It may well be the most glamorous sporting event of the year (take THAT wet Tuesday nights at Stoke City) – it’s time for the much anticipated Monaco Grand Prix 2018 weekend. You may not be able to take your place on a quillion-pound yacht in the famous harbor, but we can tell you how to stream F1 live absolutely FREE and from anywhere in the world you live.

Steeped in both history and glitz in equal measure, the twisty turny GP around the streets of Monaco are always a race worth tuning in for. And it comes at a very interesting juncture in the season. Lewis Hamilton is looking for his third Monaco Grand Prix victory, which will help him to consolidate his place at the top of the F1 2018 Drivers’ World Championship standings.

But Sebastian Vettel has also won here twice before, including a dominant win at Monte Carlo last year. While the two Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen will be hoping to kick start their championship, having gone quickest in first practice on Thursday morning.

Thankfully, it’s much more simple to watch the Monaco Grand Prix from the comfort of your own TV than to compete in it, and on pretty much any device at that. Read on to find out how to live stream F1 coverage for free –  anywhere in the world.

How to live stream F1 in the UK for free:

If you’re in the UK then Channel 4 is the way to go for today’s free-to-air coverage. And the station’s All4 platform is free and straightforward to access on a range of devices including tablets, mobile phones, personal computers and Smart TVs.

Rather not have to sign in? Then the alternative way to access Channel 4 is by going to TVPlayer.com. It’s a free, legal, online streaming service based in the UK which offers hundreds of channels – and you don’t even need to sign in to stream F1 live.

Formula One 2018 is also being shown on Sky Sports F1. Live streaming of all F1 races is available online to Sky customers with a subscription to Sky Sports F1, as well as access to a mobile device with the Sky Go app. 

So if you already have a Sky subscription and prefer its coverage to Channel 4’s, then job’s a good’n. If you want the Sky coverage but don’t want to splash out on a full Sky contract you could always purchase a day, week or month pass using NOW TV. A daily pass costs £7.99, and is available on more than 60 devices, including TV, mobile phones, and games consoles, and you can register up to four of them.

How to watch the Monaco Grand Prix for free anywhere else in the world

If you’re outside the UK and try to start streaming the Monaco GP on All4, you’ll soon discover that you can’t as it is location restricted. But there’s a way you can watch for free anyway. By downloading and installing a VPN, you can effectively trick your computer into thinking that it’s in the UK. That way you can enjoy the free coverage without having to pay your local broadcaster or find an illegal stream.

It’s really easy to get started with a VPN – here’s how to do it:

How to watch the Monaco Grand Prix: US stream

In the US, NBC Sports will be showing live coverage of every race weekend throughout the season. You’ll need an NBC cable subscription to get access, but once you do, you’ll get access to NBC’s Formula One Live Extra platform, which gives you live coverage and highlights on your smart TV or mobile device.

But our clever little VPN workaround above works equally effectively if you’re in the US. That means you can catch the F1 without having to pay a cent for it.

Stay safe during the Monaco Grand Prix

Photos courtesy of Formula1.com

http://www.techradar.com/news/how-to-watch-the-monaco-grand-prix-online-for-free-live-stream-f1-from-anywhere

Update: New Surface Phone information suggests it might have a built-in projector, come in two models and go by the name Surface Mobile.

The Surface Phone is the stuff of smartphone legend, with rumors of the device dating back to 2012.

Since then it has popped in and out of the limelight, but just when we think it might be dead new leaks and rumors will emerge.

We still don’t know a huge amount about the Surface Phone, but we’ve collected all the up to date leaks and rumors below, along with our thoughts on what it needs if it’s going to help Windows 10 Mobile break out from iOS and Android’s shadow.

Cut to the chase

• What is it? Microsoft’s next flagship smartphone
• When is it out? Probably not before 2018
• What will it cost? It’s sure to have a flagship price

Microsoft Surface Phone release date

There has been talk of the Surface Phone for years now, and while we’re still not 100% sure that it even exists, the rumors never seem to stop.

Throughout 2017 we kept seeing rumors that an announcement was around the corner, and yet we didn’t get even a hint of an actual release date. At this point we’re starting to think that Microsoft is just messing with us. 

That might not actually be true though, the latest leak in a very long line of leaks, suggests that the long-rumored Surface Phone is in the final stage of testing. At least, according to a bit of code hidden within Windows 10.

Who knows when we’ll get our hands on the Surface Phone, but we hope it actually exists.

Microsoft Surface Phone screen

Hottest leaks:

• A 5.5-inch QHD screen
• ClearBlack AMOLED technology

Most rumors so far suggest the Surface Phone will have a 5.5-inch display, and the resolution could be 1440 x 2560 – though that leak came in 2015, so could be out of date.

That same dated rumor suggests it will have a ClearBlack AMOLED display. ClearBlack is a technology which reduces reflections, and has been used on some Lumia phones, while AMOLED is most famously used by Samsung, but has also appeared on Windows handsets such as the Microsoft Lumia 950, and typically delivers vivid colors with great contrast.

TechRadar’s take: Given that both AMOLED and ClearBlack have a history of use on Windows handsets their inclusion here wouldn’t be surprising, while many flagships have 5.5-inch 1440 x 2560 displays, so that too is believable.

Microsoft Surface Phone design

Hottest leaks:

• A metal unibody

Don’t expect the colorful plastic that Lumia handsets are known for, as the only remotely recent Surface Phone design rumors suggest it could have an aluminum-magnesium unibody – so metal in other words.

TechRadar’s take: It’s too soon to have much confidence in design rumors, but it would make sense for Microsoft to launch a premium-looking handset, distinct from the Lumia line, so a metal unibody is very possible.

Microsoft Surface Phone camera and battery

Hottest leaks:

• A 21MP camera
• Very fast and wireless charging

Early camera rumors suggest a 21MP snapper on the back and an 8MP one on the front, but this leak is now quite dated (having emerged in late 2015), so if it was ever true it may not be any more.

We don’t know what the battery will be, but it’s rumored that the Surface Phone will use a Snapdragon 835 chipset, which supports Quick Charge 4.0 for supposedly 20% faster charging than the current Quick Charge 3.0 system on many flagship phones. Wireless charging has also been rumored.

TechRadar’s take: We’d expect a high-spec and high-quality camera on the Surface Phone, but don’t count on a 21MP one given the age of that rumor.

Microsoft Surface Phone OS and power

Hottest leaks:

• A Snapdragon 835 and 6GB of RAM
• Up to 128GB of storage
• Serious productivity skills

The Surface Phone is bound to run Windows 10 Mobile, given that it’s a Microsoft device, and it’s expected to run full desktop apps through Continuum – a feature that lets you connect phones to a display and use them like a computer.

In fact, we’ve heard that Microsoft wants the Surface Phone to be a real alternative to a computer, and for it to be both the best phone in the world for productivity, and also the most secure phone.

There could also be three different versions of the handset – a consumer model, a business model and a pro version. Elsewhere we’ve heard talk of two models, known as Surface Peking and Surface Slavonia, though with no information on how they differ.

As for the specs, there’s talk of 6GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 835 chipset, which was the main flagship chip of 2017, but now that 2017 has come and gone, we hope it gets a more modern CPU. Though earlier rumors pointed to Intel chips, which could give it more in common with a PC. We’ve also heard that it could come in 64GB and 128GB sizes.

TechRadar’s take: The Surface Phone is sure to have flagship specs, which, if it launches this year, likely would mean a Snapdragon 835 chip and 4 or 6GB of RAM. Though if multiple models launch some will presumably have different specs.

Microsoft Surface Phone other features

Hottest leaks:

• A keyboard and stylus
• A fingerprint scanner in the screen
• A built-in projector

The Surface Phone could have a lot going for it beyond raw power. For one thing it may support accessories, like a keyboard and a stylus, which would certainly help with productivity.

Microsoft may also build a fingerprint scanner into the screen. That’s something we could also see on the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and iPhone 8 if rumors are to be believed, but in Microsoft’s case the company has patented exactly that idea.

If the Surface Phone does put a fingerprint scanner in the screen it could potentially have a smaller, slimmer body.

There’s also talk of a projector, which could project a desktop display (for use with Continuum) onto any flat surface, likely using a stand of some kind to angle the projection. This is likely to generate a lot of heat though, as the same source says it will only be usable for “more than an hour”.

TechRadar’s take: It would make sense for the Surface Phone to support accessories, given Microsoft’s rumored productivity push, but we wouldn’t count on seeing a fingerprint scanner in the screen, as patents often don’t turn into products.

http://www.techradar.com/news/microsoft-surface-phone-release-date-news-and-rumors

Update: Uber is ending its self-driving car program in Arizona, the company said in an internal memo on May 22. 

The decision affects about 300 test drivers who were part of Uber’s program in Phoenix, according to MarketWatch. The publication called Arizona Uber’s largest testing ground.

Uber’s self-driving car operations will continue in San Francisco, Toronto, and Pittsburgh. 

Uber said in a tweet on May 22 that working with the city of Pittsburgh “towards a safe return to self-driving operations is our top priority.”

Uber had suspended all of its self-driving tests following the death of a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona who was struck by one of its self-driving cars while it was in autonomous mode.

Original article continues below…

Uber started out as a service that was as appealing to potential drivers as it was to urban passengers weary of cabs: with your own car and some spare time, you could make some cash by ferrying folks to where they needed to go. Lately, though, Uber has set its sights on replacing human drivers through its self-driving car program. 

Few other firms have embraced this initiative with as much zeal and resources, and the San Francisco-based company had self-driving cars on public streets well before some of its most prominent competitors.

Below, we’ve compiled everything you need to know about Uber’s self-driving car initiative.

How did it all start?

Following months of rumors and vocal support for automation on Uber’s part, Uber first announced its intentions to amass a fleet of automatic cars in February 2015, which happened to be the same week that Google announced its own interest in autonomous car technology. (Pay attention, kiddos, for this is important later on.) Shortly after, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey invited Uber to test its cars in the state.

Initially, though, the project kicked off in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Uber had hired a bunch of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and helped revitalize Pittsburgh’s Strip district with the opening of the company’s Advanced Technologies Center.

Uber’s initial fleet included 20 Ford Fusions, which seemed like a whole armada back when autonomous cars still felt like science fiction.

The cars themselves were packed with around 20 cameras, seven lasers, a GPS, radar and lidar, a technology that measures the distance reached by outgoing lasers so cars can “see” and interpret the action around them.

Uber quickly began showing off its cars to reporters on trips throughout Pittsburgh, but in every case the car had a “safety driver” that would grab the wheel if things got rough.

Tests and accidents

Following the first experiments with the Ford Fusions, the Volvo XC90 became the vehicle of choice for automation in Uber’s first rides on the streets of Pittsburgh. 

Initially Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto welcomed Uber and its 100 Volvos with open arms, claiming that it was necessary to roll out the red carpet rather than red tape for Pittsburgh to “be a 21st-century laboratory for technology.”

Uber took advantage of the relative freedom to dive into testing in Pittsburgh at full strength, even to the point of building a fake city called Almono outside town to test cars before unleashing them in the Steel City. Even so, the early months were full of light collisions and traffic violations.

The relationship between Pittsburgh and Uber soured quickly. As The New York Times reports, Peduto didn’t get any written agreement from Uber, which came back to haunt him and the city.

Uber started charging fees for autonomous car rides, even though Peduto was under the impression that the rides would be free, and the company withdrew support for a $50 million grant meant to revitalize Pittsburgh’s local transportation.

For that matter, Uber’s presence didn’t create jobs on the level that Peduto had apparently expected. The relationship has improved as of late, but it’s still rough.

Uber also started testing 16 automated cars in its hometown of San Francisco in December 2016, but as Ars Technica reports, the California Department of Motor Vehicles quickly revoked the registration for the vehicles because Uber refused to secure a special permit that would register them as test vehicles. (Uber’s automated tests eventually returned to San Francisco in May 2017.)

Undaunted, the same month Uber started tests in the neighboring state of Arizona, on the streets of Tempe.

In March 2017, one of Uber’s automated car was in a crash in Tempe, although blame fell on the human driver of another car for not yielding the right of way. Uber briefly suspended its fleet in order to investigate. A later crash happened in September, but, again, human error was involved.

In late 2017, Uber extended its tests to Canada, and set two automated cars on the streets of Toronto.

In March 2018, an Uber self-driving car in Tempe, Arizona struck a pedestrian who was walking outside of a crosswalk. 

The pedestrian was taken to a hospital, where she died from her injuries. The car was in autonomous mode at the time of the accident, and though there was a human operator in the driver’s seat, they were not in control of the vehicle when the accident occurred.

As a result of the fatal accident, Uber has suspended its public self-driving tests in Tempe as well as in San Francisco, Pittsburgh and Toronto. The company is working with local authorities to investigate what happened, and the US National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating the incident.

This is the first fatality involving a self-driving vehicle with the AI in control. The investigation is ongoing, though the NTSB’s report is expected before long. 

Once the report is in, Uber expects to resume its self-drivings tests, with CEO Dara Khoshrowshahi saying in May that he expects Uber’s tests to begin again “in a few months.”

However, one major change to Uber’s self-driving car tests has already happened. The company announced on May 22 that it is permanently ending its tests in Arizona, a decision that affects about 300 test drivers in the area.

Uber vs Waymo lawsuit

To hear it from Waymo, Uber’s announcement of an automated car program at the same time as itself was hardly a simple coincidence.

Waymo (the self-driving car company created after Google’s restructuring into Alphabet) asserts that former Google employee Anthony Levandowski downloaded around 14,000 files of proprietary data relating to autonomous cars before leaving the company to found Otto, an autonomous truck company. Uber later bought Otto in 2016 for $700 million, and Levandowski took the helm of Uber’s self-driving car efforts.

The trouble began when one of Uber’s parts suppliers accidentally copied Google on an email with information about Uber’s lidar circuit board, which Google said looked almost exactly like its own.

And so it was that Waymo turned around and sued Uber in February 2017 for stealing trade secrets. Uber, for its part, called the lawsuit a “baseless attempt to slow down a competitor.” 

After a year of build-up, the trial got underway on February 5, 2018. However, it was quickly settled by Waymo and Uber on February 9. Uber is to give Waymo an equity stake worth $245 million, and has committed to working with Waymo to ensure its self-driving technology is built solely on Uber software. 

What are Uber’s self-driving plans for the future? 

Following the March 18, 2018 fatality involving one of its vehicles, the future of Uber’s self-driving car program is in limbo. Tests are currently suspended, and there’s no word on when they might resume, and how those might look if and when they do.

Arizona’s governor has suspended Uber’s ability to test self-driving cars in the state, and Uber will not seek to reapply for a self-driving permit in California, effectively shutting down its testing there for the foreseeable future.

Should Uber resume self-driving testing, one of the areas it’s focused on is in minimizing motion sickness in automated vehicles.

Uber previously made one of the first large commercial purchase of cars intended for an automated fleet. On November 20 of last year, Uber committed to buying 24,000 Volvo XC90 SUVs that will be delivered between 2019 and 2021. (Notably, Volvo itself plans to have an automated fleet of its own on the ground in 2021.)

As impressive as that number sounds, though, you shouldn’t expect automated cars to start completely replacing human Uber drivers within the next few years. At the time of writing, Uber still employs around 2.5 million human drivers worldwide.

Even so, current Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi expects the company will move beyond testing quickly, as he said in early 2018 that he expects Uber self-driving cars will be available to the public in as little as 18 months.

If Uber has its way, those are the only self-driving cars you’ll see. In a recent interview, Uber seemed to suggest that it wants to prevent individuals from owning self-driving cars in urban environments to better keep track of emissions and adhere to regulations.

http://www.techradar.com/news/uber-self-driving-cars