When it comes to the competitive world of internet providers, what's even better than a cheap broadband deal? Nothing, right? Well, what about a cheap broadband deal that comes with a £55 Gift Card that you can spend at Amazon.co.uk, Tesco, Argos or Ticketmaster? Oh yeah, now we've got your attention...

This offer that is EXCLUSIVE to TechRadar readers only, comes courtesy of TalkTalk who is offering the Gift Card alongside its Fast Broadband package. That's average speeds of 11Mb, no activation or set up fees and just £19.95 per month. While that's already a rather good deal TalkTalk is also throwing in this £55 Gift Card that you can use at your choice of those popular retailers.

To get your hands on this deal you'll have to go to this GiftCloud page and enter your email - you won't be eligible if you head straight to the TalkTalk site. You will then be guided through the process of getting your new broadband with that added £55 incentive. That page also has full terms and conditions of the offer.

Scroll down to see this deal in full or go to our broadband deals page if this one just doesn't quite fit what you're looking for. But keep in mind that this offer is only available on the TalkTalk Fast Broadband package.

TalkTalk's Amazon.co.uk Gift Card deal in full:

Are there any cheaper broadband deals around?

We're glad you asked, because there's yet another TechRadar exclusive internet plan from Black Friday that's still just about running. And we think you might like it...

It's with provider Onestream, and the headline is that it costs a mere £9.99 per month! Simply put, it's the cheapest broadband deal we've EVER seen. It's still going, but we know that there are less than 200 to claim, so you may need to hurry if the idea of £9.99 a month internet sounds like something you'd be up for - head here for all the details and to sign up.

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Researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory have created a system that can reproduce paintings from a single photo, allowing museums and art lovers to snap their favorite pictures and print new copies complete with paint textures.

Called RePaint, the project uses machine learning to recreate the exact colors of each painting and then prints it using a high-end 3D printer that can output thousands of colors using half-toning.

The researchers, however, found a better way to capture a fuller spectrum of Degas and Dali. They used a special technique they developed called “color-contoning”, which involves using a 3-D printer and 10 different transparent inks stacked in very thin layers, much like the wafers and chocolate in a Kit-Kat bar. They combined their method with a decades-old technique called “halftoning”, where an image is created by tons of little ink dots, rather than continuous tones. Combining these, the team says, better captured the nuances of the colors.

“If you just reproduce the color of a painting as it looks in the gallery, it might look different in your home,” said researcher Changil Kim. “Our system works under any lighting condition, which shows a far greater color reproduction capability than almost any other previous work.”

Sadly the prints are only about as big as a business card. The system also can’t yet support matte finishes and detailed surface textures but the team is working on improving the algorithms and the 3D printing tech so you’ll finally be able to recreate that picture of dogs playing poker in 3D plastic.

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In the world of online language learning, there are basically two heavyweights: Duolingo and Babbel. Duolingo is betting on a freemium model and a strong focus on using algorithms to help you learn better, while Berlin-based Babbel is a paid service that employs hundreds of teachers. As Babbel co-founder and CEO Markus Witte announced at TechCrunch Disrupt Berlin today, his company is now moving into a new area of language learning with the launch of a language travel marketplace. The company also today announced that it now has over 1 million paying users in the United States.

This new service, which is scheduled to go live next year, is the result of the previously undisclosed acquisition of a Lingo Ventura, a Berlin-based startup that partners with international language schools and local providers to offer a language travel booking platform. As Witte told me ahead of today’s announcement, Lingo Ventura already had connections with 200 language schools in 30 countries. The company never quite managed to make a dent in this market, which has traditionally been quite fragmented.

Witte believes that Babbel, thanks to its existing user base, will be able to turn this into a profitable business, though. “There is a lot of potential here because the current market is not very transparent,” Witte told me. “In Europe, our brand is so well-known now that we are the first stop for learning languages.” And that brand awareness will surely help drive interest in this new platform. The person who uses the company’s app has, after all, already shown interest in learning languages and a willingness to pay for that.

While language travel is quite popular in Europe, it remains a bit of a foreign concept in the United States and few people specifically travel abroad to learn a language. This isn’t a small market, though. In Germany alone, market revenue was about €220 million in 2017, and the various companies that play in this space booked about 150,000 travel bookings last year.

Unsurprisingly, Babbel will first focus its marketing efforts for its yet-to-be-named travel marketplace (I think Babbel Travel is a safe bet) on Europe. The platform, however, is global, and Babbel isn’t going to stop anybody from booking through its platform, of course.

As far as the U.S. language travel market is concerned, though, Babbel expects that it’ll be able to pull in some customers there, too. “It’s not zero,” the company’s U.S. CEO Julie Hansen told me when I asked her about that market. “I think in due course, we’ll discover if there’s a place for us. In a way, you can serve a market better that is so fragmented and ill-defined.” North America in general has generated quite a bit of growth for Babbel recently, especially since it appointed Hansen as a CEO there, though it remains to be seen if travel will become a major revenue source for the company there.

No matter in which geography it will operate, though, Babbel will work with partners, and not run its own programs. “That was a strategic decision on our part,” said Witte. “We want to work with partners, and if we make acquisitions, those are almost always about building bridges to our partners.”

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The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) has asked Google and WhatsApp to share plans regarding how they intend to store all UPI-based payment data exclusively within India. At present, both companies do store all payment data in India, but they also keep a mirror copy abroad.

According to an ET report, the NPCI has sent letters to both Google and WhatsApp asking them to comply with guidelines set by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). Storage of data of Indian users on their respective UPI-based payment apps exclusively within the country was made mandatory by RBI, and the deadline set by the bank was October 15. 

“Companies say they store payments data in India, but are keeping a mirror copy abroad. India, however, is looking at keeping everything locally,” a senior government official told ET.

While Google hasn’t said anything specifically about the RBI regulation, its spokesperson in a statement to ET said, “We are working to increase our data residency capacity in India to support our partners that are regulated by RBI.”

WhatsApp, on the other hand, had earlier said that it has started storing payments data in India, but there was no clarity on whether the data is being stored  ‘exclusively’ within the country.

• Realme U1 launched in India starting at Rs 11,999

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A handful of OnePlus 6T users have reported on the company forums that they are affected by a display issue that is causing occasional static waves on the screen. There seems to be no definitive trigger.

A thread on the OnePlus forum has multiple users reporting this issue. It seems to be sporadic, but one user manage to capture it and has uploaded a video to YouTube.

The glitch manifests as a short burst of static-like waves on a small section of the screen. While there doesn't seem to be any serious problem with the device, the company will have to investigate.

Users on the forum are discussing likely causes and solutions, but it seems to be happening differently for everyone. The glitch is seen on both on the phone’s lock screen as well as when the device is unlocked. A factory reset doesn't seem to be solving the problem.

The OnePlus 6T was launched in early November in India, and also got a new Thunder Purple colour variant recently. We have been using the phone as a primary driver, but we haven't experienced such issue with our unit. We have reached out the brand about the issue, expect an update as soon as we hear from them.

• OnePlus 6T review

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Floyd Mayweather Jr. and DJ Khaled have agreed to “pay disgorgement, penalties and interest” for failing to disclose promotional payments from three ICOs including Centra Tech. Mayweather received $100,000 from Centra Tech while Khaled got $50,000 from the failed ICO. The SEC cited Khaled and Mayweather’s social media feeds, noting they touted securities for pay without disclosing their affiliation with the companies.

Mayweather, you’ll recall, appeared on Instagram with a whole lot of cash while Khaled called Centra Tech a “Game changer.”

“You can call me Floyd Crypto Mayweather from now on,” wrote Mayweather. Sadly, the SEC ruled he is no longer allowed to use the nom de guerre “Crypto” anymore.

Without admitting or denying the findings, Mayweather and Khaled agreed to pay disgorgement, penalties and interest. Mayweather agreed to pay $300,000 in disgorgement, a $300,000 penalty, and $14,775 in prejudgment interest. Khaled agreed to pay $50,000 in disgorgement, a $100,000 penalty, and $2,725 in prejudgment interest. In addition, Mayweather agreed not to promote any securities, digital or otherwise, for three years, and Khaled agreed to a similar ban for two years. Mayweather also agreed to continue to cooperate with the investigation.

“These cases highlight the importance of full disclosure to investors,” said Stephanie Avakian of the SEC. “With no disclosure about the payments, Mayweather and Khaled’s ICO promotions may have appeared to be unbiased, rather than paid endorsements.”

The SEC indicted Centra Tech’s founders, Raymond Trapani, Sohrab Sharma, and Robert Farkas, for fraud.

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Disrupt Berlin generally kicked ass yesterday, and things are only going to get better from here.

Welcome, friends, to Disrupt Berlin Day 2. We have a great show in store for you, including Julie Hansen and Markus Witte from Babbel, the full cast of Accel Philipe Botteri, Sonali De Rycker, Luciana Lixandru, and Harry Nelis. Plus, we’ll hear from Threads founder and CEO Sophie Hill, as well as Starling’s Anne Boden.

But that’s not all…

The Startup Battlefield finals are going down today. Five startups — Imago AI, Kalepso, Legacy, Polyteia, and Spike — will battle it out one last time for $50,000 USD, the Disrupt Cup and eternal glory.

You can catch the whole thing live right here so sit back, relax, and enjoy the show.

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