Tech News 2018: December 2019

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Mariah Carey's Twitter Account Hacked: Offensive Posts, Racial Slurs Posted

The hackers claimed to be The Chuckling Squad, also broke into the account of Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and actress Chloe Grace Moretz.

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TikTok Transparency Report: India Logged Maximum Interventions To Take Down Content

From India, as many as 107 legal requests were sent to TikTok, of which 8 were categorized as emergency requests.

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TikTok Transparency Report: Government is Watching Everything You Are Sharing

From India, as many as 107 legal requests were sent to TikTok, of which 8 were categorized as emergency requests.

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If The FASTag For Your Car Is Not Read by Scanners at Toll Plazas, Your Trip is Free

As of December 15, the government says that 1.15 crore FASTags have been issued.

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Google Doodle Rings in New Year with Froggy Pondering over Resolutions 2020

The New Year's special Google doodle has Froggy seated on a high-rise watching the skyline and the magnificent and symbolic sunrise signifying the dawn of a new morning.

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2020 Genesis GV80 officially drops on New Year's Eve - Roadshow

The GV80 will go on sale in 2020.

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Vaping: Death toll climbs to 54 as CDC points to vitamin E acetate as prime culprit - CNET

Get up to date on the acute issues tied to vaping.

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Telecommunications regulator to unveil UAE's 5G strategy for next five years

Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) of the UAE will unveil the “UAE 5G Strategy” for the next five years soon.

Speaking to TechRadar Middle East on the sidelines of the “UAE 5G Conference” on Sunday, Tariq Al Awadi, Executive Director of Spectrum Affairs at TRA UAE, said the strategy will chalk out the roadmap to accommodate and implement 5G for the next five years.

“We will announce what kind of frequency bands will be assigned to operators every year based on use cases and verticals. By 2025, we will have 100% coverage of the UAE with 5G millimetre wave (24.25GHz to the 86GHz),” he said.

Telecom operators in the UAE, etisalat and du, are offering 5G services in the C-band (3.3GHz-3.8GHz).

When the technology is ready from the vendors, he said that telecom operators will provide the network and TRA will provide a good spectrum.

Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Director General of Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, said that some verticals will get more priority if they have a 5G application and telco operators need to provide the network infrastructure.

“Dubai Silicon Oasis is testing autonomous cars right now. As it is a remote location and there is no real business use case, we are providing the 5G network,” he said.

Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA) has set a dedicated route for carrying the test-runs required in collaboration with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

DSOA and RTA have conducted a Leaders Category of the Dubai World Challenge for Self-Driving Transport which included a series of placement tests that relate to endurance and authenticity and the ability to drive under traffic conditions simulative to reality such as water sprinklers, different sizes of road humps, sandblasting machines, etc.

According to the Dubai Future Foundation’s ‘Dubai Autonomous Transportation Strategy’, 25% of the total transportation in Dubai to be in autonomous mode by 2030, involving 5m daily trips, and save AED 22b in annual economic costs.

400MHz of C-band to be allocated to telcos in 2020

Al Awadi said that there are some use cases for 5G but “we are still in the early stages. Organisations are still working on developing 5G standards and one of the big challenges for 5G is to develop standards,” he said.

Beginning of 2020, he said that TRA will allocate 400MHz of the C-band to the telecom operators and the 5G committee at TRA will be restructured to focus only on verticals.

Al Awadi said that the UAE had issues with satellite operators such as Thuraya and Yahsat in the C-band but has made some technical arrangements on how to protect their air stations.

“Satellite operators are using the 3.4GHz to 4.2GHz spectrum and we are taking from them 400MHz and giving them 400MHz spectrum. In the 400MHz, satellite operators have Vsat (very small aperture terminal or air stations (Thuraya and Yahsat).

Moreover, he said that the area surrounding the satellite operators’ space will be protected and that space will not have 5G coverage.

“We have told Vsat to move from 3.8GHz to 4.2GHz,” he said.

However, he said that the 5G business model is different from 3G and 4G and the UAE is ready for the fourth industrial revolution and the spectrum is ready.

“The devices for verticals such as manufacturing, utilities, healthcare, retail, agriculture and

Automotive, etc. are not yet ready but the network will be ready. The new use cases are the ones which will make 5G a success,” he said.

Telcos urged to partner with public and private sectors

To make 5G a success, he urged telecom operators to make government entities and private sectors as partners and not as customers.

“If you treat them as ordinary customers, you [telcos] will not succeed. You need to work with them and see their needs and treat them as partners,” he said.

When asked whether UAE will provide a dedicated 5G private network for universities and industries as in Germany, he said that only Germany does it and that is because they have big industries.

“Right now, we are offering only the spectrum to telecom operators and not to private networks. If we do that, then we will not have a very good 5G network in the UAE,” he said.

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Samsung Galaxy S20 in 2020? New Leak Suggests a Big Leap from Galaxy S11

The Samsung Galaxy S11 was expected to be Samsung's flagship for 2020, but a new leak suggests that it may very well be the Galaxy S20 lineup.

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Xiaomi Mi Watch Color With Circular Display Set for Launch on January 3

Xiaomi's new Mi Watch Color will be available in three colours: silver, gold and black, and will have multiple colour bands.

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Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite Leaked User Manual Reveals New Design, Features

Samsung Galaxy S10 Lite will most likely have center aligned punch-hole selfie camera, and a rear triple camera system positioned vertically.

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Monday, December 30, 2019

Adoption of AI in Middle East may slow down due to some key challenges

Although the widespread use of artificial intelligence (AI) in business is still in its infancy and questions remain open about the pace of progress, the lack of adequate skills to support AI projects, immature market ecosystem, lack of clean data and regulatory implications are the key challenges which might slow down the adoption in the Middle East, an industry expert said.

Speaking to TechRadar Middle East, Manish Ranjan, Program Manager for software and cloud at research firm International Data Corporation (IDC), said that there are a lot of AI-centric initiatives and mega projects in various stages in the Gulf countries.

In the UAE, there is UAE AI Strategy and various AI research labs by public and private sectors (ADDA, Dewa, Huawei and Smart Dubai), and AI university.

Saudi Arabia recently unveiled a new National Centre for AI, a national AI regulator, a National Data Management Office and is already delivering its first AI college.

“Organisations, especially from government, banking and finance, retail and resource industries are increasingly leveraging AI and ML to automate and optimise their businesses and operations,” Ranjan said.

The use cases around AI is still evolving where organisations are using various sub-sets of the AI technologies such as natural language processing (NLP), image/video analytics, machine learning (ML), and other technologies to answer questions, discover insights, and provide recommendations.

Many believe there may not be a single technology that will shape our world more in the next 50 years than AI, Sam Blatteis, CEO of The MENA Catalysts, a public policy consulting firm for government innovation arms and high tech multinationals, said and added that it has rapidly evolved into the hottest area in legislation in the Gulf.

This is the first time governments around the world are simultaneously releasing national plans to develop the same field, he said.

Being a subset of AI techniques, Ranjan said that ML enables computer systems to learn from past experiences by analysing a huge amount of data and improve their behaviour for a given task.

Many global vendors have started embedding AI, ML, and cognitive applications to provide ultimate business benefits to their users.

Lack of adequate data

In general, globally or regionally, Ranjan said that organisations are leveraging data and information (both structured and unstructured data/information) to educate their AI platforms to bring automation and improve operational efficiency—this has put data as a focal point.

“Data is instrumental for AI platforms and solutions to help the system become more intelligent by learning fast. If there is a lack of adequate and variety of data, AI would reflect a slow learning curve and the accuracy might also be impacted. The AI systems which can be able to process a vast amount of data in real-time would show greater results,” he said.

According to a survey conducted on CIOs by IDC, over 50% of organisations across the Middle East highlighted their plans to leverage cognitive and AI solutions by 2020.

“Definitely, the year 2020 would highlight some of the AI projects which were in proof of concept or sandboxing phase last year. We will see more commercial AI use cases emerging as the market matures,” Ranjan said.

According to IDC, spending on artificial intelligence systems for the UAE and Saudi Arabia combined is forecast to reach $132.3 million in 2020, witnessing an increase of 23.8% compared to 2019.

The spending in the UAE for next year is forecast to be $73.6m and $58.6m for Saudi Arabia.

“The AI software applications and AI platforms markets continue to show steady growth in the Middle East and Africa region, and we expect this momentum to continue over the forecast period,” Ranjan said.

The top use cases of AI solutions in the UAE and Saudi Arabia are automated threat intelligence and prevention systems, automated customer service agents, IT automation, fraud analysis and investigation, defence, terrorism, investigation and government intelligence systems, and digital assistants for enterprise knowledge workers.

However, Ranjan said that even if AI matures in future, “we can still not think of complete seclusion from human intelligence. We will have bots and machines taking the workloads which would be extremely efficient and at one point almost error-free; however, we would still require human intelligence.”

“How we legislate AI will become one of the defining themes of the next five years,” the CEO of the MENA Catalysts said. “We need to set strategic ‘rules of the road’ from the start — not to over-regulate, but to provide regulatory predictability to attract expertise, ideas, and capital.”

Moreover, if the Gulf is to develop knowledge industries of the future, he said that education here must be reimagined.

“We have to think about how we can ‘hack education’ to reprogram our education system, change course and plot a new education strategy. We should be teaching physics to kindergartners, robotics and computer programming in every school,” Blatteis said.

Machine learning, deep learning and big data are some of the most highly sought-after skills in the industry.

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What is Baby Yoda?

Star Wars fans were thrilled about The Mandalorian the second it was announced as the flagship show of Disney Plus, but few could've predicted that Baby Yoda would steal the show. The first live-action TV series to come out of the Star Wars universe features a guy who dresses a lot like Boba Fett with his own interesting background story, but The Child, as he's known, is arguably the real star.

Since making his debut in The Mandalorian in November, Baby Yoda has been a sensation. A cuter, younger version of the ancient Jedi master, he’s one of the most endearing creatures ever seen in the Star Wars universe, and has since become the talk of the internet – a walking merchandising opportunity, and the source of wholesome memes.

But what is Baby Yoda? How does he fit into the Star Wars universe? And what will we learn about him in The Mandalorian season 2? We unleash the Bothan spies to find out.

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What do we know about Baby Yoda?

The creature who’s become known as Baby Yoda is the surprise break-out star of The Mandalorian. Wisely kept hidden from all the pre-release marketing for the most anticipated show on the newly launched Disney Plus, he made his debut at the end of the show’s first episode. This was where we discovered that the lucrative target the eponymous Mandalorian bounty hunter was pursuing was actually a green alien infant with large ears – who looked a lot like a certain diminutive Jedi Master…

He’s clearly of massive importance to the mythology of The Mandalorian – and Star Wars as a whole. The mysterious Client (played by legendary movie director/actor Werner Herzog) hired numerous bounty hunters (including assassin droid IG-11) to bring back “The Child” – as he’s officially designated in the show – with the successful hunter being handsomely rewarded.

The Client – who, going on his choice of Stormtrooper bodyguards and Imperial insignia around his neck – is working for the remnants of the Empire (eventually, it turns out, on behalf of Moff Gideon, introduced in The Mandalorian episode 7), and clearly wanted something from The Child. “I order you to extract the necessary material and be done with it,” he tells underling scientist Dr Pershing, but we have no idea what that material might be.

We’d be very surprised, however, if it didn’t have something to do with the Force – and rebuilding the Empire into what will become the First Order in Episodes 7, 8 and 9. Maybe they’re planning on removing the Midi-chlorians (Force-carrying particles) from his blood – that would explain why they were so keen on capturing Baby Yoda alive.

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What are Baby Yoda's Force powers?

We've seen that Baby Yoda can use Force choke like Darth Vader, he can heal beings with the Force, he can lift objects, and he uses his power to control the course of fire in Chapter 8 of The Mandalorian. No doubt we'll see more Force powers in action as the show goes on.

Is Baby Yoda a clone?

The Baby Yoda clone theory suggests that Dr Pershing is actually a cloning scientist, based on the symbols on his uniform. That hints that the little alien was created on Kamino at the same facility where the Clone troopers were made, and that there's a strong connection between Baby Yoda's origins and that part of the Star Wars universe.

Cloning is a big part of the Star Wars universe – indeed, clones fought an entire war – so the theory went that Baby Yoda could be a young copy of the original model. However, in Chapter 7 of the show, Kuiil (Nick Nolte) comments that the character doesn't look like he's been engineered, based on his experience on gene farms. So many mysteries still remain around Baby Yoda. Kuiil even dares to call him too ugly! Outrageous.

This being Star Wars, however, there are plenty of other theories flying around the internet. One suggests he’s the child of Yoda and Yaddle, and in terms of timelines, that’s not preposterous. If Baby Yoda is 50 years old, he’d have been born about 10 years before the events of The Phantom Menace, and presumably both Yoda and Yaddle would have been on the Jedi Council at that point. It’s also unlikely, however, because Jedi have strict rules preventing romantic relationships – and Yoda’s never given us any indication he’d be the kind of guy to break them.

Some say he could be a reincarnation of the Jedi master. That would be new territory for Star Wars, but the post-Disney buyout Star Wars universe has frequently played around with the rules of the Force, so it’s not impossible. That said, the fact that Yoda died only five years earlier makes it too late for him to have been reborn as a kid who’s now 50, so this is probably one to file in the “pinch of salt” column.

Intriguingly, the date of Baby Yoda’s birth is very close to Anakin Skywalker’s – within a year, in fact. The Phantom Menace hints very strongly that the future Darth Vader had no father and was conceived by the Midi-chlorians. Perhaps the similarly Force-sensitive Baby Yoda came into existence at the same time in the same way, as part of the Midi-chlorians’ efforts to bring balance to the force.

Finally comes the option that he’s simply some random member of Yoda’s species, with no connection to him beyond that. But hey, this is Star Wars where everyone’s destiny is interlinked, so does anyone really believe that?

What will we learn about Baby Yoda in The Mandalorian season 2?

The end of The Mandalorian season 2 suggests that its titular protagonist will be searching for Baby Yoda's homeworld. This is an enduring mystery in the Star Wars universe, and it's an exciting prospect for expanding the character's story in the second season.

Is Baby Yoda in The Rise of Skywalker?

Sorry, but Baby Yoda does not appear in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. He remains The Mandalorian's special little guy. It's probably for the best.

What is the name of Yoda's species?

Nobody knows – which is odd in itself.

The Star Wars franchise has a long history of creating names for almost every character, species or planet that’s ever appeared in a movie, TV show or book – even if they’ve had mere seconds of screentime. For example, the Death Star trash compactor monster in Star Wars: A New Hope was subsequently designated a dianoga, while the space slug that tries to eat the Millennium Falcon in The Empire Strikes Back is an exogorth.

Yoda is a special case, however. Before George Lucas sold Lucasfilm to Disney, the Star Wars creator had a strict rule that specific information about Yoda and his past was out of bounds for writers. That means we have no idea where he originated or what species he belongs to. The closest Lucas came to giving anything away was describing Yoda as “the illegitimate child of Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy”, though we suspect that’s not official Star Wars canon…

It’ll be interesting to see if, now Disney is in charge, they continue to follow Lucas’s directive to keep all things Yoda classified, or use Baby Yoda as an excuse tell us more about Yoda Sr’s mysterious past.

We do know, however, that Yoda’s species is naturally strong with the Force – and not just because Yoda himself had an incredibly successful career as a Jedi master. Even as an infant, Baby Yoda has the power to levitate a giant (and angry) Mudhorn, while the only other member of the species to feature on screen, as mentioned earlier, was Yaddle, a female member of the Jedi Council. She briefly appears in The Phantom Menace.

Why is Baby Yoda such a big deal?

Basically, the internet loves him – forget Porgs, this kid is arguably the cutest thing ever to come out of that galaxy far, far away. As soon as he made his debut in The Mandalorian’s first chapter, Baby Yoda became a meme generator of awe-inspiring power, and the most talked about thing in the show. Everything he does is guaranteed to make you go “Aww”, whether he’s sleeping, drinking soup, or even eating a frog creature alive – Baby Yoda can get away with pretty much anything.

Baby Yoda toys are real, and coming in 2020

It’s unlikely the merchandising bosses at Disney were complaining when the production team introduced Baby Yoda to the The Mandalorian’s story. Indeed, characters as cute as him are a dream come true for anyone who wants to sell lots of toys and clothing – unsurprisingly, there’s already some merch available (including the inevitable Funko Pop! Vinyl figure), with more to follow in 2020.

Here's a short list of the highlights, if you need any of them in your life:

Still, while you might find Baby Yoda a bit cynical, the fact that showrunner Jon Favreau and Chapter One director Dave Filoni were able to hold the character reveal until the show aired – keeping Baby Yoda’s existence a secret until The Mandalorian made its debut – suggests that in this case, keeping the storytelling sacred was the priority. After all, keeping Baby Yoda a secret arguably denied The Mandalorian and Disney Plus the biggest pre-launch marketing opportunity their hot new show was ever going to get.

Baby Yoda memes: there are so many

Cementing his status as 2019's icon, Baby Yoda memes are all over the internet right now. Instead of listing them all here, we've embedded one of the highlights above, and clicking on this link will unleash more than one person can ever reasonably happen. Good luck.

When is the next episode of The Mandalorian?

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Airtel Happy Holidays Offer: Get a Chance to Win an iPhone 11 Pro Max

The promotional offer is available for Airtel customers and is limited to Android device users only.

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2020 is set to be a massive year for the gaming industry — here's why

Next year has a lot in store for gamers, from big new releases to the arrival of next-generation consoles from Microsoft and Sony.

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Realme Developing Fast Charging Technology Called 'SuperDart'

Realme could simply rebrand Oppo's VOOC 4.0 and Super VOOC fast charging systems and use them in its upcoming smartphones in 2020 as Dart and SuperDart systems.

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Year in Review: Microsoft in 2019 Was All About Microsoft in 2020

It wasn’t the smoothest year for Microsoft, but the groundwork seems to be in place for a solid showing in 2020.

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Huawei Gets The Green Light For 5G Trials in India

Communications Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday said that the government will allow all market players to perform 5G trials in India.

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Government to Offer 5G Spectrum for Trial to All Players: Ravi Shankar Prasad

This essentially means that Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung and Huawei will now get to perform 5G trials in India, however this does not assure an approval for commercial roll out

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Netflix Says 70 Percent Users in India Watch At Least One Film a Week

As 2019 comes to an end, Netflix announced the list of most popular titles of 2019 in India.

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Tesla Shanghai reportedly making 1,000 cars per week

Tesla's Shanghai plant started delivering Model 3s this week after just 357 days. Tesla executives told a Chinese newspaper that the plant is now assembling at least 1,000 Model 3s per week there.

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Microsoft says North Korea-based hackers were stealing sensitive information

Microsoft said it won a court order that allowed the tech giant to take control of 50 websites that a North Korea-linked hacking group was using to carry out cyberattacks.

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Uber sues California to block gig-worker law going into effect this week - CNET

Complaint says AB 5 unfairly targets companies and workers in the on-demand economy.

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Google's New Year's Eve 2019 Doodle features familiar frog - CNET

Froggy the weather frog finds the fireworks ribbitting.

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Facebook Fined $1.65 Million by Brazil for 'Abusive Practice'

That application collected personal data from millions of Facebook users worldwide, which were then transferred to British consultancy Cambridge Analytica and used without consent in political campaigns.

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Uber, Postmates and two drivers sue California over law that would reclassify contractors as employees

Uber and Postmates, both of which offer food-delivery services, are challenging a California law that could force them to reclassify contractors as employees.

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Huawei's 4 big issues in 2020 — from the blacklist to the decision over its operating system's future

In 2020, Huawei will have to navigate a number of issues from potential blocks in key markets to figuring out what to do with its own operating system, given its lack of access to Google Android.

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Syd Mead, sci-fi visual artist known for Blade Runner and Tron, dies at 86 - CNET

The legendary Mead once called science fiction "reality ahead of schedule."

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Greta Thunberg, Sir David Attenborough meet for first time, talk climate change - CNET

The teen activist "aroused the world" to climate change, the famed broadcaster tells her.

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CRISPR scientist who made gene-edited babies sentenced to 3 years in prison - CNET

He Jiankui was reportedly convicted of conducting an "illegal medical practice."

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Best iPhone deals in the January sales: from cheap iPhones to the newest and best

If your New Year celebrations are less about how many snowballs you can knock back and more about how much money you can save in the January sales, then you're in good company. TechRadar has got very good at digging out the best cheap iPhone deals in the UK.

So whether you're looking to shave a little money off one of the latest iPhone 11 series handsets, or are an Apple devotee that wants to pay a lot less and is happier with an older model, we've unearthed iPhone deals for all tastes.

Let us not keep you from your mobile phone deals any longer - we don't have much more of 2019 to celebrate...

Compare the competition...today's best Samsung phone deals

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The best early iPhone deals of the January sales

Compare all of the best iPhone 11 deals

Compare all of the best iPhone 7 deals

Compare all of the best iPhone 8 deals

Compare all of the best iPhone XR deals

Compare all of the best iPhone 11 Pro deals

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The best iPhone 7 deals in the January sales 2020

There's no doubt that iPhone 7 deals are no longer the newest option from Apple but there is one thing this handset is still one of the best choices for - affordability. As one of Apple's cheapest phones around, this is a welcome change to the high price tags we see elsewhere.

The release of Apple's iPhone 11 and its two more powerful models was a big reminder of the costly nature of Apple and just another reason the iPhone 7 could be the ideal phone for you.

But despite its age the iPhone 7 still rocks many of the specs we have come to expect from Apple. A mid-size battery, strong processor and the much loved iOS features Apple has made famous.

When it comes to choosing the tariff for you there is still a surprisingly large range of iPhone 7 deals. Big data remains affordable and brilliant cheap contracts under £20 are readily available.

On this page you'll find all of the best iPhone 7 deals you can get right now. Whether you're looking for unlimited data, a free phone or any other type of tariff, you can use our comparison chart below to choose the cheapest option out there. Scroll down to find the best deal for you.

Didn't find anything you like? Try our best mobile phone deals page

The Apple iPhone 7 might now have fallen behind, becoming one of Apple's older devices and yet, the specs till hold up. The battery might not be market leading but for the price you pay for iPhone 7 deals, the water resistance, impressive camera and strong processor are a perfect combination.

Read TechRadar's full iPhone 7 review

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Wyze exposes customer details online

Smart device company Wyze accidentally exposed a database online containing details from up to 2.4 million customers.

The incident happened early in December, eventually being noticed by cybersecurity company Twelve Security at the end of the month, when it was reported by video surveillance news website IPVM.

Data exposed

According to Wyze, a budget vendor in smart devices such as cameras, locks, bulbs, and plugs, the database was a test environment for making information processing more efficient.

However, while Wyze said it was exposed in error, Twelve Security reported that details included email addresses, usernames, and security tokens - enough information for malicious third parties to take control over any smart devices affected.

Wyze has since reset its systems to help prevent that.

The problem arose when Wyze, using Amazon Web Services to process Internet of Things (IoT) data, left security protocols off that allowed their Elasticsearch data to be accessed online. It remains a reminder to businesses that they are ultimately responsible for security when it comes to cloud computing services.

However, this isn't the first time Wyze have run into problems with user access. Earlier this year a flaw in their system allowed users to still access smart cameras that had been reassigned to another account.

Via ZDnet

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Year in Review: Gene Therapy Technology and a Milestone 2019 for Medical Research

While still nascent, gene therapy and the technology of editing genes can be pivotal in curing diseases that have so far been impossible for medical science.

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California Sets Precedent for Personal Data Privacy: Will This Impact Other Nations?

The new data privacy laws in California strengthens how common individuals can control their data, setting new precedent for other nations to follow.

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Google Testing Floating Conversation Bubbles in Messages App, May Launch Soon

The feature works much like Facebook Messenger's chat heads, bringing up a floating bubble for ongoing conversations.

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Oppo F15 Launch in India Confirmed for January 2020, May Cost About Rs 20,000

The Oppo F15 will likely be the company's first smartphone to launch in India in 2020, and may come with up to four rear cameras.

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Apple iPad Pro 2020 to Feature iPhone 11 Pro-Like Triple Rear Camera

As per the leaked images, the upcoming 2020 iPad Pro will also have rounded corners and slim bezels.

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LG G8X ThinQ Dual Screen Review: The Worst Phone of 2019, And Nothing Comes Close

To summarize the LG G8X ThinQ Dual Screen, we really don’t want a heavy phone, half-baked software, uninspiring design and pretense of being a premium phone.

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Sunday, December 29, 2019

Vivo S1 Pro Set for Mid-January Launch in India: Here's What We Know So Far

The Vivo S1 Pro is likely to be priced at Rs 19,990 for the base variant and will come with a 32-megapixel selfie camera, 4,500mAh battery and Snapdragon 665 SoC.

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Google Pixel 4a leaks point at a punch-hole display with no Soli chip

The Google Pixel 4 series disappointed many potential buyers with a rather small upgrade at a not-so-small price tag. Leaked renders of the Pixel 4a suggest that Google might fix some of those with its upcoming mid-ranger.

Earlier this year, Google unveiled the Pixel 3a, which brought the legendary Pixel cameras and software experience to the budget segment, and went on to become a better-received smartphone in many markets. Considering that the Pixel 4 wasn’t a runaway success this year and didn't make it to India, we expect Google to try and improve the more affordable Pixel 4a and win back the lost customers.

Pixel 4a leak

Google Pixel 4a leaked design

91mobiles was able to get its hands on a bunch of renders of the upcoming Pixel 4a, giving us a good idea of what to expect. The biggest perceivable change comes with the display, as it seems to adopt a taller (than Pixel 3a) display with a punch-hole notch for the selfie camera instead of the aging thick forehead approach we saw on the Pixel 4. This pretty much confirms that the Project Soli array of sensors, and Motion Sense, are gone. While that may seem like a downstep, it will make the Pixel 4a eligible to be sold in countries such as India.

The existence of a fingerprint scanner on the back strengthens this presumption. The back on this particular model has only a matte finish throughout, with the familiar squircle camera bump on the top left corner. Only a single camera sensor can be seen in these renders, but leakster OnLeaks suggests that there will be additional sensors. If the same design makes it to the final units, then the other sensor could be a Laser AF module which is usually indistinguishable from a black surface. The bottom will house the USB Type-C connector while the headphone jack makes a comeback, on the top.

Pixel 4a leak

Internal specifications weren’t a part of the leak, but there are a few details that we expect to be present on the Pixel 4a. For starters, the Snapdragon 730 or 765 are the likely candidates to power this device, along with at least 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. The same 12.2MP primary camera on the back, and a battery in the range of 3,000mAh. Perhaps, we will also see 5G capabilities.

The Pixel 4a might be the only way India gets to experience all the latest photography capabilities of the Google phone.

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Best smart plugs of 2020 - CNET

Smartening dumb devices has never been easier. These voice assistant powered plugs are your best bets for a connected home.

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The best smart scales for 2020: Withings, Fitbit, Garmin, Eufy and JaxJox - CNET

The best smart scales can tell you about much more than just your weight.

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Apple Sued by Cardiologist For Infringing Atrial Fibrillation Tech Patent

Dr Joseph Wiesel was awarded a patent in 2006 for photoplethysmography, which is the same technique used by the Apple Watch to detect atrial fibrillation.

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Google Pixel 4a Early Renders Reveal Punch-Hole Display, Single Rear Camera

First renders of the upcoming Google Pixel 4a have emerged hinting a punch-hole display design.

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Best direct-to-consumer cookware of 2020: Made In, Brandless and more - CNET

By cutting out the middleman, these online-only brands offer high-quality products at lower prices.

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A 16TB hard disk drive is on sale for far less than you'd think

Storage giant Seagate unveiled two new hard disk drives with a 16TB capacity earlier this year and for once, it was not all about data centers.

The Exos X16 and the IronWolf/IronWolf Pro targeted two different audiences (data center for the first and NAS users for the second) and feature SATA or SAS interface only for the first one and SATA only for the second model.

Provantage is selling the Exos (ST16000NM001G) for just over $400 while the IronWolf one (ST16000VN001) retails for just under $500 from Amazon.

Both have nine platters, use Helium technology and have a five year warranty (the IronWolf has three); they also share the s same spinning speed (7200RPM), idle power (5W), average latency (4.16ms) and cache (256MB).

The Exos range carries a MTBF (mean time before failures) at 2.5M hours and boasts a higher sustained transfer rate at 261MBps; the IronWolf Pro and the IronWolf reach 250 and 210MBps respectively. Note that the IronWolf Pro also comes with bundled Rescue Services, great for data recovery.

These are the best cloud storage of 2020, great to save your files online.
We also compiled the list of best cloud backup services
It is advisable that you keep a local copy of your files, so check out our best NAS

Toshiba announced the 16TB MG08 series in January 2019 but we have yet to see any stock in the channel. Western Digital also shipped its first 16TB hard disk drives as well but based on MAMR rather than HAMR technology - as used by Seagate.

While SSD prices have been falling, they are still far more expensive than their hard disk drive counterparts. At about $2800, Micron’s 9300 Pro is nearly SEVEN times more expensive although this gap has all but disappeared for sub-1TB capacities.

Cloud storage vs external hard disk drive: which one is better?

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Year in Review: Tech Will Improve Sneakers, But it Will Not be Without Controversy

There were Self-lacing sneakers, blockchain powered shoes, retro sneakers and much more on the menu for sneakerheads in 2019.

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Watchmen, Fleabag, Parasite top Barack Obama's 2019 favorites - CNET

HBO's Watchmen comic book reboot, a saucy British comedy and an eye-opening book on surveillance impressed the former US president in 2019.

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'Visible to Some...': Twitter Briefly Blocks Trump's Whistleblower Tweet, Blames 'Outage' in System

In recent days, Trump shared an unsubstantiated media report and a second post that appeared to name the intelligence community member.

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Best smart displays for 2020 - CNET

With the holidays around the corner, it might be time to peruse your display options from Amazon, Google and Facebook.

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Grab says it will apply for Singapore digital bank license with Singtel

Grab said Monday it will team up with one of Singapore's major telecommunication services providers, Singtel, to apply for a digital full bank license in the country.

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Best bar gifts for 2020 - CNET

From bar accessories and drinkware to actual bar carts, these are perfect presents to get your drinking buddies.

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9 and a half phones we're excited to see in 2020

The end of one year of phones means looking forward to the next, and we’ve got a list of which handsets we’re most excited to see in 2020.

Yes, the iPhone 12 is on it, as are Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S11 and Galaxy Note 11, but a refreshing number are innovative foldable phones, which are coming in at a faster and faster rate.

That’s including our ‘half’ phone, the Motorola Razr - when folded up, its footprint is half that of a typical smartphone. This is the kind of experimentation we’re excited for as the phones industry breaks from its black rectangle norm into new form factors - and not just for premium devices, either.

Most of the phones are still the 6-inch-plus glass screens you know and love, but with particular upgrades we’re looking forward to exploring - better cameras, 5G, and more.

The devices included are all mostly rumored gadgets for now and could be unveiled at CES 2020, MWC 2020 or even right at the end of next year. They may not even be unveiled at all, as they're all just speculation for now. Without further ado, here’s the list of phones we’re looking forward to in 2020.

Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus

Samsung Galaxy S11 series

Samsung bookends the year with its flagship phone releases. The first big phone of 2020 will be the Samsung Galaxy S11, which should see upgrades on its cameras, specs, and so on - but the most exciting thing is how Samsung frames what’s coming in the year’s phones.

For instance, the Samsung Galaxy S10 series came out in March 2019 and introduced a triple-rear-camera suite, reverse wireless charging, and better night photography to the masses. Sure, the LG V40 beat it to the camera punch, and the Huawei Mate 20 Pro debuted this concept in a premium kit first, but the S10 brought both to a wider market especially in the US where it was available through every carrier.

This year, we’re expecting a new set of features that will set the stage of 2020 phones, like wider-spread 5G capability (standard on every Snapdragon 865 chipset) and enormous megapixel cameras - up to 108MP, if one rumor is to be believed. And maybe, if we’re lucky, the series will keep the 3.5mm headphone jack.

iPhone SE

iPhone SE 2

We keep seeing reports that the iPhone SE 2, a sequel to the unquestioned king of small-size smartphones, may arrive in the first quarter of 2020 - and we couldn’t be more excited. There’s been great demand for an updated affordable option from Apple, as they’ve been pushing the iPhone 8 as their ‘budget’ model since 2017.

A new cheap iOS option would obviously be a great competitor to the Google Pixel 3a (and its assumed successor), especially if it packs the iPhone 11’s advanced photo chops. Best of all, if it keeps its form factor, the iPhone SE 2 could be a perfect handset for small-handed folks - or those who just prefer a tiny phone.

iPhone 11 Pro

iPhone 12 series

Given that the iPhone 11 line barely changed from its predecessor, we’re hoping this year’s iPhone 12 handsets more aggressively change the beloved iPhone design. Especially if it moves away from the awkward Norelco-style triple-blob camera block on the phone’s rear.

There are other advancements Apple could implement, like reverse wireless charging, 5G, or for Pete’s sake, expandable storage.

We could finally see the end of the notch if Apple figures out how to do under-display front-facing cameras. But most importantly, we’ll see whether Apple continues to design conservatively, making small refinements to the previous year’s design while waiting for other phonemakers to warm up the public with new concepts.

Google Pixel 3a XL

Google Pixel 4a

While we keep putting the Google Pixel phones in our best phones list, it wasn't the line's 2019 flagship that blew us away - it was the Google Pixel 3a. Pack in all the amazing photography of the Pixel 3 with few drawbacks at half the price? Sign us up.

We're hoping the Google Pixel 4a will take the value train even further by including more features from the Pixel 4 flagship, like facial recognition and a second lens, while retaining all the extras people don't mind in mid-range phones, like physical fingerprint sensors and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Or it could even leap ahead of the Google Pixel 5 by launching with a third (ultrawide) lens before its fully-featured flagship sibling arrives. The Pixel 4 was also a radically simple - dare we say fun - phone design, and we hope Google lets the Pixel 4a's freak flag fly a little bit with its external styling.

Huawei P30 Pro

Huawei P40 Pro

The Huawei P30 Pro is an incredible and underrated photography-focused phone that introduced the idea of a periscope lens - stacking lenses along the phone’s length and using an angled mirror to peer out the back - to get an unprecedented 5x optical zoom.

We can’t wait to see what the company does with the Huawei P40 Pro.

That means more optical zoom, hopefully, but also even better night photography - which we found rivaled if not exceeded what the Google Pixel 3 (the latest at the time) was capable of.

It'll also be interesting to see how the company continues to tackle the issue of the Huawei ban with its first flagship phone since the company has been restricted in its use of Google Play Services like Gmail, YouTube and more.

Samsung Galaxy Fold

Samsung Galaxy Fold 2

After its aborted original launch, the first Galaxy Fold finally came out in late 2019 with a refined and reinforced design that, thus far, has stood up to typical wear and tear in the hands of the few reviewers and consumers who can stomach its high pricetag.

We have high hopes for the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 and all the quirks it will hopefully iron out.

Chief among these is a more robust inner display - and one that doesn’t have a visible ridge along the hinge-line. We’d like to see the expected advances coming to other smartphones in 2020 like 5G in all models, as well as a lower weight and more powerful cameras. But most importantly: we want it to be a lot cheaper to lower the entry cost for foldables.

Motorola Razr 2020

The Motorola Razr 2019 is certainly a more affordable foldable than the Galaxy Fold, but it’s not that comparable: the former folds horizontally ‘hamburger’ style instead of into a wider tablet-size screen. It trades real estate for a device footprint half the size of a typical smartphone...and a tiny front screen good for previewing texts and taking basic photos while the phone is folded up.

We haven’t even gotten our hands on the device for longer than an afternoon, so we remain very curious how we’ll use it and whether it’s a feasible alternative to modern smartphones. But word on the street is that there’s another version coming out next year, and we’re excited to see how the Motorola Razr 2020 refines on its very cool but not industry-changing predecessor.

TCL foldable phone

TCL has just started releasing phones above its budget level Alcatel handsets, yet it has a foldable on the way. It’s unclear when the unnamed TCL foldable phone will come out nor what it will look like - the concept looks a bit like a stumpy tablet that’s more wide than the tall, thin Galaxy Fold - but it’s promising for one simple reason: a low price.

Yes, the TCL foldable phone could be the cheap bendy phone for the masses. Judging by the concept device seen in October 2019, TCL’s foldable isn’t terribly pretty with thick bezels on its ‘innie’ interior display, but it is technically a foldable that seems to work, which is more than enough for us to look forward to the final device.

OnePlus Mystery Device

OnePlus is unveiling a mystery device in January 2020 - an “alternate vision for the future of smartphones” as the company said in a tweet - that it’s named the OnePlus Concept One. Is it a foldable? A cheap 5G device? Something completely overhyped?

It doesn’t matter - unlike a lot of other phones on this list, it allows us to live in a brief moment where a phonemaker is trying something different and we don’t have a clue what it is. This is the excitement that buzzed in the years before the first few iPhones calcified what we’ve come to accept as the singular design everyone’s settled on (rectangle, seamless glass front, cameras front and rear, buttons on sides).

Phones used to be dramatically different from each other, they used to be weird, and in this moment, OnePlus has our rapt attention for what wild new directions phones could take in 2020. Plus it'll likely have the new OnePlus 8 series to show us next year, which unlike this concept device will actually be available for purchase in the next 12 months.

The last year in mobile: from 5G to foldable phones

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Packers vs Lions live stream: how to watch today's NFL football 2019 from anywhere

The 2019-20 regular NFL season is coming to a close this week but before then, you’ll get to see the Green Bay Packers take on the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. This is a game you won’t want to miss as it’s the Lions last game of the season and if the Packers win, they can clinch the number 2 seed in the NFC playoff bracket. We’re here to make sure you catch every minute of today’s game - see how to get a Packers vs Lions live stream regardless of where in the world you are and it’s even free to watch in the US thanks to a simple stream.

Green Bay is going into today’s game 12-3 after an exceptional season where the team only lost to the Eagles in week 4, the Chargers in week 9 and the 49ers in week 12. The Packers have won their last four games in a row and during Monday Night Football this week, they defeated the Vikings 23-10 with placekicker Mason Crosby scoring three field goals and running back Aaron Jones scoring two touchdowns. Green Bay already clinched the NFC North Title during Monday’s game but a win today can earn the team a first-round bye in the NFC playoffs and one step closer to Super Bowl 2020.

Detroit on the other hand is going into today’s game 3-11 after starting their season with a tie followed by two wins against the Chargers in week 2 and the Eagles in week 3. While the Lions did manage to defeat the Giants in week 8, unfortunately the team has lost every game since and because of this, they’ll be sitting out the playoffs this year. Detroit suffered a close 22-23 loss to the Packers in week 6, so expect the team to be out for revenge during today’s game. Can the Lions close out their season with a win against the Packers?

Whether you’re a Packers fan in Green Bay, a Lions fan in Detroit or just want to see these two NFC North rivals battle it out on the field - we’ll show you how to get a Packers vs Lions live stream regardless of where in the world you are so you don’t miss a single play.

See our guide to discover how to stream every single NFL game live

Watch the Packers vs Lions game online from outside your country (or in a blackout)

Watching this game from the US, UK, Canada or Australia? We'll tell you how to catch the NFL game further down in the article.

But if you're somewhere else in the world - or if a coverage blackout is stopping you from watching in the US - then there's still a way you can live stream the Packers vs Lions online (and you don't even have to slum it with a grainy, illegal feed you've found on Reddit). Instead you could use a VPN - or Virtual Private Network - to change the IP address to one in a different state or country which does have a stream. And it's not even hard to do.

How to watch the Packers vs Lions in the US for free

Can I watch with the NFL Game Pass?

Well it's a no and a yes. The NFL Game Pass in the US will only let you watch a replay of the game, but not the live action.

Interestingly, it's a different story with an International NFL Game Pass where all 256 regular season games are being shown absolutely live...shame you can't officially get access to that if you and your laptop's IP address is in the US.

Other ways cord cutters can stream NFL live online

Sling TV $40 per month - Sling TV splits its live NFL options across its $25 a month Blue plan and $25 a month Orange plan. By combining the two, you get a $10 dollar discount and access to Fox, NBC, ESPN and the NFL Network.

Hulu with Live TV $40 per month - Hulu with Live TV includes CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN but does not come with NFL Network.

FuboTV $35 for the first month - FuboTV gives you the first month at a discounted rate but after that the price increases to $45 a month. The service includes CBS, Fox, NBC and the NFL Network but does not come with ESPN.

DirecTV Now $50 per month - DirecTV Now includes CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN and for $5 extra you can add the NFL Network. However, with this service you can only watch football on local TV stations live.

YouTubeTV $40 per month - YouTubeTV gives you access to CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN but just like with Hulu with Live TV, there is no NFL Network.