Technology Simplified

It's been long replaced by the iPhone SE as Apple's go to budget handset, but if you're looking for a cheap iPhone then the iPhone 5S deals are worth considering before committing to your purchase. Unfortunately deals are now far between and we would recommend going for something newer like the iPhone 6S Plus or iPhone SE if you want an iPhone for a budget price. Apple is no longer producing iPhone 5S handsets, and so it's no longer available on contract brand new from any of the major networks. But if you're still interested you can still get one. Refurbished models come on to the market from time to time (although their prices don't look too good) and there are still plenty of retailers stocking the 5S handset only, and for well less than £200. So you could easily buy it SIM-free and then get hold of a cheap SIM only deal to put in it. This will give you much more flexibility than getting it on contract anyway. We've built a dedicated comparison cha...

By NATHANIEL POPPER and MIKE ISAAC from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/2IGTA8H

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. Will Samsung enjoy first mover advantage with 5G ? Samsung launches first-ever US retail stores Samsung invests $22bn in AI and 5G 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 ti...

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. Electric vehicles explained : everything you need to know Everything you need to know about wireless EV charging Your complete guide to self-driving cars 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 Con...

Announced at last year’s WWDC, Apple’s been firing up Siri Shortcuts at a fairly steady clip. The company says there are now “thousands” of apps integrating the iOS 12 feature, which bring all sorts of third-party functionality to the smart assistant. There are five new Shortcuts available starting today. Most notable (depending on where you get your airline miles, I suppose) is probably the one from American Airlines. Saying, “Hey Siri, flight update” will provide you with information on your upcoming travel plans. The response uses location information to determine what the share, including flight status, travel time and the gate it will depart from. Caviar has a new Shortcut as well. It lets users check on food status or reorder frequent items, like, say, “order my usual pizza,” for those of us who are perfectly fine with the food related ruts we’ve dug ourselves into. Merriam Webster, meanwhile, is adding a “word of the day” Shortcut, while Dexcom is bringing glucose monitoring...

What is the IoT? The world around us is getting smarter and more connected as technology becomes a common sight in many areas. Digital devices are not just in our pockets or our offices, but increasingly in our homes, buildings, and many places and cities. Helping collect, analyse and monitor data and information about their surroundings, these devices are able to communicate with each other through the ‘Internet of Things’. Often shortened to the IoT, this worldwide, interconnected network allows devices to talk to each other and to us, delivering reams of data through smarter processes that will greatly increase the quality of life around the world.  The Internet of Things is predicted to revolutionise the way in which we live our lives, with many industry experts tipping it to have the biggest technological impact since cloud computing, as more data than ever before can be collected, stored and analysed. Many consumers are already enjoying the benefits of the IoT, as popula...

Update: You really don't want to wait around on these Sky TV deals with discounted options for Sky Sports and Sky Cinema as today's the final day get get the reduced monthly prices. You've only got until midnight tonight. Tired of missing out on the best sports coverage in the UK? Then it's time you turned that frown upside down with a superb Sky TV with Sports offer. It's a quiet time of year for Sky TV deals and decent ones with Sky Sports are the rarest ones as discounts are usually reserved for the movie and TV content. Not today though as you can get a Sky TV package with all eight Sky Sports channels for 22% off - or to put it in terms of cold hard cash, £10 less a month, saving you a lovely jubbly £180 over the regular contract price. This deal gets you the base Sky Entertainment pack too. This comes with every Sky TV deal nowadays, but Sky has packed it with an excellent selection of channels including Sky Atlantic (yes, you'll be able to watch Game ...

Navy builds new massive undersea attack drones The Navy has taken several new steps in its development of several large underwater drones designed to conduct undersea reconnaissance, share combat essential data with submarine “motherships,” search for and destroy mines and - in some cases - launch attacks on enemy surface and undersea vessels via https://ift.tt/2IKPD2K

Now that macOS Mojave has finally blessed our Mac hard drives, we have access to key iOS apps, like Stocks and News. However, macOS still has its own rich library of apps. Your Mac can do everything from playing games to getting all your work done. AT the end of the day, it’s the software, more than anything else, that keeps people coming back to the Jony Ive designed hardware each year. There are so many things you can do with the best Mac apps, so some may not appeal to you. However, there are some Mac apps like Evernote, the best note-taking app around, that anyone can find a use for. And, you won’t find all of these apps on the Mac App Store, but they’re still worth your consideration. With this guide, we found all the best apps, most of which we use every day. From free apps and utilities to professional music applications, these Mac apps will make even the best Mac better than ever.  Bill Thomas and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article Check out our Linux vs...

School is expensive, no matter what level you’re at: tuition, books, food – it all adds up. Fortunately, with one of the best laptops for students, you can save some money. Not only will these budget minded laptops have great style and performance, but they’ll do it with an eye for value. Trying to save up for a new laptop when you’re buying textbooks can be hard, so the best student laptops don’t need all the best processors and graphics cards. You won’t be limited to Windows 10 , either – the best Chromebooks are among the best laptops for college students – as you’ll be able to get all your work done while saving a ton of cash. We know that school gets stressful, but that’s why you should make sure you only have the best student laptop. No one wants the added stress of running around campus with a dying laptop – especially when you’re in the middle of a project. So, we gathered up some of the best laptops for students, because no one wants to limit themselves to an old clunker ...

If you're looking for a mid-size 4K TV with premium features, then look no further than this fantastic deal from Amazon. You can get the top rated TCL 55-inch 4K Smart TV on sale at Amazon for $579.99. That's a $220 discount and the best price we've seen right now for this smart TV with Roku built in. The TCL 55R617 features Dolby Vision HDR which delivers accurate colors and sharp contrasts for a powerful life-like picture. The 4K UHD TV has Roku TV built-in which allows you to stream thousands of movies and TV shows from the home screen of your TV. You can access Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video and even your gaming console without having to switch inputs on the TV. The Roku TV also features an enhanced remote that allows you to use your voice to find movie titles, change channels, and even switch inputs.  This is an excellent price for a 4K 55-inch TV and only $30 more than the Black Friday price. We don't know how long Amazon will have the TCL Roku TV discounted, so you...

Robocalls skyrocket by 325 percent worldwide, as people demand protection The global scourge of robocalls shows no sign of stopping. via https://ift.tt/2BXW1Ol

As the best gaming PCs get more powerful, the best PC games continue to get bigger and better – just take a look at open world games. Even game franchises that are traditionally linear affairs are starting to embrace the open world style. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is a great example: it used to be a straightforward narrative experience with little in the way of exploration, but it ballooned into a huge open world with the third entry. There are many open world franchises out there that have always been open world, though. Games like Just Cause 4 and Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey are the pedigree of open world game design. There are even a ton of indie games that adapt to this style.  The best open world games are everywhere right now, but they require so much of your free time, that you should only pick up the very best. Luckily, because we spend an inordinate amount of time playing these games, we were able to pick out the best open world games you can buy on PC. Gabe Carey has ...

Gun safety devices get caught in online advertising bans As more Americans keep loaded guns in their homes, efforts to sell them new kinds of safety locks are getting stuck by policies intended to block ads for firearms online. via https://ift.tt/2NyZTKn

What to make of Hisense? The Chinese manufacturer has long had a reputation for affordable TVs, speakers, and assorted home appliances – though its growth in the television space has shown there’s far more to the brand than simply budget tech. With ultra-thin models, forays into 8K and projector-television hybrids (you heard me), Hisense is proving a force of innovation in a rapidly evolving market, one where manufacturers are having to compete with new form factors like Samsung’s modular screens or LG’s rollable OLEDs . TV makers are finally thinking outside the box Add that to a host of superbly cheap televisions – like the well-reviewed Hisense A6200 – and you have a TV-maker competing on all fronts, with real value on premium picture technologies like UHD resolution and high dynamic range (HDR), even if you’re not necessarily seeing these features at their best. To keep you up to date with Hisense’s latest sets, we’ve put together this guide to every 2019 Hisense TV coming...

Windows 10 S was first revealed as a standalone operating system way back in May 2017, and it faced some mixed reception out of the gate. However, since then, the slim OS never stopped evolving. Most of the criticism it faced came down to the restrictions it places on anyone trying to install third party programs. But, now that you can switch out of Windows 10 S Mode, it’s a much more palatable OS. Windows 10 S Mode will limit you to apps found on the Microsoft Store, rather than being able to install whatever you want. Fortunately, you can switch out of S Mode whenever you like it for free these days, so you’re not stuck with it.  But, Windows 10 S Mode makes a lot of sense for the right kind of user and device – either with the Surface Go or if you manage to get Windows 10 running on your Raspberry Pi 3 . Windows 10 S Mode will also be able to take advantage of any Windows 10 updates, like the October 2018 Update (even though that update is being adopted pretty slowly ), th...

Everything we do these days is online, or at least it kind of seems like it. So, it’s more important than ever to go out and pick up the best wireless router you can find. Whether you’re watching the best shows on Netflix or enjoying some PC games , you don’t want your experience ruined by a poor connection. That’s why getting the best wireless router is a wise move.  We know that it’s incredibly tempting to just give your ISP a call, demanding the fastest internet you can get, rather than just picking up one of the best routers. However, whether you need a gaming router or a wireless mesh router , wireless routers are incredibly important. Even if you already have the fastest internet connection in the world, a good router can make a world of difference. But, what makes the best wireless router, well, the best? There are a couple things you need to consider. Both QoS (Quality of Service) and MU-MIMO will make sure that your online experience isn’t interrupted by other devices ...