Author: Danielle

After Game of Thrones came to a dramatic end in May, many of us have been left with a Jon Snow-shaped hole in our hearts. 

You may not be left craving the return of winter for too long however, with the announcement that a Game of Thrones prequel will air in 2020, with an all-new cast and completely new plot. 

Set around 5000 years before the events of GoT, the new series is expected to take place in the Age of Heroes, a period of time that saw the formation of the powerful Houses, and the first time the dreaded White Walkers descended on Westeros. 

With a working title of Bloodmoon, the Game of Thrones prequel is a collaboration between George R. R. Martin and screenwriter Jane Goldman. 

Right now, the prequel is only confirmed for a pilot, so only time will tell whether we get a full series; until then, here’s everything we know about the Game of Thrones prequel Bloodmoon so far. 

Cut to the chase

• What is it? A Game of Thrones prequel, set 5000 before GoT
• What’s it called? Still TBC, but the working title is Bloodmoon
• When will it be released? It’s scheduled for release sometime in 2020

The Game of Throne prequel, which has a working title of Bloodmoon, is set around 5000 years before the events that take place in the original Game of Thrones series. 

According to HBO, the new series will “chronicle the world’s descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour”.

The synopsis continues: “From the horrifying secrets of Westeros’s history to the true origin of he White Walkers, the mysteries of the East to the Starks of legend, only one things is for sure: it’s not the story we think we know.”

(Image credit: Jeff Kravitz / FilmMagic for HBO)

When and where can I watch Bloodmoon?

Currently, we don’t have a firm release date for the Game of Thrones prequel, but we do know that the pilot episode is set to air sometime in 2020. 

If you’re in the US, HBO Go will likely be the go-to place to stream Bloodmoon, which will require a HBO subscription.

If you’re outside the US you won’t be able to do this as HBO Go is only supported in the US and “certain US territories”. In the UK, Game of Thrones was available to watch on Sky Atlantic and NowTV – we imagine that the prequel will also appear on these platforms. 

In Australia, GoT was available to stream on Foxtel Now; again, the likelihood is that Bloodmoon will be available to stream here, too. 

Who is confirmed to be working on Bloodmoon?

The creators of the new series are George R. R. Martin and British screenwriter, Jane Goldman, whose past work includes Kick-Ass, Kingsman: The Secret Service, and Stardust. 

HBO says: “Both will executive produce, alongside SJ Clarkson (The Defenders, Jessica Jones, HBO’s Succession and the upcoming Star Trek installment), who will also be directing the pilot episode; James Farrell; Jim Danger Gray; Vince Gerardis; Daniel Zelman and co-executive producer Chris Symes.”

(Image credit: CBS Photo Archive / Scott Kowalchyk)

Who will star in Bloodmoon?

We know quite a few of the Game of Thrones prequel cast members already, but the most character information we’ve gleaned so far is that Oscar-nominee Naomi Watts “headlines as a charismatic socialite hiding a dark secret”. 

According to HBO, she is joined by Miranda Richardson (Rita Skeeter from the Harry Potter films), Marquis Rodriguez (Manifest), John Simm (Strangers), Richard MCabe (Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams), John Heffernan (Dracula), and Dixie Egerickx (Summerland). 

Other confirmed cast members include Josh Whitehouse (Poldark), Naomi Ackie (Lady Macbeth), Denise Gough (Monday), Jamie Campbell Bower (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald), Sheila Atim (Harlots), Ivanno Jeremiah (Humans), Georgie Henley (The Chronicles of Narnia films), Alex Sharp (How to Talk to Girls at Parties) and Toby Regbo (The Last Kingdom, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald).

(Image credit: HBO)

Bloodmoon: everything we know so far

From the synopsis released by HBO, we can glean a few details about the Game of Thrones prequel. While we don’t have a firm release date aside from 2020, as well as no guarantee that the pilot will be made into a full series, HBO and George R. R. Martin have given us a few teasers to work with so far:

Westeros is very different place

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, George R. R. Martin confirmed that the Westeros in Bloodmoon will be very different from the one we came to know and love in Game of Thrones. He said:

“Westeros is a very different place. There’s no King’s Landing. There’s no Iron Throne. There are no Targaryens – Valyria has hardly begun to rise yet with its dragons and the great empire that it built. We’re dealing with a different and older world and hopefully that will be part of the fun of the series.”

More recently, Martin revealed that Westeros is divided into “roughly 100 kingdoms in the prequel”, far more than the Seven Kingdoms we’re used to. 

Don’t expect Jon Snow to make an appearance

Being set thousands of years before A Song of Ice and Fire, we’re not expecting to see many (if any) characters from the original series. So, if you were hoping for fan favorites like Tyrion Lannister, Jon Snow, and  Ned Stark to reunite, you’ll likely be disappointed. 

That’s not to say that we won’t see any old characters though…

Winter is coming

We know that Bloodmoon will take place during the Age of Heroes, a four thousand-year period in the history of Westeros, which was canonized through myths and songs years later. 

While we don’t know exactly when during the Age of Heroes that the new series will take place, we do know of a few key historical events that took place in this time frame. 

The most famous of these is the Long Night, in which the White Walkers, led by the Night King, sought to “bring an end to all life and cover the world in an endless winter”, according to Fandom. 

Of course, the Night King features heavily in the last few seasons of Game of Thrones – could we see a comprehensive White Walker origin story?

Starks, Direwolves, and mammoths… but no dragons

Just because Ned Stark is about 5000 years from being born, doesn’t mean that we won’t see any Starks at all. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Martin confirmed that ““The Starks will definitely be there”, being descended from the First Men. 

We’ll also a return of the beloved Direwolves, as well as a new type of creature to contend with: mammoths. 

Die-hard dragon fans will be disappointed though; the prequel reportedly predates dragons entirely. 

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This plus sized iPhone from Apple was launched alongside the iPhone 7 in September 2016. Until the iPhone X landed, we thought it was the best iPhone on the market, with big improvements on the camera and battery fronts from previous large-screen iPhones.

If you’re looking for a big screen iPhone that won’t break the bank then the 7 Plus could be a good fit. Prices fell very nicely on the advent of the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus and it is far cheaper than the big iPhones like the XS Max – if you go for the earlier iteration you could even end up paying around £300 less than it costs to get the newer massive iPhones. 7 Plus prices can now be found for less than £30 per month.

If you’re dead set on grabbing this huge iPhone now, then to help you navigate we’ve got a handy comparison tool which is designed to help you zero in on the cheapest deals. Underneath that we’ve chosen what we think are the best value options overall for the biggest networks out there. And if you still need some persuading, we’ve added a brief review of the iPhone 7 Plus to the bottom of the page.

See also: iPhone 8 Plus deals | iPhone 8 deals | Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus deals | iPhone 7 deals | iPhone 6S Plus deals | Mobile phone deals

Top 5 best iPhone 7 Plus deals this month:

Unlike some other sites we don’t manipulate the order of these deals for commercial gain, so the handpicked deals below really are the best iPhone 7 Plus deals for EE, O2, Three and Vodafone right now. Don’t forget – if you’re looking for something a little different, our comparison widget above is the perfect way to sniff out your perfect deal. This page is for the best iPhone 7 Plus deals in the UK, but if you’re after Australian deals, check out the best Australian iPhone 7 Plus deals page. 

There’s no denying the iPhone 7 Plus’s brilliance – just look at the fantastic cameras, supercharged performance and waterproof design. But that doesn’t disguise the fact that it doesn’t build massively on the iPhone 6S. If you want true innovation, you’ll have to pay the extra for 2017’s iPhone X or the even more recent iPhone XR and iPhone XS 

Read more in TechRadar’s full iPhone 7 Plus review

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A malicious email campaign looking to blackmail victims has affected millions of innocent users around the world, a new report has found.

Researchers from Cofense Labs have published a database of over 200 million compromised accounts hit by a wide-ranging campaign that is looking to spread malware and rake in ransoms from innoncent victims.

The campaign used a “for rent” botnet was used primarily to send sextortion emails, which look to extort money from the victims by threatening to release sexually-explicit content reportedly accessed on their device.

‘Spray and pray’

Cofense Labs analysed over seven million email addresses impacted by sextortion in the first half of 2019 alone, finding that more than $1.5M in payments had been made to bitcoin wallets associated with sextortion campaigns this year. Many of these accounts were included in recent data breaches, but some were as much as ten years old.

The company says that poor password hygiene, including infrequent changes and reuse across multiple sites, is worsening the issue. Cofense is advising that anyone with emails included in the database should immediately change the passwords for any accounts linked to that address – and if a sextortion email is received, to not respond to the email or pay the ransom.

“This botnet is not infecting computers to acquire new data sets – it is a true “spray and pray” attack reusing credentials culled from past data breaches to fuel legitimacy and panic through sextortion scams,” said Aaron Higbee, Cofense Co-Founder and CTO. 

“If your email address is found in a target list used by the botnet, it’s highly likely you will receive a sextortion email – if you haven’t already. We felt it was critical to get this information out. We hope that victims receiving a sextortion email will find our resource center so they can avoid the anxiety and stress of trying to figure out whether to pay a bitcoin ransom.”

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Despite the fact that there are 188,620 extensions available on the Chrome Web Store, most of these extensions are either dead or dying down as only very few have active installations.

A recent scan of the entire Chrome Web Store, conducted by Extension Monitor, has revealed that almost 50 percent of all Chrome extensions have less than 16 installs which means that half of the Chrome extension ecosystem is basically deserted. 

Additionally, 19,379 extensions (a little over 10 percent) have zero installs while 25,540 extensions (13 percent) have just one user. The scan also found that very few Chrome extensions have managed to establish a dedicated userbase.

Google Chrome has over one billion monthly active users and its large install base could be a huge potential market for extension developers. However, according to Extension Monitor, around 87 percent of all extensions have less than 1,000 installs.

Chrome extensions

While many extensions have only a few installations, only 13 extensions have been able to cross the 10m mark which is the highest user count threshold available on the Chrome Web Store.

These 13 extensions include Google Translate, Adobe Acrobat, Tampermonkey, Avast Online Security, Adblock Plus, Adblock, uBlock Origin, Pinterest Save Button, Cisco Webex, Grammarly for Chrome, Skype, Avast SafePrice and Honey.

A few extensions are getting closer to the 10m mark but the number of extensions with multi-million userbases is still quite small. This is especially true when you compare Chrome extensions with Android apps as Android also has over one billion monthly active users.

Extension Monitor’s research shows that Chrome extension ecosystem is dominated by a few very large players while the rest struggle to gain more users. The company will conduct two scans in the future with additional details on the most populated extensions categories and how extensions handle permissions and content security.

Via ZDNet

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• This article originally appeared on Android Central and has been inducted into our Back to School guide

It’s getting close to the back-to-school season, when students will be out buying the supplies that will carry them through the next year in their education. For MacBook users, there are a number of great accessories you should think about picking up to enhance your Mac experience, from a great backpack for carrying your computer around to a great portable drive.

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

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(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

Our recommendations

For a college student, a lot can center around the bag you carry. Between your MacBook, books, and other supplies, you want something that can fit everything you need. The JanSport Cool Student Backpack has enough space for your MacBook and most other things you’ll need at school on a day-to-day basis.

The next thing I’d get is an external drive, whether you want it for backups or storing your movie collection. While it can be a little price compared to a hard drive, the Samsung T5 SSD is small and incredibly fast, a great choice whether you’re throwing it in your backpack or using it in your dorm.

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• This article originally appeared on iMore and has been inducted into our Back to School guide

Back to school time is in the air, which is when many families and students decide to purchase a new MacBook. Before making a purchase, there are a few things to keep in mind and consider. Happy shopping!

Decide on a screen size first and portability

(Image credit: Future)

Apple has two laptop lines, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Each product line is somewhat distinct for offering different screen sizes. Your first decision should be to decide on the screen size you want. If you want a 13.3-inch model, you’ll have to decide whether to get a MacBook Air or 13-inch MacBook Pro based on other specifications.

Along with screen size, be aware of the weight of the machine and how that could affect portability. All of today’s MacBook models are lighter than past models. However, some remain heavier than the others. Especially for those on a large campus, there’s a big difference in carrying a 2.75 pound MacBook Air and 4 pound 15-inch MacBook Pro.

Buy as much processor speed as you can afford

Apple doesn’t allow you to swap out parts on any of the current MacBook models. With this in mind, zero in on what you can afford and go with it — starting with the processor speed. Expect to pay around $200 more as you move up to a better processor. However, don’t go overboard.

If you’re only purchasing a new laptop to take notes and write reports, save yourself some money and purchase less. Conversely, if you’re planning on doing creative work using an Adobe product or something like Final Cut Pro, go with a bigger processor.

Same goes for RAM

(Image credit: Future)

Deciding how much computer memory to buy is also crucial. Random access memory, or RAM, is your system’s short-term data storage. The larger the RAM, the quicker your computer can access data. Additionally, the more programs your system is running, the more memory you’ll need.

Again, Apple doesn’t let you change RAM on MacBooks after purchase, so you’ll want to choose wisely.

How about storage?

With the advent of cloud-based computing, the amount of onboard storage on computers isn’t nearly as significant as it was just a few years ago. With this in mind, I recommend not purchasing the minimum storage that’s available on any given MacBook. That number, which currently stands at 128GB, probably isn’t enough for most people over the long-term. Conversely, having over 1TB of storage on a laptop is perhaps too much for most folks.

Consider a portable hard drive

You should back up your MacBook regularly using the built-in Time Machine feature. For this, you should invest in a portal hard drive. These come in various sizes and price points with many often being on sale.

Get a case

MacBooks are beautiful devices. Unfortunately, they are also fragile. To protect your investment, be sure to purchase a case or bag.

Do buy AppleCare+

Buying a MacBook isn’t cheap; replacing parts without a warranty is also expensive. Each Apple laptop comes with one year of hardware repair coverage. I recommend purchasing AppleCare+ to extend that coverage to three years. You can buy your coverage at the time of purchase or at any time during the first year.

Yes, education pricing is available

Year-round Apple provides discounts to qualifying higher-education students, parents purchasing on behalf of higher-education students, and faculty and staff at higher-education and K-12 institutions. In the lead-up to new school years throughout the world, Cupertino typically adds extra incentives to convince you to buy through them.

For 2019, Apple is offering a mix of goodies, including up to $200 off a Mac purchase and free Beats Studio3 Wireless headphones with certain items. Discounts on AppleCare+ are also available.

Promotions are available through Apple’s online store, retail stores, and authorized campus stores.

But check Amazon, too

After years of bickering, Amazon and Apple began playing nice with one another at the end of 2018. Since then, Amazon has fast become one of the most popular places online to purchase Apple products, including a full line-up of current and past MacBook models.

Amazon has been aggressive when it comes to discounting Apple products. However, don’t expect to see huge discounts on current models. Instead, the largest deals can be found on new past models, which are always marked as Previous Model.

At the time of this writing, for example, you should expect to pay hundreds of dollars less on a 2018 MacBook than its original retail price. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide whether the older model has the specs that you need. Typically, however, Apple only offers minor hardware changes between products year-to-year.

A word of caution: Be on the lookout from Apple products on Amazon marked Renewed. These products are not new.

According to Amazon:

• “Renewed products work and look like new. These pre-owned products are not Apple certified but have been inspected and tested by Amazon-qualified suppliers. Box and accessories may be generic. All Renewed products come with the 90-day Amazon Renewed Guarantee.”

(Image credit: Future)

Finally, look at our cheat sheet

(Image credit: Apple)

Here’s a breakdown of what’s different with each MacBook model:

MacBook Air: With the recent retirement of the 12-inch MacBook this is now Apple’s least expensive laptop. It even has Touch ID and is the only current MacBook model to come in gold.

13-inch MacBook Pro: The smaller of the two Pro models is excellent for those looking for a smaller laptop but still want premium parts inside.

15-inch MacBook Pro: Here’s the one for designers and anyone else who wants a large display. It’s also the most expensive model, even at its entry-level.

12-inch MacBook: Apple recently retired this model, which was last updated in 2017. If you’re willing to except a little less real estate and older internals, you can find great discounts on this model at third-party retailers.

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If you’ve ditched regular TV and you’re getting your fix online, we bet you’re using Netflix. The online streaming platform has more than 140 million subscribers worldwide, so it’s made sure there’s a diverse range of Netflix shows, as well as exclusive Netflix TV series, for viewers with a range of tastes to enjoy.

UPDATE: It’s shaping up to be one hot summer over on Netflix. Not only has the latest season of Stranger Things landed, but now the new (and not to mention final) season of Orange Is The New Black is here too. Does the last season give the characters we’ve come to know and love the ending they deserve? You’ll have to head over to Netflix to find out. 

If you’re more after fact than fiction, you may want to check out The Great Hack: an expose around the Cambridge Analytics data scandal – or the brand new Enter The Anime documentary, which features interviews with animators throughout the Japanese TV industry.

Netflix offers a huge number of TV shows, from old classic sitcoms and soaps to the site’s own Netflix Originals, produced in-house and birthing the likes of Bojack Horseman, Orange is the New Black, and the brilliantly quirky Russian Doll – which has just been renewed for a second season!

But long gone are the days when there’d be one big show everyone was talking about at the water cooler – now there’s all sorts of big-hitters and cult hits competing for your eyeballs, with TV shows being added and removed from Netflix on almost a daily basis. 

The streaming platform will need to keep up its winning streak of great TV content, with rising subscription prices and fierce competition from the likes of Disney Plus, and Apple TV Plus when they launch later in the year.

We’ve put together this guide to the best Netflix shows that you can watch in the UK right now – and so you can keep up-to-date with Netflix’s busy release schedule, which we’ll be updating you on once a week. You can check out the box to the right for the best Netflix shows by category – comedy, drama, sci-fi, Netflix Originals, and the like – or read on below for what’s coming and going on the service.

If you’re more of an Amazon Prime fan, and there’s a lot to love about this Netflix rival at the moment, then you can see all the best Amazon Prime TV shows in our separate guide.

(Image credit: netflix tv)

New Netflix TV shows

There’s a great selection of new shows to watch on Netflix right now, including the second season of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which is even stronger, darker and spookier than the first, as well as a new season of Charlie Brooker’s sci-fi future shock series Black Mirror.

Last month our top pick was When They See Us, the hard-hitting new drama miniseries from Ava DuVernay, which is a powerful look at systemic racism in the US featuring some exceptional performances. In fact, since its release earlier this month, the show has become the most popular series Netflix has ever featured on the platform – in short, it’s a must-watch. 

Netflix has also welcomed the third and final season of Jessica Jones, the season season of Dark (a German language Netflix Original series), the third season of Stranger Things – which could just be the best yet – and the final season of Orange is the New Black.

And if you just can’t get enough of Stranger Things star David Harbour, you’ll be happy to hear he’s released a mockumentary on Netflix called Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster: Frankenstein. From the trailer (below), it looks like a funny spoof, with great acting from Harbour. 

What’s coming soon to Netflix?

For Netflix TV shows, there’s a lot to look forward to later in the year too. 

The third season of GLOW will land on August 9, 2019. Not to mention further seasons of Bojack Horseman, The Crown, Manhunter, Lucifer and Sex Education on their way.

For fans of Jim Henson’s puppetry classic, The Dark Crystal, Netflix’s 10-part prequel series Age of Resistance will be landing on August 30. They’ve even stuck with real puppets.

More details have also been revealed about The Witcher TV show. The Netflix adaptation of The Witcher game and book will be released before the end of 2019, the company has now confirmed.

Neil Gaiman fans will be happy to hear that it looks like Netflix and Warner have agreed on a deal to bring Gaiman’s fantastical Sandman horror stories to life. Early reports suggest there will be 10 episodes based on the award-winning comic books and Gaiman himself will be co-writing at least one of the episodes. Get ready to enter The Dreaming!

Here’s some of the brilliant Netflix UK shows you can expect in 2019:

• Dear White People, Volume 3 – August 2, 2019
• GLOW, Season 3 – August 9, 2019
• Mindhunter, New Season – August 16, 2019
• The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance – August 30, 2019
• Disenchantment, Part 2 – September 20, 2019
• The Witcher – late 2019
• Bojack Horseman, New Season – Date Unknown
• The Crown, New Season – Date Unknown
• Lucifer, New Season – Date Unknown
• Sex Education, New Season – Date Unknown
• Ozark, New Season – Date Unknown
• Umbrella Academy, New Season – Date Unknown
• For more, read our round up of the best upcoming TV shows and movies on Netflix

(Image credit: Netflix)

Netflix UK FAQ: quick questions answered

How much does Netflix cost in the UK? There are a few different plans you can choose from in the UK, depending on whether you want to watch in SD, HD, or Ultra HD (4K) – dependent on the strength of your internet – and how many separate devices you want to watch on.

Basic– £5.99 per month – With the cheapest membership option, you can watch one one screen at a time in Standard Definition, and download videos to one mobile device. 

Standard – £7.99 per month – This membership allows you to watch in HD on two screens at a time and download videos to two mobile devices.

Premium – £9.99 per month – The most expensive subscription allows you to watch in HD and Ultra HD on four screens at a time, and download videos to four mobile devices. 

How can I get a free Netflix account? Netflix offers new customers a free month of the service as a trial period – simply choose a membership type and payment plan and your first month will be free.

At the end of this period, if you choose to continue watching Netflix, you’ll be charged one “low monthly fee” regardless of how much you used the service and on how many devices you watched videos on. 

Netflix will send you a reminder towards the end of your trial period – if you want to cancel your membership, you can do so at any time during this period and you won’t be charged. 

Can I watch live TV on Netflix? No – you can only watch films and TV series from Netflix’s rather extensive library. If you want to watch live TV in the UK, you can try services like Sky’s Now TV, BBC iPlayer, or ITV Hub.

Is Amazon Prime better than Netflix? The answer to that question really depends on the shows and movies you want to watch. Check out our roundup of the best Amazon Prime Video TV Shows for an idea of what you can watch on Amazon Prime. You can also read our Amazon Prime review for more information on what the service offers.

Do you get Netflix free with Sky Q? Netflix can be accessed on a Sky Q box, but it doesn’t come for free – you’ll still need to sign in with a paid-for Netflix subscription. However, if you opt for Sky’s Ultimate on Demand package, it will integrate Netflix billing with your Sky bill, while reducing its cost and unlocking Netflix recommendations within the Sky Q interface. If you’re paying for both services, it’s well worth combining them in this way as a result.

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