sincity

In one of the least surprising Kickstarter success stories of recent years smart home manufacturer Eufy has absolutely demolished its funding goal with the EverCam security camera. Eufy talks a big game, with a promise of a year’s battery life on a single charge, and on-board memory that also lasts a year. Because of these unique selling points (as well as early-backer discounts) Eufy comfortably surpassed its goal of about £35,000 ($50,000, AU$65,000) with about of £590,000 pledged and 58 days of the campaign left to go at time of writing. AI keeps the motor runningThe reason the camera can claim such a staggeringly long battery life is because it has a three factor authentication process before it starts filming: first it uses infrared to detect motion and heat, then it uses AI to detect that the object is a human, and finally it uses a further AI to recognize the person’s face. Only if the camera gets to this final stage and cannot recognize the subject will it start filming and notify you. Eufy claims that this process will also reduce false alarms by 95%, although what it's measuring this against is unclear. The camera has a 140-degree viewing angle, and – like its main competitor the Arlo Pro 2 – is magnetically mounted. A nice feature is that EverCam has an alarm so that if someone tries to pry your camera from its magnetic mount they’ll be treated to a loud siren. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/b9cTeFYb5cmMBRK4FJQ3TD.gif The EverCam is waterproof to IP66 Those same speakers can be used for two-way audio, and Eufy has passed its ‘stretch goal’, which means it will be investing in making the EverCam compatible with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT. This will enable you to watch live feed on smart displays like the Echo Show, as you can with the Nest Cam IQ. The camera will sell for $499 (about £350, AU$650), but there's a range of early-bird discounts still available on the Kickstarter page. It’s worth noting that these are limited by country, so may not be available in your area. Eufy is planning to start shipping September 2018. Want to check out the competition? Best security camera: keep an eye on your home from your smartphoneVia The Ambient http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/oTXIOESK1wk

The terminal is the beating heart of Linux, no matter how hard today’s user-friendly graphical distros might try to push it into the background. If you need something done quickly and efficiently, chances are the best way to do it is with some complex keyboard wrangling. Exactly what to type is beyond the scope of this article – check out our guide here to get yourself started. The key, if you’re a terminal-slinging Linux badass, is to make sure you type those commands with as much style and panache as possible. And while you’ll likely never be in a position where you’re not able to drop to a straight full-screen shell, having a quick window to the command line on your desktop is always handy. These are the best Linux training providers and online courses in 2018Of course, your Linux distribution will have a ‘Terminal’ application already such as xterm, Gnome Shell or Konsole – but this probably isn’t as good as your emulator could be. Let’s refresh your view of those plain old white-on-black characters, as we explore our top six Linux Terminal emulators. 5 of the most popular Raspberry Pi distros10 of the best Linux distros for privacy fiends and security buffs5 of the most popular Linux gaming distros10 of the most popular lightweight Linux distroshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/maExCdbE5QYJYUT8Ki2kwE.jpg 1. Cool Retro TermIf you have a bunch of CPU cycles and graphics processing power that needs using up, you’re sure to get a kick out of Cool Retro Term. It emulates the look of a really old-school cathode ray monitor, complete with phosphorous glow, burn-in, and bloom around the characters. If you cut your teeth with the monochrome screens of the early eighties, this is a nostalgic (and highly customisable) trip back to the past. You can even select between a number of character sets, evoking memories of (for example) the all-caps Apple II, as well as selecting between a number of colours to replicate the amber warmth of classic Zenith monitors, or a rarely-used but nonetheless beautiful cyan. While the usefulness of some of its features is questionable – particularly the optional screen jitter replicating a slightly dodgy signal cable, and some of the older fonts – Cool Retro Term (CRT) is a beautiful toy to play with. You can download Cool Retro Term herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5WpvhYPaPTX9mG9S7TM7kE.jpg 2. GuakeThis Terminal emulator, crafted specifically for Gnome, takes inspiration from the classic shooter Quake, as its name suggests. Guake doesn’t offer you quad or mega-health power-ups, red armour, or even come branded with Quake’s classic brown-on-brown colour scheme, thankfully. Instead, it apes the behaviour of Quake’s console, un-hiding itself and dropping down from the top of the screen when you hit a hotkey. This behaviour is highly useful, particularly when you’re working with a small screen. There’s no need to keep a window open, hunt around for the Terminal icon when you need to type something useful, or check your performance in htop. Just tap [F12] to bring it down, or [F11] to make it full-screen, and you’re away. Guake also comes with a selection of neat colour schemes, giving you a few stylish options. There are similar options for other desktops, too: check out the likes of YaKuake for KDE or the GTK-based tilda. You can download Guake herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tKPnfCwYjneDYDv3fV2zoE.jpg 3. TerminatorHow much street cred does a single Terminal window actually afford you? Every command line warrior worth his or her salt is jumping between a number of different sessions for different tasks, has one eye on htop (or similar) at all times to manage system resources, and so on. There are actual shell-based options for this – GNU Screen, for example, or tmux – and Gnome Terminal allows you to open extra tabs and flick between them. But Terminator, which borrows much of its code from Gnome Terminal and tends to update as soon as its parent does, splits up your different sessions into individual panes within a single Terminal app. This means you can have everything open and available at one time – keep an eye on stats, watch a text-mode clock like vtclock, edit docs in nano, run whatever commands you need, all from one grid interface which can be tweaked as your needs require. You can download Terminator herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QKMcoiiFCZaQ4uHvycMMtE.jpg 4. TerminologySome people lean on the Terminal as their default method of Linux navigation, which can be a little restrictive. Normally you’d hunt down a file, then have to jump to a graphical desktop application to preview it, unless it's a plain text document. That isn't the case with EFL-based Terminology, an app which celebrates the Terminal while doing away with its more irritating old-school features. Files, URLs and email addresses can be automatically previewed in Terminology’s window. Click an image, or a video, and you’ll be shown a preview within the Terminal itself. It supports panes (known as ‘splits’) in much the same way as Terminator, and can be customised. Why not apply an individual background image or colour scheme to each split, or fiddle with the transparency for that late nineties ‘look what Linux can do’ vibe? The options are all there, with text mode triggers and a vast number of settings tucked away in its context menus. You can download Terminology herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hTFAKLrpCaSrm2xfpzB7eD.jpg 5. st (simple terminal)One of Linux’s big issues is that it sometimes does a bit too much. Your chosen Terminal emulator is probably compatible with a whole raft of obscure, archaic and/or unused commands. This can become very messy as Linux code tends to pass through a lot of hands before being released. It doesn’t have to be that way, though: st is a simple Terminal emulator that does precisely what it’s meant to do and little else. Don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s all that simple, though, despite the name (st stands for Simple Terminal). There’s still support for all the colours you could ask for, clipboard handling, a full UTF-8 character set, and a lot of font customisation options including antialiasing. If you’re not one for Terminal frippery and would prefer a more straightforward environment, this is most definitely the one for you. You can download st herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/48Bt6ZVQXts6of7gdVGJkE.jpg 6. rxvt-unicodeAlso known as urxvt, this is the Terminal emulator which many veteran Linux users end up going with. Not because it has pretty graphics or gimmicks, but because it’s absolutely rock solid and free of glitches. That’s not to say it doesn’t do fancy things: it supports colours, unicode, customisable fonts with italics and bold if required, and even transparency. The main program runs as a daemon, meaning it cleverly conserves system resources when you’re running multiple windows over multiple desktops. It’s very difficult to cause rxvt-unicode to crash, and that’s its main selling point – even if you’re playing with a more visual Terminal program, having this installed for when it’s time to get serious is a clever choice. Do note, though, that you may need to edit the hardware configuration file to customise it to your needs. You can download rxvt-unicode hereLinux Format is the number one magazine to boost your knowledge on Linux, open source developments, distro releases and much more. Subscribe to the print or digital version of Linux Format herehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/1LLjVXzNCJ0

If you’re a fan of controlling things in your home using your voice, do we have some good news for you: LG has announced that it has partnered up with both Google and Amazon to enable all SmartThinQ devices (of which there are over 100) to be controlled by voice assistant. That means if you’re one of the millions of people with an Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant powered smart speaker sat in your home, you can now use it to control any LG SmartThinQ products you also own. This isn’t the first time that you’ve been able to control an LG product with a voice assistant, but is the introduction of an open platform that allows you to choose between Alexa and Assistant across all of LG’s smart products. A more open approach to the smart homeIt’s nice to see a sense of openness being adopted by a company as large as LG, especially seeing as one of the biggest criticisms we have of the smart home market at the moment is the walled-off ecosystems that mean you have to effectively choose a team, rather than just investing in the best devices. And with LG’s SmartThinq, there’s quite a range of devices that you’ll be able to control, including fridges, range cookers, air conditioning units, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, and more. Some of the use-cases that LG provides are the ability to ask Alexa to turn off your oven while you’ve got your hands full, or asking Assistant to get your fridge to make more ice. While some of the appliances possibly don’t need voice integration (we’re thinking about the washing machines) it’s a welcome move to see LG opening its SmartThinQ platform. Want to see more of LG's offerings? Check out: LG TV Catalog 2018: Here’s every LG TV model coming in 2018http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/2ooqgCAsE9I

Sony’s Design Team has unveiled a range of smart home concept pieces as part of Milan Design Week, taking place from April 17 to 22 in Italy’s fashion and design capital. The exhibition is called Hidden Senses, and is being billed as: “A sensorial experience visualizing an enriched lifestyle for a new tomorrow.” Hidden Senses begins with a tour through a number of rooms (referred to as ‘case studies’) in which the participant engages with light, sound, movement, and tactile objects, in an effort to reacquaint them with their senses, before being introduced to the concept devices. Shake to wake The devices range from the ‘it’ll never happen’ to the ‘we’d actually quite like that’. It’s worth noting that as this is all concept, there’s no guarantee that any of these products will ever be sat on your coffee table or attached to your wall. The Swing Lamp (main image above) is one of the devices we like the sound of most; a lamp that changes based on how you engage with it physically. You can apparently “shake the lamp to trigger interaction, change the colour, pattern and even mood”. We’ve not had a chance to play with the lamp ourselves, but we’re imagining a high-tech, much more chic version of those inflatable clown toys that rock back up every time you knock them down. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/A7itaUdPX5HfSNikTYsB2G.jpg Sitting more on the ‘I’m not so sure’ side of the scale are Dancing Light and Material Shelf. Dancing Light is a floor light that responds to your movements, which we can’t really imagine anyone wanting in their house, and Material Shelf which is a shelf that displays a different material (pictured is marble) based on the requirements of the user. This sounds cool, but with display technology where it is at the moment, we’re not holding our breath that it’ll actually look like a marble shelf. Mood Driver is a very slick looking ring, that allows you to alter the ambience of your room by changing the music and scene of your room. We’re imaging you’ll preset it with lighting and music commands, but we imagine this one being a really cool way to control smart home devices without needing a screen. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TVs5WnxuPVUwPN4CfapGxF.jpg Mood driver rings Finishing off the devices are the Tactile Tray and Tactile Bench. The latter is a tactile bench that behaves like a see-saw and “augments your perception and senses”, and the former “shares information through the sense of touch” apparently changing its feel and movement based on the quality of your touch. No, we can’t picture it either. All of the images are beautiful, soft-focus, and utterly unlike any house we’ve ever been into. It’s great to see a company as big as Sony putting the effort into out-there design for smart home tech, it’ll just be interesting to see how much of it ends up in actual homes. Want to make your smart home more secure? Check out: Best security camera: keep an eye on your home from your smartphonehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/7M0rphdiVbA

If you're an avid reader and don't want to be tied to a particular platform, you'll need a tool to convert your ebooks to different formats. Truly excellent free ebook converters are hard to come by, so we've rounded up the very best. These free ebook converters will handle all common formats – PDF to Mobi, Kindle to Epub, Epub to Mobi, and virtually any other combination you might need. First, a note on DRM (digital rights management). Many ebooks are protected by DRM, and removing it is typically against the vendor's terms of service. It’s a system designed to prevent unauthorized copying and sharing (you can lend some Kindle books to friends for two weeks, but not all titles are eligible). That's a good idea in principle, but it also prevents you archiving books or reading them on a different device. It also means that, if the vendor ever disappears, your library will vanish too. Bear in mind that downloading or sharing unauthorized copies of ebooks is a violation of copyright. Even if the original text is in the public domain (the works of Shakespeare, for example), the book is usually classed as a separate thing. You bought your ebooks, so be stingy and just enjoy them yourself! http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2e3mJNLZt97C6sAWJrTGVb.jpg 1. Any eBook ConverterPowerful and flexible – easily the best free ebook converter around Any eBook Converter looks great – smart and uncluttered – and it's packed with features you'd usually expect to pay for. It lets you convert to Epub, Mobi, Kindle, PDF and TXT formats, so there’s something for your preferred reader or app. It also removes DRM automatically. The software will check your PC for Kindle, Adobe Digital Editions and Nook ebooks automatically, saving you the effort of importing them. Alternatively, you can plug in an e-reader and extract books directly. Once the book is converted, you can edit its metadata (a good idea for keeping your collection organized) including the title, author, date of publication, publisher, and cover image. There’s even a built-in tool for fixing EPUB files (which are essentially a type of compressed file archive) that use a non-standard structure. Any eBook Converter might look simple, but it’s thoughtfully designed and offers everything you could want. Highly recommended. Any eBook Converterhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9dg42uiYoN6s7g4mJ96ZiQ.jpg 2. CalibreA superb ebook reader and converter with plugins to add extra features Before you download Calibre, note that it can’t handle Kindle or other DRM-protected files unless you install an additional plugin – DRM Removal Tool by Apprentice Alf. Calibre is primarily an ebook reader rather than a converter, but it does both jobs brilliantly and is a great choice if you have an aversion to big commercial vendors. Calibre is available for Windows, Mac and Linux, with a portable version that’s ideal if you want to carry your ebook library on a USB stick. As a side note, if you’ve converted ebooks before, you might be familiar with Hamster Ebook Converter and wondering why we haven't included it. The answer is because it Calibre’s open source code, which is fine, but restricts access to it, which isn't. If you want the real deal, stick with Calibre. Calibrehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5ChJPmBiGiaQ3gF92NoQdd.jpg 3. ZamZarAn online converter that's great if you only want to convert a single book ZamZar is an online file converter that can handle a huge variety of file types, including pretty much any ebook format you can throw at it. We’d usually hold back from recommending browser-based tools for file conversion because of the time and data allowance required for uploads and downloads, but ebooks are so small they’re converted almost instantly. You’ll then receive an email containing a link to a webpage where you can download your converted file. We’d prefer a direct download link, but it’s only a minor inconvenience, and is a way for ZamZar’s developers to promote their premium service. Online storage is available for a subscription fee, as is the ability to convert multiple files at once. Before converting ebooks with ZamZar, make sure you check the terms of service – particularly the section on copyright. Since you're uploading content to servers owned by someone else, make sure you're playing by the rules. ZamZarLooking for a new ebook reader? We've got just the thinghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/JSLwTsjmEcE

Our first baby steps with Python, which typically involve making a 'Hello World' program and a couple of typos, don't require much in the way of specialist tools. It's fine to hammer out the code in a text editor, switch to a terminal, and then run it. When it doesn't work, you can return to the editor, fix the typos, then run it again. However, as coding and testing becomes more complicated, involving multiple files and unit tests, these context switches become inefficient and frustrating. Life is easier when we can write, run and wrangle our code from the same place. Exactly where a fancy text editor stops and an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) begins is a fuzzy boundary. At a minimum, you'd want an application that: does syntax highlighting, code-folding and bracket-matching, has some awareness of the constituent source files of a project, and facilitates running the code (or part thereof). More advanced features might include code suggestions, a debugger, and integration with online repositories. In this article we've picked five of our favorite IDEs, which are efforts that we feel give a good overview of what's on offer. We’ve also chosen the best laptop for programminghttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/APzC8VBVYGvYnYZHkY8JC.jpg Atom describes itself as a "hackable text editor for the 21st Century". It's maintained by social coding megalith GitHub, so as you'd expect it can do pretty much anything you can imagine. And if it can't, then someone's almost certainly working on a plugin to address that. Atom has its own comprehensive package manager, and a huge community working on packages for it. As well as built-in Git and GitHub integration, Atom allows you to collaborate on coding projects in real-time via the Teletype package. Several thousand other packages are available, but Python coders looking for a more efficient workflow would do well to seek out a script package. This offering is based on the electron framework, so Atom is cross-platform, but also has a not inconsiderable memory footprint. Coders who prefer their apps to be lightweight will balk at the 400MB (including its dependencies) install footprint and should look elsewhere. But even on a modest system it runs fine and all the functionality Atom provides means that it’s well worth the space investment. Despite all its features, Atom has a clean interface and is much more beginner-friendly than you'd expect. The project view is helpful once you start to dabble with bigger projects and you are free to split the panels of the interface to suit your fancy. You can download Atom herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RWmqDLG3Am8oaX5bPhkm2J.jpg It's easy to overlook IDLE – Python's very own bespoke Integrated DeveLopment Environment. IDLE (named after Monty Python's Eric Idle) is fairly minimal compared to some of the other offerings around, but it has everything you need and certainly won't get in your way. It’s coded in Python and uses the lightweight tkinter toolkit to draw its GUI. Starting IDLE will open a Python shell, just as you get when starting Python from the terminal. You can play around with code snippets here, with the bonus that keywords and output will be nicely colored. Moving on from here you can open a new window to start coding proper. Your code will be appropriately highlighted and automatically indented, with a configurable indent level. IDLE supports using spaces or tabs for indentation, and can automagically convert between the two – plus it can indent multiple lines at a time. IDLE lacks any project management facilities, but that’s no problem if your project spans only a handful of files. It has a powerful debugger which allows single-stepping through the code or over-stepping through each high level function. The debugger shows the call stack as well as the state of local and global variables. You can download IDLE herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CwPAdG3RdHyx6iGJuuBDNY.jpg Thonny is the least ‘developer-centric’ of all the IDEs we’ve highlighted here, but that doesn't mean it's any less powerful. It's developed at the University of Tartu in Estonia, and is itself written in Python. It features a powerful debugger that's great for learning the ins and outs of coding without worrying about how breakpoints work. The debugger can show you the state of variables as the program runs. It lets you take small or large steps through the program, which is great if you’re tracking down hard to find bugs. This is much better practice than – as beginners and seasoned coders alike are occasionally tempted to do – peppering your code with messy print() statements. Thonny will automatically indent as you type, which is helpful for anyone new to Python since the language uses indentation to delineate functions, loops, classes, clauses, etc. It will autocomplete your code and provide bracket/parentheses matching. It will also helpfully highlight any syntax errors. It would be ideal for beginners, but for the fact it's a little tricky to install if you're unfamiliar with Python packages and in particular pip (a package manager for Python). That said, it is included as standard in new versions of Raspbian and is well-suited to Raspberry Pi projects. It's just a shame that other distros don't include Thonny in their repos. You can download Thonny herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vA4BV7MspV5Mx9eaiVwhDn.jpg Once the nemesis of FOSS software, Microsoft has, under the stewardship of Satya Nadella, taken a much friendlier stance towards all things open source. The company may not be about to release the source code to Visual Studio, but in 2015 it did release a source code editor, Visual Studio Code – or Code for short – and open sourced the core of it. Code has since become rather popular amongst developers, and it's a fine choice for your Python projects too, once you've installed the Python extension, that is. Code has its own debugger, supports linting, and has integration with all manner of source control tools. It has a built-in terminal too, and a well-stocked extensions marketplace (don't worry, they're free). It can also run and debug your project's unit tests through the unittest, pytest or nose frameworks. If all this sounds a little too much, it also has a minimalist 'zen mode' which shows you only the file you're working on, hiding not just Code's interface, but the rest of your desktop too. Code is highly configurable, and it has a settings panel that will delight those of a certain mind-set – each section unfolds the corresponding section of the settings.json file, all nicely highlighted of course. Like Atom, code is an Electron app, so is cross-platform and a little bulky. Unlike Atom it has support for Intellisense, Microsoft's own take on code completion. For Python, as well as just suggesting completions, this also provides on-the-fly popups showing the documentation for classes and methods. You can download Visual Studio Code herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8xeJT8q77nxgi7QCSMUXeG.jpg This powerful cross-platform IDE – which, like IDLE, is named after Eric Idle – is written in Python and uses the Qt library. Though Python is its focus, eric (lowercase is the intended spelling) has excellent support for Ruby, and other languages too. It supports the bread and butter tasks we've come to expect: code folding, code completion, brace matching. But there's so much more that you'll need to use its built-in (and automated) TODO list generation to keep track. It has an integrated class browser and powerful debugger, and thanks to being built-in Qt supports building GUIs via Qt Designer. The initial configuration screen may seem daunting, but most of it can be put off till later. While the interface does look busy, there's no reason you can't use eric as a simple code (or even plaintext) editor. But it really comes into its own for more serious coding – there's even a built-in hex editor, SQL browser and icon designer. It supports unit tests and can debug both multithreaded and multiprocessing programs, which as anyone who dabbles in such things will testify, generate the worst kind of bugs. It supports Mercurial and SVN version control natively, and Git support is available through a plugin. Like Code, there's support for real-time collaboration on code. In short, if you want a feature-rich Python powerhouse, eric is for you. You can download eric herehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/8petDqvR-7M

It's Grand National weekend, with the most exciting date in the UK horse racing calendar taking place tomorrow. The four-and-a-bit mile race sees jockeys and horses hurtling around two laps of the Aintree Racecourse, jumping 30 fences along the way. And it's got a new big fan: Amazon's Alexa. If you get chatty with Amazon's voice assistant on your Echo speaker this weekend you'll find it's been updated to answer a whole host of questions on the race and its history – though you might not want to rely on Alexa for a tip to find the winner. Grand National skillsThough there are many more to discover, you can test Alexa's knowledge on the following topics with this selection of starter questions: Q. Tell me about the Grand National Q. When is the Grand National? Q. Where is the Grand National? Q. Who won the Grand National last year? Q. Who won the Grand National in 1862? Q. Which jockey won the Grand National horse race in 1968? Q. How long is a furlong? Amazon promise that there is plenty more you can ask its assistant in relation to the race – more than enough info for you to be able to fake expert knowledge come the final furlong. 80 Amazon Alexa Easter Eggs: fun commands for your Echo speakerhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/C9fI-64d9CA

Pictured above: Ring Video Doorbell 2 Knock, knock. Who's there? It's a massive price drop on the first-generation Ring doorbell. Oh, come right in! Amazon, which as of today officially owns video doorbell company Ring, is celebrating its latest acquisition by lowering the price of the original Ring Wi-Fi Enabled Video Doorbell in the US. Now, you'll pay $99.99 for the doorbell, a drop of $80 from its retail price of $179. The Video Doorbell is also now listed as $99.99 on Ring's website. Ring's other video doorbells, including the Video Doorbell 2, don't have price cuts in the US, however the newer doorbell is £10 cheaper on Amazon UK right now. It's become a regular occurrence for Amazon to lower prices on the products of companies it just bought. When Amazon purchased Whole Foods last summer, it quickly slashed prices on items like apples, avocados, eggs and kale (of course). Prior to purchasing Ring, Amazon bought Blink, another video doorbell and security camera company. With both firms in hand, Amazon is poised to make even more moves into your home, including with its own products and services, including Amazon Key and the Amazon Cloud Cam. And now that it's dropping Ring doorbell prices, the temptation to invite Amazon in may be greater than ever. Find a great cheap Amazon Echo deal right nowhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/4z8LjuiLOfs

Would you let your smart speaker listen in on a wider range of your conversations, if it meant it could better offer you recommendations? That's the premise of a newly-uncovered Amazon patent, which details ways speakers like its Amazon Echo range could listen for trigger terms to record things that its users liked or hated. While Echo speakers currently wait for the trigger word "Alexa" before listening to and establishing what a user wants through follow-on voice commands, the patent describes the way the voice assistant could also listen out for words like "love" and "like", and the sentences surrounding them, to establish a deeper insight into a user's interests. Likewise, negative terms could be used to fine tune things the user didn't care about. This could in turn be "useful for purposes such as targeted advertising and product recommendations," according to the patent. Patents and privacyHowever, though the patent has been filed, and its potential is clear, Amazon says that it has no plans at present to implement its capabilities. In a statement given to the BBC, an Amazon representative said: "We take privacy seriously and have built multiple layers of privacy into our Echo devices. "Like many companies, we file a number of forward-looking patent applications that explore the full possibilities of new technology. "Patents take multiple years to receive and do not necessarily reflect current developments to products and services." For those that are still spooked by having a Silicon Valley snoop sat in their living rooms, however, even the exploration of such patents is likely a worrying development. Amazon Alexa Easter Eggs: fun things to try with your Echo smart speakerhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/E2Pqu2bqW-s

En av de mest iøynefallende manglene ved HomePod er at den ikke kan trådløst kan kople seg til andre HomePod-enheter. Dette er særdeles problematisk siden det var en av de tingene Apple har skrytt mest av, både under lanseringen, og på hjemmesiden. Vel, det ser ut som at implementeringen av denne funksjonaliteten muligens kan være nært forestående, i alle fall om den åpne betaversjonen av iOS 11.4 kan brukes som målestokk. Apple har en åpen beta for både iOS og TVOS gående, operativsystemene for både mobil og TV-enheter. Inkludert i denne betaprogramvaren ligger grunnlaget for flerromslyd og stereobruk av HomePod via AirPlay 2. Ikke helt ferdigDet at vi bruker ordet «grunnlag» er ikke tilfeldig. Denne funksjonaliteten later ikke til å være helt ferdig. Faktisk fungerer flerromslyd kun på Apple TV, og ikke HomePod, selv når man bruker betaversjonen. Ifølge CNET finnes det et valg der man visstnok kan «Create Audio Pair», men når man prøver å trykke på dette får man en advarsel om at man må oppdatere programvaren, hvilken man ikke har muligheten til å gjøre. Dette er ikke første gangen AirPlay 2 har vært inkludert i en åpen betaversjon. Det er dermed mulig at de som venter på ny funksjonalitet nok en gang må smøre seg med tålmodighet, særlig om man venter på å ta det i bruk på HomePod. En interessant detalj er at TVOS ser ut til å integreres nærmere med Home-appen, slik at det muligens vil bli mulig å kople sammen Apple TV-enheten med såkalte «scener» i HomeKit. (Scener er Apples navn på samlinger smartenheter som samhandler, f.eks. lys, markiser, lamper osv.) Er du mer interessert i hva HomePod kan gjøre? Sjekk ut: Tips og triks for HomePod: Hva kan man egentlig gjøre med Apples smarthøyttaler? http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/TGzeO39fP80

Apple has had to cut down on its HomePod orders after the smart speaker had an underwhelming two months of sales, according to news outlet Bloomberg. The HomePod was a late arrival to the smart speaker market, already dominated by the Amazon Echo and Google Home devices. While pre-orders were strong, Apple has reportedly had to lower its sales projections and slash orders with Inventec, the HomePod’s Taiwan-based manufacturer. Retailer inventories have shown a “piling up” of the device, with some stores selling less than ten units a day. Small bite of the marketHigh pre-order numbers lead to analysts suggesting the HomePod would sell well, but the delayed February launch meant Apple lost out on the Christmas sales. Adding to that is the premium price tag and the inability to move away from Apple’s ecosystem, both potential factors in slower sales. Despite the low sales, Apple isn’t likely to stop the manufacturing of the HomePod altogether, being a massive part of the company’s line-up of premium gear, which will include brand-new sets of AirPods slated for 2018 and 2019, plus a pair of high-end over-ear headphones. HomePod tips and tricks: what can Apple's smart speaker do?[Via Bloomberg] http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/Q2Mf8wItKA8

Med sitt beskjedne strøm- og minneforbruk er Chrome OS et naturlig valg for konverterbare enheter. Snart blir det også enda bedre, med dedikert nettbrettmodus. Den nye touch-vennlige versjonen kommer til å være mer lik Android, der fokuset i designet ligger mer på fingrene. Eksempelvis vil nå «app launcher» starte i fullskjermsmodus, slik at man lettere kan finne frem til verktøyet man trenger, fremfor å kreve overflødige trykk, som i dag. Hjem-knappen er også i ferd med å få en oppdatering. I den nye nettbrettmodusen vil et enkelt trykk minimere alle app-vinduer istedenfor å åpne eller lukke «app launcher»-en. Det er en liten endring, men det kommer til å spare en for mye klundrete trykking og swiping. You've got the touchAlt dette kommer i kjølvannet av nyheten om at Google jobber med en oppdatering som gjør Chrome-nettleseren mer touch-vennlig. Denne tar også visuell inspirasjon fra Android, der informasjon blir vist på «kort» og avrundede, mer trykkbare, knapper. Det er ingen utgivelsesdato knyttet til Chrome OS-oppdateringen, men den nye versjonen av nettleseren er ventet å komme 2. september. Vi holder deg oppdatert, og kommer tilbake med mer informasjon når vi får den nye versjonen i hende. Sjekk ut de beste Chromebook-maskinene i 2018 Via XDA Developers http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/l50Fl2e4F24

Between data scandals, apologies, updates, and congressional hearings, Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg have been juggling quite a lot recently. It’s unsurprising, therefore, that reports have recently emerged that the social media Goliath is delaying the reveal of its home smart speaker. However, in a somewhat poetic instance of information being released before it’s wanted, a recent patent application has revealed what Facebook’s smart speaker may look like. Titled ‘Electronic Device’ and filed in December 2016, the patent reveals more about what the speaker looks like rather than any information on its internals or features. Shown from all angles, the device’s top appears to have the main speaker with nothing else of interest. It’s been rumored that Facebook’s smart speaker will be jumping into the home assistant game already equipped with a screen but there isn’t any obvious sign of one here. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9xejw4ZanhbCeU3yiTAVUi.jpg Holding backSome have wondered if figure seven on the patent depicts a screen with buttons underneath but the fact that this part of the patent is labelled as the bottom side makes this seem somewhat unlikely. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fRhQFF2ReCifhfULiHzqvk.jpg Unless the speaker is intended to be positioned vertically rather than horizontally, in which case a screen here could be possible where it would sit like the Amazon Echo Show with its speaker on the back rather than beneath the screen. Regardless, given this is a patent filed in 2016, there’s no guarantee that this is what the finished product will actually look like and Facebook could have made many changes to its design in the meantime. It’s not entirely clear when Facebook will unveil its smart speaker at the moment but any time in the immediate future doesn’t seem likely. Everything you need to know about Facebook and Cambridge Analyticahttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/qomVk2gZlu4

En av de största utelämnanden på HomePods lista av funktioner är dess möjlighet att ansluta sig trådlöst till andra HomePods. Särskilt eftersom det var en av de största anledningarna att köpa högtalaren, vilket stod både i Apples lansering och på HomePods hemsida. Nu ser det ut som om funktionen kan vara på väg, om den offentliga beta-versionen av iOS 11.4 är någon vägvisare. Apple har lanserat offentliga beta-versioner för båda iOS och TVOS, operativsystemen för mobiler och TV-enheter. Inkluderat i dessa beta-versioner är grunderna för multiroom audio (att lyssna på ljudet i flera rum) och stereo HomePods, genom att använda AirPlay 2. Inte riktigt där än ...Anledningen till att vi bara säger "grunderna" är att funktionen inte på något vis är färdigutvecklad. Multiroom audio fungerar faktiskt bara på Apple TV och inte på HomePod, även när man använder beta-versionen av operativsystemet. Enligt Cnet finns det ingen möjlighet att "Skapa audio-par": när man prövar att välja det får man ett varningsmeddelande som säger att man måste uppdatera sin mjukvara – som man sedan inte kan göra. Eftersom AirPlay 2 har funnits i offentliga beta-versioner förut är det möjligt att de som väntar på den funktionen kommer behöva vänta lite längre, särskilt om du vill använda den med din HomePod – som inte ens officiellt har lanserats i Sverige ännu. Ett intressant tillägg är att det ser ut som om TVOS integrerar en del funktioner med Home-appen, vilket betyder att du potentiellt kommer kunna länka din Apple TV med Scenes genom HomeKit. Är du mer intresserad av vad HomePod faktiskt kan göra? Kolla in: HomePod tips och tricks: vad kan Apple's smarta högtalare göra?http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/bq4ilRc_WbU

Deezer has rolled out its music streaming service to Google Home smart speakers in the UK, enabling users to play their favourite tracks with the help of Google Assistant. Deezer Premium+ users in the UK will now be able to use their voice to navigate through Deezer’s catalogue of 53 million tracks and then play them instantly. Google Home already supports Spotify, but now that Deezer is available it’s bound to appeal to those who prefer the service, especially fans of its Flow feature. 'Play my Flow'Users will also be able to ask Google to ‘Play my Flow’, which will dynamically generate a personalised playlist of old favourites and new tracks that’s pulled together using algorithms, pre-existing listening habits and recommendations from editors. You can also make your Flow even more right for you through Google Home (or Home Mini) by telling it which songs you do and don’t like so it can then better understand your preferences. Deezer comes to Xbox One for tune streaming while you playhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/AB36cFdtJns

One of the most glaring omissions from the HomePod’s list of features is its ability to connect wirelessly to other HomePods. Especially as it was one of the main selling points of the speaker, included both in Apple’s launch and the HomePod homepage. Well, it looks like that feature could potentially be on the way, if the public beta of iOS 11.4 is anything to go by. Apple has released the public beta for both the iOS and TVOS, its operating system for mobile and TV devices. And included in these betas are the foundations for multiroom audio and stereo HomePods using AirPlay 2. Not quite there yetThe reason we say ‘foundations’, is that the feature is by no means fully fleshed out. In fact, multiroom audio only works on the Apple TV, and not the HomePod, even when using the beta. According to Cnet, there is an option to “Create Audio Pair” but when you try to select it, you get a warning message telling you to update your software, that you then can’t do. As AirPlay 2 has been included in a public beta before, it’s possible that those waiting for the feature will have to wait a little longer still, especially if you’re waiting to use it with the HomePod. As an interesting side note, it looks like TVOS is integrating some features with the Home app, meaning you’ll potentially be able to link Apple TV up to Scenes with HomeKit. More interested in what the HomePod can do? Check out: HomePod tips and tricks: what can Apple's smart speaker do?http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/lO6L2cSn_cs

Where business is concerned, it goes without saying that keeping your finances in order is imperative. Not only is it necessary in order to ensure that invoices are sent out and paid on time, and to help with forecasting cash flow, but detailed financial records are critical when the taxman comes knocking. Fortunately, this is much easier than it used to be. Today's accounting software and invoicing packages are built for business owners, not accountants, which means there's no complicated jargon and you can be up and running in minutes. Cloud-based services let you monitor your business from anywhere on a range of devices, and there's no need to worry about backups because the provider will handle that for you, too. There are many features to consider when choosing accounting software. Okay, you know you need invoicing, but what about quotes? Time tracking? Purchases, payroll, credit control and more? Every package has its own mix of features, and they're not always directly comparable. To save you trawling through free trial after free trial to find the package that's right for you, we've highlighted some of the best packages available to help you get started. Also check out our feature on everything you need to know about SMB accounting software and our best free accounting packageshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xBTRmHioQmsCFrAKXJM86i.jpg FreshBooks is a popular cloud-based accounting service designed specifically for small business owners. The package has plenty of features – invoicing, expense tracking, time tracking, a host of business reports, even an option to take credit card payments (for a 2.9% plus 30 cents transaction fee) – but a straightforward interface aimed at non-accountants ensures you'll be up-and-running right away. Despite the simplicity, there's real depth here. You can bill in any currency, save time by setting up recurring invoices, allow customers to pay via credit card by checking a box, and even automatically bill their credit card to keep life simple for everyone. If you need more power, the system integrates with many other services, including PayPal, MailChimp and Basecamp, Gusto, Zendesk and more. Management hassles are kept to a minimum. You're able to access and use the system from your desktop or its free iOS and Android apps, and because it's a cloud-based system there's no need to worry about backups. If this sounds appealing, you can try FreshBooks for 30 days without using a credit card. Pricing after that is straightforward, as the only major difference between the accounts is your number of clients. The baseline $13.50 (around £10, AU$18) per month (paid annually) covers you for five clients, $22.50 (around £16, AU$29) allows billing 50 clients and $45 (around £32, AU$59) covers you for a massive 500. Additional users can each be added for $10 (around £7, AU$13) per month. You can sign up for FreshBooks herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yjvBniHfU8MYCLYHyuADkE.jpg Intuit QuickBooks may have been around since the days of DOS, but the latest version is right up-to-date – it's an easy-to-use cloud-based suite for just about all your business needs. Even the Essentials plan for £10.50 (around $15, AU$19) per month has plenty of features: invoicing, expense tracking, payment handling (with a 2.70% transaction free), plus it allows you to track and calculate VAT, and manage payroll and pensions for an extra £1 per employee per month. Just like FreshBooks, there are a pile of apps to add more features: inventory management, Shopify integration, job scheduling, CRM and more. These can be expensive – many services cost more than QuickBooks itself – but there are exceptions. Add GoCardless, for instance, and you're able to set up and take regular Direct Debit payments from customers for a mere 1% transaction fee capped at £2 – and there are no sneaky setup charges or other hidden extras. QuickBooks also offers mobile apps for iOS and Android. Overall we'd usually prefer FreshBooks, but there's plenty to like about QuickBooks, too, and with free trials available it's easy to try them both. You can sign up for Intuit QuickBooks herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zZBExqedd4Ly5uMF7H9VKY.jpg Xero might grab your attention with its low $10 (around £7, AU$13) per month Starter account but look closely and limitations soon become apparent: like being restricted to sending a maximum of five invoices, entering five bills, or reconciling only 20 bank transactions. The Starter plan also doesn't support payroll functions, and lacks multi-currency support. Still, if you can live with those restrictions there are some pluses here. The service offers smart expense tracking and management, optionally on your mobile with Xero's excellent app for Android and iOS. There are dozens of configurable reports, simple budgeting, and no limits at all on additional users or the accountants you might want to access the data. If the invoice, bank or billing issues are a problem then the Xero Standard plan looks like a better deal. It's a lot more money at $30 (around £21, AU$39) per month, but you can issue as many invoices as you like, and there's a capable payroll system for some locations, with time and attendance tracking for up to five employees (free for three months and then £5 per month). One disappointment is the shortage of support for multiple currencies, which only arrives if you sign up for Xero Premium ($70 per month – that's around £50, AU$90). Xero offers plenty of functionality, including a handy "convert your QuickBooks files" service to help you get started, and it's certainly easy to use. But if you don't quite need all that power, there's better value to be had elsewhere. You can sign up for Xero herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PsL4qHRKNvurfvgCYrxi33.jpg Sage Business Cloud Accounting (formerly Sage One) makes a good first impression with its clear and straightforward pricing. The core Sage Accounting plan offers good value at just £10 (around $14, AU$18) per month (for the first three months, rising to double) For this, you get modules to manage quotes, invoices, handle and submit VAT online, smart bank feeds and reconciliation, cash flow forecasting, some detailed reports, multiple currency support, project tracking and more, all available from your desktop or via a mobile app. All this is well presented and generally easy-to-use. If you run into trouble, detailed web help and video tutorials are only a click or two away, with the offer of “free unlimited 24/7 telephone and email support” that should help make any newbie comfortable. Sage also has a more basic offering called Accounting Start. This has no quotes or purchase invoicing, just core essentials like cost and income management, customer and supplier records and bank feeds, but it's only £3 per month (around $4.20, AU$5.50 – again for the first three months, rising to double) and could be enough for sole traders. You can sign up for Sage Business Cloud Accounting herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YnpPzUEyk868H3dacqYuLQ.jpg Getting started with an accounting package (or switching from one to another) can seem like an intimidating and complicated task, but KashFlow goes to unusual lengths to make it easy. Support for importing data from QuickBooks, Sage or Excel gets you up to speed quickly. The interface is straightforward, there's no accounting jargon to catch you out, and there are various invoice and other templates which you can start using right away. The program has plenty of functionality to explore, covering all the key areas you'd expect. You can manage customer and supplier details, record and automate purchases, create quotes and estimates, convert them to invoices as required, automatically import your bank transactions, and have the system automatically alert you of late payers, and even print out reminder letters for the worst offenders. KashFlow is a UK business, which means plenty of benefits for UK-based users. The package doesn't just calculate VAT figures, for instance – it produces VAT Returns and EC Sales lists, and can file them directly to HMRC from within the program. KashFlow's £7 (around $10, AU$13) per month Starter account has some big restrictions – namely a maximum of 10 invoices and 25 banking transactions per month, in a single currency only – but otherwise seems very capable to us. We think most people will prefer the £14 (around $20, AU$26) per month Business account, which removes the invoice limits and can integrate with 85+ other systems and services (WorldPay, PayPal, stripe, GearShift, Dropbox and more). Alternatively, spending £19 (around $27, AU$35) per month gets you a capable payroll system for up to five employees. You can sign up for KashFlow herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/j5r4SaMYL6X93Wz9jzTxdk.jpg While Kashoo’s price is a little higher than some of the other recommended offerings on this page – it starts from $16.65 (around £12, AU$22) per month – when it comes to features, the argument can be made that you get what you pay for. For example, Kashoo shines when it comes to multi-currency support, an important feature for today’s global economy. It also supports credit card transactions for all the major carriers – Amex, Visa and Mastercard – at a competitive 2.9% plus 0.30 cents transaction fee. You also benefit from unlimited invoices and connections to over 5,000 financial institutions to reconcile accounts online. We liked the uncluttered interface of this product, and the dashboard that provides a good summary of your current financial situation at a glance. Kashoo also offers customer support across the gamut of email, phone, live chat and social media – this company will even respond to an old-fashioned letter! One current shortcoming to note, however, is that there is only a mobile app for iOS, leaving Android users out in the cold for the time being. Kashoo offers a 14-day trial for those looking to test the service out. You can sign up for Kashoo hereBest business antivirus: our top paid security tools for SMBshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/C3ns9UphYIg

In advance of an already-divisive major Windows 10 update, Microsoft has released a fun, little open-source Easter egg for its longtime fans: the Windows 3.0 File Manager. Available now in its full source code on GitHub, anyone can access this tool and manage their files the old-fashioned way. That is, with file trees and pixelated iconography. Microsoft made the code available on GitHub through the MIT OSS license, allowing it to compile and render under Windows 10. This means that you will be able to manage your files within this retro environment. In fact, it’s so delightfully retro that File Manager actually uses an MDI, or multiple-document interface, to represent your files in windows within the main application window. That might seem trite today in a computing world where every app and even every file is its own window, but for much of Windows’s life that was the norm. This gift to Microsoft’s longtime fans comes at a relatively tough time for Microsoft (and the tech community at large, privacy-wise). For one, folks don’t seem to be happy with how the imminent Windows 10 Spring Creators Update is panning out. And, two, some Microsoft fans aren’t happy with how it implements these throw-back features as it relates to privacy, as discovered by TechCrunch. “Most of the MSFT open source stuff is either trash or completely unmaintained,” one Hacker News reader noted following the release. “Only a couple of high profile projects are maintained and they jam opt-out telemetry in if you like it or not (despite hundreds of comments requesting them to go away). Even Scott Hanselman getting involved in one of our tickets got it nowhere. Same strong arming and disregard for customers.” At any rate, feel free to play around with this relic of the past in your present-day Windows computer – just maybe opt out of those telemetry ‘features’. Here’s what we expect from Windows 10 Redstone 4http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/0bJ2xb1Z1FA

TechRadar and Adobe have teamed up to offer you a special 15% discount on Creative Cloud membership. Join Creative Cloud today and pay just $42.49/£42.46 each month for the first year – down from the usual price of $49.99/£49.94. The offer is valid from April 9 to May 13, and includes Adobe’s full suite of premium creative software for PC and Mac. Access all appsAs a subscriber, you'll have access to over 20 premium creative apps, including: Photoshop for still and motion graphicsPhotoshop Lightroom for processing and organising photosIllustrator for vector graphicsInDesign for publishing designPremiere Pro for timeline-based video editingAfter Effects for video post productionAudition for audio recording and editingDreamweaver for web design and developmentAcrobat Pro for creating, editing and signing PDFsAll these programs are fully integrated with the Creative Cloud, letting you move your work between them seamlessly. An Adobe Creative Cloud subscription also gives you a generous 100GB cloud storage, making it easy to work across multiple devices and share files with others. This special offer expires on May 13, so don't miss out. Join Adobe Creative Cloud today http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/6Cx2NYzF5dk

We’ve seen reports of a number of new features that will be coming to Windows 10, and to be honest it seems like a bit of a mixed bag. For a start, ghacks.net is reporting that in the upcoming Spring Creator's Update, which some people have installed early versions of, Microsoft has removed the ability to disable web searches when using the Cortana search bar. By default, when you use the search bar to look for apps or documents on your PC, Windows 10 also displays internet search results from Bing. This has always been a bit of a clumsily-implemented feature, and in the past it would often return inaccurate results. Although Microsoft has worked on improving this feature, until now it's always been possible to turn it off. This was helpful for people who didn’t want web searches cluttering up the screen when they were searching for a file or app installed locally on their PC, and allowed business and enterprise users to deactivate it for security reasons. However, doing so wasn't something Microsoft actively encouraged. The option was easily accessible through a settings windows when Windows 10 was first released, but after the Anniversary Update, released in 2016, you could only turn it off by using Windows policies or editing the registry. Now it appears that even if you set the policies (which can be found in Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search) to not allow web searches, they will still appear. It should be noted that at the moment this only affects Windows 10 Pro, and could be simply an error that will be fixed in a future update; the options to disable the web search are still there – they just don’t work. Alternatively, it could be an example of Microsoft trying to force people to use its services instead of a competitor, such as Google. Ghacks has created a registry script to disable the web search from the search bar on your desktop. However, as with any tweaks to the registry, especially ones written by someone else, you should be very careful about implementing it. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sNBvNC5U3HDAqDvCW6Dqv6.jpg Source: Windowsreport Better BluetoothIn more optimistic news, it looks like Windows 10 will be getting a long sought-after feature in the form of battery level icons for Bluetooth devices. Windows Report spotted the change in Windows 10 build 17639 – a version released to Windows Insiders who opted into the Skip Ahead program. Skip Ahead grants access to early, experimental, versions of Windows 10, allowing users to try out future features that may (or may not, if they don’t work properly) end up in Windows 10. In Windows 10 build 17639, you can now easily see the battery level of paired Bluetooth devices in the 'Bluetooth & Other Devices' settings window. This makes using Bluetooth devices much easier, as you can see which ones need to recharge their batteries with just a glance. It’s a feature present in many other operating systems, so we’re pleased to see it finally coming to Windows 10. Check out our collection of guides on how to use Windows 10http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/sC8WoGajDiE

With its minimal system requirements, Chrome OS is a natural choice for low-powered convertible devices, and it's about to get even more convenient with a dedicated tablet mode. The updated tablet version of Chrome OS will work more like Android, opening the full-screen app launcher automatically so you can quickly tap your preferred tool and start working. The launcher currently only opens partially, with an extra gesture necessary to see everything. The home button is also due to receive an update. In the new mode, giving it a tap minimize all app windows instead of just opening or closing the launcher, making navigation more straightforward. You've got the touchThis news comes hot on the heels of an announcement that Google is working on a touch-friendly update for the Chrome web browser. The new-look Chrome also takes inspiration from Android, with information displayed on 'cards' and round buttons designed for fingertips. There's no date yet for the Chrome OS update, but the new version of the web browser is expected on September 2. Check out the best Chromebook of 2018Via XDA Developers http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/ocbZi2V2EhI

Microsoft will soon be fixing one of the biggest complaints about its Windows 10 on ARM devices, with the news that the Snapdragon-driven machines will be able to run 64-bit apps in the near future. As we’ve said before, there are notable issues with the new wave of so-called ‘always connected’ PCs – some of which are more obvious than others – and one of the main ones was the fact that these devices can only run 32-bit software, thus limiting the selection of applications available. Microsoft had already said that this picture would change at some point in the future, and according to an Engadget report, Erin Chappie, general manager for Windows, confirmed that an ARM64 SDK will be officially announced at the upcoming Build conference which kicks off on May 7. This SDK will be available for both UWP (Universal Windows Platform) apps as well as traditional desktop apps. Developer’s decisionHowever, pushing the kit out is just the first step in the process. Developers themselves will have to recompile their own applications for ARM64 compatibility, of course, and there’s not much Microsoft can do if devs decide it’s not worth the trouble. That said, this is still a big step forward in opening up the number of potential apps which are available to those who have taken the plunge with a Snapdragon notebook, and at least the move is happening sooner rather than later. The big selling point of these laptops like the HP Envy x2 is their extensive battery life (20 hours) and built-in LTE connectivity thanks to the Qualcomm chip inside. However, there are question marks over the sort of performance you’ll see from 64-bit apps, and concerns about the power available from the Snapdragon 835 which powers the first wave of notebooks. That chip has already been criticized in some quarters when it comes to how it performs when running emulated desktop x86 apps, and there are arguments that these always connected PCs will need to step up to a more powerful processor in order to deliver truly solid levels of performance. We've picked out the best laptops of 2018http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/Yss-ChsmDtA

If you subscribe to any of Microsoft’s cloud services, such as Office 365, then you’ll be pleased to know that a range of new security features is being added to them over the coming weeks. OneDrive, Microsoft’s cloud file synchronization service, is tightly integrated into Windows 10, allowing you to save files to a special folder that's automatically stored in the internet, and is accessible on any device that’s signed into your account. Earlier this year, OneDrive got a new feature that allows OneDrive users to roll back their cloud storage account to any point in the last 30 days. It’s an incredibly useful feature, which could help you recover from a ransomware attack, for example, but it was originally only available for business users. Thankfully, Microsoft has now made that feature available to any OneDrive subscriber (we're chasing Microsoft to see if this feature will come to free OneDrive accounts as well). To help further protect users’ files from ransomware, which are particularly nasty infections that encrypt your files so you can't access them until you’ve paid a fee, Microsoft is also adding a feature that will alert you if ransomware is detected in any files. OneDrive is also getting the ability to password-protect shared links, so you can have more control over who has access to any files or folders you share with other people via OneDrive. These are all very welcome additions that brings OneDrive more in line with its chief competitor, DropBox, which has had similar features for a while. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/voqZ64NKxmpKCXLvMZ3KVM.jpg Office 365 updatesOffice 365, which is Microsoft’s subscription-based, continually-updated version of its Office suite of applications, is also getting a useful update in the form of Microsoft’s real-time link checking feature. This has been part of Microsoft’s Outlook.com email service for a while, and is coming to Word, Excel and PowerPoint later this year. This will automatically check any links in your documents, and alert you if the links go to malicious websites that contain malware or phishing scams. While it would be pretty embarrassing for a link warning to pop up in the middle of a presentation, it means you can share your documents, or open documents from other people, without having to worry about any hidden nasties. Outlook.com improvementsFinally, Microsoft is also adding new security and privacy features to the email service formerly known as Hotmail. In the upcoming weeks, Microsoft will be improving its end-to-end encryption feature, which will help make sure that the emails you send are only read by the people you send them to, no matter what email service or software they're using. You can also create a one-time passcode for people to read the encrypted email in Outlook, and there will be an option that prevents people from forwarding on your encrypted email to other recipients. Again, these are all very welcome features that show that Microsoft is serious about making its cloud services as feature-rich and secure as possible, and Microsoft’s blog on the updates goes into further detail. However, it should be noted that these features are currently only going to be available to Office 365 subscribers. We don't currently know if they will be available to people using the free versions of Outlook.com or OneDrive, or the standalone version of Office, such as the upcoming Office 2019. Let's hope they are. With Microsoft’s focus on cloud services, does that mean Windows is dying?Via Thurrott.com http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/lUPPZ2S4fow

Your Amazon Echo speakers just got a little more useful thanks to the new Alexa Announcements feature. Similar to Google Home’s Broadcast feature which launched back in November, Alexa Announcements will allow you to create what is effectively an intercom system in your home if you have more than one Echo speaker. So, if you said to your Echo speaker “Alexa, tell everyone dinner is ready”, your voice saying “dinner is ready” would be broadcast through every other speaker in your home. Alexa make my feelings knownYou can also say “Alexa announce” or “Alexa broadcast” followed by what you want to say for a bit of command variety. If you only have one Echo speaker, you can also use the Alexa app on an Android smartphone to make announcements, provided it’s tied to the same account as your speaker. If you’re the kind of household that texts one another from other rooms, this is a good way to bring a bit of noise back into your home. Unfortunately, it also means you can’t pretend you didn’t hear someone asking for a drink from the kitchen while you’re in there getting yourself a snack. That downside is probably cancelled out by the potential for a 'voice of God' prank when you've got new people in your home, though. Alexa Announcements rolls out in the US and Canada today and although there’s no word on when it will be introduced to other territories, it would be surprising if it didn’t eventually. These are the best Alexa skills and how you can install themhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/FYJFeyE2QUs

You know the drill by now. And if you don't, you should: your data is far more important than the hardware you're running it on. Laptops can be replaced, but the ones and zeroes they contain absolutely cannot. But perhaps they're not gone forever. Photographer Peter Krogh once wrote that there are two kinds of people: those who've suffered a storage failure, and those who'll have one in the future. With this in mind he posited the 3-2-1 rule of backups which calls for three copies of your data on at least two kinds of media, one of which is stored off-site. If disaster strikes and you haven't done this, you're not necessarily out of luck – you may be able to get something back. Nothing is 100%, so these packages won't replace a good backup routine, but you're at least in with a chance if something goes wrong or if you've been a bit delete-happy. If you're on a budget, also check out our top five free data recovery packageshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/sHZ3hpRjp9E4Weq3bUwSgm.jpg 1. OnTrack EasyRecovery ProfessionalPrice: $139 (£100) per year Available for Windows, Mac Specifically geared to looking after small to medium businesses, EasyRecovery Professional offers the deep scanning functionality of its smaller Home sibling, but adds a selection of advanced tools for $139 (around £100) annually, along with a free trial offer. The tools include specific email recovery functions which dig into Outlook mailbox files, and diagnostic tools to find bad blocks on your failed drives. There are also imaging and copying tools to ensure both an easy backup process and a quick restore when all the nasty file recovery business is complete. OnTrack also includes a disk refresher – we're not entirely convinced that it'll be able to do much more than make you feel better about yourself, but if it can sniff out bad sectors early enough you might be able to strike before anything goes wrong. Upgrade to the top edition, OnTrack Easy Recovery Technician, if you're looking to deal with encrypted file systems or RAW recovery of lost Mac volumes, but be prepared to pay an eye-watering $499 (around £360) for a 12-month license. You can buy OnTrack EasyRecovery Professional herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/P3xA4o975iJUL5jWy3YByf.jpg 2. GetDataBackPrice: $79 (£55) Available for Windows One purchase gets you three flavours of GetDataBack: Simple, which has a streamlined interface and can be pointed at FAT, NTFS or EXT formatted drives to hunt for files, and a pair of classic versions focusing on NTFS and FAT drives specifically. The latter two have been around and updated since 2001, and while their age might suggest they may be splitting at the seams, data is still data, and they can find it. All three packages can be run from a live CD or from within a WinPE bootable Windows environment, meaning you can fire them up without risking much destabilisation of your drives. GetDataBack Simple is, we'd suggest, particularly useful for laypeople – if you don't know how a particular drive is formatted, or even what FAT or NTFS mean, the unintimidating interface and basic language might still be able to help you pull files back. More advanced users, though, could benefit from looking elsewhere. You can buy GetDataBack herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/apnQS7nKMcu6KAM8hSHG5M.jpg 3. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard ProPrice: $99 (£70) Available for Windows EaseUS isn't overstating the 'Wizard' part of this software's title – it really is straightforward to use, taking you step-by-step through the recovery process. Run it quickly enough after disaster has occurred and it'll be able to resurrect just about everything, from inadvertently-deleted partitions to virus-ruined files. Your best bet is to purchase the WinPE-equipped Data Recovery Wizard Pro + WinPE (it retails at $99 – that's around £70) since it includes bootable media for recovery from serious system crashes. You can get a version without this functionality for a slightly smaller outlay – or the firm’s Data Recovery Wizard Free which is limited to 2GB in terms of recovery file size – but we wouldn’t recommend it. The full package is still one of the more affordable solutions we've seen for resurrecting crashed RAID setups – certain packages hide this functionality away in their premium versions – and what's more, a single fee qualifies you for free lifetime upgrades. While there are definitely more advanced recovery packages out there, and certainly some cheaper ones, this is the one we'd keep on our shelf for those not-so-special occasions. You can buy EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard Pro herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wqf4qQxYTacFh7V3Ggs6ZQ.jpg 4. Data Rescue 5Price: $99 (£70) Available for Windows, Mac Optical media might be gasping its last breaths, but it still has uses. It's notably handy for enabling the likes of Data Rescue 5, which comes on a bootable CD so that you don't risk damaging a bad drive any further when you come to retrieve your lost files from it. Fire up Data Rescue, follow the simple steps, hook up an external drive, and it'll do a deep forensic scan for your files and pull off the files you select, as long as they're recoverable. It'll also run as an application, grabbing your files from external discs and SD cards. If you're in a hurry we'd look elsewhere, because the painstaking scan takes a good long while to run through, and also because you'll obviously need to get hold of this on physical media rather than in downloadable form. It does use excellent recovery routines, picking up more files than most, so it's a good option if you've exhausted all other possibilities. Mac users lacking optical drives should look towards Data Rescue 5 for Mac instead. It is specific macOS software which comes on a bootable USB drive and can cope with Boot Camp partitions as well as regular macOS drives. You can buy Data Rescue 5 herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hKfTcJq3Ny7bTVYMxipjz8.jpg 5. Paragon Backup and RecoveryPrice: $29.95 (£21) Available for Windows We've previously looked at Paragon Rescue Kit Free in our guide to free recovery software. Now along comes its big brother, Paragon Backup and Recovery, stomping in and demanding money. Should you acquiesce, given that there's such a powerful tool already available for free? Perhaps. Bear in mind that this is a two-pronged tool, half of which will squirrel your data away safely while the other half concentrates on getting you back on your feet in the event of a crash. It's not meant for those moments where you've stupidly deleted your files or formatted a partition – it's more suited to those times when everything explodes. There's support for bootable WinPE recovery media, advanced backup facilities to ensure the exact bytes you need are cared for, and when you're ready to recommit them to a new drive, Paragon Backup and Recovery even helps you get up and running on hardware which may be very different from that which you were using originally. Very handy. You can buy Paragon Backup and Recovery herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xu87ciPcJVuzFdpyNERsjT.jpg 6. MiniTool Power Data RecoveryPrice: $69/£50 (Standard), $129/£90 (Ultimate) Available for Windows, Mac MiniTool is broken down into five distinct modules. There's 'undelete recovery' which, as you might expect, attempts to pull files back after accidental deletion. 'Digital media recovery' tries to put right SD cards or USB drives that have somehow gone bad. 'Lost partition recovery' is there to look after your boot records if one of your partitions has somehow gone missing, while 'damaged partition recovery' is the real powerhouse of the suite, pulling data off otherwise uncooperative drives. It's the fifth tool that we're most interested in here, though: CD/DVD recovery. How many of us have made backups onto CD-Rs not realising that they're very much a temporary storage method? While crumbling discs can't all be rescued, run them through MiniTool and you may at least see some results. It's a slow process, but it could be worth it. You can buy MiniTool Power Data Recovery herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DSXsUVPpbasFhjWFCvtuWT.jpg 7. Recover My Files ProfessionalPrice: $99.95 (£70) Available for Windows Few of us run just a single PC these days, so it's handy that a single Recover My Files license covers two installations. It can cope with FAT, NTFS or OS X HFS-formatted drives, offering up a preview of its found files before you pick what to recover – sometimes files are deleted for a reason, and you may prefer them to stay that way... We've plumped for the Professional version ($99.95, around £70) here mainly because of the inclusion of a hex editor and RAID recovery, features the Standard edition ($69.95, around £50) doesn't include and which it could be costly not to have. You probably don't need to go the whole hog with the Technician edition ($349.95, around £250) unless you're administering a whole network of machines – it includes a hardware USB dongle which enables you to move your software activation to the machine that needs it, but that price is way beyond personal use. You can buy Recover My Files Professional herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bP7XMdFm2eB2qQ2y2FeJpm.jpg 8. Mac Data Recovery GuruPrice: $99 (£70), available for $49 (£35) for a 'limited time' Available for Mac It may be a specialised Mac recovery app, but Recovery Guru doesn't limit its talents just to OS X file systems – it's happy to seek out lost files on USB sticks, SD cards, and even Android phones. Its deep scan works very hard, not limiting itself to single sectors or traditional file system layouts but iterating through every single byte on your compromised drives and searching for patterns related to files. Slow as treacle, then, but potentially worth the wait. When your scan's done, you'll be presented with folders full of files of specific types, which you can later sift through and sort out. This is arguably a better method than selecting the files you want to keep on-the-fly as absolutely everything that can be rescued will be rescued, and you can leave Recovery Guru to work on what could potentially be a rapidly-failing drive while you either drink tea or sort yourself out some hardware that actually works. You can buy Mac Data Recovery Guru herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ExEWSdcQ4yUaQhftjbEgvP.jpg 9. CrashPlanPrice: $10 (£7) per month, per device Available for: Windows, Mac, Linux Once the darling of free backup solutions for the home user, CrashPlan is leaving the consumer market, ceasing all support on October 23, 2018. The company has shifted its focus to the enterprise arena with its CrashPlan for Small Business offering. And CrashPlan is certainly a favourite around here – in fact our official company machines here at TechRadar all run Crashplan, and it's saved our bacon on more than one occasion. It's not quite the same as the traditional file recovery apps that we've covered in this article – it's a backup service first and foremost – but it's so comprehensive that it almost counts. Crashplan, you see, stores absolutely everything. It chugs away in the background and makes full, detailed backups of your entire machine starting with the newest files first. It then sifts everything into virtual buckets so you can get quick access to the files that matter most. Critically, though, Crashplan even stores files you've deleted. You can switch this feature off, but we wouldn't: your backups are fully encrypted, so even those deleted files will be safe from prying eyes, and you never know when you might need to retrieve that long-discarded (or virus-removed) file. You can buy CrashPlan herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oHqZSjmiG2Eu37JzFFbryg.jpg 10. Piriform Recuva ProfessionalPrice: $19.95 (£14) Available for Windows Recuva is a full recovery toolkit, dealing with deep scanning, retrieval of data from damaged drives, extracting files from removable devices and more. It's not the most comprehensive tool, but it's certainly powerful enough for the price, particularly given that the pro version also adds disk imaging tools for taking full backups of your drives. Perhaps Recuva's most interesting feature is one that's contrary to its main aim: using its secure delete capability, you can completely obliterate files. Note that usually files are only ever truly deleted when they're overwritten by another occupying the same space on the drive – otherwise, it's merely the reference to their data in the OS that's removed. By overwriting each of their bits repeatedly with zeroes, even the most advanced data forensics tool won't be able to get them back. Perfect for those highly questionable documents that absolutely need to stay deleted... You can buy Piriform Recuva Professional herehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/-LdNgWx88HM