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Showing posts from March, 2020

Here’s why the Houseparty hacking rumors are probably just a smear campaign

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Now is a pretty strange and desolate time, where people have been ordered to stay indoors for the foreseeable future to safeguard themselves as well as the society. Regardless of what the memes may suggest, the inherent human urge to socialize has slowly started to get to us, putting video calling services on a pedestal like never before. While there has never been a shortage of these applications, some have been able to claim a bigger pie of our life. One of the more prominent winners was Houseparty , a face to face social network where all interactions are based around video conferencing. It’s a pretty simple premise - you sign in into the app, connect your contacts or social accounts to find your friends, and initiate group calls to them alongside small games. You can also see which friends are online and available for conversations. This simplicity in what it offers has made it win many hearts over the past few weeks, with the number of downloads growing exponentially, with over

The best smartphone of 2020: Top smartphones in the UAE, Saudi and Middle East

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Our best smartphone list brings you the best phones available right now in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Middle East. If you already have your mobile OS alliance set you'll want to check out either our ranking of the best Android phone or best iPhone . If what's on offer in our best smartphone list is a little too pricey for your taste, then don't fear, as we've also got a list of the best cheap phones available right now. With the first quarter of 2020 behind us, we've already seen some impressive phone launches such as the Galaxy S20 series, the Oppo Find X2 Pro and the Huawei P40 series. While some of these phones are still being extensively tested by us, the Galaxy S20 series has found its place in our best phones roundup- though it might not be the one you expected. Best Android phone | Best iPhone | Best budget phone We know that it's not all about the high-cost, super spec phones all the time so we've made you a handy list of all

The cheapest active VR headset could be the perfect remote working tool

It’s been three years since Royole, a little known Chinese company, wowed crowds in Las Vegas with its groundbreaking all-in-one virtual reality (VR) headset, the Royole Moon. The device has some great features that could make it the perfect tool for remote working, and it's currently on clearance sale for just over USD 390 at AliExpress (roughly GBP 315/AUD 640). Two advanced AMOLED displays combine to produce a gigantic virtual 800-inch curved screen. The Moon displays content in Full HD 1080p resolution, at over 3,000 pixels per inch, with an ultra-high contrast ratio of 10,000:1 and a blisteringly fast image response rate of 60Hz. Check out our list of the best business VR headsets around We've curated the best video conferencing software of 2020 Here's our choice of the best business headphones and earphones on the market The Royale Moon features active noise cancellation, reducing external sound by 92% (or 22dB) and isolating wearers from their surrounding

Get fit in isolation with the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 and save AU$150

Fitness is being promoted everywhere from social media to news articles, and for good reason – exercise promotes healthy habits and is extremely beneficial for your mental health. If you’re wanting to jump on the bandwagon (or have already), you can track all those calories you’ve burnt with the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 and save a cool AU$150 all in one go! The Galaxy Watch Active 2 is the latest addition to Samsung's Tizen watch range - it’s slimmer, lighter, and arguably more comfortable than its predecessor and includes a rotating digital bezel. This quality smartwatch features a stunning 1.2-inch 360 x 360 display and is smaller compared to a lot of other smart-wearables out there, making it less clunky and more stylish.  In addition to this, Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 sports top-end fitness features with 39 workout modes, a heart rate and ECG sensor, and a health app with stress and sleep monitoring. With the discount applied, this is an incredible deal on a top-o

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered out now on PS4

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Yesterday, we reported on a leak which stated that a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 remaster was on the eve of release , and that has now been proven entirely accurate, with the game now officially available to download from the PlayStation Network. While the game is only available on PS4 for the time being, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered will also arrive on PC and Xbox One on April 30. The best PS4 prices, bundles and sales Call of Duty: Modern Warfare now has a bloodthirsty Tamagotchi Call of Duty Modern Warfare drops slew of free maps, weapons, and modes Predictably, the remaster boasts a number of visual enhancements, such as HDR support and resolutions of up to 4K on consoles, while the PC version will be fully optimized, offering uncapped framerates and ultra-wide monitor support. "No Russian." As the name would suggest, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Campaign Remastered will only include the single-player portion of the beloved game. Thankf

Apple buys Dark Sky weather app and shuts down the Android version

Dark Sky for iOS is one of the most popular weather apps available, and Apple has clearly taken notice, because now the tech giant has officially acquired the “hyperlocal” weather app. Compared with other contenders in the same category, Dark Sky is noted for having more granular detail on the weather at a user’s actual location, offering “down-to-the-minute forecasts” via a pleasing user interface. Best iPhone weather apps Best iPad weather apps Best Apple Watch weather apps News of the acquisition was announced via a blog post from the app developers which also outlined the key changes that the purchase will bring. Most notably among them will be the discontinuation of the Android and Wear OS version of the Dark Sky apps. “The app will no longer be available for download. Service to existing users and subscribers will continue until July 1, 2020, at which point the app will be shut down. Subscribers who are still active at that time will receive a refund.” For those looki

Upgrade to Business Class with HP, AMD and Microsoft - the perfect team

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The HP Probook range packs some great design and features at an attractive price point. And that’s more true than ever in the ProBook 445r G6 which packs the latest Ryzen 5 3500U APU with Microsoft Windows 10 Pro. Available for preorder from Ebuyer from only £458 excluding VAT , this is a laptop made for SMB, providing business-class features that will boost productivity and efficiency, while keeping micro businesses agile and mobile. At the heart of the 445r is AMD’s fastest mobile APU (Application Processing Unit), the second generation Ryzen 5 3500U which combines four CPU cores and Radeon Vega 8 integrated graphics. This translates into a smoother performance when handling different applications at the same time. Editing a presentation while doing a video conference for example will no longer mean a stuttering session. There’s 8GB of system memory - with a free memory slot for an easy upgrade route to 32GB RAM, a fast 256GB PCIe NVMe SSD and a large, flicker-free 15.6-inch IP

Best email hosting providers of 2020

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Email hosting is much like web hosting services. Getting hold of an email account is easy – sign up with an ISP, register with Google, buy a web hosting account – but free and standard packages won't always deliver the quality that professional users need. Email hosting plans are an easy way to get a more efficient and reliable service. Exactly what's included depends on the provider, but you might get support for larger attachments (up to 50MB), 50GB or more storage space for your inbox, online storage for easy file sharing, bundled apps like Microsoft Office online, Exchange and Active Directory support for business users – not to mention 24/7 support if anything goes wrong. Your email will work with a custom domain (address@yoursite.com), and it's typically straightforward to set up. You can use an email hosting plan to effectively replace your web host's service, or you can try one without having any hosting at all. With quality services priced under $1 per mon

Windows 10 bug that broke internet connectivity gets patched – here’s how to install the fix

Windows 10 has got a fix for the nasty bug that’s disrupting the internet connection of some folks trying to work from home, which is obviously less than ideal given the Covid-19 outbreak, and the large numbers of people trying to do just that because they’re on lockdown. As we recently reported, this problem was caused by a previous cumulative update for Windows 10 , which broke internet connectivity in some cases, preventing important apps like Office 365 or Microsoft Teams (and many more besides) from getting online. Windows 10 sucks – can Linux save us all? How to use Windows 10 Check out the  best Windows 10 deals Affected users are those running a VPN (or proxy) who might experience net connectivity issues with some applications (or the system may indicate there’s no internet connection, even if there actually is – a more minor glitch where connectivity isn’t actually disrupted). Of course, this is a much bigger problem than normal right now, given that many more people

Huawei P40 contains some US components

The recently-launched Huawei P40 smartphone is powered by a number of US components despite a government ban on companies from the country doing business with the Chinese mobile giant. Last year, the US Department of Commerce effectively blacklisted Huawei on national security grounds. Huawei has denied any allegations of wrongdoing but nonetheless was barred from access to important technologies such as chips and the Android mobile operating system. What is 5G ? Everything you need to know US has ' no evidence'  for Huawei claims Huawei CEO says  firm's own OS will be faster than iOS and Android Huawei P40 teardown The P40 is the first major flagship to be affected by the ban and offers an insight into how the restrictions are affecting the company. A teardown by the FT found that although Huawei has made significant progress on reducing its dependency on US components, several modules have found their way into the device. The company already produces its own p

iPhone 9 release date, price, news, leaks and everything we need to know

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The iPhone 9 looks set to launch in the near future, finally bringing a new cheap iPhone that many have been waiting for since the iPhone SE was unveiled back in 2016. However, where the previous budget model from Apple was designed for those that love a smaller phone, the new iPhone 9 (or maybe iPhone SE 2) looks set to be larger, aping the design first used on the iPhone 6 . There may even be an iPhone 9 Plus. While the cheaper iPhone 9 is likely to be popular in most countries, Apple will likely be bringing this out to also service more emerging markets, where cheaper phones sell well. These territories might have been able to buy the older iPhone 8 , but offering a 'new' iPhone to them will have significant marketing power. The new, lower-cost handset from Apple was originally expected to launch in March, but it wasn't unveiled alongside the iPad Pro 2020 or New MacBook Air .  We're still waiting on more information regarding the iPhone 9, but we've heard

Apple Watch 6 looks set to track sleep, but watchOS 7 may not work with your watch

Consistent leaks and rumors have suggested the Apple Watch 6 is set to come with sleep tracking and blood oxygen monitoring features, and it seems those two features may come to other smartwatches too. According to trusted sources speaking to The Verifier , watchOS 7 and the Apple Watch 6 is where we'll see the new features debut. That means these features may also be available on your current Apple Watch, when the software rolls out. That won't be the case for much older devices though. This report says the Apple Watch 3 and above will get access to the new tools, suggesting the Apple Watch 2 , Apple Watch Series 1 or the original device won't be compatible with watchOS 7. Our full guide to the Apple Watch Our Apple Watch 5 review The very best smartwatches money can buy A blood oxygen monitor has been included on the Apple Watch in its various iterations in the past, but the feature has yet to be turned on or made usable. It seems that may change in watchOS 7.

HomePod 2 and new Apple TV on course for 2020 release date

The world may be coming to terms with new social isolation orders to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but some companies are taking to it like ducks to water – iPhone maker Apple among them. According to a new report from Bloomberg , Apple employees, despite now working remotely, are going full steam ahead to get the company's 2020 slate of products into the hands of consumers, despite the disruption to their usual working practices. From new iPhones to iPads, new iMac to new MacBooks, the perennials are all accounted for. But perhaps more interestingly, the report suggests that 2020 will see the debut of a HomePod 2 smart speaker and a new Apple TV set-top box – the oft-overlooked members of the Apple hardware family. Best smart speakers : from HomePod to Amazon Alexa HomePod 2 : everything we know about Apple's next smart speaker New Apple TV: what we want to see Soon to be revealed? While the details of each product of course remain shrouded in secrecy, th

One of the anticipated OnePlus 8 phones might be absent at the launch event

The OnePlus 8 series launch event is happening on April 14 , and while we were expecting three phones to be launched (the base handset with a Lite and Pro variant), it seems that may not be the case. No, according to multiple reliable leakers the OnePlus 8 Lite isn't to be unveiled on April 14. Instead it will apparently land later, and with a different name. Firstly, Max Weinbach stated that the OnePlus 8 Lite would actually be called the OnePlus Z, as a spiritual successor to the OnePlus X from 2015 which was a budget alternative to the OnePlus 2 . This handset would likely be for fans who are put off by the fact that OnePlus phones are slowly getting more and more pricey. These are the best OnePlus phones And these are the top cheap phones What do we know about the iPhone 12 ? Oppo, a phone company owned by the same parent company as OnePlus, took a similar route in expanding its Oppo Reno series with the Oppo Reno Z , and Apple is rumored to be doing the same with t