The Samsung Galaxy S10 comes in half a dozen colors, and here they are

Samsung has officially unveiled its next flagship phone, the Galaxy S10, and it packs top-tier specs and cutting-edge features. As folks line up to buy the year’s first huge Android phone, they’ll have a choice to make: what color will you pick?

There’s a plethora of hues to choose from, but as always, availability may vary depending on where you’re shopping. US consumers, for example, won’t be able to pick up the Galaxy S10 in the Prism Green or Canary Yellow colors. 

Of course, there’s no difference in performance between the colors - it’s just how you’d like your phone to look. Though people might be more impressed with two hues coming only to high-specced versions of the Galaxy S10 Plus, Ceramic White and Ceramic Black, so phone wonks in the know may give you a bit more respect.

But there’s plenty of power to go around in the standard Galaxy S10 and its plethora of color choices.

Image credit: TechRadar

 Samsung Galaxy S10 in Prism Black

The first Galaxy S10 color is Prism Black, your standard dark shade that looks more like a matte slate than, say, solid black. Expect this to be a popular choice, as always.

Of course, since the phone has its signature glossy glass back, some shine and shimmer will make this more eye- and light-catching.

Image credit: TechRadar

 Samsung Galaxy S10 in Prism Blue

Prism Blue is the demure color choice of the lot. Who doesn’t like blue? This hue isn’t bright, veering toward a darker, near-denim shade of the cool color. 

This is the hue for folks who want a bit more originality than standard black but aren’t ready for more. It also seems to be available in most markets.

Technically, the Samsung Galaxy S10e, but colors are identical across the line (Image credit: TechRadar)

 Samsung Galaxy S10 in Prism White

Prism White is the outstanding member of the pack, with a pearlescent sheen that seems to reflect different colors depending on the angle it’s held. Combine that with the Galaxy S10 line’s glossy glass back and the color looks like it came from the inside of a mollusk.

In other words, don’t expect plain, bright, flat white. 

Image credit: Samsung

 Samsung Galaxy S10 in Flamingo Pink

The Galaxy S10’s razzy option this year is Flamingo Pink, which is a more vibrant pastel hue than Google Pixel 3’s Not Pink or any of Apple’s Rose Gold colors. This is bold without being bright, and it’s a nice signature look. 

At a press briefing, a Samsung rep noted that Flamingo Pink was the Pantone Color of the Year. While that sounds like marketing jabber, it’s a blessing to finally have phones move beyond the hues we’ve been settling for - your black, white, blue and gold standbys. 

This is a Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus, but colors are identical across the line (Image credit: TechRadar)

 Samsung Galaxy S10 in Prism Green

The first international hue for the Galaxy S10 is a striking green. Like the blue hue, this one is darker and a bit deeper - more of an emerald than something you’d find on a rubber ball.

Sadly, don’t expect this to come to the US.

This is a Samsung Galaxy S10e, but colors are identical across the S10 line (Image credit: TechRadar)

 Samsung Galaxy S10 in Canary Yellow 

The Galaxy S10’s yellow option is a surprisingly bright choice for a flagship. Canary Yellow is your standout bright option, looking for all the world like the yellow from a cartoon banana.

Once again, US customers won’t be able to pick this one up.

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Amazon Prime Day 2020 in Australia: the deals to expect and the new September date

UPDATE: Credible reports suggest Amazon will likely delay Prime Day 2020 back by a further month to September, but official word is yet to arrive. We've updated our original article to reflect the possibility of a further postponement from August.

Prime Day may have arrived late to Aussie shores but it was a great time for it to kick off in 2018. It launched in Australia just when Amazon started to increase the duration of the major sale event from a mere 24 hours to much, much longer. And that meant, in 2019, we got a shopping spree that lasted a whopping 65 hours – starting on schedule at midnight on July 15 and ending only when it did on the US West Coast.

Across the almost-three days of Prime Day last year, over 340,000 Aussies visited Amazon per day, with 40,000 of them making purchases. If that’s the kind of traffic Amazon can handle, we won’t be surprised if the e-commerce giant ups the ante in 2020.

However, there are some doubts about Amazon Prime Day 2020. While we're not expecting the event to be cancelled outright, an earlier Reuters report suggested the avalanche of deals would likely arrive in August. However, a credible sources have told the Wall Street Journal that the date could be pushed further to September, giving Amazon time to steady itself from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Having the Prime Day date in September could allow extra time for economies to recover and buying habits to return to normal, yet not ride into Black Friday 2020 deals territory, another invented online shopping period that Amazon heavily relies on. Likewise, manufacturers need something like Prime Day to start making money again. Many goods are sitting in warehouses while essential goods were prioritised during lockdown. No one wants to wait until Black Friday.

Even if the Amazon Prime Day 2020 date is in September, we have a lot of questions: on what date or dates will it happen? What Prime Day sales are expected this year? Should you buy on Prime Day or wait until Black Friday?

We're here to help answer those questions while official details are still in the offing..

Leading the raft of deals during Prime Day 2020 will be Amazon’s own products, including all the Echo and Kindle products, not to mention Ring security devices. Amazon is also one of the most convenient places to score a discount on the Oculus VR headsets and, now, lay your hands on official stock of Samsung devices, Xiaomi phones and Instant Pots.

What is Amazon Prime Day?

Amazon Prime Day began in the US in 2015 as a celebration of the company’s 20th anniversary, with more deals on offer than Black Friday back then. Today, Prime Day is Amazon’s mid-year sales event where members of Amazon Prime get exclusive discounts on a wide range of items. While it began as a one-day sale, 2018 saw the offers last for 36 hours, while 2019 saw a recording-breaking 65-hour event for shoppers in Australia.

Why does Amazon have Prime Day? It's presented as a neat ‘thank you’ to its paying members, but one that involves giving Amazon more money and shifting a lot of stock at the same time.

Prime Day isn’t just about selling Amazon-branded products – many other brands and third-party sellers also save their best deals for Prime Day, completely aware that thousands of extra shoppers will be hitting the online store.

To make the most of Prime Day you’ll need to get yourself an Amazon Prime membership which, in Australia, will set you back just AU$6.99 a month or AU$59 a year – half the cost of the US subscription. While you’re paying for the privilege of free, swift delivery (although that’s currently being slowed down to make space for the essential items people are ordering), signing up for Prime means you’ll also have free access to Amazon’s streaming services, including Prime Video, Prime Music and Twitch. Members also get free access to Prime Reading and Prime Photos for all their ebook and storage needs.

When is Amazon Prime Day 2020?

Amazon hasn’t confirmed the date for this year’s big sale event, but Prime Day has never been pushed beyond July before. That said, the current coronavirus pandemic has made things a little uncertain. Amazon is already struggling to cope with online shopping demands in most markets, Australia included, so scheduling Prime Day as per tradition in July again may be difficult. 

While an earlier report suggested Prime Day 2020 would be in August, the official date seems to have now been pushed by another month to some time in September. However, no one knows the specific date or, more likely, dates. Well, maybe Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos knows.

Last year's Prime Day deals lasted 65 hours for shoppers Down Under, and we expect something similar in 2020. Amazon has historically picked a Monday to start the deals and Prime Day usually runs through Tuesday (with a possible extension corresponding to the time the big sale ends over on the US West Coast).

If September is indeed the month, that leaves one of four choices for the start of Prime Day 2020: 
Monday, September 7, 2020
Monday, September 14, 2020
Monday, September 21, 2020
Monday September 28, 2020

As soon as we catch wind of the Prime Day 2020 date, we'll be sure to update this page so you can prepare your Amazon wish list.

How long will Prime Day 2020 last?

Well, it's hard to say with any degree of certainty, and in light of the recent rumours of Prime Day 2020 moving back in the year it could be even longer than expected. Prime Day a few years ago was only that, a day, but in 2018 it moved to 36 hours, and last year was a whopping 65 hours of deals for Aussies.

We're fully expecting Amazon to move to a Prime Week any year now, and with a rumoured AU$100 million worth of devices that will need to be shifted thanks to the delay, it could well be this year. That said, we can't see Amazon reducing the amount of time Prime Day lasts for, so expect Prime Day 2020 to last at least 65 hours this year, if not longer.

Are Prime Day deals competitive?

Amazon has a plethora of offers on its site each day and those are usually some of the best prices you can find on consumer tech. Whether you’re after a Samsung Note 10 or a Philips Hue smart lighting system, chances are you’ll get them cheaper on Amazon than any other Aussie retailer. It’s even more the case with Prime Day deals. 

You can easily score about 35% off on Amazon’s own devices during Prime Day which, for the rest of the year probably don’t drop more than 28% or thereabouts. If you’ve managed to score a $500 discount on Samsung or Huawei devices during one of Amazon’s regular deals, then it’s highly likely that the discount will be much deeper come Prime Day. It’s the perfect time to snag a Nintendo Switch or find the lowest prices on the best premium headphones – cheaper than any other retailer who will likely be scrambling to price-match.

What were people searching for on Amazon Prime Day 2019?

According to analytics experts Hitwise, Amazon saw an increase in traffic across all major categories on the Australian site, with the Electronics & Computing showing a 359% growth in reach between 2018 and 2019, with Amazon-branded items being the most popular products on the site, followed closely by the Nintendo Switch. There were nearly 100,000 page views for all NIntendo-branded items, including consoles and games. 

With Samsung now having partnered with Amazon to sell its products on the e-commerce platform in Australia, it was no surprise that the South Korean brand clocked up over 95,000 pageviews during Prime Day 2019.

The other big winners in Australia included Sony, Sandisk, Corsair and Philips.

What to expect from Prime Day 2020

We’re not expecting shopping trends during Amazon Prime Day 2020 to change very much. The Nintendo Switch is still going to disappear within minutes of being discounted, and this could happen to the Switch Lite too if you aren’t quick enough.

Of course, Amazon’s Echo devices will likely be flying off the shelves like before, and we’ll still see the Paperwhite beating out the other Kindles in terms of sales. You can even expect to pocket some decent savings on Ring’s range of security devices, including the Doorbells and the cameras.

Premium headphones have been very popular on Amazon over the last couple of years and 2020 will likely see that continue, particularly for Sony and Bose headphones. With the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 one of the more expensive ANC cans on the market, Prime Day will be a great time to get a set for less.

With more TVs available on Amazon Australia now, we think Prime Day 2020 would be an ideal time to upgrade your home entertainment system, especially if you’re in the market for a good 4K smart telly.

It will also be a good time to get yourself a new fitness wearable, be it from Garmin’s very premium GPS sports watch range or more affordable options from Fitbit. Likewise, cameras and drones will see a price drop, too, so keep that credit card handy.

How to shop on Prime Day in 2020

1. Check out our deals predictions and, eventually our Prime Day deals list

There are also too many deals available on Prime Day. It's never a problem finding discounts, it's always an issue of figuring out what deals are worth your money. That's why we always set up a curated list during the sales marathon. 

We spent some good time last Black Friday thinking about smart ways to shop on Amazon – they're still some great Prime Day tips and tricks.

2. Amazon Prime Day has historically required being a Prime member, so be sure to have a subscription on Prime Day

Amazon started Prime Day as a clever way to drive up its Prime subscription count, and this online shopping marathon – conveniently opposite Black Friday – accomplished just that. 

You'll need to sign up for Prime (you can get a free 30-day trial), which comes with free shipping and Prime Video access, among other smaller perks.

3. Create a wish list to curate what you want, as there will be loads of deals

You're also going to want to create a wish list ahead of time, which will let you sort out what you want and how much everything costs. This will give you a head start. You'll be able to see which deals dropped in price and which did not. 

4. Snap up the best Prime Day 2020 deals before they're gone

We often find the best deals to go in a matter of minutes, at which time Amazon rolls out a waitlist for those who were just behind the curve.

Prime Day: why does it matter more to Amazon?

There are some crucial differences between Prime Day and Black Friday. The first is that Prime Day is Amazon’s own day. It’s right there in the name which, of course, refers to Amazon’s Prime membership program and associated services. Amazon doesn’t own Black Friday, and that means ultimately it’s just another retailer shouting for attention – a massive retailer with a really loud voice. Black Friday is a sales event for the entire retail sector. With Prime Day as its own take on November sale period, it makes it much harder for rivals to muscle in on something that Amazon has effectively created from thin air.

The second and more important difference is that Black Friday doesn’t create new spending. It just moves it slightly. As we’ve discovered in recent years, the money people spend over the Black Friday period is money they were probably going to spend anyway: all Black Friday really does is concentrates pre-Christmas shopping in the last week of November. 

Prime Day spending is different in two ways. First of all, people aren’t spending the money they’d already planned to spend on Christmas presents. And secondly, they’re buying mainly for themselves, not for others.

There’s another key benefit for Amazon. Its global bestsellers on Prime Day weren’t just Amazon devices; they were Amazon devices that connect to Amazon services. Fire TVs, Kindle Fires, Echo devices, Alexa remotes. Each one of them connecting to Amazon Prime, and each one of them requiring a Prime membership to buy in the first place. So when Black Friday rolls around, Amazon will have a whole bunch of Prime members for whom shopping on Prime is the default, and who might want to enhance their Amazon-powered smart homes with Amazon-branded Black Friday deals.

Prime Day means that, for Amazon, Christmas now comes twice a year.

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All the phones you can use on AT&T 5G

While all carriers have been excited about 5G networks, AT&T went a bit overboard by rebranding its advanced 4G tech (delivering ‘5G-equivalent speeds’ via millimeter wave) as the misleading “5GE” (for 5G Evolution), which led Sprint to sue AT&T. 

In any case, the latter carrier does have plans to implement true sub-6 GHz 5G across its network this year – so what phones will you be able to use on it?

Per a press release, AT&T planned to roll out 5G in 12 smaller cities by the end of 2018: Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C. Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Fla., Louisville, Ky., Oklahoma City, New Orleans, Raleigh, N.C., San Antonio and Waco, Texas. 

In the first half of 2019, the carrier expects to expand this to nine cities in large markets: Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville, Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose, Calif. Two more cities, Minneapolis and Chicago, have been added to this year’s list. By early 2020, the company hopes to reach nationwide 5G coverage in North America.

While AT&T has been pretty quiet about which phones will work on its 5G networks – and when those networks will go live, exactly – but here are your options when they do.

 Samsung Galaxy Fold 

Shortly after introducing the Samsung Galaxy Fold, the phonemaker announced it would launch on two carriers in Q2 2019: T-Mobile and AT&T. That’s a serious feather in AT&T’s cap for customers who want to get in on one of the first foldable phones on the market, which has a release date of April 26 in the US and May 3 in Europe - assumedly, they’ll be available then on AT&T.

The Galaxy Fold is big, powerful, and pricey, expecting to retail for $1,980 (€2,000, about £1,492, AU$2,789). Clamped shut in phone mode, the device has a modest yet functional 4.6-inch screen for you to fiddle with (and very thick bezel to the phone’s edges, but hey, the format is new). Unfold the device completely and its inside display stretches to a QHD+ 7.3-inch screen.

Unsurprisingly for a Samsung device, the Galaxy Fold sports a Snapdragon 855 chip, but the rest of its specs far outpace most of the Galaxy S10 flagship line announced at the same time. Who knows how much the foldable really needs the 12GB of RAM to function, but its 512GB of storage is certainly welcome. 

The Galaxy Fold also outpaces all other flagships with an unprecedented (and extreme) six cameras: one above the 4.6-inch screen that usable when it’s folded into “phone mode,” two front-facing cameras poking out above the unfolded 7.3-inch ‘innie’ screen, and the same triple rear cameras (12MP wide, 16MP ultra-wide, 12MP telephoto) appearing on the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10 Plus. 

 Samsung Galaxy S10 5G (probably) 

At the end of 2018, AT&T announced that its 5G network would support not one, but two unspecified Samsung devices. The second is very likely the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G – especially since all the other major carriers will have it, too.

If AT&T is indeed planning to carry the Galaxy S10 5G, it will have a monster phone to peddle. The smartphone will pack everything its coming-sooner siblings have...and more. Its Snapdragon 855 chipset will be the fastest on the market, paired with a huge 6.7-inch AMOLED display, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. 

It will also have the same trio of rear lenses (12MP wide, 16MP ultra-wide and 12MP telephoto) as the S10 and S10 Plus, as well as a time of flight sensor to measure depth. Want depth-sensing selfies? There’s a TOF sensor on the front, too.

How much will it cost? We don’t know yet, but given the S10 Plus starts at $999 / £899 (about AU$1,398) with lower RAM and storage, the 5G version is expected to be priced higher. But the phone doesn't have a release date, and AT&T hasn't confirmed it will support the phone anyway, so stay tuned.

Image credit: AT&T

Netgear Nighthawk 5G Mobile hub 

AT&T first boasted it achieved millimeter wave 5G mobile with the Netgear Nighthawk 5G Mobile hotspot back in October. While this isn’t a phone, the mobile hub will be an AT&T-exclusive for users to hook up to on the go. 

The Nighthawk 5G Mobile packs the impressive Snapdragon 855 and will reportedly retail for $499. Customers will be able to pick up a 5G data plan giving 15GB for $70/month, according to Ars Technica. AT&T hasn’t announced when it the device will be available, but prior coverage asserted it’s coming sometime in spring 2019. 

  •  MWC (Mobile World Congress) is the world’s largest showcase for the mobile industry, stuffed full of the newest phones, tablets, wearables and more. TechRadar is reporting live from Barcelona all week to bring you the very latest from the show floor. Head to our dedicated MWC 2019 hub to see all the new releases, along with TechRadar’s world-class analysis and buying advice about your next phone.  
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If Disney controls Hulu, the streaming service could go global

A new report suggests Disney is considering an investment in Hulu, the US-only streaming TV and movie service. If the report is correct and the investment materializes, it could allow Disney CEO Bob Iger to follow through on his plan to roll out the streaming service out to the rest of the world. 

But, before you cancel your Netflix subscription, a few things need to happen – starting with any proof of the report of Disney buying AT&T’s stake in Hulu being true.

Right now, AT&T and its subsidiary Warner Media own around 10% of the streaming service, but Variety broke the news that it is looking to sell that to the House of Mouse for a potentially large sum of money (around $930 million). 

That money would theoretically help pay down AT&T’s reportedly staggering business debt of around $183 billion (£138 billion, AU$258 billion) – and, more importantly, give Disney a sizable 40% stake in Hulu. (Disney already owns 30% of the service.)

On its own, that wouldn’t give Disney enough leverage to control the future of Hulu. But add in the additional 30% ownership share Disney will own after it acquires 21st Century Fox, and Disney could feasibly own 70% of the streaming service. 

Disney could own Hulu, so what? 

This is where things get interesting. During an investment call held in November, Disney CEO Bob Iger was asked about its investment in Hulu, particularly what he would do after the sale of 21st Century Fox was approved.

Iger’s response included making larger investments on the content side and a potential global expansion for the streaming service. 

“After the deal closes and after we have the 60% ownership, we’ll meet with the Hulu management team and the board, and discuss what the opportunities are in terms of both global growth and investing more in content,” Iger said. “But that’s something that we have to do after the deal closes.”

While it’s hard to predict exactly what Disney will do when it finally owns a majority stake in Hulu - and how that might work in tandem with or against its own streaming service – it seems very likely that a global rollout could be in the works.

  • Don’t forget about Disney’s other new streaming service, Disney+
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Huawei MateBook 14 vs Huawei MateBook X Pro: which laptop is best for you?

During MWC 2019, Huawei announced not one, but two fresh laptops for 2019: a refresh of the Huawei MateBook X Pro and the brand-new Huawei MateBook 14. However, looking at the two laptops’ spec sheets, they’re nearly identical – save for some key differences.

Naturally, these differences lead to some even more important differences: price. Depending on what you’re looking for from a luxury laptop, you could either get shortchanged by some missing features or end up severely overspending.

While all of the pricing we have available at the time of writing is in Euros, we expect these general differences in pricing between models to largely translate across regions. So, here’s a primer for both the brand-new Huawei MateBook 14 and refreshed MateBook X Pro for 2019.

Huawei MateBook 14 vs Huawei MateBook X Pro

The Huawei MateBook X Pro's keyboard webcam.

Design 

Luckily, this is likely to the be the easiest part of this decision, as both laptops are nearly identical in shape, size, look and feel. Both laptops come in your choice of “Mystic Silver” or “Space Gray” colors, and both feature aluminum shells.

However, while the MateBook X Pro is built from a single piece of aluminum for each half of the chassis, the MateBook 14’s base is split between aluminum on the keyboard deck and a less-premium material for the base plate. Similarly, the touchpad on the MateBook X Pro is comprised of glass, whereas the MateBook 14 touchpad is smoothed plastic.

Luckily, both versions of the laptop feature Huawei’s fingerprint power button.

It should be obvious that the MateBook 14 is the thicker and heavier of the two laptops, sitting at 3.37 pounds (1.53kg) and 0.63 inches (15.9mm). The MateBook X Pro, being Huawei’s utmost premium laptop, comes in at just 2.93 pounds (1.33kg) and 0.57 inches (14.6mm).

However, as you will soon learn, those differences will be all but negligible once you see what’s inside these two laptops.

Huawei MateBook 14 vs Huawei MateBook X Pro

The Huawei MateBook 14 in Mystic Silver.

Display 

Looking at them side-by-side, you might have trouble telling the difference between these two laptops’ displays. After all, both are in a 3:2 aspect ratio, have super-thin bezels and offer touch controls (at the high end, in the MateBook 14’s case). But, there are unique facets to both, some that will affect your purchase decision.

The Huawei MateBook 14 uses a strictly 14-inch display with a 2K (2,160 x 1,440) resolution that amounts to 185 pixels per inch (ppi). The screen puts out up to 300 nits of brightness, sports a 1,000:1 contrast ratio and produces 100% of the sRGB color gamut.

Meanwhile, the MateBook X Pro’s display remains largely unchanged year-over-year, being a 13.9-inch panel with a ‘3K’ (3,000 x 2,000) resolution amounting to 260 ppi. All around, this is a better display than the MateBook 14 screen, with a deeper 1,500:1 contrast ratio and higher brightness rating of 450 nits while matching the color gamut.

It’s obviously clear which display is best here, but keep in mind exactly what you’re getting out of those improved visuals – and whether you even need them.

Huawei MateBook 14 vs Huawei MateBook X Pro

The Huawei MateBook X Pro's smartphone connectivity features at work.

Performance and battery life 

This is where things get interesting because, between all of the available configurations for either model, these laptops will ultimately offer about the same level of performance. That’s because you can configure either laptop with the exact same parts inside.

Both laptops start with the 8th-generation Intel Core i5-8265U processor, 8GB of memory and the Nvidia GeForce MX250 graphics processor, while the MateBook 14 and MateBook X Pro start with 256GB and 512GB of SSD space, respectively. 

From there, either laptop can be upgraded to house the Core i7-8565U processor and up to 16GB of memory. Beyond this, only the MateBook X Pro can be upgraded to as much as 1TB of storage.

So, it will be safe to expect similar levels of performance from both laptops. In fact, unless Huawei used a higher-wattage version of the MX250 in the MateBook X Pro, the extra pixels in its display will almost certainly introduce additional overhead and reduce the GPU’s effectiveness.

It’s important to note, however, that the MateBook X Pro will be able to make more use of these components in one important way: connectivity. The MateBook 14 has one USB-C 3.1 port, one USB 3.0 port, one USB 2.0 port and an HDMI port. 

These all help make the MateBook 14 ultimately compatible and versatile, but don’t tap into the laptop’s power as much as the MateBook X Pro’s ports can. This is because of Thunderbolt 3, currently the fastest kind of USB-C port with data transfer rates of up to 40Gbps. Depending on the kind of user you are, that speed could come in awful handy.

Otherwise, your experience using a similarly configured MateBook 14 and MateBook X Pro will likely be largely the same, save for niceties such as screen sharpness and how quickly you can throw large files onto a flash drive. 

However, know that the MateBook 14 is rated for 14 hours of battery life under general use, while the MateBook X Pro can achieve just 12 in comparison. Given that both laptops have the same battery capacity, this is easily chalked up to the increased pixel density of the MateBook X Pro display.

Huawei MateBook 14 vs Huawei MateBook X Pro

A view of the MateBook 14's Type-A USB ports.

Price 

While we only have European Union pricing to go off of, these prices are plenty telling as to how they’ll be positioned worldwide. (Unless configurations change drastically, which is highly unlikely.) Here’s how all of the configurations break down at a basic level: 

  • Huawei MateBook 14 ((i5/ 8GB RAM/ 256GB SSD/ MX250): €1,199 
  • Huawei MateBook 14 (i7/ 16GB RAM/ 512GB SSD/ MX250/ Touch): €1,499 
  • Huawei MateBook X Pro (i5/ 8GB RAM/ 512GB SSD/ MX250/ Touch): €1,599 
  • Huawei MateBook X Pro (i7/ 16GB RAM/ 1TB SSD/ MX250/ Touch): €1,999 

If you look closely, you’ll notice that you can get functionally the same laptop in the MateBook 14 as the MateBook X Pro for a whopping €400 less. Likewise, you can get a majority of the souped-up MateBook X Pro’s improvements within the MateBook 14 – touchscreen included.

Of course, you’re missing out on Thunderbolt 3 connectivity and a massively sharp screen in either case. But, you’re also gaining up to two hours of battery life, should you go with the MateBook 14.

Huawei MateBook 14 vs Huawei MateBook X Pro

The Huawei MateBook X Pro

Takeaway 

At first, it’s easy to see the extreme similarities in Huawei’s two new laptops to be perhaps uninspired and cynical. After all, certain companies known for all-aluminum products are also known for intentionally confusing their customers into buying things they don’t need.

But, here, Huawei is allowing customers to save money on features or niceties they don’t need or even want on their computer to get the same power that its highest-end laptop provides.

So, if you don’t find yourself making much use of Thunderbolt 3 ports or gobs of SSD space, or don’t need quite that sharp of a screen, then save yourself a ton of money with the MateBook 14 and have largely the same experience. If you need any of those features that badly, then it’s going to cost you.

Images Credit: TechRadar

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Tetris 99 and the best free Nintendo Switch games

With over 1,000 games on the Nintendo Switch, there can be a daunting amount of titles to choose from - and often more than your poor wallet can handle. So where better to start than with some free games.

But, with just over 25 games that are actually free to play on the Switch, there’s considerably less garbage to sift through compared to say the smartphone market. Indeed, many either have pretty pristine production values or won't insidiously ask you to cough up cash every other minute, and we daresay a few stand out as some of the best games on the system, period. Who says the best things in life aren’t free?

From battle royales to MOBAs to a surprise RPG, we’ve rounded up a list of the best free Nintendo Switch games you can play right now.

Fortnite

Fortnite

Image credit: Epic Games

The biggest gaming phenomenon in the world, Fortnite needs no introduction. This battle royale sees 100 players dropping onto an island where you'll to fight to the death alone, in pairs, groups or in an epic 50 vs 50. 

Its vibrant, wacky personality makes it a great fit for Switch, while all the hidden challenges and building mechanics make it more than just a game about running around killing people.

While forking out for a Battle Pass nets you the coolest cosmetics and silly dances,  each new season of free content is constantly reshaping the island and bringing fresh surprises. Even better, its new Creative mode is also free.

Warframe

Warframe

Image credit: Digital Extremes

A super-fast and slick PvE game whether you’re playing solo or with friends, Warframe is one of those Switch ports that looked almost impossible. Indeed, the port was handled by Panic Button, the studio behind the miraculous ports of Doom, Wolfenstein 2 and Rocket League for Nintendo’s hybrid.

There may be some visual downgrades from its PC counterpart, but its locked 30fps frame rate still ensures your titular space ninjas are swift in combat whether you’re using melee weapons or guns (motion controls are also supported for aiming). 

Most importantly you’re getting all the content and updates that this game has seen on all other platforms in the six years it’s existed.

Arena of Valor

Image credit: Timi Studio Group

Arena of Valor is an arcadey take on the MOBA (multiplayer online battle arena) genre, but also an example of how a game originally made for mobile can shine on Switch, with huge visual improvements and controls intuitively mapped to sticks and buttons.

You can play from 1v1 to the full traditional 5v5 battles that include the MOBA staple of fighting your way through a three-lane map in an effort to get past the opposing team’s towers and destroy their core.

However, unlike other free-to-play MOBAs like DOTA2, you only get to play with a limited number of free heroes on weekly rotation, so if you want to experiment with all the available classes and unique abilities, you’re either going to have to play a lot or pay real money to unlock them.

Paladins

Paladins

Image credit: Hi-Rez Studios

Despite initially launching on Switch with the paid Founder’s Pack, the free version of Paladins is just as worth looking into. The next best thing to Overwatch, it’s a hero shooter you can play in first or third-person, supporting motion controls, and unlike Fortnite or Warframe, it actually runs at a smooth 60fps.

It’ll take a lot of play time to unlock all 40 playable champions, though it’s at least good to know that everything can be accessed eventually just by playing the game. But even if you’re just dropping in to casually play matches, you’ll still get a chance to experiment with the roster as its champions are also available on a free weekly rotation.

Pokémon Quest

Image credit: Game Freak

Your favorite Pokémon get the Minecraft treatment in this relaxing game where you explore an island befriending cuboid versions of the adorable critters. For some, it might be too relaxing, especially as you can opt to just have the game running in auto-play during the very simplistic battles.

Since arriving on Switch last year, its appeal may have waned in light of the Let’s Go games. Nonetheless, it’s still an enjoyable distraction that’s surprisingly generous with its freemium systems, while the island is made of 12 different areas that can keep you exploring for some time. It just might be better to enjoy in the background while you’re catching up on Netflix. 

Brawlhalla

Image credit: Blue Mammoth Games

Yes, Brawlhalla may be an unabashed Smash clone, but it’s also one that you can play for free, and the only entry in this list that you can gather some mates around to play together. As a platform fighter, the principles of damaging your opponents until they’re weak enough to be knocked off the stage remain intact, as is the simple and accessible control scheme.

For a clone, Brawlhalla has its own personality thanks its vibrant Saturday morning cartoon art style. And if it kind of reminds you of Rayman, then you’ll be pleased to know you can actually play as Rayman too! While you can either grind or pay up to unlock its 40+ character roster, Brawlhalla generously provides eight free characters on rotation.

Galak-Z: Variant S

Image credit: 17-Bit

An anime-inspired sci-fi shooter that began life on PS4 and PC, Galak-Z: Variant S is both a sequel and an overhaul of the original’s roguelike mechanics, adapted instead into a freemium experience.

Piloting both a mech and a fighter jet, you’re on the search for rare upgrades while taking on genuinely tough enemies and hazardous environments. The freemium system means you can expect timers for just about everything from decrypting relics to repairing your ship when you lose all your health unless you fast-track them with some premium currency. But if you can patiently play it in short bursts, there’s a lot Galak-Z has to offer.

Deltarune: Chapter 1

Image credit: Toby Fox

From Undertale creator Toby Fox comes the mysterious Deltarune. Technically, it’s only the first chapter and is being released as a free work-in-progress demo, while future episodes will cost money. We’re going to make an exception with this 'demo' because a) these episodes could be years from happening, and b) this is a pretty meaty first taste, lasting as long as some of the best indie games out there.

While it’ll naturally benefit players who have already played and finished Undertale,  on its own it’s still a fascinating and charming old-school turn-based RPG. Like its predecessor, it employs an innovative twist to its battle system, which is party-based this time round.

Tetris 99

Image credit: Nintendo

OK, so Tetris 99 is only available to paying members of the Switch Online Service. But you know what, we’re going to make another exception because it’s just brilliant!

Tetris, but battle royale, might sound like an early April Fools joke, however, the classic drop puzzler works absolute wonders when played against 98 other players. Your rivals will appear in miniaturized forms around your screen in real-time, as you frantically drop blocks and clear as many lines as you can to send garbage blocks to your opponents, all while the game speed and a remixed Tetris theme get faster.

Tetris 99 is a beautiful subversion of what a battle royale and a Tetris game can be, and for those hooked to crack the final 10 and win, get ready to learn about back-to-backs, T-spins and tumble down a rabbit hole of competitive Tetris pro strats.

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Developers enjoying higher UK paychecks

Learning to code is certainly paying off for UK developers who earn 145 percent more than the country's average pay of £29k according to new research from Hired.

The career marketplace's new global State of Software Engineers Report 2019 has revealed that the UK's top developers embedded engineers, earn an average of £71k. 

However, the US is still a more profitable place to work for skilled coders with the top paid developers in San Francisco's Bay Area earning 66 percent more than their UK counterparts with an average annual salary of £118k.

Hired's report also shed light on the fact that global demand for blockchain skills is up by 517 percent compared to this time last year.

High demand for developers

While blockchain engineers are in highest demand, security engineers are also being courted by companies with demand for workers to fill this role growing by 132 percent.

The top three best paid London developer positions are embedded engineer at £71k, blockchain engineer at £69k and data engineer at £68k.

The report also revealed that one in five software engineers are self-taught coders and less than half have a computer science degree. Many of these coders learned their skills from developer bootcamps, such as General Assembly and Hack Reactor, and 76 percent of those who did said these workshops helped prepare them for a software engineering job.

JavaScript is the most commonly used coding language though Go, Scala and Ruby are the most in-demand languages.

Hired's CEO Mehul Patel provided further insight on the report's findings, saying:

“Empowering tech talent with data that helps them understand their market worth and reveals hiring trends will help them have a more seamless job search experience. We hope this insight will fuel thoughtful career conversations among the developer community and provide actionable data that will help software engineers reach their goals.” 

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Thunderclap hack makes Macs and PCs with Thunderbolt ports vulnerable

If you’ve bought a recently released MacBook, Windows laptop or really any PC equipped with a Thunderbolt port, there’s a new vulnerability you should watch out for.

The new vulnerability has been dubbed Thunderclap and it could leave computers open to serious attacks such as running malicious code on your system. This is on top of the usual, unwarranted access to important data like passwords, encryption keys and any other sensitive data stored on your system.

It’s really bad news mainly because Thunderbolt’s protocols are designed with OS-level access and direct-memory access (DMA) to support high-speed data transfer, video out and its other myriad features. This vulnerability takes advantage of all that high-level access to do more harm.

According to the group of researchers that announced Thunderclap at the Network and Distributed System Security Symposium in San Diego, the Thunderclap vulnerability won’t just affect the latest machines equipped with Thunderbolt 3, but older devices that provide Thunderbolt connectivity through DisplayPort instead of USB-C. 

Thunderclap will specifically affect “all Apple laptops and desktops produced since 2011 are vulnerable, with the exception of the 12-inch MacBook. Many laptops, and some desktops, designed to run Windows or Linux produced since 2016 are also affected." 

How to stay protected from Thunderclap

Now the good news is the team of researchers discovered the problem in 2016 and have been working with manufacturers to develop fixes ever since. 

MacBooks and other Apple computers running at least macOS 10.12.4 should be partially protected from the bug and newer updates should provide even better protection. Meanwhile, Windows 10 version 1803 provides firmware level protection for devices.

The best way to protect yourself from being Thunderclap-ped is to immediately update any computers you have with the latest version of their respective operating systems. Users who want that extra layer of protection can also disable Thunderbolt protocols in your computer's BIOS or UEFI settings.

For the most part, this probably won’t be a vulnerability that will affect most users as it can only be introduced directly through a device’s Thunderbolt port. Most users should be safe just by being vigilant about what they plug into their devices. 

Via The Verge

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Retailers facing more bot attacks than ever

From May to December of last year, hackers directed credential abuse attempts at retail sites more than 10bn times according to new research from Akamai.

The firm's 2019 State of the Internet / Security: Retail Attacks and API Traffic report shed light on the fact that the retail industry was the most targeted segment by hackers while also highlighting the prevalence of API-call traffic on the web and the misrepresentation of Ipv6-based traffic.

Akamai studied the credential abuse technique known as credential stuffing for its report and examined how hackers have begun to employ botnets to steal login credentials from retail websites. These stolen credentials are used to compromise accounts from which hackers acquire retail merchandise and resell it for cash.

According to the report, the AIO bots deployed by hackers are multi-function tools that enable quick purchases by leveraging credential stuffing and a number of evasion techniques. For example, a single AIO bot can target over 120 retailers at the same time.

Credential abuse

Media and entertainment properties are notable credential abuse victims as well due to the highly valuable personal information these sites maintain. Since end users share their credit card information and demographic data when signing up for over-the-top (OTT) online streaming services, this data is particularly valuable to hackers who sell it on the black market.

Akamai also noted significant numbers of credential abuse attacks launched against financial services, hotel and travel and consumer goods sites.

Security Researcher and Editorial Director of the company's latest report, Martin McKeay explained why retail sites have become a high value target for hackers in a statement, saying:

"The techniques change, but the motivation remains the same: greed. Retailers remain on the front lines, because stolen merchandise sells quickly and at a premium. And for that reason, the data shows which merchandise is of the highest value: Apparel sites are targeted the most." 

  • We've also highlighted the best antivirus to help protect you from the latest cyber threats
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Smash Bros Ultimate DLC: every new character and when you can play them

UPDATE: An upcoming Nintendo Direct on June 22 (3pm BST / 7am PST / 10am EST) is set to reveal the next Smash Bros DLC fighter, confirmed to be from the roster of the Nintendo Switch game ARMS

Given the distinctive fighting mechanics of ARMS – largely based around long-range punches that throw your fists across the fighting stage – it should be sure to add something interesting to the Smash Bros DLC mix. For all the existing DLC characters and how to get them, though, read on below...

Want more Smash Bros Ultimate DLC? We don't blame you – Super Smash Bros Ultimate is the biggest, and possibly the best, Smash Bros fighting game to grace our Nintendo consoles. But if you've fought the main 74 Smash Bros Ultimate DLC characters to exhaustion, don't worry – there's a number of add-in fighters beyond the base roster, from fan-favorites like Banjo-Kazooie and Persona 5's Joker to even more Fire Emblem characters (for some reason).

We know that six new characters are coming in Fighters Pass Season 2, yet to be individually unveiled. Game director Masahiro Sakurai has spoken out on possible delays to the Smash Bros Ultimate DLC pipeline, so it's not clear when the next DLC fighter will land. However, releases for the last Fighters Pass were seasonal, so we expect to see a new character every three months or so.

Not every addition is as inspiring – and we're still mad about Cuphead being relegated to a Mii Fighter – but with each character introducing new play-styles, moves, stages, and soundtracks, there's plenty to get our teeth into. You can see our predictions for other, future fighters at the bottom of this guide too.

For now, if you want to find out what downloadable content / Smash Bros Ultimate DLC players can hope to get, and what's already available, here’s our list of everything on the cards – and how you can make sure you don’t miss out.

Smash Bros Ultimate DLC characters

The real draw of Smash Bros DLC is in the fighters. Nintendo has now unveiled all five fighters for the first Fighters Pass, which we've listed below from the latest (Byleth) to the first (Piranha Plant). We'll be sure to add information on the next six fighters as and when it's released.

Byleth (available for download)

Byleth is the lead character from 2019's Fire Emblem: Three Houses, a recent entry in the Fire Emblem military tactics game.

You'll be able to choose male or female version of the character – both named Byleth – which is refreshing, and something we'd love to see for more fighters on the roster. There'll also be a choice of weapons to wield and strike with using your various different attacks, including a lance, axe, bow, and sword.

A curious choice, given how many Fire Emblem characters are already in the game – Marth, Roy, Ike, Robin, Lucina, and Corrin – but it will no doubt please some fans out there. 

Terry Bogard (available for download)

You know, Terry! From Fatal Fury? The 1991 fighting game on the Neo Geo console? Ok, this one might be a bit lesser-know than some of the DLC fighters on this list, but this character from the classic 90s Fatal Fury franchise fits right in with the best of them.

The Terry fighter finally become available in November, a couple of months after its Nintendo Direct announcement. You can check out the character's moveset in this official video, too – and it's clear he's got a pretty good uppercut.

Hero (available for download)

All the fans of the Dragon Quest franchise got a real treat at this year's E3: confirmation of not one but four Dragon Quest heroes in one DLC pack. Acting as skins of each other, with the largest number of moves of any fighter in the game – thanks to a wide variety of attack, evasion, and effect spells – it's a lively addition that effectively gives you four new characters to play with. 

There's an announcement trailer (above) and more in-depth video stream that goes into Hero's various moves and abilities.

Each Hero will have an MP meter – yes, just like the game – which uses up mana every time you cast a spell: be it to heal yourself, throw yourself up in the air, turn yourself into metal, or otherwise. Definitely a fighter for the more strategic players out there, as there's a lot of options to play with. You can even cast Kacrackle!

Banjo-Kazooie (available for download)

Damn straight. After years of clamoring for Rare's iconic bird and bear duo to join the Smash Bros series, Banzo-Kazooie is finally here. While Rare is now a subsidiary of Microsoft, the beloved developer was previously closely tied with Nintendo, and it's heart-warming to see one of its most famous creations welcomed back into the family.

It looks like Kazooie will be able to help out with jumps and ranged attacks, with Banjo using fists and items for more close-range attacks. Here's hoping we finally get to hit Mario over the head with a banjo, just like we always dreamed.

Joker (available for download)

No, not that Joker. Nintendo teased the trickster from Atlus’ paranormal RPG Persona 5 shortly after Ultimate’s launch, with a nifty animated teaser you can see below. Smash Bros' version of Joker keeps the graphic art style of its source material, with some stylish slides and jumps, handguns, and some supernatural forces to help you win the battle...

Persona 5 is a PS3 / PS4 exclusive, though, making Joker's appearance on a Nintendo console all the more intriguing – and fuelling speculation that Persona 5 could be coming to Nintendo Switch.

Piranha Plant (available for download)

A potted plant may not seem like the best fit for an action-packed fighting game, but Piranha Plant is a classic Mario nemesis going back decades – Nintendo certainly likes to play by its own rules. You can see some of Piranha Plant's moves in the video below, including a monstrous Final Smash featuring Petey Piranha.

Players who bought Super Smash Bros Ultimate by the end of January 2019 had a chance to download the fighter early, but Piranha Plant is now available on the Switch eShop for $4.49 (£4.49 / AU$7.80).

Smash Bros Ultimate DLC Challenger Packs

Image Credit: Nintendo

Technically you don’t just get a new fighter with each DLC pack. The new fighters (Piranha Plant excluded) each come in a bundle called a ‘Challenger Pack’, which throw in a new stage and thematic soundtracks alongside the new character. You can buy each of the five Challenger's Packs individually for $5.99 (£5.39 / AU$7.80). 

Alternatively you can buy an all-inclusive Fighters Pass for $24.99 (£22.49 / AU$32.50), which nets you each pack as it arrives, as well as a Mii Fighter outfit based on Xenoblade 2's Rex. Fighters Pass does not include Piranha Plant, though.

There's a lot more coming than the five announced so far, though. Game director Masahiro Sakurai confirmed that another six Challenger Packs (and therefore six fighters) were on their way, meaning we'll have plenty of Smash Bros Ultimate through 2020 and beyond. 

it seems we won't get any more DLC after that, though Sakurai has hinted at another Smash Bros game on a future version of the Nintendo Switch console.

Smash Bros Ultimate DLC leaks and rumors

Hollow Knight

Could it happen?


So what of the remaining unannounced characters? Rumored leaks come through regularly, with some more reliable than others. We’d heard calls for Banjo-Kazooie so often we gave up hope of it actually happening – but it just goes to show Nintendo can still surprise us. (While we’d love to see Crash Bandicoot or Spyro the Dragon appear on the roster, either might be too much to ask for.)

There were also reports of the shotgun-wielding demon-slayer from Doom featuring in the list. Given Bethesda’s increasing library of ports to the Nintendo Switch, this one seemed pretty likely – until Doom Eternal's game director tempered those hopes.

So who could we see that we haven't already? Maybe the beautifully-sketched Hollow Knight bug? A polygonal James Bond, circa N64 Goldeneye? The Skull Kid from Majora's Mask, complete with teleportation around each fighting stage?

With six slots to fill, there's a lot of uncertainty – but if we get another Fire Emblem character, we may cry.

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Smash Bros Ultimate DLC: all the post-launch content coming in 2019

Super Smash Bros Ultimate’s DLC is coming. While not everyone will feel a need to add to the game’s already towering roster of fighters, those who can’t get enough of their Smash Bros fix will be waiting to pounce on the additional fighters, outfits, soundtracks and more coming their way in 2019.

Super Smash Bros Ultimate is the biggest, and possibly the best, Smash Bros fighting game to grace our Nintendo consoles. Packed to bursting with over 100 stages, 74 starting fighters, and a dedicated single-player mode alongside tons of co-op content, and there’s never been as much Smash Bros to enjoy in one place.

Not content to rest on its laurels, though, it’s clear Nintendo has big plans for Smash Bros UItimate beyond its recent launch. You don’t put all that work into one game just to replace it two or three years in, after all – and Nintendo will be hoping to keep players buying and playing their title well into the next decade if they can.

So what downloadable content / DLC can players hope to get in 2019? Here’s our list of everything on the cards, and how you can make sure you don’t miss out.

Image Credit: Nintendo

Smash Bros Ultimate DLC characters

The real draw of Smash Bros DLC is in the fighters. Nintendo has teased a total of five fighters coming over the next year, though only a couple have been announced so far.

Piranha Plant (available for download)

A potted plant may not seem like the best fit for an action-packed fighting game, but Piranha Plant is a classic Mario nemesis going back decades – Nintendo certainly likes to play by its own rules. You can see some of Piranha Plant's moves in the video below, including a monstrous Final Smash featuring Petey Piranha.

Players who bought Super Smash Bros Ultimate by the end of January 2019 had a chance to download the fighter early, but Piranha Plant is now available on the Switch eShop for $4.49 (£4.49 / AU$7.80).

Joker (coming April 2019)

No, not that Joker. Nintendo teased the trickster from Atlus’ paranormal RPG Persona 5 shortly after Ultimate’s launch, with a nifty animated teaser you can see below – showing off a glimpse of the game’s eye-catching graphic art style that we’re hoping will be carried over with the fighter. There are a ton of fun combat possibilities, with surely some of them seeing Joker draw on supernatural forces…

Persona 5 is a PS3 / PS4 exclusive, though, making Joker's appearance on Switch all the more intriguing – and fuelling speculation that Persona 5 could be coming to Nintendo Switch.

Smash Bros Ultimate Challenger Packs

Technically you don’t just get a new fighter with each DLC pack. The new fighters each come in a bundle called a ‘Challenger Pack’, which throw in a new stage, and new soundtrack alongside the new character. You can buy each of the five Challenger's Packs individually for $5.99 (£5.39 / AU$7.80). 

Alternatively you can buy an all-inclusive Fighters Pass for $24.99 (£22.49 / AU$32.50), which nets you each pack as it arrives, as well as a Mii Fighter outfit based on Xenoblade 2's Rex.

Image Credit: Nintendo

Smash Bros Ultimate DLC leaks and rumors

So what of the remaining unannounced characters? Rumored leaks come through regularly, though so far none have really proved to be particularly trustworthy. We’ve heard calls for Banjo Kazooie so often it’s started hurting our ears. And while we’d love to see Crash Bandicoot or Spyro the Dragon appear on the roster, we aren’t holding out.

Some proactive datamining of Smash Bros Ultimate seems to have preempted the Joker announcement (under a file name ending ‘Jack’), while another file labelled ‘brave’ could arguably refer to Dragon Quest 3 hero Erdick, given the Japanese name for the hero would translate as ‘brave man’. You can read the whole conspiracy theory over at GamesRadar.

Could we see Doomguy on Switch? (Image credit: Bethesda)

There are also reports of the shotgun-wielding demon-slayer from Doom featuring in the list – and given Bethesda’s increasing library of ports to the Nintendo Switch, we think this one actually seems pretty likely. Perhaps a joint Xbox / Nintendo announcement at E3 2019, to show off more of Doom Eternal alongside a Smash Bros rendering of Doomguy?

It’s worth mentioning that the confirmed DLC listed above is only the road-map for 2019, or possibly briefly into 2020 new year. Nintendo are unlikely to let new content dry up entirely, so we could be seeing a steady drip of new fighters – or other game modes and customization options – coming in the long term.

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Best premium WordPress themes of 2020

While there are thousands of free WordPress themes available, these are mostly suitable for hobbyists and small-time websites. 

Whether you are a food lover looking to monetize your passion or a business owner who wants to raise your company's profile, WordPress can help.

In this guide, you’ll discover five premium WordPress themes suitable for a wide range of professional users. By paying a few dollars, you’ll benefit from extra features such as displaying pictures in a slideshow or ecommerce compatibility.

X

X is a paid WordPress theme suitable for all types of websites. 

The theme comes with four categories of built-in demos. Each of these themes cover a wide variety of potential projects. This means that no matter what you have in mind, X more than likely has a design suited to your needs.

X comes with Cornerstone, one of the most popular WordPress web page builders. The drag and drop feature is easy to use. Users are able to see exactly what their page will look like live as they are building. This enables users to change and edit while building their site.

There are a huge number of customization options, with which users can build a unique webpage.

X comes with a feature called ‘the customizer’. This is a handy tool as many premium themes come with their own theme options page that are not entirely compatible with WordPress. ‘The Customizer’ is highly intuitive. It integrates seamlessly with WordPress. It will help you to customize the look and feel of your website. There is also Dynamic Content, which comes in handy when building out content throughout your site.

The regular license for X is $35 (£28.4) which includes future updates and 6 months customer support. Users can opt to extend support to 12-months for an additional $8.63 (£7).

Divi

Divi is a multi-purpose theme. It has website options for most users and is highly customizable.

The theme comes with WooCommerce functionality. The drag and drop feature allows users to include pricing tables, video sliders, tabs and videos. A rating module is also available.

Users can access a variety of pre-built layouts. These range from creating a sales page, multiple blog layouts and a variety of portfolio types.

Divi is one of the few WordPress themes to include a front-end page builder tool with point and click editing. This gives users instant feedback on any editing that takes place.

Users can upload logos, choose a new color palette, decide how many posts are displayed on a page and setup social media integrations amongst others.

Newer users will find Divi particularly simple to use as you don’t need any coding skill or any former experience building websites. The user-friendly interface makes this process seamless. You can also optimize any page element to your liking with various CSS options.

Divi allows you to use multiple rows, columns and content elements. All layouts are fully responsive.

The theme comes with an impressive array of content elements which include audio player, bar counter, blog, number counter, shop, testimonial and contact form amongst others.

Divi can also be translated into more than 30 languages such as Chinese, Arabic, Czech, Russian and Spanish.

Users can try a demo version of Divi for free. Users can also purchase a one-year subscription to all of Elegant Themes’ products for $89 (£67.69). There is also a Lifetime option for $249 (£187.4).

Uncode

Uncode is a multi-purpose theme suitable for most users. 

The theme offers users a huge variety of website demos. These include classic, portfolio, blog and ecommerce layouts.

Uncode’s images are fully adaptive so that they adjust automatically to whatever screen size they are being viewed on.

Users can edit their demos through the WPBakery Page Builder Plugin. They can also access to the handy drag and drop content editor. Uncode is compatible with most third-party plugins.

The themes large media library makes it easier for users to embed any type of media to your WordPress site.

Uncode has over 6 different menu types with advanced options. These include top right, justify, left, center, overlay, offcanvas and lateral.

The theme is WPML certified and offers RTL (Right to Left) support. The premium themes included are VC Page Builder, VC Clipboard, VC Particles, LayerSlider, Slider Revolution and iLightBox. In the recent updates, new features are available like animated headlines, highlighting effects and frontend editor, among other things.

You can purchase for $59 (£44.87) and includes future updates and 6 months support. If you want to extend support to 12 months, an additional $17.63 (£13.3) is needed. 

Some online commentators have expressed frustration over difficulties with customization.

The Core

The Core is a multi-purpose theme which requires no coding skills.

The theme has been built on the Unyson network to aid with customization. Users have access to the fully featured page builder. This allows you to edit the demos that are included or create new layouts to suit your needs. 

The Core theme includes demo content install. Users can choose from three different sliders: Slider Revolution, Layers Slider and its own custom-built slider. 

The theme is retina ready and fully responsive. Users can edit the colors of their theme using simple color pickers. The Core is also fully compatible with the WooCommerce plugin.

Users have access to Google’s free collection of fonts. You can also choose to use the sticky header to ensure your menu bar always remains visible no matter how far down you scroll.

The Core is translation ready and is compatible with WPML. Support is available through live chat 24/7 or email. There are also over 100 support articles.

The Core and all other ThemeFuse themes have been moved in the Brizy plugin, so you'll need to download the Brizy plugin if you want to use this theme. Brizy has a free version but if you want something more there are also paid versions, with the cheapest being $49 a year. This gets you over 250 premium designs, 1-year updates and support, and a few other things.

Foodie Pro

Foodie Pro helps users to create a beautiful blog based around all sorts of culinary delights.

It is created by the Genesis Framework. This means your website will have a solid combination of this Framework along with WordPress. The theme comes with a huge amount of typography and color options.

Users can build their site using up to 3 homepage and 5 site wide widget areas. These can be customized to fit around your brand.

The theme allows users to upload their own logo with one click. There is also full support for text-based logos.

Foodie Pro’s ‘Theme Customizer’ allows users to customize the theme’s settings, colors and backgrounds images.

The ‘Foodie Pro Theme’ can be purchased for $129.95 (£98.85) for one year. This includes the Genesis Framework, Foodie Pro Theme, instant access, unlimited updates, supports, sites and access to detailed tutorials.

If this is not enough, users can avail of the ‘Pro Plus Membership’ for $499.95 (£380.22). This includes all the ‘Foodie Pro Theme’ has to offer plus access to every theme the company makes including future themes.

Top Image Credit: The Core

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Best calendar app 2019: top apps for scheduling meetings

Having the best calendar app installed on your smartphone, tablet or PC can make a world of difference to your time management. Not only do the best calendar apps tell you the date, but they can keep you posted about upcoming events and meetings.

They can also give you directions to where the meetings are, invite other people or tell them if you're running late.

In this guide to the best calendar apps of 2019, we take a look at a range of calendar apps for mobile devices and computers.

Image credit: Any.do

Any.do is our pick of the best all-round calendar app. It is available on mobile and desktop platforms, but it really shines on mobile thanks to an easy-to-use interface that gives you all the tools and information you need on smaller touchscreens. 

It easily connects to existing calendar apps to import events, and it color codes various calendars and events to help keep everything in order. 

It's not as in-depth as some specialized business calendar apps, but for most people this is a brilliant way of keeping your meetings and appointments in order. 

Best of all, there's a free version you can try.

Image credit: Flexibits

If you've got a wide range of Apple devices, from MacBooks to iPhones and even an Apple Watch, then Fantastical 2 is the best calendar app for you. 

It has an app for pretty much every Apple product, and has been built from the ground up to support macOS. 

Best of all, it all syncs seamlessly between your devices, making this a powerful and useful calendar apps for Apple fanatics. 

You can quickly and easily set up meetings and events, and it can also check to make sure your coworkers are available for a proposed meeting using Google Apps or Exchange, making it a more powerful app than Apple's default calendar.

Image credit: Appgenix Software

Android users are a bit spoiled, as the default Google Calendar app is so good, however, the best calendar app for Android devices is Business Calendar 2

Don't be put off by its name, as although this is an app that's geared towards business use, it is an attractive and easy-to-use calendar app that is perfect for home users as well. 

It comes with a number of themes and widgets that lets you customise the look and feel of your calendars. It does an excellent job of handling multiple calendars and displaying them in an easy-to-understand layout and it comes as a free download. 

There's also a pro version that removes ads and includes a few extra features, all for a reasonable price.

Image credit: Microsoft

If you're a Windows 10 user, then Microsoft's very own Outlook Calendar is arguably the best calendar app for you. 

It integrates closely into Windows 10 and uses the same Microsoft account you use to log into Windows, which means your contacts, events and calendars should all be waiting there for you. 

It's free, but if you subscribe to Microsoft's Office 365 service then you get premium features that makes it an essential business calendar app as well. You can even connect your LinkedIn account. 

Despite it being made by Microsoft, the Outlook Calendar is available on a huge range of platforms, including Android and iOS, and you can view your calendar online as well.

Image credit: Mozilla

There are a number of open source calendar apps for Linux, but in our view the Lightning add-on for Mozilla's Thunderbird email client is the best. 

It has an easy to use (if slightly dated) interface, and as an add-on it integrates easily with Thunderbird, allowing you to turn emails into events, as well as respond to meeting invitations. 

You can easily manage multiple calendars and to-do lists, and it's easily configurable as well. The downside is that it's not a standalone app, so you need to use it with Thunderbird (and install it from the Thunderbird add-ons website). 

However, Thunderbird is also one of the best email clients, so we'd recommend installing it anyway. It also works with Windows PCs.

Google Calendar

Image credit: Google

Google Calendar may not seem like a first choice for Android users compared to some of the more feature-packed rivals, but it does the job it needs to do.

Better still, it works nicely with Gmail and other software in the G Suite of apps, with notifications sent by default to your Gmail account. 

Additionally, for those with larger screens, Google Calendar will run alongside the emails in your Gmail account, making it easier to see upcoming events and notifications, even before you've been sent them.

It also allows reminders to be set according to birthdays, tasks, or general reminders.

While Google Calendar is relatively simple and straightforward, that can be as much of a strength as anything, and as it's free to use, it's hard to go wrong with it.



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Samsung launches fastest flash chip

Samsung has announced that it has started mass producing the world's first 512GB smartphone chip with embedded Universal Flash Storage (eUFS) 3.0 specifications.

The new chip could find its way into the Galaxy Fold and other upcoming smartphones from the Korean hardware giant, giving them read and write speeds comparable to ultra-fast laptops.

Back in 2017, Samsung first debuted a 512GB eUFS but that chip had sequential read speeds of 860MB per second and write speeds of 255MB per second. The company's latest offering more than doubles its sequential read speed to 2,100MB per second with write speeds also seeing an increase to 410MB per second.

To put things in perspective, the UFS 2.1 chips Samsung launched in January are only half as fast as the new 3.0 model.

eUFS 3.0 chips

According to Samsung, its new chips' read speeds are 20 times faster than a typical microSD card and even manage to be four times faster than a SATA SSD.

The company's executive vice president of memory sales and marketing, Cheol Choi explained how its new chips give it a leg up on the next-generation of mobile phones in a statement, saying:

“Beginning mass production of our eUFS 3.0 lineup gives us a great advantage in the next-generation mobile market to which we are bringing a memory read speed that was before only available on ultra-slim laptops. As we expand our eUFS 3.0 offerings, including a 1-Terabyte (TB) version later this year, we expect to play a major role in accelerating momentum within the premium mobile market.” 

Samsung's new 512GB eUFS chip will launch this month alongside a 128GB version though the company plans to start manufacturing a 1TB and 256GB model during the second half of the year.

Via Engadget

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Polestar’s new electric sports car is built to take on Tesla

Polestar has unveiled its first fully-electric sports car – the Polestar 2 – with an explicit plan to take on Elon Musk. The five-door fastback will enter production in 2020, aimed at the same audience as the Tesla Model 3.

"Polestar 2 is our first fully electric car and first volume model. Everything about it has been designed and engineered with passion and dedication," said the company's CEO Thomas Ingenlath.

The guide purchase price of the launch version will be €59,900 (about $68,000/£51,000/AU$96,00). Polestar will announce subscription pricing at a later date.

In an unusual move, the car's infotainment system is powered by Android, giving drivers access to a the Google Play Store's full collection of apps. Google Maps will provide turn-by-turn navigation on an 11-inch touchscreen.

Powered up

Convenient charging looks set to be one of the Polestar 2's main attractions. The company, which is jointly owned by Volvo and Chinese automaker Geely, says it's working with the owners of public charging networks so drivers can juice up whenever they need to.

Tesla, meanwhile, is planning to expand its Supercharger network throughout Europe this year, but recently ended its free referral program and raised prices by 10%. If Polestar can offer a more affordable alternative, it may be in with a chance of eating Elon Musk's lunch. 

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