Monday, May 18, 2020

Second stimulus check for $1,200? Here's the status of new government proposal - CNET

Learn more about the proposed second coronavirus relief bill that would provide another round of payments to US residents. Here's the current situation, as the bill moves from the House to the Senate.

from CNET https://ift.tt/3bQ5wOR

Latest Tech News

In August 2018 Microsoft announced the launch of Xbox All Access, a subscription service which allows those who sign up to get an Xbox One S or Xbox One X console, Xbox Games Pass and Xbox Live Gold for a flat per month fee – with no upfront costs. It took over a year to arrive, but Xbox All Access has officially landed in Australia via Telstra.

To see if the Xbox All Access offer is for you, we put together this handy guide explaining everything we know about Xbox All Access and assessing whether it's good value compared to just buying all those Xbox bits and bobs separately.

Xbox All Access: what is it?

Xbox All Access is subscription service which sees you receive an Xbox One S or Xbox One X console, 24-months of Xbox Live Gold (required for online multiplayer) and 24-months of Xbox Games Pass (Microsoft's subscription service that grants access to over 100 games) in return for paying a fixed monthly fee for 24 months.

Xbox All Access: what's the price in Australia?

In Australia, you can sign up Xbox All Access via Telstra on a 24-month plan, with pricing starting at AU$27 per month for an Xbox One S, up to AU$34 per month for an Xbox One X and bonus game. This includes console repayments and plan charges

Once the first 24 months are over and the console repayments are finished, the price will automatically adjust to AU$15.95 per month. Early termination charges do apply.

While those minimum cost prices may seem high in comparison to just buying the consoles outright, it's important to take into account that this fee also covers two years worth of both Xbox Live Gold and Xbox Game Pass. 

One year of Xbox Live Gold is priced at AU$79.95, bring the two-year total to AU$159.90. Meanwhile, the monthly fee for Xbox Game Pass is AU$10.95. Over 24 months, this would come to AU$262.80. 

If you were to buy the Xbox One S console separately at retail price, you'd be looking at around AU$399 for the console + AU$159.90 + AU$262.80, bringing the total to $821.70. Factor in the Xbox One X's retail price of AU$549, and you'd be looking at a total cost of AU$971.70.

Whether you opt for the Xbox One S or Xbox One X plan, you're saving money either way when you consider the value added by the included subscriptions over a 24-month period. 

Xbox All Access: important things to know

Before you sign up for Xbox All Access there are some crucial details to be aware of:

If you return the console, you are still responsible to pay for both memberships each month you are connected

Xbox All Access is subject to the Microsoft Store standard return policy. This means your chosen console has a 30-day return policy. However both memberships are not returnable and are non-refundable.  

It's yours to keep after the 2 years

Signing up for Xbox All Access means you own the console and the 24 month Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold memberships outright upon purchase. 

Early termination during the initial 24-month period will result in additional charges

According to Telstra's terms and conditions, cancelling your Xbox All Access subscription after the first 30 days will result in termination charges, much like with a mobile phone plan. 

For the Xbox One S, this means paying AU$409.37 (1 month + AU$382.37 remaining on your console) with the overall payout reducing by AU$16.625 each month that you stay connected.

For the Xbox One X, early termination means paying AU$659.95 (1 month + AU$621.95 remaining on your console) with the overall payout reduced by AU$27.042 each month you stay connected.

More information is available at Telstra's website



from TechRadar - All the latest technology news https://ift.tt/2whfPN3

Latest Gadgets News

Motorola Edge+ is all set to launch in India today. The phone is teased to be exclusively available on Flipkart. It comes with a 90Hz curved OLED display and multiple cameras at the back with a 108-megapixel main sensor.

from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/369stuS

Go X is unleashing 100 self-driving scooters on a large Georgia business park - CNET

These scooters will be summonable by riders and return to a centralized charging and sanitization area when done.

from CNET https://ift.tt/3dUYUQz

Tesla 'full self-driving' price will increase by $1,000 on July 1, Elon Musk says - CNET

The option currently costs $7,000.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2ZgfdmY

Trump says he's taking controversial COVID-19 drug hydroxychloroquine - CNET

The US president says he's taking a pill every day, despite a lack of evidence for taking hydroxychloroquine as a preventative.

from CNET https://ift.tt/3eaaCaf

I switched to Google Pay from Samsung Pay and haven't looked back - CNET

Commentary: I used to love, love, love Samsung Pay. But now its killer feature no longer feels so vital.

from CNET https://ift.tt/36bPsWd

Latest Tech News

The online shopping sale event that is Click Frenzy has again come to our screens, and this time around, it’s brought a bunch of killer deals on SIM-only plans from Telstra.

Australia's favourite telco is knocking AU$10 off all of its BYO mobile plans, which means you can get yourself 60GB of data for just AU$50 a month with Telstra.

The cheapest available option is the Small plan, which will net you 30GB of data for as little as AU$40 each month. The Medium plan likely offers the best value for money, giving you 60GB for AU$50 month-to-month.

For those data-hungry users who need more to play with, the Large plan now gets you 100GB of data for the discounted price of AU$70, while the Extra Large plan offers a massive 150GB for AU$90 each time.

No matter which SIM-only deal you go with, you’ll be pocketing AU$120 worth of savings over the course of the year.

Each of Telstra’s BYO phone deals come with unlimited standard national calls and texts, and have no lock-in contract, so you’re free to leave the network any time without facing fees.



from TechRadar - All the latest technology news https://ift.tt/2Xah0Y4

Latest Tech News

Oculus Quest is about to take a huge step in becoming a completely controller-free system, as the VR headset's hand-tracking feature exits beta later this month.

Starting May 28, three Oculus Quest games along with two animated VR films will support this new controller-free mode, and the trend should continue. Developers will be able to implement hand-tracking games and apps starting that day, too.

Your first chance to go controller-free with the Oculus Quest will come in the form of playing Waltz of the Wizard, Elixir and The Curious Tale of the Stolen Pets, or watching Gloomy Eyes and The Line.

Currently the Oculus Quest is the only VR headset from the major manufacturers that supports hand-tracking, but rumor has it that Oculus Rift S could get the feature in the future as well.

One step toward a cordless, controller-less future 

When Oculus announced that the Quest would support hand-tracking at its annual Oculus Connect conference last year we knew big things were on the horizon for the headset, and now that the feature has been released developers can start implementing it. 

While hand-tracking isn't a one-stop solution for completely immersive virtual reality – especially at this nascent stage – it is a step toward a better future for VR, one in which headsets are better about tracking and analyzing real-world objects.

That being said, once one company figures out a technology like this, others are sure to follow. We wouldn’t be surprised to see a similar feature in the next few years on headsets like Valve Index or PlayStation VR (or whatever PS5-compatible PSVR sequel inevitably launches by then).



from TechRadar - All the latest technology news https://ift.tt/2z1j7pb

Watch the Community reunion and table read replay - CNET

It's ready for you on YouTube. You won't Britta this up.

from CNET https://ift.tt/36bDpIm

The best Memorial Day 2020 mattress sales - CNET

Save, then sleep.

from CNET https://ift.tt/36bouOn

Microsoft's greatest hardware hits - CNET

Its Build conference gives us a peek at future products, but we're also looking back.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2AJEKLb

Watch NASA 'test the absolute heck out of' its Mars Perseverance rover - CNET

Mars won't seem so bad after what Perseverance had to go through on Earth.

from CNET https://ift.tt/3bHWlQq

Nintendo Switch Lite is in stock at Amazon and GameStop: Latest inventory update - CNET

Just updated: Here's where you can find the $200 portable version of Nintendo's hot gaming console.

from CNET https://ift.tt/3dTEqaH

Tesla Gigafactory 1 could grow as partner Panasonic reports more profits - CNET

Panasonic's partnership with Tesla was in the black again last quarter, and the two are in talks to expand capacity.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2Zna4cy

Latest Tech News

Looking for NYT Strands answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, including the spangram. from Latest ...