A press image for the Snapdragon 888(Image credit: Qualcomm)
Some of the biggest upcoming phones of 2022 are likely to feature the next-gen chipset from Qualcomm, and we're set to hear about it today during the first part of the company's Tech Summit 2021 event.
Qualcomm has confirmed its next-gen chipset won't be called the Snapdragon 898, as some had previously expected. Instead, the company is changing up its name for its flagship platform and we've yet to find out what it'll be called.
Flights and accommodation for this launch event were funded by Qualcomm, but the views reflect the writer's own honest opinion.
That's one of the announcements we expect to hear today, but we're also anticipating news on the new chipset and maybe even some confirmations from phone manufacturers on whether each plans to use the new platform.
We're live at the Tech Summit 2021 event in Hawaii, and we'll be bringing you all the latest news throughout the day. The keynote kicks off at 3PM PST, 6PM EST, 11PM GMT (or 10AM AEDT on Wednesday December 1).
Before that, we'll be talking you through some of the rumored features for the next-gen chipset and everything else we've heard about it so far.
Welcome to our Tech Summit 2021 coverage where you'll be among the first to hear about everything that happens at today's keynote.
If you're interested in what features may debut on 2022 Android smartphones, this is the place to be. We expect this next chipset to feature in flagship handsets from a whole variety of top-end phone makers.
Qualcomm has confirmed it'll be revealing its new premium tier mobile platform today, although we don't know its name. Qualcomm says we can expect announcements in "AI, gaming, and connectivity".
You can watch along with the big keynote using the YouTube embed below. The event is set to start at 3PM PST, 6PM EST, 11PM GMT (or 10AM AEDT on Wednesday December 1).
Expect this live blog to fully kick into gear then when we start to hear announcements on stage from Qualcomm. We'll be typing as fast as we can to give you the latest from the show.
By leveraging the quantum expertise of both its parents, Quantinuum plans to offer a comprehensive suite of quantum hardware and software, including the industry’s first quantum operating system.
“We are science led and enterprise driven, and our scale and global presence in this most critical of technologies will provide leadership in each of the key areas that constitute the ‘must haves’ for quantum computing to deliver real-world solutions to all our customers and partners,” remarked Ilyas Khan, founder of Cambridge Quantum, who will head Quantinuum as its CEO.
Quantum reality
Honeywell explains that Quantinuum’s products and solutions will help support a multitude of high-priority tasks such as cybersecurity and encryption, drug discovery and delivery, and more.
Quantinuum hopes to deliver the solutions in such a manner that they are compatible with a variety of quantum hardware processors, such as the Honeywell-powered system Model H1, as well as IBM’s suite of quantum computers.
To that end Quantinuum has said that it’ll provide all quantum software developers open access to “tket,” an independent quantum software development kit.
“Quantinuum customers will now have access to the world’s first quantum operating system, applications, and hardware-agnostic software, all of which will be used to address extremely challenging business needs with which conventional computing systems struggle,” said Darius Adamczyk, chairman and CEO of Honeywell, who joins Quantinuum as its chairman.
So far, all of Canon's RF-mount mirrorless cameras have been pricey, pro-focused models with slightly painful price tags. But the good news for amateur and hobbyist shooters is that this is almost certain to change in 2022, according to fresh rumors.
The reliable Canon Rumors has been told by a "solid source" that "Canon is 'definitely' releasing an APS-C RF mount camera in 2022". The site didn't go as far as naming the model or any specifics, only raising the possibility of an EOS R7 that "could take the place of the EOS M line." But given previous rumors, the arrival of an EOS R7 is certainly the most likely scenario.
There has been growing speculation about the arrival of a Canon EOS R7, or at least an APS-C camera with Canon's RF-mount, for well over a year now. Canon Rumors even reported in December 2020 that one was already being tested in the wild, and was based on the chassis of the Canon EOS R6 .
Whether it's been pandemic-related delays or simply the fact that Canon has been focusing on the Canon EOS R3 and fleshing out its lens lineup, the much-anticipated EOS R7 seems to have stalled in recent months. But an APS-C RF-mount camera seems almost certain to land in 2022, given that Canon Rumors gave its speculation a rumor rating that it says equates to "fact."
The question now is, what kind of camera will it be, and what does this mean for Canon's current EOS M series? The latter, which arrived in 2012 as a mirrorless alternative to Canon's EF-mount DSLRs, seems destined for abandonment. Canon's focus is now on making high-end glass for its RF-mount cameras, though the EOS M series will still provide super-cheap options for beginners for the next few years.
We'll have to wait for firmer rumors on the Canon EOS R7, if that is indeed the first RF-mount camera with a smaller APS-C sensor, but previous speculation has suggested that it's likely to be compact hybrid model for sports shooters and videographers. If it's built around the design and engine of the Canon EOS R6, that could be a recipe for Canon's most popular mirrorless camera far.
Analysis: next-gen Canon cameras for hobbyists
(Image credit: Future)
Sensor size is usually a good indicator of a camera's price point and target audience – and while many professionals, in particular landscape snappers, use cameras with smaller APS-C sensors, it's fair to say that the arrival of a Canon EOS R7 would open up the RF-mount to a whole new audience.
Previous speculation has suggested that the EOS R7 won't be an entry-level model, but rather a 'mini EOS R6' for sports and wildlife shooters who demand a speedy, lightweight camera. But it's also likely to be the first of many Canon RF-mount mirrorless cameras, as they take the baton from the older EOS M range in 2022.
Why does Canon need a whole new system for APS-C mirrorless cameras? Some might cynically say "to sell more lenses", but there are solid technical reasons why it makes sense. Firstly, the RF-mount has big advantages over Canon's previous mounts, including a greatly-reduced flange distance (the space between the lens mount and image sensor) and a data pathway that has a higher bandwidth. These mean it can design new lenses that simply haven't been possible before.
It also makes sense for Canon, and Canon photographers, to only have one mirrorless mount to worry about. This is a benefit that Sony has often crowed about with its E-mount, which is found on both APS-C and full-frame mirrorless cameras. This would allow Canon snappers and video creators to have two or more bodies that all share the same lenses.
The other benefit of APS-C sensors is that they can provide more reach (with longer effective focal lengths) in smaller, lighter lenses. This means Canon would need to develop some more compact RF-mount glass, or or at least properly open up the RF-mount to third-party lens makers, to help its new APS-C cameras realize their potential. But the Canon EOS R7, if that's what it's ultimately called, would certainly be an exciting first step for anyone who fancies buying a powerful, compact mirrorless camera in 2022.
Now in its third season of showing Premier League coverage, streaming service Amazon Prime Video will be streaming its latest batch of live action this week with a full round of midweek fixtures.
There's some tasty looking features spread out over three days - including the Merseyside derby - followed by another 10 games just after Christmas, so read on for your full guide to getting a Premier League live stream with Amazon Prime.
This week's action also includes Ralf Rangnick's first game in charge as Man United interim manager as the Red Devils welcome Arsenal to Old Trafford.
Below, we’ll show you how to get in on the action and live stream Premier League football on Amazon Prime for all the biggest fixtures - and in some cases, you can even watch free!
Why can I now watch Premier League on Amazon Prime?
Retailer-turned-video streaming service snapped up the broadcast rights for two gameweeks' worth of Premier League fixtures per season back in June 2018, with rights that will take them all the way through to 2022.
While the value of the deal has never been officially disclosed, its reported to have set Amazon back upwards of £90million.
Last season saw Amazon being granted permission to show additional games thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused huge swathes of fixtures to be played behind closed doors. This season things are back to normal, with the streaming service once again showing fixtures from two game weeks - one in late November/early December and the second during the Christmas Bank Holiday period.
When will the Premier League be on Amazon Prime?
The first full gameweek to be shown exclusively on Amazon will be the midweek matches played between Tuesday, November 30 to Thursday, December 2, which includes that huge clash between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park, Watford hosting Thomas Tuchel's high flying Chelsea, and that clash between Man United and Arsenal at Old Trafford.
The next run of games available to stream live on Amazon Prime will be during 'Chrimbo limbo' between Sunday, December 28 to Tuesday 30. That batch includes Man City's trip to Bentford, former Kop boss Brendan Rodgers facing his old side Liverpool as the Reds travel to Leicester and Man United vs Burnley.
Unlike regular old-fashioned TV, Amazon Prime isn’t restricted to individual channels and offers an unlimited list of separate live streams for each match. When several games are on at the same time, you’ll be able to switch between live streams of each match from the menu.
There's a full list of the fixtures further down this page.
To watch all this festive footy goodness you’ll need to be an Amazon Prime subscriber. You can sign up here - a year’s subscription costs £79 a year or £7.99 a month.
One of the great things about Amazon Prime is the wide array of options for accessing the service - Amazon offer apps across all types of smart devices.
If you've got a TV, Blu-ray player or other media player from the last couple of years chances are it'll have the Amazon Prime Video app either pre-installed or available from its app store. There are also bespoke apps for Android and iOS. And while this time last year we decried the lack of a Windows 10 app, that's now been added for those wanting to watch on their PCs.
Can I live stream Premier League for free?
Christmas will be coming early if you’re a thrifty sports fan that’s new to Amazon Prime. That’s because Amazon offers a 30-day free trial to those signing up to the service for the first time.
That means you can sign up at the start of the month and you’ll be able to watch all of the service’s matches over the festive period for nada!
What else do I get with Amazon Prime?
Getting access to Amazon’s video streaming service isn’t the only perk of being a Prime member.
The key benefit is unlimited one-day (and for some areas same-day) delivery on millions of eligible items from the Amazon web store.
You also get access to exclusive Amazon deals (especially around Amazon Prime Day and hunting for Cyber Monday Amazon deals), unlimited photo storage on Amazon Cloud Drive with Prime Photos, plus exclusive access to Prime Music to stream or download tracks and albums.
Can I watch EPL on Amazon Prime video from abroad?
In short...no. Much like Netflix, iPlayer, Disney Plus and pretty much every other TV streaming service, you can expect your viewing pleasure to be curtailed by geo-blocking, That is, you can't watch your usual catalog of shows and streams when overseas.
So if you’re away from the UK but still want to watch the football on your Prime account, then your best option is to download and install a VPN and then log in to a UK IP address.
We've tested all of the major VPN services and we rate ExpressVPN as the absolute greatest out there. It's compatible with loads of devices (e.g. Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Xbox and PS4) and streaming services, ranks amongst the fastest and most secure, and even has an available 30-day money back guarantee so that you can effectively try before you buy. That said, an annual plan currently has 49% off and three months extra free which is much better value.
And one of the things we like most about ExpressVPN is the super helpful 24/7 customer service. If you're having any problems at all connecting, they'll be on hand to sort you out.
Once signed up, you just need to open up the app, find yourself a UK server and then watch Amazon Prime as if you were back at home. It's really that easy.
Amazon Web Services has announced new instances for EC2 in the shape of the C7g.
Announced at the company's AWS re:Invent event, the new instances will be powered by its newest processor, the Graviton3, which is aimed at what AWS labels as, compute-intensive workloads: HPC, batch processing, electronic design automation (EDA), media encoding, scientific modeling, ad serving, distributed analytics, and CPU-based machine learning inferencing.
Graviton2 was announced in December 2019 and launched only in June last year while the original Arm-based Graviton was presented at re:Invent 2018.
This news is developing
Graviton3: What do we know?
Well, AWS says the new edition is 25% faster than the Graviton2, with 2x floating point performances and 3x improvements in machine-learning workloads. Power consumption will be 60% lower - although not much is known about the exact parameters.
They will run on DDR5 memory which should deliver a 50% increase in memory bandwidth. We don't know the core count, the architecture used or the core clock speed.
Graviton2 doubled the core count from the original 2018 model to 64-core and used the ARM Neoverse N1 architecture, a 7nm manufacturing process, which allowed it to reach 2.5GHz.
Graviton3 will face fresh competition from AMD and Intel. The former is expected to introduce its Zen 4 products in 2022 with processors using up to 128 cores on a 5nm process. Intel has already unveiled its Xeon "Sapphire Rapids" processors which brings DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 to the table.
If you're looking for cheap TV sales, then you've come to the right place. We've scoured all the best retailers in the UK to bring you the hottest TV deals on everything from cheap TVs to more premium displays. That means you can relax with your favourite show in style, and your wallet can breathe a sigh of relief as well.
We've done all the searching, so you can simply browse the TV sales below for a size and price that suits you. That means no more obscure model numbers to look up and no more wondering if you've really got the best TV deal around. We've done all that legwork and brought all the need-to-know information right here.
We've organised all the latest cheap TV sales by size here, but it's worth checking out the prices throughout because you might be surprised how large a display you can get for your cash these days. We've also picked out a TV deal of the week, which represents the best outright value for most people.
That means all of these top brands are competing to offer the best tech for the money, so even if you're on a budget, you can still bag yourself some top-shelf features in a cheap TV. Between their powerful upscaling processors, full smart home integration, and, in some cases, Dolby Atmos support, all these 4K TV deals are fantastic value.
The best cheap smart TV deals in this week's roundup all offer awe-inspiring HDR and streamlined 4K upscaling to make everything shine. If you're looking to push the budget, you can also take a look at the best OLED TV prices and deals available right now.
The best TV deal of the week
55-inch Hisense Roku 4K TV: £499£399 at Argos Save £100 - You can snag a £100 discount on this 55-inch Hisense TV right now. It equals a record-low price that we've seen a few times throughout the year. As far as budget 4K TVs go, Hisense still manages to create affordable sets without compromising too far on picture and audio quality – as we found in our review. It's definitely not going to compete with the high-end OLED and QLED TVs, but it'll offer a satisfactory viewing experience when streaming films, watching TV shows and more.
The best cheap TV sales available now
(Image credit: Toshiba)
32-49 inch cheap 4K TV deals
JVC 40-inch Smart Full HD Android TV:£319.99£299.99 at Currys
Save £20 - If you're looking for a 40-inch budget set, this JVC HD TV is a fantastic option, and it's on sale for just £299.99. The HD TV comes with smart capabilities and the Google Assistant built in so you can use your voice to control your TV.
43-inch Hisense Roku 4K TV:£349£279 at Argos
Save £70 - This £70 price cut does mean you're still getting a lot for just £279 with this TV deal from Argos. This is a terrific choice if you want a simple budget Smart TV that can access all the major streaming apps and is the lowest price you can expect to pay for a 4K TV of this size.
Samsung 43-inch TU7020 Smart 4K UHD TV:£429£379 at Argos
Save $50 - Argos has this Samsung 43-inch 4K TV on sale for a record-low price of £379. The 43-inch set from Samsung delivers a bright, bold picture with life-like images thanks to the Crystal processor and 4K HD resolution.
Sony 32-inch HDR TV: £449£399 at John Lewis Save £50 - This 32-inch HDR TV from Sony is well worth a look, especially with this £50 saving. It makes do with 720p resolution, with Freeview Play, a capable Android TV platform, and support for HDR – despite the lack of 4K Ultra HD. A great buy for budget shoppers.
Samsung AU9007 43-inch Smart 4K UHD TV:£549£429 at Currys
Save £50 - If you're looking for a smaller set, Currys has this feature-rich 43-inch 4K TV from Samsung on sale for £429 - £20 less than last week's price. The 4K Ultra HD TV delivers a stunning picture thanks to the dynamic crystal colour technology and works with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant for hands-free control.
Samsung Frame 2020 43-inch 4K QLED TV:£899£799 was at Currys
Save £100 – Score a cheeky £100 off this stunning 43-inch model of Samsung's The Frame TV. With Art Mode for displaying artworks and photography, customizable bezels, and a QLED display, this is a TV for those who think form should match the picture. Includes HDR10+ too.
LG A1 OLED UHD 4K Smart TV (48-inch):£999.99£899 at Currys
Save £100 – This entry-level OLED TV is one of the cheapest ways to get a good OLED screen in your home - though we have seen it drop to £799 so you may want to hold out. With 4K HDR, Dolby Vision, and 20W of Dolby Atmos audio. you're getting plenty of good specs, even if the processor is a bit less powerful than that used in the C1.
Hisense 55-inch R55A Roku 4K TV: £499 £399 at Argos Save £100 - You can snag a £100 discount on this 55-inch Hisense TV. It equals a record low price that we have seen a few times throughout the year. As far as budget 4K TVs go, Hisense still manages to create affordable sets without compromising too far on picture and audio quality – as we found in our review. It's definitely not going to compete with the high-end OLED and QLED TVs, but it'll offer a satisfactory viewing experience when streaming films, watching TV shows, and more.
Hisense 58-inch 4K UHD Smart TV:£549£399 at Very
Save £150 - Very has this Hisense set on sale for just £399 which is the best deal we've seen and a fantastic price for a feature-rich 58-inch 4K TV. You're getting 4K HD resolution, DTS Studio Sound, Freeview Play, and Amazon Alexa built in for hands-free control.
Samsung TU7020 50-inch 4K Crystal UHD Smart TV:£549£479 at Very
Save £70 - This stunning Samsung 50-inch 4K TV is on sale for £479 at Very. That's the best price you'll find for the 4K set that delivers bright, bold colors thanks to the powerful Dynamic Crystal technology and works with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant for hands-free control.
LG 55-inch Smart 4K UHD TV (2021):£469.99£439 at Amazon
Save £30 - An incredible price for a feature-packed 4K TV, AO has this LG 55-inch set on sale for a record-low price of £439. You're getting bright, bold colours and sharp contrasts thanks to the 4K HD resolution, and the smart capabilities allow you to stream your favorite movies and TV shows seamlessly from your home screen.
TCL C72 55-inch 4K HDR QLED TV:£799£550 at Amazon
Save £149 – The main advantage of choosing a QLED screen is that they offer wider viewing angles and superior brightness, so if your TV is going into a big room that receives a lot of light you will be able to get a much clearer picture. TCL has established itself as a low-cost alternative to the likes of Samsung and LG while still producing some well-made sets, so this is a more affordable way to pick up a QLED screen on a lower budget.
LG NanoCell 816PA 50-inch Smart 4K UHD TV:£799£579 at Currys
Save £150 - Currys has this LG 50-inch 4K smart TV on sale for just £579 at today's sale. LG's NanoCell display delivers bold, bright colours thanks to the quad-Core 4K processor, and the ThinQ AI technology allows your TV to become a smart home hub.
Samsung 50-inch Q60A Series QLED 4K TV:£849£599 at Currys
Save £250 - Here's an absolutely amazing price on the Samsung Q60A series QLED TV, courtesy of the Currys TV sale. This is the cheapest price yet on Samsung's excellent entry-level QLED - a display that has Samsung’s Crystal Processor 4K for great upscaling and superb brightness. For casual viewing, it's a stellar choice - although gamers who want 120Hz at 4K will want to go for either the Q70A or Q80A.
Sony Bravia X85JU 55-inch 4K UHD Smart TV:£1,099£779 at Currys
Save £300 - You can score a £300 price cut on Sony's Bravia 65-inch 4K TV at Currys' latest sale. That's the lowest price we've seen for this 2021 set that features Sony's powerful X1 processor and Dolby Atmos for a cinema-like picture experience. You're also getting smart capabilities with the Google Assistant built-in for hands-free control.
Samsung QE55QN94A 55-inch 4K UHD QLED TV:£1,599£1,299 at Richer Sounds
Save £200 - If you're looking for a premium display, Richer Sounds has a nice £200 discount on this Samsung 55-inch 4K QLED TV. Richer Sounds is also offering a free Samsung TV bracket worth £149 with your order, plus a free £100 Richer Sounds gift voucher.
(Image credit: LG)
60-85 inch 4K TV deals
JVC Fire TV Edition 65-inch 4K TV:£599£499 at Amazon
Save £100 - Though there are less expensive options available, the JVC Fire TV is a good value for money option as it comes with a number of quality of life features that the cheaper sets lack. As well as a solid 4K image quality, you also get HDR and Dolby Vision support that you'll appreciate when watching films and TV. The Alexa voice remote is a handy final touch so you can control the TV and other compatible devices with just a few words. 50-inch:£449£349|55-inch:£499£399
65-inch Samsung TU7020 4K Smart TV:£629£549 at Currys
Save £80 – Curry's now has this stunning 65-inch 4K TV from Samsung on sale for £549 - the lowest price we've ever seen. The Samsung set sits squarely between the more expensive LG OLED and budget TCL, and for those after a larger screen with a bit more money to spend, you'll appreciate the Crystal UHD display and HDR10+ support.
Samsung 65-inch Smart 4K UHD TV:£1,099£749 at Currys
Save £350 - Currys has this feature-rich Samsung 65-inch 4K TV on sale for £799 - £100 cheaper than last week's price. The 4K Ultra HD TV delivers a stunning picture thanks to the dynamic crystal colour technology and works with Amazon Alexa and the Google Assistant for hands-free control. 75-inch:£1,299£979
Samsung 65-inch Q70A Series QLED 4K Smart TV: £1299£1099 at Currys Save £200 - We'd recommend the Q70A Series as a great middle-ground between the cheaper TCL and Samsung Q60A series QLEDs and the really pricey Samsung stuff. In particular, the beefy 4K processor and HDMI 2.1 ports in the Q70A make it pretty much the perfect TV to pair up with a PS5 or Xbox Series One since 120Hz at 4K is supported. It's also really, really bright - fantastic for capturing all the detail needed on those games.
Samsung 65-inch QN94A QLED 4K HDR Smart TV:£2,299£1,699 at Samsung
Save £600 - Currys' latest TV deals include this Samsung 65-inch QLED TV that's on sale for a record-low price of £1,699. The QN94A series set delivers a stunning picture with brilliant colours and sharp contrasts thanks to the Quantum HDR powered by HDR10+ and the powerful Quantum processor 4K.
65-inch LG C1 OLED TV:£2499£1699 at Currys
Save £300 – Here's the best price we've seen on the 65-inch LG C1 OLED ever. Most other TVs of this size and similar capabilities are at least £2000, so that shows just how much you're saving here. This premium set features high in our list of best TVs you can buy, especially for those looking to experience 4K gaming at 120Hz on the PS5 or Xbox Series X.
Sony Bravia A84J 65-inch Smart 4K UHD OLED TV:£2,199.99£1,799 at Currys
Save £400 - Sony's brilliant Bravia XR OLED TV gets a massive £400 price cut at Currys. That's the lowest price we've found for the Sony set that packs a 65-inch OLED panel, Dolby Vision, HDR10 and works with the Google Assistant for hands-free control.
More cheap TV sales from your favourite retailers
Not found the right cheap TV today? Or maybe you'd prefer to directly browse the offers at your favourite retailers instead of our highlights of the best smart TV deals? We're updating this page on a regular basis, so you may have better luck another day. If you want to take a look for yourself now though, here are the direct links to a the full collection of TV sales at multiple stores.
Argos - the best place for cheap TVs but regionalised stock
Large screen smart TV deals
If you're after larger smart TV deals, we should warn you, they don't come cheap. However, if you're after 65 to 85-inch TVs- we'd recommend heading over to John Lewis,Currys and Amazon as they seem to stock more models than most UK retailers.
If you'd like a headstart on some of the very finest TVs money can buy, be sure to take a look at our guides for the best 55-inch TV or if you're going large we've got the best 65-inch TV models covered too.
How to tell if cheap TVs are worth it
Cheap TVs can often wow with price tags but disappoint once they're at home and plugged in, however there are ways to find 4K TV deals that bring premium experiences down to lower price ranges. Sacrificing a few features you won't use to prioritise the ones you will is an easy way to get started, but finding that perfect mix might prove difficult.
On the other hand, even displays costing between £300 and £400 are often considered to be cheap TVs, so you'll want to make sure you're getting your money's worth with your new setup. That's where these TV deals come in handy - you can easily get features well above your price range included in your new cheap smart TV if you know when and where to deal hunt.
Nowadays, you'll want to be picking up a 4K TV if you're looking to spend within this price range. Straight HD and HD-ready TV deals are still kicking around some retailers and, for the price you're paying for the previous wave of technology, you could well be picking up a 4K display instead. As the price scale rises, you'll be picking up higher pixel density, better colour differentiation, deeper dynamic range, and better upscaling from pricier units. It's worth checking out the various display specifications to make sure your cheap TV matches up to what others are offering at that particular price point.
Or, you could let us do all of that for you with the 4K TV deals listed here.
(Image credit: Hisense)
Are 4K TV deals getting cheaper?
As the technology progresses, and even leaps into the world of 8K, 4K TV deals are getting cheaper and cheaper, meaning more households than ever are able to afford premium displays like the ones highlighted here. Not only does that show just how cheap these 4K TV deals have become in recent years, but it also means there's more content being made to be displayed on these 4K TVs available as well. So, not only are these sets getting cheaper, but there's also plenty more to watch on them as well.
How to find the best TV deals
We've found that the best TV deals usually come from a few retailers in particular - Very regularly discounts their cheaper models, Currys holds excellent prices on Philips Ambilight displays, and John Lewis can offer up invaluable peace of mind with their extensive warranty guarantees.
So, you know where to shop but if you're not seeing any particularly enticing offers -you might be searching at the wrong time. The best TV deals are usually between November and January, when Black Friday and holiday sales are discounting premium displays left and right. However, you'll also find the summer sales fruitful as well.
What to look for in smart TV deals
The vast majority of TV deals on offer right now will offer Smart TV functionality. It's now become the norm for your TV to offer at least a limited selection of streaming and on demand apps, but the quality of this experience will vary between models. Cheap smart TVs will typically send you home with preset apps like Netflix, YouTube, BBC iPlayer, All 4, and UK TV Play among other everyday streamers.
However, if you spend a little more you'll start finding Alexa compatibility, more niche app options like Disney Plus, CrunchyRoll, and NowTV, and a faster, slicker operating system. You'll find more options for connecting extra services on more premium smart TV deals.
After a lot of speculation, Xiaomi has finally announced its mid-range smartphone in India. The Redmi Note 11T 5G makes its way out right before the year ends, offering users yet another device to consider before making a purchase decision.
The Redmi Note 11T 5G is essentially a rebadged Redmi Note 11 that was recently launched in China. When compared to its predecessor, the Redmi Note 10T that had landed in July, the device from Xiaomi offers a lot of changes and upgrades.
The new smartphone brings forth a new design besides enhanced specifications on multiple fronts such as a new 5G capable chipset, better camera setup, display with high refresh rate and fast charging.
The Redmi Note 11T 5G will retail at Rs.16,999 for the base variant with 6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. The 6GB RAM and 128GB variant is priced at Rs.17,999 while the price of 8GB and 128GB variant has been set at Rs 19,999. The Redmi Note 11T 5G has Aquamarine Blue, Matte Black, and Stardust White colour options.
The device can be bought starting December 7 from Amazon India, Xiaomi's official website, Mi Homes and a few other preferred partners.
As a launch offer, Xiaomi is offering Rs1000 off and has also partnered with ICICI bank to offer Rs. 1000 offer an additional Rs. 1000 off for ICICI bank customers.
In recent times, we have seen quite a few teasers around the Redmi Note 11T 5G with Xiaomi’s VP Manu Jain regularly offering glimpses while building up the hype for the launch event. The phone comes with a large 6.6-inch full-HD+ LCD panel with a 90Hz adaptive refresh rate and 240 Hz touch response rate. The display comes with Corning Gorilla glass protection and has IPx 53 certification.
Under the hood, the phone has a 5G capable MediaTek Dimensity 810 SoC. Though ahead of the launch, there were speculations that Xiaomi might switch the chipset to a Snapdragon one, the company has decided to go with the same configuration as its Chinese counterpart.
The phone is available in three memory and storage variants including – 6GB/64GB, 6GB/128GB and 8GB/128GB. The memory on this phone is LPDDR4x and the storage is UFS 2.2. The phone also comes with virtual RAM enhancement offering up to a max of 3GB additional RAM when required.
While there is an option to increase the storage via a micro-SD card, we were expecting a 256GB onboard storage on the top-end variant.
In terms of optics, the phone comes with a dual rear camera setup with a primary 50MP snapper and an 8MP ultra-wide shooter. On the front, the phone has a 16MP camera housed under a punch-hole cutout to take care of selfies and video calls.
The Redmi Note 11T 5G is powered by a 5,000mAh battery pack with support for 33W Pro fast charging (included in the retail box) over a USB Type C port. The phone runs on Android 11-based MIUI 12.5 out of the box and is expected to get the Android 12-based MIUI 13. it also comes with an IR blaster to help control appliances at your home.
The Note 11T 5G takes on the likes of Moto G31 that was recently launched and Realme 8s 5G that runs on the same chipset but is priced aggressively.
Paytm, one of India's top digital payments companies, recently helmed the country's largest ever public issue to raise Rs.18,300 crore. Since then, the company has been waging a perception battle seeking to explain its business model to investors as well as investment advisors.
Side-by-side, Paytm is also expanding use cases for its services. Having launched its branded transit card for paying for metro services, bus, train and parking at select cities, the company has now brought out a card-on-file tokenization option for which it has partnered with top digital brands and payment biggies Mastercard and Visa.
The Paytm Payments Bank Transit Card is available currently in Hyderabad and will soon be rolled out across the country as part of a "One Nation, One Card" plan that equips owners to cover all their daily needs.
Transit card and tokenization - what do they offer?
The company said in a statement that Paytm Bank users will no longer need to carry multiple cards in their wallets as the Transit Card also enables ATM withdrawals. The card, launched in a partnership with the Hyderabad Metro Rail, can be obtained via a simple application submitted digitally with the option of online recharges. The card gets delivered at the user's doorstep or they can buy it at designated sales points.
In another initiative, the company also announced a tokenization feature that would allow users to avoid entering their credit or debit card details each time they make an online transaction. Currently, the feature is available for purchases on Myntra, Dominos Pizza and Oyo Rooms, among others.
Paytm Payments Services CEO Praveen Sharma believes that with this initiative from the company, the merchant partners will be able to offer seamless, secure payments to their users. The company tied up with Mastercard, Visa and Rupay to offer their payment token gateway to the eCommerce platforms and merchants.
With the partnership, the card on file tokenization service will be available for all of Paytm's consumers and merchants, the company said. It is aligned with the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI's) guidelines which said that “saved cards” feature won't be allowed on a merchant network anymore, a press statement says.
Paytm mentioned that "a tokenized card transaction is considered to be safer as the user's actual card details are not shared with the merchant. Instead, tokenization makes way for the card's details to be stored as a unique, irreversible ‘digital token' instead of a 16-digit number," it adds.
A panel of Indian lawmakers studying the information and technology industry in the country is far from happy over Facebook's responses on preventing hate mongering. The Parliamentary committee that questioned Facebook India officials on Monday as part of its hearing, sought safeguards on the platform to prevent polarization and any possible tampering of the country's democratic process.
Further, the panel of Indian law-makers also decided to summon the Facebook whistleblower Sophie Zhang, the data scientist who published a memo detailing the way Facebook was used to influence global politics. She had specifically spoken about how the platform was allowed to be used for polarisation of opinions during the 2020 Delhi riots.
The panel will need Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's permission to summon Zhang as overseas citizens cannot be directly called to appear before such panels. Zhang had shared dossiers with the Parliamentary panel led by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor.
Yesterday, when the House panel quizzed the Facebook India team that was led by its head of policy Shivnath Thukral, the mood was said to be fiery. The Facebook officials were grilled for close to two hours based on whistleblower revelations and many reports that laid bare the ways that social media platforms to look away while opinions were allowed to be polarised among the people and also interests of specific business groups were furthered.
At the end of the over-100 minute long questioning session, the parliamentary panel members were reportedly not satisfied with the response of the Facebook team that is said to have dead-batted most questions. The panel members have asked Facebook to provide more details in writing on the safeguards they talked about.
Facebook officials also reportedly claimed that there was little truth to the claims of the whistleblowers, and that an internal investigation was underway in the matter.
The parliamentary panel asked Facebook about its methodology to curb hate speech in different languages, especially in the Indian context. Facebook apparently has content reviewers only in Hindi, Tamil, Urdu and Bangla, whereas the are 18 more languages recognized by the Constitution.
Another incongruity, though not a major one, is that the press communique issued by the Parliament, on which we based this report, continued to refer the company as Facebook India even though the company is now rechristened to Meta. It is not clear why the previous name is still being persisted with in Indian records.
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GajiGesa, a fintech company focused on services for Indonesian workers, announced today that it has raised $6.6 million USD in pre-Series A funding. The round was led by MassMutual Ventures, with participation from January Capital, European earned wage access company Wagestream (EWA is GajiGesa’s flagship feature), Bunda Group, Smile Group, Oliver Jung, Northstar Group partners including Patrick Walujo, Nipun Mehra (the CEO of Ula) and Noah Pepper (Stripe’s head of APAC). Returning investors included defy.vc, Quest Ventures, GK Plug and Play and Next Billion Ventures.
Agrawal and Malinowska said in a press release that GajiGesa’s team has doubled in size over the past six months to over 50, and the startup plans to use its latest funding on product development, expansion across Indonesia and entering new markets in Southeast Asia.
The startup is aimed at unbanked workers and focuses on earned wage access, which lets people withdraw their wages immediately instead of waiting for monthly paychecks, because the founders—husband-and-wife team Vidit Agrawal and Martyna Malinowska—said that gives workers much more liquidity and protects them from predatory lenders.
GajiGesa now works with more than 120 companies in a wide range of sectors, including factories, plantations, manufacturing, retail, restaurants, hospitals and tech companies. Based on a survey of its clients, GajiGesa claims that over 80% of their employees have stopped using informal lenders because of its EWA feature and 40% are using other financial services through the platform like bill payments and data recharge.
The company offers an employer app called GajiTim, which it claims is Southeast Asia’s “first and largest integrated employee management solution.” By that, it means that employers can manage a wide array of workforce administrative tasks, including part-time and full-time employees and gig workers. The company says GajiTim currently has more than 200,000 users.
In a statement about the investment, MassMutual Ventures managing director Anvesh Ramineni said, “[GajiGesa’s] integrated platform combines customer-centric product design and world class technology infrastructure to ensure they are uniquely positioned to empower an chronically underserved market and help expand financial resilience for millions across Southeast Asia.
Meet Upway, a French startup that is building a marketplace for second-hand electric bikes. The startup just raised a $5.7 million (€5 million) seed round from Sequoia Capital and Global Founders Capital.
If you’re familiar with the world of online marketplaces for cars, Upway will sound familiar to you as well. The company buys electric bikes from both customers and companies. They check them and repair them in case something is broken. After that, Upway lists and sells the electric bikes on its website.
Right now, the startup has a warehouse in Gennevilliers near Paris. A team of five repairpersons check each bike that arrives with a list of 20 different tests. Upway can then ship the bike to customers in a cardboard package — the handlebar and pedals are detached from the frame.
On average, bikes are 20% to 50% cheaper than their original cost. You can find products from many familiar brands in the electric bike industry, such as Moustache, VanMoof, Cowboy and Canyon. All electric bikes come with a one year warranty.
Why electric bikes and not normal bikes? Co-founder and CEO Toussaint Wattinne told me that electric bikes are the fastest growing segment of the bike industry. Last year, 500,000 electric bikes were sold in France — that’s a 30% increase compared to the previous year. And yet, due to supply chain issue, it’s not always easy to find and buy a new electric bike right now.
Moreover, there’s more friction when you buy a second-hand electric bike as you don’t know if the motor still works fine and you’re not sure if you’ll have to replace the battery when you get it. And, of course, electric bikes are expensive goods so you want a no-fuss experience.
Upway buys bikes directly, which means that it technically owns the stock of electric bikes. It’s going to be a capital-intensive startup. But many companies have thrived in the used car marketplace space. Upway could follow the same path and grow alongside the electric bike industry.
Endowus is the latest investment app in Southeast Asia to raise follow-on funding, adding $35 million SGD (about $25.6 million US) to its war chest. The round was led by Prosus Ventures, the venture firm majority-owned by Naspers, and EDBI. Participants included SoftBank Corp.-owned Japanese tech conglomerate Z Holdings.
Returning investors included UBS, Singtel Innov8 and Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Endowus raised its $23 million SGD Series A just seven months ago, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners and SoftBank Ventures Asia. The new round brings Endowus’ total funding to $67 million SGD (about $49 million USD) and puts it in the company of other apps that have quickly raised follow-on funding as appetite for retail investing grows in several Southeast Asian markets. These include Pintu, Syfe and Ajaib, all based in Indonesia; and Singapore-based Stashaway.
Co-founder and CEO Gregory Van told TechCrunch that Endowus raised again because it was approached by strategic investors “who really understood our long-term goals with a shared desire to accelerate our growth traction to help more people reach their financial goals. We believe we have discovered a strong product-market fit in Singapore, growing by over $1 billion SGD in assets in 2021 alone.” In terms of what stage Endowus is at now, Van said the new round “is between a Series A and B for us.”
“Until our first external fundraise earlier this year, Endowus was 100% employee-owned and incubated, so we are a bit off the standard cycle.”
Endowus, which launched full service less than two years ago, says it currently has $1.5 billion SGD in total assets under advice. One of the main ways Endowus is different from other investment apps in Singapore is that it is the only digital advisor in Singapore where users can manage both private cash and pension savings and get advice from financial experts, said co-founder and CEO Gregory Van. For example, it’s the only robo-advisor that can advise and help people invest in their national pension savings (Central Provident Fund), which Van says is “one of the key wealth pillars for Singaporeans with up to 37% mandatory contribution rates.”
The new funding will be used to speed-up Endowus’ growth in Singapore, hiring for geographic expansion and product development. The company recently surpassed 100 employees, and plans to double that over the next year.
“While we can reach profitability today by cutting back on some costs, we do not think it is the right strategy. More than anything we want more people to use Endowus digital wealth app to reach their financial goals,” Van said. “To that end, we will continue to pursue accelerated growth, with profitability to follow as the company scales rapidly.”
In addition to Endowus’ Core and Satellite portfolios, users also have the ability to “customize and build solutions with real-time advice on the platform with access to over 150 best-in-class funds,” he added, and can save up to 50% on annual investment costs with no sales fees and 100% trailer fee rebates.
