samsung Q70R is the best bang for your buck when looking for a Eden smart TV. For starters there’s now compatibility with Samsung's SmartThings platform, which provides an on-screen hub for monitoring and even controlling other smart devices (fridges, washing machines, lights etc) on your network, and iTunes/AirPlay 2. The latter is great if you're an iOS/Mac user, while the former allows you to dabble in Samsung's IoT platform. There’s also much better integration of the TV listings and live broadcasting into the TV’s content searching features: there are now hour-by-hour show recommendations, for instance, as well as TV shows getting much more prominence in the content browsing menus. Samsung has delivered enhanced interactivity with your smartphones and tablets too, as well as some seriously cool new gaming related features. Overall, a slick, easy to use and helpfully customizable interface belies the impressive sophistication and comprehensiveness of Samsung’s latest smart TV engine. Read the full Samsung Q70R QLED TV reviewOr read more about Samsung Smart Hub and Tizen OShttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/U6D3ofXKriRQ8SrHtFkjL4.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KdcKv62JLbatDmzAwbKWub.jpg Image Credit: TCL Once you get this TCL TV up and running, you’ll be met with the familiar veneer of Roku TV – an egalitarian operating system that handily retains its top spot as (arguably) the best operating system year after year. It’s intuitive to use, if a bit boring, and its lack of ties to a particular streaming platform allow it to point you to all the places content can be found without bias. That last bit is important, especially if you’ve ever used an Apple TV or Amazon Fire TV, both of which would much rather have you stream from their ancillary streaming services over any of the third-party ones. Because Roku doesn’t have ties to a major streaming service – other than a vague deal to include FandangoNow on the home screen of the OS – it doesn’t push you any direction you don’t want to go and happily supports everything from Netflix, Hulu, Sling TV and Amazon, to lesser-known channels like Pluto.tv, tubi, Crackle and others. That’s to say nothing of Roku’s own streaming service that it launched at the end of last year, which provides its own collection of entirely free movies that change in and out every few months. Most aren’t anything to write home about, but you do get the occasional gem in there. While it’d be nice to see the inclusion of artificial intelligence and personal assistants on Roku TV – similar to what LG is doing with webOS and Samsung has done with Tizen and SmartThings – all things considered, this is still one of the best TV operating systems and a fantastic TV overall. Read our full TCL 6-Series Roku TV reviewWhat is Roku TV?http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QP4NUmv8ay3Yiinw8oF4h3.jpg Image Credit: Vizio The Vizio P-Series Quantum X is a smart TV, but that goes beyond simply offering a smart platform for streaming: This is one of the first TVs from the California-based TV manufacturer to offer Apple AirPlay 2 functionality, opening it up to the entire Apple ecosystem. That's a game-changer if you're an iPhone user. Beyond AirPlay, the Quantum X also has direct access to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and more, all from the home screen, and while the overall selection of apps isn’t massive, and there’s no real app marketplace to get more, most of the big ones are there, plus you can cast with Vizio’s SmartCast platform, which is handy. We still find SmartCast to be one of the least appealing smart platforms out there, but we can't knock the Vizio P-Series Quantum X - it's one of this year's best TVs. Read our full Vizio P-Series Quantum X reviewhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/zAYEEF5ntVw

VPN services must constantly evolve to better protect their users and Hide.me has added two new features to help users easily decide which of their apps will use its services. The first is VPN split tunneling and this new feature allows users to choose which apps they want to route through the company's secure VPN and which they don't. By connecting to a VPN when using certain apps and maintaining a direct internet connection while using others, users can can secure apps that manage downloads, file-sharing and browsing with a VPN while still being able to use apps such as Netflix that block VPN connections. ExpressVPN ups simultaneous VPN connections to fiveRussia will block nine VPN providers imminentlyNordVPN adds password manager to security suiteSplit tunneling gives you a best of both worlds situation without the annoyance of having to turn your VPN on and off when opening certain apps. Stealth GuardHide.me's next new feature is called Stealth Guard and it gives users the flexibility to either limit certain apps or your entire internet connection to a VPN connection. For instance, if you have limited a torrenting app like uTorrent to VPN, the app won't work unless your Hide.me VPN is connected. If your VPN connection experiences a disruption and drops connection, the app will too so that your IP address is always hidden. In addition to expanding its service with new features, Hide.me has also updated its pricing. Now users will be able to have one simultaneous connection with 2GB data transfer for free and they'll also be able to access the company's VPN servers in five worldwide locations. A one month plan will now cost $14.95 and Hide.me's one year plan will cost $9.99 per month while its two year plan will cost $5.41 per month. The company's paid offerings also include unlimited data transfer, 24/7 premium support, high-speed unlimited bandwidth, full protocol support servers in over 55 locations and a 30-day money-back guarantee. We've also highlighted the best VPN services of 2019http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/BXyp_ZbniqQ

Downloading a separate VPN app to protect your devices online can be an added hassle for consumers which is why Opera recently added a free VPN to its browser. However, Tenta, another company that includes a free VPN service with its Tenta Browser, has announced a new promotion intended to thank its early fans and beta testers for their continued support while also giving new customers a chance to try out its services. From now until July 4th, users that download and install Tenta Browser on their devices will get two years of the company's premium VPN service, Tenta Pro for free. Usually the service costs $7 per month to use its VPN on one device. Opera browser adds VPN5 things to look for with a free VPNMozilla and Firefox could be about to change the VPN and privacy market foreverWhile Tenta is giving its premium VPN service away for free for a limited time, there is a catch. After July 4th, the company will start charging to unlock all locations. Its fastest VPN location will remain free but if you want more locations, you'll have to pay. This seems more than fair for consumers as Tenta is providing them with a way to protect their privacy online for free. Digital identityIn his blog post announcing the promotion, Co-Founder and CEO of Tenta Jesse Adams explained how the company is setting itself apart from today's top browsers, saying: “Today all the top ten browsers are based on the advertising model and sell your digital identity to pay their bills. We believe there should exist one true alternative that is aligned with your interest in privacy and protects your identity instead.” Tenta has also been busy experimenting with a variety of business models which would allow it to provide its VPN for free while protecting user's privacy and data. Out of this brainstorming came the realization that the company could lower its prices and after July 4th, the company will lower the monthly cost of Tenta Pro to just $1. At this price point, Tenta believes that it can convert even more users to paying for a truly private browser. If you're interested in getting two free years of Tenta Pro, download and install Tenta Browser before July 4th to take advantage of this offer. We've also highlighted the best VPN services of 2019http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/T_WPA1vAulE

Managing a property portfolio can be a headache without the right software in place to help with that. Money and maintenance may seem like core concerns with real estate, but additional ones will probably include processing and screening rental applications, inventory tracking, advertising and marketing, ticketing fault reports, as well as communicating directly with tenants. If that sounds like a tall order already, that's before the issue becomes complicated by the range of real estate types. For example, commercial property will require different management to private rental, and housing associations to property investments. On top of that there's the number of properties involved, as someone managing a handful of real estate units will likely have different needs to a group controlling thousands. Luckily there are a number of very comprehensive solutions on the market, that aim to satisfy all of these needs and concerns, and more. Even better is that many are cloud-base, which means you can access what you need from anywhere, not least on the go from a smart mobile device. Here then are the best in property management software, for anyone managing real estate of any type and portfolio. We've also highlighted the best personal finance software and servicesWant your company or services to be added to this buyer’s guide? Please email your request to desire.athow@futurenet.com with the URL of the buying guide in the subject line. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jp3aNUEZWaEegqtrewitNh.jpg Image Credit: Appfolio Described as a real-time property management solution, Appfolio provides a range of cloud tools for apartment, residential, commercial, council and student property managers. The software helps real-estate professionals manage assets and financial data, but also attract new renters and clients. Aimed at streamlining processes in the real-estate and property management sector, the platform lets users access business metrics, track maintenance, and communicate with renters, owners and vendors. There’s also a dedicated owner’s portal, which offers access to reports and statements. Other features include the ability to accept online rental applications, and to screen potential renters, distribute vacancy adverts across the internet, collect rent online and perform mobile inspections. What’s more, tenants are able to submit maintenance requests through the software, meaning property managers can quickly resolve faults. Depending on the type of properties you’re looking to rent or sell, there are several monthly plans available. The residential and student plans cost $1.25 per unit, while the commercial option costs $1.50 per unit. Community associations looking to use the software only need to pay $0.80 per unit. However, note that there is a minimum monthly fee of $250, so it's priced more toward people managing hundreds rather than dozens of property units. You can sign up for Appfolio herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mzY4gbjMBxqs2qU5ZkjqNn.jpg Image Credit: Buildium Positioned as a network of property management services, Buildium is another popular platform for real-estate specialists. It provides a plethora of property management, accounting, business operations and leasing tools. Whether you own three properties or three thousand, Buildium gives you a quick and easy way to manage and expand your real-estate portfolio. Not only can you use the software to manage maintenance requests and finances, but you can also market properties and find tenants online. Just like Appfolio, you can accept online applications and screen tenants before drawing up contracts. There are also portals for property owners, home owners, residents and board members, letting you communicate with stakeholders easily. The software covers community associations, student housing, affordable housing and residential properties. Currently, price plans start at $150, although there is a free trial available. You can sign up for Buildium herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KoQW9eqnoW7LtKt6fPHpD3.jpg Image Credit: RentManager Capable of handling properties of any size, Rent Manager is a flexible and easy-to-use property management platform. It comes packed with an asset management database, integrated accounting, contact management, and work ordering capabilities plus marketing solutions. From the platform, you’re able to track, manage and resolve service issues, and you can keep an eye on your finances by downloading detailed reports. If you’re looking to find new tenants or buyers for a property, you can create a professional and interactive website that’s integrated with Rent Manager. Another great thing about the platform is that it’s mobile-friendly. Whenever you’re on-the-go, you can accept payments, organize service inspections, enter work orders and take photos from a mobile app. However, this software isn’t just handy for property managers - tenants can also access real-time information and transaction records, as well as sign leases and pay their rent, from any device. To get an idea of pricing, you’ll need to get in touch with the company, but there is a free trial available if you’d like to check the software out. You can sign up for Rent Manager herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qoHjgmnnEPk7G4PdPix2Z5.jpg Image Credit: Re-Leased Re-Leased allows you to lease residential and commercial properties, co-working spaces, student accommodation, office units and mixed family housing. The software functions as a central hub where you can view upcoming tasks and automated workflows. From one simple dashboard, you’re able to view and manage properties, collaborate and delegate tasks across your team, and communicate with tenants via email and text messages. You can also get reminders on important tasks, and resolve issues. There’s integration with Google Calendar, Outlook and Microsoft 365, as well. If you’re interested in the software, you can request a pricing quote from the company’s website. Whatever the case, every user can access customer support, add as many properties as they like, connect to Xero accounting software, and use the platform from computers, tablets and smartphones via the cloud. And to ensure that important business data never ends up in the wrong hands, the app is protected by enterprise-level security. You can sign up for Re-Leased herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gp6SVcYpsDFxVFXebnprh9.jpg Image Credit: MRI Founded in 1969 as Qube Global Software, and now rebranded as MRI Real Estate Software has been delivering tech solutions for almost half a century. It has also created a sophisticated property management solution, which is used by over 10,000 folks across the world. Targeted at investors and managers, the software is suitable for a range of real-estate businesses, including commercial, residential, mixed-use and student properties. Features include billing and invoicing, contact management, maintenance tracking, expense management, insurance management, lease management, tax management, a landlord and tenant database, rent tracking and late fee calculation. However, due to the fact that this software is aimed predominantly at corporate users, you’ll need to get in touch with the company to get an idea of pricing. At the same time, you can demo the platform to see if it suits your needs. Currently, it’s used by real-estate firms such as Hammerson, Aberdeen Asset Management and Standard Life. You can sign up for MRI Real Estate Software herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vKDzwDhGMPgHyiqYrQFGFf.jpg Image Credit: Pixabay Other property management software to considerWhile we've highlighted some of the bigger names in real estate management software, there a number of others which all have their own selling points. Some might be better orientated toward smaller portfolios, others might cover a niche such as holiday lettings, and others might offer special pricing or features. We'll provide a few more to consider and highlight the reasons for adding them here: FantasticStay provides a centralized cloud-based platform for managing real estate, especially where there's a holiday lettings angle. You can manage listings and advertisements from your account, and run them directly on providers such as AirBnB. You can clone properties, have child listings under a parent property, and a lot of features can be automated. It also serves as a communications platform with clients, to ensure you know everything that's going on and can manage bookings. As an all-in-one platform it even has it's own in-built website builder, so you don't need to worry about running the software through another application for the internet. Rentec Direct offers one of the best value platforms, with pricing starting at $35 per month for less than ten properties. Cost rises with increasing number of units, but is ideally placed for the landloard with dozens rather than thousands of properties they need to manage. However, the Rentec Direct platform remains full-featured and comprehensive: it includes tenant screening, accounting, online payments, document organization, and advertising, all run from an online system. LiveTour by iStaging specializes in providing virtual tours of your properties. They can provide 360 degree, augmented, and virtual reality experiences to help put potential clients into your home using the power of the internet. You don't even need any special technology to use it, and can just use your cell phone camera to capture the images required. You can then use their online tour builder to put the tours together for your property before embedding it on your website. Potential clients can then view them online or even with a Virtual Reality headset. Condo Control Central really takes real estate management to the next level in terms of attention to detail. Not only does it offer a dedicated management panel for all the routine tasks, such as billing, letting, and communications, it can even take care of logging deliveries to your properties, it can even monitor resident parking permits and their use. It also has security features for accessing incident report, key records, and entry requests. There are even Push Notifications available for management staff, contractors, and clients. Building Engines is more focused on the management of commercial real estate, which means a bigger and more responsive platform filled with additional features. It's web and mobile platform aims to provide core metrics that go beyond just booking and paying for space as much as managing client expectations and satisfaction. You can also set targets for sales and/or service delivery, and track performance according to your designated business benchmarks. It's no wonder then that it's used by some of the bigger private management firms and leading public REITs across North America. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/TgKq2xsCSQw

Software-driven networking company Extreme Networks has announced that it will acquire Wi-Fi router maker Aerohive Networks for $272m. The two companies have entered into a definitive agreement where Extreme Networks will purchase all of Aerohive's outstanding shares of common stock at a price of $4.45 per share in cash. By acquiring Aerohive, Extreme Networks will add critical cloud management and edge capabilities to its existing portfolio of end-to-end, edge to cloud networking solutions. Aerohive will also bring its strong subscription-based business to the table which will help expand Extreme's subscription-recurring revenue by 30 percent. What does the future hold for enterprise networking?Don't let Wi-Fi black holes infuriate your BYOD workforceHow close are we to the self-operating network?President and CEO of Extreme Networks, Ed Meyercord explained how the acquisition will boost its current offerings in a statement, saying: "The acquisition of Aerohive establishes our leadership in cloud, AI, and ML, adding a proven and mature cloud services platform and subscription service model for Extreme's customers and partners. Extreme continues to invest in software and AI to expand the automation capabilities across our portfolio of edge-to-cloud networking solutions. The ability to improve user experiences, lower operating expenses, and deliver cloud-managed networks is key to our strategy." Extreme Networks and AerohiveAerohive was founded in 2006 and today it has 30,000 cloud wireless LAN customers across a number of verticals including education, state and local government, healthcare and retail. The company was also one of the first firms to offer controller-less wi-fi and cloud network management. Aerohive also recently delivered the industry's first trio of Wi-Fi 6 access points along with the first pluggable access point. President and CEO of Aerohive, David Flynn explained how the deal will allow both companies to push networking into a new era, saying: "This acquisition by Extreme is a major milestone for Aerohive. The role that cloud-managed technology plays in modern enterprises is impossible to overstate – it is where digital transformation is won and lost. Aerohive's expertise and excellence in cloud management and edge technology, combined with Extreme's extensive solutions portfolio and continued investment in software and AI for automation, gives our customers the most advanced digital experiences in the market. Together we will push networking into a new era – making infrastructure smarter, more autonomous, and the driver of business value." The acquisition of Aerohive is expected to close during Extreme's first quarter of the fiscal year 2020 following regulatory approvals in the US and Germany. We've also highlighted the best cloud management softwarehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/0pmvARqnp5k

We've been on DisplayPort 1.4 since 2016, so it was only a matter of time before we got a new display standard. And, well, DisplayPort 2.0 is finally here. VESA DisplayPort 2.0 has arrived, offering nearly triple the bandwidth of DisplayPort 1.4 – up to 77.4 Gbps opposed to 1.4's 25.92 Gbps. That's quite a lot of data over a single connection. And, because of this higher bandwidth, DisplayPort 2.0 is able to support much higher resolutions – up to 16K (15,360 x 8,460) at 60Hz. Check out the best gaming monitorsThe best 8K TVs don't seem so high-end anymoreWhile it's unlikely that anyone would be able to actually take advantage of that resolution for years to come that doesn't mean that there aren't benefits to DisplayPort 2.0 here and now. With DisplayPort 2.0, you can drive up to three 4K TVs or monitors at 90Hz. And, if three displays is too much for you, you can still run two 8K displays at 120Hz. VR is also going to get a boost from this standards, as you'll be able to drive two 4K x 4K displays at 144Hz, bringing UltraHD to VR for the first time. The first products using DisplayPort 2.0 are expected to arrive in late 2020. However, the good news is that it should be pretty widely adopted, thanks to both its backwards compatibility and the continued support of USB-C and Thunderbolt 3. The future is in high definitionUltra HD resolutions have become pretty much ubiquitous over the last few years, with essentially every streaming service offering content in 4K. However, as 8K TVs and monitors have started to arrive, it's left us looking to the future more than before. It will likely still be years – if not a decade – before we see 16K displays make it to the mainstream, so it's not worth tossing away your 4K TV just yet. Either way, it's likely that we'll see these high resolutions appear in monitors for professionals before they make it to your living room. But, when they do appear, at least we'll have the video standard to power them. Check out the best graphics cardshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/xdKzhdU-2Ik

The best gaming phones in 2019 just keep getting better, as more powerful hardware can run games with ease, and dedicated gaming phones come with enhanced features designed specifically for gaming. Some of the best gaming phones are just the best phones all around, since their balance of performance and features make them a winner for just about anything. There are a few must-haves for any great gaming phone: a powerful chipset capable of running the best Android games or best iPhone games smoothly and launching them quickly; a great looking display with enough room to show the game with room for your fingers; and enough battery to keep you gaming for as long a session as you can muster. When you’re playing demanding games like Fortnite and PUBG Mobile, you don’t want any of these aspects to be lacking. We’ve taken all these aspects into account, as well as others like RAM size and storage space for games. The available app ecosystem also matters, which is one reason why Apple’s devices continue to have such a strong foothold here. We also take into account unique features that can have a special impact on gaming. So, whether you want high specs AND 'gamer'-appealing perks like RGB lights or just a good phone that can double as a mobile gaming device, you no longer have to choose. We've examined all the options and chosen the best phones for gaming based on the factors above. Here's our top ten list: http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8F88HTJKFctGJi8cRe2PbC.jpg The iPhone XS Max is the best gaming phone (Image Credit: TechRadar) The iPhone XS Max is the bigger, better brother of Apple's new flagship smartphone in a few key ways, but if you're picking either model for gaming, you might as well go with the best. The 6.5-inch screen on the iPhone XS Max is bigger than the one on its 5.8-inch sibling and its larger battery manages to stay working nearly a full hour longer than the standard iPhone XS. Those perks will give you more of an edge than with the iPhone XS, but both benefit from this Apple phone generation's true advantage: the A12 Bionic processor. In our tests, it loaded up Clash Royale and PUBG even faster (vs the iPhone X), and speed is crucial in online gaming. All this in a Apple's sleek, modern look – though it's the most expensive mainstream phone on the market, even before including all the bells and whistles. Read our reviews: iPhone XS Max | iPhone XS http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/A8c6UCFTifpkiWLxPUQYSZ.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/G6i9Ymkn9vpoTohdA7Qqsa.jpg A more-affordable flagship gaming phone (Image Credit: TechRadar) The OnePlus 7 Pro is cheaper than the iPhones and Samsungs in this list, but still delivers the latest power under the hood with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855 chipset and the choice of up to 12GB of RAM. It means games load quickly and run smoothly, and the OnePlus 7 Pro is the firm's first phone with a QHD display, giving you an excellent pixel density for crisp graphics. On top of that sharp resolution is the huge size of the display, which offers 6.67 inches without any cameras or notches taking up space. Further improving the gaming experience is the 90Hz refresh rate of the display, which makes gaming and everyday use that much smoother. There's a sizable 4,000mAh battery too, which should keep you going during lengthy play sessions, and it all makes for a top-notch gaming phone. Read our review: OnePlus 7 Pro http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/A8c6UCFTifpkiWLxPUQYSZ.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/beyDnvydQAPMwseqgDZ98E.jpg The Galaxy S10 Plus is an all-rounder, but is still a top gaming phone (Image Credit: TechRadar) Don't be too surprised to see Samsung so high on the list. Its latest family of Galaxy S10 smartphones are the first to feature Qualcomm's powerful new Snapdragon 855 chipset, which quickly boosted them to the top of the pack in terms of sheer performance. But, it's not just the chipset that makes these excellent gaming phones. They have sharp Super AMOLED displays with support for high dynamic range, so you'll get excellent visuals in movies and games alike. The screen real estate is also expanded, so you have that much more game to look at. With these phones, you're getting both a killer phone and a powerful mobile gaming device in one. Better still, VR fans can still make use of the new phones with existing Gear VR headsets, according to The Verge. Letting you enjoy the immersive game medium on the phones' crisp displays. Read our review: Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/A8c6UCFTifpkiWLxPUQYSZ.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/b7THMUdBGLD73x5htzzHCY.jpg The Asus ROG Phone gaming phone (Image Credit: TechRadar) The Asus ROG Phone may "look like an irate Decepticon" as our reviewer put it, but outside its appearance, the device is a powerful phone with plenty of extras to entice gamers. It's also a decent phone in its own right, and it has notable advantages over the comparable Razer Phone 2. Its specs are solidly advanced for phone released at the tail end of 2018: an 'overclocked' Snapdragon 845, 8GB of RAM and a 4,000mAh battery, as well as a 90hz refresh rate screen that pales only to the Razer Phone 2's 120hz. As for gaming, the phone's "AirTrigger" touch-sensitive buttons on the top-right and top-left of the phone (when held in landscape) are cool, customizable ways to play that your typical smartphone just doesn't have. True to Asus' Republic of Gamers brand, you can buy a selection of accessories to augment your mobile game experience. These include a clamshell case with a bonus screen, a pair of controller halves that clip to either side and a docking platform that extends your phone to a big display, Nintendo Switch-style. There's even a simple clip-on fan to reduce device heat during games. The ROG Phone's appeal lives or dies on its external design, and we wouldn't blame you for skipping it for something a bit more conservative. But its advances, especially the AirTriggers, shouldn't be overlooked when considering phones for serious gaming. Read our review: Asus ROG Phone http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/G3VAvtKRkGUYitMot5F9UW.jpg The Razer Phone 2 gaming phone (Image Credit: TechRadar) The first Razer Phone was a solid first effort to bring the gamer-specific brand to a mobile device, but it had a few shortcomings that dropped it further down our list. The second version has addressed some and come out with a stronger device for it, though it's still aimed primarily at gamers. What does that mean? The camera and display aren't nearly as impressive as other phones that cost this much, so casual gamers might want to look elsewhere. But if you're more serious about mobile gaming and can afford it, this is a solid choice. Outwardly, the Razer Phone 2 hasn't changed much from its predecessor, though it's upgraded to the Snapdragon 845 chip and switched to a glass back for Qi wireless charging. It's also added a slick vapor chamber to cool the device as you game. At the end of the day, the phone's beefy chipset, 8GB RAM, great speakers, 120hz refresh rate screen and 4,000mAh battery, as well as extensive settings to tweak battery life and performance, make this a great choice for gaming. Read our review: Razer Phone 2 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/A8c6UCFTifpkiWLxPUQYSZ.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/deHDczADWsv89d3TkYk526.jpg Image Credit: TechRadar Huawei's P30 Pro may not be a phone on many people's radars, but it's an amazing Android phone from the Chinese manufacturers. Much of the attention the P30 Pro is getting comes from its impressive camera system, which has three rear cameras including one with a 5X zoom and a stunning dark mode. But, the Huawei P30 Pro has plenty to offer gamers as well. The Kirin 980 chipset inside is plenty powerful for the latest Android games, and 8GB of RAM can keep everything running smooth even when you're switching back and forth from gaming and other activities. The hefty 4,200mAh battery can ensure your gaming sessions aren't cut short. An improved heat pipe ad vapor cooling chamber inside the P30 Pro help it keep cool while gaming, so it can continue to play Fortnite, Real Racing 3, and PUBG without a hitch. Read our review: Huawei P30 Pro http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/A8c6UCFTifpkiWLxPUQYSZ.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/h57kYxqp9T3jx6NbJZmxy.jpg Image Credit: TechRadar The Black Shark 2 is the second generation gaming phone from Chinese firm Xiaomi's gaming arm, and it builds well on its predecessor adding more power and a better screen into the mix. Combining a great camera, excellent internals and improved gaming credentials over the original, the Black Shark 2 is a triple threat that betters most of its gaming phone rivals. It's lumbered with a handful of instabilities and quirks, but even with those accounted for, the bang for buck it delivers is off the chart. The only thing to watch out for is its availability. It's not easy to find in some countries, such as US. Read our review: Black Shark 2 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/A8c6UCFTifpkiWLxPUQYSZ.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3gkUrwer8weonj5Rb4dipY.jpg Image Credit: TechRadar Apple's iPhone XR may lack some of the features from the iPhone XS and XS Max that make them true stunners, but it makes up for that with a lower price. And, while it may have a smaller screen, it's still offering 6.1 inches. Even though that lower price comes with caveats, like a simpler camera setup, the iPhone XR doesn't skimp on internals. It packs the same A12 Bionic chipset that's found in the more expensive models, and it will run iOS 12 and iOS 13 just the same as the other models. That means it can play all the same games, and it can run them just as smoothly (if not even smoother, since it has fewer pixels to push). The iPhone XR also has one of the best batteries in an iPhone that we've seen in some time. So, if you want to do plenty of gaming on iOS, the iPhone XR is a strong option. Read more: iPhone XR review http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eNkb29Vhqxf6txqvZ5cuN3.jpg Image Credit: TechRadar The LG G8 may be a little underwhelming in terms of design, and if you don't find a deal, it can be too expensive to wisely choose over one of the other devices on this list. But, if you find a good price, it has enough to offer as a gaming phone. Inside, it's packing the latest Snapdragon 855 chipset, which can deliver plenty of gaming performance. And, with a high-resolution, bright OLED display, your games are sure to look great. With a base storage of 128GB of RAM, you should have plenty of room on the LG G8 to store games alongside all your other apps and files. Read more: LG G8 ThinQ review http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yzPdbKRFV8zrtK4XdXysqd.jpg Image credit: TechRadar Yes, we know the iPhone 8 Plus is verging on two years old right now. It doesn't have the same elegant design found in the iPhone X, XS, or XR. But, if you look past the design and 5.5-inch display, you're still getting some strong gaming credentials. For one thing, the age of the iPhone 8 Plus helps bring the price down. And, though the screen is the smallest on this list, it's still a 1080p resolution. Better still, the iPhone 8 Plus packs the A11 Bionic chipset that's also found in the iPhone X, and it runs on the latest version of iOS. That gives it access to plenty of games and the power to play them. The battery is also decent, and the 256GB storage option offers all the room you could need for a substantial mobile game collection. Read more: iPhone 8 Plus review iOS 12 is ready to up Apple's mobile gameThe best iPhone games 2019The best Android games 2019http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/87OrQcPkcTo

The best phone in 2019 in the US comes at a high price, but that's to be expected when many of the latest flagship smartphones from Apple, Samsung, and others now start at around $1,000. We're still looking at phones that carry the style we've gotten used to over the last several years, as foldable phones like the Huawei Mate X and 5G phones like the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G aren't quite ready for the mainstream. Until 2020, we're mostly going to be looking at phones that push the limit of the current form factor. We've conducted comprehensive phone reviews of all the top phones from smartphone manufacturers big and small. For each, we've examined key factors like design, performance, battery life, camera quality, price, and ongoing software support. Taking all this into account, we've picked the best. Why we have more than just a No. 1 pick: Even though we have a top pick, we understand that not everyone looks for the same thing from a smartphone. Some will demand the features coming in iOS 13 and ongoing support of iMessage, while others will want the customization and Google Assistant tools available in Android Q. With that taken into account, we've provided extensive rankings so you can see how all the best phones compare and what highlight features they offer. Likewise, your contract with AT&T, Verizon, Sprint or T-Mobile is a preference. The best phone for AT&T may not be available on-contract on Verizon, and vice-versa. We have to take that into account when recommending phones, and we favor those available on more carriers. The best phone isn't simply the newest iPhone, although our list does have a lot of familiar names: Apple, Samsung, Google and LG, all in the top 15. Newer companies in the US like Huawei and OnePlus make the list, too, though their low availability is noted. The Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus is the best phone you can get for Android right now, if you're just going by specs. Naturally, as the first flagship of 2019, its new Snapdragon 855 processor is the big standout here with even better performance than the phones that closed out 2018. Add in a few cool new (but not essential) features, Samsung's stunning-as-ever display and design as well as top specs and you have a true flagship – for a true flagship price, of course, starting at $999 / £899 / AU$1,499 / AED 3,599. Screen: The 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display is gorgeous, but that's not surprising. it's the same size as the Galaxy Note 9's screen, and far larger than the Galaxy S9 Plus' 6.2-inch display. The 'Infinity O' display ditches the notch for a punch-hole in the top right corner. Yes, it's twice as wide as the hole in the S10 and S10e, but how else will you fit in the extra selfie camera? This choice (and thin bezels) enable a stunning 93.1% screen-to-body ratio, which keeps the phone as slim as possible. Battery Life: The S10 Plus' 4,100mAh battery is Samsung's largest yet, just nudging past the Note 9's 4,000mAh and far beyond the 3,500mAh one in the Galaxy S9 Plus. While that didn't lead the new phone's battery life to outpace its predecessors, it still kept it going through the full day with 10%-30% to spare in our casual testing. This is, of course, with standard settings: bump up the resolution from Full HD+ to QHD+, brighten the display or keep it on longer, and the battery will drain faster. Camera: The S10 Plus has three cameras on the back: a 12MP regular lens, a 12MP optically zoomed telephoto lens, and a new 16MP ultra-wide lens. We found the photo quality to be a bit variable – perhaps due to the dual-aperture main lens – with good but not consistent low-light performance. It's not quite up to par with the Google Pixel 3's Night Vision mode, but it still outpaces most other phone cameras on the market. The two front-facing cameras allow depth for Portrait mode-style photos, which is worth the wider punch-hole gap in the display. Mini verdict: After some time with the standard Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10e, we can say for sure that the S10 Plus beats them out. It has the best specs, cameras and battery life of the whole set, and it's not too much more expensive than the other models. If you want a phone that will blow every other device out of the water in early 2019 – as well as its in-screen fingerprint sensor and reverse charging – this is your only real option. Read more: Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus review The iPhone XS Max is Apple's new big iPhone with an expansive 6.5-inch display that can't be missed if you're looking for the best phone running iOS 12. It's fast, has a brilliant all-screen display, and gives you great photos out of its noticeably upgraded 12MP dual-lens rear camera. Screen: The 6.5-inch OLED screen is the reason to choose the iPhone XS Max over its smaller 5.8-inch iPhone XS counterpart. The phone is still about the size of an iPhone Plus, but thanks to the all-screen display (minus the notch cut out at the top), you get a lot more real-estate. It looks more color-rich vs the old iPhone LCD displays, too. Battery life: You'll get the best battery life out of the iPhone XS Max simply because it has room for a bigger battery. The 3,174mAh capacity is by no means the biggest (Samsung's Note 9 is 4,000mAh), but Apple's ownership of both software and hardware means it's smartly optimized. You'll get all-day battery life even with heavy use. Camera: This is the best iPhone camera ever made, even if the 12MP dual-lens rear camera number hasn't changed in several years. It's all about the software inside and how the A12 chipset interprets scenes with Smart HDR. It's up there with the Google Pixel 2 and Samsung Galaxy Note 9, even if Apple's photos tend to be less vivid in our tests and more true-to-life. Mini verdict: This is the iPhone for anyone who wants what's new and doesn't care what it costs. The iPhone XS Max is expensive, but it's the best upgrade if you're into big screens and Apple's ecosystem, like the App Store and iMessages. The iPhone XS is a good choice if you have smaller hands, and the iPhone XR may be better if you have a smaller wallet. Read more: iPhone XS Max review The Google Pixel 3 came out in October, offering some internal upgrades, improved camera performance, a second front-facing camera, and a better screen than its predecessor. And, as with past Pixels, when it comes to smartphone cameras, this is a top contender. Screen: The Pixel 3 stretches the previous model’s screen to 5.5-inches for an 18:9 aspect ratio. There are no notches taking up any of the screen space either. Colors are rich on the OLED display, and thanks to the dual front-facing speakers, it makes for a handy streaming device. Battery life: A 2,915mAh battery is nothing to get excited about in a modern smartphone. That said, with conservative us, it’s not hard to get all-day battery life. If you’re not taking a lot of photos, it may be easier to get a full day of battery, but with such a good camera, it may be tough to avoid. Camera: The Pixel 2’s cameras are its best selling point. On back, the 12.2MP sensor paired with Google’s brilliant software optimization make for stunning photos in most situations. Optical Image Stabilization certainly helps, too. Selfie lovers get a bonus with dual front-facing cameras that can snap photos with different viewing angles. Mini verdict: The Pixel 3 is powerful on the inside, and even though its design isn’t the most exciting from 2018, nor is its battery, it’s all about the camera in the end. And, with Google’s knack for photo optimization, this phone can almost sell itself with the camera alone. Read more: Google Pixel 3 review The Samsung S10e is the littlest (and least pricey) sibling of the S10 line in both size and features. While it loses out on a few of the cutting-edge features like in-screen fingerprint scanner and a telephoto lens, its remaining arsenal of flagship specs, ultrawide camera and good interface make the S10e a standout at a discount. Plus, it's small enough to use one-handed. Screen: The 5.8-inch AMOLED screen is crisp and sharp, with enough bright colors and customization options to tweak to your liking. While it's nice that the budget flagship of the S10 line has an OLED screen (unlike the iPhone XR with its LCD display), it's not as high resolution as its bigger siblings, capping out at 1080 x 2280 pixels to the S10 and S10 Plus' 1440 x 3040 pixel maximum. Battery life: A 3,100mAh capacity isn't the biggest battery on the market, but it will see you through the day, and may last longer than you think thanks to the phone's smaller screen. You'll need to stretch it out if you plan to use Wireless PowerShare, the S10 line's new feature that lets you donate battery charge to another Qi-charging device. Don't worry, it won't drain yours to oblivion: the feature shuts down when your phone hits 30% battery. Camera: Considering the standard Galaxy S9 had a single lens, the S10e is a major upgrade with its two useful cameras. The first is the standard 12 MP, f/1.5-2.4 Dual Aperture lens found in the phone's predecessor (switching between the two in day/night shots), while the second is a 16MP f/2.2 ultrawide lens that manages 123-degree field of view. While the phone misses the 2x telephoto of the other S10 phones, its ultrawide is far more useful. Mini verdict: The S10e is a fantastic little phone, perfect for anyone who wants to use their flagship phone one-handed – or just wants all the best specs at a lower price. While it's still more expensive than midrange phones or the current value champion, the OnePlus 6T, the S10e has more features and cutting-edge specs to push it beyond the competition. Read more: Samsung Galaxy S10e review This is the best in phone value if you want an all-screen display and don't want to pay for the Samsung or Apple name. it's a bit cheaper than the Galaxy S10e, though not as affordable as last year's OnePlus 6T. It has almost everything except wireless charging, a microSD card slot and a perfect camera. Screen: This is the main draw. Thanks to a mechanical pop-up selfie camera, the OnePlus 7 Pro has the best screen we've tested. No notch and punch-hole camera in sight, and it stretches from edge to edge. Even better, its 90Hz screen refresh rate gives it more fluid movement. Samsung's screen has been dethroned. Battery life: The OnePlus 6T has fairly good, but not great battery life thanks to its 4,000mAh battery. It'll get you through a whole day, but not much more than that. The real news is its Warp Charge 30 adapter that allows this phone to go from 0% to 100% in a little over an hour. It's very fast. Camera: The camera has always been the weakest part of the OnePlus lineup, but we've experienced better phones from the OnePlus 7 Pro. It's not going to top our best camera phones list, but the triple lens (regular, ultra-wide and telephoto) did a fine job in proper light. Nightscape mode has been improved, but begs for a tripod in mixed light (any lights in dark scene tend to smear). Mini verdict: The OnePlus 7 Pro has the wow factor missing from smartphones in 2019 thanks to what's on the screen (90Hz fluidity) and what's not (a camera notch). It looks the part of a flagship phone and acts more expensive than it really in part because of its top-shelf specs. As long as you don't want the best camera phone, this a solid option. Read more: OnePlus 7 Pro review http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/deHDczADWsv89d3TkYk526.jpg Image Credit: TechRadar Here in the US, Huawei phones are not as familiar to shoppers as Apple and Samsung's best phones. But, that doesn't mean they don't have as much to offer. From Hauwei's Mate line to it's P series, it is making some of the very best phones, and the P30 Pro is is a true champion from the Chinese manufacturer. Screen: The P30 Pro has a large, 6.47-inch display with only a thin chin bezel at the bottom of the screen and a teardrop notch at the top. It's a sharp OLED display, and though it doesn't have as high a resolution as some others, we'd be hard pressed to see the difference. Battery life: The Huawei P30 Pro turns up in the battery department with a 4,200mAh cell. That's easily enough for a whole day, and can pull through a day in a half comfortably or even two days with light use. There's enough power there that Huawei enabled reverse wireless charging to let the P30 Pro power other phones. Camera: While plenty about the P30 Pro is of flagship quality, the cameras are where it really stands out. Its suite of cameras make it among the very best camera phones in the world. It combines a high-resolution main camera, a camera with powerful zoom, an ultra-wide angle camera, and a time-of-flight sensor to handle depth. This makes it incredibly versatile, capable of taking better long-distance and low-light photos than most other phones. Mini verdict: If you're after a phone with great looks and a camera that's ready for just about anything, then the Huawei P30 Pro is an excellent option. It also offers a price that stays below a lot of its competition. However, availability concerns in the US hold it back a bit. Read more: Huawei P30 Pro review The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 has shown some staying power, even as the Galaxy S10 line launched. It's intro price of $999 was staggering to see, but Samsung's best phones have a way of coming down in price within a few months of launch, and that helps make the Note 9 a bit of a steal. Screen: Samsung's 6.4-inch Infinity Display is slightly bigger (taller, but actually more narrow than the Note 8) and wraps around the sides for a nice curved look and feel. Samsung is anti-bezel and anti-notch. What you may not see at first is the extreme brightness of this display and the color reproduction. It's impressive when you see it in person. Battery life: The Note 9 has a 4,000mAh battery and is the key reason we like it over the S9 Plus. The capacity is 14.2% bigger than the S9 Plus and 33.3% bigger than the S9. It lasts all day with heavy use and deep into a day two with normal use. You can also charge over wireless easily, and fast charging boots in 17% battery in 15 mins. Camera: The Note 9 camera is impressive, just like the S9 Plus six month before it, and it has the added benefit of remotely capturing photos from up to 30 ft away via the Bluetooth S Pen. Samsung also added AI smarts to the camera that automatically adjusts the white balance and color based on the scene it detects. The camera does as well as the Google Pixel 2 in low-light (sometimes better, sometimes worse, but not by much in either direction), and the default camera app is robust (more so than Google's), yet remains streamlined and initiative. It does lack HDR video recording, seen on other Android phones from Sony and LG. Mini verdict: The Note 9 is bigger in all ways, including the price. It was one of the most expensive phones in the US when it launched, but that's not the case anymore. And, you're still getting a great camera and ample storage (and a microSD card slot) for your money. The battery is big, too. Samsung packs a lot into its all-day smartphone with a stylus. Read more: Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review Apple’s iPhone XR was a little bit late to launch after the iPhone XS and XS Max that launched a bit earlier. But thanks to its lower price point, it makes for a more affordable option than the XS models. For some, the powerful internals paired with the large screen and lower price will make for a compelling buy, especially thanks to the surprisingly good battery. Screen: The iPhone XR screen isn’t its strongest selling point, as it’s a notable downgrade. It’s resolution falls short of Full HD, and it’s not a battery-friendly OLED. Still, the Liquid Retina LCD display used still has good sharpness and brilliant colors.That said, the 6.1-inch display offers plenty of real estate. Battery life: Though this is the more affordable iPhone to come out in Apple’s latest batch, its battery life stands out. Thanks to the A12 Bionic and chipset and lower resolution, the battery performance is great, making it the first iPhone that could comfortably get through a whole day of use in our testing without us worrying about. Camera: While the other iPhones have dual rear cameras, the iPhone XR has just one sensor. For normal photo shooting, it does a great job though. The lack of a second camera also reduces the quality of Portrait Mode photos. But, the detractors came largely in comparison to other top cameras. Mini verdict: The iPhone XR has all the performance of its more expensive siblings on the inside. It’s camera and screen may not be as impressive, but where it truly dazzles is in the battery life. If you want an iPhone with a battery you won’t always worry about, the iPhone XR is it. Read more: iPhone XR review The Huawei Mate 20 Pro is one of the most impressive phones from the Chinese firm to date, offering up a heady mix of design, power and performance with a few party pieces thrown in too. It builds on the excellent P20 and P20 Pro, offering up even more screen, enhanced triple rear cameras and an in-display fingerprint scanner. Screen: The Mate 20 Pro packs a huge 6.39-inch display giving you a huge amount of space for gaming and movies, and its QHD resolution and HDR10 support ensures everything looks great. There is a wide notch at the top of the display though. Battery life: You'll get great battery life from the Mate 20 Pro, and we regularly achieved a day and a half of usage from a single charge during our review time with the handset. Camera: The Mate 20 Pro comes with three cameras on the rear, nabbing the excellent 40MP wide-angle and 8MP telephoto lenses from the P20 Pro - but the third sensor is new. It's an ultra-wide 16MP snapper allowing you to cram even more of your surroundings into each shot. Mini verdict: The Mate 20 Pro is a full-featured phone for a full-featured price - it even has a few tricks you won’t see elsewhere, and more powerful specs than most of its competitors. Read more: Huawei Mate 20 Pro review Insert headingThe bigger S10 Plus is by far Samsung's best phone, but the standard S10 backs almost all the same top-end features into a more compact form factor and slightly lower price tag. And yet, the S10e loses a few of those for even lower cost, putting the standard S10 in an awkward place. This middle child is a great phone, but it's overshadowed by both its siblings, which occupy more desired niches in the smartphone market. Screen: With a 6.1-inch display you're not exactly getting a small screen with the standard S10, but Samsung has reduced bezels even more over the S9, keeping the dimensions surprisingly compact. You also get a fingerprint scanner embedded in the display, meaning there isn't one on the back for a seamless rear cover. Battery life: The battery in the S10 has grown versus the one in the S9, but with the increased screen size as well you're still looking at all-day battery life with a nightly charge. The S10 also has Samsung's new Wireless PowerShare, allowing you to wirelessly charge other devices on the rear of the handset. Camera: Like the S10 Plus, the trio of cameras on the Galaxy S10 are among the best on the market, building on the excellent setup on the S9 series by offering more features, shooting modes and overall clarity. Mini verdict: The Samsung Galaxy S10 gets proper under-the-hood upgrades, two more lenses and fun new perks. You’ll like all of these powerful features, while your friends will like the new Wireless PowerShare perk – it helps them out more than you. Read our in-depth Samsung Galaxy S10 review iPhone XS is a minor, but important upgrade over last year's completely redesign iPhone. It's noticeably faster and has an improved dual-lens camera to make it a better choice, if you're willing to pay the same launch price. No the look of the 5.8-inch new iPhone hasn't changed on the outside, but if you want a more one-hand-friendly size for a cutting-edge iPhone, this is the one to buy. Screen: The 5.8-inch OLED on this iPhone is big, but not a turn off for some people who literally can't handle the 6.5-inch iPhone XS Max (which we like a bit more in our big mitts). This phone size isn't too much bigger than your old 4.7-inch iPhone 7 or iPhone 6 thanks to its reduced bezel – though you'll miss the Touch ID home button. You'll forget about that when staring into the color-rich OLED that's dreamier than the old iPhone LCD. Battery life: The iPhone XS has about the same battery life as the iPhone X, so you'll get all-day battery life with normal use. Power users may struggle a bit without one of the best power banks, and although Apple says it has 30 minutes more battery life than the iPhone X, the smaller capacity and our tests show it's shy of that claim. Camera: This is where you'll see differences in the otherwise familiar-looking iPhone XS. Its dual-lens camera offers Smart HDR and optical image stabilization (OIS). It's not as vivid as the cameras on a Google Pixel 2 or Samsung Galaxy S9, but you'll get true-to-life photos that make the 2018 iPhone's a worthy upgrade. Mini verdict: Although still expensive, the iPhone XS is our best phone for someone who wants to use iOS 12 and doesn't want to spend even more money on the bigger iPhone XS Max. You have your limits, and that may be 5.8 inches and $1,000. Read more: iPhone XS review The Google Pixel 3 XL brings higher end internals and a notched screen to the latest iteration of Google’s larger phone. It’s got the same great cameras as its smaller sibling, but more screen and more battery. Unfortunately that also means a higher price. Screen: The Pixel 3 XL has a sizable 6.3-inch OLED screen with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio. There’s HDR support and a sharp 1440 x 2960 resolution. The viewing experience is good, though this screen does have a rather chunky notch that may not be to everyone’s liking. Battery life: In our testing, we found the 3,430mAh battery to be plenty. Power users can get a full day, and average users are likely to find themselves getting a day and a half. Some of that battery performance is likely coming from good battery optimization within Android Pie. Fast charging and fast wireless charging just round out the offering. Camera: The Pixel 3 XL has the cameras to beat. Google knows how to make a good camera that far exceeds what the specs sheet says. It uses a 12.2MP rear sensor, but software optimization helps it outperform other smartphone cameras in just about all cases. The dual front-facing cameras also give selfie-lovers some extra versatility. Mini verdict: The Pixel 3 XL improves on the previous generations design, fitting more screen into roughly the same size. It also manages a battery life that should satisfy most. Best of all, the camera is better than anything else you’ll find (except the Pixel 3, which is just as good). Read more: Google Pixel 3 XL review LG's smartphone prowess feels like it slipped in the past year, as the LG G8's launch was a bit of a bust. What should have been a follow-up to the LG G7 turned out feeling like a minor upgrade that didn't keep up with the progress in smartphone design we've seen in 2019. Still, it has enough to offer to land a low place on this list. Screen: The 6.1-inch OLED display is certainly a strong point of the LG G8, even if it does still have a hint of the notch. Much like Samsung, LG makes incredible displays, and they show up in its phones. The LG G8's is bright and colorful, and even boasts a higher resolution than much of its competition. Battery life: The 3,500mAh battery in the LG G8 is nothing to get excited about. It's definitely enough to get through the day, but some newer phones are showing up with significant upticks in battery capacity. Camera: LG may be using AI to improve the G8's picture taking capabilities, but it doesn't stand up to the competition here. It has a little versatility with both a standard and a wide-angle camera on the rear, but it's not enough to catch up with the Samsung, Google, or Huawei. It does have a neat, though hit-or-miss, feature in the ability to use Portrait Mode for video. Mini verdict: The LG G8 is a strong phone, powered by the Snapdragon 855 chipset. And, if it's available at a discount, it's a good buy. But, at its retail price, it's priced too close to better phones to win a top ranking. Read more: LG G8 ThinQ review The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus is aging gracefully. It's cheaper and a bit less powerful than its Galaxy S10 Plus successor. But, it's still a big phone with an expansive screen, top-of-the-line camera and all-day battery life. This is still one of the best Samsung phones you can buy in the US if you have large enough hands for its massive size. Screen: Its 6.2-inch Super AMOLED display that really sells this phone, and not because it has more pixels than before (it doesn't) than last year's S8. It’s the futuristic-looking curved edges, vibrant colors, and high contrast ratio that make the screen pop. It's hard to go back to any other size once you hold this large, beautiful light beam in your hand. Battery life: Samsung's 3,500mAh battery is large enough to last all day and a little bit more. It's better than the normal-sized S9, though other phones out of China are maxing out at 5,000mAh these days. It's the one area this handsets seems adequate and not Plus-sized. Luckily, it support Samsung's very quick fast charging standard. Camera: Low-light scenarios are no match the the Galaxy S9 Plus dual-lens, dual-aperture. It does a fine job at amping up dark environments without adding noise that you'll see from other camera phone. It does smooth out textures in the process, but it's on par with, and at times better, than the Google Pixel 2. Mini verdict: The Galaxy S9 Plus is Samsung's answer to the iPhone X, but better in several ways. It too has stereo speakers, face unlock, AR Emoji and vertically stacked 12MP dual cameras. What's better? Its better low-light photos, 3.5mm headphone jack and larger 6.2-inch curved all-screen display – without a notch. No one else has this combination right now. Read more: Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus review The iPhone X has been surpassed by the iPhone XS, but not too much has changed since the former launched in late 2017. The phone is still fast, has good cameras and looks great – and you'll be able to get it a bit cheaper than its successor from retailers and carriers (Apple discontinued it from its store). Screen: The 5.8-inch OLED is Apple flagship, alright: sharp and bright, with a better display than its budget successor, the iPhone XR. The X abandoned a home button for flat screen and Face ID for login and authentication in its quest for ultimate screen-to-body real estate, so expect edge-to-edge glory...aside from the notch. Battery life: At 2,716mAh, the X's battery is nothing to brag about. Careful use will get you a bit over a day before the phone keels over, but that's not flattering for modern phones. Camera: The iPhone X's dual 12MP shutters were the top of their day, but have since been surpassed by plenty of flagships. It's still a venerable rear camera system, especially for Portrait mode, and its 4K video shooting is nothing to scoff at. Expect good selfie performance, too. Mini verdict: The iPhone X is still a quality phone, especially since the iPhone XS added little to its predecessor. Don't expect it to outrace this year's best phones, but a year-old flagship is still only a year old. Read more: iPhone X review http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/Q-J5xPcprIg

Update: Optus and Telstra are both only currently only stocking the iPhone 7 32GB model, and there isn't any Pluses around, but this changes regularly, so keep checking in! Alternatively, you can always check out our best iPhone 8 deals and get the newer model for a similar monthly price. iPhone 7 prices have been dropping considerably since the launch of the iPhone 8 and iPhone X. On this page we're sussing out the best value plans that will net you the older Apple handset and we'll help you pick which one is right for you. At this point, you can score an iPhone 7 Plus from Optus for a much better deal than the iPhone 7 at Telstra, but we've included the best deal from either carrier and with either handset, just in case you have a preference either way. See also: iPhone 7 review | iPhone 7 Plus review The best iPhone 7 planshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/K_tYuIR_ZJA

Building on the success of the Samsung Galaxy S8, the South Korean tech giant flagship successor, 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 version of the Samsung Galaxy S9 (the 256GB handset is no longer being stocked). 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/digital-home/~4/pB-_t4KFLhE

The official Amazon Prime Day 2019 dates have been announced, and just as we'd suspected it's happening bang in the middle of July – specifically, across July 15 and July 16. Although we only got 36 hours last year to cram in as much shopping as possible, this year Amazon has extended the official coverage to 48 hours and, with Aussies also getting access to a selection of US-based Amazon deals this year, we'll have the longest Prime Day event in the world, totalling 65 hours all up. Kicking off at 00:01 on Monday, July 15, Aussie shoppers will be the first in the world to get in on the sweet Prime Day discounts from the local Amazon Australia page, but once the official Australian deals have wrapped up, you can still snag US-based bargains from Amazon AU's Global Store which will host Prime Day savings for another 17 hours – i.e. until the event ends in the US. As we saw last year, there'll be wide range of regular deals going live over the entire period, as well as time-limited Lightning Deals on particularly hot items and in-demand gear – everything from Nintendo Switch and Sony PlayStation consoles to hard drives, powerbanks and drones, and plenty in between. Amazon PrimeOf course, in order to make the most out of this Prime Day, you'll need to sign up for Amazon Prime. This will net you access to all the deals and discounts that will be going live over that huge Prime Day window, but that's not all. Amazon Prime members will get free expedited delivery on millions of domestically-purchased items, which will get your packages to you within two business days. You'll also get exclusive access to Lightning Deals, not to mention the whole range of Prime Day savings, as well as subscriptions to Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Reading, Twitch Prime, and Prime Music. Check out our dedicated article for a full rundown on the specific benefits of Amazon Prime in Australia. If you haven't signed up for Prime in the past, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial right now that will see you through the Prime Day period – it's priced at $6.99 per month, or $59 per year. Expect big Prime Day deals on Amazon productsWhat will be on sale for Prime Day on July 15 and 16? Amazon says Prime members will also see dramatic deals on Alexa-enabled devices, claiming they'll be the "biggest Prime Day deals ever" on such hardware. That of course foreshadows big price drops on Amazon Echo speakers, plus the Amazon Fire TV and Amazon Kindle devices. In total, there will be more than one million deals globally, according to Amazon, and they'll launch throughout the two-day event. Amazon intends to keep Aussies coming back to its website for 65 hours, but to find the best tech deals we'd suggest hitting up our Amazon Prime Day 2019 guide for a curated list hand-picked by our editors. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/AS4FNcWZBgM

Revealed last month at Google's IO 2019, a refreshed interface for the search giant's car-connected Android Auto platform has started rolling out to users from today, as reported by Android Police. According to Google's original announcement, the latest Android Auto release is "built to help you get on the road faster, show more useful information at a glance and simplify common tasks while driving." Android Auto: Google's head unit for cars explainedAndroid Auto supports wireless, as long as you've got the right phonePros and cons to using Android Auto on a 2019 Honda PassportGoing through changesWith regards to getting you on the road quicker, Android Auto will now automatically continue playing your media when you turn on your vehicle and immediately launch your chosen navigation app. From here, users can either tap on a suggested destination or issue a voice command. Android Auto's navigation bar has also been simplified, meaning users should be able to control their apps with less taps while also having the ability to control media, receive incoming calls and turn-by-turn directions from the same screen. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DtMrdCwxRaFcUdKB8LB7kF.jpg Image credit: Google Perhaps the most exciting aspect of Android Auto's interface refresh however, is the inclusion of a new dark mode, which should make driving at night a whole lot easier on the eyes. Google says the new dark theme is complemented by easier to read fonts and and more colorful accents for improved visibility. Additionally, the new Android Auto UI is said to make it easier to manage calls, messages and alerts thanks to an updated notification center, and has also been optimized to show more information on wider displays. You can check out the new-look Android Auto interface for yourself in the video below. Toyota finally brings Android Auto to select cars and truckshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/a1X281GcGCc

Cybercriminals have managed to infiltrate over a dozen mobile carriers around the world and gain complete control of their networks without their knowledge according to new research from Cybereason. Last year, the Cybereason Nocturnus team discovered an advanced, persistent attack targeting global telecommunications providers carried out by a threat actor using tools and techniques commonly associated with the Chinese-affiliated threat actor APT10. These bad actors still control the network today and have even built a VPN for their convenience. The security firm detailed its findings in a new report titled Operation Soft Cell: A worldwide campaign against telecommunications providers which explains how hackers targeted phone providers in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The hackers have been infecting multiple mobile carriers since 2012 and they used their control of these networks to steal hundreds of gigabytes of data on customers. How a piece of Brazilian malware became a global cybercrime exportEU diplomatic messages intercepted by hackersHackers target UK cybersecurity universitiesHead of security research at Cybereason, Amit Serper explained that the cybercriminals behind these attacks also have highly privileged access in addition to customer data, saying: "They have all the usernames and passwords, and created a bunch of domain privileges for themselves, with more than one user. They can do whatever they want. Since they have such access, they could shut down the network tomorrow if they wanted to." Operation Soft CellAccording to Cybereason, no US mobile carriers were affected by the attacks but since the campaign has yet to be shutdown, this could possibly change in the future. The cybercriminals responsible did have the power to disrupt the networks they infiltrated but instead chose to use their access for espionage as opposed to disruption. Once access was gained to a mobile carriers' internal servers, the attackers were able to access customer records including geolocation data, call logs and text message records. Despite having access to data on millions of people, the hackers instead chose to only steal data from fewer than 100 targeted victims. Vice president of security practices at Cybereason, Mor Levi believes that they likely targeted high-profile victims from governments and militaries around the world. According to the firm's research, the attackers exploited older vulnerabilities to gain access to over a dozen mobile carriers around the world. They then used their access to create accounts for themselves with escalated privileges and hid among the infected mobile carriers actual staff. The sophisticated and targeted nature of the attack has led Cybereason to believe that the attackers were backed by a nation-state namely China as digital forensics point to the country's elite hacking group APT10 being behind the attacks. The potential implications of an attack this large that went on for so long are tremendous and we'll likely learn more as Cybereason, the affected mobile carriers and governments around the world investigate the matter further. Keep your devices protected from the latest cyber threats with the best antivirusVia CNET http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/iw50PQYSNXA

A major expectation gap exists between what IT managers hoped the public cloud would deliver for their organizations and what has actually transpired according to new research from Cohesity. The firm conducted a global survey of 900 senior IT decision makers to discover that nine out of 10 respondents across the UK believed that their journey to the cloud would simplify operations, increase agility, reduce costs and provide greater insight into their data. However, this hasn't been the case and 95 percent believe it is because their data is greatly fragmented in and across public clouds which could make it nearly impossible to manage in the long run. Vice president of products at Cohesity, Raj Rajamani explained how the public cloud can lead to greater data fragmentation, saying: “While providing many needed benefits, the public cloud also greatly proliferates mass data fragmentation. We believe this is a key reason why 38 percent of respondents say their IT teams are spending between 30-70 percent of their time managing data and apps in public cloud environments today.” Looking beyond public cloud – why businesses are bringing their data back homeThese are the best cloud computing services of 2019Public cloud revenues set to soar in 2019Mass data fragmentationThe term mass data fragmentation refers to the growing proliferation of data spread across a multitude of different locations, infrastructure silos and management systems that prevents organizations from fully utilizing its value. There are several factors which contribute to mass data fragmentation in the public cloud and Cohesity's survey found that nearly half (42%) are using three to four point products to manage their data, including backups, archives, files, test/dev copies, across public cloud today. Some organizations are even worse off with 19 percent of those surveyed using as many as five to six separate solutions. Respondents expressed concerns about using multiple products to move data between on-premises and public cloud environments with 59 percent concerned about security, 49 percent worried about costs and 44 percent are concerned about compliance. Data copies can also increase fragmentation challenges as a third of respondents (33%) have four or more copies of the same data in public cloud environments which can increase storage costs as well as create data compliance challenges. To truly harness the benefits of cloud, Rajamani explained that organizations first have to tackle mass data fragmentation, saying: “It’s time to close the expectation gap between the promise of the public cloud and what it can actually deliver to organisations around the globe. Public cloud environments provide exceptional agility, scalability and opportunities to accelerate testing and development, but it is absolutely critical that organisations tackle mass data fragmentation if they want the expected benefits of cloud to come to life.” We've also highlighted the best cloud hostinghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/2Z-MkW_Ijmc

What is Wi-Fi 6? In a network nutshell, it’s the next-gen wireless technology that was formerly known as 802.11ax until the Wi-Fi Alliance decided to rename it more succinctly. Wi-Fi 6 supersedes 802.11ac (now known as Wi-Fi 5), which most current routers run. The broad idea of this rechristening is to make the name of the standard easier to understand and remember. Rather than bombarding you with a meaningless string of numbers and letters that most people will probably forget, you get something akin to 3G, 4G, and 5G with phones. But what does Wi-Fi 6 actually offer to the consumer besides a new naming convention? Obviously, you’ll get faster wireless speeds – that’s a given, really – but more to the point, it’s designed to deliver much better Wi-Fi performance in device-crowded environments, alongside several other efficiency benefits. Want to know more about this incoming wireless standard and what it might mean for your home or office? Read on for the full lowdown, as well as all the latest news and speculation on this exciting step forward for Wi-Fi. What are the best wireless routers out there?Cut to the chaseWhat is it? Wi-Fi 6 is next-gen wireless tech that replaces 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5)When is it out? Late 2019What will it cost? Pre-release (draft standard) Wi-Fi 6 routers start from £200/$200http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/az9CDXHMzX4z6fqgmKQvoQ.jpg This isn’t just about faster speeds, but better performance in crowded Wi-Fi environments (Image credit: Netgear) Wi-Fi 6 release dateAccording to the Wi-Fi Alliance, the non-profit overseer of the Wi-Fi world, Wi-Fi 6 will be out ‘later in 2019’. By all accounts, that will most likely be towards the very end of the year (assuming no serious slippage is encountered). A certification programme was announced back in January to ensure that Wi-Fi 6 labelled devices meet the relevant specified standards, and this scheme is expected to start very soon, in the third quarter of 2019. At this point, you might be thinking "wait a minute: aren’t there already Wi-Fi 6 routers out there (albeit most of them are still labelled 802.11ax)?" And you’d be right – there are indeed, but with caveats. Some routers that support Wi-Fi 6 that are already on shelves include the Netgear Nighthawk AX8 and AX4, TP-Link’s Archer AX6000, and the Asus RT-AX88U (indeed Asus even has a Wi-Fi 6-toting mesh router offering which is imminent). However, remember that these early devices are based on the draft standard of Wi-Fi 6, which isn’t yet finalized (and won’t be till later in the year). So bear in mind that these routers may miss out on some features that fully certified Wi-Fi 6 devices are required to carry, depending on whether the spec that manufacturers must adhere to is changed much between now and the official launch of the new standard. From what we’ve heard, any potential differences will be minor. Still, we won’t know specifics until the Wi-Fi 6 is officially launched. Furthermore, even if you do own a router that supports (draft) Wi-Fi 6, you’ll also need Wi-Fi 6 compatible client devices on the other end of the connection to benefit from the new Wi-Fi standard. Early adopting pieces of hardware are even thinner on the ground, at least at the moment, one example being Samsung’s Galaxy S10 smartphone. That said, a number of laptops supporting Wi-Fi 6 from all the major vendors were announced back at CES, and it shouldn’t be long before some of these hit the shelves (for starters, we are expecting Alienware notebooks imminently). After the official launch of Wi-Fi 6 late in 2019, going forward into 2020, you can expect a rapid increase of both supporting routers and client hardware, all of which will be certified to the fully finalized Wi-Fi 6 standard. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RKNzkDoEHZkuBPDaii7UXZ.jpg The Asus RT-AX88U router is one of the early Wi-Fi 6 contenders around at the moment (Image credit: Asus) Wi-Fi 6 routers and pricingTo give you an idea of the cost of Wi-Fi 6 routers, let’s take a quick look at some of the prices of the aforementioned routers, which have been produced adhering to the draft Wi-Fi 6 spec. TP-Link’s Archer AX6000 is a Wi-Fi 6 router that currently weighs in at around £300 or $350 (about AU$510), and the Asus RT-AX88U is pitched at about £300 or $325 (around AU$470). Netgear’s Nighthawk AX8, on the other hand, can be had for around £280 or $300 (about AU$435), with the Nighthawk AX4 coming in at around £200 or $200 (about AU$290), which is pretty much as cheap as it gets right now. We will, of course, see more budget-friendly Wi-Fi 6 routers coming into play as time goes on. As for Wi-Fi 6 client devices, Samsung’s Galaxy S10 currently starts at an eye-watering £799 or $899 (AU$1,349). http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/anXMCzyQMphhafcNmw5SSk.jpg Intel’s view of Wi-Fi 6 in a nutshell – albeit the chip giant still refers to it as 802.11ax here (Image credit: Intel) Wi-Fi 6 spec and performanceWi-Fi 6 operates over 2.4GHz and 5GHz (and more frequency bands in the future) – unlike Wi-Fi 5, which is 5GHz only – and it will be faster than its predecessor as you’d expect. Exactly what sort of speed increase we’ll ultimately get isn’t fully clear (and will vary in different scenarios anyway). In theoretical terms, Wi-Fi 6 boosts peak speeds by 37% compared to Wi-Fi 5 (when using a single device). While you doubtless won’t achieve all of that gain – it’s a bit of a ‘how fast is a piece of string tied to the bumper of a moving car’ scenario – you could still see a sizable chunk of it, and a very telling uplift in terms of raw performance. Unlike previous iterations of Wi-Fi standards however, this new offering isn’t focused on purely boosting headline speeds. Rather, Wi-Fi 6 aims to facilitate much better performance in crowded environments where there are lots of wireless devices, such as an apartment block or a public venue like a stadium. Or even your home, if you have a number of family members who perhaps own multiple mobile devices and PCs each. It’ll also help manage the connectivity strain caused by the ever-increasing number of connected IoT (Internet of Things) devices and smart home gadgets. Wi-Fi 6 utilizes various technologies to achieve all this, including a key player in the form of OFDMA (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access). This allows more folks to simultaneously use the same wireless channel for far more efficient operation, not to mention better throughput and much lower latency (meaning a more responsive connection). http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eKUyQTiDy68yUqsXTAbRp6.jpg The Samsung Galaxy S10 supports Wi-Fi 6 (Image credit: TechRadar) Wi-Fi 6 also makes use of MU-MIMO, which has already been incorporated with Wi-Fi 5 hardware, and allows for a greater amount of data to be transferred at once (and to handle multiple client devices simultaneously). In Wi-Fi 6, the technology is improved to double the number of spatial streams that can be transmitted from a maximum of four previously, to now potentially cover eight devices. Plus, it adds support for uplink – transmissions back from the client device – as well as downlink. So yes, there’s a bit of jargon involved here, with other clever bits of trickery including improved beamforming for better speeds at range, and 1024-QAM being employed (as opposed to 256-QAM in Wi-Fi 5) for better throughput. Odd acronyms and techie-sounding stuff aside though, the performance takeaway when it comes to congested wireless environments (where loads of devices are online) is that Wi-Fi 6 promises to boost the average throughput per user by four times (or more). That’s quite a significant improvement in heavy-trafficked areas, and it’s backed by the promise of increased network efficiency also by a factor of four. With more and more pieces of hardware coming online – particularly given the increasing popularity of smart home gadgets, connected appliances and IoT devices, in general – these improvements will be crucial going forward into our Wi-Fi future. If we stuck with Wi-Fi 5, we’d effectively become stuck in the wireless mud. There’s a further boon on the efficiency front to Wi-Fi 6, and that’s better battery life for client devices. This is achieved via a technology called Target Wake Time (TWT), which essentially lets the router and client talk to each other to determine when the client device will need to wake up to transmit (or receive) data. As a result, the client hardware won’t have to be constantly listening for wireless signals, and that in turn means less battery usage. This will be particularly useful for IoT gadgets that only communicate online sporadically, as well as the likes of wearables, but also to a lesser extent phones, tablets and laptops. Wi-Fi 6’s overall improvements in network efficiency (by a factor of four) we’ve already mentioned should also help on the battery front, too, helping to cut down a little on power usage. When you add everything up in terms of faster overall Wi-Fi speeds, much-improved performance in crowded wireless environments, and some power-efficiency driven battery benefits to boot, there’s plenty to look forward to with the next-gen Wi-Fi standard, Wi-Fi 6. We show you how to get superfast Wi-Fi in every roomhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/w0wFg-m5glk

Windows Mixed Reality (MR) can be a confusing concept. Is it virtual reality (VR), like the Oculus Rift, or it is more like augmented reality (AR), which Microsoft has already dabbled in with its HoloLens? Even though Microsoft has made HoloLens 2 available for pre-order, the answer is ultimately a mix of the two – though it’s far more VR than AR. Microsoft’s unique combination of VR and AR is designed to immerse more users in the digital experience with lower priced and easier-to-drive headsets. To this end, Microsoft has teamed up with some PC manufacturers like Dell, HP, Asus, Samsung and Lenovo to develop a more accessible head-mounted display (HMD) standard with less ground rules. And, it’s working – the Mixed Reality adoption rate continues to grow. Similar to high-end VR Headsets like the Oculus Rift, you wear a head-mounted display with two built-in screens to peer into a virtual world. And, with Windows Mixed Reality for Steam VR, the barriers between Mixed Reality and high-end VR continue to dissipate. You can now interact with your virtual world using handheld controllers or an Xbox One gamepad. Just don’t expect Mixed Reality on the Xbox One. Even if you’re not into gaming, Mixed Reality on SharePoint will make life way more interesting for professionals. Instead of HTC Vive lighthouses, Oculus Waypoints or other infrared beacons, however, Microsoft Mixed Reality headsets use integrated sensors to scan the surrounding environment. And, because Microsoft Mixed Reality isn’t solely focused on gaming, like other VR headsets, Microsoft is able to produce easy-to-drive headsets that can be run by the best Ultrabooks. This means that you can experience and share digital worlds that anyone can enjoy. Additionally, each new version of Windows 10 has beefed up Microsoft’s support for Windows Mixed Reality devices. And, most recently, Viveport is now offering Windows Mixed Reality support, allowing headset owners to download compatible games, as is Google Chrome. Cut to the chaseWhat is Mixed Reality? Microsoft’s blended VR/AR standardWhen is Mixed Reality out? October 17What will Mixed Reality cost? Headsets start at $299 or AU$599 (about £225)http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Vkb8wg5FCxH3CHoTU2S6KX.jpg Image credit: TechRadar Windows Mixed Reality release dateMicrosoft Mixed Reality has been a priority for the Redmond computing giant since October 2016, and since the release of the Fall Creators Update in October 2017, Mixed Reality has been a standard feature of Windows 10. Since then, Microsoft has been adding a wide array of updates to the platform, with many coming in the Windows 10 April 2018 Update, as well as the Windows 10 October 2018 Update. It looks like this is going to continue, as well. We fully expect Microsoft to continue adding Mixed Reality improvements to all of its future updates, though with middling sales, it’s also possible that Windows Mixed Reality’s days could be numbered. Windows Mixed Reality priceThe biggest differentiator between headsets for Windows Mixed Reality and those designed for VR is that the former can cost half as much. With prices for Mixed Reality headsets starting at $224 (AU$638, £225) when first released, Microsoft’s new platform competes more closely with mobile VR devices – like the Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream View – than with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Adding motion controllers doesn't dramatically up the cost, either – a few manufacturers, like Acer, are bundling a complete headset package for $296 in the US. For a full price breakdown, let’s look at all the headsets currently available. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/skKTtJk3scAfnrfVJPpXzW.jpg Image credit: TechRadar Acer Windows Mixed Reality HMD Acer was one of the first companies to come out of the gate with a Windows Mixed Reality headset. It offers a display resolution of 1440 x 1440 per eye. Users can flip up the screen to quickly return to the real world – this is a regular feature of most, if not all, headsets in its class. Acer’s headset is also among the cheapest, at $296 (£399, AU$799) with a pair of wireless motion controllers. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/trSxsnYDQzUYfDVmpbUkX9.jpg Image credit: TechRadar Dell Visor The Dell Visor (and all Mixed Reality headsets, really) have a lot in common with Acer’s, but we’ll go over the specs nonetheless. It boasts two 2.89-inch, 1440 x 1440-resolution LCD displays that you can, once again, flip up for a quick exit from the virtual world. There are a few extra creature comforts in the shape of removable foam inserts, cable management loops and an easily adjustable headband for a comfy and tight fit. The Dell Visor is available worldwide for $349 (£649, about AU$501), all of which include motion controllers. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VzXgYSMm5DeedKKGmrdEc5.jpg Image credit: HP HP Windows Mixed Reality Headset Developer Edition HP’s take on the Windows 10 MR headset looks much more Tron-like than the others. It keeps up with its rivals thanks to a 2880 x 1440 combined resolution and 90Hz display, but its field of view is a narrower 95 degrees. HP’s Mixed Reality headset is available now for $299 (£449, AU$429). http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vAvLz5SVMKuFkU7cfpyCRH.jpg Image credit: TechRadar Lenovo Explorer The Lenovo Explorer featured all the same specs and comforts as the other Mixed Reality headsets. Its field of view also ran smack in the middle of the pack at 105 degrees. It was more affordable than Acer’s at $399 (£400, about AU$799) with motion controllers included. Unfortunately, Lenovo has since discontinued it, and it has yet to release a replacement. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xDAqTdhWhQFEu65CWHspGS.jpg Image credit: TechRadar Asus Windows Mixed Reality Headset Asus differentiated its MR headset with a futuristic geometric front facade. Looks aside, it had all the same specs as its rivals, although its field of view is on the low side at 95 degrees. It did fall in line with the other headsets, priced at $399 (£429, about AU$335). However, it’s looking as if Asus has also discontinued it, and while some third-party sellers may still have some units on hand, it’s no longer largely available. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aTaLQ4q7xhxaQNdsPigTMc.jpg Image credit: Samsung Samsung HMD Odyssey The Samsung HMD Odyssey is the latest Windows MR headset on the block, and it’s both the most advanced as well as the most expensive device of its class. For starters, it packs larger 3.5-inch AMOLED displays for more vibrant, lifelike images. Built-in AKG headphones also add in the immersive soundscape of 360-degree spatial sound. Costing a cool $499 (about £377, AU$638) with controllers included, the Samsung HMD Odyssey shipped later than the other Windows Mixed Reality Headsets on November 6, 2017. Currently, the HMD Odyssey is only available at third-party retailers for more than its original cost. Windows Mixed Reality requirementsUnlike virtual reality, you won’t need a killer rig to jump into virtual worlds. The minimum specs required for a Windows Mixed Reality PC are lightweight enough for most modern Ultrabooks to power a headset. At the very least, you will need the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, an Intel Core i5-7200U processor or better, 8GB of DDR3 dual channel RAM or better, 10GB of free disk space, an Intel HD Graphics 620 or DX12-capable GPU, and HDMI 1.4 or DisplayPort 1.2 as well as USB 3.0 Type-A or Type-C. Keep in mind that the above specs are only good enough for a 60-frames-per-second (fps) experience. To get to 90fps, Microsoft suggests a system specced with at least a desktop-grade Intel Core i5-4590 or AMD Ryzen 5 1400 3.4Ghz – or another quad-core processor. You'll also need a discrete GPU at least on the level of an Nvidia GTX 1050. Just keep in mind, if you’re going to take advantage of Mixed Reality on Steam VR, system requirements may vary by game. Here are some of the best laptops that can run Windows MRhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/-t1JUyFcx8w

Hold on to your lightsabers: there's a new Star Wars game on the way, and it's called Jedi: Fallen Order. And we've now got the first concrete details about it, thanks to E3 2019 and an extended gameplay trailer that dropped in June. In development by Respawn Entertainment (the studio behind Apex Legends and Titanfall), Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was announced during E3 2018 but we didn't get a proper look at the game until early in 2019, during a special panel at the annual Star Wars Celebration in Chicago, before EA lifted the covers completely at E3 2019. While the official reveal only gave us a glimpse at a story trailer, it was more than enough to get us hyped for the upcoming game. E3 2019 gave us a far more meaty look at the game - including some lightsaber-fueled gameplay - before the developer dropped an extended demo at the end of the month. While fans of the galactic franchise have seen official tie-ins in the form of Star Wars Battlefront I and II, the new entry takes on a different tack, focusing on a single-player experience more in line with 2008's The Force Unleashed – and we have all the concrete news and wild speculation you could want below. EA said it 'made mistakes' with Star Wars Battlefront 2Cut to the chaseWhat is it? A new single-player Star Wars game from the creators of TitanfallWhat can I play it on? PS4, Xbox One, and PCWhen can I play it? November 15 2019Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order release dateEA has now confirmed Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will release on November 15, 2019, just in time for Christmas and the long-awaited release of Star Wars Episode IX: Rise of Skywalker. If you pre-order the Deluxe Edition ahead of the game's launch, you'll get two exclusive in-game lightsaber colors plus an exclusive hilt, in addition to skins for your droid and star ship. EA and Respawn will also include a digital art book in the Deluxe Edition and a few behind-the-scenes videos. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order trailers and storyYou'll take the role of Cal Kestis, a former Jedi padawan (AKA, a student of the Force). The game is set in the period following Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith – the fateful time when the evil Emperor Palpatine executed Order 66, which saw the Jedi ambushed and killed by their own supporting Clone Trooper soldiers. Few survived and were forced into hiding. And that seems to include Cal! A youngster only partially through his training, Cal has been forced into hiding, working construction sites and trying to keep a low-profile as the Jedi-hunting Imperial Inquisition continues to track down any remaining survivors. The story trailer shows Cal having to use his Force powers to defend himself against rogue troopers, and to save a friend from falling from an accident. The trailer suggests the game will have some lavish set-pieces and environments, and hinted at a very-story-driven experience to enjoy. Check it out below: You can also watch the EA Play 2019 gameplay reveal for the game below, but note that you're going to have to jump into around the 30 minute mark to skip the build up portion, that's basically just 30 minutes of an EA logo! If you just want to see the game in-action, there's a brand-new official gameplay trailer that should provide everything you need to know about the game - including a few surprises. (Spoiler warning!) This is the same demo that journalists and attendees saw at the EA Play event. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order gameplayEA Play 2019 showed us a 15 minute slice of gameplay from the game, roughly 3 hours into the game. We were shown Chewbacca's homeland Kashyyyk, where Jedi Cal is trying to kickstart the rebirth of the Jedi order. But the poor Wookies are enslaved by the Empire! So Cal has to try to help them out. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/N5yQqi2kUAkSg4RgYQTBP3.jpg Walking through a tech-filled jungle corridor, gameplay at first doesn't look unlike Uncharted 4, with a tool that lets you swing from beams, and some wall-running ala Respawn's other game, Titanfall. Cal's pretty nimble, able to clamber up walls and climb as if he was Assassin's Creed's Ezio. He moves weightily. After meeting up with some resistance fighters, he carves his way through a door and comes across a burning refinery, using his lightsaber as a torch in the darkness. A battle ensues below and Cal needs to reach a troop of Stormtroopers , so force-pushes a tree below to make a path to them. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wGP3tm2eqhJDsDbDKnhjK3.jpg Here we see our first glimpse of lightsaber action. Cal can force pull and push troops, as well as throwing his lightsaber at them for a ranged attack. Combat is lock-on focussed, not unlike Dark Souls for one-on-one combat, but seems massively more forgiving. There also seems to be finishing animations that trigger when you've took a baddie to low health. Lightsaber combat, thankfully, looks weighty and measured – this will be a tactical fighting game, rather than a hack and slash, with the classic ability to slash blaster bolts back at an enemy. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CmXfgfmu2tYtDcuJvDPARF.jpg Cal also seems to have the ability to focus the force and slow time, letting him take on dangerous foes, like flamethrower stormtroopers with a little more ease, as well as avoiding environmental hazards like spinning blades. One cool moment had him slow time, and force pull a stormtrooper towards him in time to use it as a human-shield against the very same blaster bolt it had fired at Cal moments earlier. The same technique can be used to halt a foe momentarily in its tracks – very Kylo Ren. So far, levels, though expansive, seem fairly linear – you're very much set along a path from one action scene to another, although the densely-designed levels prevent it from appearing too much like a series of corridors, back to back. Each scene has lots of AI interactions between NPCs, too – you'll see stormtroopers battling the native, giant-beetle-like creatures of Kashyyyk, and timing your attack against them could help to swing the odds in your favor. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xtcnQnNunrQTKagXGUs9qF.jpg Cal acquires upgrade points as he defeats enemies, and also seems to be able to complete side missions if he goes off the beaten path and explores levels in detail. C The timing of the story, set after Revenge of the Sith, also means there was a familiar face or two turning up. Rogue One's Saw Gerrera, aka actor Forest Whitaker, was present, as was a bot that looked like K2SO. You'll have to fight this one, though. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UmbB4oLfm4GPkKiFTCmDRn.jpg Skill points will go into your force abilities, letting you upgrade force pulls and push, double jumps and force slowing tricks. You'll get a droid, too, BD1, to help you on your way, offering the ability to hack terminals, heal your player and manage your hologram map, as well as being your buddy. You won't be able to turn to the Dark Side though – Cal's good to the core. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EjvqudUmwiPP3d4CjsprVn.jpg So far then, so good. This is a classic-era Star Wars game, giving you a taste of the most-loved period in Star Wars history. Rather than the original reveal's suggestion that Cal will be a weak newbie Jedi, he's going to be fairly advanced in his training. And, it's all cannon – these characters are going to turn up in the wider Star Wars universe. It looks visually impressive... except for the Wookies. They looked like the plastic figures from the 70s. A bit more free-flowing, walking-carpet Wookie hair please, EA! Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order news and rumorsRetail box art EA has revealed the retail box art for both the Standard and Deluxe editions of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Here's what the Standard edition look like: http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kYePmirfJbjp3KB5ww2t5N.jpg Standard Edition (Image credit: EA) And the Deluxe edition: http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/j6a3K3KTASBfvZftPPJCMA.jpg Deluxe Edition (Image credit: EA) EA doesn't plan to release Fallen Order on Switch Soon after the game's official reveal, fans were wondering if Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will ever be making its way to Switch. Well, according to EA community manager Jay Ingram, there aren't any plans to do so currently. You can check out Ingram's reply to a fan tweet below: Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was livestreamed – check it out We already know that on April 13 we got our first proper look at Respawn Entertainment's Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, as part of the annual Star Wars Celebration event in Chicago. But luckily for fans that couldn't make the trek to the event, EA livestreamed it. Check out EA's announcement tweet below for a chance to replay it: The galaxy-wide premiere saw the head of Respawn Entertainment, Vince Zampella, and game director, Stig Asmussen (whose previous work includes God of War 3), revealing the much-anticipated details of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order toys -confirmed Disney has announced that Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order merchandise will become available in October 2019 suggesting, not only that the game will release around that time, but that the company expects it to be a title (or series) with a long life-span within Star Wars fandom. We now know that Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order will release in November, just a month after the toys release. Development is well underway "It’s very far along in development, and having spent time with it recently myself, it plays spectacularly well," EA CEO Andrew Wilson revealed during a quarterly earnings call (via Seeking Alpha). "This game truly captures the fantasy of becoming a Jedi, and we will have a lot more to share soon." A Padawan called Cal? Confirmed According to rumored information from a Star Wars marketing day (which obviously made its way to Reddit) the story will take place roughly five years after Revenge of the Sith and will follow surviving Padawan Cal (via GamesRadar). This rumor also states that one of the game's main plot points will revolve around Cal's mentor figure - a woman named Ceres. Both these names are now confirmed. It's set after Revenge of the Sith We don't know the specific time in which the game is set, but we've heard that it will take place at some point between Episodes 3 and 4, after the end of Revenge of the Sith but before Luke Skywalker's appearance in A New Hope. This places it after the Galactic Empire hunted the 10,000-strong Jedi Order practically to extinction, leaving only a small fraction of Jedi alive (aka Order 66). With the promise that the game will be set 'in the dark times', it sounds like our Jedi protagonist may be more the hunted than the hunter. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pmowM5FVDrqGHBbdzLoeQm.jpg Star Wars: Battlefront II. (Image credit: EA) Could famous Jedi appear? Playing as "a surviving Padawan", technically meaning a Jedi apprentice rather than a fully-fledged master of the Force, Cal could do with some extra training. Given the dearth of living mentors left to train you, it's possible Obi-Wan Kenobi or Yoda – or some less high-profile Jedi, like Quinlan Vos – will appear in a supporting role. The single-player mode comes first – and there will be no microtransactions Respawn co-founder Vince Zampella tweeted about the upcoming game, describing it as an 'SP' (single-player) story. It looks like a multiplayer component won't be available at all in the game – surprising given EA's focus in recent years on games that extend beyond a single play session. Even more surprising is the fact that there will be no microtransactions at all, ever, in Fallen Jedi. It's great news considering the industry falls over itself to offer chunks of games piecemeal these days – but don't be surprised if that means there will be an aggressive DLC system instead. I find your lack of faith disturbing 2018 was a been a bit of a fallow year for Star Wars, with Star Wars: A Solo Story struggling in cinemas and the negative player response to EA Dice's Star Wars: Battlefront 2 – largely in reaction to its prevalent use of microtransactions – still in recent memory. Jedi: Fallen Order has been handed to a different studio, albeit one that's still a subsidiary of EA. But Respawn has garnered a lot of respect as the studio behind Titanfall and Titanfall 2, two critically acclaimed sci-fi action games that pit players against each other in giant mechanized suits, and which both came with strong single-player and multiplayer offerings. (Image credits: Respawn Entertainment) Keep checking back here for all the latest Jedi: Fallen Order news Star Wars Galaxies: how modders are keeping the dream of a Star Wars MMO alivehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/DKKrdDJf7Fo

In an effort to help users protect their most important and sensitive files, Microsoft is adding a new secure storage area to OneDrive called Personal Vault. Personal Vault is a new protected area in OneDrive that users can only access with a strong authentication method or by using a second step of identity verification such as their fingerprint, face, PIN or a code sent via email or SMS. Files locked in your Personal Vault have an extra layer of security which can hep protect them if your device falls into the wrong hands or someone gains access to your account. However, this added security doesn't mean added inconvenience as all of your files stored in Personal Valut can be easily accessed via the web, on your PC or on updated iOS and Android devices (iOS 11.3 and above, Android 6.0 and above). Microsoft announces new features for SharePoint and OneDriveHow to use Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive or iCloud as your main storageMicrosoft calls for US version of GDPRPersonal Vault adds to OneDrive's existing security features which include file encryption at rest and in transit, suspicious activity monitoring, ransomware detection and recovery, mass file deletion notification and recovery, virus scanning on download for known threats and version history for all file types. Personal VaultMicrosoft designed Personal Vault to be easy to use and users will just have to enter a PIN or use their fingerprint, face or an email or SMS code to unlock and access their files. The new secure storage area can also be unlocked with the Microsoft Authenticator app. Users will also be able to use the OneDrive mobile app to scan documents, take pictures or shoot video directly into their Personal Vault. This can be particularly useful when you want to capture something too sensitive to remain accessible in your device's camera roll. Personal Vault even automatically relocks on your PC, smartphone or online after a short period of inactivity. Once it has locked, any files you were using will also be locked and will require reauthentication to access. The new feature will begin rolling out soon to users in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, though Microsoft expects Personal Vault to be available to all OneDrive users by the end of the year. We've also highlighted the best cloud storagehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/E43Gr6AtZAo

This article originally appeared on Tom’s Guide and has been inducted into our Future University Back to School guideJune is turning out to be a busy month for Amazon. Not only are we weeks away from the start of Amazon Prime Day 2019, but we're also in the early stages of back-to-school season. Yes, even though many students are still in school, back-to-school season usually kicks off mid-to-late June. For that reason, Amazon today launched an Off to College store with deals on all things dorm- and college-related. Naturally, it helps if you have a Prime Student account. A Prime Student account gives you many of the same perks that a traditional Prime membership includes, but at half the cost. Moreover, students get a free 6-month trial membership instead of just 30 days. After your 6-month trial is up, students just pay $59/year for Prime Student. Amazon regularly offers exclusive deals for its Prime Student members. In the past, they've taken $15 off orders of $40 or more and even offered its current-gen Echo Dot for as little as $5. So far, the best deal we see in Amazon's Off to College store is 60% off on Logitech devices. (This sale is actually available to everyone and not just Prime Student members). However, Amazon has teased some upcoming deals for the summer. They include: 30% off Sony 4K TVs 50% off Levi's clothing 20% off portable AC units from AmazonBasicsWe expect the hub to offer better deals as the summer progresses and as back-to-school sales take off. Amazon Prime Day 2019http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/4U0JddnVb3k

This list of the best business laptops of can help you find your next work laptop. The best business laptops on this page all combine the latest hardware with productivity features – while also offering slimline designs and long battery lives. The best business laptops need those long battery lives to keep you productive while out and about. No matter how powerful a laptop is, it's no good as a business device if the battery runs out after a few measly hours. You don't want to be in the middle of a meeting and have your laptop die on you. Day-long battery lives provide mobility and productivity - essential functions for the modern workplace. While compiling this list of the best business laptops, we've taken into consideration a number of key factors including power, battery life, feature set and sheer value for money. This means that we've selected a wider range of laptops to suit most (if not all) budgets and hopefully all tastes; there's a mix of cutting-edge products and old favourites here. Almost all of them come with the professional version of Windows 10 to enhance their business credentials. We also have our very own price comparison tool that will compare prices and make sure you're buying the very best business laptop for the very best price. If you're looking for a bit more power, then check out our list of the best mobile workstations, as well as our pick for the best business desktop PC. Here's our full list of the best laptops of 2019http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/U6D3ofXKriRQ8SrHtFkjL4.jpg Where to buy business laptopsApple MacBook ProLenovo Yoga, ThinkPad and IdeapadHP ZBook, Elitebook, Pro and ElitePadToshiba Portege, Tecra and Satellite ProFujitsu Lifebook and CelciusDell Latitude, Precision and Vostrohttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iemwSphaMuiGe5XJtbCck.jpg Previous versions of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon have been the absolute best-in-class when it comes to business laptops, and this year's model is no exception, with Lenovo delivering a thinner and smaller design with practically no trade-offs. Despite its small size, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon comes with pretty much every feature you need in a productivity machine, making it the best business laptop money can buy. Thanks to a battery life of up to 15.5 hours, and a rapid charging feature that brings the battery back up to 80% capacity in only an hours, the X1 Carbon is an ultrabook that lets you keep on working while you're on the move. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tZi5wMEepRSLVJKjgUuiBf.jpg Huawei may not be the first name you think of when looking to buy a new business laptop - whereas Dell and Lenovo are two names you'd more likely associate with notebooks for work, but the Chinese company has proved to be an excellent laptop manufacturer with its new MateBook X Pro. It has a beautiful design that will get appreciative looks in the boardroom, it's light enough to carry around with you, and it has powerful components and excellent battery life. It's also one of the cheaper ultrabooks on the market. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/78fBdk9RQrtW25gBVXSE5J.jpg Believe it or not, Dell classifies the XPS 13 as a business laptop, albeit one that is geared towards a home office environment but businessmen (and women) will love the design. This ultraportable laptop – as Dell puts it – punches above its weight with Windows 10 Pro across the entire range as well as rather attractive pricing. This award winning laptop (it won best laptop of the year from us and many others) manages to pack a 13.3-inch display into the chassis of an average 11.6-inch model. It was also refreshed in 2018 with even better components, for a much improved business laptop experience. The laptop can be upgraded to 16GB of RAM and a 1TB M2 SSD drive. Battery life is exceptional as well with almost 22 hours of continual use when using productivity applications. In 2019, Dell has once again given the Dell XPS 13 a boost when it comes to components, and the webcam is now placed above the screen for better video calls, which helps make the Dell XPS 13 2019 once again one of the best business laptops money can buy. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vQjd3wsENRV7c9sTvV9wL7.jpg The 2018 model of the 13-inch Macbook Pro with Touch Bar is a brilliant upgrade to Apple's formidable laptop range, and it's one of the best business laptops money can buy. While Microsoft had the performance edge over last year's MacBook Pro, with the Surface Book 2, Apple has come out swinging with some seriously beefed up specs for the 13-inch MacBook Pro 2018. The 13-inch model can be configured with the latest Intel Core processors, all USB-C ports are not Thunderbolt 3, and you can have up to 16GB of RAM. If you want even more performance, the 15-inch version is worth considering, as it bumps the specs up even more. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kdQGHaZJydRxfr6S6CmxD.jpg The Lenovo Yoga C630 is hands-down the best Snapdragon-powered laptop ever made. Unlike other Windows laptops that run on Intel or AMD hardware, the Lenovo Yoga C630 runs on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 850 SoC. This is usually found in flagship smartphones, and it allows the Lenovo Yoga C630 to have some of the best smartphone features – but in a laptop. So, you get instant-on startup times and 4G connectivity. This makes it one of the best business laptops because it means you don't have to rely on Wi-Fi. You can be out almost anywhere, and as long as you have a 4G SIM installed, you can access the internet quickly and securely. The Lenovo Yoga C630 is also always connected, which means even when it is not being used, it's still connected to the internet. So, when you next turn it on, all your emails, messages and notifications will be there waiting for you. Best of all, it's got a phenomenal battery life of almost 24 hours. That means it can go several work days on a single charge. The only problem is that because it doesn't run on traditional hardware, not all applications are compatible. Hopefully that will change in the future, but if your business relies on a certain program, make sure it runs on Snapdragon or ARM hardware before you buy. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EMpEjszJgkmScGoUnkR9SA.jpg Lenovo took an existing form factor and refined it to deliver the new 2016-2017 ThinkPad E470. Powered by the 7th generation Intel Core processors, this particular SKU has a 14-inch FHD anti-glare display, powered by a discrete Nvidia Geforce 940MX 2GB GPU. Equipped with a spill resistant keyboard, a TrackPoint and a 3+2 buttons click pad, the E470 has more than enough ports and expansion capabilities to keep the average user happy. Shame that it doesn't do DisplayPort, so no 4K output. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z5qhWubbut2b2nKsFDTpp9.jpg We’ve been waiting years for a new MacBook Air, and it’s finally here. Now thinner, lighter and with a Retina display for the first time, it’s easily the best MacBook Air we’ve ever used, and it makes it one of the best business laptops in the world as well, thanks to its thin and light design, improved hardware for better performance (including 8th-generation processors, more RAM and faster SSDs) and affordable price. We just wish that these were full-fat U-series quad core chips, rather than the Y-series dual-core fanless processors. Still, this means that you’re going to easily get all-day battery out of this thing, which makes it one of the best Macs for travel. Read the full review: MacBook Air 2018 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PRh8ZNG2Nqg8awsaAgo8jT.jpg Last year’s Dell XPS 15 was already one of the best laptops you could buy, but now that Dell has taken the beautiful redesign of the Dell XPS 13 and applied it here – while also making it a convertible. This makes it easily one of the best business laptops money can buy in 2018. It looks fantastic, feels great to use and it packs one of those new Intel Kaby Lake G-series CPUs featuring ‘discrete-class’ Radeon graphics. This means that this laptop packs serious power – even if it can get a little loud. Read the full review: Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/j5eTi3NJsA6ujA7EieQtLN.jpg The Surface Book 2 (13.5-inch) is another entry from Microsoft in our best business laptop list, and it's worthy of its spot, as Microsoft has crafted one of the most powerful 2-in-1 laptops in the world. The Surface Book 2 has some powerful enough components to handle most day-to-day tasks, and even some light gaming and video editing if you go for a model with a dedicated graphics card. If you want a bigger screen, then there is also a 15-inch version of the Surface Book 2, which comes with more powerful components. Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Book 2 (13.5-inch) http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/A3JA8fjMHQYRurUZwVWR2K.jpg Chromebooks might not be the most obvious devices for business laptops, but the Asus Chromebook Flip proves that they can be excellent work tools. It comes with a full-fat Intel Core processor, full HD 1080p display and backlit keyboard. ChromeOS is now a more robust operating system with plenty of tools, and if you rely on web-based CMS or Google Docs to do your work, then the Asus Chromebook Flip is an affordable, well built and handy business laptop. Check out our laptop buying guide video below. Want more choices? Check out our list of the best laptop 2018http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/mOWUHTwAiqY

Welcome to our best business tablet roundup for 2019. We're well into the new year, and there's plenty of brilliant tablets that will help keep you productive on the go, without having to lug around one of the best laptops. While you might not think of tablets as an essential tool for your business needs, the best Android and Apple tablets for business use have a huge range of productivity apps that can be installed on them. Plus, let's not forget about the best Windows tablets either, as they’ll let you run any app or program you’d typically find on a traditional laptop. Add a Bluetooth keyboard, and you’ll be able to work comfortably on the best business tablets for hours on end. For the sake of clarity, we’ll only look at pure tablets, and detachables when it comes to convertibles. The best 2-in-1 laptops are too close to traditional laptops, as their keyboard can’t be totally detached. Also have a read of our guide on how to choose a tablet for workhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Jh9pK6YZEcn8QEhSPecmHF.jpg Microsoft’s Surface Pro lineup is often found at the top of our list for best business tablets, and the latest version – the Surface Pro 6 – is no different. This takes what we've loved from previous versions and refined it. So, it's not a revolutionary new tablet that does everything new, but a solid business tablet that does everything right. So, it's got that gorgeous design and build quality, plus a new black color option, plus some of the latest mobile tech crammed into its body. However, once again it doesn't include the Type Cover for turning it into a laptop-like device, nor the Surface Pen stylus, which is a bit mean considering the price. Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Pro 6 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/A3xtkjSuMAAprrynH2kFFE.jpg The iPad Pro 12.9 (2018) is the best business tablet if you want a large, vibrant screen, thanks to its huge 12.9-inch display and 2048 x 2732 resolution. It's a simply stunning tablet to look at and use, and it's ideal for creatives, as its large touchscreen makes for a fantastic canvas. It's got the power to back it up as well, with some of Apple's most powerful hardware inside. With its unrivaled processing power, massive display, snappy operating system, and the fact you can use it with the Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard, it's definitely a tablet you should consider for your business. The only issue is that it's expensive. Very expensive. Read our full review: iPad Pro 12.9 (2018) http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ccf6af0c8ebba491357b4e9675661a79.jpg The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet is probably one of the best designed convertible devices on the market, and one where engineers clearly had a great time building a slate that crams in so many features that it's hard to believe that the X1 is so thin and portable. It bears all the hallmarks of a signature ThinkPad device: the finish, the red colour scheme, the Trackpoint, the shape of the Accutype keys, everything down to the ThinkPad logo at the back. Aficionados will love it while others might balk at the price – this is vintage ThinkPad at its finest. Read the full review: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Tablet http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/84fe06ae5ba78d542bb301d88760e1d0.jpg A higher resolution screen, a thinner design and a move to Intel's more powerful Skylake processors all help to make this portable tablet a capable replacement for your laptop. Sadly, the Type Cover keyboard is still optional, but in reality it's a necessity for this laptop replacement; come on Microsoft, bundle it already. The good news with the Type Cover in this fourth iteration of the Surface Pro is that it’s much improved this time around. Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Pro 4 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/K2ZUKpz4MKqw68tspBe4ET.jpg Lenovo shows it is just as good at making 2-in-1 devices that are excellent business tablets with the Lenovo Miix 510, a follow up to the Miix 700 (yes, we know, confusing) with a new latest-gen Kaby Lake version of the Core i5 and a strong central pairing of 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD. It comes with a detachable keyboard and costs a lot less than Microsoft's Surface Pro line of business tablets, and for the most part it offers similar functionality. This is definitely a business tablet worth considering if your budget doesn't stretch to a Microsoft (or Apple) device. Read the full review: Lenovo Miix 510 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pjyDo7hLwToHVewGiRXXTi.jpg If you're looking for the best budget business tablet, then the Microsoft Surface Go should definitely be considered. It's thin, light, portable and elegant without sacrificing the ability to get some work done, and Microsoft has packed in everything they could in a device at a low price point. If you're often working while travelling, then it's a brilliant choice, thanks to its slimline design and reliable build quality that we've come to expect from Microsoft's Surface products. Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Go http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/b60c91bf644f53086a9742cdd63de2b9.jpg The Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 is one of the best Android tablets you can buy right now, and it proves that you don't need a tablet that runs Windows to be one of the best business tablets money can buy. It's stuffed full of power, has an excellent display and features an iPad-Pro rivaling S-Pen stylus and optional keyboard. The price tag could be a stumbling block, but if you're looking for the best Android has to offer in tablet form the Galaxy Tab S3 is the slate for you. Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/n7eQBwAUWJC5NCMsFLX4M5.jpg If you want the versatility that the Surface Pro offers, but don’t want to pay the exorbitant price that a competent model asks, you might want to check out the Acer Switch 5. You’ll lose a bit in screen resolution and sound quality, but you’re saving hundreds of dollars. The Acer Switch 5 is one of the best business tablets for any professional who need to get work done on the go, and save some cash at the same time. Read the full review: Acer Switch 5 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7fc3c4b08d4babf85923aa42d58e6350.jpg Asus threw down the gauntlet to Microsoft with the launch of the Transformer 3 Pro. The device, which is the only tablet we know of that comes with 16GB of RAM as standard, easily surpasses the Surface Pro 4 in terms of sheer value for money although Microsoft's flagship tablet remains the better known (and probably more trusted) of the two. Other than the standard keyboard, the Transformer also has a docking station, a stylus and even a trusted platform module (TPM) for improved security within an enterprise setting. Read the full review: Asus Transformer 3 Pro http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7eb1323a8cecccbdcc25fc9b34625d7e.jpg Just like the rest of the competition, HP took inspiration from Microsoft's playbook when building the Elite x2 1012, which clearly targets the business market. Like Fujitsu, HP made sure that its product was designed with enterprise users in mind. It is sturdy, undergoing a 12-point stress test, is very easy to upgrade and comes with a number of security features. There's an active pen and a keyboard, and our reviewer said that typing on the latter was "as comfortable as it is on a real notebook". Not everything about the design is perfect - such as the hinge - but overall this is a tempter with a great keyboard and screen. Read the full review: HP Elite x2 1012 G1 Chuong Nguyen, John McCann, Matt Hanson and Henry Casey also contributed to this article http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/Uy8mwqtwdPo

The co-founder of Alienware has left the the gaming PC company, and rumors suggest he’s taking charge of gaming at one of the biggest chip makers, AMD. After nearly 22 years with Alienware, Frank Azor said his goodbyes in an AlienwareArena post, reminiscing on the memories of helping to create the tentpole gaming PC manufacturer. Later, on Twitter, Azor said he’d be “taking a new opportunity to grow the gaming industry”. Alienware is behind some of the best gaming laptopsHere's everything you need to know about AMD Ryzen 3rd GenerationCheck out the best AMD processorsBut, where is Frank Azor going? Well, he might end up at AMD as Chief Gaming Officer, according to a rumor from Wccftech. Now, we don't know what that title means – or even if it's real – but because Frank Azor helped create one the brand behind some of the most iconic gaming PCs in the world, it doesn't seem unfeasible. We're not sure what to believe, but it would be yet another step in AMD's continued focus on gaming – as its chips are being used in both Xbox Project Scarlett and the PS5, not to mention streaming services like Google Stadia. Either way, if Frank Azor does indeed join AMD, we're interested to see what he does from within Team Red. Who knows, maybe he'll work on the next generation of AMD Navi? Here are the best graphics cards you can buy todayhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/MAFHGcA3CH8