Looking for a high quality vacuum cleaner to make your home life easier? Or are you after a high-end fan or hair dryer? If any of those scenarios sound like the on you find yourself in, then you've landed in the right place to bag yourself a great (and bagless) Dyson deal.

Dyson has built itself up to be a leader when it comes to the moving of air. Its innovative designs have set benchmark after benchmark and its popularity as a manufacture has extended way beyond vacuum cleaners.

That said, with innovative design and top quality comes premium pricing, and that's where we come in. On this page we're listing all of the cheapest deals and offers on Dyson vacuums including uprights, cylinders and cordless models, along with some great prices on the company's fans and hair care products.

• Best vacuum cleaners in Australia: from cordless Dyson to robot Roomba

We'll update the page regularly to include official Dyson sales, discount codes, retailer offers and sale highlights. Whether its vacuuming, cooling, heating or drying, every member of the family can benefit from a Dyson product in the household. So, here they are, the best Dyson deals and discounts on vacuums, fans, hair care and more.

Dyson V11 Outsize offers and deals

(Image credit: Dyson)

Dyson's V11 Outsize is the newest addition to the vacuum maker's line-up, and its main point of difference lies in its size. Simply put, the Dyson V11 Outsize is huge, with a 150% larger bin than regular V11 models, and a 25% wider cleaning head, which should cut down in the amount of time it takes to clean your home. Another great thing about the V11 Outsize is that it allows you to swap out its battery for a spare (sold separately), giving you the opportunity to keep on vacuuming without waiting for a lengthy recharge. 

Dyson V11 offers and deals

(Image credit: Dyson)

Sporting the latest and greatest innovations in cyclone technology, Dyson's V11 range features a number of notable improvements over the V10 series, including an updated battery power management system, along with the ability to see how much longer your vacuum session will last real-time via a handy LCD screen.

Additionally, you now have the ability to swap out battery packs to keep the suction going if need be, meaning you won't be forced to wait a few hours for your vacuum to recharge any longer.

As you would expect, you'll have to spend a little more to access such advancements. Here are the best Dyson V11 deals that we've been able to find.

Dyson Cyclone V10 offers and deals

(Image credit: Dyson)

Easily one of the best cordless vacuum we've ever tested (read our in depth review here), the Dyson Cyclone V10 is powerful and modular enough to lift any stubborn dirt or dust in your home. 

Powered by the V10 digital motor, the Cyclone V10's design provides a more direct air-flow path for increased suction than previous models. That said, with such innovation and deluxe design comes a hefty price tag. Here are the best Dyson Cyclone V10 deals that we've been able to find.

Dyson Light Ball Multi Floor offers and deals

(Image credit: Dyson)

Looking for something lightweight but not bothered about going cordless yet? The Dyson Light Ball Multi Floor is the lightest of the regular upright vacuum cleaners in Dyson's current range at 6.33kg and has a collapsible handle allowing you to store it in smaller spaces than most uprights. And, if you've got high-reach areas that need cleaning, the Light Ball Multi Floor also comes with a handy instant-release wand.

Dyson Cinetic Big Ball DC75 offers and deals

So you're after the beast huh? The Dyson Cinetic Big Ball, with its impressive 120AW suction power rating, should pick up anything you and the kids can throw on the carpet. Heck, those carpet tacks better look out! With a 2.18 litre storage bin you'll be hoovering for ages before needing to empty it out and the 15m reach should let you get around most of the house without having to swap plugs.

Dyson V8 offers and deals

At one time, the Dyson V8 was the renowned vacuum company's flagship cordless rechargeable vacuum cleaner. That means that even though its since been surpassed, you can still expect the V8 to deliver the goods when it comes to suction power and reliability. The super lightweight design means you can easily reach high areas and the detachable section transforms it into a handheld, for super simple stair cleaning.

Dyson V7 offers and deals

(Image credit: Dyson)

Now that it's a few years old, it's possible to nab a fantastic deal on Dyson's still-good V7 range of vacuums. Offering an immense amount of suction and the brilliant cyclone-based design that Dyson has become synonymous with, the Dyson V7 vacuum can be found for under a few hundred bucks these days – a great option if you're looking to save several hundred dollars off the price of a newer model. That said, it's worth noting that the V7's heads have an outdated click-in system that arn't compatible with more recent vacuum heads, meaning you may find it difficult to track down replacements if need be. 

Dyson Supersonic offers and deals

Drying your hair doesn't have to be a chore with the Dyson Supersonic hair dryer, a device that takes the act of drying your hair into the future. The quietest, most luxurious and most technologically-advanced hair dryer we've ever seen or used, the Dyson Supersonic is an incredible gift idea this Christmas.

Dyson AirWrap offers and deals

(Image credit: Dyson)

Having impressed greatly with the Dyson Supersonic, Dyson's next logical step in the hair care category should hardly be surprising – introducing the Dyson AirWrap Styler, a styling machine that allows users to curl, smooth or volumise their hair with very little effort. Of course, it's not exactly a cheap product, which is why we've taken the liberty of scouring the internet for the best prices we can find. 

Dyson Hot + Cool offers and deals

(Image credit: Dyson)

Air purification is especially important as we still at home in isolation these days, so why not put one of Dyson's purifiers to work? These cleverly designed fans feature no blades but still throw air like nobody's business. With the Pure Cool Tower Fan, you can purify the air in your home by removing 99.95% of the particles and allergens in the air thanks to the unit's impressive filtration system. 

• Best vacuum cleaners in Australia: from cordless Dyson to robot Roomba

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The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 is here - as the follow-up to Samsung's first ever foldable phone, the original Galaxy Fold, it brings some tweaks and improvements to the established formula with some extra features thrown in.

We first heard about the Galaxy Z Fold 2 at the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 launch event, where it was teased by the company, but we didn't get all the information until a separate event a few weeks later.

So what's new in this improved Galaxy Fold phone? The form factor is largely the same, but beyond the expected iterative updates, there are some other new features that prospective Fold buyers might be interested in.

We'll take you through both phones, putting them head-to-head, to show you what's new.

Price

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 (Image credit: TechRadar)

The original Samsung Galaxy Fold cost $1,980 / £1,900 / AU$2,900 when it launched, and in the first year of its life that price didn't drop by very much.

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 costs roughly the same at $1,999 / £1,799 / AU$2,999, so depending on your region it might cost a touch more or less than the Galaxy Fold's launch price, but only a bit.

That's a high price for a smartphone, about twice as much as you'd normally pay for a premium handset, and more than Samsung's other foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip, which costs $1,380 / £1,300 / AU$1,999.

Design and display

Samsung Galaxy Fold (Image credit: TechRadar)

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 has a similar form factor to the original Galaxy Fold, but that doesn't make the two phones identical.

Without even opening either Galaxy Fold phone, there's one noticeable difference on the outsides - the original Fold had a small 4.6-inch screen on the outside that took up some space on the front, but the Z Fold 2 has a bigger 6.23-inch display that takes up the whole of the front.

The camera array on the back of the newer phone has been redesigned in keeping with the Note 20, and the hinge has seen a huge overhaul too - hopefully this one won't break easily.

Opening the phones, the newer one is slightly bigger with a 7.6-inch screen over 7.3 inches on its predecessor. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 has also got a 120Hz refresh rate, compared to just 60Hz on the original.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 (Image credit: TechRadar)

The screens on both phones use Dynamic AMOLED tech. The resolutions are 1536 x 2152 pixels for the original Galaxy Fold and 1768 x 2208 pixels for the Z Fold 2 - thanks to the differing display sizes this means the pixel-per-inch counts are almost identical.

Both phones have side-mounted fingerprint sensors for unlocking them.

Camera and battery

On paper, it seems the original Samsung Galaxy Fold has a better camera array than its successor, but we'll have to take both out for tests to see if that's definitely the case.

The Samsung Galaxy Fold has three rear cameras, consisting of a 12MP main, 16MP ultra-wide, and 12MP telephoto 2x zoom snapper, but there's also a 10MP and 8MP snapper on the front of the device when unfolded, for selfies, and a sixth camera on the front when it's folded, with a 10MP resolution. 

In comparison, the Galaxy Z fold 2 has the same rear cameras, but with a 12MP resolution on the ultra-wide. There's only one selfie camera on the front (when unfolded) which has a 10MP resolution, and there's a similar 10MP snapper on the front when you fold the phone.

Samsung Galaxy Fold (Image credit: Aakash Jhaveri)

Megapixel counts don't tell the whole story of photography potential, and nor do camera numbers, so we'll have to test both phones before declaring one better than the other.

In terms of battery sizes, the Samsung Galaxy Fold has a 4,380mAh power back and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 has a slightly bigger one at 4,500mAh, but thanks to the screen size increase we wouldn't expect the phone to last much longer.

The original Samsung Galaxy Fold has 15W wired and wireless charging, and while the Galaxy Z Fold 2 bumps its wired powering up to 25W, wireless charging is actually slower at 11W. Both support reverse wireless charging too, letting you use the device to power up others.

Specs and features

The newer foldable phone has a better chipset, as while the original Galaxy Fold has a Snapdragon 855 processor, Samsung stuck the improved Snapdragon 865 Plus in the Galaxy Z Fold 2. Both phones have 12GB of RAM though.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 (Image credit: TechRadar)

Strangely, the newer Galaxy Fold model has less internal storage - while the original comes in only a 512GB model, the newer one only comes in 256GB.

While the main selling point of both phones is the foldable display, the Galaxy Z Fold 2 borrows a few tricks from the Galaxy Z Flip which help it make the most of the form factor. The main one of these is Flex Mode, so you can use special functions when the handset is only partly unfolded. An example of this is so you can use the phone as its own camera stand, for if you want to take a selfie without holding the device.

Both phones run One UI, Samsung's fork of Android. The Fold 2 comes with Android 10, the original comes with Android 9 out of the box but it can be upgraded to 10 easily.

Takeaway

Samsung Galaxy Fold (Image credit: Future)

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 fixes many of the issues people had with the original - except for the price, which is still astronomically high.

The front screen is bigger, the chipset is improved, and the 120Hz refresh rate screen will impress many. 

There are some areas where the phone is less of a step up, but seeing as the original Samsung Galaxy Fold hasn't lost its value much, if you're in the market for a foldable phone, you'd be better off going for the newer device.

If Samsung soon decides to give a big price cut to the original Galaxy Fold, and turn it into a 'budget' foldable, maybe our takeaway will change, but for now there are few reasons not to consider the newer Galaxy Z Fold 2.

• iPhone Flip: what we want to see from Apple's foldable iPhone

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Pete Lau who started OnePlus to offer premium flagship smartphones at an affordable price has agreed to join Oppo once again in the capacity of a senior vice president and chief product experience officer at OPLUS. In this new profile, he will be responsible for the brand synergy between three closely related companies Oppo, OnePlus and Realme.

For those who’re unaware, OPLUS is a majority shareholder in all three companies i.e. Oppo, OnePlus and Realme. It wholly owns Oppo apart from a 74% stake in OnePlus and is a majority holder in Realme too.

Lau had worked with OPPO for over a decade before starting OnePlus with Carl Pei in 2013. Time and again both the founders have called OnePlus is an independent brand with Oppo as only a primary investor. However, closer ties between both the companies have appeared as both share the supply chain and manufacturing facilities.

• The upcoming entry-level OnePlus smartphone finally gets detailed
• Everything we know about the OnePlus Nord Lite
• Here's what the OnePlus mid-ranger destined for western markets could look like

Similarly, even Realme, another offshoot from Oppo, that started a couple of years back and prefers calling itself an independent brand. However, like OnePlus even Realme is closely linked with Oppo and shares various resources with Oppo. This is probably the first time someone has officially taken the names of OnePlus, Oppo and Realme in the same sentence.

To add a twist to the tale, Oppo is a subsidiary of a Chinese conglomerate called BBK Electronics. And BBK also has another leg of subsidiary brands that have Vivo and its offshoot iQOO in it. Technically, BBK controls all 5 brands including Oppo, Vivo, OnePlus, Realme and iQOO. 

Contradicting the popular theory, Lau claims that OPLUS and BBK are separate and are not connected in any way. With a lot of mystery shrouding around OPLUS’s existence, Lau’s claims only add to the immense confusion.

What happens to OnePlus?

According to a statement to Android Authority, OnePlus has clarified that “Pete remains committed to his role as CEO of OnePlus. At the same time, he has also taken on the role of SVP and chief product experience officer for OPLUS, contributing to product and planning development.”

With OnePlus announcing Nord and is rumoured to come up with another budget line of phones, the company may need its CEO un-distracted focus. Only time will tell how much effort the new role demands from Lau and if he can perform his OnePlus duties efficiently.

• The biggest tech stories of the week

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Realme is one of India’s top four smartphone makers and also one of the world’s fastest-growing companies. All this has been achieved in a little over two years of its presence in the Industry. 

In a special AskMadhav episode which was streamed recently, Madhav Sheth, the CEO of Realme India and Europe, shared a few insights that most of the users won’t be aware of. He was joined by Sreehari, the product manager for AIoT. Titled “Dare to Speak”, this episode apparently included questions that were often ignored.

• Realme shares its tech-lifestyle expansion plans for India
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Design language

(Image credit: Realme)

Firstly, Madhav spoke about the CMF which stands for Colour, Material, and Finish. This was with regards to the new design changes seen on the Realme V5 series of affordable smartphones. They sport a brushed metal finish on the back to look different yet appealing. Towards the end of the segment, they did hint at a phone with a similar design language to launch in India soon; though it was unclear which specific model it would be. 

Plastic vs Glass back

Talking about the Plastic versus Glass back design, Madhav said that although glass is more appealing and gives more premium touch and feel, it becomes heavy and fragile. On the other hand, plastic is more lightweight, flexible, and gives more options for design. Realme will improvise and make touch and feel better on the plastic back to give a more premium look. He also confirmed that the Realme 7 series will come with an aluminium border around the rear camera module. 

Why no more pop-up cameras?

(Image credit: Realme )

Realme’s only pop-up camera till date in India is the Realme X. Talking about the absence of the pop-up camera in the market in recent months(from all brands), Madhav said that to include a pop-up camera module on top, brands will have to compromise on weight, thickness, and also the battery. Further, the new 5G modems also take up space which gives no option to include the pop-up module. He also said that pop-up phones from most brands will vanish in the coming days. 

More Megapixel cameras?

Realme was the first in India to bring a 64MP camera phone. However, when it comes to 108MP cameras, Madhav said that the company is still testing and has not commercialized it. The 108MP pictures take several seconds to process and Realme is working on the software optimization. He also added to get the best experience of a 108MP picture you need a high-resolution screen. Realme might announce a new device with a 108MP camera and a Quad HD display in the new future, as suggested earlier this year. 

5G in India

Talking about the absence of 5G infrastructure in India, he said that many phones launched towards the end of this year will be 5G-capable. He hopes that this will put pressure on the telecom operators and speeden the adoption. As of now, it remains as a feature for future-proofing.

How Realme’s fast charging is different from others?

This was the most interesting and insightful part of the episode. Madhav explained that Realme fast charging tech works on the principle of high current and low voltage while other brands use the opposite. He also said that the mobile battery can take 5V and it can’t go beyond that. For those fast chargers which have 9V rating, the voltage will be capped at 5V for safety purposes.  

While other fast charging technologies have issues like loss of power, lower charging speed, and heating issues, Realme fast charging tech comes with temperature control, thick cable, and no speed reduction even while gaming. 

However, to achieve higher charging speed like the recent 125W UltraDart charging solution, the company opted for a dual battery solution where they have two batteries and the 10V voltage will be split into two 5V batteries. 

Everything else

(Image credit: Google)

Lastly, Madhav answered a few questions rapidly. Realme will continue to offer a triple SIM slot and also tey to keep the 3.5mm headphone jack on its mid-range and entry-level devices. And, lastly, Realme is working on Realme UI 2.0 based on Android 11. The company will share the roadmap as soon as Google starts rolling out Android 11 to the public. 

• Realms Buds 3 to launch this month, ANC earphones coming soon
• Best headphones under Rs 2,000 in India

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Walmart announced its new retail subscription service Walmart Plus with which it hopes to rival Amazon Prime on price and in-store perks. The company-owned Flipkart already operates a loyalty program in India, which makes it easier for the company to bring its new value proposition down. 

The Walmart Plus service is available for $12.95 a month, which is about four cents cheaper than the deal Amazon Prime provides. However, both ensure unlimited free deliveries, access to early product deals and can include same-day deliveries. In the US, Walmart gains the edge over its rival by providing in-store perks at over 5000 scores with same-day shipping. Plus there could be discounts on products too. 

The first thing that Walmart would have to do for an Indian launch of Walmart Plus is to considerably reduce the subscription as Amazon Prime charges Rs.129 a month, which translates to just about $1.77 at prevailing exchange rates. 

• Walmart Plus: release date, price and how its membership compares to Amazon Prime
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A head start for Amazon

Also, Amazon has already claimed a decent chunk of the market, with more than 15 million subscribers to its Amazon Prime subscription. During the Prime Day sales in India on August 6 and 7, the company reportedly saw a 2X jump in subscribers, with more than 65% of the additions coming from outside the top-10 cities of India.

Besides access to early deals, same day deliveries free of additional cost, subscribers to Amazon Prime also get the added benefit of a free membership to its Prime Music and Prime Video streaming service, which has taken on Netflix and Disney Plus HotStar in India with original programs and titles like never before. 

Where Flipkart stands now

Against this bouquet of offerings, Flipkart has found its subscription service (or is it a loyalty program?) rather tame. To unlock the deal, users need to splurge Rs.12,500 on a single invoice. This would give them the 50 coins required to join the Flipkart Plus service. Of course, if one has spent considerable amounts shopping on the portal, there is a possibility that Flipkart Plus is auto-unlocked. And once you are a member, you could avail of a coin for every Rs.250 you spend. 

And what do the customers get? For starters, you get early access to their Big Billion sales. There's free priority shipping, priority customer care and rewards in the form of coins on almost every purchase. In addition, subscribers also get special offers from other websites for movie tickets, music, travel and home delivery.  

What we expect from Walmart Plus in India

If and when Walmart decides to offer the Walmart Plus service to India, we believe that it would come at a much cheaper cost than what US customers pay. Because it needs to beat the price of the Rs.999 per year price that Amazon Prime comes at. And, if there are no movies or music streaming services coming with the package, the charges need to be lower by at least Rs.200 to Rs.250 a year. 

Flipkart had claimed a million subscribers when they launched the loyalty program two years ago, but haven't shared details of its success thereafter. The company had offered Flipkart Plus users early access to its Republic Day sales this January. Post the event, the Walmart-owned company did not share data over how its loyalty program fared, which makes us believe that the program isn't panning out the way the company had hoped for. 

Which is why it would make sense for Walmart Plus to hit Indian shores in some or the other format. The price band would definitely have to be lower as a $98 per year package amounts to around Rs.7,100 at the prevailing exchange rate. And, Flipkart would definitely need to provide some extra entertainment over and above what is available on Flipkart Video with the subscription to effectively counter Amazon Prime's streaming service. 

A streaming suspense

Flipkart Videos began streaming last October, but till date, the company hasn't really focused on this side of the business. Though they claim more than 5000 titles across multiple languages, the service hasn't really kicked off in the face of stiff competition from the big daddies of the business. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus HotStar, SonyLiv and a host of regional streaming services vie for audience attention in India.

Could this mean a deal with arch-rival Netflix or possibly Disney Plus HotStar? There is also Jio Platforms, which Walmart is negotiating for a stake acquisition. This way Walmart could get access to Jio's streaming service, which could be just what a rival subscription service offering could do with. 

Given that India is witnessing an anti-Amazon move spearheaded by Reliance Retail, it would definitely make sense for Walmart to join hands, even if at the peripheral level. 

• Why is Walmart putting $1.2 billion more in Flipkart?
• Upcoming phones in India

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Officially revealed at the launch of Google's Pixel 4a last month, the search giant's upcoming Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G handsets are now inching closer to release, with new FCC filings in the US lending credence to a previous report that they could be launching as soon as September 30. 

As reported by 9to5Google, new regulatory filings assumed to be for multiple variants of the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G have landed at the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which more often than not indicates that a launch is imminent.

• Google Pixel 5's chipset may be barely better than the Pixel 4a's
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Interestingly, charts included with the FCC filings suggest that the Google Pixel 5 will offer separate variants for both the Sub-6 and mmWave 5G bands. 

While mmWave technology offers much faster downlink speeds over 5G than bands that are Sub-6 only, it does so at the expense of geographical coverage, leading us to assume that your carrier and region will determine which version of the phone you receive.

As for the Pixel 4a 5G, it appears the handset will only offer support for the slower Sub-6 bands, which seems about right given its very reasonable price of $599 (AU$799 / around £448).

What to expect

Both phones (including the top-tier Pixel 5) are expected to carry the Snapdragon 765G chipset, which is the processor currently driving a number of upper mid-range handsets, including the Motorola Edge Plus and the LG Velvet.

This would suggest that Google is looking to keep the price of its next flagship down, rather than take on the likes of Samsung's beastly (and incredibly expensive) Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

That said, we'll have to wait until the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G are officially launched to find out exactly what Google has in store for us.

• These are the best phones in the world right now

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In the world of competitive gaming and eSports, frame rates are often the most talked-about aspect that actually affects the gameplay experience. So when PUBG announced that high refresh rate support will be coming to the mobile game, fans were delighted.

Fast forward to September 2020, and the update is about to roll out to all supported smartphones, in a move that will surely please high-end smartphone owners. In case you’re wondering how much of a difference it makes and why it is such a big deal, here’s our experience testing out PUBG Mobile at 90fps.

While the feature will be publicly available to other smartphones starting September 8, OnePlus smartphones got early access to the 90fps setting. It’s still unclear which phones will join the list, but we expect all high-end Android smartphones with a high refresh rate display to be supported. 

• OnePlus 8 Pro review
• PUBG Mobile to get Erangel 2.0 update on September 8

Our testing was limited to the OnePlus 8 Pro over the last month. It is powered by the Snapdragon 865 chipset, along with LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. Basically, the performance was never a bottleneck. To complete the experience is a curved 6.68-inch Fluid AMOLED display with a QHD+ resolution and 120Hz display. With the new update for PUBG Mobile, the higher refresh rate is more appreciable.

Going into my regular gaming session, I thought that there would just be some visual differences and nothing much beyond that. However, it only took me a couple of games to realise that it was a lot more than that.

(Image credit: Aakash Jhaveri)

Playing PUBG Mobile at 90fps can actually make you a better gamer

Firstly, the jump to 90fps from the usual 60fps is definitely noticeable - each time I’d run, pan or attack, all actions just felt a lot more instant and immersive. The other aspect was responsiveness, which can be a little more difficult to see but easier to feel. The OnePlus 8 Pro has a touch response rate of 240Hz, which is amongst the highest on any smartphone. It basically refers to how fast the display registers your input. For a game like PUBG where you switch between taps and swipes many times each second, the small increments do make a significant difference. In short, gaming at the higher frame rate felt a lot more immersive. 

Interestingly, even running at these higher settings didn’t tax the phone enough to cause unwanted heating or throttling. Yes, it was a little warmer than the usual, but nothing alarming. If your phone supports, we definitely recommend trying out gaming at 90fps to feel the difference for yourself. Going back to 60fps almost felt like the game was lagging.

It’s great to see one of the most popular mobile games finally make the leap to higher refresh rates. Mark your calendars for September 8, when PUBG Mobile will be updated to version 1.0, adding 90fps support, Ultra HD graphics, and Erangel 2.0.

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Ubisoft has a bit of a history of handing out its titles for free, with Watch Dogs 2 recently being made available at no cost on PC. Now, the video game titan is giving away Tom Clancy’s The Division (the original, not the more recent sequel). 

You can head to Ubisoft’s site to register for getting The Division for free. You’ll need to have a Uplay account and be using the Uplay software client in order to play the game. More importantly, you’ll need to add it to your library before September 8 at 6PM (your local time).

• Tips and tricks for getting started with Ubisoft's The Division

Xbox Live Gold members can also nab the game for free as part of this month’s Xbox Games with Gold lineup, which also includes The Book of Unwritten Tales 2, Armed and Dangerous, and de Blob 2. 

So long as you add the title to your Uplay collection before September 8 (or the end of the month for Xbox Gold gamers), it’ll be yours to keep, even once the offer has expired. It’s worth nothing that Xbox Live Gold subscribers will only be able to play it while their subscription is active.

• The best online games available
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Tom Clancy’s The Division is set in a post-apocalyptic New York, after a deadly pandemic has taken its toll and the streets have turned violent. You can play solo, ally with up to three friends to help in your fight, or face off in player-vs-player combat.

While you can play singeplayer, it’s worth mentioning that the game’s online multiplayer has been widely received as the title’s strongpoint, and much of the online player base for the original Division title has likely moved to The Division 2 at this stage.

So while there may not be as lively an online community as their once was, it’s very possible that the event of giving the game away for free might help Ubisoft revive its popularity and rekindle the online action.

• The best PC games you can play right now

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Find yourself hit with intense feelings of gay yearning? We've gathered up eight new and upcoming PC games that feature queer characters and narratives to help you round out your game library or annoy your friends with as you gush about them. 

For PC Gaming Week 2020, we've found everything from classic visual novels and dating sims to interactive fiction, dungeon crawlers, and cyberpunk adventures. So, if you're a cottagecore lesbian looking for a cute game to pass the time with, a sword gay who dreams of romancing your favorite weapon, or a non-binary person who is longing for the day you can finally have the hot robot body you deserve, there's a game out there for you to look forward to. 

Upcoming queer games at a glance:

1. Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp
2. Boyfriend Dungeon
3. Goodbye Volcano High
4. Lore Finder
5. Read Only Memories: Neurodiver
6. Souls Unguarded
7. Best Friend Forever
8. We Should Talk

(Image credit: Beautiful Glitch)

1. Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp

Best dating sim

Developer: Beautiful Glitch | Publisher: Beautiful Glitch | Release Date: Q4 2020 | Platform: PC

View at Steam

Developer and publisher, Beautiful Glitch, raised over €535,000 (about $610,000, £485,000, AU$872,000) through Kickstarter to create a sequel to their hit dating sim, Monster Prom. In the sequel, Monster Prom 2: Monster Camp, there are many of the same mechanics as the first game: a time limit to find a date, different areas to visit, and multiplayer. Beautiful Glitch has added six new romanceable characters as well as new minigames to keep gameplay fresh and fun. You'll build campfires and mix cocktails on your quest to impress your crush, and Beautiful Glitch has promised a few surprises as well.

(Image credit: Kitfox Games)

2. Boyfriend Dungeon

Best RPG

Developer: Kitfox Games | Publisher: Kitfox Games | Release Date: Late 2020 | Platform: PC, Nintendo Switch

View at Steam

Do you think swords are sexy? Boyfriend Dungeon takes that concept to new levels by letting you date your weapons. There are nine different bladed weapons, each able to transform into a very beautiful person with their own personalities, likes, and dislikes. Players will make their way through various dungeons to earn cash and find treasure so you can take your sword on dates. 

There are male, female, and non-binary romanceable characters, so players can choose a partner that matches their real-life preferences. Each blade not only is a different hottie, they also have their own fighting styles. The glaive and scythe are slow, heavy hitters, while the laser sword and dagger let you quickly stab and slash before dodging incoming attacks. There's also a set of brass knuckles that turn into a cat, so we're already sold.  

(Image credit: KO_OP)

3. Goodbye Volcano High

Best narrative adventure

Developer: KO_OP | Publisher: KO_OP | Release Date: 2021 | Platform: PC, PS4, PS5

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Ko_op announced Goodbye Volcano High during the Sony "Future of Gaming" online event on June 11, 2020. The game follows members of a high school garage band of anthropomorphic dinosaurs: the non-binary Fang, their BFF Trish, Naomi the student council president, and Fang's brother Naser. The narrative centers on the typical emotional highs and lows of high school and how difficult it can be to navigate social circles and romantic interests. Branching narrative paths give you plenty of dialogue options with far-reaching consequences, and minigames break up the visual novel elements. 

(Image credit: Kitsune Games)

4. Lore Finder

Best horror

Developer: Kitsune Games | Publisher: Kitsune Games | Release Date: Late 2020 | Platform: PC

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Lore Finder's Steam page describes the game as "a modern queer reimagining of the cosmic horror genre." Players will assume the role of K.C Morgan, a non-binary person and paranormal investigator, as they accumulate eldritch powers and face unfathomable horrors while they try to uncover a family's dark pask and terrible secrets. The gameplay will be non-linear, allowing you to take on quests in any order. There is also a Speedrun Mode for time trials, and a mode that will allow you to play as K.C's girlfriend once you beat the game, gaining new powers and story elements. 

(Image credit: MidBoss, LLC.)

5. Read Only Memories: Neurodiver

Best cyberpunk mystery

Developer: MidBoss | Publisher: MidBoss | Release Date: 2021 | Platform: PC

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MidBoss follows up their hit game, 2064: Read Only Memories with a direct sequel: Read Only Memories: Neurodiver. The story follows ES88, a powerful telepath, tasked with taking down a fellow psychic, Golden Butterfly. ES88 gets help from a genetically engineered psionic creature known as the Neurodiver to access the memories of others, including familiar faces like TOMCAT and Lexi Rivers. Neurodiver features an updated, more dynamic art style and a retro-inspired soundtrack to create a more lush, cyberpunk atmosphere. 

(Image credit: Heart's Choice)

6. Souls Unguarded

Best interactive fiction

Developer: Heart's Choice | Publisher: Heart's Choice | Release Date: October 22, 2020 | Platform: PC

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Souls Unguarded is a text-based piece of interactive fiction with dark romance themes. You'll play as a gay or bisexual man who has visions of ghosts and spirits as well as dreams of a the shining cliffside city of Glorymount. Through dialogue trees and narrative choices, you'll be able to shape the narrative and your budding romance while also dismantling a corrupt theocracy or tracking down a bloodthirsty killer. You'll also be able to bring comfort and peace to the ghosts and spirits that visit you during the day, or use them as a means to an end to reach your own goals. 

(Image credit: Alliance)

7. Best Friend Forever

Best hybrid sim

Developer: Starcolt | Publisher: Alliance | Release Date: Late 2020 | Platform: PC, Nintendo Switch

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Do you love dogs? Do you love dating cuties? How would you like to raise a cute dog and date a hottie at the same time? Best Friend Forever is half dog training simulator and half dating sim and 100 percent adorable. There are many different breeds of dogs to choose from and train over the course of 15 weeks. You'll teach your pup basic commands, advanced tricks, and care for them. They'll also interact with you based on how the narrative unfolds, and with the furry companions of your potential dates. And everyone knows that the most important thing in any relationship is whether or not your dog likes your date. There's also an endless sandbox mode that lets you just play with the dogs if you don't feel like romancing anyone.

(Image credit: Whitethorn Digital)

8. We Should Talk

Best experimental game

Developer: Insatiable Cycle | Publisher: Whitethorn Digital | Release Date: July 16, 2020 | Platform: PC

View at Steam

We Should Talk is a narrative driven game that has you carefully choose words and construct sentences to connect with, or distance yourself from, your friends and lover. You'll spend your night in a local bar, talking with friends and acquaintances and texting your partner. How you construct your sentences and conversations will have profound effects on how your friends view your partner and how your partner feels about you and your relationship. There are nine possible endings, so you'll have to see if you can make your relationships last the night or if they'll end up in flames. 

TechRadar’s PC Gaming Week 2020 is celebrating the most powerful gaming platform on Earth with articles, interviews and essential buying guides that showcase how diverse, imaginative, and remarkable PC games – and gamers – can be. Visit our PC Gaming Week 2020 page to see all our coverage in one place. 

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As the COVID-19 pandemic spread to the United States, a number of automakers and other manufacturers announced plans to retrofit factories to help ease the shortage of personal protective gear and ventilators.

Now, two U.S. automakers have fulfilled their separate multi-million-dollar ventilator contracts — together delivering 80,000 of the devices to the U.S. government.

General Motors said Tuesday that it has completed its contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for 30,000 critical care ventilators delivered to the Strategic National Stockpile. GM said many of its ventilators have been deployed to hospitals. Ford has also completed its 50,000-ventilator contract, Bloomberg reported.

GM and Ford didn’t go it alone. Both automakers partnered with companies to accelerate the ramp up from 0 to thousands of ventilators within five months. GM partnered with Ventec Life Systems to produce ventilators at its engine plant in Kokomo, Ind., using about 1,000 workers. The GM-Ventec partnership grew out of  StopTheSpread.org, a coordinated effort of private companies to respond to COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Ford teamed up with GE Healthcare to produce ventilators at the automaker’s Rawsonville Road plant in Michigan. Ford’s $336 million contract wrapped up August 28 when it shipped its final Model A-E ventilator unit. Ford’s contract was supposed to be fulfilled by mid-July, but said it was delayed by new suppliers that were ramping up parts production, according to Bloomberg. The company was granted an extension by HHS.

In the early days of the contracts, GM and Ford were criticized, and even attacked, by President Trump, although ultimately he applauded the efforts.

Both efforts stretched and showcased the capabilities of the automakers to convert portions of factories used to assemble vehicles and parts into facilities cranking out medical devices. Before GM even announced its partnership with Ventec, the automaker investigated the feasibility of sourcing more than 700 components needed to build Ventec’s critical care ventilators called VOCSN. Ventec describes these VOCSN devices as multi-function ventilators that were cleared in 2017 by the FDA.

GM initially estimated it would cost about $750 million, a price that included retrofitting a portion of the engine plant, purchasing materials to make the ventilators and paying the 1,000 workers needed to scale up production, the source said. However, the Trump Administration balked at the price tag, putting a contract with the U.S. government in limbo. Eventually, GM reached a $490 million contract with the federal government to produce 30,000 ventilators by the end of August. Under the contract, GM produced a different critical care ventilator from Ventec called the VOCSN V+Pro, a simpler device that has 400 parts. The other more expensive and complex machine had a multi-function capability.

Ford and GM also produced other medical supplies. Ford, which called its effort Project Apollo, said it produced more than 75 million pieces of personal protective equipment, including 19 million face shields, 42 million face masks,1.6 million washable isolation gowns and more than 32,000 powered air-purifying respirators in collaboration with 3M.

GM said its Warren facility has two production lines for face masks and a third line making N95 face respirators. To date, the facility has produced more than 10 million masks, with production going to employees at GM facilities or donated to community organizations, the company said.

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With the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070, Nvidia may be shifting what the mid-range PC gaming scene looks like. Coming in at $499 (£469, around AU$680) while delivering performance that Nvidia claims is better than the $1,199 (£1,099, AU$1,899) RTX 2080 Ti – though that remains to be seen.

This graphics card is going to hit the street sometime in October, so obviously we haven't been able to test it for ourselves. We're not going to tell you to jump on the pre-order yet, but if everything Nvidia claims is true, whether it's about the raw graphics performance or the advances in IO performance, it will be a better buy than the PS5 and Xbox Series X, especially if you already have a decent gaming PC on hand. 

The price-to-performance conversation obviously changes a bit if you have to build a new PC, but even then, PC gaming always carries a higher up-front cost. 

👀👀👀👀 (Image credit: Nvidia)

Let's talk about raw power

For all the pomp and circumstance that was the Nvidia GeForce Special Event earlier today, Nvidia has pretty quietly launched the full specs of the three cards announced today. And, well, beyond the fact that the Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 is limited to just 8GB of VRAM, the thing is packing 5,888 CUDA cores with a Boost Clock of 1.73GHz. According to my napkin math, that's about 20.3 TFLOPs of graphics performance, which tops the 12TFLOPs of the Xbox Series X, the 10.28TFLOPs of the PS5 and even the 13TFLOPs of the previous-generation RTX 2080 Ti. 

Now, again, I haven't had a chance to test this out in actual benchmarks, so I can't speak to how it will look in real-world gaming workloads, but it's definitely not going to be slower than the RTX 2080 Ti, and at less than half the price, Nvidia has some impressive price-to-performance benefits now. 

The RTX 3070, then, is going to be way more capable at delivering 4K gaming performance with none of the sacrifices that consoles will make – like checkerboard rendering, low detail settings and the loss of anti-aliasing – and if you already have a rig and you're looking to upgrade, it's going to be about the same price. Right now the rumors are all pointing to the PS5 being in the realm of $499 (£449, AU$749), which is exactly what the RTX 3070 is going to cost, only you're going to get it earlier, and it's going to be even better at 4K gaming with RTX On. 

I still can't believe he was hiding this behind the spatulas (Image credit: Nvidia)

IO just got so much better

One of the announcements that will probably go overlooked is RTX IO. On PC, traditional storage APIs made it to where the CPU had to deliver data from your storage to your graphics card. Nvidia RTX IO essentially cuts out the middle man. 

This new Nvidia storage API will work alongside the new DirectStorage API from Microsoft to boost graphics I/O performance by up to 100x – though we haven't had a chance to test that theory, either. This is remarkably similar to the groundbreaking storage tech on display in the PS5, and means that PC gamers won't have to worry about being behind the curve when it comes to storage technology. 

According to Nvidia, "GeForce RTX GPUs are capable of decompression performance beyond the limits of even Gen4 SSDs, offloading dozens of CPU cores' worth of work to deliver maximum overall system performance for next generation games."

Though it should be noted that if you really want to take advantage of this to its fullest potential, you're likely going to need a PCIe 4.0 SSD, just so you can be sure you're eliminating as many bottlenecks as you can. 

See this? On PC now (Image credit: Guerilla Games/@SirAlphamale)

What even are exclusives anymore?

And, of course, when we're talking about what platform people should (or shouldn't) spend their hard-earned money on, the topic of exclusives is going to inevitably come up. But I still think the RTX 3070 would be a better investment – hear me out. 

Everyone already knows that for Xbox exclusives, Microsoft is releasing everything on both Xbox Series X and PC at the same time, as part of the same Game Pass subscription service, which automatically makes the PC platform, powered by an RTX 3070, a better value. 

But what tips that scale even more now is that Sony is planning to release even more games to the PC, thanks in no small part to the massive success of Death Stranding and Horizon Zero Dawn – even if the latter was a a nightmare of a port. 

Both Xbox and PlayStation games are going to be living on PC, which basically only leaves Nintendo games as inaccessible on PC. And if I can run all of these games better on the platform that I just honestly enjoy more than any game console – there's more to PC gaming than just mere horsepower – why would I ever play a game on a console ever again?

Though I'll probably still cave and buy a PS5 for Ratchet & Clank, let's be real (Image credit: Insominac Games)

I'll probably be skipping this console generation

There were two things that were drawing me to the PS5 later this year: the groundbreaking SSD technology and the exclusive Sony games that I have a definite soft spot for. 

With Nvidia RTX IO, combined with the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X, I'm going to have access to SSD performance that will likely be, if not faster, equivalent to that which is found on the PS5. This is definitely something I will be testing myself, but right now it looks like I can get the performance I want on the platform I'm comfortable on. 

Plus with pretty much every game eventually making its way to PC anyway, I'm not exactly going to be thirsty for new games to play, with the exception of Nintendo Switch games. But even for my precious Pokemon and Zelda games, I already have a Switch, and Nintendo consoles in general offer an experience I just can't get on PC. The PS5 and Xbox Series X are just going to be miniature locked-down PCs that I can't upgrade. 

So, basically, with the RTX 3070 staying at the same price as the mid-range RTX 2070, it doesn't make much sense to jump onto one of the next-generation consoles, especially if you already have a halfway-decent gaming rig. 

• Here's everything you need to know about the RTX 3090

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As Slack ramps up its investment in Asia, Toss Lab, the South Korea-based creator of enterprise collaboration platform JANDI, is preparing to become a more formidable rival. The startup announced today that it has raised a $13 million Series B led by SoftBank Ventures Asia, the early-stage venture arm of SoftBank Group. Participating investors also included SV Investment, Atinum Investment, Must Asset Management, Shinhan Capital, SparkLabs and T Investment.

Founded in 2014, Toss Lab said the round means it is the first Korean company in the collaboration space to raise over $20 million to date. The company says JANDI is the top collaboration platform in Japan and Taiwan. It serves companies ranging from small to mid-sized businesses to large enterprises with thousands of employees. Its clients include LG CNS (the Korean conglomerate’s IT services subsidiary), Korean tire manufacturer Nexen Tire and Lexus. Toss Labs says its revenue has grown more than 100% over the past three years.

Matthew Kim, chief executive of Toss Lab, told TechCrunch that the Series B will be used for global expansion and to increase the company’s headcount by 20% to 25%.

JANDI has seen a 80% increase in the number of users acquired during the COVID-19 pandemic across its Asian markets. To serve remote workers, JANDI added integration with Zoom, enhanced its security and developed an advanced admin dashboard.

The platform currently supports English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese, and plans to grow its operations in Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Middle East.

Last October, Slack said it was planning to increase its investment in Asia, including new data regions in Japan and Australia.

But Kim said JANDI’s biggest rival isn’t Slack. Instead, it is competing against popular messaging apps, like Line, Kakao, WhatsApp, Zalo and Facebook Messenger, which Kim said the majority of workers in Asia still rely on for workplace communication. While Slack is used by some startups and tech companies in Asia, Chatwork and Base.vn are the top collaboration platforms in Japan and Vietnam, respectively, while JANDI is the leader in South Korea and Taiwan.

One of JANDI’s advantages is that “we are currently integrating with the legacy systems that are unique in each region and we have the local onboarding support team for enterprise,” said Kim. He added that Japan and Taiwan have the most growth potential in the near-term, followed by the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia and Indonesia.

Like other collaboration platforms, JANDI offers messaging and group chats. But it also features collaboration tools that the company says is geared toward work culture in its Asian markets. These include organization charts to help people find colleagues by department; a “board view” for company announcements and reports; video calls that can support up to 300 participants at a time; read receipts; and a secure file manager for storing confidential team documents.

As part of the funding, Toss Labs also added four new board directors: Ticket Monster founder Daniel Shin and former Kakao chief strategy officer Joon-yeol Kang, the founders of Bass Investment; SoftBank Ventures Asia CEO JP Lee; and SBI Investment Korea CEO Joon-hyo Lee. Sendbird CEO John S. Kim and Bespin Global founder HanJoo Lee are joining as advisors to Toss Labs.

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