The TCL 10 Pro isn’t the best phone of 2020, but it’s exciting nevertheless

The TCL 10 Pro isn’t the best smartphone in the world - and in fact, it didn’t even break into our main list of the top 15 phones you can buy right now - but nevertheless, I'm excited to see it on virtual shop shelves.

The TCL 10 Pro received three stars out of five from TechRadar, and we called it “not a bad phone” with a further (and more damning) clarification that “you can get so much more for the money, whether you’re minded towards Android or iOS.”

For clarity, I didn’t review the TCL 10 Pro for TechRadar so I haven’t used the handset extensively, but I’m excited because this phone shows there’s still space for new entrants in the mobile market.

Welcome to a new contender

That quote from our review is quite damning, right? But that doesn't mean we want TCL to give up. In fact, I want TCL to see that criticism (and it’s not just us, a lot of our rival tech publications seem to agree with our review of the phone) and run further with a sequel.

TCL entering the phone game with its own branding is an exciting move. Previously, the company has produced handsets through its sub brands of Alcatel and BlackBerry, both of which catered to a very different niche than TCL is trying to target with the 10 Pro.

BlackBerry handsets under TCL haven't thrived, but they've consistently offered a business-focused experience that you can't really get anywhere else. Alcatel on the other hand has been consistently producing some of the best affordable phones on the market.

With the TCL brand becoming more and more recognized in the TV market, it makes sense for the company to apply the name - and the methodology associated with it - to smartphones too.

That methodology involves offering a quality product, but making some necessary cuts to ensure it comes in at an affordable price, which is what it has tried to do with the TCL 10 Pro.

TCL 10 Pro

The rear cameras on the TCL 10 Pro

The TCL 10 Pro isn't looking to compete with the very top-end handsets for a lower price. This isn’t going to be the phone you consider instead of a Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra or iPhone 11 Pro Max, but it may be an alternative to a Samsung Galaxy A90 5G or even something like the OnePlus 8.

And while the TCL 10 Pro isn't entirely successful, with the experience of making that phone behind it, whatever comes next from TCL may be a true contender for the very best mid-range phone that money can buy.

No matter what, we now have another major manufacturer with a lot of money behind it - along with experience in the consumer tech market - going full throttle and developing 5G handsets for the mid-range mobile phone space. 

That's exciting, and while I won't be recommending the TCL 10 Pro itself to people, I'm excited to see what the company is capable of doing next.

Posted in Uncategorised

Samsung aims to kill server CPUs with this special new SSD

At this week's OCP Global Summit, Samsung disclosed more information about a new type of solid state drive (SSD) it's working on - one that only makes sense in a data center context, for now.

When it comes to flash memory, the most common configuration in data centers worldwide is JBOF (or just a bunch of flash), which uses NVMe SSD storage attached to PCIe switches, processors and NICs (network interface cards). There are two rather significant issues with this system, to do with the lack of scalability of the storage controller and limited bandwidth; a classic case of too many middlemen. 

EBOF - or Ethernet SSD Bunch of Flash, as Samsung puts it - aims to solve this issue by putting the Ethernet ports (two of them for redundancy) on the SSDs themselves.

These are not your usual Ethernet ports, however, as each supports a staggering 25Gbps - about 25x what most Gigabit interfaces can achieve. Unsurprisingly, that's only available in a standard SSD (i.e. 2.5-inch), rather than the smaller M2 form factors.

Samsung claims the E-SSD drive will achieve PCIe Gen4x4 performance, or about 1500K IOPS at 4K random read. What’s even more spectacular, though, is that the performance of the drive scales in an almost linear fashion.

Based on the chart provided by the company, 24 NVMe drives will be about 7.5x faster than a single NVMe drive, whereas the same number of NVMe-oF SSDs will be about 23x faster than a single drive. 

Removing the CPU, networking and other bottlenecks means lower latency, higher bandwidth, lower cost, better performance and potentially big TCO savings. Great news for data center operators, but not so great for everyone else in hardware procurement.

Posted in Uncategorised

Galaxy Note 20 might be able to pack a battery as big as the Galaxy Note 20+

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 series is still a few months away, but the rumors have already started trickling in. The latest one reveals the battery size of the Galaxy Note 20.

An earlier report by GalaxyClub has claimed that the Galaxy Note 20+ will come equipped with a 4,500mAh battery. Now, according to the information obtained from China’s 3C certification database, the Galaxy Note 20 is tipped to pack a 4,300mAh battery. The battery carries model number EB-BN980ABY, which has a rated capacity of 4,170mAh.

To recall, the Galaxy Note 10 was launched with a 3,500mAh battery, while the elder sibling, the Galaxy Note 10+ packed a 4,300mAh battery. There was a noticeable difference of 800mAh between the two. However, this time around it seems like Samsung will minimize the gap between the two battery sizes.

Via: SamMobile

The post Galaxy Note 20 might be able to pack a battery as big as the Galaxy Note 20+ appeared first on Pocketnow.

UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs Burns live stream and how to watch from anywhere

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has returned to the Octagon this month and before the next big card - UFC 250 in June - there's still time for one more Fight Night down in Jackonsville, Florida. Here's how to live stream Fight Night: Woodley vs Burns and watch UFC online from anywhere today.

Tonight's headline bout pits 38-year-old American Tyron Woodley against 33-year-old Brazilian Gilbert Burns.

Woodley is a former All-American NCAA wrestler who's currently the #1 ranked welterweight in UFC. Fight Night marks the start of his comeback bid, as he'll be returning to the Octagon for the first time since losing the UFC Welterweight Title to Kamaru Usman at UFC 235. He's no doubt hoping an decisive win will put him back in the title frame, as prior to the loss to Usman, he'd successfully defended the belt on three occasions.

Burns, on the other hand, is only #6 in the rankings - but he's currently enjoying a 5-fight winning streak that includes a 1st round knockout of former title contender Demian Maia at Fight Night Brasilia. Moreover, 14 of Durinho's 18 wins have come by knockout of submission. That kind of record should keep Woodley on his toes.

It's looking like a fascinating fight, so without further ado, here's how to live stream UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs Burn and watch the action online from anywhere on earth.

How to live stream UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs Burns in the US

Live stream UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs Burns in the UK 

How to watch a UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs Burns live stream in Canada

How to live stream UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs Burns in Australia

Posted in Uncategorised

Samsung is releasing the April 2020 security update for Galaxy M31 again

Earlier in May, Samsung rolled out the April 2020 security patch update for the Galaxy M31/ Unfortunately, it bricked some of the units. Naturally, the company had to roll back the OTA. Now, the update is being re-released.

The new update comes with a different build number and a lower package size. It is of 395.40MB and carries the build number M315FXXU1ATD5. To recall, the old update was of 541.26 MB and had the build number M315FXXU1ATD1.

The new Samsung Galaxy M31 update is now rolling out for units that successfully installed the previous April 2020 security patch update. However, you should be cautious of installing the update until it receives positive feedback from more users.

Source: Gizmochina

The post Samsung is releasing the April 2020 security update for Galaxy M31 again appeared first on Pocketnow.

SpaceX launch video replay: how to watch the astronauts in space

Update: Incoming video transmission from NASA astronauts 'Doug and Bob'. They have taken off their SpaceX spacesuits and sent a short video from far above Earth. We also have a bunch of prior videos below you can replay.

Watch the first video transmission from the NASA astronauts:

All of the important SpaceX video replays are below. Liftoff happened at 3:22pm EDT and, beyond the T-0 countdown, we saw the Falcon 9 booster return to Earth (and land successfully). You can rewatch the videos or tune into the live stream below.

Watch the SpaceX liftoff replay video:

How long is the SpaceX live stream? It'll take US NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken 19 hours to get to dock with the International Space Station. The new spacecraft lifted off on Saturday, returning American NASA astronauts to space from US soil for the first time since 2011.

Video replay for the SpaceX Falcon 9 booster return to Earth:

Video replay of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket separation from the Dragon Capsule:

Watch the ongoing SpaceX launch live stream via YouTube:

Right now, NASA astronauts are above Earth in the SpaceX-made Dragon capsule as you read this (they'll be up there for 19 hours), and they're wearing SpaceX-designed spacesuits. The US government's Space Shuttle program ended nine years ago and the private SpaceX has picked up where NASA left off. It's a giant step for space exploration.

The live stream commentary is brilliant, insightful and inspiring regarding the future of commercial space travel.

Here's a fantastic view from the SpaceX live video of the Dragon Crew fully separated and on the way to the International Space Station, at first rocketing, then boosting a key moments and finally floating their way to the ISS.

SpaceX launch video

Okay, yes, it felt like deja vu today if you were like us and watched the SpaceX live stream this past Wednesday. But unlike that first launch attempt, Saturday's launch countdown didn't stop at T-minus 17 minutes. Instead, history was made.

It wasn't always clear that today's launch would happen, even minutes before the launch window. "We are predicting a 50/50 shot of going this time," said NASA administrator NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine at the top of the SpaceX live stream. "But given the fact that we are in late May – in Florida – we have to take every shot that we can get."

SpaceX and NASA officials were very glad to take that shot. You can see from SpaceX founder Elon Musk's most recent tweet, we're well underway, and there were plenty of cheers from the watch area surrounding the Florida launchpad.

Today's SpaceX Demo-2 mission was delayed and a second attempt, but it was always going to be historic, as it's happening at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. It's the first such launch on US soil in nearly a decade – since NASA retired the Space Shuttle nine years ago. It's also the first time that a SpaceX reusable spacecraft has sent NASA astronauts into space. It's the birth of commercially-backed human space travel.

It's the birth of commercially-backed human space travel.

The destination of this SpaceX launch is the International Space Station (ISS) for a one- to four-month duration for NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, according to our friends over at Space.com.

SpaceX launch how to watch live stream

SpaceX launch – as it happened on Saturday, May 30

The official Demo-2 SpaceX launch time was today, Saturday, May 30 at 3:22pm EDT, so the times across the continental US were 2:22pm CDT / 1:22pm MDT / 12:22pm PDT.

The UK SpaceX launch time was 20:22 BST. In addition to tuning into the video live stream, you were able to go outside soon afterward and maybe catch a glimpse of the SpaceX-built spacecraft in the night sky at around 20:40 BST.

In Australia, it was already Sunday morning, with the new launch time occurring at 5:22am AEST.

SpaceX launch how to watch live stream

SpaceX launch weather concerns subside

Up until the last few minutes of Saturday's SpaceX launch, weather was a concern. It wouldn't have been time, as we saw this play out on Wednesday: "The weather got us," admitted NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine in a somber 30-second Twitter video on Wednesday. "I know there was a lot of disappointment today."

Bridenstine went on to explain the reasoning behind what we all saw: the SpaceX launch was scrubbed just 17 minutes inside the launch window, with NASA hanging on until the last minutes in an effort to save its efforts. The weather didn't cooperate.

NASA has strict weather rules for clearing spacecraft launches and noted that three weather violations existed, including the chance of the craft triggering 'natural lightning'. If they would have been able to wait ten minutes beyond the countdown, they could have cleared those three violations, according to SpaceX and NASA officials.

Waiting even ten minutes wasn't an option, though. This launch was what's known as an 'instantaneous launch window', meaning due orbital mechanics a delay wasn't possible if the crew wanted to get to the International Space Station (ISS) on time and lock in accurately. Blame Newtown's law of universal gravity, if you'd like.

The good news is that everything technical with the SpaceX craft and NASA crew was 'go for liftoff' on Wednesday when the hatch door successfully closed. So as long as this weekend's weather cooperates and doesn't trigger NASA's risk calculations, the mission will happen on Saturday. Weather was the only concern, according to NASA during the live stream wrap-up.

Even with all of the exceptional planning ahead of this SpaceX launch, NASA and SpaceX can't control the weather (not yet anyway). Florida, while normally sunny, does have frequent quick-moving thunderstorms (anyone who has ever visited nearby Disney World knows that), and that's what the crew faced Wednesday.

The SpaceX launch live stream had constant chatter from operators discussing rain conditions. They waited until a few minutes before the countdown expired to scrub the mission, hoping to pull it off. They got to T-minus 17 minutes before making the final decision. Saturday, May 30 will be the next launch date for the SpaceX launch.

Another weather variable is the fact that the weather conditions need to be good everywhere this spacecraft might be. For example, if the crew had to abort anywhere along their ascent and come down, recovery crews would need to access the capsule, so it's more than just the immediate Florida launchpad that needs ideal weather.

SpaceX launch live stream May 30 astronauts

How to watch the SpaceX launch on Saturday

The official NASA and SpaceX YouTube accounts will be offering a live stream of the preparations, which they noted will feel like deja vu if you had already tuned in for the Wednesday launch.

We have the YouTube video embedded (at the top of the page) that is now¸ live. You won't have to travel very far. And don't worry, you don't have to tune into both the NASA and SpaceX live stream videos – they're offering the same content across the two live streams,

On Wednesday, we saw SpaceX founder Elon Musk visit suited-up astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken and exchange a few words before liftoff time. Sadly, there was no audio during this portion of the live stream.

Musk then greeted US Vice President Mike Pence, who is there to watch the launch, while President Donald Trump joined soon after. Hurley and Behnken traveled to the launch site in a Tesla Model X (Tesla being another company Musk founded).

NASA continued to monitor the weather via data sensors around the launch site in an effort to get everything into 'the green position' on their maps. At the time, NASA said, "the weather is trending in the right direction," but as the countdown got to T-minus 17 minutes, favorability went the other direction.

This meant that the crew was seated in the capsule after crossing the crew access arm, and the crew arm had already retracted. Steam started to come off of the rocket before the launch was called off. It was that close to liftoff.

SpaceX launch time live stream

SpaceX spacecraft, SpaceX suits and NASA astronauts

Now that it's Saturday, astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are back inside the small Dragon capsule, which sits atop the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. It's situated on a launch pad at legendary Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida’s Cape Canaveral. 

LC-39A was originally built for the Apollo missions and remodeled for the Space Shuttle program. Now it's home to the first space flight to send astronauts into space using a private aerospace company.

Hurley (the spacecraft commander) and Behnken (the joint operations commander) are NASA astronauts, engineers and both former members of US military (Hurley is a former marine, while Behnken was in the US Air Force).

The two-man NASA crew will not only be flying in a SpaceX-built spacecraft, but also outfitted in SpaceX pressurized suits, first shown off in 2017. They're back suited up again for Saturday's SpaceX launch.

Posted in Uncategorised

OPPO Reno4 Pro in Black and White colors leaked online

OPPO recently dropped an official teaser for the upcoming Reno4 series of phones and then confirmed that it will launch the devices on June 5. Now, renders of the Reno4 Pro have leaked online in Black and White color options.

Unlike the “Glow” models, these do not feature a watermark-like big branding on the rear. The OPPO Reno4 Pro is tipped to feature a 6.5-inch 90Hz full HD+ AMOLED display. It will come with curved edges and a punch-hole at the upper-left corner.

It is rumored to be powered by the Snapdragon 765G SoC and pack a 4,000mAh battery with support for 65W fast charging. On the optics front, the device will sport a triple rear camera setup: a 48MP lens with OIS + a 12MP ultrawide sensor + a 13MP telephoto len and a 32MP selfie shooter.

Source: Weibo

The post OPPO Reno4 Pro in Black and White colors leaked online appeared first on Pocketnow.

The Beats Solo 3 wireless reach their lowest price on Amazon ever in US and UK

The Beats Solo 3 wireless headphones are reaching their lowest price ever this weekend at Amazon, where you can pick them up for just $159 / £120 - a neat saving of $40 and £58 respectively.

These are sitting at great value right now with the real selling point of the Beats Solo 3 being their fantastic wireless functionality and stunning 12-hour battery life. With Apple's much-lauded W1 wireless chip under the hood, these wireless headphones are made to pair seamlessly with iOS devices, although Android users shouldn't feel left out as they're fully supported as well.

They also feature the signature Beats bass response, which ensures that all your favorite tunes' low ends are rendered in an appropriately thumping manner. Audiophiles may prefer the more balanced mid-range on the Bose QuietComfort 35 II's, but for those bass junkies out there, nothing quite does it like the Beats - and they're under half the price of the Bose right now.

If you're looking for something a little less bulky, and a little cheaper, then there's also a fantastic Beats deal on the PowerBeats3 wireless earphones for just $89.95 (was $199) - a massive saving of $110 overall, and a perfect addition for any lockdown workout routine.

Not in the UK or US? Check out the best Beats deals in your region below.

The best cheap Beats deals this weekend

While you're here, we recommend checking out our best Beats deals main page, where we're constantly on the hunt for all the best deals we can find. If you're looking for the Beats sister-line, then head on over to our best Apple AirPods deals page, where we're finding fantastic prices weekly on a whole array of deals. 

Posted in Uncategorised

SIM only deals: get six months of Disney Plus and 10GB of data for £10 a month

There are a lot of great cheap SIM only deals out there but a recent offer from O2 takes it a step further. On top of the excellent data to cost ratio, O2 is also throwing in a pretty tempting freebie.

For the first six months of your 18 month contract, O2 will throw in Disney Plus completely free. Considering that's a subscription that would normally cost £5.99, the £10 a month you're paying for this SIM is fantastic.

At that price, you're getting 10GB of data which would make this a pretty strong offer even if the subscription wasn't included. With Disney Plus you're getting access to Disney films, Marvel movies, Star Wars content and more.

You can find out more about both this O2 SIM only deal and Disney Plus below. 

O2 SIM only deals + Disney Plus:

What's Disney Plus like?

Disney Plus is the new hyped up streaming service and it couldn't have come at a better time. Included is most of the Marvel movies, the popular new Star Wars show 'The Mandalorian' and even all of the episodes of The Simpsons.

You can download and save episodes and have 4K HDR with Dolby Vision at your disposal. And if you've got kids to entertain, it is no surprise that Disney Plus comes stacked full of kids content.

Read our full Disney Plus review to find out more

Posted in Uncategorised

This weekend’s best gaming laptop deals can save you up to $500

Still on the hunt for that lockdown gaming rig? Some first-rate cheap gaming laptop deals can be had this weekend from the likes of Dell, Amazon and Best Buy. 

Our pick of the bunch is this Asus ROG G531GT for $897 (was $999), which is currently enjoying a neat $100 discount. Without a doubt, the highlight here is the Core i7-9750H - an incredibly fast processor that you don't often see for under $1000, let alone $900. A GTX 1650, 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD round out the rest of the components to offer one speedy competitor for the money. While a faster graphics card would be nice, having an Intel Core i7 makes this Asus great value overall.

Though, if you did want that faster graphics card, then consider this Dell G3 15 for $949.99 (was $1149). With this Dell, you can upgrade to a GTX 1660Ti, which is significantly faster, though you'll have to sacrifice that Core i7 for an i5. If you'd like to skip the compromise altogether then this Asus Zephrus for $1099 (was $1199) is a Ryzen 7 equipped beast that offers both a GTX 1660Ti and a top of the line processor to boot.

If you feel like really splashing out, then there's also this insane $500 saving to be had on an Alienware M15 R1 at Dell for $1,749.99 (was $2,249). With an RTX 2070, Intel Core i7-8750H, 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD, this is one powerful elite level machine that carries a hefty price tag to match.

Not in the US? Check out the best gaming laptop deals near you just below.

The best gaming deals this weekend

  • Amazon - gaming laptop deals for as little as $897
  • Dell - save up to $500 on a gaming laptop deal
  • Best Buy - gaming laptop deals starting at only $729
  • Want the best deals this year? check out Amazon Prime Day 2020

Want to see what else is around? Head over to our best gaming laptop deals page, where we're constantly on the hunt for the fastest and cheapest machines we can find. If you're simply looking for a laptop for streaming or browsing, then our cheap laptop deals page is another fantastic resource to check out.

Posted in Uncategorised

Thought the lockdown would lead to a spike in smart speaker sales? Think again

Since their inception, smart speakers have been touted as the new center of the home, providing us with music, supplying us with virtual PAs in the form of voice assistants, and acting as the control hub for the myriad smart home devices designed to make our lives easier. 

However, smart speaker sales are slowing down – and that’s in spite of the lockdown conditions that many people across the world are facing, forcing more and more of us to spend much of our time at home.

You might have expected that all that time at home would lead to more people looking to improve their home audio setups, set up or expand smart home systems, and stay in touch with family using smart displays like the Google Nest Hub and the Amazon Echo Show.

That’s not what the numbers suggest, though: according to research firm Strategy Analytics (via Voicebot.ai), 28 million smart speakers were sold globally in Q1 of 2020, down from a peak of 55.8 million in the preceding months. 

Usage is up, sales are way down

It’s not that people are using their existing smart speakers any less; on the contrary, a report by NPR and Edison found that 52% of people who have speakers equipped with voice assistants said they were using voice tech several times a day or nearly every day, compared to 46% before the Covid-19 outbreak.

Similarly, the survey found that “36% of adult smart speaker owners say they are using their device more to listen to music and entertainment”, while 35% of users are listening to more “news and information”. 

David Watkins, director of Strategy Analytics agrees that lockdown conditions could strengthen the relationship we have with our smart speakers. Explaining the market research firm’s findings, he said that “much opportunity lies ahead of course, but the current stay-at-home conditions present an opportunity for smart speaker vendors and voice assistant operators to reinforce the value proposition of voice-first experience”.

So, with smart speaker users clearly finding their devices more useful during the lockdown – we’ve all seen an increase in TV adverts extolling the virtues of making video calls with smart displays – why isn’t that translating to stronger sales? 

Google Duo

The Lenovo Smart Display (pictured) can be used to make Google Duo video calls with friends and family members.

A universal problem

Well, it’s a problem that’s affecting the wider tech industry, not just smart speaker manufacturers: people just aren’t buying devices in the numbers they were before the pandemic took hold and disrupted industries – and lives – the world over. 

Smartphone sales have also plummeted, dropping from 99.2 million in February 2019 to just 61.8 million in February 2020, as Asian factories shut down and shoppers became hesitant to visit brick-and-mortar stores to make purchases.

Strategy Analytics’ executive director Neil Mawston, says this was “the biggest-ever fall in history of the worldwide smartphone market”, adding that it’s been a period that “the smartphone industry will want to forget”. 

Smart speaker manufacturers will likely want to do the same. After all, they’ve seen their sales nearly cleaved in two in a matter of months – aside from production interruptions plaguing the industry, as with other products many of us are simply more cautious when it comes to making big purchases.

A silver lining?

It’s not all bad news, though. For some manufacturers, the lockdown has been an unexpected source of inspiration that could change the way smart speakers and voice assistants are designed in the future. 

Mark Spates, Google’s product lead for smart speakers, has admitted that, in some ways, the lockdown has been advantageous for the tech giant. 

“I think it’s enhanced the insight that we have on these devices, because now we’re spending 100% of our time with them,” he explained. 

“I would actually say some of the new features you’re going to start seeing is because we’ve been living with our products every single day, finding new use cases for them and actually questioning some things.”.

So, as a direct result of the lockdown, we could see better, smarter, easier-to-use Google Nest speakers in the near future – and that could be a boon to smart speaker sales, just when the industry needs it the most. 

Posted in Uncategorised

Apple Watch deals: the Series 3 is still available for one of it’s lowest prices ever

There's still time to grab a cheap Apple Watch deal with this Apple Watch Series 3 for just $179 (was $199) at Amazon US right now.

Surprisingly, this already discounted cheap Apple Watch sale hasn't sold out yet since it was put up as part of the Amazon Memorial Day Apple sale. This is one of the cheapest Apple Watch prices we've seen yet since the Apple Watch 3 settled into it's new $199 retail asking price late last year and a great way to pick up a cheap Apple Watch.

The Apple Watch 3 may be a little older than the newer series 4 and 5, but it's still running on the latest iOS software and is so much more affordable right now. It's a little bulkier around the edges but if you're looking for a cheap Apple Watch that will still monitor heart rates, play tunes, and is water-resistant then this is a great option.

If you're in the UK, there's also a fantastic offer to be had with this Apple Watch Series 3 for £199 at John Lewis. Not only is it a good price for an Apple watch, but you're also getting John Lewis's two-year warranty included and the option to trade in your old Apple Watch for up to £120 - which makes this potentially a really cheap buy.

Not in the US or UK? check out the best Apple Watch deals just below

The best Apple Watch deals in the US and UK

If you're looking for the whole range, then our Apple Watch deals article looks at every generation of smartwatch and compares all the best retailers near you. If you'd like to see what other brands are on offer, then our best smartwatch deals page is the best place on the web for smartwatch model and price comparison.

Posted in Uncategorised

India blocks File transfer service WeTransfer – here’s what we know

Popular file transfer service WeTransfer went off the radar for many across India today with reports coming in later in the evening that it has been blocked by the federal government. Responding to user complaints on social media, the company confirmed the block. 

Early reports suggested that the Department of Telecommunications issued an order blocking the Netherland-based company's file transfer service that is used to send large files (of up to 2GB for the free version) across the world using the cloud-based service. 

A partial blockage

As we write this, while some internet providers such as Reliance Jio and Idea-Vodafone have blocked access to WeTransfer, others such as ACT Fibernet continue to allow sharing of files across two email IDs, a fact that was checked by us before writing this piece. 

The reason proffered by the federal government for taking this decision appears vague as the media reports merely say that it was done in the public interest and national security. It is unclear what specifically led to this decision at this precise moment. 

Social media outrage

Earlier today, users took to social media asking what had happened to the service with some tweeting that the service was not working for them in specific areas. While we tried accessing the service via Ideas-Vodafone, we got the message "You are not authorised to access this webpage as per DoT compliance." 

On its part WeTransfer responded claiming that their service had been blocked in India and that the team was currently investigating the issue. "We hope to have more details soon. In the meantime, the best workaround is to use a VPN service to access our site," it said. 

Ban only for two webpages?

A report in the Mumbai Mirror claimed that the DoT order was passed close to two weeks ago where two specific webpages of WeTransfer was to be banned. The reasons related to a precondition in the unified license that applies to all internet service providers. Though, now how the entire service got banned today is still something that's not clear. 

In fact, the timing of the move appears to be intriguing as with several companies getting their staff to work from home, file transferring and sharing had assumed added importance during the lockdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, even the federal government has been actively using WeTransfer for sharing press statements with the media.  

While there is concern related to how an entire service got blocked without clarity over the reasons behind it, enterprises may not be overly worried about transferring files as there's Google Drive and DropBox that can easily do the same task. 

Not the first time though

WeTransfer is not the only file transfer service to have been banned by the government of India. In 2011, the now defunct service MegaUpload too faced the ire of the administration after it was found that miscreants were uploading latest movies onto their server at the height of the cinema piracy episode in the country. 

In 2014, a court in Delhi ordered the closure of several file sharing services including Google Docs, Rapidshare and Sendspace following complaints filed by Sony network, the official broadcaster of the FIFA World Cup over illegal uploads of matches by similar miscreants. 

It appears as though a similar fate has befallen WeTransfer due to some isolated misdemeanours of a few of its users. 

Posted in Uncategorised

You can now hire Uber drivers by the hour in select US cities

Uber has announced it's giving users in selected US cities the option to hire drivers by the hour, so you can get a feel for what it's like having your own personal chauffeur on call.

The new feature will set you back $50 (about £41/AU$75) per hour, with a variable add-on fee if you cover a lot of miles. Passengers will be matched with a vehicle that fits the Uber Comfort guidelines, with more headroom and legroom.

Uber Hourly is going live on Tuesday, June 2, in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle, Tacoma, Tampa Bay, and Washington DC, with a wider roll out planned eventually.

"We built this feature for riders that anticipate needing additional flexibility when taking care of essential tasks, and for drivers so that they could access an additional earning opportunity," says Uber in a blog post.

Safety first

Apparently the hourly option has already been attested in cities across Australia, Africa, Europe and the Middle East, so presumably it will eventually make its way to most or all of Uber's markets. As yet there's no word on pricing internationally.

Uber will be hoping to ramp up ride numbers as countries across the world emerge from self-isolation and lockdown, and has been putting new safety measures in place to protect drivers and passengers.

Both drivers and passengers are being asked to wear face masks or covers, while passengers are also requested to sit in the back seat and to keep the windows open. The maximum number of suggested passengers for an UberX ride is now three rather than four.

Uber says it has been providing face masks and sanitizing kits for drivers, and will continue to do so over the coming months.

Posted in Uncategorised

Samsung Galaxy M11, Galaxy M01 to be launched in India on June 2

Samsung is all set to launch two lower mid-range devices in India. The Galaxy M11 and Galaxy M01 launch has been teased by Flipkart. Moreover, the devices will be available for purchase shortly after the launch.

The Samsung Galaxy M11 and M01 will be launched at 12 noon on June 2 in India. While the teasers don’t reveal the price of the devices, the Galaxy M11 is said to cost Rs 10,999 for the base variant and go up to Rs 12,999 for the 4GB RAM model. On the other hand, the Galaxy M01 is tipped to cost Rs 8,999.

Galaxy M11, Galaxy M01, prakhar khanna

The Galaxy M11 was launched back in March in UAE. It features a 6.4-inch LCD display with HD+ resolution and a punch-hole in the top left corner. It is powered by a 1.8GHz SoC, paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage and comes with a microSD card slot. The device sports a triple rear camera setup of 13MP + 5MP + a depth sensor and an 8MP selfie shooter. Further, it packs a 5,000mAh battery.

As for the Galaxy M01, it is tipped to feature a 5.71-inch HD+ display on the front with a waterdrop notch. It could be powered by the Snapdragon 439 chip, paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. The device is rumored to come equipped with a 13MP + 2MP dual rear camera setup and a 5MP selfie camera. It is said to pack a 5,000mAh battery and offer Dolby Atmos support.

Via: Gadgets360

The post Samsung Galaxy M11, Galaxy M01 to be launched in India on June 2 appeared first on Pocketnow.