We’re just one day away from the Apple Watch 7 becoming available, and that means deep discounts on the Apple Watch 6 are highly likely to arrive as well. Telstra has done just that, and for this month’s Telstra Day, you can get the Watch 6 for AU$509 – that’s a AU$240 discount off its usual retail price.
And of course, there’s big savings on smartphones available today too. For the Android crowd, the schmick Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is now AU$500 off, while the iPhone 12 Pro is AU$350 off for the Apple faithful. These aren’t quite the lowest prices we’ve seen on these handsets, but it’s still a good deal, particularly if you don’t want to fork out for the newest models.
The good news is, you don’t need to pair any of these products with a Telstra mobile plan to score the discount from the online store either, as every device on sale can be purchased outright with the discount being applied at checkout. Of course, you do have the option of signing up for a Telstra plan as well, which will also let you pay the device off in monthly instalments.
Our top picks from the sale are below, just keep in mind the offers are only available until midnight tonight (October 7).
With the Apple Watch 7 soon to be released, it’s great to see the Watch 6 with such a deep discount. The main factor to note is that the Watch 7 is only an incremental upgrade, with changes mostly coming to the screen (20% bigger, 70% brighter always-on display). So if that’s not important to you, why not save AU$240 on the Watch 6 instead? This discounted 40mm model comes with GPS and cellular connectivity, but if you’d prefer the 44mm case with GPS and cellular, it’s also on sale for AU$559 – down from AU$799.
Now that the iPhone 13 Pro is available, Apple has discontinued the iPhone 12 Pro that came before it – but it’s still available at certain retailers. It looks very similar to the newer phone at first glance, and it comes with mostly the same camera setup: a wide, an ultra-wide and a telephoto lens each with a 12MP sensor (though you'll be missing cinematic mode in the 12 Pro). The iPhone 12 Pro is still an excellent device, and it’s now AU$350 off at Telstra.
If you want the best that Samsung has to offer, the Galaxy S21 Ultra is the phone for you. It has a huge 6.8-inch screen, five cameras and the best zoom on any Android phone currently available. Those features mean this is quite a pricey phone, but now you can buy it outright from Telstra at AU$500 off. It’s worth noting that the Samsung Galaxy S22 range is expected early next year, but the S21 Ultra is the current cream of the crop.
The iPad Air 4 is a powerhouse tablet, with the kind of top-end specs that make it tricky to justify upgrading to the ultra-premium iPad Pro. So, if you’re looking for the sweet spot between the extremes of Apple’s tablet lineup, this is it. The display is 10.9-inches, and inside the chassis sits the A14 chipset (the same silicon that powers the iPhone 12 range). This small AU$100 discount comes on the 64GB version, with Wi-Fi and cellular connection.
We're rounding up all the best Fitbit Versa sales so you can score a price cut on a quality smartwatch without having to pay the price of an Apple Watch. Fitbit Versa deals are available at a number of popular retailers, thanks to the release of newer models, and we're rounding up all the best prices for you below.
The Fitbit Versa is a fitness focus smartwatch from Fitbit that can track activity, heart rate, and calories burned. The Versa will also help you keep on track with your health and fitness goals with personalized reminders. Enjoy your favorite music on the Versa with 300+ songs that you can store or connect to Bluetooth headphones so you can listen to music or podcasts wire-free. The Versa also has basic smartwatch features such as getting calls, texts, and notifications and accessing your favorite apps.
Since the 2019 release of the Fitbit Versa, the company has introduced the Fitbit Versa Lite, the Fitbit Versa Special Edition, and the Fitbit Versa 2 and 3. You'll find all the best Fitbit Versa deals below and information about each model, so you decide which price and smartwatch are right for you.
You can also look forward to upcoming offers during the 2021 Black Friday deals event.
The best Fitbit Versa sales and deals
The best Fitbit Versa deals
The Fitbit Versa tracks all of your activity, including steps, heart rate, distance, calories burned, floors climbed, active minutes, hourly activity, and stationary time. The Versa smartwatch is also waterproof, so you can tracks laps and calories burned during swim workouts. Enjoy your favorite music on the Versa with 300+ songs that you can store or connect to Bluetooth headphones so you can listen to music or podcasts wire-free.
The Fitbit Versa price normally retails for $199.99 / £199.99 / AU$299.99, but thanks to newer releases you can typically find discounts on the smartwatch from third-party retailers.
The best Fitbit Versa Special Edition deals
If you're interested in contactless payments or switching up the look of the Versa smartwatch, then you can upgrade to the Fitbit Versa Special Edition. The special edition version of the smartwatch allows you to choose from a charcoal or lavender woven band rather than the classic Versa band. The Fitbit Versa Special Edition also has a built-in NFC chip that allows you to make secure payments without your wallet. You can make payments on the go with your credit and debit cards with a tap of your wrist anywhere that accepts contactless payments.
The best Fitbit Versa Lite deals and sales
If you're looking for a cheaper version of the Fitbit Versa, then you're in luck. The Fitbit Versa Lite is priced significantly lower than the original Fitbit, with a starting cost of $159.95 / £149.99 /AU$249.95.
The Fitbit Versa Lite Edition has many of the core features that the Fitbit Versa has despite its lower price tag. The Versa Lite can track your heart rate and all-day activity like steps, distance, active minutes, and calories burned as well as sleep with helpful insights. The Versa Lite also has the standard smartwatch features such as call, text, and calendar notifications, as well as access to your favorite apps.
So what does the Versa Lite Edition lack? Unlike the original Fitbit Versa and Special Edition, the Versa Lite doesn't have personalized on-screen workouts, and you also can't upload and store your music to the smartwatch.
The best Fitbit Versa 2 deals and sales
The Fitbit Versa 2 was just released in 2019 with a starting price of $199 / £199 / AU$329. Fitbit's 2nd generation smartwatch features an updated design with a bright AMOLED touchscreen and an always-on display option. The Versa 2 includes a new processor which Fitbit claims to be its fastest yet and offers a further 24 hours of battery life.
The smartwatch also now has Amazon Alexa built-in, which allows you to check the weather, set timers, and control other smart home devices using just your voice. The Versa 2 offers the same health and fitness features as the original smartwatch with 24/7 heart rate monitoring and helpful insights into your sleep. You can also send messages, make calls, and receive notifications.
The best Fitbit Versa 3 deals and sales
Released last year, the Fitbit Versa 3 had a launch price of $229 / £199 / AU$399 and features a larger 40mm AMOLED display. Unlike its predecessor, the Versa 3 now includes a built-in GPS that allows you to track walks, runs, bike rides, or hikes without your phone nearby. You'll also be able to see your workout intensity map in the Fitbit app.
The Vera 3 packs all those fitness tracking features that have made Fitbit a household name, plus you're getting a massive six-day battery life, an always-on AMOLED display, and PulsePulse 2.0 for better heart rate tracking and nightly blood oxygen readings.
What are the best features of the Fitbit Versa?
Some of the key features of the Fitbit Versa are the design, health and fitness tracking and the long-lasting battery. The Versa design got a makeover from the previous model and now has a more attractive, sleek look for everyday wear. The Versa smartwatch will also track your sleep, letting you know the time spent in different stages and personalized tips on how to improve. The Fitbit Versa offers a 4+ day battery life so you can track your activity, play music, text and more throughout the day without worrying of recharging your battery.
How much does a Fitbit Versa cost?
One of the biggest selling points of the Fitbit Versa vs. an Apple Watch is the price. The Fitbit Versa retails for $199.99 / £199.99 / AU$299.99 and is one of the best smartwatches you can get for under $200. Since the Versa has been out for almost a year, you can normally find discounts and sales from popular retailers on the smartwatch.
Fitbit Versa bands
Specific Fitbit devices do have interchangeable bands, and the Fitbit Versa is one that can be customized with interchangeable wristbands. Several retailers besides the Fitbit website sell Versa bands such as Amazon and Walmart. Styles include bands that look more like a traditional watch and bands that have more sporty features such as breathable air holes. The interchangeable wristbands are also made out of variety of different materials that include stainless steel, woven fabric, and leather to name a few.
We might not have much longer to wait before Sky’s “something magical” event, but that hasn’t stopped rumors from swirling in full force.
Ahead of Sky’s 9am meeting event on Thursday, October 7, some publications have posted about the possibility of a new set-top box and a 4K TV.
According to What Hi-Fi?, the Sky Q Box might be a dish-free Sky experience that will allow you to access your Sky service without a dish. That follows rumors of the Sky Q IP box that has been quietly tested in the wild, and bodes well for a full announcement tomorrow.
In addition to a new set-top box, Sky could also release its own series of TVs called ‘Sky Glass’. These TVs will purportedly come in 43-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch sizes and start at around £650 (around $880 / AU$1,215). The TVs are rumored to work without a satellite dish and may come with a Dolby Atmos soundbar and HDR support built-in.
Something magical is coming…🗓️ Tomorrow⏰ 9am BST📍 Come back here tomorrow for the unveiling link#MadeOfMagic pic.twitter.com/57sd9JeO2tOctober 6, 2021
See more
Keep your eyes on the Sky
In-depth rumors like these the day before an event are usually spot-on – however, we still wouldn’t bet the farm on them coming true. Plans can change at the last minute, after all.
The silver lining to the report is that we won’t have long to wait to find out - Sky’s event will take place at 9am BST on October 7, which is less than a day away at this point.
We’ll be covering the event as it happens, so be sure to stop back and visit to find out more about Sky’s incoming products, whatever they might be.
A new leak suggests a Samsung Exynos chipset could get ray tracing tech, meaning the company’s next flagship phone series – the Samsung Galaxy S22, expected in early 2022 – could be powered by Exynos silicon with this feature.
Ray tracing renders more dynamic (and true-to-life) lighting and reflections in computer graphics, and is mostly used as a benchmark feature for top-end computers rendering the latest games. At Computex 2021 in June, AMD boldly announced that it would bring its own graphics tech (including ray tracing) to the next generation of Exynos chipsets, but we hadn’t heard anything since from Samsung – until now (sort of).
The leak comes courtesy of noted leaker Ice Universe, who tweeted a purported screenshot of a Weibo post from the official Samsung Exynos account which “clearly stated that Ray Tracing technology is about to be mounted in the new Exynos GPU.” Per the screenshot, the supposed Weibo post was published on October 4, but a cursory view of the Exynos Weibo account doesn’t show a post later than October 1, suggesting it may have been deleted if it had been posted at all.
If true, this would be a huge accomplishment for Samsung, and a big bragging point to hold over both Apple’s A-series chips and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon silicon. We’ll have to see whether Samsung comes out officially acknowledging the tech will come to Exynos chips or if we’ll have to wait longer for ray tracing to reach smartphones.
Ray tracing: desktops, laptops...and smartphones?
Ray tracing remains a feature for top-specced desktop PCs, though more recent updates from Nvidia and others have enabled the tech for lower-end hardware and, potentially, laptops. It wouldn’t be a surprise if smartphones and tablets weren’t far behind.
Whether ray tracing will be visible or recognizable is another question. We expect only the top-tier Exynos chipsets to pack in ray tracing anyway (the AMD announcement only mentioned that some silicon will get augmented with its tech, so presumably, that will be the high-end models) – this means we could expect the flagship Samsung Galaxy S22 range to get it.
Those phones have at least Full HD (2400 x 1080) AMOLED displays, while the most expensive Galaxy S22 Ultra is expected to have a WQHD (2560 x 1440) display like its predecessor. Since ray tracing is so processor-intensive, many gamers are opting to use it with 1080p resolution anyway, so the real question will be screen size: will gorgeous light and shadow rendering matter on screens as small as the 6-inch displays that are standard on current smartphones?
That’s a question we won’t know until the next suite of Exynos chipsets land next year, starting – we expect – with the Samsung Galaxy S22 in January 2022.
The cloud storage provider Box has announced that it has added new capabilities to its security control and intelligent threat detection solution Box Shield to better protect businesses from ransomware.
With this latest update, Box Shield can now reduce the risk of ransomware by scanning files in near real-time as they are uploaded to Box. These new capabilities in Box Shield leverage deep learning technology along with external threat intelligence to analyze files and stop sophisticated malware before it's able to cause business disruption.
Chief product officer at Box, Diego Dugatkin provided further insight on the company's approach to security and Box Shield's new capabilities in a press release, saying:
“The number of ransomware attacks surged by 288 percent in the first half of 2021 and this will only increase as more businesses go digital. Our approach to security is to provide customers with one secure platform to manage and secure their content, and Box Shield brings together user-friendly security controls and intelligent threat detection natively into the Box Content Cloud. By leveraging the latest deep learning technology, we are adding an extra layer of threat detection to Box Shield, making it even easier for IT and security teams to identify malware in near real-time without slowing down work.”
Using deep learning for malware detection
While other malware detection solutions can disrupt work by quarantining potentially malicious content which needs to be manually reviewed, Box Shield eliminates these obstacles by embedding malware detection into the company's Box Content Cloud.
At its BoxWorks 2021 virtual event, Box has extended the detection capabilities of Box Shield by adding deep learning technology that complements traditional hash-based or file-fingerprint scanning approaches that utilize known malware datasets. As a result, the company's customers can benefit from an additional layer of security that looks inside of individual files to identify malware and then automatically clears the files or blocks the malware's spread in near real-time.
Box Shield already scans over 48bn files a year but with these new capabilities, users will benefit from higher malware detection rates with fewer false positives.
Box also announced enhanced machine learning-powered alerts for anomalous user behavior such as suspicious downloads in Box Shield. Admins will now receive more detailed alerts with context explaining why the company's machine learning algorithm has deemed certain behaviors risky.
Both malware deep scanning and enhanced alerts will be available for Box Shield customers later this year.
After many leaks and renders, Intel has finally revealed the first official image of an Alder Lakeprocessor on Twitter.
Executive Vice President and General Manager of Intel's Client Computing Group Gregory M. Bryant posted a tweet of a factory engineer holding up two Alder Lake CPUs. There hasn’t been much change between this design and the first engineering sample leaked nearly a year ago. This latest design has apparently been shipped to partners, who have started the switch from ES3 (engineering sample 3) to Qualification Samples (QS) since September.
Coming soon to PCs globally: #12thGen Intel Core processors. We can’t wait to show you the experiences they unlock! #IntelOn pic.twitter.com/nrCDextcITOctober 6, 2021
Some Intel Alder lake information has been previously revealed through a leaked roadmap which details the mobile chips that will follow these desktop chips. The S-Series chip shown in the image, however, has been teased by Intel itself repeatedly over the last year. It’s just that we’re finally seeing it.
The 12th Gen Core series’ retail box was also leaked online, as CPUs hit the Chinese black market.
12th-generation Alder Lake processors will likely be announced on October 28 at its Innovation event. This date hasn’t been confirmed by Intel, but given that MSI has leaked the 12th-gen launch date through an AIO cooler upgrade kit, it’s pretty safe to assume we’ll see these processors very soon.
The command-line tool, which is also known as Winget, exited beta with its official release back in May at Microsoft Build 2021. Over the last few months, the software giant's developers have been busy making improvements and adding new features to Windows Package Manager.
The most notable new feature in version 1.1 though is access to apps in the Microsoft Store. The Windows Packager Manager client now ships with both support for the Windows Package Manager app repository and the Microsoft Store.
While the new update is rolling automatically via the Microsoft Store, developers that haven't received it yet have several ways to install it on their workstations. Windows Package Manager is distributed with the App Installer from the Microsoft Store but users can also download and get it from GitHub or even directly install the latest available released version.
Windows Package Manager 1.1
According to a new blog post from Microsoft, more than 2,600 packages are available in the Windows Package Manager app repository. To see all of the available packages, users can open a terminal window and run “winget search”.
Private app repositories, which were announced with the release of version 1.0, are also available and Microsoft has even established a source agreement that users must accept to use them.
At the same time, the latest release of Windows Package Manager is highly customizable and developers can run “winget settings” to customize the client experience. This allows them to change things such as the color of the progress bar, install behavior, telemetry, scope and more.
Package managers have long been a staple of Linux distros and have existed on Windows through third-party options such as Choclately. Now though, Microsoft has built this functionality directly into its operating system to make things easier for developers.
Creating a website used to be the domain (geddit?) of professional designers and coders, but thanks to free website builder applications, these days it's something anyone can tackle.
We've already featured the best website builder software which includes paid-for services that include the widest range of features. However, there are some good free website builders out there.
The problem is that there are so many website creation applications and services vying for attention that it can be difficult to know which one to opt for – this is where we can help.
We've collated the very best free website builders available, including a mixture of offline software and online tools.
It's usually quicker, easier and more efficient to create and edit a site entirely online with a WYSIWYG editor, but if you want complete control over every aspect of your site's design and web hosting, you'll need a desktop-based free website builder.
So whether you're looking to create a site for your business, a new blog, or you just fancy creating an online presence for yourself, here are the best free website builder services to help you out.
Top 3 website builder services of 2021
These first three options aren't necessarily free, but they are the best website builder services you can get. With Wix being the top pick, you can use its premium services without paying a penny as the website builder offers a free service as well as paid options.
1.Wix - a top-notch website builder that's great value Wix is top dog when it comes to free website builders, but it also offers some powerful paid plans. Their paid services start from as little as $8.50 per month for the Combo plan (over three years) which removes the adverts from your site, as well as giving you 3GB of storage space, a free domain and free SSL certificate.
2.Web.com - a serious, high-quality site builder Web.com offers a website builder which is very easy-to-use and ideal for novices, allowing anyone to get their site up swiftly. With top notch support and rock bottom prices, it is great for those looking for an affordable yet capable partner. It's 50% off the first month, starting at $1.95.
3.Gator is a great website builder service Gator Site Builder from Hostgator has a superbly cheap Starter package which comes with free hosting and a domain name included, plus a free SSL certificate. You get constantly available customer support, too, and the benefit of website analytics to boot: all with 50% off meaning you pay just $3.84 per month.
Wix is a big-name website builder which offers a free plan, enabling you to have the run of this service without having to put your hand in your pocket. And you benefit from one of the most impressive website editors in the business.
This editor can be run in ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) mode, which has a very basic interface to keep everything really simple and user-friendly. This is great for beginners, as you can create a basic site without even remotely breaking a sweat (a range of attractive templates are provided, as well).
Those who want to get more involved with tweaking the design of their website can step up to the full Wix editor, which boasts powerful functionality, and the ability to really hone your website and get it looking just as you want. Visual previews of page elements make it easy to pick what you need for any particular part of a web page, too.
Wix is so polished that putting together your site using the editor feels more like using a native application rather than a website builder, and it also sports excellent support for a diverse range of media, and quality customer support as well, even on the free plan. In addition, Wix Turbo was recently released which improves the performance and speed of all Wix websites.
Powerful blogging functionality rounds things off nicely, and you’re getting a truly high quality offering with this freewebsite builder.
Constant Contact provides an intelligent website builder and ecommerce store platform, both of which are free to use.
Setting up a website is easy using drag-and-drop functionality, allowing you to set up a design simply and easily, and insert the features you need.
Settings are automatically optimized for mobile platforms and SEO, and there is a free image library with over 50,000 images included as part of the package.
The ecommerce platform allows for online payments through Paypal, Mollie, or Stripe. There are order and inventory features that automatically updates inventory with orders, and sends an email alert when items become out-of-stock.
While the basic level website is free, there are paid plans which add more features. Additionally, there is also a paid email marketing option available to allow you to reach new customers.
Overall, Constant Contact does a good job of setting up the basics. The free plan is a great way to set up your website, but if you want to publish a website, you'll need to pay.
Weebly offers you two ways to build your website. Both involve creating it online, and both are as quick and painless as possible.
The simplest option is to use the basic editor builder which will guide you through a series of questions before automatically creating a site for you. There is scope for customization, but the focus here is really on fast results for anyone who is terrified of designing websites.
A more hands-on approach is available if you decide to use the standard Editor. There are literally hundreds of stylish templates to choose from – and, yes, they are genuinely impressive – which you can tweak and tailor to your needs using a beautiful WYSIWYG editor.
Despite being a cloud-based website builder, Weebly gives you a great degree of control over the look of your site and placement of page elements. You can also liven it up using additional features such as a newsletter and live chat. This power and flexibility make Weebly a good, free website builder to consider.
Causing a slight degree of confusion, there are actually two different versions of WordPress. The more complex variant can be downloaded from wordpress.org, and you will need to upload it to your own web space and install it using the automated online installer. You can then customize the templates and use add-ons to make the site your own.
This is the route many bloggers go down, but there is a simpler option for people who don’t want the hassle of fiddling about with scripts and getting dirty with hardcore editing.
The hosted version of WordPress lets you create your own site on wordpress.com. You can create everything from a blog or photo site, to a fully fledged online store, and there are a number of templates to choose from. Additionally, Mailchimp users have a benefit of adding a Mailchimp block, which can grow your mailing list among other things.
Whether you're creating a static site, or a blog-style site with regularly updated content, the online editor is a joy to use and allows just about anyone to create an impressive, professional-looking site. The only downside is the limited range of plugins and templates compared with the desktop version, and other free website builders.
Incomedia WebSite X5 received an overhaul in April 2019 with new templates, an updated interface, new paid versions, and more. Note that the free version for TechRadar readers is still available to download. There are two paid versions, Evo and Pro, priced at €39.95 ($46.85) and €69.95 ($82) respectively. This is a one time purchase and naturally, both versions come with additional and improved features compared to the free one. There is also a demo version of both paid versions that you can try out.
Unlike WordPress and Wix, WebSite X5 is a desktop website builder, which means you can work on your site offline and have more freedom to make your website look exactly the way you want.
There's a range of ready-made templates to choose from, or you can create your own design from scratch. Next, build up your site map, showing the hierarchy of your pages and how they connect to one another – a feature you won't find in most web-based site builder apps. There is also e-commerce support with features like product search page and optimized checkout.
Once that's done, you're ready to start building your pages using Website X5's simple drag-and-drop interface, which includes tools for editing both rich text and photos.
If you don't want to pay immediately, WebSite X5 offers a 15-day free trial.
CoffeeCup Free HTML Editor is one of a dying breed of web building programs that don't use a CMS (content management system). While not in the same league as the likes of Adobe Dreamweaver, Free HTML Editor packs quite a professional punch. With split screen code/preview views, it's possible to see the effect the changes you make have straight away.
To help you get started quickly, there are a number of templates built into the program, and there are some very nice features such as tag and code suggestions as you type.
For absolute beginners, the program might seem a little overwhelming to start with, but it's worth sticking with – assuming you have some HTML knowledge. There is one slight issue; a number of features, such as spell-checking and code optimization, are only included in the paid-for version of the program. Otherwise, it can make for a simple alternative to a free website builder.
Joomla is a well-known name in the CMS world. It may not be as popular as WordPress, but it offers the same two options: build a site using the web app at launch.joomla.org and have it hosted on the company's servers, or download the software from joomla.org and host it yourself.
If you choose the latter option, you'll notice that the interface is much less approachable than WordPress. It's not completely impenetrable, but there are lots of menus and options to work through and it doesn't feel quite as polished as WordPress.
Joomla's free website builder is nearly as complex, but doesn't involve the same setup process, making it a better option for beginners. Its key selling point is a huge collection of themes and extensions, which provide endless ways to customize the way your site looks and works.
It's not expensive to get started with WordPress web hosting, because after all, WordPress itself is free (and open source). Even the cheapest shared hosting plan usually comes with a one-click WordPress installer, allowing the greenest of blogging newbies to have their first post ready in less than 60 seconds (we timed this, in fact).
Going forward, however, managing a blog over time is much more challenging. You'll need to find your own themes and plugins, not to mention also keeping them, plus WordPress itself, up-to-date (although you can even get that done automatically).
Blogs are often targeted by malware, so it's important you have some way to detect and remove any threats, and you'll want regular backups to help get a broken blog working again.
There's a long list of hosting companies offering WordPress plans, but we've picked out five of the best to point you in the right direction. Whether you're a first-time user or a big business, there's something for you here, and with prices starting at very cheap levels, even those on the tightest of budgets will find something to suit.
How we test?
Our reviewers get the full experience of each WordPress hosting service by signing up and checking out what the provider does to help new users. On the checklist, we go through ease of use, features, and what each WordPress hosting service offers for its price plans.
We weigh up the details of what you get, and what you don't get, and rank each WordPress hosting provider based on the quality of its features and the way it performs.
With WordPress hosting, as it's a form of web hosting optimized to run WordPress websites, we test the tools and services that are specifically tailored to WordPress websites to pick out the best of the best.
These are the best WordPress hosting services in 2021
Budget WordPress hosting can have a lot of appeal, but it usually won't deliver the features, performance or reliability that high traffic sites really need. If you're the demanding type, or rather your website is, opting for a premium hosting plan will give you much better results.
Bluehost has created its own VPS-based architecture to deliver optimum WordPress performance via NGINX, a custom PHP-FPM setup and intelligently allocated resources through KVM hypervisor. (If you're not a hosting geek, this just means Bluehost has taken the time to optimize the low-level setup of its platform for WordPress, rather than simply making do with a standard configuration.)
The company doesn't waste time by pretending to offer 'unlimited' resources, and instead tells you exactly what you're going to get. For the Basic plan which starts at $2.75 per month for the first term (renewing at $8.99), this means 50GB of SSD storage, a single website, and a free domain for one year.
Additional features for all plans include free SSL, unmetered MySQL DB, a site analytics dashboard, as well as unlimited parked/subdomains. There is also the Bluehost Marketplace where users can access premium themes and plugins at exclusive prices. New Bluehost accounts will also get a free service called Blue Spark, which is designed to help newcomers with everything WordPress-related as well as a free website migration service. Also, with WordPress migration plugin you can move your websites with ease.
The Plus plan which starts at $5.45 per month for the first term (renewing at $11.99) adds unlimited websites and website space, and additional features like spam protection, free CDN and a WP staging environment. The Choice Plus plan costs $5.45 per month for the first term (renewing at $16.99) and adds even more features. It's good to know that Bluehost offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if you feel the service fails to deliver.
If you need more power, BlueHost offers Managed WordPress Hosting that has been optimized for WordPress websites, with prices starting at $9.95 per month. These plans have many additional features including malware detection and removal, JetPack site analytics, business review tools and more (along with unlimited everything), making them compelling offerings.
Features for all plans also includes domain privacy and protection, daily scheduled backups, and a 30-day free trial of Microsoft email.
Managed WordPress packages can often feel overpriced. Many hosts charge significant premiums for impressive sounding claims – optimized servers, malware scanning – that are difficult to evaluate or confirm.
UK-based Tsohost isn't interested in any of that, instead, it's focusing on providing the core WordPress essentials at a very fair price.
The baseline Economy plan gives you a free domain name, free SSL certificate, and bandwidth of up to 25K monthly visitors (plus Tsohost will perform a migration of your existing site). You get daily backups and can restore any of the last 30 days with just a click. There's 24/7 support via ticket and email, along with phone and live chat (which is available from 7am to midnight).
The plan restricts you to 30GB so if that's enough for you, this entry-level plan costs $4.90 a month paid annually (£3.99 + VAT in the UK).
If that's just too underpowered, opting for the Deluxe plan gets you 75GB storage, up to 100K monthly visitors. That's significantly more capable, yet still very reasonably priced at $7.80 a month paid annually (£5.99 + VAT in the UK).
The "most popular" (according to Tsohost) Ultimate plan is priced at $14.1 a month paid annually (£9.99 + VAT in the UK) and supports unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, and SEO optimizer.
There are also "WordPress Pro" hosting plans which are more suited for those that maintain sites for multiple clients at the same time. These plans have increased the number of websites you can host, increased storage, and added some new extras as well. The cheapest plan starts at $33.1 per month paid annually (£24.99 + VAT in the UK).
Tsohost doesn't offer all the frills and extras you'll get with some products, as we mentioned at the outset. There's no talk of SiteLock malware protection, optimized WordPress add-ons or a custom CDN. But it's hard to complain at this price, and Tsohost is still delivering a capable service with more than enough power for smaller sites.
Most web hosts offer only a few WordPress plans, and in some cases, even these might be set up to point you in a particular direction. You might see an underpowered plan, an overpriced one, and a special deal on the mid-range plan they really want you to buy. That makes it easy to decide, but it also limits your upgrade options if your site grows over time.
InMotion Hosting is unusual in offering six WordPress plans, covering everything from small personal blogs to resellers and big business. Figuring out which is the best product for you will take a little more thought, but at least there's room to upgrade – or downgrade – if your circumstances change.
Better still, InMotion hasn't artificially limited the low-end plans by removing key features. Even the baseline WP-1000S plan – which costs $4.99 per month initially (on the 3-year option), $8.99 on renewal – gives you 50GB of SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth and email addresses, preinstalled WordPress, SSL, backups, automatic updates, SiteLock security, cPanel site management, and extras like BoldGrid and WP-CLI. The only significant issue is InMotion's suggestion that the plan works best for blogs with up to 20,000 monthly visits, and even that won't be a problem for many smaller sites.
Upgrading your plan gives you some extras – such as premium themes and plugin subscriptions, a dedicated IP address, and support for hosting more sites – but it's mostly about giving you more resources.
There are cheaper deals around, but in previous reviews, we've found InMotion to be reliable, professional, and honest, so in short, any price premium is likely to be worth paying. You don't have to take our word for it, though – an exceptional 90-day money-back guarantee gives you plenty of opportunity to find out for yourself (and the confidence to offer that length of guarantee period is reassuring).
Web giant 1&1 IONOS seems to have a hosting product for every possible need, and WordPress is no exception. Novice users can try out its service for a nominal $3 a month ($4/month after the first year), yet the plan still outperforms many competitors.
The bundled 25GB of storage means you won't be running out of space in a hurry, for example. There are no bandwidth or visitor limits, and you can set up as many email accounts as you need.
1&1 IONOS offers the core WordPress management functions that you would expect: a setup wizard, preinstalled plugins, automatic updates, and 24/7 support (including by telephone). Also, you get a personal consultant free of charge, a smart touch indeed.
All this is built on a capable platform – NGINX, PHP 7.2, OPcache, up to 2GB RAM guaranteed – to enhance your blog's performance.
There's SSL included and even a free domain thrown in, which is a ridiculously good value at this price.
If you're a WordPress novice, it might be worth paying for the plan for an initial year, claiming your free domain, and taking the time to learn how the blog works. When your time is up, you can then renew if you're happy, or if you're not, use your knowledge and experience to find a better product more suited to your needs.
1&1 IONOS isn't just about newbies, though: there's value for more demanding users, too. In particular, the Unlimited plan gives you unlimited WordPress sites and storage space, unlimited databases (1GB max), and unlimited email accounts (2GB each). Bonus features include a Wildcard SSL, SiteLock malware scanning, along with the RailGun content delivery network (aiming to help your website load faster), and the price looks good at $16 per month ($8/month for the first year). Also, at the time of writing, the Business plan is only 0.5$ per month for the first year.
Choosing the best WordPress hosting package can seem like something of a minefield when it comes to decisions over low-level details and other nuances of some of the offerings out there. However, you might not need anything particularly complex, and that being the case, with no particular special requirements in mind, you can simply opt for a reliable web host with capable mid-range products that can handle everything most folks need.
HostGator delivers powerful hosting plans for a fair price, generally speaking, and its managed WordPress range is no exception. The Starter product may only cost $5.95 (or $3.98 with our promo code) per month for three years, and $9.95 afterwards, but you still get a free site migration, an SSL certificate, automatic malware detection and removal, unlimited email addresses and unmetered storage and bandwidth, plus it can handle up to 100,000 visits a month.
Ramping up to the high-end Business plan gets you more CPU power, support for up to three sites and 500,000 visits a month, yet still costs only $9.95 ($9.18 with our promo code) a month for the first three years, then $22.95 monthly afterwards.
Smart caching and a CDN are on hand to enhance your website's performance, 24/7 support helps keep your site up and running, and surprise bonus features include free domain privacy to protect from identity theft and reduce annoying spam.
We've had good experiences with HostGator's service, but if you're not so lucky, there's a generous 45-day money-back guarantee as a safety net. As with other hosting companies, this won't cover any domain registration fees, but it's still a better deal than you'll often find elsewhere.
What is WordPress hosting?
WordPress is an open source content management system (CMS) that powers over 30% of the internet. WordPress makes it easy to create, edit and manage websites for beginners and advanced users alike.
By choosing a professional WordPress hosting provider, users do not need to invest in a powerful and secure server infrastructure but can instead rent one. WordPress hosting is optimised for all kinds of WordPress web projects, ensuring the best performance, fast loading times and the highest security.
Built by a community of global developers, WordPress is continuously being improved and refined to provide the best functionality and performance for its users. This open source approach has made WordPress the website creation and management platform of choice for new and skilled users all over the world. Whether you are looking to build your e-commerce website or start a blog, WordPress has all of the tools and resources to take your website from an idea to an achievable dream online.
How should you choose a WordPress hosting provider?
If you don't have the time or technical experience to handle all the technical ins-and-outs of running your WordPress operation, you might prefer to buy a managed WordPress hosting plan, and have the hosting company handle things for you.
The host will often import your previous WordPress blog, if you have one. Usually you'll get some preinstalled themes and plugins to simplify customization.
There should at least be an option to automatically update the site, a security service like SiteLock will be on hand to keep your blog malware-free, and we would expect 24/7 support from a team with real WordPress knowledge.
The best hosts go even further, optimizing their servers to boost WordPress performance, and sometimes throwing in extras like a content delivery network (CDN) to deliver great speeds worldwide (or that's the idea, anyway).
What are the benefits of WordPress hosting?
WordPress hosting makes WordPress faster, easier and more secure.
To keep a website secure and performing at its best, you need to update it regularly. The Managed WordPress Hosting option makes it easy with automatic updates for plugins, themes, PHP version and WordPress itself to help projects run more smoothly. WordPress Pro is also available for professional customers like developers, designers and agencies with higher performance requirements – it provides the fastest possible setup on dedicated cloud infrastructure.
Is WordPress hosting worth it?
Definitely. A WordPress site is an essential asset for many businesses and users, so it is vital it is as optimised, as secure and runs as efficiently as possible.
WordPress Hosting provides everything needed for a hassle-free WordPress site. It takes the stress out of set-up and maintenance, meaning customers can concentrate on what really matters – running their business or creating content for their site – while the WordPress hosting provider takes care of everything else.
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A handful of job listings for Beyond Good and Evil 2 show that the game is still in active development at Ubisoft.
Ubisoft has recently posted listings for a range of roles on the Beyond Good and Evil 2 team, which range from programmers and animators, to technical artists, to a development tester. The roles are based at a range of Ubisoft’s studios in France, Germany and Spain.
Overall, the job listings don’t give a huge amount away about the specifics of Beyond Good and Evil 2, though a listing for a Technical Artist does provide a little tease by calling it “one of the most innovative productions at Ubisoft” with "an entire Galaxy, where the gamer is free to explore unique planets (each with its own cities, ecosystem and culture)". What these listings do, at least, confirm is that development on the game is still moving along.
New PS5 games: upcoming PlayStation 5 game release dates
It’s been a while since we last saw anything from Beyond Good and Evil 2; the last trailer drop and a look at some gameplay took place in 2018. Ubisoft’s financial reports have been a slight source of news, with the most recent call in July 2021 (via PCGamer) confirming that development is “progressing well”, while sidestepping an opportunity to commit to a fiscal 2024 release, deeming it “too early to tell you at this stage.“
Thus far, then, Beyond Good and Evil 2 has received no release date or release window and it remains unclear when we’ll see one announced.
Analysis: Probably best not to rush
So, yeah, things have been pretty quiet on the Beyond Good and Evil 2 front. An update back in September 2020 suggested that we would see the game in action at some point in 2021 and it’s kind of hard not to notice that 2021 is rapidly running out of months. Still, it’s not necessarily the worst thing that the game still hasn’t been shown. It seems likely that the silence just means the development team is keeping its head down and pushing forward with creating the game. These job listings certainly suggest that's the case.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has caused significant disruption for development studios across the world. It’s not hard, then, to imagine that the team behind Beyond Good and Evil 2 has faced disruptions of its own. That’s not to mention the announcement of the departure of director Michel Ancel back in 2020, when it was confirmed that he hadn’t been directly involved with the project for “some time” already.
I attended a behind-closed-doors preview of the game all the way back at E3 2018 so I can at least confirm it’s actually a real game that exists in some form, even if it kind of feels like a dream now. I didn’t play a single bit of it for myself (it wasn’t at that stage yet) but I did watch some developers take it for a spin in a very controlled demo. My overwhelming impression during the session was “well, that's ambitious”. Certainly, it struck me as a big game with a lot of moving parts that will take some time to get right. After the trouble Cyberpunk 2077 has had, there’s rightly a wariness around over-promising and under-delivering, so perhaps the quiet around Beyond Good and Evil 2 is for the best.
The original Beyond Good and Evil was released in 2003—that’s 18 years ago—and it’s been 13 years since Beyond Good and Evil 2 was first teased at Ubidays in 2008. Given we’ve waited this long, we can probably stand to wait a little longer. Admittedly, “a little longer” feels somewhat optimistic right now but, hey, good games take time, right?
