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BT’s existing communications contracts with the EU, and the company’s ability to bid for new tenders, could be jeopardised by Brexit. The Guardian reports that EU officials and MEPs are reviewing the role of its British-based contractors after the UK ceases to be a member state. It is thought that the EU wishes to honour existing contracts, but it could terminate ones deemed to be “sensitive”, such as telecommunications., for security reasons. BT EU relationshipSuch a course of action could be less likely should the UK and EU ratify the agreed withdrawal bill, which would effectively make the UK a member state until as late as 2022. It’s unclear what impact a favourable future trading relationship would have on the situation after that date. However, a no-deal Brexit increases the possibility of an early termination. Such a move would be a blow for BT which has won more than £150 million-worth of contracts with the EU over the past decade. In March 2015, it secured a €55.7 million (£39.2m), five-year contract to supply connectivity to major European Institutions across all then-28 member states, while in August of the same year it won a €15 million deal to provide voice services to the European Commission. These deals offered a boost BT Global Services (BTGS) which has been the subject of declining revenues and an accounting scandal in Italy. “BT is proud to have served a number of EU institutions for over 30 years and looks forward to continuing to do so, based on the quality of the services provided, the strength of our commercial relationships and most importantly the satisfaction of our customers throughout the EU,” a BT spokesperson told TechRadar Pro. Here are the best BT broadband deals for January 2019http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/gsrbJb1X1CY

CES 2019 certainly hasn't disappointed for new TVs, laptops or generally strange tech, and it has been a particularly strong year for wearables too. Smartwatches, fitness trackers and all the other gadgets we're now sticking to our bodies were scattered around the show, and we got to try out lots of them. Here we're going to pick out seven of the best wearables that impressed us in Las Vegas – these are the devices you should think about picking up over the next 12 months before we come back and do CES all over again in early 2020. The best CES tech: check out TechRadar's 2019 CES Awards1. Kate Spade Scallop 2http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6pwznHHp6GpBxxuSEggpcL.jpg Kate Spade Scallop 2 We love a good sequel as much as the next person, and the Kate Spade Scallop 2 doesn't disappoint – if you needed more proof that smartwatches don't have to be chunky and masculine, here it is. The wearable is designed specifically for women, but it would suit anyone with smaller wrists and good taste. Parent company Fossil has added just about all the key features that the original Kate Spade Scallop smartwatch lacked: GPS, heart rate monitoring, and an NFC chip for Google Pay duties. You'll now be able to track the route of your morning run without a phone, see how it affected your heart, and buy a coffee at the end of it. With a 3ATM water resistance rating, this'll work for swimming too. We like the subtle and stylish design choices here, though more variations would be welcome – not much has changed in terms of the looks of the watch, though that's not much of a problem as the aesthetics were pretty much spot on the first time around. The Kate Spade Scallop 2 launches in the US this month for $295-$335 (about £230-£260 / AU$410-$470, with worldwide availability to be confirmed). The latest version of Wear OS is on board too, with easy Google Assistant access and more. Read our hands on review of the Kate Spade Scallop 22. Withings Move ECGhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NidaNf3hQMhAiyvPhPp6DS.jpg Withings Move ECG You thought a portable ECG monitor would be exclusive to the Apple Watch 4 for good? Introducing the Withings Move ECG. The latest smartwatch from the company (freshly reacquired from Nokia) brings with it an integrated electrocardiogram monitor for spotting an irregular heartbeat. That means you can use the wearable to flag up potential problems like atrial fibrillation without having to trail down to the doctor's (though you will of course need an official diagnosis too). Unlike the Apple Watch, this will pair with Android as well as iOS phones, and at $129.95 / £129.95 (about AU$230 with an Australian launch yet to be confirmed) it's a lot cheaper than Apple's wearable too. Other than that flagship ECG feature this is very much business as usual for Withings. We've always liked the suave and understated hybrid smartwatch designs bearing the Withings name, and this one is no different. The non-ECG Withings Move has a lot more in the way of color options, which might suit you better. It's perfect for those who want the look of a traditional watch with some extra fitness tracking – and heart monitoring – features thrown in for a decent price. The wearable is expected to launch between March and the end of July 2019. Read our hands on review of the Withings Move ECG3. TicWatch E2 and TicWatch S2http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9unxJY7rXMCdGRacbWsKRa.jpg TicWatch E2 and TicWatch S2 Chinese company Mobvoi is quietly making a name for its TicWatch brand in the world of Wear OS smartwatches, and the two TicWatch devices announced at CES 2019 get a joint 'best of' award in the wearables category. Both second-gen models add waterproofing up to 50 meters for some swimming tracking. There's actually not too much difference between the TicWatch E2 and the TicWatch S2 – they both have the same specs inside (featuring the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 chipset), and they're both available in a black polycarbonate finish. A white version of the S2 model is also on the way apparently. The biggest difference is in the design, with the E (express) model a little more understated than the S (sport) model. Take your pick based on whichever you prefer. Also in the improvements column is 30% better battery life over the original TicWatch E and TicWatch S, and the latest version of Wear OS is on board. Part of the TicWatch appeal is in the price: Amazon Australia will be listing the E2 for AU$238.99 and the S2 for AU$282.99 in the near future. We don't have confirmed prices elsewhere, but the original watches sold for $159.99 or around £120 (the TicWatch E) and $199.99 or around £150 (the TicWatch S) and these new models should be similarly priced. Read our hands on review of the TicWatch E2Read our hands on review of the TicWatch S24. Mercedes-Benz Garmin Vívoactive 3 GPShttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LUyuCShYGjBomqAoHQTat.jpg Mercedes-Benz Garmin Vivoactive 3 A smartwatch that interfaces with your car to tell it how stressed you are? This is the sort of technology that CES is all about, which is why the new Mercedes-Benz-branded Vívoactive 3 from Garmin earns a place on our list. Even if you don't drive a Mercedes, you have to be impressed with this. As the name suggests, this is a Garmin Vivoactive 3 at heart, with smart notifications, on-board GPS and a wealth of sports tracking features. Garmin is one of the best in the business at putting out fully featured smartwatches, and the Vivoactive 3 remains one of the most impressive models in its line-up. Enter Mercedes-Benz: with this new version, as well as some aesthetic tweaks the watch also interfaces directly with the Mercedes Me mobile app on a connected mobile phone. That lets your motor know what kind of physical and mental state you're in and make adjustments accordingly. What that means is you'll be able to choose "less stressful" routes in the navigation panel or switch on soothing music over the speakers. You might even be offered a seat massage or different heat settings inside the vehicle. It feels like the future, and that's what we're looking for at CES. Read our review of the original Garmin Vivoactive 35. Matrix PowerWatch 2http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/APFeWYn7Swhfp8HaTTbYB5.jpg PowerWatch 2 If you've ever set out for the day only to realize your smartwatch is out of battery then the idea of a wearable that charges itself from your body heat is always going to appeal – and with the PowerWatch 2, Matrix has added solar charging as well, to make sure your watch never runs out of juice. The PowerWatch 2 looks to be a huge improvement over the original – there's the solar panel around the edge that we've already mentioned, plus GPS and a heart rate monitor. More power sources obviously means more power, because the screen is now color rather than monochrome too. The PowerWatch 2, like its predecessor, runs a custom OS, so you don't get the broad range of apps you might find with something running Wear OS or watchOS. That said, all the basics are well covered, including fitness tracking and phone notifications. The device also integrates with Strava, Google Fit and Apple HealthKit. Convinced? The PowerWatch 2 is apparently going to retail for $499 (which is around £390 or AU$695) when it launches fully later in the year, but if you're quick you can get one for $199 (around £155 or AU$275) by signing up and supporting the Indiegogo campaign. Read our hands on review of the Matrix PowerWatch 26. Sphero Specdrumshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TmRDdMJzEB3tTva8cRMmNA.jpg Sphero Specdrums And now for something completely different... well, a little bit different. Sphero – the company of rolling robot fame – has taken the opportunity of CES 2019 to launch the Specdrums educational gadgets. These little smart rings let kids make music with a few taps of their fingers. It's part of Sphero's recent push into STEAM education – science, technology, engineering, art and maths – and the dinky devices first appeared as a Kickstarter project a couple of years ago before Sphero got involved. Now they're here, and very impressive they are too. You simply tap a Specdrum on a colored surface to make a sound: the ring detects the color you're tapping on and changes the note accordingly. Via a connected app, it's possible to switch between different instruments, and you can even create your own colored surfaces (a mat comes supplied to get you started). One ring will set you back £64.99 (about $80 or AU$120), with a pair going for £99.99 (about $130 or AU$180). Any kids in your household are likely to get a kick out of playing around with them, but we think there are going to be a few adults having a go with these too. Sphero's silicone smart rings let kids make music with a tap of their fingers7. Michael Kors Access Sofie 2.0http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/58PXnJfivF8wRjtq9D3gtF.jpg Michael Kors Access Sofie 2.0 Last but absolutely not least in our best wearables of CES 2019 list is the Michael Kors Access Sofie 2.0 smartwatch – quite a mouthful to say but very appealing in terms of its design and the features on offer here. If you're interested in the premium end of the Wear OS market, take a look. We've got no complaints about the amount of technology that's packed in here: GPS, NFC (for mobile payments) and heart rate monitoring are all built in, and with the latest version of Wear OS (complete with Google Assistant) you should be able to do everything you would expect from a smartwatch with the Michael Kors Access Sofie 2.0. The design and finish are fantastic too – the smartwatch is launching in silver, gold, rose gold, and silver-with-gold-accents. A choice of metal and silicone straps are going to be available so you can switch between gym and evening dinner modes as needed. With a rather vague release date of "summer 2019" you might have to wait a while to get your hands (or wrists) on this, but we might hear more about it at the Baselworld 2019 expo in March. We're still waiting on a price too, though we reckon this'll be pricier than your average Wear OS smartwatch. Read our hands on review of the Michael Kors Access Sofie 2.0Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2019 coverage. We're live in Las Vegas to bring you all the breaking tech news and launches, plus hands-on reviews of everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/6dz2uirCfIM

Word on the first few Sony TV models of 2019 is finally trickling in. Sony made its usual round of televisual announcements at CES 2019, the massive international tech expo that heralds the start to the tech industry's calendar year, and it's more of what we wanted to see. The headline is the new massive 8K Master Series Z9G / ZG9 model, in 85- and 98-inch options. That's just the device that headlines things, as nobody is really going to buy a 98-inch 8K TV right now. For the rest of the world, the new 4K smart TVs, including additions to the Master and Bravia OLED series will appeal, as well as a few mid-range sets too. While it didn't get much fanfare at the expo itself, we'll also be seeing an upgrade to last year's entry-level Full HD HDR TV, the WF66, for more modest budgets. The range builds well on a bumper 2018 for Sony, adding to the Master range and OLED line-up as well as the dedicated Netflix Calibrated Mode for an all-round optimized living room experience. There's certainly be more surprises and upgrades in the coming months, but for now here are all the Sony TVs we expect to see in 2019 – all kept in one place so you can know your Bravia from your elbow. And don't worry, we'll update this list going forward, so do check back in every few weeks to see all the latest announcements. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yUixjaDX9qKMgX8rRkS8y3.jpg Sony Master Series Z9G is pushing to the 8K limit Sony 2018 TV technology It's not always about the panel quality when it comes to buying a new TV - the processor inside, telling the TV what to do is equally - if not more - important. Sony's next-generation X1 Ultimate processor was first unveiled at CES 2018, and will be powering both high-end Master Series sets and top-range 4K sets we're seeing come out this year. The 8K set certainly needs, for upscaling regular HD or 4K content to make use of all those 33 million pixels. The A8G / AG8 OLED is still carrying its predecessor's X1 Extreme – though the organic OLED display should mean rich visuals regardless. Finally,the X1 Extreme is now firmly entrenched among Sony's mid-range sets, bringing sharper 4K to the X9500G / XG95 and hopefully more besides. On the audio front, Sony is learning from the Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology it showed off in last year's OLED, with strategically placed drivers across the chassis of the set to deliver more powerful yet compact sound – amid growing demand for in-built audio that can stand on its own two feet. The more high-end models launched in 2019 can then use Sony's 'Sound-from-Picture' technology to accurately emit audio from where its source is located onscreen – meaning you when someone speaks, it actually comes from their mouth. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/s75FqpYJfvLGeezxcgNfJS.jpg Last year's Sony A9F OLED (2018) made much of its Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology, which uses various drivers to emit sound across the surface of the screen. Sony doesn't particularly like to release specs on the brightness of its TVs, but as usual we expect the OLED offering to lag behind on this front: the organic LED film used in the panel is self-emitting, so doesn't have the benefit of a big backlight to really crank up the lumens. The Z9G, however, is bringing back the popular Backlight Master Drive technology that defined Sony's Z Series sets back in 2016 – allowing for hugely precise use of white LEDs, to use brightness where it's needed, with sharpened contrast and minimal bleeding into surrounding dimming zones. It makes for a thicker and heavier set, but if you're buying an 85 or 98-inch set, space probably isn't a problem. All of Sony's 4K sets share the Android TV platform and YouView. While Dolby Vision was limited to the X900F and Master Series sets last year, this is thankfully trickling down, and will come to all four 4K sets listed below so far – and it seems Sony will be pursuing Dolby's video format over the rival HDR10+ format. Google Assistant meanwhile has been rolling out to all of Sony's 4K HDR TVs in the UK and Europe (albeit a year after the US) allowing hands-free voice control. Here's why Sony isn't following its rivals to HDR10+Sony Master Series 2019 Models http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zfGD2QmxZbXxAvjZHnidg3.jpg Sony Master Series Z9G 8K (2019) Sony Z9G 8K (available in 85, 98 inches): An 8K wonder powered by Sony's X1 Ultimate processor, with a resurrected Backlight Master Drive from Sony's 2016 Z Series TVs promising enhanced contrast and precision controlled brightness. Available in the second half of 2019, with a monstrously large 98-inch option for those who can house it, and a dedicated viewing mode for watching Netflix. Intrigued? Read more in our hands on Sony Bravia Master Series Z9G 8K HDR TV review. Sony A9G 4K (available in 55, 65, 77 inches): Arriving in September 2019, this second-tier Master Series set uses the X1 Ultimate processor to power some serious 4K visuals – as well as the same Netflix Calibrated Mode as the Z9G. With an OLED panel, you'll also be getting some vivid color contrast and deep blacks, even if high-end LED tech is starting to give it a run for its money. Sony Bravia 2019 Modelshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yUixjaDX9qKMgX8rRkS8y3.jpg Sony A8G OLED (available in 55, 65 inches): Featuring the same X1 Extreme processor and Acoustic Surface Audio as last year's A1 OLED, the A8G / AG8 sticks to 55 and 65-inch models, leaving the 77-inch size to its Master Series OLED counterpart. In a snazzy design choice, you can also adjust the height of the TV stand to make room for a soundbar. Sony X9500G (available in 55, 65, 75, 85 inches): Now onto the 4K LCDs... This model still packs in the Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support of its more expensive siblings, and the more advanced X1 Ultimate processor for enhanced upscaling and image processing. You get the welcome choice of four distinct size options, including a massive 85-inch display. Sony X9000G 4K HDR TV (available in 49 inches): A mid-priced, X1 Extreme powered version of the above – and coming in at a more size-friendly 49 inches. Sony X8500G 4K HDR TV (available in 55, 65, 75, 85 inches): A step down again, the X8500G / XG85 goes back to a simpler X1 processor (no Extreme or Ultimate upgrade) and more basic backlighting and dimming zones. Last year's model came with edge LED lighting, which simply couldn't meet the demands of today's HDR pictures – but we'll reserve our judgement on this one until it's come in to review. Sony Full HD 2019 Modelshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q45YdQWcJpukVWogn7WQhL.jpg Sony W66G (2019) Sony WG6/W66G (available in 43- and 50-inch sizes): If you've got a hankering for an HDR-capable TV but aren't too keen on 4K, Sony's entry-level W66G (WG6 in the UK) is exactly what you've been looking for. Perfect for Full HD HDR gaming, or just squeezing some extra-rich colors and depth out of 1080p resolution TV, this 2019 model is a smart compromise between cost and performance. Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2019 coverage. We're live in Las Vegas to bring you all the breaking tech news and launches, plus hands-on reviews of everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/FgFR0NMVCSg

Laptops had yet another brilliant showing at CES 2019, with manufacturers eager to show that there’s still plenty of life left in these portable PCs. Nvidia’s announcement on Sunday of its latest RTX mobile graphics prompted a deluge of laptop makers to announce that their latest gaming laptops will feature these powerful graphics cards, and CES this year was awash with some seriously impressive gaming laptops that struck a good balance between power and portability. Non-gaming laptops also had a good showing in Las Vegas, with big brands showing off their latest flagship laptops that packed a lot of attractive features. Perhaps best of all, we also saw a number of new laptops that try something radically different with the form factor, including a number of gaming devices that prompted us to declare that CES 2019 has made gaming laptops exciting again. So, with a huge selection of new laptops, we’ve picked the very best laptops we saw at CES 2019. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BsCXBWKvfnQnwjiYRVspdn.jpg Huawei MateBook 13Huawei is a relative newcomer to the laptop market, but its been seriously impressing us with the laptops it has already released. The Huawei MateBook X Pro, for example, currently sits atop our best laptops list. So, when we got a chance to have a play with the Huawei MateBook 13 at CES 2019, we had high hopes that Huawei would continue its hot streak. The good news is that it seems like it has, as we were left impressed from the time we spent with it, and it looks like Huawei could have a hit on its hands that could rival the MacBook Air. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WHRhpvgMaCnCiVjVz5B8cd.jpg Samsung Notebook FlashWhile premium laptops were out in force at CES 2019, all vying to take a (large) chunk out of your wallet, Samsung impressed us with its budget Samsung Notebook Flash. For an impressively low price of $349 (about £270, AU$500), Samsung is offering a laptop that comes with features and spec that put other budget laptops to shame. It comes with an Intel Celeron N4000 processor – found in many Chromebooks and budget Windows laptops – backed by 4GB of memory and a 64GB eMMC flash drive. If you want a little more power, you can cough up $399 (about £300, AU$550) for a punchier Intel Pentium Silver N5000 CPU, which is in a similar class to the Pentium Gold within the Microsoft Surface Go. It’s not as flashy as other laptops at CES 2019, but its design, spec and low price will impress a lot of people this year, which makes it one of our picks for the best laptop at CES. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LQncjyjZtd6PEEFTTgQq5T.jpg Lenovo Yoga S940Lenovo showed off a swathe of great new Yoga laptops at CES 2019, and our favorite is the well-built Yoga S940. It’s a wonderfully slim and light laptop with a Contour Glass display that comes in up to 4K resolution with HDR and Dolby Vision support. Built out of aluminum, it weighs 2.64 pounds and is just 0.48 inches (12.2mm) thick, and comes with an 8th generation Intel Core i7 processor, up to 16GB RAM and 1TB of SSD storage. The Lenovo Yoga S940 goes on sale May 2019, starting at $1,499 (around £1,200, AU$2,100). http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Zr6RAFDdE5xz6R4mwbYY4m.jpg Acer Swift 7Acer impressed us at CES 2019 by somehow making its teeny Swift 7 laptop somehow even smaller and lighter. In its aim to make the 'world's thinnest laptop', Acer's flagship Ultrabook for 2019 is just 9.95mm (0.39 inches) thin and weighs in at just 890 grams (1.96 pounds). Meanwhile, a smaller chassis allows the Acer Swift 7 to shrink the bezels even more this year around, achieving a screen-to-body ratio of 92%. It’s still a sturdy laptop, though, with a chassis made of magnesium-lithium and magnesium-aluminum alloys. Acer claims that these materials are two to four times tougher than regular aluminum, while also being up to 35% lighter. Thin, light and powerful – there’s a lot to be impressed with on the new Acer Swift 7, and it’s one of the best laptops we’ve seen at this year’s CES. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jfFyB4DCwRPgHm8nS8CsYP.jpg LG gram 17Speaking of thin and light laptops, LG wowed us with the LG gram 17, an incredibly light 17-inch laptop that weighs just 1.3kg – which is lighter than many other smaller laptops. You’re not going to see another 17-inch laptop that’s this light in 2019. Its 16:10 display has a “2K” resolution of 2,560 x 1,600, and packs a Whisky Lake Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, Thunderbolt 3, SSD storage and even ports such as a microSD reader that thicker laptops don’t include. It will go on sale for $1,700 (around £1,300, AU$2,400) later this year. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dtmZrbUWKuLTqM7PctGHqi.jpg Asus Mothership GZ700The Asus Mothership GZ700 has to make it onto this list thanks to its complete reinvention of what a gaming laptop should look – and behave – like. Unlike traditional laptops (gaming or otherwise), the components are placed behind the screen, not underneath the keyboard. Speaking of the keyboard, it can be completely detached, turning the Mothership into a kind of crazy-powerful giant Surface laptop for gaming. The design has let Asus pack the Mothership with some impressive tech, including an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card and an overclocked Intel Core i9-8950HK processor. It also has a series of super-fast NVMe SSDs set up in RAID 0 array, for even better performance, and gigabit networking as well. Its innovative design means it’s easily one of the best laptops on show at CES 2019. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gk5EHhiGQEEHc2iGyZozGB.jpg Alienware Area-51mThe Alienware Area-51m is another innovative gaming laptop at CES 2019 which does something new. Unlike other gaming laptops, the Area-51m allows its processor and graphics card to be upgraded, making it a future-proof laptop that will be playing games for years. It answers one of our biggest complaints with gaming laptops – the lack of upgradability – and it does so with Dell’s customary high built quality and attractive design. Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2019 coverage. We're live in Las Vegas to bring you all the breaking tech news and launches, plus hands-on reviews of everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/yPuI0hPa-Y8

CES 2019 has been a fantastic display of new, innovative smart home gadgets, with everything from robot vacuum cleaners to smart security systems impressing the crowds at the consumer tech show. With over 26 billion connected devices predicted to be installed globally in 2019, the IoT (Internet of Things) market is a booming industry, and it’s little wonder when you consider just how useful many of these gadgets are – they can turn your dumb home into a smart hub, one that can turn your thermostat up, lock your doors, and play your music with a simple voice command. CES is, of course, one of the best places to discover emerging smart home devices. Here’s our pick of the best smart home gadgets to come out of the consumer tech show this year. Lenovo Smart Clockhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/p4E7TJcMFyiiNm8ti4ZPba.jpg Following on the success of its Smart Display, Lenovo announced a trio of smart devices to add to its Smart Home Essentials range at this year’s CES, including a Google Assistant-enabled smart alarm clock called the Lenovo Smart Clock. It features a 4-inch touch-enabled IPS display that's capable of waking you up with light, just like how the Philips Hue smart bulbs do when you set up a “wake up” routine. This should make for a gentler wake up call than you traditional alarm or the one on your smartphone. You can also set sleep routines and control your smart-home setup with a “Hey Google” or “OK Google” voice command, listen to music while you lie in bed, and charge your handheld devices thanks to a rear USB port. Thanks to its 6W speaker, you can also play tunes through the smart clock, as well as streaming shows and movies onto your television by linking it to a Google Chromecast. It’s expected to hit shelves around March or April with a price tag of $79.99 (about £65/AU$110), with global prices still to be confirmed. Lenovo Smart Clock hands on reviewMui Smart Displayhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BsP2e49Sek4BHrNu4Ms7FR.jpg One of the weirdest gadgets we saw at CES 2019 was a plank of wood. No, we're not joking. Shaped like a simple wooden plank, the Mui smart display houses a touch-sensitive interface in the surface of the wood, allowing it to display visual data outputs and touch-control functions like a thermostat, clock, weather information, dimmer controls for your lights, text-based messages or slogans, and even a way to access your voicemail. It even has Google Assistant built in, with the option of having the voice assistant's responses displayed in text on the display or read aloud. The Mui smart display is slated to start shipping in September to backers of its (now closed) Kickstarter campaign. Prices and availability are still to be confirmed, but some outlets are reporting that it will cost around $1000 (£785 / AU$1400 based on current conversion rates.) Mui's new smart display is a touch-sensitive plank of woodCapstone Connected Home Smart Mirror herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PuFGvSN9JVmCoVYeZ9JkDC.jpg Capstone Connected Home announced the launch of its Google-enabled Smart Mirror, with both voice and touch screen capabilities at this year’s CES. The Smart Mirror allows you to access Google Assistant, check weather and traffic before you head out for the day, and stream YouTube – handy if you find your daily skincare routine to be a bit of a drag. You’ll also be able to access social media feeds, and “run downloadable applications”, according to Capstone Connected Home, although further details on which Google Play applications will work with the Smart Mirror are scant right now. Having Google Assistant built in to the mirror means you can even access Google Drive and type out emails using the touchscreen, getting a head start on your work before you’ve even brushed your teeth. The Smart Mirror should blend in seamlessly to any home, appearing like a normal mirror when not in use. Capstone Connected Home says that it will be available to buy in the next few months, but hasn’t yet disclosed any pricing information. Your mirror may soon be able to decide which clothes you wearKlipsch Bar 48W soundbarhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/G8bm4ctdgXadzCdPZunZKV.jpg Klipsch unveiled five new soundbars at CES 2019, ranging from 40 inches to 54 inches in width. The smallest, Klipsch Bar 40G, comes with Google Assistant built in, while the Bar 48W has even more options, with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Apple's AirPlay 2. Prices are said to range from $299 right up to $1,599 (around £235 / AU$425 to £1,260 / AU$2,270), and they'll be available to buy in the next few months – however, some models may not be available until the tail end of 2019. Klipsch to unveil new speakers, wireless headphones, and soundbars at CES 2019House of Marley Get Together Mini with Google Assistanthttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZdHMmbPM8u2e7fRN9Qicsa.jpg House of Marley (which specializes in high-end audio kit made from sustainable materials, and was founded by the son of Bob Marley), announced its first smart speaker at CES 2019. The Get Together Mini with Google Assistant is the latest addition to House of Marley's line of Bluetooth speakers, and is crafted from bamboo, aluminum (easily recycled), and the company's signature Rewind fabric (a combination of organic cotton, hemp and recycled plastics). The speaker is equipped with Chromecast for multi-room playback, and even serves as a USB power bank for charging your phone. It'll go on sale in August 2019, priced at $199.99 (about £150, AU$280). House of Marley makes smart speakers sustainableEvovacs Deebot Ozmo 960 robot vacuum cleanerhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qNbU6NmKi4vybkKwMag2zJ.jpg Evovacs has unleashed its smartest robot vacuum model yet: an AI-powered bot that uses machine learning to keep your floors spotless, without accidentally sucking up articles like socks that will prove bad for its digestion. While the concept was first displayed at IFA 2018 in Berlin, the Deebot Ozmo 960 is now ready for release into the wilderness of your home. It uses AIVI (Artificial Intelligence and Visual Interpretation) technology to create a bespoke cleaning plan, and detects objects like clothing and cables so it won't get stuck trying to devour a pair of discarded pajamas. The Deebot Ozmo 960 can currently identify around 500 objects, and the company plans to add more obstacles to the Deebot Ozmo 960's database over the coming months, so it'll become even better at avoiding everyday household hazards as time goes on. Evovacs says that the super smart cleaning bot will be released later this year, but haven’t provided a firm release data or prices as of yet. Evovacs’ latest robot vacuum cleaner uses AI to avoid swallowing your socksEve Light Striphttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zm7FpeUCYoGfTJx4qv2sbk.jpg It’s usually Philips Hue that dominates the world of smart lighting, but at this year’s CES it was Eve Light Strip that shone brightest of all...literally. The Apple HomeKit-compatible LED light strip is 2m long bendable strip of LED lights, and with 1800 lumens (compared to Philips Hue’s 1600), Eve claims the title of brightest HomeKit light strip to date. Priced at $79 in the US (other region pricing coming soon), the light strip comes with adhesive on the back so you can attach to your various parts of home for extra flair, whether that’s under your couch, shelves, kitchen countertop, or behind your computer or television. The Eve Light Strip works with the Apple Home app and Siri thanks to its HomeKit compatibility. You can easily change the colors with your iPhone, as there are pre-sets within the Home app, but like many smart lighting gadgets, the entire spectrum is available in the native app. Eve Light Strip outshines its Philips Hue rival at CES 2019Philips Hue Outdoor Sensorhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vBDPuzRVjymK7XAfcEKCkc.jpg Not to be outdone, Philips Hue launched a number of new products as part of its outdoor smart lighting range at CES 2019, with the new devices designed to welcome you home and lend some ambience to your outside space. The new range includes the new Philips Hue Outdoor sensor, a battery powered motion sensor that detects you as you approach your home, and switches on your lighting system. You can fully personalize your lighting system via the Hue app, choosing which lights (indoor and outdoor) switch on when someone approaches your home and triggers the Outdoor sensor. As well as giving you a warm welcome home, you can use this system to make it look like someone is always home and deter potential intruders. It will be available from February 2019 for £49.99 – based on current conversion rates, this is around $65 / AU$90, however official pricing is yet to be released by Philips Hue. Philips Hue is leading the way in outdoor smart lighting at CES 2019Ring Doorview Camhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KR2GRMHCoCX6tff2EBUF7n.jpg Smart home security company Ring revealed a total of 13 new products at CES 2019, but one of our favorites was the new Door View Cam. It works like Ring’s previous doorbell cameras, but instead of replacing your doorbell, it replaces your front door’s peephole. It's completely wire-free thanks to a battery that sits on the inside of your door, the Door View Cam requires no permanent alterations, making it a great option for renters. Like the Ring Doorbell 2, the new peephole camera offers motion detection and streams 1080p video straight to your phone via the Ring app, as well as allowing you to talk to whoever is standing on your doorstep. What sets it apart from previous models is a built-in impact sensor that can automatically detect when someone knocks on your door. If you think you’d miss your old fashioned peephole, fear not: the Door View Cam can be used just like an analogue glass peephole should you wish. Ring says that the Door View Cam will be available in the US and UK, as well as a few other European countries later this year for $199 / £179 – this works out at around AU$280 based on current conversion rates, but so far the company hasn’t released any official pricing or release schedule for Australia. Ring Door View Cam, Smart Lighting, and more unveiled at CES 2019Arlo Security Systemhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/un5KbroSevGtmraVDqqFSn.jpg If you’re looking for a smart home gadget that will keep your residence safe from... well, pretty much any threat... then look no further than the Arlo Security System. It features an all-in-one Multi-Sensor that detects windows and doors opening and closing, motion, smoke, carbon monoxide, water leaks, the sound of gas leaks, temperature changes and more. If anything at all changes in your home, you’ll be notified immediately though the Arlo app on your phone. You can also set the Multi-Sensor to trigger other Arlo devices connected to the Arlo Smarthub. For example, you could have a camera start recording if it detects motion in your living room. It even communicates with certified third-party smart home devices (like Samsung SmartThings) so your lights could switch on automatically when you stumble into the kitchen in the morning, bleary-eyed and incapable of finding a wall switch. The new Security System also includes the Arlo Siren, which is battery-operated and suitable for use outdoors. You can position it anywhere within range of the Smarthub, and it should frighten would-be intruders with a red strobe light and blaring alarm. If you’re feeling a little more subtle, you can replace the siren with other audio (such as a dog barking or TV noise) to give the impression that you’re at home when someone approaches your front door. The home security company has yet to announce any pricing, but it says that the Arlo Security System will be available to buy in the second half of 2019. Arlo’s new DIY security system detects motion, carbon monoxide, water leaks, and moreCheck out all of TechRadar's CES 2019 coverage. We're live in Las Vegas to bring you all the breaking tech news and launches, plus hands-on reviews of everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/EK8cAod9NHk

Mobile payments company Square has announced the launch of its new in-app payments SDK which gives developers the ability to add its payment services directly to their mobile apps. The company is still best known for its offline payments solutions that have become increasingly popular with small business owners and developers have been able to use its APIs for online transactions for some time now. Square's decision to expand into mobile apps means that the company now offers a complete online and offline payments solution that will help it fend off competition from companies such as Stripe, Adyen and others in the space. While its original payment device relied on a smartphone's 3.5mm headphone jack, today's announcement shows just how well the company has been able to adapt to changes in the way consumers use their smartphones. Complete payments solutionDeveloper Lead at Square, Carl Perry explained in the announcement how the launch of the new SDK provides developers with a complete payments solution, saying: “With the introduction of in-app mobile payments to the Square platform, developers now have a complete, omnichannel payments solution for all their payment needs. From software to hardware to services, Square offers a complete payments experience all in one cohesive open platform. Even better, developers and sellers can manage all their payments across in-store, mobile and online all in one place.” Square's SDK is available for Android, iOS and on Google's cross-platform application building toolkit Flutter. Currently only developers in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Japan will be able to add the company's payment services to their mobile apps. Square will allow them to accept payments from debit and credit cards as well as from Apple Pay and Google Pay. Via TechCrunch We've also highlighted the best merchant serviceshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/BmbBiFNpMc0

As the race to deliver the next generation of mobile data speeds toward the finish line, Telstra has promised that it will be the first telco in Australia to offer 5G handsets to its customers. The announcement was made at CES 2019, with Telstra claiming that it has made “agreements to deliver exclusive access to 5G commercial smartphones in the first half of 2019”, and is able to do so “thanks to partnerships with some of the world’s biggest vendors”. Recently, Telstra announced that Ericsson would be its key partner for the 5G rollout, and that it managed to hit its target of switching on two hundred 5G sites across Australia by the end of 2018. What is 5G? Everything you need to knowMystery partnersAt this point, Telstra isn’t able to name who the exclusive partners are, which devices they’ll use or their capabilities, but it shouldn’t be too long before we start seeing its years of planning become a reality. Towards the end of 2018, we saw the announcement of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 mobile processor, which comes packing 5G capabilities. While the list of phones confirmed to feature the chip is currently short, OnePlus has stated the company’s next flagship will feature 5G. There’s a very high chance Samsung’s Galaxy S10 will be packing the 855 as well, along with the Sony Xperia XZ4, the LG G8, and the Moto Z4. There's currently no solid word on a 5G-enabled iPhone, but it's been tipped to arrive some time in 2020. Snapdragon 855: phones list, specs, and 5G speedshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/Tl7_SqmtgCQ

Las Vegas is all about excess, and so it’s fitting then that the displays and TVs on show at CES 2019 have been as extravagant as the strip itself. Whether it’s a rollable TV or a giant 8K screen, the future of televisions (despite the stellar visual work being done with the Panasonic GZ2000 4K OLED) seems to be all about insane party tricks and forward-thinking but a little pointless for the time being resolution bumps. So, if no holds are barred for the battle for the living room of tomorrow… how about replacing your television with a gigantic, and slightly insane, computer monitor? That’s what HP is hoping you’ll be doing with the HP Omen X Emperium, a monitor as lustworthy as it is ridiculous. Could it earn pride of place in your living room? Given its spec sheet, maybe it should. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fGBBn4ohjJxy2q7WpartBd.jpg A play for your living roomFirst though, a little backstory. This time last year at CES 2018, Nvidia announced its “Big F**king Gaming Display” (BFGD) project. The idea was to put the finest elements of a gaming monitor, like the company’s G-Sync adaptive frame rate technology and HDR panels, into giant, feature rich screens from its closest third party partners, and aim them directly at the living room. A year on and we’ve the most impressive early fruits of that labour – the Omen X Emperium is a 65-inch monster, and with a price tag to match. It’s going to cost you a huge $4,999 (about £3,929, AU$7,000, though only US availability has been confirmed at this time). But that’s pocket change for true cinephiles looking at top of the range television sets. And while it’s unorthodox, there’s enough here to perhaps tempt them away from the LG, Samsung and Sony stalwarts of the home cinema. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jxxw7JXgPip56VUmR3nWuc.jpg Everything but the kitchen sinkSo, apart from 65-inches of screen, what does that price tag bag you? First the display. A crisp, Quantum Dot HDR panel, it offers up to 1,000 nits of brightness and a deep contrast ratio of 4000:1. Equipped with G-sync HDR, it can actively sync its high 144Hz refresh rate with an Nvidia PC graphics card, making any desktop computer gaming you hook up to the screen look silky smooth. Next up, audio. There’s an included soundbar in here, pumping out a stonking 120 watts of output. Sure, you can hook up a discrete unit and some satellite speakers through an amp if you’d like, but it won’t be a necessity like you’d find with many conventional flatscreen TVs. Then onto, the ports – you’ve got a Display Port 1.4 for hooking up a G-Sync compatible computer, three HDMI 2.0 ports with support for the HDCP protocol, two USB 3.0 ports and two USB charging ports. In terms of audio options, you get line out, one S-PDIF out and another HDMI port supporting ARC audio control. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VeZKX3jNV244vdWEKa46zc.jpg That may be a little stingy for a living room set-up, especially with a screen as gaming-orientated as this one. You’re going to want to hook up your PlayStation 4 Pro, Xbox One X and Nintendo Switch, as well as set top box and 4K Blu-Ray player right? If you’ve got the money to drop money on a screen like this, we’re guessing you’ve got a full house of entertainment gear in your living room. But at least one port will be spared, as you’ll have no need to plug in what we here at TechRadar consider a living room essential – an Nvidia Shield console. That’s because Nvidia’s dinky-but-powerful machine comes built into the HP Omen X Emperium, making it out of the box the best smart TV you can get. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/heRFJzYWQd2FQdjQLktLKc.jpg Built on the Android TV platform (and being the best execution of it we’ve seen) Shield is fully equipped for gaming, whether that be taking advantage of the ample options offered up from the Android gaming store, or making use of the Shield’s AAA cloud and PC game streaming options. That’s before you consider the other entertainment options and apps it can take advantage of, whether they be the 4K HDR enabled versions of Amazon Prime Video or Netflix, media server offerings from Kodi and Plex, or music streaming from Spotify among many others. And did we mention it’s got a voice assistant built included in the shape of Google Assistant, meaning it can also be a hub for smart home controls? Well, it does. It’s hard to imagine cinephiles being enamoured with the OTT industrial design of the Omen Emperium, but it’s hard to argue against the spec sheet here, and from our hands-on time with the product, it lives up to the promise of its feature list. And it sure as hell is in keeping with the spirit of that ‘Big F**king Gaming Display’ project name. The HP Omen Emperium hits stores in February 2019. Check the link below for the TechRadar computing team’s early hands-on verdict. Hands on: HP Omen Emperium reviewCheck out all of TechRadar's CES 2019 coverage. We're live in Las Vegas to bring you all the breaking tech news and launches, plus hands-on reviews of everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/P8jHiD2Mor8

Let’s be honest, the TV industry isn’t great at setting standards: every few years there’s a format war and, even now, some of the biggest manufacturers in the world can’t seem to settle on which HDR formats to support. That could change for the next-generation of TVs in development now, though. The catalyst for that change is the newly formed 8K Association (8KA, for short) that's made up of Samsung, Panasonic, TCL, Hisense and AUO. It’s the goal of the 8KA to figure out what standards make the most sense for the future and have its members take a more careful approach toward adoption, so consumers will understand better what kind of quality they're getting with their new TV. Its plans include to educate consumers and create a "Good, Better, Best" label for any 8K products moving forward, based on criteria the manufacturers themselves set - but we're not sure what those labels will signify at this time. The inaugural meeting of the 8KA was held during CES 2019 where its Executive Director, Chris Chinnock, hoped to set in motion a series of events to unite a disparate industry. Keep that momentumAccording to Chinnock, 8K is already here. With a half-dozen 8K screens on the CES show floor and more in development now, it's Chinnock's belief that we need to get out in front of the demand for 8K and create guidelines for the burgeoning tech. If you have the feeling that it might be too soon to talk about what 8K should be, you're probably right. "8K adoption will be a little slower [than 4K adoption], would be my guess" Chinnock said. Broadcasters have been slow to adopt 4K, so you can hardly expect them to embrace a new, higher standard with open arms. But the 8KA's goal isn't necessarily to force us into buying another TV. It wants to work with its member manufacturers to educate on the benefits of the higher resolution as well as obtain 8K content that its members will be able use. Should all go according to plan, the 8KA will have licensed content ready for its partners when 8K adoption picks up speed, which could help prevent some of the issues around exclusive content we saw with the advent of 4K. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VvQExKejFV2HaVnEtRRJng.jpg Despite having two of the 8K TVs at CES, LG is not part of the 8KA. Time to toss out your 4K TV? Not quite yetLike 8K adoption itself, the 8KA doesn't expect to move at lightning speed. Its next step is to close deals with the remaining outliers (LG and Samsung Display have yet to sign any agreement with the 8KA) and then form sub-committees to take on the tasks listed above - all of which will take months. Honestly, that might be for the best. With global adoption of 4K hovering around 15%, the world just isn't ready for 8K to take over - the 8KA is now hoping it can change that soon. Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2019 coverage. We're live in Las Vegas to bring you all the breaking tech news and launches, plus hands-on reviews of everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/puFcphtiPbE

If 2018 was the year of the notch, 2019 is shaping up to be the year of the pinhole (or hole-punch) smartphone camera, with manufacturers like Huawei and Lenovo following the lead set by Samsung with its Infinity-O design (present in the Galaxy A8S) in a race to provide as much screen real estate as possible. Now, it appears that Finnish company HMD Global is working on a Nokia-branded handset with its own hole-punch camera cutout, with 91Mobiles and @OnLeaks teaming up to release renders based on leaked CAD files of what's presumed to be the Nokia 8.1 Plus. The renders, along with an accompanying 360-degree video, show a smartphone with minimal bezels and a tiny hole-punch cutout at the top left of its display which holds a selfie camera. Other device features include a 6.22-inch display, rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, Zeiss dual camera setup, 3.5mm headphone jack and a USB Type-C port for charging and data transfer. Whether these renders really do give us a legitimate look at next Nokia flagship phone is still speculative at this point, but you can check out the new images in all their glory in the gallery below. Samsung Galaxy S10 may have a party trick for its pinhole camerahttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/oQyxbNUaoj0

A trend quickly developing at CES 2019 is the entry of Amazon Alexa into the car, with numerous announcements linking the digital assistant into the fundamentals of future vehicles. We've already seen Amazon's smart assistant feature in cars in a number of implementations, but what's being shown in Las Vegas, Nevada, this week sees Alexa baked into the core of vehicles, rather than added as more of a third-party after thought. Amazon's Echo speakers have become hugely popular in homes, with the 'Alexa' wake word now a familiar phrase for many. It makes sense for this experience to transition to your car, where hands-free functionality is even more useful. Alexa isn't just being used for entertainment either, with the voice assistant able to perform car-specific tasks. Here's what you can expect to see from Alexa in future vehicles. Entertainment overloadhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9Uu2GGaqtZvDESczJhYzAJ.jpg The Byton M-Byte will take advantage of Amazon's suite of entertainment on its huge 48-inch display It's no surprise that a core part of the Amazon Alexa integrations we've seen at CES 2019 revolve around the firm's entertainment offerings. Electric car maker Byton has packed Alexa into its first ever car – the M-Byte – which is expected to roll off production lines by the end of the year, complete with support for Amazon Music, Prime Video, Fire TV and Audible. You'll be able to bark instructions at your Byton, via Alexa, to play music, watch video and listening to audiobooks. The same features are likely to hit more cars too, as Qualcomm has showed off a concept vehicle with Alexa built in, and we watched a demo where the assistant was asked to play some rock 'n' roll music, which she duly delivered. It's part of Qualcomm's new third generation Snapdragon Automotive Cockpit Platforms and the chipset maker has 18 automakers already signed up, including Audi, BMW, Ford, Ducati, Honda, Renault and VW, to utilize the technology in future vehicles. Amazon Music, Prime Video, Fire TV and Alexa are coming into the carAlexa, take me homehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/T6D9Ni6ZTjVsUkjHDSTPYM.jpeg Here Technologies is now using Alexa in its navigation tools Alexa is also getting mapping smarts, and could well be navigating you home in your next car as Here Technologies announced it is working with car-specific tools within Amazon's smart assistant to help improve in-car navigation through voice interactions. You'll be able to ask Alexa to navigate to a destination, and also ask her what the next instruction is without having to physically touch any controls. Qualcomm's new platform also supports Alexa-powered navigation which, as we've already mentioned, could find its way into a whole host of vehicles. Let's play mechanichttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eFo2zNTRGTFiAcEr69awoa.jpg Qualcomm's Alexa demo saw the smart assistant play music, provide navigation and explain car issues Another trick we saw during Qualcomm's demo was asking Alexa about illuminated warning lights on the dashboard. Asking the smart assistant provided more information on the fault, which could potentially help when it comes to getting it fixed. Fun Easter eggsAnd finally, you may be able to have some fun with Alexa in your car too, with Qualcomm asking "Alexa, wake up my passenger" which resulted in the passenger seat vibrating. What larks! Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2019 coverage. We're live in Las Vegas to bring you all the breaking tech news and launches, plus hands-on reviews of everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/G_D8VakUmUE

At Photokina 2016, SanDisk announced the world’s first 1TB SD card, but that never did hit shelves. Lexar, however, has beaten every other card manufacturer to the punch by revealing its own 1TB SDXC memory card at CES 2019, and it’s already on sale. The Lexar Professional 633x SDXC UHS-I card falls under the fastest speed class (Class 10/V30 for video recording), boasting a read speed of up to 95MB/s. Read more: Everything you need to know about SD memory cardsTo put that kind of storage into perspective, you should be able to fit about 650 minutes worth of 4K footage on a single Lexar Professional 633x SDXC UHS-I card. This whopper of an SD card comes to us “almost 15 years” after Lexar announced a 1GB option, showing how far the company has come. It was only two years ago that Lexar’s parent company Micron discontinued the brand before selling it off to Chinese company Longsys in 2017. Lexar then made a comeback in late 2018. The card is on sale for a recommended price of €439.99 (about $507/£397/AU$708). Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2019 coverage. We're live in Las Vegas to bring you all the breaking tech news and launches, plus hands-on reviews of everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/kzOJNIP-7dM

Sure, you can spend your time checking-out the big brands' latest wares at CES 2019, but if you really want to see what's coming next, it's to the smaller Tech West that you must head. CES supremo Gary Shapiro, President and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), knows a thing or two about 'ninja innovators', and he also knows where they hang out. "Eureka Park in the Sands is where a lot of the wannabe ninjas hang out," said Shapiro to TechRadar. "We have 1,100+ startup companies right in that one area, and that's certainly where the future ninjas are." On display in Eureka Park, and upstairs at the Sands Expo (where successful ninjas eventually progress to) are everything from an Alexa-compatible motorcycle helmet to an electric toothbrush that clean teeth in 10 seconds, though CES would not be complete without at least one high-tech toilet... 1. PurrSong LavvieBot Cat parents, rejoice and welcome from South Korea the world's first and only cat litter box on the Internet of (nasty) Things. First, your cat jumps up into the main compartment to do business, and after it's left, LavvieBot noiselessly pushes a rake through the litter before hurling a few handfuls of clean litter on top. LavvieBot also deodorizes itself, and sends data on your cat's weight and, naturally, it's toilet schedule, to a PurrSong app. Yes, it's a bit of a statement piece, but since this is basically a robot toilet cleaner, who cares? LavvieBot launches on Indiegogo in May 2019. 2. AVA Byte GardenYou've gone vegan, you hate single-use plastic, and you love talking. To plants. If that's you, this smart indoor garden on the Canadian Delegation's booth in Eureka Park is for you. A counter-top device with a self-contained water pump, humidity and water level sensors for automatic watering, and a HD camera for recording plant growth and 'harvest data', it's designed for growing herbs, lettuce and tomatoes indoors. It's also Google Assistant-enabled, so you can ask: "Hey Google, how's my garden?" The box includes pre-seeded, soil-free compostable pods. It's still in prototype stage, and being crowdfunded now, but should cost around $229/£180. 3. OrCam MyMehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EXWsxVrM753jfTSUAJZ9gB.jpg Do you have trouble remembering faces? Wearable cameras have been around a while, with Google Clips the latest effort, but MyMe goes way further than life-logging to become something of a 'second brain'. Currently being crowdfunded on Kickstarter, MyMe weighs just 17g and contains a 13-megapixel camera, which it uses to create an AI capable of recognizing faces and text, allowing the wearer to tag and organise people in circles such as work, friends, and family. It will cost $399/£312 when it goes on sale in March. 4. Y-Brushhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JoqeM9yiyNPbPf76RFgAjB.jpg How much cleaner would your teeth be if you could professionally clean them in just 10 seconds? There's a lot of tech in Eureka Park from France, with one of the standouts being this '10-second toothbrush'. Consisting of a handle, a brush, a charging station, a storing pod and a toothpaste applicator, its makers claim that Y-Brush, developed and tested by dentists for three years, automatically deep cleans teeth using sonic vibrating technology and nylon bristles. Hailing from Lyon, France, Y-Brush is already on sale for $125/£99. 5. Embr Wavehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5SL4T6xHpDcme4mumXTvjB.jpg This personal thermostat cools you down or heats you up on-demand. Getting hot and bothered in an airport queue? Just hit the Embr Wave bracelet and it will cool the temperature-sensitive skin on your wrist, creating a sensation something akin to the chill of an ice cube on your wrist, triggering your body’s comfort response to help you feel five degrees cooler or warmer. It can also recreate the comforting warmth of having your hands by the fire. Investors in its maker, Embr Labs, include Intel and Bose. Embr Wave costs $299/£235. 6. Galanck Le Galuchon backpackhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JL7zNY2ZjFWJ34XQpoLopB.jpg CES isn't known for travel gear such as backpacks, but this one sports some top tech. Designed for cyclists, but just as good for those travelling by scooter, rollerblades and skates, the Le Galuchon backpack is connected to the eGalanck GPS navigation app. It lights up to increase the visibility of cyclists, sends vibrations into the arms of the rider for 'sensorial' guidance, and automatically signals using lights on the backpack's shoulder straps when you turn or brake. 7. Invoxia Pet Trackerhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wTFhrBoDqKYxUVJtf3mPoB.jpg GPS trackers have been around a while, but only recently has the tech shrunk enough to become convincing for use with small dogs and cats. Winner of a CES Innovation Awards in Wearables this week, the 42 x 24 x 17mm, 15g pet tracker from a French start-up in Eureka Park's fitness technology zone gets around the other problem of short-range connectivity by shipping with a three year subscription to Sigfox, the low-power IoT network that works throughout most of Europe. It's waterproof, with a three month battery life, and permanently keeps track of a dog or cat's location via a phone app. It's on sale now for $112/£89, including that Sigfox connection. 8. Loop Earplugshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3RXzjiekEfKNVAmg3H88hB.jpg Anyone with tinnitus knows that they should have protected their ears years ago. Cue this earplug for music from Antwerp, Belgium, which is designed to reduce decibels while not looking anything like a hearing aid. Loop combines an acoustic channel and a filter, rather than a blocker, which allows sound waves to enter via a small opening and pass through a hollow acoustic channel. The result is clear speech and music, but with volume reduced by 20 decibels. They're on sale in five colors for $30/£24. 9. Glance Clockhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uaz4k9jeKpgbg7Hp3Jq8jB.jpg The Amazon Echo Wall Clock may have been merely the first of many smart clocks. The latest salvo comes from Glance Tech in the Holland Tech Square, which is demonstrating a clock designed to get your eyes off your smartphone. Aimed at living rooms, dining rooms, kitchens, bedrooms and offices, Glance can be configured to set reminders – visible on its LED screen at a glance, naturally – of meetings, appointments and messages. Glance synchronizes with phones via Bluetooth, Google Calendar and iCal, displays weather, outside temperature and humidity, plays nicely with IFTTT, and comes equipped with a motion sensor and ambient light sensor. It's on sale now for $199/£157. 10. Jarvish X-ARhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uTDjYQTAk69KMxsp9WmkoB.jpg Over in the Taiwan Tech corner is Jarvish, which has an on-sale-soon concept of a motorcycle helmet embedded with augmented reality tech. At its core this helmet is designed to give the rider 360° vision, with a tiny heads-up display showing the feed from a camera on the rear of the helmet. In that way, it's much like Google Glass. However, it's also got embedded speakers that deliver 360° audio, it records footage from all journeys to an SD card just like a dash cam, and it can even broadcast everything in its field of view live to social media if you ask Alexa, Siri or Google Assistant. It also includes voice-activated navigation. It will go on sale in September for $1,599/£1,263. Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2019 coverage. We're live in Las Vegas to bring you all the breaking tech news and launches, plus hands-on reviews of everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/RWqeDYLzRds

Ever find yourself wanting to throw your entire wardrobe away and start over again? You may have even considered getting a personal shopper... but what if you could get that service without even leaving your bedroom? We've just seen the world's first smart mirror that features artificial intelligence tech to recommend clothes for your body type and fashion sense. It's made by LG, and while it's still in the concept stage at the moment, the smart mirror was demonstrated to us on the floor at CES 2019. The LG smart mirror scans your body type to work out your height, leg length, waist size and more. It'll then recommend clothes that will suit your measurements and overall style. In a demo we saw, the information was generally quite accurate but it wasn’t 100% right, so you’d likely have to do some fiddling with the stats manually to make sure it has your measurements correct. It’ll then generate an avatar of yourself on the screen that you can dress up like you're choosing your clothes in The Sims. You'll be asked the type of clothing you're looking for, such as informal or formal, shirts or sweaters, and then it'll generate an outfit for you and recommend the right sizes. For example, in our demo we asked it to provide a sweater for the avatar and it appeared on the screen. You can then rotate the avatar, look closer to see if you like the material and then order it directly from the mirror. These are all real clothes that you can buy and have delivered to your door. At the time of writing there are only clothes from US retailer LF, but an LG representative confirmed to TechRadar the company is looking to bring other brands and retailers into the partnership soon. The aim is, eventually, to have hundreds of different outfits to choose from at your disposal without having to visit lots of different stores and try them on. You can also choose your outfit manually, but it's interesting to see what the AI thinks suits you best. How this will work in the real world remains unclear, but we'd hope the artificial intelligence would be able to get a clearer picture of your likes and dislikes over time to develop a stronger sense of your style. LG foresees this as a device for the home, but this could also be used for personal shopping experiences in stores as well. You could enter your local shopping center, stand in front of one of these and have an AI personal shopper recommend outfits to you in a matter of minutes. To cap it off...LG isn’t the only company debuting new smart mirror technology at CES 2019 either. Capstone has unveiled its first smart mirror, but this is a very different idea to what LG's wants to offer. Capstone’s mirror (pictured at the top of this article) is designed for your bathroom and comes with Google Assistant built-in. The idea is you’ve got a screen in front of you when you wake up so you can ask questions, see your schedule for the day and watch the news all while brushing your teeth. It’s slightly transparent so from certain angles you’re able to see the image while also getting a clear reflection of your face. And then there’s the Artemis smart mirror from Care OS that allows you to preview your make-up or a new hairstyle using augmented reality. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ResgsZuEceFWVD2DgNp7EH.jpg The Artemis smart mirror from Care OS Unlike the avatar that LG’s mirror creates, this will line up the look you’re thinking of going for on top of your own face to give you a clear picture if that red lipstick is going to work with your outfit or whether you should do your hair in a different way. It'll also be able to play tutorials on the screen so you can easily watch videos for make-up and hair tips. We’ve seen a slew of augmented reality apps for your phone so you can preview radical new hairstyles and looks, but having this capability built into your smart mirror at home may encourage you to be more experimental with your style and give a more true-to-life realization of what you're looking at. Care OS will debut the Artemis smart mirror in the second half of 2019, but you’ll be paying for the privilege to get the tech into your home as it’s set to start at $20,000. Smart mirrors aren’t a new concept – we’ve previously seen the HiMirror Plus+ that aims to help you improve your skincare regime – but it seems 2019 may be the time that people start to install this tech in their homes. Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2019 coverage. We're live in Las Vegas to bring you all the breaking tech news and launches, plus hands-on reviews of everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/0vCmAIeYGNg

While Philips has gotten a headstart in the smart lightbulb game, GE has added to its own C by GE line of intelligent bulbs at CES 2019. The company has introduced new dimmer switches that smarten-up your dumb bulbs, color-changing smart lightbulbs of their own and accessories. Coming in Q1 of this year are two new products: C-Start dimmer switches to connect to lights, one for $50 and another for $75 with built-in light and motion sensors to add triggers to brighten or dim them. There’s an additional simple on/off C-Start model coming in Q2 for $40 for users who want a more basic switch. While all of these can synchronize with your C by GE bulbs via Bluetooth, you can also link these switches up with dumb bulbs and control them over WiFi. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ac9QRgv5kmMfeER9pwSwNA.jpg Your connected world, in colorGE Lighting’s new color-changing bulbs include the traditional A19 smart bulb, which retails for $40, a BR30 smart floodlight for $45 and a light string (for placing under your cabinets, for example) that will cost $75. Since signing up for the Made For Google program, these and future GE Lighting products should be natively compatible with Google Assistant via the Google Home app, per CNET, meaning you won’t need a C-Reach hub to integrate it. The app will even handle the pairing process, after which you can control it within the mobile software. Those who want to control via Amazon Alexa will need to buy one of the plug-in C-Reach hubs to inferace between bulbs and smart speaker, and will have to go use the C by GE app to initially pair your bulbs . An update coming later this year will add Apple Homekit to the mix, allowing iOS users to control their bulbs with Siri commands, though they’ll also have to go through the C-Reach workaround. The last GE Lighting news is accessories. C by GE will introduce a smart wall plug by Q2 of this year for $25, while a battery-powered motion detector is coming in Q4 for a yet-to-be-disclosed price. Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2019 coverage. We're live in Las Vegas to bring you all the breaking tech news and launches, plus hands-on reviews of everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/QOUoq7WkAkA

Cambridge Audio has unleashed the world's first turntable to support AptX HD Bluetooth audio, meaning you no longer have to make a choice between listening to your beloved vinyls and experiencing cutting-edge audio quality. Launched at this year’s CES 2019 convention in Las Vegas, the Alva TT supports 24-bit/48kHz audio streaming over Bluetooth to compatible amplifiers, speakers, and headphones, so you can listen to your records wirelessly, and in stunning AptX HD. This should provide an sound quality that matches wired high-resolution audio, while retaining the uniquely warm sound of vinyl playback thanks to the built-in noise-reducing phonostage. The heritage British audio company says that the Alva TT, supplied with cartridge, will be available to buy from April 2019 for $1,700 (£1,500 / around AU$2,400). The high-output moving coil cartridge will also be available to purchase separately for $500 (£450 / around AU$715). http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3M5BrDTV6hHq49BKdAqnuG.jpeg CES 2019: everything you need to know about the annual tech-stravaganzaA record year for vinylBy removing the need for wires, the new turntable should provide you with more options in terms of placement in your home than ever before, making listening to your records a totally seamless experience. The Alva TT also features a single piece tonearm, designed to reduced friction and deliver high levels of detail from your record collection. Sales of vinyl records have surged in recent years, reaching a record high last year, with over 7.6 million LPs sold in the US by July 2018. The spending figures proved vinyl revival naysayers wrong – and with innovative new gadgets like the Alva TT bridging the gap between old and new audio tech, it looks like now is a great time to invest in a new turntable. Best turntables 2019: the best record players for any budgethttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/QnfzEs4Pr1s

Shared website hosting means exactly what it says – you share a server with other users who are running their own websites from that hardware. Every customer gets a portion of that physical server for their own use. The main strength here is that this is a cost-effective solution, and because you’re prepared to share hardware with other folks, you’ll naturally be playing less than the outlay for dedicated hosting. By the same token, however, you’re also sharing resources with others, and that means that the performance you’ll get will likely be a fair bit slower (and indeed generally less consistent). That might be fine for sites which don’t have a lot of traffic, but it could be a problem if your bandwidth needs are greater, or reliable and consistent performance is a priority for your website. So, obviously bear all that in mind, but if you do want to go the shared hosting route in an effort to make some serious savings, which are the best providers to plump for? Read on and find out. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tjC6mFUdTNPEr39sXUdQ2F.jpg InMotion Hosting Don’t fret that this popular web host’s plans are marketed as ‘business’ products, because they’re applicable to individual users as well as companies. There’s a good range of choice here, and shared hosting starts from just $3.99 (£3.1) per month (2-year plan). What’s also good to see here is that InMotion incorporates features into its shared hosting plans which other providers charge extra for – like hack and DDoS protection, a system of basic backups, and a WordPress-based website builder. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bdUsuuYBKWwyVPfQ82BFbP.jpg Read our review of InMotionAnother strong suit here is the way that this web host provides full details of all its services at-a-glance on the website, and makes it easy to compare features, and make your decision when taking the plunge with a subscription. You also get cPanel and Softaculous-powered hosting, a sterling level of technical support, and in our testing, we found this provider delivered some impressive performance levels when it came to site loading speeds. All in all, there are lots of reasons to go with InMotion, and a 90-day money-back guarantee doesn’t hurt, either. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XH2GNecBGA9VEfEecX5mFT.jpg 1&1 1&1 IONOS (in the late October 2018, 1&1 changed their name to 1&1 IONOS) is a big web hosting player, vying with GoDaddy for world domination, and is the biggest player in Europe. Located in Germany, it offers a bewildering array of services with prices starting from as little as $0.99 per month excluding VAT (although that rises to $7.99 after the first year). Read our review of 1&1On top of that, this shared hoster provides some smart freebies (a free domain, SSL certificates across all plans, free web design software (NetObjects Fusion 2013), 24/7 phone and email support, a graphics archive, a 30-day money-back guarantee, transparent replication (the company calls it geo-redundancy) and a whopping 300Gbps network connectivity. Also, you get a personal consultant, free of charge http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gvPz6svEg5tQGGPqDaKWC5.jpg GoDaddy The US-based web hosting company is one of the largest in the game and probably the best known one as well. It is also the biggest domain name registrar in the world with tens of millions of domain names in its portfolio. GoDaddy’s cheapest web hosting package is $7.99 per month. Read our review of GoDaddyThis provider offers free backup and restore, an uptime guarantee (99.9%), unlimited storage (although there’s only 100GB for the Economy package), as well as unlimited bandwidth and a free domain with the annual shared hosting plan. A pretty nifty feature provided by GoDaddy on all its packages is the ability to increase hosting capacity on demand (e.g. when you experience a sudden surge in traffic) from within your hosting account. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VSxSgvXakMt3G2BGhqB2kD.jpg Namecheap If you want to do web hosting on a budget, then as this provider’s name suggests, it aims to be inexpensive. You get some impressive value-for-money with Namecheap, particularly with an initial discount for the first year, and there are some heavyweight plans here. However, note the starter ‘value’ plan only gives you 20GB of hard drive space and 30 email accounts, but you get that at the price of just $2.88 per month. Read our review of NamecheapNamecheap offers a 99.9% connectivity guarantee, and is a very easy service to set up, with an initial welcome email that points you in the right direction for everything you might need (backed up by some impressive FAQs). It also plays host to an excellent searchable knowledgebase. To round things off, testing proved that this company generally offers above average speeds compared to rivals, making this a great hosting provider for those who aren’t keen on doing too much damage to their wallet. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HwJG5D7Yf9RDbowhrwoWXe.jpg UK2 Based in London, bang in the middle of startup territory (Shoreditch), UK2 offers an impressively cheap starting shared hosting package at around $2.5 (£1.95) per month excluding VAT (although that rises to $7.8 (£5.95) a month on renewal). It also offers affordable unlimited packages with unlimited emails, bandwidth, a free SSL certificate (great for improved security and search visibility), a free domain and a dedicated IP. Read our review of UK2Prospective customers will appreciate the lack of setup fees or hidden charges, the 30-day money-back guarantee, plus 24/7 UK-based phone support on a freephone number and UK-based data centres. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/p622GUaVeV2mMXrJe8PYKN.jpg HostGator This is another web host which caters for the more budget-minded, and of course that’s never a bad thing. Although do note that you only get the really cheap prices when signing up for longer contracts with HostGator, so something of a commitment is required for the best savings here. For example, the cheapest shared hosting plan is $2.64 (£2) per month if you sign up for 36 months, but $4.48 (£3.38) per month if you sign up for one year. Read our review of HostGatorThe good news is that you get plenty for your money, and no annoying limitations, so even the basic plan allows for unlimited bandwidth, web space, email accounts and more. A 99.9% uptime guarantee is also good to see. Customer support is generally pretty good – although it falls down in a few areas, for example the web help forums aren’t moderated by the company itself – and we found performance was better than average in terms of site loading times. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6N2QS2HttWkn4ypwgjfRJ.jpg SiteGround SiteGround offers some low-end shared hosting plans which may cost a little bit more than some budget rivals you’ll find on this page, but the upside is that they include all the core features that you’ll likely need. The firm’s StartUp account is $3.95 a month initially (with the cost rising when you renew), and with that you get unlimited traffic, email accounts and databases, not to mention one-click installation of apps like WordPress. It also bundles features that rival firms often charge for as extras like daily backups or CDN capabilities (Cloudflare). Read our review of SiteGroundAnother nifty touch is the provider’s SuperCacher system which caches frequently-accessed data in RAM, aiming to improve site performance. This could certainly help busy websites. Not everything is rosy here, though – for example the basic account limits you to 10GB of web space. Also, website support via the company’s knowledgebase is a rather shoddy experience, but there are other avenues of tech support which perform much better. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8tvxhdQasT2wRnyZFZr3Rm.jpg iPage This is a premium web hosting outfit with a well-featured ‘Essentials’ plan which offers a great deal of functionality, and is ideal for those looking to host multiple websites (or those who want plenty of room to grow). With prices starting from as little as $1.99 per month for the shared hosting basic plan (via an offer at the time of writing), iPage gives you unlimited web space and bandwidth, unlimited email addresses, MySQL databases and even domains. Read our review of iPageNot only that, iPage incorporates some very smart extras like a drag-and-drop page builder, with a basic shared SSL certificate thrown in for good measure. This provider also offers good quality tech support via live chat and email (although other support avenues aren’t as strong). Performance levels seems solid, and this is certainly a web host to bear in mind for experienced users who are dealing with large numbers of sites. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ur3TFe2b96SFE6PhSaWxQJ.jpg PlanetHippo One of the smaller web hosting outfits in this listing, PlanetHippo has managed to keep its prices at a lower level compared to most of the competition. Its One Account Linux shared hosting costs just $1.33 (£1) per month (excluding VAT), and it’s an appealing budget package. The firm’s Unlimited plan offers ‘unlimited everything’ for $8 (£5.99) per month (and that includes a free domain). Read our review of PlanetHippoAs with other web hosts, you get a 30-day warranty, 24/7 UK-based support (and it’s of a good quality – although there’s no option to use the phone) and all of PlanetHippo’s servers are based in the UK. Throw in a smartly designed hosting panel, and you won’t go far wrong with this particular provider. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bBS8a7fsPoaFSkz4kVfoXA.jpg Tsohost This is another UK-based provider, and Tsohost also plays the value card, with an entry-level Startup shared hosting plan which starts at $3.8(£2.92) per month (providing you sign up for two years – it’s $4.15(£3.16) per month if you commit for just one year). That plan limits you to 15GB storage and you do get unlimited bandwidth, Let’s Encrypt SSL and a hundred mailboxes. Read our review of TsohostTsohost’s technical support may not be the fastest out there in terms of response times, at least in our experience, but it did provide clear and accurate answers to queries. Performance levels are also solid, and the company offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. And we consider the merits of shared hosting vs dedicated hosting hereYou might also want to check out our other website hosting buying guides: WordPressCloud hostingE-commerceDedicated serverSmall businessWindowsManagedGreenBusinessColocationEmail hostingResellersVPSSharedCheapWebsite buildersBest website hostinghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/aVaaeRx5CkM

Following the announcement of the Nikkor Z 14-30mm f/4 S at CES 2019, Nikon has updated its lens roadmap for its full-frame mirrorless Z System. As well as the 14-30mm f/4, 2019 will also now see Nikon launch a 24mm f/1.8 lens that was initially scheduled for a 2020 release. We can also expect to see 85mm f/1.8, 24-70mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/2.8 optics, as well as the mighty 58mm f/0.95 Noct that we had expected would be launched at CES. In 2020, we should see a 20mm f/1.8 (which was originally planned to be released this year), a 50mm f/1.2 and a 14-28mm f/2.8, as well as four as-yet-unspecified lenses. 2021 has seven lenses pencilled in for launch (down from eight originally), although Nikon is yet to reveal what these will be. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cWynPpVJGbRUYatmfjxFVn.jpg Best Nikon lenses: 20 top lenses for Nikon DSLRshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/0IBkDVVKnKs

New data has revealed that the UK creates more AI jobs than any other European nation with more than half of them outside of London. The robotic process automation company, UiPath analysed 30,000 job listings from the employment search engine Indeed to determine which countries and cities are hiring the most in the growing fields of AI and machine learning. China continues to lead the way in the AI industry with 12,113 job postings followed by the US with 7,465. The UK has the fourth highest number of jobs in the field and leads the way in Europe with 1,547 jobs, ahead of Germany (1,120) and France (763). AI jobs in LondonUiPath's research also showed that London is one of the world's leading cities for AI jobs creation with 744 job postings putting it ahead of New York and eighth overall in the world. While London may have made the top ten when it comes to AI jobs, surprisingly the majority of vacancies are located outside of the capital. Of the 1,547 jobs, 803 are located outside of London with Cambridge (102 jobs), Bristol (62) and Manchester (47) being the best performing towns. When it comes to the most popular AI jobs in the UK, data scientist was the most popular followed by software engineer, consultant, AI researcher and sales engineer. Demand for jobs in both AI and machine learning is rising as these technologies begin to play an even larger part in the lives of consumers and now would be a great time to consider a career in the field. We've also highlighted the best AI platforms for businesshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/ulyY7kcijck

Sphero (creator of the BB8 Star Wars bot and the Bolt educational toy) has taken an artistic turn with a new wearable for kids. Launched at CES 2019 in Las Vegas, Specdrums are a pair of app-enabled rings that let kids create music by tapping their fingertips on different colored surfaces. Sphero recently announced that it was moving away from licensed toys to focus on its own educational bots, which support kids' learning in STEAM fields – meaning science, technology, engineering, art and maths. While the Sphero Bolt range teach essential programming skills, Specdrums are the company's first foray into the arts. Sounds are customizable, allowing youngsters to explore drum beats, piano notes and over 100 other instruments. Tapping on different colors produces different sounds, and although the rings come with a multi-colored playmat for experimenting, the rings will also work with everyday objects in different colors. Ring the changes“By seeing the world around them as a canvas, kids are able to use Specdrums to create their own songs using coding, which is really exciting for them, their parents and their teachers," said Paul Berberian, CEO of Sphero. "Meanwhile, the creative pattern-making of loops and sounds strengthens their math and problem-solving skills.” http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jVt3r4TJnizijDnQmjftye.jpg Specdrums were initially made with the classroom in mind, but are affordable enough for home music-making too. A single ring costs £64.99 (about $80, AU$120) for one ring, while a pair are £99.99 (about $130, AU$180). Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2019 coverage. We're live in Las Vegas to bring you all the breaking tech news and launches, plus hands-on reviews of everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/Cx2ynr3Dw4k

Here’s a dirty little secret I’m about to share with you: I’ve never been convinced by gaming laptops. Sure, I’ve used and reviewed some seriously impressive – and powerful – gaming laptops, but they’ve always seemed a bit… pointless. They are far too bulky and heavy to carry around, with pathetic battery lives that mean you pretty much always need to have them plugged into a power socket. You might as well have a desktop PC. They are also incredibly expensive, much more so than buying – or, even better, building – a gaming desktop PC. That premium price is because they are supposed to be smaller and more portable than traditional PCs, but as I mentioned above, that’s debatable. Plus, while mobile hardware has been getting better, allowing gaming laptops to become almost as powerful as desktop PCs, you’re stuck with the components it comes with. While you can swap out and upgrade a desktop PC, a gaming laptop could soon become outdated. So, yeah. Not a massive fan. But at CES 2019, I’ve finally seen some exciting gaming laptops that directly challenge all my preconceptions and prejudices. Could 2019 finally be the year I ditch my desktop for a gaming laptop? Perhaps… http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/te6AwRb6gDtSufJhZ9pABA.jpg Thin, light and plenty of batteryFirst of all, there have been a number of seriously sexy gaming laptops that disprove the notion that these devices need to be big, heavy and ugly. Asus has done some good work here in the past with its Zephyrus range of gaming laptops, and at CES it showed off the ultra-thin ROG Zephyrus S GX701. At the tech show in Las Vegas, the company has packed some amazing tech into the most compact 17-inch laptop I’ve seen. We’re talking Nvidia RTX 2080 graphics, a six-core 8th generation Intel Core i7-8750H processor and up to 24GB of RAM. All in a body that’s just 15.7 inches wide, while also being 18.7mm at its thinnest point. In fact, Nvidia’s announcement of its mobile versions of its latest RTX graphics cards has meant CES has been flooded with compact laptops that pack some serious power. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EAszQLBG7YgA5oft6KTQjj.jpg New form factorsSo, while pretty much every laptop manufacturer now has a thin gaming laptop packed with RTX goodies (even Samsung), it’s still all a bit boring. Thankfully, CES 2019 came to the rescue once again with a number of gaming laptops that try something really new and unexpected with their designs. First up is Asus with its Mothership GZ700 laptop. Unlike traditional laptops (gaming or otherwise), the components are placed behind the screen, not underneath the keyboard. Speaking of the keyboard, it can be completely detached, turning the Mothership into a kind of crazy-powerful giant Surface laptop for gaming. It’s great, and I like the fact that Asus has essentially said, “We know you can’t use gaming laptops like normal laptops, so let’s stop pretending you will and just go completely crazy.” More of this please. Meanwhile, Acer – which has never liked letting Asus get all the attention – unveiled the bonkers Predator Triton 900, which packs hugely powerful components, while also placing its large 4K display on a “Ezel Aero Hinge”, which allows the screen to be angled and flipped and all kinds of stuff. Does it look crazy? Yep. Will you use it? Probably not. But it’s trying something new, and that’s worth applauding, especially when it comes to the rather conservative world of gaming laptops. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/peBwVPm7HBgCgdy96fohkM.jpg Upgradable gaming laptopsPerhaps my biggest complaint about gaming laptops (just ask anyone who I’ve moaned to about this) is that despite costing huge amounts of money, gaming laptops can’t be easily upgraded. It means that no matter how fast and powerful your gaming laptop is, at some point it’s going to become out of date, and one day obsolete. With a desktop PC, you can pretty easily upgrade most parts of it throughout the years, meaning it can last a lot longer, and you don’t have to buy the whole thing all over again. After a while, you can simply swap out the graphics card to give it a new lease of life, for example. So, one of the most exciting announcements of CES 2019 for me was the Alienware Area-51m, which is a powerful gaming laptop that will allow you to upgrade the processor and graphics card later on. The CPU seems easy enough, but I’m not sure how the GPU will be upgraded – you may need to send it off to Dell. So, not quite as easy as upgrading a desktop PC, but it means this laptop is far more future-proof than other gaming laptops, which is just as well considering the eye-watering $2,549 (about £2,000, AU$3,750) asking price. So, this CES has left me more excited than ever about gaming laptops. I might not be ready to leave my desktop PC behind just yet when playing the latest games, but if companies continue to innovate in the ways I’ve seen at CES 2019, I’ll be very happy indeed. Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2019 coverage. We're live in Las Vegas to bring you all the breaking tech news and launches, plus hands-on reviews of everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/PaMMC4iVxfI

Photographers would be lost without the raft of camera accessories that support their photo shoots. From the bags used to carry their kit and the tripods that permit long exposures right down to the smaller essentials the keep dust away from sensors and lenses, photographers always have a handful of accessories that they couldn't be without. Here are some best camera accessories that deserve your attention. Whether you want to splash out on a sturdy tripod or a lighting solution, or just chuck a few useful extras into your kit bag, read on to get up to speed on what today's photographer relies upon for their craft. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg Best camera accessories in 2019http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fBVgfNE7k4AWwVdUV6httK.jpg A lighting solution that makes conventional flashguns pretty much redundant, the NEO 2 employs an LED panel to offer both continuous light and flash, with zero recycle times and up to 85,000 flashes on a fully charged set of batteries. Functionality is bolstered by the further option of high speed sync shooting and built-in Elinchrom Skyport receiver, and you can adjust the colour temperature of the light in fine increments to suit the subject you're shooting. How many regular flashguns can claims all this? Precisely zero. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JtpzYVBMASzrZeTwYktgV3.jpg The straps the come with DSLRs and mirrorless camera might be fine for occasional use, but as any Blackrapid user will attest, they’re far from an ideal solution if you plan on carrying your camera for most of the day. This ingenious strap shifts the weight from your neck to your shoulder for comfort, and has a locking mechanism that keeps the camera in place by your side as you move. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/im7wR3DZPhZMhCzmkMpKAF.jpg This affordable powerbank boasts a powerful 20100mAh battery in a sleek and portable shell, making it a great option for keeping a compact or mirrorless camera battery charged when you’re not near a power source (providing it offers this through its USB port). And when you’re not using it to charge your cameras, you can keep you phone or tablet juiced up, with enough capacity to fully charge an iPhone 7 almost seven times over. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yddSj5gv45znV2oB4qZ7LF.jpg Still very much the affordable shotgun mic of choice for anyone intending to record high-quality speech with their camera, the VideoMic Pro has Rycote’s Lyre suspension system integrated into its design to separate it from the camera, thus reducing the chance of you operating the camera or lens being picked up on recordings. The built-in foam shield also minimses wind noise, so it’s great for shooting on location in addition to indoor use. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FgKEwRk6AGaKCng7PfwCtF.jpg With enough space for a two DSLRs and zoom lenses attached, together with six additional lenses, a 13in laptop, and plenty of space left over for accessories, this stylish solution from Loewpro lets you carry everything you need for full day’s shooting in comfort. Loops on the side allow you to hook on a tripod, while the integrated All Weather AW cover provides extra protection should you get caught up in inclement weather. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mQof4B7EY9ULZf7F25cc89.jpg Great if your laptop or desktop computer doesn’t have a built in card slot (we're looking at you Apple), this neat USB 3.0 card reader supports the very latest UHS-I and UHS-II SD card formats, as well as older non-UHS cards. Well made, while the design means neighbouring ports can be accessed. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EFje7iQSTWVgZnU5JSanSH.jpg Pop this lightweight mini softbox on your flashgun and it’ll soften its output without you needing to bounce it from any other surfaces. This makes it particularly useful for when you’re working outdoors, especially if you're working alone and you don’t have a reflector to hand, and so it ideal for the mobile portrait photographer that might find themselves shooting on a range of locations. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aKKmaGJhyiabAzbKwg5Ga3.jpg This Pro version of Datacolor’s Spyder5 aims to ensure that your monitor is displaying things exactly as it’s supposed to, so you can edit with greater confidence. It’s just a fraction pricer than the Express version, but its advantages of ambient light monitoring, broader range of calibration settings, and the ability see before and after results from your own images make the small premium worth it. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RZyZRokBggWoD9U39J3DdH.jpg Adobe’s Creative Cloud Photography Plan rounds up the company’s best-known programs for photographers, namely Photoshop CC and Lightroom CC and Lightroom Classic. It also throws in 20GB of cloud-based storage space to play with so you can access your masterpieces from a computer, tablet or smartphone, wherever you find yourself. The software is constantly updated, not just to add new features but also to provide raw support for the latest cameras. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Rqksuik6eZpJxWBkrTo2iN.jpg Masses of storage space inside a compact casing, this 4TB drive is bus-powered for convenience, making it a take-anywhere option for the more mobile photographer. It boasts password protection to keep your images safe and automatic backup to keep it updated, together with protection against general knocks and scrapes. Not taken by the standard black finish? You can opt for one of seven other colourful option instead. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ikKtp4SBQw3ubqUFcZgtz6.jpg If you're looking for something even more durable than the WD My Passport drive, then take a look at Sandisk's Extreme Portable SSD. Not only is it rain, splash, dust and spill proof, but packed inside is a stable solid state drive (SSD), available in sizes from 250GB to 2TB. With fast read and write speeds, this compact and well-made drive offers quick access to your images out in the field. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/egRKNqDtFhFnZFyb8A6KvZ.jpg If you want to be active with your photography - whether that means hiking or cycling with your camera, then Cotton Carrier's Skout could be the answer. It's a chest-style camera mounting system that's designed to hold your camera close to your body, and allow quick access to it when you need it. It features a patented Twist & Lock mount system designed to keep your kit in a fixed position close to your chest so it won't bounce round your neck when you're on the move. When you want to stop and shoot, a simple twist of your camera will release it from its anodized aluminum hub. There's also a tether to avoid accidents, and for added security. To protect your kit from the elements the Scout features a weather cover that your can pull over your camera, while there's also a stash pocket that will accommodate a smartphone or credit cards. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ny7zJKQuQUME4hme9GgJBE.jpg Sigma lens user? This affordable dock lets you squeeze every bit of goodness out of your optics. Just pop it onto the rear of your lens and use the accompanying software to update the lens’ firmware and fine-tune focus settings, and even adjust the Optical Stabilizer if you lens offers this. If you use of Tamron’s more recent lenses, you may also be interested it its own version, the TAP-in console. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DWTQ6zEm38eVd43Zdmbd4c.jpg Lens cloths may not be the most exciting accessories, but they’re essential for keeping your lenses, viewfinders, LCDs and other surfaces spotless. And this one from Spudz is more handy than most, as it folds into its own integrated cover when not in use to keep it clean. It costs next to nothing and packs away into a tiny space that makes its inclusion in any kit bag a no-brainer. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YR6pQs2bJKFn6W7Ld8ykbZ.jpg A set of carbon fibre legs and an aluminium ballhead kit that commands the same price as many aluminium legs alone, this all-in-one solution from Manfrotto has an 8kg payload, which is more than sufficient for the vast majority of camera and lens combinations. It extends to a respectable 164cm maximum height and you can even slip one of the legs out and use it as a monopod if you need to. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dDtDH7Ceyr4C9EuTpe2Us8.jpg Many photographers have a small collection of SD cards, which are small enough to easily lose and not always sturdy enough to keep way from possible damage. This robust case from Beeway not only keeps up to 12 SD and 12 microSD cards secure in individual rubbered compartments, but its silicone seal keeps water and dust from getting in too. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mUkVNZ3t4EptE9qwVPLWhh.jpg With the average camera being compatible with hundreds of different memory cards, how do you decide on the best one? How about going for high-capacity, super-fast option from a renowned brand, with protection against water and shock and free image recovery software thrown in? This option from SanDisk ticks all those boxes and doesn’t cost a fortune. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7f7kknpqrfx8UYndBA89D7.jpg A sturdy monopod with a difference, the inclusion of three rubbered feet means you can place this down more securely that usual, while a ball-and-socket mechanism lets you tilt the monopod while keeping the feet in the same spot. Flip locks let you lock and unlock the legs at speed, while the 163cm maximum extension is about as long as many tripods can manage. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oJP2fw5oZkTDx3JLNyyEtA.jpg Polarisers can be costly, particularly those designed for lenses with larger filter threads, but you needn’t spend a fortune for something that will just to do the job well. This affordable option from HOYA boasts a matte black finish and multi coatings to reduce reflections, together with a slim profile to keep vignetting out of the frame. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5VzgrhcJFQbpkAH9NBYrnM.jpg A great way to quickly deal with dust and other particles from camera sensors, this classic kit-bag staple weighs next to nothing but is super useful. It's also ideal for getting into hard-to-reach viewfinders and for giving lens surfaces a quick clean. The large chamber allows you to give a good blast of air, and as a contact-free method it’s safer than other approaches. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/i7Nn625ebvrEZWf3DRaoRB.jpg Need a rock-solid travel tripod that’s a little different to the norm? You've found it. Available in four different colours, this option from MeFoto has a massive 12kg payload but folds down to just 42cm, making it short enough to fit into the average bit of luggage or even backpack. You can also slip off a leg and use it as a monopod with the centre column. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/MSUj4dZz5yvhBsMYHXCeQS.jpg ND grad filters are found in any serious landscape photographer's kit bag, and this triplet provides all the control one needs to balance brighter skies against darker foregrounds, with the soft gradation making them ideal against a gradually changing vista. They're hand made and totally neutral to prevent any colour casts from forming too. Shooting a horizon? Go for the hard-edged filter set instead. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg 10 essential accessories for your new camera10 must-have accessories for every Canon DSLR owner10 must-have accessories for every Nikon DSLR ownerBest travel tripod: 5 carbon fiber stands for your cameraBest tripod: 10 options to suit all budgetsBest camera bag: 10 options to protect your camera kitBest flashgun: dedicated strobes for Canon and Nikon DSLRsBest ND filters: 6 top models testedBest ND grad filters: 6 top models testedhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/4ZAhHbUyoUA

Smartphone maker hopes that 5G will be the “silver bullet” that returns the market to growth have been strengthened by a new report that claims shipments will rise 4.1 per cent to 1.6 billion in 2019. Manufacturers are becoming increasingly concerned after nearly a decade of market growth. Several factors have been cited as reasons for the decline, including rising cost of devices, a lack of innovation and the erosion of operator subsidies in some markets. All of this has contributed to a lack of new markets to exploit and longer device refresh cycles. Everything you need to know about 5G5G smartphones“For too long, major vendors have been lambasted for upgraded devices looking far too similar to their predecessors, with iteration rather than design innovation becoming the norm,” says David McQueen, Research Director at ABI Research. “In fairness, it has become increasingly difficult for vendors to differentiate on features, with price being one of the very few competitive factors left, but new technology innovation and features are just around the corner to help arrest this decline.” ABI Research believes 5G, along with flexible displays, will act as a catalyst for the market. 5G networks will offer faster mobile broadband speeds, but it is the new applications that will be enabled that has analysts excited. Greater capacity and low-lantecy will make connections more reliable, helping usher in new user experiences in the fields of voice, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and biometrics. The first 5G smartphones will arrive in the first half of 2019 and continue throughout 2020 – the year that Apple is expected to release its first compatible handset. Market challengesHowever, there is a warning that it will be the responsibility of manufacturers to convey the benefits of 5G devices and applications to consumers. A separate study from the GSMA found that there is a lack of 5G awareness and this could harm adoption. Only half of people understand 5G means faster speeds and only a quarter expect 5G networks to deliver new types of services. Just a fifth acknowledge 5G will enable new types of devices. “It is incumbent on major smartphone vendors from Apple to ZTE, to ensure that they remain competitive in the next 18 months as these new technologies are introduced, continually providing a set of captivating and effective innovations in their portfolios,” concludes McQueen. “If the established vendors are to take full advantage, they will need to modernise and refresh their strategies to strengthen their business competitiveness and technological leadership in the mid- to long-term. Failure to do so could result in a dramatic collapse in business, which would not be the first time in the smartphone industry where a prominent vendor has been caught out and fallen quickly from a position of market strength.” Here are the best mobile phone deals for January 2019 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/xP4-2qpvEmk

The future is going to be weird. At least, that’s the impression we get from what we've seen at CES 2019 in Las Vegas. The annual consumer tech show is notorious for wacky inventions, strange gadgets, and providing tech solutions for problems you didn’t even know you had (a toilet that plays music, anyone?) From robots that live to love you, to machines that fold your laundry for you, this year’s show has been no exception – even the humble television has had a total reconfiguration thanks to LG’s rollable OLED model that wowed us with its unique mechanical design. Prepare to be amazed, amused, and bewildered, as we bring you our pick of the weirdest gadgets we’ve seen at CES 2019: 1. LG Signature Series OLED TV R (65R9)http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KovQTiohJQb4fMEaZrVzyZ.jpg One of the biggest announcements from CES 2019 was the new LG Signature Series OLED TV, and while you usually wouldn't expect to find a television on a list of weird gadgets, this one is particularly special. Why? Well, this flexible model features a rollable OLED panel that unfurls at the touch of a button from a base that acts as a storage facility, unfurling mechanism, and a sound system all in one. The TV can either extend to its full 65-inch form, which LG is calling Full View, or display just a small part of the screen in Line View. The latter configuration can be used for playing music, or using LG's Mood Mode, which shows small visual effects to match nature-themed audio soundtracks. Seeing a 65-inch OLED display appear seemingly out of nowhere is certainly a sight to behold, making it one of the most noteworthy TVs we've seen at CES this year. LG Signature Series OLED TV (65R9) hands on review2. Lovothttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TEDgZCdoUFkmz5GhEKFjG7.jpg Lovot, the cuddly robot from Japanese robotics startup Groove X, has one mission in life, and that is to make you happy. Designed to behave just like a real living thing, Lovot was made to “nurture people’s capacity to love” by demanding the affection of its owner, and with its big cartoon eyes and teddy bear-soft exterior, it’s bound to make even the iciest of hearts melt just a little. When Lovot wants to be picked up and cuddled, it waves its little arms in the air, and will even follow you around your home on its wheels. It can even ‘fall asleep’ in your arms if you give it a good enough cuddle. With loads of innovative tech packed in beneath its fuzzy exterior, the Lovot certainly doesn't come cheap: you can preorder a pair of the fuzzy bots for an eye-watering 598,000 yen, which works out at around $5,520/£4,320/AU$7,750 based on current conversion rates. Groove X's cuddly robot Lovot is stealing hearts at CES 20193. Foldimatehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sShTK8g6RHRkuw6UebrgsR.jpg There's no doubt about it: doing household chores is a drag. However, the Foldimate laundry folder wants to change this, by making laundry fun. All you have to is manually insert items of clothing into the Foldimate, and about five seconds later, the machine spits them out, perfectly folded and ready to put away. The company estimates that the machine can get through a whole load of laundry in around five minutes. However, convenience comes at a price, and the Foldimate is no exception. While the Foldimate we saw at CES 2019 is still a prototype, the company is hoping for a "late 2019" launch date, priced at an eye-watering $980 (about £770, AU$1370). This machine will fold your laundry for you4. Mui smart displayhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BsP2e49Sek4BHrNu4Ms7FR.jpg One of the coolest gadgets we saw at CES 2019 was a plank of wood. No, we're not joking. Shaped like a simple wooden plank, the Mui smart display houses a touch-sensitive interface in the surface of the wood, allowing it to display visual data outputs and touch-control functions like a thermostat, clock, weather information, dimmer controls for your lights, text-based messages or slogans, and even a way to access your voicemail. It even has Google Assistant built in, with the option of having the voice assistant's responses displayed in text on the display or read aloud. The Mui smart display is slated to start shipping in September to backers of its (now closed) Kickstarter campaign. Prices and availability are still to be confirmed, but some outlets are reporting that it will cost around $1000 (£785 / AU$1400 based on current conversion rates.) Mui's new smart display is a touch-sensitive plank of wood5. Kohler Numi 2.0 Intelligent Toilethttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yL9dLp6xviPU22Yn7734QP.jpg If toilets could talk, what would they say? Whether you want to know the answer to that question or not, the Numi 2.0 Intelligent Toilet from Kohler does just that, with high quality speakers that allow you to converse with Amazon's Alexa as you...do your business. The super smart toilet also allows you to activate the heated seat, a 'personal dryer', and even ambient lighting and music to set the mood for your toilet trip. For this luxurious lavatory, you'll need to part with a hefty $7,000 (around £5,500 / AU$9,750). For that money, we think we might just stick to our less talkative toilet after all. Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2019 coverage. We're live in Las Vegas to bring you all the breaking tech news and launches, plus hands-on reviews of everything from 8K TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops and smart home gadgets.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/llQlKq1OG4c

The wearables space which started out as in form of pedometers for step counting has evolved into activity trackers which are powerful when it comes to keeping track of your activities and fitness. Right now, there's a huge development happening in the activity tracker space with more and more advancements like sleep analysis, heart rate monitoring and even blood pressure monitoring. These latest generation activity trackers can help one track steps, calories, distance travelled and monitor heart rate and sleep. However, what they all have in common is they can help anyone go from unhealthy to fit. Plus, now, they have an affordable price tag too. We filtered out the fitness bands that can get the job done, without hurting your pocket. Not worried about the price? Check out our best fitness trackers listhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7PhLjcFWrdu5p2PawBVuVh.jpg The Moov Now wearable is one of the best movement trackers out there thanks to its 9-axis accelerometer - the same one used in missile navigation systems. As a result it can not only track your daily steps, calories and the like, but also other movements. That means guided, personalised training feedback. The Moov Now can measure running impact, gym repetitions and swimming strokes, so you can work out with a virtual personal trainer that knows exactly how well you’re doing and can tell you how to improve. It’s also waterproof and lasts a good six months before the watch battery needs swapping out. Read the Moov Now review http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nMW3LxcJ82hHFoMCoat43Z.jpg The Huawei Band 2 Pro is our second favorite cheap fitness tracker in the world as it offers a lot of decent features for relatively little money. Fitness band features include your standard step and sleep tracking but it also comes with a heart rate monitor, VO2 Max sensor, GPS for when you're out running and it offers some good battery life too. There's a very slim screen on the Band 2 Pro unlike the Moov Now above, but interacting with it is a little difficult and while it does show some notifications it's not always easy to read them. As an affordable fitness tracker though, there's a lot to love about the Band 2 Pro. Read the Huawei Band 2 Pro review http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nMKPM9YdH97CCgWARoFwH5.jpg The key addition over the entry-level Vivofit 3 is the always-on, color display that’s visible in sunlight. This is remarkably achieved without sacrificing the year-long battery life of the stellar third edition. Basic stats like steps, distance, calories and sleep are covered off, while there’s also automatic activity detection thanks to the Move IQ system. Thanks to the Garmin Connect app you can also customize the display, while setting timers and alarms directly from the wrist. Best of all the Vivofit 4 it also 20 per cent cheaper than the Vivofit 3’s 2015 launch price. Of course you’ll miss out on premium features like heart rate tracking and GPS, but that’s to be expected at this price. Read the Garmin Vivofit 4 review http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/p2tybPBh7At8jMrifnbJug.jpg Want the cheapest fitness tracker on this list? It's here and it's called the Mi Band 3, and it's not a completely useless device. In fact, the Mi Band 3 can do a lot considering how much it costs. It comes with a battery life that should last around a whole month depending on how much you'll be using it, and there is tons of fitness tech built-in. There's no GPS, but it comes with a heart rate monitor and tracking tech for your daily step and workouts too. It's not the most attractive fitness tracker you can buy, but it has a slimline design and it's light so you won't really notice you've got this on your wrist. The screen can show you stats for your workouts, and it's much bigger than the one on the Mi Band 2. If budget is your main concern in your search for a fitness tracker, it's hard to go wrong with the Mi Band 3 from Xiaomi. Read the Xiaomi Mi Band 3 review http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5RS9RZupDYDqex5rTTZbYL.jpg The Jawbone UP3 looks good, like really good. And there are plenty of colors and styles to pick from for your ideal model. Each features motion-sensing smarts to track steps, calories burned and various exercises automatically. But it’s the sleep tracking that Jawbone excels at. The UP3 will track light, deep and REM sleep variations after automatically kicking into sleep mode as you nod off. It also tracks resting heart rate, which can help to give a more accurate picture of health as it changes. What’s really useful is actual feedback in the app, with links to relevant scientific articles that could help offer ways to improve your sleep. Since it lasts for seven days on a charge and you rarely need to take it off. Read the Jawbone UP3 review http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yM8jimq3t2VUiQk4cxyoKh.jpg The Lenovo HX03F Spectra is very affordable for the build quality and features it offers. The 0.96-inch display is bright, and can be easily viewed under direct sunlight. Also, the touch response is quite fast. It has all the necessary sensors, including an optical heart rate sensor, which is rare at this price range. On top it offers features like Multi-Master Interface switching, anti-sleep mode and some innovative reminder types. It supports both iOS and Android, where it takes minimal time and effort to pair and sync. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EDcJRBJW2ApPZL8JcKihHB.jpg There’s a reason Fitbit was one of the first breakthrough activity tracker makers and is still going strong today - it works. And in the case of the Fitbit Flex 2 it works well, has a lot of features for a low price. The Flex 2 will do all the usual step, distance and calorie burn tracking using its motion sensor smarts, but it goes further. You can also track sleep and even do exercises that the band will automatically detect and track. Everything syncs wirelessly to the smartphone app and offers clear feedback to help you make health progress. The Flex 2 is also swim-proof, comes in different styles and uses LED lights and vibrations to notify you about calls and texts from a connected smartphone. All that and it should last five days before needing a charge. Read the Fitbit Flex 2 review http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dK9gNmCWvxitPRy8p9LVmC.jpg Perhaps one of the more innovative devices on this list, the TomTom Touch is a fitness tracker with a built-in body fat scanner that should be able to give you a clearer picture of your fitness than most other trackers. Press the button on the top and it will do a scan of your body fat to work out the ratio of flabby bits compared to what you should have. It also comes with all the other tracking tech you'd expect, including a heart rate monitor and step counter to make sure you're doing your best to keep fit and healthy. Read the full TomTom Touch review http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/28142a2ab7400fb995d8114e4b7bb981.jpg The Misfit Ray is an affordable yet very attractive activity tracker that should appeal to anyone wanting to make sure their wearable enhances their look. There are plenty of muted color options to pick from and each features the same anodised aluminum central device with LED lights. There’s also a smart button that can be set to control aspects of your smart home, for example. The swim-proof wearable uses replaceable batteries for a charge-free six months of constant use. That includes step and sleep tracking plus vibration alerts for calls, messages, reminders and alarms. Read the Misfit Ray review http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/174b147d8de242ecea1374ea62e34561.jpg If price is your main focus, you may want to opt for the Misfit Flash. You can get this tracker for so little money now we were surprised while writing this guide. We originally gave the Misfit Flash a three star review, which isn't very good, but since the price has dropped we think this tracker is a lot better value now and worth picking up if you're looking for something very simple to track your steps. It won't be able to do a lot of what the other trackers on this list can do though, so if you want much more than a glorified pedometer you should look elsewhere. Read our Misfit Flash review Not on a budget? Check out the best fitness trackers money can buyhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/voj7UEd-Fmg