Want a gareer in Game design? Get started with this ‘Pay What You Want’ course bundle

The video game industry earned twice as much revenue as the entire film industry last year, an astounding testament to the incredible advancements in gaming technologies.

If you’re ready to turn your gaming obsession into a legitimate career – or an exhilarating hobby, learn essential game development skills at a price of your own choosing with the Pay What You Want: Hardcore Game Dev Bundle, now available on Pocket-lint Deals.

From a crash course in Android Marshmallow development to a deep-dive on utilizing Phaser HTML5 framework & JavaScript technologies to build cross-platform games, you’ll receive comprehensive, top-level instruction to conquer every facet of the game design universe. Learn not only to utilize the Game Maker program, but also build a solid foundation from which to expand your general programming skills. Along the way you’ll add Corona SDK to your coding arsenal—a powerful platform that will expedite app development for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and Kindle.

Soon you’ll be building your own games from scratch!

Courses include:

Build iPad, iPhone & OS X Games for SpriteKit in Swift
Game Developer Business & Legal Guide: Run an Indie Studio
iOS & OS X Game Development: From Start to Store in Swift
2048: Build Your First Complete Game with C# & Unity
Master Unity By Building 6 Fully-Featured Games from Scratch
The Complete HTML5 Mobile Game Development Course
Learn to Code in Game Maker Language
The Complete Android Marshmallow Development Course
Game Development Using Corona SDK with ASO & Ads
JavaScript Programming: Learn by Making a Mobile Game

By the time you work through the full bundle’s lesson offerings, you’ll have developed a hugely expanded skill set, with the ability to design the games you’ve always wanted to see in the world. Choose your own price and get started today.

With “Pay What You Want” bundles, you can get course 9 and 10 for as little as you want to pay. And if you beat the average price, you’ll get the complete bundle. With the Pay What You Want: Hardcore Game Dev Bundle, a portion of the profits will go to support Save The Children. So while you’re leveling up your skills and career potential, you’ll also support a good cause.

You could be playing Gears of War 4 earlier than you thought

Gears of War fans will get the chance to play the next chapter in the series in April.

An open multiplayer beta of Gears of War 4 will be available from 25 April for one week, long ahead of the games expected holiday season release date.

What’s more, an early access period for the beta will give some fans the chance to play it from 18 April.

To be eligible for the early access beta, all you have to do is play Gears of War: Ultimate Edition on Xbox One or PC, through Windows 10, before 11 April. The open beta will be available to all Xbox Live Gold members.

Microsoft

Strangely, although the early access period for the beta is open to PC players of Ultimate Edition, they cannot actually play the beta on their machines. It will only be available to play on Xbox One. But as Phil Spencer told Pocket-lint a few weeks ago at the Xbox Spring Showcase in San Francisco, many Windows 10 gamers also have a console in the living room too.

Eligible players will be sent Gears 4 beta tokens from 11 April.

Hopefully, the beta will give a great impression of the first original Gears of War title that hasn’t been worked on by Epic Games. Instead, it is being developed entirely by Microsoft’s in-house studio, The Coilition, after the software giant acquired the licence in 2014.

Make late-night bathroom trips gentle on the eyes with the IllumiBowl Light

It’s the middle of the night, and you’re clinging to sleep like the last drops of water on a desert journey – but when nature calls, blasting your eyes with the overhead light in the bathroom is an inevitable annoyance.

That is, unless you have the IllumiBowl Toilet Night Light to gently guide your path. The gentle, motion-activated light comes in your choice of colors, for only £12.01 ($16.99) for a limited time on Pocket-lint Deals.

Featured on the hit series Shark Tank, the IllumiBowl apparatus is a palm-sized device that suction cups to the outside rim of your bowl, and then directs its LED color-changing magic inside. The light is motion-activated, so it turns on and off automatically, saving energy and germ-concern.

Each IllumiBowl has 8 light colors and a number of patterned illuminations to choose from, bringing some aesthetic variety to your restroom. With children in the home, IllumiBowl is a no-brainer, making those nighttime trips to the toilet a fear-free, fun-lit experience.

Enjoy gentle bathroom lighting with an IllumiBowl Toilet Night Light, now 15 per cent off for a limited time from Pocket-lint Deals.

Best compact system cameras 2016: The best mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras available to buy today

You’re looking to buy a compact system camera (CSC) but don’t know what to go for? Perhaps the term alone confounds: we’ve seen plenty of naming conventions being thrown around of late, from simple “mirrorless” through to terms such as “digital single lens mirrorless (DSLM)”.

Whatever you choose to call them, we’re not going to get hung up about it. You’re probably interested in such cameras because they offer image quality well above that from a compact camera and the ability to change between lenses to obtain different views on to the world. It’s that creative control in a small package that’s of interest.

Compact system cameras are, as that name suggests, a whole camera system that, in many respects, are comparable to their DSLR camera equivalents. The key difference is that there’s no mirror box in the build and, therefore, in most cases, they’re smaller. Some have electronic viewfinders, others just a rear screen for preview so you can use them like an enlarged digital compact.

In this best-of feature, we round up the best mirrorless system cameras of 2016 to suit all tastes and abilities. Whether that’s based on budget for a first time buy, or a larger chunk of cash for a second model, we’ve got the goods for beginners or aspiring pros. Whether that’s a point-and-shoot solution, or an all-in-one solution with viewfinder, there’s an option for everyone.

Whatever your level, we’ll guide you through the hottest products available – and only models that we’ve seen to assure their quality – to save you time when it comes to working out what the best options are for your needs. We’ll be regularly updating this feature to keep it up to date with the latest and greatest models.

A quick lesson in lenses

Lens mount

First thing’s first: cameras don’t work in a one-size-fits-all way. Brands like to keep their own heritage and, as such, manufacturers tend to have individual lens mounts.

The exception is Micro Four Thirds which is supported by Panasonic Lumix G, both Olympus Pen and Olympus OM-D models and now the Kodak PixPro S-1. Elsewhere there are a whole host of considerations, each tied to their respective manufacturers: it’s E-mount for Sony Alpha (formerly NEX), XF-mount for Fujifilm, NX-mount for Samsung NX (and specifically the smaller NX-M mount for the NX Mini; although Samsung has withdrawn from the UK market now), 1-mount for the Nikon 1-series, EF-M for Canon EOS M, and Q-mount for Pentax Q.

Each of those companies also makes or had made DSLR cameras, so don’t fall into the trap of buying a lens just because the manufacturer name matches up. It’s the mount that’s key.

Focal length equivalent

Each lens will have a “mm” marking on it, such as 12-24mm, to convey the angle of view it will deliver. The lower the number the wider the angle of view, so more will “fit in” to a scene.

It’s a bit more complex than that as different camera systems have different sensor sizes that give different focal length equivalents, but stick to that rough rule above and you’ll have an approximate bearing on what you’re getting. If you want to know more, bring it up in the comments below and people can help you grasp what means what. 

Best first / budget buy

You know you’re interested in a system camera. You want something small, but something that you can grow with. You want to pick a system that you’ll stick with; one that’s established and reliable. There are different options from all the brands, so it’s a hard call. Increasingly manufacturers are focusing more on the higher-value segment of the market, so fewer budget options are appearing.

You could option the Nikon 1 series as it’s super small and super fast, but has among the smallest of sensor sizes and compromises image quality in low-light. All possible conclusions but, for us, the best size to quality balance – and the camp with the largest number of available lenses – goes to Micro Four Thirds models made by Panasonic and Olympus.

Panasonic Lumix GF7

The Lumix GF7 ticks both the pocketable and budget boxes. Pop a small lens on the front and you can literally fit it into a bag or pocket and barely notice it.

It doesn’t scrimp on the quality front either, despite its affordable price point. The GF7 produces decent quality images from its 16-megapixel sensor, has very fast autofocus, easy auto or manual shooting modes, and an LCD screen that can flip all the way up to face forward for selfies. If you’re looking for more pro features, however, such as a viewfinder and/or hotshoe for one/or a flash then look elsewhere.

If you’re looking for an affordable system camera, Panasonic offers many unbeatable features, especially at this price point. Although some territories have seen a GF8 replacement model, that won’t be coming to the UK – so the GF7 is an end-of-the-line product and, therefore, a bit of a bargain. Leave Panasonic to focus on the higher-value section of the market, which might act as an excuse to springboard yourself to a more advanced camera later down.

PRICE: around £319

FULL REVIEW: Panasonic Lumix GF7 review

Best affordable built-in viewfinder solution

It’s got the rear screen for compact-like use, but there’s also a built-in viewfinder in tow too. Usually that means spending mega bucks, but there are some more affordable alternatives out there.

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Panasonic Lumix GX8

The Lumix GX8 is bursting with features, including a built-in tilt-angle electronic viewfinder, vari-angle LCD screen, and an autofocus system that takes on the Fujifilm X-T1/X-T10 and wins. But its four-figure asking price (with a lens) also makes it expensive – it’s a different beast compared to its GX7 predecessor.

Shortcomings are few and far between, but there are some niggles: the absence of a drive mode dial does seem odd, especially as an on-board flash has been sacrificed; some minor layout foibles could be improved, such as the placement of the top thumb dial’s function button; continuous autofocus still has its issues; and the battery life fails to impress.

But let’s not skip the positives. This camera boasts the best image quality we’ve seen from any Micro Four Thirds camera to date – some larger sensor competitors, such as the Fujifilm X-E2S might still pip it though – plus it’s a a pleasure to use and boasts plenty of pro-spec features.

PRICE: around £699 body-only

FULL REVIEW: Panasonic Lumix GX8 review

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Fujifilm X-T10

Retro done right, that was our sentiment about the X-T10, the cut-price little brother to the X-T1 (which did feature in our list until recently, but, in some respects, the X-Pro2 has pushed it overboard).

Its combination of retro design, quality construction, top notch image quality and decent general performance make it a great all-rounder.

To find shortcomings with the X-T10 only really shows face in the autofocus and so-so battery life departments. Its autofocus system can’t claim top prize in its field, lagging behind the likes of the Panasonic Lumix GX8, and without touchscreen or more complex focus options. But for the right photography that’s not going to be a nail-in-coffin deal-breaker.

PRICE: around £449 body-only

FULL REVIEW: Fujifilm XT-10 review

Best image quality mirrorless camera

Another hotly contested category, and one that’s likely to shift as new cameras continue to launch with new innovations. Typically larger sensors produce better quality images, assuming they’re paired with decent optics and the megapixel count isn’t too high.

Sensor size order drifts upwards from 1/2.3-inch Pentax Q, to 1-inch Nikon 1, the 2x crop factor of Micro Four Thirds, the 1.6x APS-C format of Canon’s EOS M, then the slightly larger 1.5x APS-C formats of Fujifilm and Sony. At the very top there’s the full-frame models from Sony – and we wouldn’t be surprised if other manufacturers follow suit in the future too.

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Fujifilm X-E2 / X-E2S

If you’re after a CSC that’s all about image quality then look little further than Fujifilm. Unlike most conventional sensors, Fujifilm has done away with the low-pass filter which leads to sharper results and the Japanese company has also implemented a unique colour filter array that you won’t find outside of this brand. It’s all very complex, but all very clever. All you really need to know is that results are top notch.

We also love the hands-on layout of the build, and both retro style and retro approach to taking pictures thanks to physical aperture dials on the XF lenses.

If you’re an action photographer then don’t kid yourself, this camera won’t be suitable. But if you’re after a camera that successfully marries the old school of thought with the new in a visually striking package then there’s a lot to love in the Fujifilm X-E2.

Got a bit more cash and want the very latest? Then the recently announced X-E2S tweaks the design and ups the viewfinder resolution to 2.36m-dots.

PRICE: around £399 body-only (X-E2S is around £599)

FULL REVIEW: Fujifilm X-E2

Best enthusiast mirrorless camera

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Olympus OM-D E-M5 II

Although image quality and autofocus ability aren’t giant leaps ahead compared to the first-generation E-M5 model, the Mark II shows that OM-D has landed. It’s a good-looking, classy performer that takes the original’s concept and elevates it to a higher level.

With features such as High Res Shot and LiveComp, Olympus puts its own stamp on its Micro Four Thirds line. And with a great viewfinder and improved 5-axis stabilisation system, the OM-D E-M5 II secures its place as one of the best compact system cameras out there for enthusiasts.

However, it’s not quite perfect. Battery life could be better, low-light image quality finds natural limitations, the menu system can feel overly complex, while new design features such as the rotational thumbwheels can be knocked out of place all too easily. There’s also no 4K video, unlike some competitors such as the Panasonic Lumix GH4.

PRICE: around £769 body only

FULL REVIEW: Olympus OM-D E-M5 II review

 

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Olympus Pen-F

We’re going out on a limb here, because while the Pen-F might not be the class-leading camera in every single department (let’s not forget the E-M5 II above), just take a look at this stylish-like-the-60s camera. It’s a beaut, incredibly built and alluring to those with discerning tastes. Deciding between Panasonic GX8 and Fujifilm X-T1 just had a spanner thrown in the works.

At £999 body-only the Pen-F certainly is not cheap, but with features such as 5-axis image stabilisation that its competitors can’t offer, plus a built-in electronic viewfinder that easily matches them, Olympus sure is firmly on the compact system camera map this release.

There’s even a quick-access dial on the very front of the camera for quick adjustment of four creative functions: Mono, Art Filters, Colour Profile and Color Creator. Talk about doing something different, that’s what Olympus is going for here.

PRICE: around £999 body-only

PREVIEW: Olympus Pen-F preview

Best viewfinder in a mirrorless camera

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Fujifilm X-Pro2

The X-Pro2’s tweaks and tinkers forge a far more accomplished camera than the original X-Pro1 for the modern professional. It’s faster, better to use and those small details make all the difference.

Sure, it’s a quirky camera, but that’s kind of what we loved about the X-Pro back in 2011. The X-Pro2 stands out from the crowd with its complex “advanced hybrid multi viewfinder” (that’s what Fujifilm likes to call it), making for a camera experience that’s positively retro, but positively professional. Think rangefinder-like use thanks to a corner-positioned digital rangefinder overlay screen (as found in the X100T) which can show a 2.5x or 6.0x magnification of the active focus point for precision manual focus, ensuring correct focus for close-up shooting.

We’d still like to see a vari-angle touchscreen rather than fixed panel only, but given that the X-Pro2 seems to be looking inwards to its existing pro user base rather than outwards to newcomers, we suspect the target audience will see the appeal.

PRICE: around £1350 body-only

PREVIEW: Fujifilm X-Pro2 review

Best mirrorless camera for video

Video or movie capture has been going from strength to strength in mirrorless cameras, with many now very capable. Our current favourite is the Panasonic, but diehard videographers may call out the Sony A7S II as the top ranking model in this category (we haven’t reviewed it as yet).

Panasonic Lumix GH4

The Panasonic GH4 isn’t just a camera for video capture by any means, as this could easily fit into the “enthusiast” category above. But its ability to capture 4K at usable frame-rates and 1080p at beyond broadcast standard compression makes it a standout product. This is the model that sees the GH series finally land with a bang.

We’ve used the camera somewhat differently to a DSLR, but haven’t found it to limit our abilities at any turn. The sensor size has meant an easy-to-carry device with sufficient zoom from the 16-140mm lens, and the 2,360k-dot OLED electronic viewfinder does a decent job too, even if it’s not as impressive as the Fujifilm X-T1 in this regard.

Image quality is roughly on par with its nearest competitors, although processing has been balanced towards sharpness which can sometimes reveal a lack of smooth gradation, with clusters of pixellated colours showing up in areas. That might have cost the GH4 its perfect score, but it’s the 4K movie mode that sees the GH4 land in a special place. It’s so far ahead of the competition in this regard that it’s currently untouchable. We’re sure plenty will all but ignore the stills shooting ability and buy a GH4 for its 4K capture capabilities.

It’s no longer so much “compact system vs DSLR”, it’s about which camera is best, and the GH4 ticks so many boxes it was one of the best cameras to arrive in 2014 – a legacy that continued in 2015 with advanced firmware updates and, in 2016, it’s still a hugely desirable camera.

PRICE: around £899 body only

FULL REVIEW: Panasonic Lumix GH4 review

Best full-frame mirrorless camera

Sony Alpha A7 II

The Sony Alpha A7 II, the second in the full-frame series, offers a larger sensor than its competitors. That big point of interest doesn’t make it a huge camera though: it’s small in scale and, at under £1,000 for the body only, it’s the most affordable pathway into full-frame (the only other option, for now, is the massive Leica SL). There’s even on-board 5-axis image stabilisation.

However, we would like to see improved battery life – but grab a couple of spares (or the optional battery grip if you don’t mind the additional scale) and a prime lens and the A7 II is quite stunning. It’s a camera out there all on its own: not comparable to a full-frame DSLR for all things, but in some cases that’s a positive. It’s a different system, with a different ethos and, combined with the right gear, it’ll bring you one thing that’s the same as any other system worth its salt: glorious full-frame pictures.

There are also A7 S and R alternatives, for video and high-resolution points of interest, respectively, but they cost a chunk more than the standard model.

PRICE: around £850 body only

FULL REVIEW: Sony Alpha A7 II review

Now TV vs Sky+HD vs Sky Q: Which Sky package is right for you?

Sky announced its new entertainment service – Sky Q – at the end of November 2015. The service has now joined the broadcaster’s options, bringing a more fluid and seamless experience than the previous offering. The question is, is it the right choice for you?

There are three ways to get access to Sky’s content. The Now TV route, the Sky+HD route with a bundle that suits you or the Sky Q route, choosing either the standard option or the Silver offering. Sky will launch a UHD service later in the year and a new Now TV box, but at the moment, those are your three choices.

This feature explains the differences between Now TV, Sky+HD, Sky Q and Sky Q Silver to help you decide which Sky option best suits your needs. Read on to find out which Sky package is right for you.

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Now TV

Now TV is the cheapest way to access Sky’s content and it is aimed at those who are unable to have regular Sky, perhaps due to lack of satellite or budget. There is currently one box available but Sky has just announced a new Now TV box that will sit along side the existing model. Details of the new box are currently thin on the ground but it is thought it will offer UHD compatibility.

Now TV is an online streaming service that offers access to live TV channels, as well as on demand services. The current Now TV box itself costs a one-off £14.99 and you will need internet access so take that into account, but it is worth noting that Now TV is also available on Chromecast, PS4, PS3, YouView and others so you don’t need to buy a separate box if you have any of the compatible devices.

Rather than a yearly contract like Sky+HD, Now TV has what it calls Now TV Passes that allow you to pay monthly for services. There is an Entertainment Pass for £6.99 a month, a Movies Pass for £9.99 a month and three Sports Passes from £6.99 and you can choose the ones you want and when.

The Entertainment Pass delivers a month’s access to over 250 Sky Box Sets and 13 live channels that aren’t available on Freeview including Sky Atlantic, Sky Living, MTC and Comedy Central. Movies offers a month’s access to over 1000 movies on demand including up to 16 new Sky Movies premieres each month. Sports is split into a day pass for £6.99, a week pass for £10.99 and a month pass for £31.99, all of which offer access to the seven Sky Sports channels. You can add a pass and take it away on a month-by-month basis, so add movies just for December for example.

READ Now TV box review

Sky+HD

Sky+HD was the current Sky TV offering up until Sky Q launched, now making it the middle option. There are two Sky+HD boxes available – the standard 500GB box and the 2TB box – and there are several bundles available, all at various price points.

The TV bundles start at £20 a month and creep up to £75.75 a month, depending on which you choose. It goes without saying, the more you pay, the more channels you get but there are a number of standard features across all the bundles.

With each TV bundle, you get one standard Sky+HD box for free that will allow you to pause, rewind and record live TV. The box comes with built-in Wi-Fi and you’ll have access to plenty of Catch Up TV channels including BBC iPlayer, All 4 and ITV hub.

Users will also get the Sky Service app, Sky+ app and Sky Go, the latter of which allows you to watch Sky on up to two devices wherever you are over Wi-Fi or 3G/4G. Other features include Sky Atlantic access with shows including Game of Thrones, and Smart Series Link that remembers the series you have recorded in the past for any future series.

The 1TB box will store an average of 185 hours of standard definition content and it will cost £199 per extra box. The 2TB box offers storage for up to 1180 hours of standard definition content but it’s a little pricier and it doesn’t come as standard, nor is the first box entirely free. The first 2TB box has an upfront cost of £49, while buying a second would cost £249.

When it comes to the different bundles, there aren’t great deal of extras when it comes to features as the price variation is about the channels offered instead. The Original Bundle, which is the £20 option, doesn’t offer access to over 300 Sky Box Sets like the other bundles do however.

The final option within Sky+HD is Multiscreen. This is where you pay an additional £11.25 per month on top of whichever bundle you have chosen to watch Sky in more than one room. The first Sky Multiscreen box is free and it will be the standard 1TB option again, but you will also get Sky Go Extra, which would normally cost £5 a month. Basically, if you pay for Sky Go Extra on top of your bundle but you don’t have Multiscreen, you’d only be paying an extra £6.25 per month for an extra box and the ability to watch Sky in bed.

Sky Go Extra allows you to download content and watch it offline, which you can do on up to four devices, including Xbox One now, rather than the two offered with Sky Go.

It is worth noting none of the bundles or boxes within Sky+HD support 4K or offer any 4K channels. You’ll need to look a little further down this feature to Sky Q Silver for that.

READ Sky 1TB set-top box review

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Sky Q

Sky Q is the latest and newest service from the broadcaster. Setup costs for Sky Q will start from £99 and packages will start at £42 a month with a minimum subscription of 18 months. To add Sky Movies to your bundle, you’ll need to pay an extra £17 a month, while Sky Sports will cost an extra £25.50 a month. Although if you want both movies and sports, you can add it to the standard Sky Q package for a combined total of £34.50 a month.

Like Sky+HD, there are two set-top boxes but there is more variation than just storage when it comes to the Sky Q service. In this section, we are focusing on Sky Q, while the next section will talk about Sky Q Silver.

Sky Q has eight tuners and 1TB of storage, which Sky claims will offer space to store up to 150 hours of recorded HD content. It is Full HD compatible and it allows users to simultaneously record three channels, while watching a fourth, and there is support for watching on one tablet and one Sky Q Mini box too.

The Sky Q Mini box connects to the main Sky Q box via Wi-Fi or Powerline networking and it allows you to view Sky content in other rooms. It is essentially the new Multiscreen, allowing you to view live or recorded content, as well as watch catch-up and on demand services in whichever room you have put a Mini box into, in addition to your main room. Along with watching in other rooms, you’ll also be able to pause and resume in another room, which is what Sky is calling Fluid Viewing.

A new app called Sky Q Sync will allow you to record a film or TV series and transfer the content to your tablet. It seems like this will be similar to what you can do with the current Sky Go Extra but everything will be more seamless.

Sky Q also comes with a more intelligent interface than you’ll find on Sky+HD or Now TV, with a more image-led service like you’d find on YouView. The home page has categories including Top Picks, Box Sets, Recordings, TV Guide on the left, with images on the right. There is also a section called My Q that brings in shows you didn’t get a chance to finish watching, the latest episode from one of your favourite series and other recommendations. Third Party apps will also be present in a side bar including VeVo and YouTube.

READ Sky Q review

Sky Q Silver

Sky Q Silver offers a similar experience to Sky Q when it comes to the user interface and features such as Fluid Viewing, but it has one main difference: Ultra HD TV compatibility. The Sky Q Silver set-top box is 4K-ready for when the Sky Ultra HD service launches later this year. The regular Sky Q box doesn’t offer this.

Sky Q Silver setup fees start from £99 and the monthly package at £54 a month for new customers. The same Sky Movies and Sky Sports costs apply as regular Sky Q and the same minimum 18-month subscription applies too.

There are 12 tuners inside the Sky Q Silver box and 2TB of storage, which should allow for up to 350 hours of recorded HD content. The Sky Q Silver box will enable users to record four channels simultaneously, while watching a fifth and it also supports two tablets and two Sky Q Mini boxes, with all devices capable of viewing different content at the same time.

In addition to all the features mentioned already, the Sky Q service, which includes both set-top boxes will come with a new touch remote that connects via Bluetooth so you can hide your Sky Q box out of sight. There is also something called the Sky Q Hub which is a new router for Sky Broadband that integrates Powerline networking, allowing you to use your mains wiring to connect your Sky Q devices together rather than using Wi-Fi. You can use Wi-Fi instead though.

Each Sky Q box can also act as a Wi-Fi hotspot for your Sky Broadband but as you might have guessed, you’ll need to make sure you have Sky Broadband for this to be an option. You don’t however need Sky as your internet provider for any of Sky’s TV services to work as standard, just for the hotspot feature.

Conclusion

So which Sky TV service is right for you? Well, this very much depends on your budget and whether you have access to a satellite dish because if you don’t, your only option is Now TV.

Now TV is great for anyone who wants access to Sky’s content including Box Sets but doesn’t have a huge amount of cash to splash. Ignoring the cost of internet, you could get Sky Entertainment and Sky Movies for £16.98 a month.

A similar package with Sky+HD would set you back £53 a month, but you do of course get the ability to pause and record live TV, along with a few more channels and other features.

Sky Q is the most exciting of all three services, as you might expect given that it is new, but it comes at a price. For the Entertainment and Movies like above on regular Sky Q, you’d be looking at £59 a month. For the same on Sky Q Silver, it would be £71 a month.

Sky Q looks like it will offer the most seamless and user friendly experience, allowing you to pick up and drop shows and movies as you move around your home and if you’re happy to pay the extra over Sky+HD then it’s likely to be the best option. If you want to be ready for 4K content however, then Sky Q Silver is your only option, or potentially the new Now TV box, but we will need to wait for more details on that to be sure.

TomTom Golfer 2 preview: Hole in one, or golf GPS watch that’s par for the course?

TomTom has released a new version of its golf GPS wearable, appropriately called the Golfer 2, looking to put all the information you could want onto your wrist.

It replaces the current Golfer, expanding its functionality and following the same lines as the recent Spark and Runner 2 models.

We spent some time checking out the new golf watch at the launch of the device at the Wearable Technology Show in London.

TomTom Golfer 2: Design

Like TomTom’s other sports watches, the Golfer 2 uses the same body design. This is an evolution of the previous design, with the body extending into a curve that houses the four-way navigation controller on the top, as well as the charging connectors.

The strap is a separate part of the package and it’s softer than the recent runner versions. It’s more supple and that fits the user case better: the Spark and Runner 2 are designed not to hold onto sweat, whereas the Golfer 2 won’t see you sweating quite so hard on the course, so gives you a softer strap designed for comfortable use over a longer period of time.

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The softer band adds a sense of the premium to the occasion too, with a great folding clasp, more like a conventional watch, and highlights around the bezel of the watch and the controller. It initially comes in black or light grey, the latter the better looking in our opinion. 

It’s a lightweight watch and compact; although it contains GPS, it’s not too bulky so you don’t feel like you’ve got a huge lump strapped onto your arm. 

As the design is close to that of the TomTom Spark, much of this is familiar territory. We like the action of the button and we like the contrast of the display. It doesn’t get carried away offering a touchscreen or colour, and that’s likely to result in better battery life. Importantly, the information is easy to see on the display.

The Golfer 2 is also water resistant, so you can play in any weather.

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TomTom Golfer 2: User interface and functions

The TomTom Golfer 2 uses a hierarchical user interface that’s easy to navigate using the controller. This is now pretty standard across a range of TomTom’s devices – like the Bandit action camera – and we’ve found it to be pretty simple to use. It will be familiar to users of the existing Golfer, as it’s pretty much the same information, presented in the same way. 

That means all the information is dedicated to golf, rather than being a multi-sport device. 

Pre-loaded into the Golfer 2 is information on 40,000 courses worldwide, although some of this relates to different combinations on a course. When you fire up the Golfer 2, it will use the GPS to detect where you are and offer you courses nearby. 

Once you’ve selected your course, you’re presented with the information showing you distances to the front, centre and back of each green. There’s an indicator to show you if it’s straight or a dog-leg fairway, as well as giving you detailed information on hazards.

These are graphically represented and placing your hand over the display gives you a magnified view of the hazards, including the distances to them, to help you decide how to play each hole. Much of this information was available in the previous version, but you now have automatic shot detection too.

Pocket-lint

Automatic shot detection uses the on-board gyroscope and motion sensors to detect your swing. There’s a feedback buzz at the end of the fore swing so you know it’s registered and cleverly it will only record one shot within a 3m area. That means you can take as many practice swings as you like before taking your shot. 

You’ll be given lay-up points providing distances, while the watch also tracks your distance covered, time on the course and calories burnt as you play.

There’s more information awaiting your arrival the the green, with a map showing the green layout and identifying hazards again, helping you decide how to best tackle the hole. 

Putting isn’t included automatically, so you’ll have to input the number manually. TomTom said that although others will automatically count up your putts, it’s not a very reliable system and better left to manual input.

Once all the information is in, your score card is updated leaving you to proceed to the next hole.

TomTom Golfer 2: Post-game analysis

The TomTom Golfer 2 syncs to your TomTom account thanks to the MySports system, so you’ll be able to view the data on your smartphone, or get a more detailed view through your web browser. 

This will give you a complete breakdown of how you tackled each hole so you can get a better idea of each aspect of your game. The idea is to give you all the information you need to identify weaknesses and help you adapt or focus practise on weaker parts of your game. 

You’ll also be able to compare that with strong performances on a particular course so you can see where you are perhaps going wrong, or could improve. 

First Impressions

The TomTom Golfer 2 will be available in May for £199, which is the same price as the device it replaces. For that you have an updated design with a better strap and a slimmer and more sophisticated design.

There are added features in the shot detection and plenty of information on courses around the world, as well as how you play them. 

The design is familiar to us from our time spent with the TomTom Spark, built around the same module, and we can’t wait to get the TomTom Golfer 2 out on the course to test its capabilities in the real world.

Google’s Inbox gets ‘smart replies’ on the web

With “smart replies,” Google’s Inbox app gave us an easy way to respond to emails on our phones without typing. Now, that feature is headed to Inbox on the web. For the most part, it works the same way: When viewing an email, you can choose from three common responses at the bottom of your window. Tapping one instantly fills out a reply message, which you can edit if need be. Google says 10 percent of Inbox mobile users are already using smart replies, but it’ll be interesting to see if desktop users latch onto it more.

It’s been around a year and a half since Google first introduced Inbox, and while it seemed like an interesting spin on email management at the time, we haven’t heard much about it lately. At first, it seemed like an intriguing experiment around the future of email, with its focus on categories, reminders and algorithmic smarts. Personally, I’ve found it difficult to integrate Inbox into my workflow, mainly because I’m worried about missing out on potentially important messages.

Google Maps makes it easier to hail a ride that isn’t Uber

For almost two years now you’ve been able to open up the Google Maps app, type in a destination and see how much an Uber would cost. If you like the price, you can tap the button, instantly pop into the Uber app and request a car. It’s a neat addition, but one that can also be a little unhelpful if you prefer other ride-hailing and taxi-booking apps. To help, Google is teaming up with a bunch of new providers and integrating their services into Google Maps. These are 99Taxis in Brazil, Ola Cabs in India, Hailo in the UK and Spain, mytaxi in Germany and Spain, and Gett in the UK.

These additions will live alongside Uber in a dedicated ride-hailing tab when you search inside Google Maps. To see them, however, you’ll need to have their respective apps installed on your phone first. Like before, you’ll then get a series of fare estimates — making it simple to compare multiple services — and the option to complete an order inside the relevant mobile app. “When it makes sense, we’ll also show ride service availability when viewing the map in walking and transit directions, and multiple ride services for each provider–where they exist,” Google said in a blog post.

The new options will be hitting the Android app today in their relevant markets. The same functionality will arrive in the iOS app later — Gett, for instance, says the option should appear for iPhone users on March 23rd.

Via: Google Lat Long (Blog Post)

Source: Google Maps (Android)

The best rice cooker

By Karen Solomon and Tim Barribeau

This post was done in partnership with The Sweethome, a buyer’s guide to the best things for your home. Read the full article here.

After going through more than 100 hours of research and cooking more than 200 pounds of rice, we recommend the Hamilton Beach 37549 Digital Simplicity Rice Cooker and Steamer for most people. This 2-to-14-cup model is an outstanding value that’s well suited to most households seeking the ease and convenience of no-fuss, no-burning cooked rice. It makes better-tasting short-grain and medium-grain white rice—the variety most commonly made in a cooker—faster than models 10 times the price. It also offers features you tend not to see on rice cookers at this price, most notably a delay-start mode, stay-warm functions, an insulated lid to hold in steam, a large capacity, and a heavy, high-quality cooking pot. It’s by far the best low-priced cooker we’ve found.

How we tested

For the white-rice tests, we rinsed rice of starch, dust, and any other particulate matter before cooking. Photo: Tim Barribeau

For our original 2013 review, we first tested the cookers informally with some home cooks. Then we conducted a formal group taste test with the chefs from Japanese restaurant Ken Ken Ramen in San Francisco. For this update we didn’t perform a panel test, but in each of the 10 cookers we made a batch of Japanese white rice—likely the most critical and the most-used skill for a rice cooker. Any cooker that performed well on rice flavor, texture, and cooking speed in this test then moved on to three other tests: brown rice, long-grain rice, and quick-cook Japanese rice. For the Japanese-rice tests, we washed the rice of its exterior starch for one full minute and then drained it for one full minute before cooking (we didn’t wash the brown or long-grain white rice).

Our pick

The Hamilton Beach 37549 Digital Simplicity. Photo: Michael Hession

The Hamilton Beach 37549 Digital Simplicity is the best value for most people because it offers tremendous functionality for the price. Above all, it makes short-grain or medium-grain white rice as delicious as what you get from models that cost four times as much.

The construction feels solid, and it cooks more quickly in comparison with most of the competition (it was the second-fastest cooker we tested). With a 14-cup capacity, the Hamilton Beach model is also much larger than many other machines at this price.

Additionally, it’s a pleasure to house on almost any kitchen countertop: Its sleek stainless and black design makes it look like a more expensive model, and it’s more well-contained in a small footprint than most. It delivers on features that we thought a great rice cooker should have, including a timer, stay-warm functions, a tight lid, and a heavy, good-quality cooking pot.

Also great for frequent cooking and brown rice

The Cuckoo CRP-G1015F 10-cup cooker. Photo: Michael Hession

If you make rice at least a couple of times a week or are particularly discerning about rice texture and flavor, consider the Cuckoo CRP-G1015F 10 Cup Electric Pressure Rice Cooker. Because it’s a pressure cooker, it makes both white and brown rice far faster than the competition, and its quick-cook setting was the fastest among all the rice cookers we tested. Next to the results from similar cookers at this price, we found that the texture and flavor of the Cuckoo’s cooked rice is unsurpassed. This model is also built more solidly than the Hamilton Beach and equipped with more cooking options, but those features are worth the significant extra cost only if you make rice frequently.

Runner-up for frequent cooking

The Zojirushi NS-TSC10. Photo: Michael Hession

If the Cuckoo is too expensive for you but you’d like a sturdier and more versatile cooker than the Hamilton Beach, the Zojirushi NS-TSC10 is one of the best machines available, and it’s the only machine we found that makes short-grain, brown, and long-grain white rice well. Zojirushi is a well-known and trusted brand in rice cookers, and the company’s machines are built to last. Note, though, that this is also a very slow machine. (It’ll cost you nearly two hours for a batch of brown rice!) The Zojirushi is more versatile than our Hamilton Beach main pick and a bit cheaper than the Cuckoo, so we think it’s a good alternative should the Cuckoo sell out.

Wrapping it up

After performing more than 100 hours of research and cooking more than 200 pounds of rice, we found the Hamilton Beach 37549 Digital Simplicity is the best rice cooker for most people. This well-designed cooker makes delicious Japanese rice better than models that cost 10 times more. It also has an insulated lid and other features you won’t see on models at this price.

This guide may have been updated by The Sweethome. To see the current recommendation, please go here.

Ohlala CEO Pia Poppenreiter on what ‘paid dating’ really means

Ohlala, an app that facilitates “paid dates,” caused a ripple of raised eyebrows when it launched in New York last month. Despite Ohlala’s insistence that it is not about paying for sex, people had a hard time figuring out what it really was for. The company maintains that line, but a few mixed signals are making it hard for the message to stick. Go to the website and you’ll be greeted with an image of a man and a women just about to kiss, before an explanation of how the service works. Further down, a small note exclaims, “Ohlala is not an escort service. Escorts are not welcome.” I sat down with co-founder and CEO Pia Poppenreiter at SXSW to figure out what Ohlala is, and whether it deserves its salacious reputation.

Before we can fully understand Ohlala, we need to learn a little more about how it came to be. Poppenreiter started out in finance, originally working as an investment banker. She hated it and took a year off as a bartender. Later, she decided to go to Berlin and study business ethics while also working as a research assistant at her university. “I never wanted to found [a startup]. I’m from an entrepreneurial family, and I grew up with the family mood being dictated by the performance of the company. So I wanted more of a safe [professional] environment.”

The resolve for a safe career didn’t last too long. Despite never wanting to launch a startup, she’s already on her second one. The first was Peppr, an app that is very definitely a service for those seeking sexual encounters. The idea for Peppr came to her after she saw sex workers on the streets in Germany (where prostitution is legal) and she thought there must be a better way to connect clients with providers, one that allowed people to avoid working the streets. Peppr is still running, but Poppenreiter is no longer involved.

“Although we have a common understanding of something that is a vagina, the viewing interpretation to everyone was different.”

With one sexual-encounter app on your résumé, it’s understandable that when people see “paid dating” in a state where prostitution is illegal, they might read a little something between the lines. Poppenreiter is aware of the struggle she faces in trying to distance Ohlala’s business model from its predecessor’s. “I understand why people are emotional [about it], and what I am not trying to do is tell them we are right or they are wrong. I am just asking them to reconsider how they view those things.” Poppenreiter’s way of doing this at SXSW involves a deliberately provocative move. The invites for the launch party in Austin boasted that “21 vaginas will be the center of attention.”

The follow-up to the invitation read: “You are all going to come. Let us tell you when.” Poppenreiter acknowledges that she did this assuming that most people would have the wrong idea about what was going to happen. As it happens, the 21 vaginas were sketches, part of an art project in which people were asked to draw vaginas. Most people were familiar with drawing a penis,” she says. “What was so fascinating to find out, although we have a common understanding of something that is a vagina, the viewing interpretation to everyone was different. That’s what’s holding true for personal encounters.” This is the analogy Poppenreiter is hoping will explain Ohlala, and the personal encounters it is hoping to sell: Each will be unique. The other point being that initial assumptions can be wrong.

While Ohlala just came to New York, it’s been running in Germany since last year. The German version is effectively the same except for one key detail: The requests for dates stay active for 24 hours. In the New York version, once a user requests a date, potential companions only have 21 minutes to respond to it. This time limit, Poppenreiter argues, makes the experience “more efficient.” Why 21 minutes? Well, the same reason Ohlala featured 21 vaginas at its launch party: Twenty-one is Poppenreiter’s lucky number.

People are taking the idea of Ohlala seriously, though. The startup just raised $1.7 million in seed funding, most of which was to cover the launch in the US. Among others, backers include the launch team behind Mood-Pilot, a German energy drink with the tagline “How high can you fly?”

So how is that US launch working out, now that we’re four weeks in? It’s going well, Poppenreiter says. Nearly 10,000 dates have taken place so far, or so she estimates: Ohlala hasn’t yet implemented a payment system, so there’s no way to confirm that a rendezvous took place. Of course, it’s also possible that the going is good while things are free, and that guys looking for short-term connections might be less willing once cold, hard cash and personal banking details are involved. This is important, too, since, unlike other dating services that charge users to even use the platform — say, with a subscription fee — Ohlala will charge per date. No dates, no profit.

Another reason Ohlala keeps having to dismiss any suggestion that it’s offering a way for men to meet women for paid sexual encounters is that we live in a world with so many free dating apps. Then there’s the seductive Ohlala name — oh, and that Poppenreiter already started an app very much for providing sexual services probably doesn’t help. There’s also the fact that prostitution is not legal in New York, and it wouldn’t be the first time the words “You’re only paying for my time; anything else that happens is between adults” were uttered. You only have to spend five minutes on Craigslist personal ads or Backpage to see this sort of code in action.

I asked Poppenreiter if Ohlala is simply an app-based approach to the same verbal code: offer a platform for “paid dating” and let users figure out the rest. Her response was the same one she’s maintained throughout the interview (and any other interview you’ll read). “How could I ever confirm if I don’t know what’s happening on a date?”

But, to some degree, Poppenreiter does know. At least when it comes to what has been discussed between dater and datee in the app, where Ohlala users state what they’re after and set expectations. To make sure Ohlala stays in good standing with the law, and to make sure there’s no other abuse (toward date providers, for example), Poppenreiter herself is monitoring those conversations — or at least when there’s cause for concern or when an issue is raised. No major issues have been flagged so far, though, she says.

The suggestion that people might use the app as a modern-day equivalent of personal ads seems to give Poppenreiter a moment of pause. Her next answer hints that she’s eager to dismiss it with a related example, but it’s one that surprises me. “I don’t know if you’ve ever spoken to Travis [Kalanick, co-founder of Uber]. I don’t know if he all the time gets the question ‘So what is it that is happening in this Uber? Is the customer charging his phone? Is he drinking water?’” The suggestion being that Uber and Ohlala are both just platforms where the user is buying time with a service provider, and what happens after that is a private matter. The possible flaw in that logic being that no one (we hope) ever booked a taxi hoping for a blowjob.

If not sex, then what? Or perhaps a better question: who? It takes Poppenreiter a few seconds to think; her answer remains ambiguous. “We don’t have this typical user … anyone could go on a paid date. We see that people know what they want, and that they have money and a mechanism to express what they’re looking for.” She adds: “I trust our users to be morally capable of judging for themselves if they want to do this. It’s happening, so it might as well be safer.” The it in this sentence — what, by implication, is sometimes unsafe — Poppenreiter doesn’t clarify.

The bigger mystery might actually be the women who want to offer their time. Poppenreiter admits that they’re finding the marketing of this aspect difficult. Perhaps the lingering doubt over what’s required is making some women apprehensive. Especially since the current lack of a payment mechanism brings with it an element of anonymity for the user (and, presumably, no income for the provider, unless they’re being paid in cash). A credit card number provides some level of authentication. Right now, that’s not present. “It could be a student looking for extra money. It could be anyone,” she offers.

There is a verification process in place, though, using phone numbers, a feedback system and, optionally, authenticating photos. Poppenreiter also makes the argument that this already is somewhat more secure than just meeting someone in a bar, where you might not even have someone’s last name (or, let’s be honest, their first name). So, once financial transactions are in place, she’s confident users and providers alike should enjoy the same level of security they’d have in any other online interaction.

But knowing who you’re meeting is only half of the security question; keeping your use of the app private is also a consideration. I asked Poppenreiter about this, referencing last year’s Ashley Madison fiasco. It turns out that this happened when Ohlala was in its early stages of development, so it’s a topic Poppenreiter and her co-founder, Torsten Stüber, took seriously from day one. What measures Ohlala has in place right now are unclear, but Poppenreiter makes the case that this is the same concern for any app that holds user data.

If you’re still not convinced that Ohlala is innocent in nature, it may surprise you to learn that no nudity is allowed in profile pictures. In fact, the service is almost as prudish as Instagram, with a no-nipple policy in place. (We’re unsure about the stance on eggplant emojis, though.)

The last question I ask is the simplest one: Could people use Ohlala for love? The instant answer is “No.” Then Poppenreiter elaborates: “We’re not — and never will say — we are the place where you should find the love of your life. But we’re saying you could have fun for a certain amount of time.” Then, right at the last minute, Poppenreiter gives a clue about what Ohlala is really about: stone-cold efficiency. “[The] money makes it reliable; there’s a commitment. I hated it back when I was on dating apps — I hated the inefficiency, and it’s not reliable. People would bail all the time. With us, you can be pretty sure that this date takes place.

How much does a reliable platonic date cost? Users determine their own budget, but obviously cheaper dates get fewer responses. Poppenreiter tells me that in Germany, the going rate is about €250 ($275) per hour. A lot of money for a date you can’t be sure will end happily.

Source: Ohlala