Flipkart Big Billion Days 2020 sale will kick off October 16, the Walmart-owned e-retail giant has announced. The Big Billion Days sale will continue through October 21 and include plethora of offers and deals.
The weather has gone very...English of late which makes this the perfect time to lock the doors, whip out the blankets, blast the heating and settle in to find that new SIM plan you've been putting off researching.
Yes, it's a pain with a never-ending list of networks and MVNOs, which one do you go for and which offers the benefits which best suits your lifestyle? Well luckily we've made the process slightly easier by gathering the top five SIM only deals below.
With options ranging from the best price on EE through to the UK's cheapest option, the best prices on unlimited data and even a SIM with unlimited use of social media, there's a lot of great options below.
Still looking for a new phone? Check our bestSIM-free phoneprice guide
Our top 5 best SIM only deals this weekend:
1. The completely unlimited ones
SIM only from Three |12 month contract | Unlimited data | Unlimited calls and texts | £18 a month
In our view, your search could start and end here. Three delivered this all time best value SIM only deal on Black Friday and somehow it's still going strong - even with the next Black Friday just around the corner...For £18 a month, you're getting unlimited calls, texts and data, making it an unbeatable offer.View Deal
iD Mobile SIM only |30-day contract | unlimited data, minutes and texts | £18 per month While the Three offer above is great, and will be the choice many prefer, if the contract is longer than you would prefer iD Mobile could be a better choice. With iD, you're getting unlimited data, calls and texts for the same price of £18 a month - the only difference is that iD operates on 1-month rolling contracts. View Deal
2. The really, really cheap one
iD Mobile SIM only |30-day contract | 1GB data | 500 minutes | Unlimited texts | £5 per month Trying to spend less on your phone bills? Then iD has got you covered. Of course, 1GB of data each month won't suit the streaming commuters and social media obsessives of this world, but those £5 a month bills are amazingly tempting if you don't use your phone that much away from Wi-Fi. View Deal
3. The one with the fastest 4G speeds
EE SIM only |18 months | 100GB data | Unlimited calls and texts | £20 per month
For some, it's EE or nothing. The UK's fastest 4G network isn't always that affordable which is why this offer is so tempting. It provides 100GB of data while only charging £20 a month. That's plenty for a massive amount of gaming, streaming and more each month. View Deal
4. The one that doesn't tie you down
SIM only plan from Smarty |1 month rolling |50GB100GB data | Unlimited calls and texts | £15 per month
If you're trying to secure the most amount of data for the lowest price, Smarty will be the way to go. It offers 100GB of data (double what it normally has) for just £15 a month. While that is already pretty strong, it gets better due to the fact that Smarty operates on 1-month rolling contracts so you can leave at any time. View Deal
5. The one with unlimited social media
SIM only plan from Voxi| 1 month rolling |6GB12GB data | Unlimited calls and texts | £10 per month
For anyone who finds themselves powering through data each month due to social media apps, Voxi is the perfect option. It provides unlimited usage of social media apps including Whatsapp, Facebook and Instagram. On top of that, you're getting 12GB of data and only paying £10 a month. View Deal
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Earlier this year, HTC launched the public beta for a virtual reality (VR) video conferencing platform called Vive Sync.
It’s similar in many ways to Zoom and Microsoft Teams, both of which have become mainstays of working life during the pandemic, but with one key difference - Sync meetings quite literally have an extra dimension.
The Taiwanese company - maker of the popular HTC Vive range of VR headsets - invited TechRadar Pro to sample the Vive Sync experience, hosted by President and GM EMEA Graham Wheeler.
Less than an hour inside the headset was enough to show us precisely why HTC is so enthusiastic about the fledgling service and its place in the future of work.
The platform remains in beta, so is naturally lacking in polish in some areas, but we didn’t need bells and whistles to grasp the core concept: with virtual reality, remote working need not feel quite so remote.
(Image credit: HTC)
What is Vive Sync?
Vive Sync is HTC’s first foray into the world of collaboration tools, although TechRadar Pro can confirm it won’t be the company’s last.
Sync has all the same features as a regular video conferencing service, but eschews the traditional grid of faces in favor of a three dimensional arena, where attendees are joined by the avatars of up to 30 fellow participants.
You can move about the generous space, turn your body and head to listen directly to whomever is speaking and also gesticulate with your arms, which are tracked by hand controllers.
Wheeler was even sporting additional peripherals that tracked his eye and mouth movement, which further added to the sense that we were having a genuine person-to-person interaction.
Crucially, Vive Sync is cross-platform service (unlike many virtual reality tools), meaning attendees can join via their PC or laptop too - just with limited functionality.
This will be the key to making virtual reality ubiquitous in enterprise. Of course not every business will have the depth of resources to arm all employees with VR equipment, but the cross-platform nature of Vive Sync means that’s not an insurmountable problem.
According to Wheeler, the arrival of the platform has coincided happily with a fundamental shift in the world of work, brought about by the pandemic.
“VR gives teams the flexibility to work successfully from anywhere in the world - an advancement that is prompting companies to rethink the way they operate,” he said.
“Before the pandemic, a lot of organizations were against working from home, but now business culture as a whole is changing and organizations are finally open to new ideas.”
Setting up and launching in
We joined our Sync meeting using the Vive Pro, HTCs premium enterprise-focused headset, which delivers the greatest performance available, but is also on the expensive side and requires a little more setup than some other headsets.
Our reviewer described it as “the best VR headset for the ultra-discerning, financially well-off VR enthusiast,” which rather hits the nail on the head.
Anyone that has ever rigged a tethered virtual reality system like this one will know it involves at least a measure of faff. You have to get the headset out, connect the various cables with both your PC and the headset, turn on the lighthouses (which track your position in the room), load up the application etc.
For some remote workers (especially those living in small city apartments), space will prove prohibitive, because you need at least a spare 2 x 1.5 meters spare for room-scale VR. Others might argue that the effort it takes to set up outweighs the benefits of joining a meeting in virtual reality.
The alternative, for anyone that falls into the above categories, would be to opt for the all-in-one Vive Cosmos, which at least handles its own tracking (although still needs to be connected to a PC) or, even better, the totally untethered Vive Focus Plus.
(Image credit: HTC)
Before you join a meeting, you’ll also need to create and synchronize your avatar, which currently feels more convoluted than it needs to be.
You’ll need to download HTC’s standalone avatar builder mobile app, take a selfie to use as the basis for your character and then then fine-tune by tweaking various parameters - be that eyebrow bushiness, nose sharpness or eye bulginess.
Once you’re happy with your creation, the app will provide you with a code, which you then need to attach to your account via the Vive Sync website.
We’d like to see this whole process streamlined and shifted into the virtual reality application in future builds. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to create your avatar inside the headset.
Once set-up and avatar creation has been taken care of, however, joining a Vive Sync meeting is as easy as on any other platform. All you need is a room code and password.
Collaborating in virtual reality
In terms of core functionality, Vive Sync delivers everything you might expect from a video conferencing or collaboration software - perhaps with the exception of text chat. Participants can communicate over mic, record sessions, pull in documents and presentations, take screenshots, share their PC screen and more.
Where Vive Sync differs from traditional conferencing platforms, though, is in its use of three dimensional space.
Attendees can sit or stand as they please (though we recommend coming armed with a swivel chair), which could help break up a long day of sitting down at a desk. They can also move across the meeting space, either by physically walking around or via teleportation - a common method of locomotion in VR.
Presenters can also import 3D assets into the meeting room, which can be manipulated, annotated and resized on the fly. In our meeting, for example, Wheeler pulled up a model of a phone, circling different elements of the design with a virtual pen as he spoke and rotating the model to inspect each side.
(Image credit: HTC)
If an attendee likes what they see, Sync also offers the ability to react with an animated emoji (to save interrupting verbally) - or even high five the presenter, triggering fireworks.
The most striking feature, however, is the floor-to-ceiling cinema screen that rises dramatically at the front of the conference arena when a participant shares a web page, document or presentation.
The ability to share your screen is not incredible in itself, but screen-sharing on a display of these proportions certainly is. Even the most dry and incomprehensible graph or pie-chart is made more compelling when blown up to this scale - and that isn’t possible without virtual reality.
The main issue we foresee, in terms of functionality, is with taking efficient notes during a Sync meeting. While you have the option to record a meeting and watch back afterwards, that’s not exactly an efficient way to spend your working hours and defeats the object somewhat.
The closest feature to a physical notebook and pen is Sync’s voice-to-text audio note facility, which allows users to take both private and public notes mid-meeting. But doing so while continuing to listen to the presenter is near enough impossible.
Work in progress
While we had a great time with Sync overall, that’s not to say it doesn’t suffer from any issues - some of which, in fairness, can be attributed to the fact the service remains in beta.
Firstly, the current iteration of the PC application is temperamental. It was slow to launch and even slower to log us into our account, sometimes even demanding a restart.
We also experienced a slight audio delay (of roughly one or two seconds) during the meeting itself, which made jumping in on the conversation somewhat awkward and served as an unwelcome reminder that the meeting wasn’t actually in-person.
Our voice also dropped out at one point, forcing us to communicate with Wheeler using emojis alone, until the issue was resolved by exiting and reentering the meeting.
If Vive Sync is to carve out a space for itself in the highly competitive video conferencing market, it will need to get these kinds of fundamentals right first.
(Image credit: HTC)
However, Wheeler is as equally unconcerned about the skeptics and dissenters as he is convinced of the merits of VR in the workplace. Asked what he thought of the idea that platforms like Sync represent a dystopian future for work, he had the following to say:
“Every new technology is met with some element of negativity. Some people railed against the printing press.”
“Technology has always just been a conduit - it has no conscience. Society as a whole has a collective responsibility to use technology for good, to make lives easier and bring us closer together.”
Vive Sync, Wheeler told TechRadar Pro, will remain in beta for the time being while the team continues to deliver regular new updates and fine tune the experience.
He was tight-lipped about when the service might launch in full, but we’ll be back with a full review whenever that may be.
Microsoft Surface Laptop Go and updated Surface Pro X have been announced as the latest additions to the company’s Surface portfolio. The Surface Laptop Go, as the name suggests, is a toned down version of the Surface Laptop 3 with a smaller screen, lower RAM and storage options, and a few compromises.
Stimulus check negotiations rallied the day President Donald Trump was admitted to the hospital with COVID-19. A last-ditch effort to reach an agreement on a stimulus bill affects whether there'll be a second direct payment. Here's the update.
Mobile gaming in India has been steadily growing over the past years and the onset of COVID-19 pandemic has pushed this growth even further. With people bound to the confines of their homes, virtual entrainment has become paramount.
While Apple will probably unveil the iPhone 12 range on October 13, we’ve already heard plenty about the phones, with most leaks agreeing that there will be a fourth model this year, up from three in the iPhone 11 range. And with a new model comes a new name, which is reportedly ‘iPhone 12 Mini.’
But this name is just a rumor for now, and while we’ve heard it a few times there’s also reason to suspect it might not be right.
So will Apple really call the basic iPhone 12 model the iPhone 12 Mini? Below we’ll examine the evidence.
Why Apple might launch an iPhone 12 Mini
The main reason to think that Apple might launch an iPhone 12 Mini is simply that this has been rumored, and not just once, but at least three times at the time of writing.
The name was first mentioned by Twitter leaker @L0vetodream on September 21. They claimed that Apple will launch an iPhone 12 Mini (which other rumors suggest will have an appropriately compact 5.4-inch screen), along with a standard iPhone 12 and an iPhone 12 Pro (both rumored to have 6.1-inch screens), and at the top end an iPhone 12 Pro Max, likely to have a 6.7-inch display.
The only new name there is the iPhone 12 Mini – the other three had been extensively leaked previously, though prior to this it had been thought that the smallest iPhone would just be called the iPhone 12, with the next model up getting the new moniker of iPhone 12 Max.
Following this leak, Twitter user @duanrui1205 posted images showing what appear to be barcode stickers for cases designed for each of the four models above, and including the iPhone 12 Mini name on one of them.
Apple’s first shipment of final iPhone 12 units is going out to distributers on October 5thThe shipment includes: iPhone 12 mini 5.4(Definitely the final marketing name) -64/128/256iPhone 12 6.1-64/128/256Event on October 13, as I mentioned before.September 29, 2020
Then, Jon Prosser (another leaker) tweeted various leaked details about the upcoming iPhones, including the claim that iPhone 12 Mini is “definitely the final marketing name” for the 5.4-inch model.
Other leakers have also used the iPhone 12 Mini name, though it’s not clear whether they have inside information or are just following the trend.
So that’s quite a lot of support for the Mini name, and that’s before you get to the fact that Apple has used the Mini moniker on a number of products in the past, such as the iPad mini and Mac mini ranges.
Why Apple might not launch an iPhone 12 Mini
The first thing to note is that we’re not disputing the existence of a smaller 5.4-inch iPhone. That’s been extensively rumored and is likely real, we’re just questioning whether it will land with ‘Mini’ in the name.
Above we highlighted a number of rumors as evidence of such a name, but it’s worth noting that of the three sources we highlighted only one (Jon Prosser) has an extensive track record, and in recent months it’s been somewhat mixed, as while he’s been right about some things, he’s been wrong about others.
Plus, it’s only in recent rumors that we’ve heard the phone referred to as the iPhone 12 Mini, and in a relatively small number of rumors at that.
Previously, a lot of sources suggested that the next model up would get a new name instead, specifically the iPhone 12 Max. So that could still be right, or, if sources were wrong about that name, they could just as well be wrong about the Mini name too.
Plus, while a number of other Apple products have had Mini in the name, the company has never yet launched an iPhone Mini, and that’s despite having launched a number of compact phones, most recently the 4.7-inch iPhone SE (2020).
The iPhone SE (2020) is small, but it's not a 'Mini'(Image credit: Future)
Will Apple launch an iPhone 12 Mini?
We can’t say with any certainly whether Apple will call its smallest iPhone 12 model the iPhone 12 Mini. As explained above, there’s plenty of evidence in both directions.
But if we were to take a guess we’d say the iPhone 12 Mini name is likely to be used. While older rumors pointed to an iPhone 12 Max instead, we’re inclined to put greater weight on recent rumors, as they’ll likely be working off more up to date information.
And while you could question the track records of the sources in terms of either reliability or number of leaks, we haven’t seen any other leakers actively disagreeing with them at the time of writing.
With the iPhone 12 launch fast approaching we should know for sure soon, but for now we’d put our money on Mini.
It’s been a long time coming for the Saints. The St Kilda side will be making their first finals appearance since 2011, and you can catch the action this afternoon at 4:40pm AEST.
Meeting them at the Gabba will be the equally formidable Western Bulldogs. This will mark the Dogs’ second straight finals appearance, and they’re sure to hit the field better prepared after last season’s crushing defeat in an elimination final.
The question is, who’s more hungry? We’re about to find out as St Kilda and the Western Bulldogs go head-to-head in the competition’s first elimination final.
It’s game day! Today’s St Kilda v Western Bulldogs match takes place at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia, and the match is set to kick off at 4:40pm AEST. Australians can watch the clash free-to-air on 7Mate, on Foxtel’s Fox Footy or live streamSt Kilda v Western Bulldogs live and on Kayo Sports.
Just like the rest of the sporting world, it’s been a season like no other for the AFL. Now heading into the first week of the finals series, with four powerhouse matches have already begun.
On October 1, the Power took on the Cats and came out on top, winning by 16 points and advancing to the preliminaries.
Last night (October 2), the Brisbane Lions faced Richmond at the Gabba in a qualifying final, and defied the odds by winning the match 69-54.
St Kilda will soon meet with the Western Bulldogs (Saturday, October 3 at 4:40pm AEST) in an elimination match.
Later tonight, West Coast Eagles will face Collingwood in another finals decider (8:10pm AEST / 6:10pm WST). The Magpies started off strong this year, but have since slumped to the bottom of the top eight teams. Collingwood has had a rocky season on and off the field, so this go-hard or go-home match to be played with an Eagles home crowd will be hard won.
Every finals game will be broadcast live online and on free-to-air. Here's how you can watch it all unfold in the lead up to the Grand Finals on October 24.
How to watch AFL 2020 Finals Week online
The best place to catch all the qualifiers live online would be on Kayo. This streaming service is dedicated to sports so there won't be any distractions, with the exception of a few ad breaks perhaps.
The advantages with watching footy on Kayo is the versatility – you'll get live interactive stats while the matches are happening, the ability to watch up to three other streams at the same time in SplitView and have all the AFL matches available on-demand later if you happen to miss it all. If you want to just check the highlights, Kayo Mini videos are bite-sized clips of all the best bits.
And, if you haven't signed up yet, you get a 14-day free trial before you need to pay your monthly subscription. If you'd like to know more about the streaming service, take a look at our in-depth Kayo Sports review.
Kayo’s Basic package will let you stream over 50 sports on two different devices at the same time. You’ll have access to Kayo’s features such as SplitView, and you can cancel any time as there’s no lock-in contract.View Deal
How to live stream AFL 2020 Finals Week for free
The Seven Network has broadcast rights to all the qualifier games during Finals Week. They'll be available to watch live and free on Seven or 7Mate, depending on which state you're in.
That means, you'll also be able to stream the games on the Seven Network's catch-up app, 7Plus. This platform is available on a web browser, and has apps for both Android and iOS.
How to live stream AFL 2020 Finals Week from abroad
If you're a footy fan who happens to be living outside of Australia, New Zealand or the Pacific Islands, you needn't despair. You can watch every single AFL game this season no matter where you are on the Watch AFL streaming service.
Like Kayo, Watch AFL is also a subscription service and has three different plans to choose from:
For the qualifiers, Watch AFL has a new option called the Finals Pass, which temporarily replaces the monthly plan. It gives customers the ability to watch all the matches during Finals Week as well as the Grand Finals live.
The contents of this streaming service are only available to view outside of Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, but a subscription can be purchased from anywhere. It includes every match in the Premiership, including the fixtures from the Women’s League. Watch AFL allows you to pause and rewind live matches, and also allows you to download matches for offline viewing. While you can watch the livestream on desktop via the website, the Watch AFL app is also available for iOS, Android and Apple TV. You can even cast onto a TV via AirPlay or Google Chromecast.View Deal
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The makers of the new James Bond movie -- which has already had its release date pushed back once due to the pandemic -- on Friday said it would not now be released until April 2021.
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) said on Saturday Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC and global private equity firm TPG Capital invested a combined Rs. 7,350 crore (about $1 billion) in its retail unit.
