The World MatchPlay Darts championship is promising us a week of darts action that will see some of the best players on Earth battle it out. The event’s prize fund is a hefty £500,000 with the winner taking £115,000, so expect players to be performing at their absolute best.

When you put down a prize fund of half a million quid down then you can expect the world’s best darts players to be throwing their very best arrows. The Matchplay line-up promises exactly that, with favorite Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright and Rob Cross on the bill, to name just a few.

The defending champion from 2017 would have been Phil Taylor as he beat Peter Wright 18-8 in the 2017 final. Since he’s retired we won’t get to see him defend his title at this year’s World Matchplay event.

This year the winner will receive the Phil Taylor trophy, which was renamed in his honour following his retirement after the 2018 PDC World Darts Championships.

If you want to catch all the action, you’ve come to the right place. Read on to find out how to watch a World Matchplay darts live stream from anywhere you fancy using whatever device you like best.

How to live stream darts from anywhere in the world with a VPN

How to watch the World Matchplay Darts: live stream in the UK

How to watch the World Matchplay Darts in the Netherlands

How to watch the World Matchplay Darts: Australia live stream

How to watch the World Matchplay Darts: North America live stream

Main image courtesy of pdc.tv

http://www.techradar.com/news/how-to-watch-the-world-matchplay-darts-live-stream-from-wherever-you-are

It wasn’t long ago that Apple rose to meet Microsoft’s 12.3-inch Surface Pro with its very own, 12.9-inch iPad Pro. So, it was only a matter of time before Microsoft met Apple in kind with its own 10-inch tablet (again): the Surface Go.

The Surface Go seems tailor-made to combat the latest 9.7-inch iPad with Apple Pencil support, both in the consumer and education realms. It features a brand new, Alcantara fabric Type Cover and support for the Surface Pen – not to mention a nearly identical power profile.

So, now that both Apple and Microsoft have tablets designed for learning and productivity (and play, too), which one should you buy? To answer that question, let’s pit these two tablets in a head-to-head match.

Design

Oddly enough, both the iPad and Surface Go remain largely unchanged in design from their forebears. Microsoft’s tablet simply takes the Surface formula and shrinks it, gaining more curved edges compared with the Surface Pro. The iPad, meanwhile, largely maintains the design of the previous models.

The Windows tablet still maintains its trademark kickstand, which is a boon for creative types that often use a stylus. Apple’s iPad has no such feature, though you can manipulate the Smart Cover keyboard to get a (remotely) similar feel.

Both tablets are incredibly thin, but the iPad’s 0.29 inches (7.5mm) of thinness narrowly beats out the Surface Go at 0.33 inches (8.3mm). Likewise, the iPad is a hair lighter than Surface Go at 1.03 pounds (469g) to the Surface’s 1.15 pounds (522g). Naturally, these differences would be difficult to discern either when in your hand or in your bag.

However, those differences in size and weight do lend the Surface Go a unique advantage: ports. Compared to the new iPad’s sole Lightning connector, the Surface Go has a veritable bevy of ports from USB-C to microSD to Microsoft’s own Surface Connect port.

This makes Microsoft’s design much more additive and modular, whereas a core conceit of the iPad is that it’s self-sufficient and shouldn’t need enhancements through connectivity.

Another key difference that we’ll touch on more deeply later is that the Surface Go can run full-on Windows 10, a desktop and laptop operating system as much as it was meant for tablets, whereas the iPad runs the same iOS that is used on iPhone, with a scant few key differences, like stylus support.

Display

While the Surface Go might have the iPad beat when it comes to design on account of its versatility and openness in addition to beauty, Apple remains a king of displays. The iPad largely remains unchallenged in this regard, but Microsoft is clearly catching up – fast.

The latest iPad sports a 9.7-inch IPS touchscreen at a 2,048 x 1,536 pixel resolution, or 264 pixels per inch (ppi) and covered in fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating. It’s just as color rich and accurate of a display as you’ve grown used to, now supporting styluses.

Microsoft’s Surface Go, however, isn’t nearly as sharp with its 10-inch, 1,800 x 1,200 (217 ppi) touch display. Now, the art professional might notice a difference between these two resolution points, but the average users likely won’t. 

Regardless, the brass tax is that the iPad Pro display appears to be better than the Surface Go’s on account of its sharpness and leading color reproduction.

Performance and price

Microsoft is selling its Surface Go to start at $399 (£379, AU$599), which is considerably pricier than the iPad’s $329 (£319, AU$469). However, the devil is in the details.

The Surface Go comes packing the same Intel Pentium Gold processor with 4GB of memory and 64GB of eMMC storage for that price, which can be upgrade to house 8GB of RAM and 128GB of SSD storage. Meanwhile, the iPad starts with 2GB of RAM that cannot be improved and 32GB of storage that goes up straight to 128GB.

On paper, the Surface Go’s extra memory and storage resources will give it a serious edge against the more limited iPad. However, you’re paying more for that advantage, a cost that remains steadily above that of the iPad as you purchase the essential accessories for either tablet – which are infuriatingly sold separately.

While we can’t make too much judgment on how these two devices’ perform differently in the wild, still having yet to fully test the Surface Go, we can look at what each is packing and make some educated observations.

Despite the fact that Apple uses ARM-made silicon to make its products versus Microsoft’s use of Intel chips inside its smallest tablet yet, we’ve witnessed similar experiences within both products. The iPad’s A10 Fusion chip produces very similar 3D effects to what the Surface Go showed off during a recent demonstration.

With both the iPad’s A10 and the Intel Pentium Gold inside the Surface Go being relatively low-power processors, the former is rated for 10 hours of battery life while the latter claims just 9 hours.

We’ll have to judge all that in a final review of the Surface Go, but Apple may have Microsoft beat on battery life regardless.

Takeaway

For many people looking for a tablet rather than a laptop to do work or school tasks with, this will be a difficult decision. Both tablets offer about the same power for about the same price, in similarly luxurious builds and innovative design.

However, one major benefit the Surface Go holds over the iPad is that, even with Windows 10 S, it’s still far more versatile than the iPad. Upgrade that to Windows 10 Pro for free, and it’s almost no competition (assuming the tablet still performs as well with a full operating system).

Whether you buy a new iPad or the Surface as your next ‘get stuff done’ tablet will depend heavily upon whether you need a full operating system to get things done. If you need a mouse experience on your tablet, then hit up the Surface Go. If you care more about the ecosystem you’re locked into or vast app support, then by all means check out the new iPad.

http://www.techradar.com/news/surface-go-vs-ipad-2018-which-10-inch-tablet-is-best-for-you

We’ve seen a wave of streaming services based on individual channels or network families, from HBO Now to CBS All Access and even ESPN+, but soon we’ll be seeing more content and company-centric offerings – Disney’s long-teased streaming service that will arrive in 2019, packing exclusive Star Wars shows and more, is a prime example.

Now, DC has announced its own subscription-based service for fans of the legendary comic book company, and this one has a twist: it’s not only a streaming video service for movies and TV shows based on their comics, but also a comic-reading app along the lines of Marvel Unlimited or comiXology Unlimited.

DC Universe will arrive this fall, but the company announced most of the key details at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2018. Here’s what to expect, how much it’ll cost you, and how it varies from other services already on the market today. 

What content will it have? 

DC Universe will debut five brand new, exclusive TV shows during its first year of existence, beginning with Titans. The first trailer was revealed at Comic-Con, and depicts an intensely dark and gritty adaptation, complete with rampant gore and a shot of Robin saying “F— Batman” while laying into a gang of street thugs.

Later in that first year, we’ll see live-action shows Doom Patrol and Swamp Thing (not the 1990-93 version), as well as exclusive animated series Young Justice: Outsiders and Harley Quinn.

The service will also house new HD versions of Batman: The Animated Series and the Wonder Woman TV series, along with animated movies like Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter, and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. Live-action films like Batman, Superman: The Movie, Batman Returns, and Batman Forever have also been spotted on the website and in the first trailer.

Unfortunately, there’s no sight of newer flicks like Wonder Woman and Justice League, let alone The Dark Knight Trilogy, while TV series like the current Arrow, The Flash, and Legends of Tomorrow seem to be MIA. Those ongoing series are all on Netflix, however.

As far as comic books go, The Verge reports that DC Universe will include some 2,000-3,000 digital comics, with images suggesting a scattered mix of books old and new highlighting well-known characters. The site’s report claims that you’ll be able to zoom into a single panel on a 4K TV set to view the artwork with incredible clarity. 

How much does it cost? 

When DC Universe goes live this fall, the service will set you back $7.99 per month. If you choose to go big and commit to a full year, you’ll save a solid chunk of change: the annual fee is $74.99, which saves you 20% over the month-to-month approach.

Already sold on the service? If you pre-order an annual subscription now, they’ll toss on three free months to sweeten the deal, plus you’ll be entered into a contest to win two tickets to the Aquaman movie premiere later this year.

And if you’d rather wait, DC Universe will offer a free 7-day trial once it’s live.

How does it differ from other streaming services? 

The hybrid nature makes it distinct from other services. There are plenty of streaming video services, of course, but Netflix and CBS All Access don’t feature comic books. Likewise, there are all-you-can-read comic book services like Marvel Unlimited and comiXology Unlimited, but those apps don’t have a lick of video on them.

It always seemed surprising that DC didn’t launch its own take on Marvel Unlimited and open up the vault for a monthly fee, but now we know why. That said, the comics selection in DC Universe is much, much smaller: its expected haul of 2,000-3,000 books is a fraction of Marvel Unlimited’s 20,000+ comics.

But you’re getting half of one service and half of another, essentially. Netflix starts at $7.99 and Marvel Unlimited goes for $9.99 a month, whereas DC Universe sort of splits the difference.

Ultimately, we suspect that DC Universe won’t be viewed primarily as a streaming video app or a comics app. Instead, it’s the quintessential, all-in DC experience app for serious fans, offering movies, TV shows, comics, conversation, info, and merch on demand.

Should I subscribe to DC Universe? 

Do you absolutely love Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, and the rest of DC’s top-tier heroes and villains? Do you follow the myriad DC TV series airing these days and still wish there was more to watch each week? Are you eager to loop back on old-school DC animated and live-action series?

If you answered “yes” to any of those points, then indeed, you will most likely want to subscribe to DC Universe. Granted, we haven’t used the app yet and we don’t know how well it’ll perform as a streaming service or comic-reading experience, but assuming the technical benchmarks are cleared and it delivers the amount of content that’s been promised so far, then we have to imagine that DC fans are going to eat it up.

The potential downside of such a focused service is the possibility of running out of compelling content at some point. Is DC prepared to to continue these original shows for multiple seasons? Will the company bring the more recent films to the service as well? And will the curated comics selection grow, or at least see frequent turnover?

It’s too early to know for sure, but with five potentially compelling shows anchoring the service and plenty of other past content alongside, DC Universe looks like the real deal for the DC faithful.

http://www.techradar.com/news/dc-universe-dcs-new-tv-and-comic-book-streaming-service-explained