Beats has joined forces with Disney to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the world's most famous mouse with a special edition of the Solo3 wireless headphones featuring images of the Disney mascot.
The market that used to exist for a just-about-powerful Mac Mini doesn’t exist anymore, but there are very enticing prospects up the price band.
The spacecraft passed the current record of 26.55 million miles from the Sun's surface on October 29, as calculated by the Parker Solar Probe team, NASA said in a statement .
A SIM-only plan is a mobile phone contract that offers calls, texts and data in return for a monthly fee, but doesn't come bundled with a phone. Leaving the phone out of the equation means SIM-only plans can be much cheaper than general mobile phone plans which makes them ideal if you already have a handset or are eyeing up a SIM-free phone.
To make things easy for you, we've gone through and combed through all of Australia’s available SIM-only plans to picks the ones we think offer the most bang for your buck. Our choices start from $16 per month for a basic plan, but we've also looked at more expensive plans at $40 and $60, and there are some great options for power users who need loads of data.
Below, you'll find the very best SIM-only plans in Australia as of November 2018. Whether you’re after the cheapest plan possible, want to dig out the best-value big data SIM plan or just want an all-round great deal but don’t know how much to spend, you should find a recommendation here that suits your needs.
Belong | No contracts | 5GB data | Unlimited national calls and text | Unused data rollover | $25 per month | Telstra 4G & 3G Network
Hate contracts but love data? Belong's Regular 5GB Plan might be for you. You get unlimited talk and text within Australia, as well as 5GB of monthly data — all on Telstra's 4G and 3G network. Plus, any data you don't use during the month will rollover to the next month.
Amaysim | No contracts | 2.5GB data | Unlimited national calls | Unlimited texts | $20 per 28 days | Optus 4G Network
With its new SIM-only, pay-as-you-go plans, Amaysim is offering terrific value when it comes to data, talk and text. $20 will get you 2.5GB of data, unlimited national talk and text, all on the Optus 4G Network.
Vaya | No contracts | 3GB data | Unlimited national calls | Unlimited texts | $24 per month | Optus 4G Network
A plan that offers terrific value, Vaya's Unlimited 3GB plan offers unlimited national calls and texts with 3GB of data for just $24 per month. Best of all, there are no contracts involved, so your minimum cost is the initial monthly payment.
Amaysim | No contracts | 15GB data | Unlimited national calls (international calls included) | Unlimited texts | $40 per 28 days | Optus 4G Network
A fantastic package on a pay-as-you-go plans, Amaysim is offering 15GB data, plus unlimited national talk and text. You'll also get unlimited international calls to 10 specific countries, and 300 minutes to a further 22 countries. Amazing value for only $40 per 28 days.
Think Mobile | 12-month contract | 20GB data (12 month plan only) | Unlimited national calls | Unlimited national and international texts |$30 per month | Vodafone 4G Network (available areas)
If you're willing to go on a 12-month contract, Think Mobile's Ultimate $30 Plan is exceptional value. Those who choose the 12-month option will get 20GB of monthly data, unlimited national calls, unlimited national and international texts — all for only $30 per month. Minimum cost $360 over 12 months.
Optus | 12-month contract | 10GB + 5GB bonus data | $300 international calls (select countries) | Unlimited national texts | $40 per month | Optus 4G Network
While this plan does require you to sign up to a 12-month contract, there's plenty of value included here for just $40 per month. You get 15GB of total monthly data (10GB + 5GB bonus when you sign up or recontract), as well as data-free streaming through selected apps, with an Optus Sports subscription also included. Minimum cost $480 over 12 months.
Amaysim | No contracts | 20GB data | Unlimited national calls (international calls included) | Unlimited texts | $50 per 28 days | Optus 4G Network
Another terrific pay-as-you-go plans from Amaysim gives you 250GB data, plus unlimited national talk and text. You'll also get unlimited international calls to 10 specific countries, and 300 minutes to a further 22 countries. Unbeatable value at $50 per 28 days.
Optus | 12-month contracts | 30GB data | Unlimited national calls | Unlimited texts |$50 per month | Optus 4G Network
Offering a huge amount of data at an appealing price, Optus $50 SIM only plan on a 12-month contact is great value for power users. You get a whopping 30GB of monthly data, unlimited talk and text, data-free streaming of certain apps and an Optus Sports subscription (if that kind of thing excites you),
Optus | 12-month contracts | 50GB data | Unlimited national calls | Unlimited texts |$60 per month | Optus 4G Network
A whopping good deal from Optus that's heavy on the data, you get 50GB of data per month, as well as unlimited talk and text, data-free streaming from certain apps and an Optus Sports subscription – all for just a tenner more than the previous deal. You'll need to go on a 12-month contract, though, which carries a minimum cost of $720 over the year.
If you a) want to save some money; b) don't want to be tied into a lengthy contract; or c) both of the above, then going SIM-only is well worth considering. In fact, you're probably in one of two situations if your thoughts are turning to a SIM-only mobile plan:
There are three sizes of SIM card that you can get for your phone, and the one you need will depend on your handset. It's been a while since the traditional, so-called standard SIM (15 x 25mm) has genuinely been the staple in new phones. Instead, any phone you've bought within the last five or so years is much more likely to require a micro (12 x 15mm) or nano (8.8 x 12.3mm) SIM – the iPhone 5 was Apple's first mobile with a nano SIM, while Samsung began using the smallest size in its Galaxy S6.
Before you purchase your new SIM, double-check the manufacturer's website to see what size you require. And if you're simply not sure, most networks now simply send out a triple SIM, so you'll get one of each size.
Unlike with a contract, there's a lot more flexibility available when it comes to how long your SIM-only plan will last. Two year commitments are virtually unheard of, with the norm being either one year or rolling one month contracts for ultimate flexibility. You can often get better prices if you tie yourself in for 12 months, especially on larger data tariffs. But sticking to one month at a time means that you can effectively hand pick a new plan to suit you every 30 days or so.
Because you can change your plan up more regularly than a normal, lengthier contract, it's less crucial to get this nailed from the start. But if you're thinking of grabbing a 12-monther or just put a personal pride on getting things right first time, then we'll help you pick out the sweet spot of data for you.
Firstly, check your phone to see how much data you've been using to date, and whether you have the tendency to use more than your current allowance every month. Then, if you're still unsure, check out our guidance:
Call it practicality, call it greediness, call it what you want - it's human nature to want 'unlimited' anything if offered. But you should think genuinely about whether you really need it in a world where the likes of WhatsApp and Skype let you call and text for free over wi-fi or 4G. If you decide that a few thousand monthly minutes and texts should do you, then you could shave off some cash from your bill.
The SIM-only plans on this page are checked regularly, so make sure you visit often if you want to get the most up-to-date information on the plans that are currently available!
Do you like your music to smell Katy-Perry-candy-sweet? Or how about Sex-Pistol-peppery? It’s a consideration that Panasonic thinks music fans might have to make alongside their choice of streaming services in the future.
During the company’s centenary celebrations in Tokyo at the Panasonic Innovation Forum, it let visitors have a sniff at their favourite sounds with the Aromation concept.
A tabletop touchpanel designed within the company’s new Game Changer Catapult incubator group, it features an aroma diffuser in its centre that uses algorithms to match the wave patterns of your songs to a smell that suits the mood.
To illustrate the idea, Panasonic offered two sliding points on a scattergraph-like grid, pitting a mood against sonic intensity. Softer, calmer tunes would give off a rose-like scent, while livelier, heavier beats released peppery, citrusy smells.
As a concept piece, the Aromation is as much an experiment as it is any device with an end-user or market spot in mind. But look to the way we enjoy our tunes now, with noise-cancelling headphones designed to fully immerse the listener in their favourite songs.
Whether the Aromation can further that sense of immersion, or act as an extra distraction, will probably be determined by your olfactory prowess or nasal sensitivity. But if a sense of synaesthesia is top of your list when it comes to that full entertainment experience, there may be room for an Aromation system in some shape or form in your home yet.
The idea of having a TV act as more than just a movie-viewing slab in your room has taken off in recent years, with Samsung’s the Frame TV positioning itself as much as an interior design piece as a display, presenting works of art when it’d otherwise be in standby mode.
At the Panasonic Innovation Forum, celebrating the company’s 100th anniversary, it showed its own intentions to spruce up your living room with a new type of display, the Panasonic AMP.
As much a picture frame as it is a TV, the AMP can be free standing, balanced against a wall or hung, displaying both static works of art and video art works. In fact, the Panasonic engineers on hand to explain the purpose of the screen spoke of how it was not really intended as a product to view shows or movies on – and that’s in part due to its unusual size.
The work of a new internal incubator project for fast-tracking design concepts at Panasonic, the AMP is unique in its screen ratio, being a near-perfect square, rather than the 16:9 widescreen displays we are more familiar with.
A 4K-equivalent LCD panel, its size allows for varied types of art to be displayed, as well as giving it just as varied options for placement in your home.
As an incubator project, there’s no street date for the AMP yet – it’s more an opportunity for Panasonic to gauge interest in the idea. And there’s room for some seemingly obvious features to be included – though the screen also includes speakers designed to disperse audio in a wide stage to envelope a room in relaxing ambient sounds, there’s no way to upload your own pictures or videos. All content is piped in over the internet from Panasonic’s archives – which seems a missed opportunity for a piece that would work wonderfully as a large-scale digital picture frame.
But it remains an interesting idea that would be well worth exploring for the company – though that early rush for digital photo frames was let down by cheap, low quality screen technology (and equally primitive smartphone camera tech), it’s now possible to make slimline 4K panels of excellent quality with relative ease. And, with smartphones offering near-pro level cameras in our pockets, there’s no end of personal, high-quality imagery with which to populate them.
If you missed out on the sweet Xbox One X bundle deal from JB Hi-Fi earlier on, then now’s your chance to get one almost as cheap.
The Gamesmen are having a limited 10% off storewide sale, which brings their wicked Red Dead and Forza bundle for the latest Microsoft console down to $539.95. Considering the console itself is still running at a retail price of $649, this is a hell of a saving considering you'll also be receiving Red Dead Redemption 2, Forza Horizon 4, and Forza Motorsport 7.
Be sure to enter the code TRICKORTREAT at checkout to nab the discount, and get in quick as the sale is only on from 2pm until 10pm on 31/10.
As The Gamesmen only has one physical store location (in Penshurst, NSW) you're likely going to have pay for shipping. You can use the calculator on the product page itself to get a quote on how much it will cost you, or check out their delivery page for further details.
With all the big iPad Pro 2018, MacBook Air 2018 and Mac mini 2018 news announced today, you would be forgiven for overlooking another impressive Apple announcement – a new and improved Apple Pencil.
Along with an aesthetic redesign that has dropped the detachable cap and now includes a flat edge and matte finish, the second-gen Apple Pencil boasts a number of noteworthy improvements over its predecessor, including wireless charging and gesture controls.
That flat edge we spoke of earlier? Not only does it stop the new Pencil from rolling off a table, it also allows it to magnetically snap to the new iPad Pro's side where it can be automatically paired or take advantage of the aforementioned wireless charging functionality – a vastly superior alternative to the old method, which required the original Pencil to be plugged into the iPad's Lightning port.
In terms of gesture controls, users are able to simply switch tools by tapping the side of the new Apple Pencil. That said, users will be able to customize their own gestures, which should come in handy when using non-Apple drawing apps.
The new Apple Pencil is available to order now from Apple's online store with a dispatch date of November 6, and is priced at $129 (£119 / AU$199). Take note – the new Apple Pencil and its features are only compatible with the newly announced 2018 model iPad Pro.
UPDATE: Apple has now removed the watchOS 5.1 update, but if you've downloaded it and are yet to install it, we still recommend waiting until it gets patched.
After updating their fancy new Apple Watches to the latest operating system, watchOS 5.1, some users are reporting that it has turned their devices into little more than jewelry.
When trying to install the update, some owners of the latest Apple Watch Series 4 have found their unit stuck on the Apple logo screen indefinitely, effectively ‘bricking’ their rather expensive devices.
Apple has apparently told some customers the update could take several hours, although many users have reported waiting for much longer with no change. Restarting the Apple Watch, or the paired iPhone, hasn’t fixed the issue for those affected either.
For those who've successfully been able to install it, watchOS 5.1 introduces new emojis, watch-faces and support for group FaceTime audio, as well as fixing some minor bugs.
While there is currently no official word from Apple, we’ve contacted them for a response and will update this story when we have more information. In the meantime, if you're a Series 4 Watch owner, we recommend holding off on installing this update until Apple has addressed the problem.
Best Headphones 2018: Welcome to TechRadar's comprehensive round-up of the best headphones in every style and at every price point in 2018.
It's hard to imagine a world without headphones - a world where music can only be enjoyed in concert halls or on speaker systems, exclusively. Headphones have their limitations, of course, but there's a reason they've survived as long as they have.
Yes, they've changed over the years - added fancy new features in the form of noise-cancellation of Hi-Res Audio playback over Bluetooth - but largely the pair of cans you bought 20 years ago could stand up to the ones made today.
...well, as long as you bought a quality pair of them they could.
The reasoning behind buying one of the best headphones on the market today is to get the features of today, and a build quality that will last tomorrow. Sure, you could buy discount-bin headphones at the checkout line, but they're unlikely to make it through the year, let alone for the next decade or two.
That said, it's our mission to hook you up with a pair of great-sounding headphones - the best headphones money can buy, even when you're on a budget.
We've listened to hundreds of headphones over the years of every make, model and variety to create list-after-list of the best noise-cancelling headphones, the best wireless headphones, the best earbuds, etc...
We encourage you to take a look at all the headphone lists here on TechRadar - but, if you're in a hurry and just want to see the best headphones, period, this is the place for you. What you'll find below is our selection of the best headphones for each form-factor, and we've even picked out a less-costly option for each so that a lack of finances won't stop you from finding a pair of headphones you'll truly love.
After spending a few weeks with both the 1MORE Triple Driver in-ear headphones and the 1MORE Quad Driver in-ear headphones we were blown away at just how much value each one gave in their prospective price ranges.
For $100 (£100, about AU$168), it’s hard to think of a better sounding and built headphone than the 1MORE Triple Driver. (That said, if you want just that little extra refinement and luxury materials, the 1MORE Quad Drivers are still a bargain at twice the price.)
There’s very little we can fault the Triple Drivers for. Its rubber cable is annoying and its remote control feels cheap but these are just nitpicks. But, for its price, it’s impossible to do better than 1MORE's Triple Driver in-ear headphones.
Read the full review: 1More Triple Driver In-Ear Headphone
If you have a tendency to lose or break headphones but still value sound quality, it’s hard to think of a better value than the RHA S500u. These headphones have no business sounding so good for the price: Sound quality is balanced with a slight mid-bass bump. Bass is slightly emphasized but not egregiously and features good impact while maintaining good control. And highs, while sibilant at times, makes music sound more exciting.
Read the full review: RHA S500u
For your money, you can't do any better than Grado's SR60e. The third-generation of the Brooklyn, NY-based company's Prestige Series is its best and most refined yet. The SR60e in particular is a smart choice if you're looking for an entry-level set of headphones that sounds like it should cost you way more than it does. Its open-backed ear cup design makes them a more breathable experience than what most on-ear headphones can deliver. In a few words, it's our gold-standard when it comes to on-ears.
(Our review is for the SR60i, but the newer SR60e headphones are largely similar in design and performance.)
Read the full review: Grado SR60e
While the original Plattan headphones were just fine for a pair of on-ear headphones, Urbanears wasn’t satisfied with being mediocre. The company took customer feedback to heart and addressed many complaints about comfort, sound quality and isolation. For the most part, Urbanears succeeded, making the Plattan II a worthy sequel to the company’s most popular headphone.
In short, these are basic headphones without a ton of features. But, because they're feature-light, you get a good-sounding pair of wired headphones for significantly less than you would otherwise.
Read the full review: Urbanears Plattan II
The Bowers & Wilkins P9 Signatures are simply some of the best-sounding headphones we’ve ever used. They have a tight, refined sound that offers an almost unmatched level of detail.
That said, the fact remains that they’re a comparatively feature-light pair of cans. If you want to spend less then you can get a much more portable pair that’ll be better suited to the morning commute or a plane ride thanks to additional features like noise-cancellation and Bluetooth connectivity.
But, if you’re looking to invest in a seriously high-quality pair of headphones to listen to a high-quality music collection, then there are few that can match the P9s at this price point.
Read the full review: B&W P9 Signature
Audiophiles typically shun wireless headphones because of poor sound quality. However, Bluetooth audio has improved tremendously over the years. There are now plenty of wireless headphones that can please the music enthusiast, with Hi-Res Audio support being more and more prevalent.
That said, the Audio-Technica ATH-SR5BT feature some of the best wired and wireless sound quality for a headphone under $200 (£150). They play well with all music genres and offer a near-flat response curve. They're extremely comfortable for long listening sessions and are well built. Battery life is equally impressive with nearly 40 hours of playback from a charge. And while they lack some features of more expensive wireless headphones like active noise cancelling and multi-device pairing, these are tradeoffs worth making for phenomenal sound.
Read the full review: Audio-Technica ATH-SR5BT
Despite coming out in 2017, the Sony WH-1000XM2 are still the best noise-cancelling headphones around: They sound great, deftly wield noise cancellation technology and cost just as much as a pair of Bose QC35s. They might have a slightly shorter battery life than Bose’s flagship over-ear headphones, but Sony’s WH-1000XM2 outclass the QC35 in terms of performance and feature-set.
You’d want to pick these Sony headphones over the Bose because not only do they provide the same level of awesome noise-cancellation, but they have three neat tricks that Bose just doesn't have on its headphones: One is an ambient noise mode that only lets in mid-to-high frequency tones (announcements over a loudspeaker, for instance) and another being Quick Attention mode that allows you to let in all outside noise without taking off the headphones. (The latter is perfect when giving a drink order on a plane or speaking to a coworker for a brief moment before diving back into your work.) The last trick Sony has up its sleeve is the LDAC codec. Alongside the widely adopted aptX HD standard, LDAC enables Hi-Res Audio playback using the 1000XM2.
Great-sounding, feature-packed and just as affordable as the competition? The Sony WH-1000XM2 are our all-around pick for best noise-cancelling cans.
Read the full review: Sony WH-1000XM2
The Beyerdynamic Amiron Wireless are the best-sounding wireless headphones you can buy, period. Sound is spacious, detailed, and makes you want to rediscover your music library. Their bulky design and average noise isolation make them terrible for travel but if you’re looking for the best sound from a wireless headphone, this is it.
Read the full review: Beyerdynamic Amiron Wireless
If you're a frequent traveler you're probably all too familiar with headphones that can't hold a charge and can't block out sound, let alone sound very good. Let us introduce you to the Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2, one of the few headphones on the market that can do all of the above and cost less than half as much as one of the bigger names like Beats, Bose and Sony.
They also include a neat little feature that allows them to automatically turn off when you're not wearing them, meaning you're able to easily maximise their battery life without much effort.
If we had to boil it down to its core, the BackBeat Pro 2 offers an excellent travel headphone with incredible battery life, supreme comfort, the ability to pair two device as once and, most importantly, good sound quality for the cost.
Read the full review: Plantronics BackBeat Pro 2
After spending several weeks with the RHA MA390 Wireless, we came away extremely impressed with the package RHA has come up with. The headphones are built extremely well, have a fun sound signature, and can take a beating. And all at an affordable price.
It’s main rival, the OnePlus Bullets Wireless, are also excellent, however we give the nod to the RHA MA390 for its more dynamic sound and better build quality.
Read the full review: RHA MA390 Wireless
All things considered, the Jabra Elite 65t are one of the best truly wireless headphones you can buy today. They cost slightly more than the Apple AirPods but they also offer better sound quality, noise isolation and adjustable ambient noise when you want it. And if you don’t like the design of the odd, alien-looking AirPods, the mature, understated look of the 65t may be to your liking.
While the Jabra Elite 65t are easily one of the highest scoring true wireless headphones we've reviewed, there are a few others on the market worth considering: If you want a pair of exercise earbuds, there’s the Jabra Elite Sport which has a higher water resistance and handy sports-oriented features. For audiophiles who don’t mind stretching the budget, the active noise cancelling Sony WF-1000X are an excellent choice. Bassheads will want to try the SOL Republic Amps Air.
If you only have the budget for one of these, though, go for the Elite 65t.
Read the full review: Jabra Elite 65t
Press on to page two to see how to pick out a good pair of headphones along more of our recommendations.
Check out our videos below for a roundup of the best headphones available.
There's usually more to a set of headphone than meets the eye. As such, we've provided a breakdown of what you can expect to find in each kind of headphone.
Not only will learning more about headphones help you make a more informed purchase, but you'll know when you're really getting your money's worth.
What headphones should you buy? Check out our video below for everything you need to know.
This type of headphone, more commonly referred to as an earbud or earphone, is usually the cheapest and easiest way to pump audio into your ears. If you've purchased an MP3 player, or more recently, a smartphone, it's likely that a set was included with the purchase.
Earphones rest in or just outside the ear canal, creating a tight seal to keep air out and sound in. Compared to other types of headphones, these are the most discreet ones you'll find. Their small form-factor also makes them the king/queen of portability and the prime choice for athletes.
You're not likely to find strong performers at the low-end of the price spectrum. Their sound delivery is generally muddled, lacking bass and overcompensating for that with harsh mids and highs. That said, it won't cost you much money at all to find a value-packed option complete with inline controls and a microphone.
While similar to over-ear headphones in appearance, they fit to your head a little differently. Instead of enveloping your ears with a soft cushion, on-ear headphones create a light, breathable seal around your ear. Thus, the noise isolation is much less effective than in-ear or over-ear options. This might be a dealbreaker for some, but there are big benefits to consider here.
On-ear headphones are usually more portable than their over-ear brethren, and as such they appeal to travellers and the fitness crowd. Taking a walk or a jog around town is also safer, as you can hear traffic go by and be aware of potential hazards.
This ear-muff style of headphone generally provides greater richness and depth of sound, which allows listeners to pick apart the instruments and sounds much easier. Additionally, over-ear, or circum-aural headphones, go around the ear and offer a generous amount of padding.
The price range for a set of on-ear headphones begins around $100 and from there, the sky's the limit. For example, the Oppo PM-1, while excellent, are priced exorbitantly at $1,099. It's definitely not necessary to spend that much. That said, you tend to get what you pay for.
If your headphone budget is in the $2-300, you'll start getting into options that have excellent build quality, premium materials and amazing sound and features like ANC (active noise cancellation.)
This style of headphone doesn't limit you to a specific form factor like the others. In fact, you can find in-ear, on-ear and over-ear headphone styles sans wire.
Opting to go wireless will cost you a premium of anywhere between $50-100 over the price of wired cans. Going futuristic isn't cheap. One important thing to consider is that your music player must support the Bluetooth wireless protocol, as it's required to use this type of headphone.
Speaking of Bluetooth, it has become exponentially more reliable over time, but it's always susceptible to disturbances in the force. In short, any little thing, from the understandable (conflicting Wi-Fi signals, microwaves, cordless telephones), to the absurd (sticking a hand in the space between the device and the headphones) can sometimes interrupt a wireless listening experience.
This category, like wireless headphones, isn't limited to a form factor. You can find this clever mix of technologies integrated into the ear pieces of in-ear and over-ear headphones alike.
Many companies falsely claim to offer true noise cancellation with just the padding included around the ear cups. Don't believe it. This is PNC (passive noise cancellation), and it doesn't amount to much. You can even replicate this effect by cupping your hands around your ears, so why shell out the big bucks for it?
On the other hand, ANC (active noise cancellation) is the real deal. This technique employs a set of external microphones, which detect the decibel level outside. Once it has an idea of the incoming noise level, the headphone speakers inside transmit a noise generated to dampen the racket. The end result is an effect that hushes the outside noise, allowing you to focus.
The holiday sales period is always a tumultuous time for Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo - but, according to recent quarterly financial reports, it could be even more chaotic than we initially predicted, with Nintendo optimistically predicting that it will sell upwards of 15 million new Nintendo Switch consoles before March 2019.
The reports put out by the pair of console purveyors put Nintendo Switch at 22 million consoles sold to date, with just over 5 million units sold in the last six months. Sony, on the other hand, approaching the 100 million unit mark with 86 million PS4 consoles (including the PS4 Pro) sold to date.
Should Sony cross that 100 million mark, the PS4 will be one of the company’s best-selling systems - ahead of the PS3 (80 million consoles sold) and original PlayStation (102 million consoles old). That said, Nintendo Switch is already ahead of its predecessors, the Nintendo GameCube and Nintendo Wii U, which only sold 21 million and 13 million units, respectively.
While Sony is holding the higher ground in terms of total consoles sold overall, it could be a competitive Black Friday and a dead-sprint to see who can sell more consoles before the end of the financial year that closes in March.
While Sony expects to sell 17.5 million units before year's end, Nintendo is trying to be a bit more ambitious - selling 15 million consoles in the next three months is no small feat. For reference, Nintendo sold only 7 million units this time last year.
This year, Nintendo is banking on a slew of upcoming titles and bundles will help push more consoles out the door: Pokemon Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! will be available on November 16 and Super Smash Bros Ultimate is out on December 7 2018. The latter will miss out on the two biggest sale days of the year (Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2018) but the game's popularity might help Nintendo keep the momentum going strong into 2019.
Will the Big N can be the number-one console seller in the world this year? We'll just have to wait to find out.
The new MacBook Air, iPad Pro and Mac mini might have been the focus of Apple Event today, but one other thing we’re excited to see is new MacBook Pros featuring AMD Vega graphics.
The MacBook Pro 15-inch specifically will gain new Radeon Pro Vega 16 and 20 discrete graphics options in late November. These new GPU configuration options will replace the older Radeon Pro 500-series graphics to deliver 60% faster better performance according to Apple.
AMD details its Radeon Pro Vega 16 and 20 GPUs will feature up to 20 compute units and 2nd generation HBM2 memory. The component maker also promises users will see world-class HD gaming, responsive 3D rendering and blazingly fast video/photo editing.
Considering how impressive AMD’s Vega integrated graphics have been in Intel Kaby Lake G-powered systems like the Dell XPS 15 2-in-1 and the Intel Hades Canyon NUC, we have high hopes for what these GPUs can do as a discrete graphics solution.
The MacBook Pro 15-inch won’t be the first of many laptops to receive Radeon Pro Vega graphics. AMD plans to implement its new Radeon Pro Vega graphics into many thin-and-light laptops who want a truly capable mobile workstation and portable PC gaming machine.
Unfortunately, Apple has yet to announce how these new Radeon Pro Vega graphics will affect pricing. We’ll be sure to update this page as soon as the company refreshes the Apple Store again.
Apple took the stage at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City to revive its most beloved laptop brand, the MacBook Air, but it ended up doing so only in name. Frankly, what I saw on stage today was basically a bigger and better version of the 12-inch MacBook.
The spirit of the MacBook Air, what that laptop truly represented in the eyes of its fans, was entirely missed in today’s MacBook Air 2018 update.
This is not the no-nonsense, affordable entry point into Apple’s wonderful world of computing that the original MacBook Air quickly became after its launch. Nor does this laptop bring forth the full power of Intel mobile processing into a thinner and lighter design than its rivals.
Instead, what Apple has shown off looks an awful lot like a 2018 version of the 12-inch MacBook with a larger display, Touch ID and one more Thunderbolt 3 port.
After several years of waiting to see our beloved, approachable MacBook bring that same spirit into the modern era of mobile computing, to have it basically homogenize with an Apple laptop brand that screams luxury above all else, it’s tough not to see a bit of cynicism in this device.
Perhaps the biggest selling point of the MacBook Air, after a revision or two, was its incredible price point. The 11-inch MacBook Air cost just $799 at one point in its life, with the 13.3-inch costing a mere $999 for years right up until today.
While the MacBook Air didn’t start its life as an affordable Apple icon, it certainly developed that reputation over its lifespan. The accessibility of the MacBook Air was lauded in its later years.
In fact, the increasing price of entry into Apple laptops in recent years has become a point of derision, with Apple eroding the lines between its laptop products that had been clearly defined by price. Today, it’s worryingly easy for someone to spend MacBook Pro kind of money on a 12-inch MacBook and get nowhere near the level of power within the former.
The new MacBook Air will make this distinction easier in Apple’s new reality, but it does nothing for the fan that was – arguably rightfully – expecting a brand-new $999 laptop.
First off, the biggest reason that the original MacBook Air models lasted so impossibly long on a charge was because they used far lower-resolution displays than most competing laptops. Frankly, that was just fine for what most everyone used the laptop for: word processing, emailing and watching the occasional video on Netflix.
Sure, Apple is rating the new MacBook Air for up to 12 hours of mixed online use, but that’s with a completely unnecessary (if absolutely gorgeous) Retina display that, coincidentally, matches that of the 13-inch MacBook Pro. Imagine if Apple would have toned it down a bit with a perfectly-fine 1080p display.
One thing is certain with a lower-resolution display: we would be seeing absolutely massive battery figures from this laptop, figures that would live up to the MacBook Air legacy.
Then we have the processor. The MacBook Air has an 8th-generation, dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, and Apple won’t say much more on the matter. This sounds about right on paper, but the only dual-core, 8th-generation Intel processor is a Y-series Intel Core processor crafted for laptops with fanless designs.
Every other current Intel Core i5 processor is a quad-core chip and requires fans to cool it. All previous MacBook Air models ran fan-cooled designs with full-fat mobile processors.
The word 'full-fat' today finally means 'quad-core' in Intel's world, so I expected as much with this model considering a major piece of the original laptop's appeal was boasting the power of most rival laptops in a fraction of their size and weight. No matter how you slice it, this will not be the case for the new MacBook Air.
Instead, the MacBook Air won’t be that much more powerful than a 12-inch MacBook is today, and at more of a disadvantage against competing Ultrabooks.
While I must admit that the MacBook Air didn’t start its life this way, the laptop quickly became Apple’s affordable entry point into its computing ecosystem. This positioning was so successful that it saw the MacBook Air all but dominate college campuses – and thin-and-light laptop sales – at the time.
The price of this new version for what it gets you doesn’t compare well to the value of competing Windows-based laptops, which positions the MacBook Air entirely differently from its predecessor. Ultimately, it seems as if this laptop isn’t that much more than a 13.3-inch version of the 12-inch MacBook.
By that logic, I’m left wondering why Apple named this laptop the MacBook Air beyond the fact that the name carries incredible brand cache to capitalize on. One thing is for sure: this laptop may be gorgeous and the most affordable Retina MacBook to date, but it certainly doesn’t remind me much of the beloved ultra-light laptop that was basically ubiquitous in its time.
Update: ESPN+ is now available on Xbox One and PS4 consoles, ESPN announced today. The service will still stay priced at $5 per month or $50 per year, and the additional platforms will help the service expand beyond its one million current subscribers.
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Until now, streaming services have been laser-focused on bringing you the best shows and movies they could get their mitts on - often going as far as creating their own to win over the next generation of cord-cutters and cord-nevers.
This line of thinking has brought us shows like House of Cards and Stranger Things on Netflix, The Man in the High Castle and Transparent on Amazon and The Handmaid’s Tale on Hulu. These shows are undeniably great in their execution, however, they aren’t going to persuade someone who loves sports to give up their cable package.
For that crowd, ESPN has teamed up with a company called BAMTech to bring streaming video to the hundreds of thousands of ride-or-die sports lovers out there.
The service is called ESPN+ and it’s brand-new for 2018.
ESPN+ is a streaming service package from ESPN. The package brings together live events, on-demand content and original programming not found on any other ESPN network - and puts them alongside free content from ESPN’s mother service.
It’s important to point out that while it’s separate in terms of content from anything else on ESPN, it shares a lot of the same attributes to the content you’re used to watching. Namely, it’s highly produced sports content that focuses on the biggest leagues, players and teams in the NHL, MLB, MLS, NFL and NBA. Subscribe to it, and you’ll often float between the different leagues, selecting teams to follow and watching highlights from their last game or predictions about what’s going to happen for them next.
The best equivalent we can think of for ESPN+ is YouTube Red - YouTube’s supplementary streaming service that gives you extra shows, behind-the-scenes content and, most importantly, an ad-free environment to watch the content you already love. While ESPN+ may not offer exactly the same content you’ve come to love on standard ESPN, it brings you much more of the same type of content.
ESPN+ is also similar to YouTube Red in terms of price - you’ll only pay about $5 a month for ESPN+ or subscribe to 12 months of the service for $49.99.
So, what does that $5 per month entry fee get you?
With ESPN+ you’re able to watch every out-of-market MLS match, alongside one NBA game and one NHL game per day during their respective seasons. In addition to games from the NBA and NHL, you’ll also be able to watch live sporting events like the PGA Tour, three of the major Grand Slams and top-tier boxing matches, plus some international sports as well.
During our first day with the service, we were able to watch an English League One soccer match between Bradford City and Shrewsbury Town while it was happening, then switch over to the 30-for-30 documentary “Four Falls of Buffalo”. Later that night we saw that there was an MLB game between the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres that we would be able to catch, and plenty of MLS games during the weekend.
All things considered, ESPN+ is pretty easy to tune into. That’s because ESPN+ is built off the back of ESPN’s already pretty robust omnipresence on PCs, tablets and smartphones.
Specifically, you can tune into ESPN+ on your web browser by heading to plus.espn.com, and signing up for the service.
If you’re more of a mobile sports watcher, download the ESPN app from either the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and sign up for the service there. Or, if you like the traditional feel of sitting on the couch to watch the game, ESPN+ will be available from launch on Apple TV, Chromecast and the Amazon Fire TV platform - and now on the Roku platform, too.
There’s no price difference between the platforms, and one account can be carried over to the other platforms just by signing in - which is pretty convenient. Speaking of convenient, because ESPN+ ties into your existing ESPN account, you can use the same login info.
Right now, ESPN+’s biggest problem is that its web player can be a bit buggy at times. (We experienced all sorts of buffering and playback issues before giving up entirely and switching over to the mobile app exclusively.) It's not a deal breaker necessarily, but it's certainly not helping the service win any points in our book either.
One last thing that’s worth pointing out here despite its very obvious nature, is that you’ll need access to the internet to watch ESPN+ - i.e. even if you decide to cut the cord, you’ll still need to pay your cable company (or ISP) for internet access. If you’re reading this website right now, it’s something you pay for already - so just don’t cut your cable provider off entirely should you decide to cut the old cable TV cord.
ESPN is trying to be very careful with ESPN+. The last thing the media giant wants to do is cannibalize its own business or, worse, ruin its standing with cable companies on whom it depends on carrying its service at a reasonable price.
To that end, there’s not a ton of crossover between the stuff you’d find on ESPN - namely, sports commentary shows like Sports Center and Around the Horn - and the stuff you’d find on ESPN+. Right now, that consists of a lot of very specific content for MLB, NHL and MLS fans. You get one game per day for either of the former two leagues, and a full line-up of MLS games come Saturday - but usually no more than a game or two on at a time.
Besides live content, the other component to consider with ESPN+ is its library of excellent ESPN documentaries and ESPN+ exclusive shows. This would include ESPN’s excellent 30-for-30 docs, and new shows like Detail with host Kobe Bryant, Draft Academy, ESPN FC, In the Crease and more. These are great if you’re in between games and you’re looking for something inspirational or captivating to pass the time.
All that said, if you’re not a cable subscriber and the only service you buy into is ESPN+, you’ll be missing out on a fair amount of programming: While we were busy watching that English League One matchup, ESPN was playing Pardon the Interruption; ESPN2 had NFL Live and ESPN3 had a number of upcoming boxing matches.
Without cable, you can’t tune into any of them - and because the services are so closely tied together, you’re constantly reminded of all the content you can’t watch.
Perhaps one day you’ll be able to pay for one service to get everything on ESPN - sports talk shows, live events, content from MLB.tv and the NFL Network and ESPN docs all in one spot, but for now that’s just not possible.
Yes. But only because there’s a free 30-day trial for new subscribers.
Take advantage of the free offer and you can see for yourself which games and leagues you might be interested in tuning in to watch or if any of the documentaries or new TV shows are worth your $5 per month subscription fee.
Once that free trial runs out, however, you’ll be met with a tough choice: Is this standalone service worth paying for? And is it really standalone?
For us, right now, the answer is no on both accounts.
Having access to a number of MLS games and one to two NHL and MLB games is wonderful and is more than enough to fill a day’s worth of programming. Add the 30-for-30 docs and you’re sure to have an action-packed week with the service.
But once you’ve run through the documentaries, watched one or two episodes of the new shows and come to the end of the MLB or NHL season, well, there won’t be much content there worth watching.
But ESPN+’s biggest selling point is that it’s cheap and its $5-per-month price tag is unlikely to break the bank for any of its subscribers.
Does that mean it’s worth signing up for a 10-year, $500 contract? No. But this rookie streaming service has plenty of potential.
So it's all down to tonight's Great British Bake Off Final. We're this close to finding out who the best baker in the land is and you can see all the delicious drama unfold live. It doesn't even matter whether you're in the UK or anywhere else - you can watch The Great British Bake Off online from anywhere with this handy guide.
It's already been a run chock-full of sweet treats, Danish delights and yes, a few unfortunate soggy bottoms. It's almost impossible to tell who will winm but it's going to be one of this trio:
The Great British Bake Off is all new since leaving the BBC, so that means your latest host selection are back with Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith to judge the cooking attempts of the contests. You've also got funny-man Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig presenting the show.
But before that, we'll tell you how to watch The Great British Bake Off 2018 online - both in the UK and for those people outside the UK. So there's absolutely no excuse not to live stream the show or watch it on catch up.
As you probably now know The Great British Bake Off has been taken over by Channel 4 after its 7 series on BBC. This is the second series on Channel 4 and it will still be aired on TV meaning you can watch it via an aerial, for free. But if you want to watch on the go, or on catch-up, that's an option too using All 4.
The All 4 app is available on most devices and will air shows live as well as at a later date.
For those outside of the UK that still want to follow all the Bake Off action, the best bet is a VPN service. This means those travelling, on holiday or just want a piece of that quintessential British cake can still watch the show live via an internet connection.
Once you get the right VPN you can enjoy a secure and speedy connection, even on open Wi-Fi networks like hotels, so all the Bake Off brilliance is yours for the watching via TVPlayer.com.
And even if you're not that IT savvy, don't worry. getting a VPN is really, really easy. We've listed how to do it in three easy steps below....
Image courtesy of thegreatbritishbakeoff.co.uk
Apple has heard your cries for a MacBook Air refresh and the company has finally delivered. The MacBook Air 2018 is an interesting device in that it sticks to relatively the same design while completely overhauling the display, processor and inputs.
For the most part, the MacBook Air 2018 is a better device than its three-year-old predecessor. However, Apple has made some interesting decisions in keeping certain specs in the past and considerably raising the price on its historically most affordable laptop.
Apple seems to have taken the principle "if it ain't broke don't fix it" to heart with the design of the MacBook Air 2018, as it looks identical to previous models save for smaller and darker bezels. We can hardly blame Apple for sticking with the knife's edge design of the original MacBook Air.
The MacBook Air 2015 and its forbearers are practically timeless products. They all share a design that competitors are still emulating years later – and only recently have done well.
This sort of tear drop design is what spurred the entire Ultrabook movement in the Windows PC space. Even by today’s standards, the MacBook Air remains to be one of the thinnest, lightest and most stylish laptops in the market.
Of course, beyond aesthetics, the MacBook Air 2018 heavily modernizes original's design. The display features significantly smaller black bezels compared to the thick gray edges you'll find around the 2015 model's screen. In fact, Apple claims it has 50% narrower bezels.
The new MacBook Air 2018 is also 10% thinner measuring just 0.61-inches at its thickest point. Weighing in at 2.75 pounds, it's also a a quarter pound lighter than the previous edition.
This drop in dimensions is largely thanks to the MacBook Air 2018 adopting a fanless Intel Y-series processor.
That said, it's still impressive how Apple managed to make the MacBook Air 2015 so thin and light while still relying on fan-cooled, full-fat Intel processors. Of course, the ports on offer and the display were in dire need of an update.
On this latest MacBook Air, you'll find two USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports that both support charging, up to 5K display out and 40Gbps file transfers. Mercifully, you'll still be able to find a headphone jack on this laptop as well.
Apple's other modern laptop reinventions have also made there way here including the company's latest-generation butterfly switch keyboard and Force Touch trackpad.
Although we would have much rather preferred a touchpad that clicked, at least MacBook Air 2018 tracking surface is now 20% larger. On the top right side of that keyboard, you'll also find a Touch ID fingerprint reader.
Last but not least, the MacBook Air 2018 now features dedicated speaker grills, like the MacBook Pro. Those perforations aren't just for show, either; they house speakers that are 25% louder and deliver two-times the amount of bass than that of the previous MacBook Air, according to Apple.
All told, it's a better design in terms of portability, but it doesn't leave much room for power similar to that of what the MacBook Air held against contemporaries of the time.
The higher resolution display is easily the biggest upgrade the 2018 MacBook Air has seen. Now featuring a 2,560 x 1,600 resolution that amounts to 4 million total pixels, the MacBook Pro 2018 screen is four times sharper than the previous 2015 model. Additionally, Apple claims its latest Retina Display renders 48% more color.
Even when it first launched, the MacBook Air display was not nearly as sharp as competing rivals in its price bracket: a mere 13.3-inch panel at 1,440 x 900 resolution. At the time, laptops in its price range were already pushing 1080p resolutions.
However, the previous MacBook Air may never have achieved its legendary battery life figures if not for that highly-tuned (if awfully muddled) display resolution. And, if you’re the type to simply write papers and read emails on a laptop, the display is completely passable.
We'll have to see how the new MacBook Air fares in our battery tests with its vastly sharper display. It almost seems assured that we won't see run times hit double digits.
Here's where the MacBook Air 2018 fails to impress. We were hoping this latest rendition would feature full fat Intel Core processors that go up to quad-core, instead what we got was a machine that only features dual-core Intel Core Y-series CPUs.
As if that wasn't a bad enough blow, the MacBook Air 2018 only features (albeit faster) DDR3 2,133MHz memory – the same type found on the MacBook 2015 – when many laptops have since moved onto DDR4 memory, which supports larger capacities. The best news here is the new MacBook Air 2018 has increased the maximum memory capacity from 8GB to 16GB.
From its inception to today, the MacBook Air was always billed as a lower-power device – it’s practically in the name. However, we were always surprised by what the laptop could do considering its limitations.
That said, the MacBook Air internals are dated in some areas and (relatively speaking) lower-power than before in others, from the processor in use to the memory type on offer. You could still easily get by merely word processing and web browsing on this laptop.
The original MacBook Air was lauded as the most affordable Mac you could possibly buy, with models starting at $999 (about £770, AU$1,410) in later versions following its 2008 launch.
Unfortunately, the MacBook Air 2018 is quite a bit more expensive at a base $1,199 (£1,199, AU$1,849), thanks to all those display and port upgrades.
The MacBook Air 2018 undoubtedly a better machine compared to its three-year old predecessor. But, it almost seems like a win by default.
Of course, the MacBook Air 2018 is going to be the winning machine when it features a higher-resolution display, narrower screen bezels and newer processors. However, there are also a few upgrades MacBook Air 2015 users will have to begrudgingly accept with this new model, including the Force Touch Trackpad and higher starting price.
If you ask us, the MacBook Air 2018 is less of a successor to the affordable Apple laptop of yore and more of a refreshed version of the 12-inch MacBook.
