Like a hungry wolf, Amazon’s image recognition software is now able to detect fear (plus seven other emotions) in humans.
Amazon claims that the system, Rekognition, could already spot people who were happy, sad, angry, surprised, disgusted, calm or confused. It can also accurately identify a person’s age range and gender, and works with both video and still images.
“Today, we are launching accuracy and functionality improvements to our face analysis features,” the company said in a blog post.
“Face analysis generates metadata about detected faces in the form of gender, age range, emotions, attributes such as ‘Smile’, face pose, face image quality and face landmarks.”
Now look here
There are plenty of reasons why detecting a person’s emotions might be useful. It could tell an advertiser how a person is reacting to a product, enable medical professionals to help patients who are non-verbal, or (in theory) help law enforcement spot people who are acting suspiciously in public.
This last application is the most controversial as it can lead to false alarms, which is why San Francisco has chosen to ban police from using facial recognition in the city.
Not everywhere is so hesitant, though. UK police forces are trialling real-time facial recognition for identifying risks at crowded events such as music festivals, and a property company in London has recently admitted to using the technology “in the interest of public safety” to widespread alarm.
Rekognition might now be more accurate, but Amazon has its work cut out making facial recognition palatable in public spaces.
Having the best business smartphone is an absolute essential for many workers these days.
With phone makers offering devices perfect for employees of all levels, we’ve updated this guide to give you the very latest buying advice to help you choose the best smartphones for business use.
Although some of these selections may overlap with our best phones for casual use, we’ve identified how these picks will help your business too.
1. Samsung Galaxy Note 9
The absolute best business phone in the world right now
Release date: August 2018 | Weight: 205g | Dimensions: 162 x 76.4 x 9mm | OS: Android 8.1 | Screen size: 6.4-inch | Resolution: 2960×1440 | CPU: Exynos 9810 | RAM: 6/8GB | Storage: 128/512GB (up to 1TB with card) | Battery: 4,000mAh | Rear camera: 12MP + 12MP | Front camera: 8MP
Much better battery
Improved S Pen
Hefty device to hold
Mostly iterative upgrades
If you want the very best business smartphone, no matter what the cost, then the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is the one to go for. It’s got a spec list to die for, including a huge screen, bags of RAM, a huge 4,000mAh battery and up to 1TB of storage. It’s also got a microSD slot and a headphone jack – something that many modern smartphones lack. It’s also got some great business-specific features, such as an improved Bluetooth stylus (known as the S Pen), and if you plug it into a USB-C dock or USB-C to HDMI, it can be used in DeX mode, replicating a desktop-environment that can replace your desktop PC. Seriously impressive.
You’ll be in good hands if you opt to give your employees the Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus, which is also our pick for the best smartphone in the world right now. It improves on almost every aspect of the phones that have come before it, with supremely powerful components, a dazzling 6.4-inch QHD Super AMOLED display and a top notch camera – but it’s not all fun.
The battery has also been given a huge boost to 4,100mAh, which means you can comfortably use it all day without worrying about recharging it. While it doesn’t quite have the business focus of the Galaxy Note 9, which is our pick for the best business smartphone, it’s still one hell of a great handset from Samsung.
The OnePlus 6 is an affordable flagship handset, and offers one of the best Android phone experiences on the market, especially when using it for work. You have the choice of either 6GB or 8GB of RAM depending on your needs – for most people 6GB will be more than enough. The battery life could be better, so make sure you have easy access to a charger if your work depends on you always being connected, and there’s still no microSD support on the OnePlus 6, much like previous OnePlus phones, but you do have the choice of either 64GB or 128GB of internal storage.
The true highlight of the OnePlus 6 is the price, though, and this may will be one of the best devices for you on this list if you’re looking to spend as little as possible on a top-of-the-range phone for your business needs.
If you’re looking for the best Apple business smartphone, then the iPhone XS is the one to get. It’s the pinnacle of Apple’s smartphone design, offering a gorgeous 5.8-inch OLED screen, improved battery life and an amazing camera that’s arguably the best you’ll find on a smartphone. It may be very expensive, but if you want a business smartphone that can do almost everything, and with a gorgeous design, then this is the one to get. If you’re on more of a budget, but still want an Apple device, consider the iPhone 8, which is also on this list.
A great enterprise phone particularly when paired with the Dex dock
Weight: 195g | Dimensions: 162.5 x 74.8 x 8.6 mm | OS: Android 7.1.1 Nougat | Screen size: 6.3-inch | Resolution: 1440 x 2630 | CPU: Exynos 8895 | RAM: 6GB | Storage: 64GB/128GB/256GB | Battery: 3300mAh | Rear camera: Dual 12MP | Front camera: 8MP
Amazing performance
Impressive camera
Very expensive
Weak speaker
Samsung has produced another excellent productivity-focused device with the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, making it one of the best smartphones for business. Thanks to the large Infinity Display you get loads of screen space to work on, without the body being too bulky to carry around, and the S Pen stylus is something not a lot of other phones can offer and the all-round speed is almost breathtaking at times. It’s certainly worth looking at if you want a brilliant business smartphone, especially now that its price has dropped.
Release date: November 2018 | Weight: 189g | Dimensions: 157.8 x 72.3 x 8.6mm | OS: Android 9 | Screen size: 6.39-inch | Resolution: 1440 x 3120 | CPU: Kirin 980 | RAM: 8GB | Storage: 256GB | Battery: 4200mAh | Rear camera: 40MP + 20MP + 8MP | Front camera: 24MP
In-screen fingerprint scanner
Great triple cameras
UI needs refinement
High price
Huawei has been steadily releasing some excellent smartphones that offer specs and features that rival its more established (and expensive) Western rivals. The Huawei Mate 20 Pro is one of the firm’s best releases yet, and it’s one of our picks for the best business smartphone you can buy in 2019. It comes with a huge 6.39-inch display with a QHD resolution and HDR10 support, plus a large battery that lasted a day and a half in our tests.
A fantastic Android-focused device that fits in the palm of your hand
Release date: November 2018 | Weight: 148g | Dimensions: 145.6 x 68.2 x 7.9mm | OS: Android 9 | Screen size: 5.5-inch | Resolution: 1080 x 2160 | CPU: Snapdragon 845 | RAM: 4GB | Storage: 64/128GB | Battery: 2,915mAh | Rear camera: 12MP | Front camera: 8MP + 8MP
Google’s great camera got better
Great one-hand-friendly size
Battery life not as good as 3 XL
Design a little bezel heavy
Google’s flagship phones are brilliant performers, and the fact they come with stock Android without any annoying bloatware or complex user interfaces means they are great choices for business phones. The Google Pixel 3 comes with a decent 5.5-inch full HD screen, a battery that’s capable of about a day’s worth of use and one of the best cameras we’ve seen on a smartphone. If you want a pure-Android experience, the Pixel 3 is one of the best business smartphones you can buy right now.
Apple’s classic offering is fast, smart and water resistant
Weight: 148g | Dimensions: 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3mm | OS: iOS 11 | Screen size: 4.7-inch | Resolution: 750 x 1334 | CPU: A11 | RAM: 2GB | Storage: 64/256GB | Rear camera: 12MP | Front camera: 7MP
Good low light camera
Wireless charging
Limited upgrade from iPhone 7
Battery better, but not great
Apple’s iPhones are always popular options with great build quality, a simple user interface and a wealth of quality business apps at your fingertips.
Although not the latest offering from Apple, the iPhone 8 does offer good speed, powerful hardware and a water resistant body. While Apple has since released the more premium iPhone X, its high price tag makes that a difficult smartphone to recommend for businesses. That’s not to say the iPhone 8 is cheap – it’s not – but if you’re kitting out your team with these phones, you’re going to get more for your money.
If your firm is currently rocking iPhone 7 and 7 Plus handsets there’s no need to upgrade, but for those using older devices – especially the 5 variants and below the iPhone 8 offers a far superior experience.
If you’re reading this, you must be having some kind of issue with slow internet speed that’s stopping you from doing something specific, such as streaming video, playing online games or downloading large files.
And you’ve probably already to see how fast your internet connection is. (It’s best to do this when no-one else is home so you can find out the speed when you’re the only one using the broadband connection.) If you’re with BT, here’s how to get maximum speed from BT Broadband
When you’re sharing your connection with other people, you can’t all have the full-speed internet as there is only so much bandwidth to go around. But we’re going to show you how to get a big slice, or maybe even all, of the bandwidth from your router for faster internet. At the expense of everyone else, of course!
Method 1. Ask others to stop using the internet
Ok, so before you go for the subterfuge, you could – and should – talk to the people you live with. If you want to call someone on Skype, but find that the video keeps freezing because Tom (yes, you Tom!) is binge-watching the latest season of House of Cards, you might like to arrange a suitable time beforehand so you’re not both using a big chunk of your bandwidth.
Of course this works both ways, so you’ll have to avoid doing those things which require many megabits per second at some point to pay back the favour. Expecting others to stay off the internet every night just so that your ping rate on Call of Duty stays as low as possible isn’t really going to endear you to the others. (Here are some tips on how to reduce Ping latency.)
Method 2. Use Ethernet, not Wi-Fi
One way to improve the speed and reliability of your connection is to plug directly into the router… if you can. Wi-Fi may well give you freedom, but an Ethernet cable gives you stability and avoids the various obstacles, such as walls, which can hamper your Wi-Fi experience.To get technical, Ethernet is full duplex, but Wi-Fi is only half-duplex. In essence Wi-Fi is much slower than Ethernet.
Obviously this helps you not one jot if you’re using a phone or tablet, but if you have a PC or laptop with a network port – not a given these days – look to see if there is a Gigabit port on your router (your manual will tell you which one – and you can Google the router type to if you don’t have the paper version to hand). It’s only worth looking for a Gigabit port if your laptop or PC has a Gigabit network controller of course, but this could be up to 10 times faster than the regular 10/100 Ethernet ports, but you’ll be limited to your broadband speed for any internet-related activities.
Also, note that this tip won’t give you priority over other users, but will eliminate random elements in your house that could cause you to have a reduced or erratic Wi-Fi speed.
Method 3. Use Powerline adapters
Routers aren’t always positioned in convenient places, and really should be in the centre of the house to provide the best coverage for everyone. So if you can’t plug directly into the router itself you could always use powerline adaptors, which use the mains wiring in your home to communicate.
The principle is simple, you buy a couple of powerline devices, plug one into the wall socket nearest the router and the other in the socket nearest your computer, then connect each adapter to the router or PC with an Ethernet cable. Now it’s like you’re plugging directly into the router, even though you might be on the other side of the house.
Method 4. Change ISP
Before you do this, ascertain the various capabilities of your service and equipment. To check whether the speed you’re getting is what your ISP promises, open a browser and go to . Here you’ll be able to run a simple test that will show you how fast your net connection is. If your speed is below 5-10Mb then it might be worth seeing if there are any services, such as BT Infinity or Virgin Media, that are offered in your area as there isn’t much that a router can do if the supply it receives is slow.
Here are the best broadband deals, if you are thinking of switching for better speeds.
Method 5. Tweak router settings for quality of service
It’s a sad truth that so many people spend many hundreds of pounds, thousands even, on computers, phones and tablets and then connect to the internet via the basic, free router that was supplied by their ISP. Don’t get us wrong, some are very good, but often these devices are old technology and certainly not top of the line. Getting the optimum performance out of them is essential then, and can be done with a few tweaks.
Dual-band settings
Ideally you’ll want to have a dual-band router, as these allow you to allocate different devices or applications to different bandwidth. For example, 802.11n can run on 2.4GHz and 5GHz: routers that support both are known as dual-band. You must get one which supports simultaneous dual-band so it can operate on both frequencies at the same time, which most do.
Assuming that your phone, laptop or other Wi-Fi device supports 5GHz (some don’t) you can connect to your router’s 5GHz network for streaming, gaming, and other things that require low latency. Because fewer devices (including those owned by your neighbours) use the 5GHz network, it’s generally less congested and faster.
Some routers, such as the Archer C9 below, let you control bandwidth to specific IP addresses which means you can set a device on which you want lots of Wi-Fi bandwidth to a static (fixed) IP address, and then set the minimum bandwidth to high figures.
Strangely TP-Link uses “Ingress” and “Egress” rather than “In” and “Out” or “Download” and “Upload”. The actual number you can use might be found only using trial and error. This should improve your Wi-Fi performance.
Quality of Service settings
Another important setting to adjust is that of Quality of Service (QoS). If your router has this feature, it will allow you give priority to certain types of applications and / or specific computers. Again the interface will vary depending on your router, with TP-Link calling it Bandwidth Control.
TP-Link has introduced an app for Android and iOS called Tether that allows you to control your settings via an easy interface on your phone or tablet, and Linksys is doing something similar in their new range.
Depending on the router and model, QoS might only deal with outgoing traffic. This is why it’s helpful when playing online games which are time-critical.
Generally, your ISP will control prioritisation of data from the internet to your home, so there’s little you can do to ensure you have no buffering issues when others are also using the internet.
Method 6. Buy a new router
As we mentioned above, it’s very common for most never to even consider replacing our free routers with more advanced models. In a survey conducted by Linksys it was discovered that nearly 50 percent of respondents were using routers that were running versions of Wi-Fi that were at least twelve years old. This becomes an issue when the same survey reported that 84 percent of those interviewed stated that they regularly streamed movies/TV, while also streaming music, playing games, or surfing the internet at the same time.
Replacing your cheap or old router with a newer, more powerful model is an obvious choice, and here are the best routers to buy. Bear in mind though that to get the best out of the latest Wi-Fi standard that new models offer, you’ll need to check that your computers and devices support the same standard, or at least that both will run at a faster speed than on your old router.
Last year’s Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite proved immensely popular with Tech Advisor readers for combining the great-value hardware of Xiaomi with the purity of Android One rather than MIUI. The Mi A3 is an exciting update to the line that introduces a brand-new design and several interesting features in the mid-range space.
Mi A3 was announced in Spain on 17 July. It has not yet been announced in the UK, so the only way to get hold of one here is to ship it from abroad. We were able to source a review sample from GearBest, which lists the Mi A3 at , and . In Spain it costs €249 and €279 respectively, so those are decent prices.
Both models are storage-upgradable via microSD, up to 256GB, but it’s a hybrid slot so you must choose between dual-SIM and extra storage space. It might make sense to plump for the extra storage from the get-go, given the small difference in price.
There are three colour options, with blue, grey and white ‘holographic’ or iridescent finishes, which react with light to produce a stunning effect. We’re testing the ‘Kind Of Grey’ option, which has a mirror-like, premium finish.
Xiaomi’s latest Android One phone looks entirely different to those before it, with a new 19.5:9 aspect ratio and Dot Drop (waterdrop-style) screen notch. It’s a mid-range phone but with a very sleek design – its curved edges and smooth glass make it feel somewhat pebble-like in the hand, with no rough edges. It’s a seamless design, surprisingly resilient in the face of greasy fingerprints, and it looks great.
Mi A3 is covered in tough Gorilla Glass 5 front and rear to offer resistance from drops and accidental damage, yet it remains delightfully thin at 8.4mm. We’ve yet to see a waterproof Xiaomi phone, so don’t expect anything different here.
However, while it is very slim, the rear camera module juts out, and we found the phone would often rock on the desk when typing – it’s not a huge issue, but annoying all the same.
In the previous generation we saw a headphone jack on the Lite model but not the standard A2. A Lite model has not been announced for 2019, but Xiaomi has seen fit to reinstate this headphone jack in the standard A3. There’s also a mono speaker to the bottom right of the USB-C port, which is surprisingly loud and pumps out audio that is mostly good, though drop down the volume a notch or two and you’ll find a big improvement with less distortion.
Arguably a bigger change in this new iteration is the fingerprint sensor. Previously found at the rear of the phone, Mi A3 integrates an in-display version. During our testing we found it fast and responsive, which is likely due to the larger surface area devoted to recognition.
Less happily there is no NFC support, which means you won’t be using this sensor for mobile payments – and we’d expect to be able to use Android Pay on an Android One phone. You will find an increasingly rare IR blaster for using the Mi A2 as a remote control for a compatible TV, but we’d rather have NFC.
The screen is only a touch larger than the Mi A2’s 5.99in panel, at 6.088in, but it feels very different due to its tall aspect ratio, which allows Xiaomi to increase the screen size without increasing the overall width. Moreover, it’s an AMOLED panel, which is our favourite type of screen tech due to its rich, vibrant colours, deep blacks and excellent contrast.
It’s also brighter than before, according to Xiaomi, now at 530cd/m2 in comparison to the Mi A2’s 403cd/m2. We found this made it much easier to interact with the phone in broad daylight.
Less favourable is the move from a Full-HD+ resolution to just HD+, and the Mi A3 offers 1560×720 pixels. So nothing’s quite as sharp as you might expect, but while you’ll notice the difference beside a Full-HD phone, viewed on its own the screen remains of a very good quality.
Mi A3 Performance
Xiaomi’s new Android One phone is powered by the Snapdragon 665, which is successor to the 660 we saw in Mi A2. It’s not a huge jump in performance, and actually a year on we found ourselves expecting a little more, but an improvement it is, and it does also lend itself to better photography.
Both versions of Mi A3 come with 4GB of LPDDR4X memory, which is what we would expect at this price point.
Performance in our benchmarks revealed a phone that is is capable but not spectacular, able to turn its hand to all daily tasks including video playback, but won’t want to be taxed with anything too intensive.
We recorded 5672 points in the multi-core component of Geekbench 4, and 141,263 in AnTuTu. In GFXBench it turned in playable framerates of 52fps in T-Rex and 34fps in Manhattan, but less impressive performance in Manhattan 3.1 (26fps) and Car Chase (13fps).
That makes Mi A3 faster than Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite, but it’s difficult not to compare performance to the Mi 9T, which is only slightly more expensive but reveals another jump up again in performance. (And it has NFC.)
Battery life, meanwhile, is extraordinary. In part helped by the high-capacity 4,030mAh cell – a generous improvement over Mi A2’s 3,010mAh battery – but also the reduced screen resolution, the Mi A3 recorded a very high 10 hours 53 minutes in Geekbench 4’s battery test.
We’re not surprised to see Xiaomi leave out wireless charging to keep down the price, but we appreciate the support for Quick Charge 3.0. While Mi A3 supports up to 18W fast charging you’ll find only a 10W charger in the box, however.
Mi A3 Photography
Mi A3 is the first Android One phone with a triple-lens camera. It boasts a 48Mp Sony sensor with an f/1.79 focal length, as well as an 8Mp ultra-wide-angle and 2Mp depth sensor. The specs are better than you’d have any right to expect at this price, but the proof is in the pudding.
In daylight we found the Mi A3 was able to capture sharp, high-detail photos with accurate colouring. The bokeh mode isn’t fantastic, but with some tweaking it can take some decent portraits.
Scroll through some test shots in the slideshow below:
It is possible to shoot full-48Mp pictures in Pro mode, but the quality is not as good as it would be if you allow the automatic pixel binning to combine four pixels into one, which returns much better-quality 12Mp shots.
All the various modes you would expect are present, including Panorama for the front camera for capturing group selfies, and if you turn on AI it will intelligently select the scene. Real-time filters can be applied too, though we found switching between them slow in Portrait mode.
It’s not only at the rear that Mi A3 impresses with photography. Nestled into its new Dot Drop screen notch at the front is a 32Mp selfie camera with f/2.0 aperture. As with the main camera it supports AI for intelligent scene selection, alongside pixel-binning that combines four average 1.6um pixels into one super pixel, for great results even in low light.
Using only the filters we found Mi A3 was able to take some high-quality selfies. You also get skin smoothening, face slender and eye widening beautify modes, which can be quite aggressive at their maximum values.
Mi A3 Software
What really sets apart Mi A3 from the rest of the Xiaomi line is its inclusion of Android One rather than Xiaomi’s MIUI interface, albeit with the addition of Mi Store and Mi Community apps. Though MIUI is a custom version of Android 9.0 Pie, and Android One is simply a pure version of that OS, we often find western users are less familiar and therefore less comfortable with it than they are standard Android. We think some of the extra features such as Dual Apps and Second Space are worth having, but admit that in comparison MIUI can feel rather bloated.
One of the biggest advantages of running a pure version of Android is the speed with which updates can be rolled out, since they don’t first need to be adapted to fit the custom interface. Android One phones are always the best to get security patches, new features and operating system updates.
Android One phones are guaranteed security updates for three years after their release, which certainly can’t be said for all budget- and mid-range phones.
Mi A3 Conclusion
The Mi A3 might be a mid-ranger, but in the Android One space it feels like a flagship, thanks to its triple-lens camera, in-display fingerprint sensor, and gorgeous design.
We’d like to see slightly faster performance, but the Snapdragon 665 is a reliable chip, and will serve most users well. The memory allocation is also sufficient, but it would nice to have 6GB of RAM available as an option.
We can turn a blind eye to the reduced screen resolution given the fact it’s a significantly better screen, but the lack of NFC just doesn’t sit right for an Android One device.
Overall, we think of Mi A3 as a rival to the Google Pixel 3A in photography and performance, but at a significantly lower price. If your budget will stretch just a little higher the Mi 9T is an excellent choice with a slightly faster chip and NFC.
Some MacBook Pro 15-inch models have been branded a fire risk by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and therefore you won’t be able to take them on board an airplane.
You may remember that back in June, Apple initiated a recall for certain MacBook Pro 15-inch laptops sold between September 2015 and February 2017 for a battery replacement. At the time, the company noted that these portables could contain a battery that might overheat and pose a ‘safety risk’.
This affected a limited number of these notebooks, and you could check if your MacBook Pro was hit by this problem (and still can) by entering your serial number here.
It’s these MacBooks which the FAA has alerted major US airlines about, noting that it was “aware of the recalled batteries that are used in some Apple MacBook Pro laptops”, as Bloomberg reports.
Airlines were told to follow safety regulations from 2016 for products with batteries under recall, meaning that these affected MacBooks can’t be taken on a flight due to that potential fire risk (unless they have had the battery replaced by Apple).
Bloomberg further notes that it has obtained internal documents showing that this week, four airlines – TUI Group Airlines, Thomas Cook Airlines, Air Italy, and Air Transat – have banned the MacBook Pro models in question.
These airlines all have the cargo side of their operation managed by Total Cargo Expertise, and that firm has told staff members: “Please note that the 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro laptop, sold between mid-2015 to February-2017 is prohibited on board any of our mandate carriers.”
The laptops are banned from both the cargo hold, and from being brought on board into the actual cabin.
Departure debacles?
Bloomberg also states that airport staff will be making announcements about these MacBook Pros at the departure gate, and flight attendants before take-off.
This does raise some questions, though. If somebody is carrying a MacBook Pro 15-inch, how exactly will airport staff check whether it’s an affected model?
Also, devices which have had their battery replaced aren’t banned – but if airport staff find a traveler has one of the recalled units, what if the owner claims the battery has been replaced; how is that then verified by staff?
None of this practical side of the implementation of the ban is clear from the info divulged so far, and it’s not too difficult to imagine that this could potentially make for some thorny issues and frustration for MacBook Pro owners at the departure gate.
In Europe, the aviation safety watchdog (EASA) didn’t go as far as an outright ban on the affected MacBook Pros, but if one of the laptops is brought on board a European flight, it is required to be switched off and not used (or charged) at all.
The Fitbit Versa is going to see a successor, it seems (and not the Fitbit Versa Lite), as leaks and rumors regarding the Fitbit Versa 2 are starting to circulate, and we’ve just heard quite a bit about the new device.
This information comes courtesy of two different leaks, which together give us a picture (metaphorically and literally) of what the Fibit Versa 2 could look like.
The first piece of information comes from Bulgarian website Olx , on which a user has shared photos of what appears to be the Fitbit Versa 2 box (we don’t know where from). Loads of information can be seen on the packaging, most importantly that the Versa 2 will come with Amazon Alexa integration, which backs up a previous rumor we heard about this.
It’s unclear the extent to which Alexa will work, whether you’ll be able to use the whole library of Alexa Skills and commands, or just a select few voice controls that let you change your music or check the weather.
The box shows an image of the Versa 2, of course, and it doesn’t exactly look like a huge redesign of the original. In fact, we’re having trouble spotting any differences.
The same could be said about the functions. The back of the box lists things like 4+ day battery life, 18 different exercise tracking modes, Fitbit Pay, music playback, and more, but most of them seem identical to the original Fitbit Versa. All in all it doesn’t seem like there are many major changes in the Versa 2, although there might be slight upgrades in certain areas.
The second leak comes from Tizenhelp, and it’s a graphic seemingly pulled from the Fitbit website or a user manual, which gives an indication of what Alexa in the Fibtit Versa 2 can do. Images show people checking the weather, turning off lights, setting a timer, and chatting (although we’re not totally sure on this one).
This picture gives us a clearer idea of what Alexa can do on the Fibit Versa 2, but all these tasks are small conveniences rather than demanding functions, so it’s still not clear just how advanced the artificial assistant is in its Fitbit form.
We’ll likely find out soon though, as the Olx source suggests the wearable will be released on September 15, so if the information turns out to be accurate you could be able to access a wrist-based Alexa very soon.
UFC returns to California this weekend with its next big PPV and the heavyweight title will be on the line in UFC 241’s main event rematch. Current heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier will defend his title against the opponent he won it from in the first place back in July of 2018, Stipe Miocic. Sound good? Then keep reading to discover the best ways to get a UFC 241 live stream – no matter where you are in the world.
UFC 241 – where and when?
UFC 241 will take place on Saturday, August 17 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
The early preliminary card will begin at 6.15pm ET with the preliminary card starting at 8pm ET. The main card will start a few hours later at 10pm ET, 7pm PT and 2am BST.
Stipe Miocic defended his title three times before losing to Cormier by knockout in the first round at UFC 226 in July last year. Cormier, who already held the title of light heavyweight champion at the time, became the new heavyweight champion and only one of four fighters to hold two UFC championships simultaneously.
While Cormier fought three times last year, Miocic has not fought a match since his defeat but he has been hoping for a rematch. At UFC 241 this Saturday, Miocic will get his chance and we’ll see whether he or Cormier is the better fighter.
Elsewhere on the card, Nate Diaz will return to the Octagon for the first time since losing to Conor McGregor in August 2016 and the former lightweight title challenger will take on Anthony Pettis in a welterweight match.
Whether you’ll be cheering for Cormier or Miocic during Saturday’s MMA action, we’ll show you how to live stream UFC 241’s card from anywhere in the world – for US viewers, you should just head straight to ESPN+.
Live stream UFC 241 from outside your country
Worry not if you’re a huge UFC fan but aren’t in the US to watch that ESPN+ coverage this weekend. If you find the coverage is geo-blocked, you can try using a VPN to change your IP address to a US server and watch this week’s main card just as if you were back at home.
Virtual Private Networks are also handy if you’re concerned about streaming safely on the web, thanks to the encryption they use to hide your details. And the best won’t log your personal information, either. We’ve tested hundreds of VPNs and can recommend Express VPN (it even comes with a 30 day money back guarantee).
Simply put, this is our pick as the #1 VPN in the world right now. You can watch on many devices at once including Smart TVs, Fire TV Stick, PC, Mac, iPhone, Android phone, iPads, tablets etc. Check out Express VPN and get 3 months FREE on an annual plan.
How to watch UFC online in the US exclusively on ESPN+
ESPN+ has the live broadcast rights to show UFC 241 as well as all upcoming UFC Fight Nights. ESPN+ has already made a name for itself by hosting big-ticket tennis, soccer and boxing events.
If you don’t already have a subscription, then the way to go seems to be a UFC Bundle, costing you $79.99. That won’t just buy you the UFC 241 PPV, but you’ll get a year-long subscription to ESPN+ (that would normally cost $60 alone).
BT Sport has the exclusive rights to UFC in the UK and Ireland. The good news for subscribers is that unlike some UFC events in the past, the card won’t be PPV, with all the action being shown at no extra cost on BT Sport 1 HD.
The Main Card starts quite late in the UK at 3am so do prepare accordingly. If that’s a bit too late for you, don’t worry as BT Sport also offers a spoiler-free replay page which will showcase reruns of the two main fights shortly after their completion as well as the full main and preliminary cards at a later time.
For those who don’t mind losing sleep to catch all the action at UFC 241, BT Sport will also show a live stream of Cormier vs Miocic 2 on its BT Sport app and on its website.
If you’re a BT Sport subscriber but find yourself outside the UK and want to tune in, it’s easy to do with a handy tool – simply grab a VPN and follow the instructions above to live stream the action.
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Live stream UFC 241 on PPV in Australia
As with most big ticket fighting events (think boxing and WWE, too) UFC 241 is being streamed exclusively in Australia by Main Event. It will be broadcast live over the course of Sunday afternoon, with coverage kicking off at 12pm.
It’ll cost you $54.95 to buy the fight, which you can access either via Foxtel or Optus.
The UFC 241 card in full
Main Card
-Daniel Cormier (c) vs. Stipe Miocic – for heavyweight title
