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After a year-long trial in the US, Instagram is spreading its 'shoppable' tags to eight other countries in advance of a potential global rollout. As of today, Instagram has opened up its in-app Shopping feature to businesses in Australia, the UK, Canada, Brazil, Germany, France, Italy and Spain, making it easier for brands to direct shoppers to their e-commerce storefronts without compromising on the time users spend on the app itself. How to use Instagram: from first snap to influencer statusWhile third-party services are already available on Instagram that can make posts 'shoppable', this new Shopping on Instagram feature allows users to shop directly by using virtual price tags that are overlaid onto posts. Shoppers can tap on these tags to view pop-ups containing the name of the product and pricing information, along with a link to the brand's storefront. This can potentially save users lots of time, as they won’t need to exit Instagram and search through a store's catalogue to find what they’re looking for. The final transaction, however, still needs to take place on the brand’s web storefront, and can't be completed in Instagram directly. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zDxrskU9tUL4MZSKxtikoC.jpg Shopping on Instagram On a shopping spreeAccording to Instagram’s global head of business, Jim Squires, during the year-long trial in the US, shoppable tags had become quite popular, with 80 percent of the app’s users having followed shopping businesses. "People come to Instagram every day to discover and buy products from their favorite businesses," Squires said in a statement. "We want to be that seamless experience. Whether it’s a local artisan, florist or clothing store, shopping directly on Instagram has never been easier." In Australia, three brands have already climbed on board the Shopping feature. Myer, Country Road and PepperMayo have already begun testing the shoppable tags in posts. At present, Shopping on Instagram posts can be viewed directly in your regular feed, via a search for the brand’s business profile, or through a direct message or a notification – and shopping posts are specifically marked with a little 'shopping bag' icon. Over time, it's been suggested that Instagram could let businesses promote shoppable tags to help consumers find specific products, or new brands they may be interested in. The best free Instagram photo editors of 2018http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/AEYo_aA8Zjw

The next major version of Windows 10, known internally as Redstone 4, is likely to ring in major improvements to how Cortana works based on seemingly simple changes. Brought to bear through the most recent ‘Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17127,’ these changes allow you to create a Cortana profile from which the digital assistant can mine information to provide you updates without even asking. Detailed in a new Windows Insider Blog post, this profile is accessible and editable through the Notebook of Cortana, within the Start menu. This profile option allows you to set your favorite locations, generally your home(s) and place(s) of work. From there, Cortana will update you regularly regarding the weather and traffic conditions in those locations, generally in reference to your daily commute. Microsoft promises that this premise will soon expand beyond locations to include your interests, accounts family members and more. Frankly, this might be one of the most exciting developments regarding Cortana yet, allowing it to be helpful without even having to shout ‘Hey, Cortana.’ On top of this, Microsoft has also added miniature training exercises regarding Cortana’s most popular Skills, like News, Sports and Weather – tips for questions you can ask Cortana within a given category. These changes, among other minor fixes, are available now to Windows Insiders in the Fast Ring for either the RS4 (Redstone 4) or RS5 (the late-2018 Redstone 5 release) Windows Insider Preview builds. As we draw closer to the inevitable release of Windows 10 Redstone 4, otherwise popularly known as the Spring Creators Update, these updates are only going to ramp up in frequency. That said, we shouldn’t be too far off now from an official release. These are the latest details we have on Windows 10 Shttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/LObtEc9ibqo

Sick of watching Amazon and Google have all the fun, IBM has officially unveiled its very own smart assistant based on its storied Watson technology, simply named the Watson Assistant. Using Watson as the base of its AI calculations and formerly known as ‘Watson Conversation,’ the Watson Assistant will be accessible via text or voice. IBM’s partners can also choose to incorporate the assistant into their devices or services. Herein lies the purported beauty behind Watson Assistant. IBM isn’t tying its Watson Assistant to any one device or category, but rather licensing out the technology to its countless business partners to implement into their own products and services. With this, IBM’s goal is to get Watson into all sorts of artificial intelligence or machine learning applications. Whether in your smart home or in your car – as IBM demonstrated at its inaugural Think conference in Las Vegas through a concept Maserati GranCabrio’s digital cockpit, Engadget reports – or even in your hotel room, the idea is for Watson to make those experiences easier. For instance, in IBM’s example scenario a Watson-powered hotel automatically checks in guests while the room spools up the user’s favorite music and temperature preference; the service could also supply users with a rental car before their arrival. In this scenario, you’d unlock your hotel door with an electronic key in your phone, natch. The guerrilla fighter in the smart assistant warsThis is clearly IBM’s move to beat its more consumer-bent competitors to a smart assistant for commercial partners, and a follow-up to its Watson for Cybersecurity service. Smart assistants like Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Assistant may have all but conquered the smartphone, tablet, and corners of the smart home, but not so the professional world. That’s because these assistants have only recently began branching out into other products, almost all of which are consumer-oriented devices and services. Watson Assistant, on the other hand, was built expressly to power businesses’ smart assistant efforts. On top of that, IBM touts that its approach to smart assistants is, well, smarter, with Watson Assistant promising to learn from your commands and actions and how you carry them out, remembering your preferences. If you allow these Watson-based devices or services to share data over the IBM Cloud that makes the assistant work, Watson Assistant can engage in more realistic conversations with context. Of course, this assumes mass adoption, not to mention your comfort level with Watson-based services and products sharing your data amongst themselves. IBM promises that Watson is ready and able to protect your data, naturally. We’ll have to wait some time to see whether Watson Assistant can present a challenged to Alexa and Google Assistant, especially in the car and home categories. Regardless, more choice never hurt anyone. Smart assistants? These are the best smart TVs in the worldhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/MaYgc0-bCB0

Most developing nations suffer from the problem for not having enough shelter, which is why to solve this issues Icon has partnered with New Story to build cheap homes for citizens that can be set up under 24 hours. Icon, a 3D printing firm and New Story, a non-profit, cited the significance of this project in relation to the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Studies report from 2017. Their research found that 1.2 billion city-dwellers, globally, don’t have the privilege of affordable and secure housing. To address this issue, they’re currently testing a prototype of Icon’s mobile 3D printer, in which houses can be printed for under $4000, which is approximately Rs 2.6 lakhs. Assuming their test is successful, this would considerably bring down the price of housing in a large proportion of the world. Home sweet homeIcon showcased one of these homes at the SXSW (Southwest Interactive) festival, that’s currently happening in Austin, Texas, their home town. The house is essentially a single story model that measures around 600-800 square feet. What more fascinating is that, it can be built on the Vulcan 3D printer in under a day. According to Icon, the efficiency and money savings don’t compromise on the build of the house as the structure is made using, “cutting-edge materials tested to the most recognised standards of safety, comfort, and resiliency.” These home cater to the needs of developing nations further by claiming to use ‘nearly zero’ waste production methods so it won’t add to the pressures of garbage disposal. In addition to that, these home are made under the assumption that there will be ‘unpredictable constraints’ such as limitations on water and power. New Story is a Y Combinator backed non profit, which is a new model for funding early stage startups. They focus on building communities that are sustainable enabling them to offer education, basic infrastructure and income opportunities for its residents. Collaboration between the two firms, will allow for local labour to operate the machines and feedback from users will allow for customizations where they’re required, and feasible. The Verge has reported that the first project that their partnership plans on executing will happen in El Salvador, where they will build a community of a 100 homes in 2019. It will start once the company finalizes the design and completes their testing of materials. How to build a Death StarBuild your own Smart Home hub will Mozilla's Project ThingsThe tech we need to build a colony on Titanhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/s8ZvVHqEYdo

Ever feel that Amazon's Alexa voice assistant can be a bit too chatty for its own good? A new mode in testing could help the digital helper bite its tongue at appropriate moments on your Amazon Echo device. Some Reddit users (as reported by AFTV News) are being offered a new beta "Brief Mode" to try in the Alexa app. This replaces spoken responses for simple beeps when some tasks have been completed. So, for instance, were you to ask Alexa to turn on some smart lights, you'd be given the option of having Alexa beep affirmatively rather than speak. Simple but effectiveIt's only a small tweak, but it could make that sense of an omnipresent Amazon spy in your home feel a little less overbearing, and there's plenty of potential for expansion. While Amazon is keeping it simple at present, an expanded Brief Mode could cut down on things like timer explanations and unavailable music streaming songs. Sure, it'd be a little less personal, but perhaps also a bit more useful. There's no word yet on when or if Brief Mode will roll out to all users, but we'll keep you posted. Fancy having a brief encounter with Alexa? Then read our Amazon Echo reviewhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/fGNKSPavg6k

Running a small business is no easy task. The last thing you need is extra complexity in your IT infrastructure – so why turn to Linux? Well, it could (if you're lucky) actually turn out to be a less complex choice for many tasks, depending on the distribution you select. And, critically, Linux is free; at least if you don't figure in support costs. That's an overhead ticked off the list. So what's the best choice for your small business? We've approached this selection with a few criteria in mind. Stability must come first: if you're putting a distro to work, uptime is critical. Solid support provision comes a close second. We've also considered practical capabilities, which is why you'll find a couple of non-desktop distributions on our list. 10 of the best Linux distros for privacy fiends and security buffs10 best Linux distros: which one is right for you?What's the best Linux distro for beginners?How to choose the best Linux distro for laptops10 of the most popular lightweight Linux distroshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UH2Xr4fCnFvhMqw2vzdMi8.jpg Built on the solid foundation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) – and, indeed, officially funded by Red Hat as of 2014 – CentOS is undoubtedly a distro with strong credentials. Its default Gnome desktop is pleasant and reasonably familiar to most computer users, the RPM package management system is widely supported, and it's equally at home on workstations and servers. CentOS harnesses the open source components of its parent OS, which actually make up the majority of RHEL. Only Red Hat's trademarks and a few proprietary components are omitted. Thanks to this unique partnership, updates tend to flow to CentOS only a day or two after they hit RHEL. In other words, this is enterprise-class Linux that anyone can use. CentOS is now one of the world's most popular server distros, and is perfect if you want to build serious hardware appliances without paying for a Red Hat subscription. While the CentOS community can provide some useful advice free of charge, professional support is the key reason for using RHEL. Server prices for Red Hat combined with a support package start at $799 (around £600, AU$1,065) per year, so it could be prohibitively expensive for small business use. You can download CentOS herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wXZMkzyjHoik5d9ADsde4m.jpg ClearOS and CentOS are pretty close cousins. Both run many of the same packages inherited from RHEL, and can benefit from the swift Red Hat release cycle. But while CentOS is a functional desktop OS, ClearOS is designed primarily as a server platform and an alternative to commercial options like Red Hat Enterprise Server or Windows Small Business Server. The OS is administered entirely from a web interface, so you won't need a keyboard, mouse, or even a monitor connected to the machine once ClearOS is installed. Because of its tight focus, ClearOS is actually easier to use than most server operating systems. That web interface makes installing this operating system's various components a breeze, so you can easily set up a firewall for your business, manage an email server, install a file server or more – all safe in the knowledge that each of these components will (most likely) work perfectly together. ClearOS 7 is supported professionally by a dedicated ClearCARE team. It also includes software packages that have been thoroughly tested for stability. Prices start at $108 (£80, AU$140) per year. You might also be interested in ClearVM, the team's virtualisation solution – the free version allows you to finely manage the precise performance of two virtual machines and eight CPU cores. You can download ClearOS herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NZ2TE8peKyXEitX3MgKDV.jpg While CentOS is an open source OS based on a paid-for release, OpenSUSE works in reverse. This community-developed operating system is used as the basis for the commercially-supported SUSE Linux Enterprise. SUSE actually borrows a lot from Red Hat, including its RPM package management system, but isn't a direct clone. OpenSUSE is one of the few distros to use the graphically-heavy KDE window manager by default, though you can also install Mate, LXDE and others. This means it can run on older hardware. In fact, if you're looking to run small web appliances, the latest version will run on a Raspberry Pi and includes a huge number of packages. OpenSUSE now follows a rolling release model, which means updates are regularly available without you having to manually upgrade every 18 months as before. This makes for a much more secure and stable operating system. You can download OpenSUSE herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wtMgPY9DXg3obVfFmVoki.jpg If you're running a small business, the security of your network should be as important a concern as the behaviour of your employees. IPFire ticks both these boxes at once. It's an all-in-one Linux appliance: install it on a machine which sits between your internet connection and your network switch and it'll do everything from managing IP addresses to protecting you with a firewall, and controlling what sites your workers are allowed to visit and when. It does require a certain level of knowledge to get IPFire installed, and its unique nature – it's constructed from scratch, not forked from any specific version of Linux – means it won't be quite as easy to configure as other distros may be. Thankfully there are regular ‘Core’ updates, which incrementally keep IPFire up to date with the latest security and app updates. IPFire is managed via a web interface and requires at least a machine with two network connections. There's an excellent installation handbook and paid support is available if necessary. You can download IPFire herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WVUPKdtr2KJqfpHPnFaDjc.jpg As the most popular desktop distribution of Linux, Ubuntu’s reputation might lead you to think that it’s best suited to home users. While Ubuntu's stability and flexibility for end users is very solid, there's also a free-to-use Ubuntu Server version to handle your backend tasks. This is based on Debian Linux, and can make use of Debian’s packages through the Apt package management system (to supplement its own offerings). This means you'll be able to get the software you need quickly and easily. One of Ubuntu's strongest features is the level of support it benefits from. The vast user base means there's a raft of technical documentation available, and its generous community has answered just about every question you might have. Ubuntu is released twice a year in April and October. The April releases are tagged LTS which stands for Long Term Support, and unlike the versions released in the autumn, these are maintained for five years. With Ubuntu 16.04 LTS, you're covered until 2021, which is a great advantage for long-term stability. For those times when you need a little more help, the Ubuntu Advantage program is a reasonably priced support offering, starting from $75 (£55, AU$95) per year for virtual servers and $225 (£160, AU$285) for physical nodes. You can download Ubuntu herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jkXVBnCkzxMxmxsZcTWchP.jpg Manjaro is built on top of Arch Linux, traditionally one of the more complex and obtuse Linux distros out there. This OS does away with that complexity, while sharing Arch's streamlined and fast environment, its latest 'bleeding edge' software, and its rolling release schedule. This means you should never have to install a later version of the software – you'll get the updates as they're released, and your Manjaro machines will upgrade over time rather than being taken out of service. The latest release of Manjaro 17.0.6 uses its own default dark theme which is based on Xfce, but other official builds use the KDE and Gnome desktop environments. Manjaro has made other improvements over Arch – a better installer, improved hardware detection and repositories full of stable software make it a solid choice for end-user systems. With some work you could probably build a server from Manjaro's Minimal Net edition, but other distros handle that aspect a lot better. You could also find a prebuilt version amongst Manjaro's community editions which may suit your needs perfectly; check them out here. You can download Manjaro herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DLKbiJicrznpxhdaxCtnm8.jpg We're entering the realm of more difficult distros here, and we're doing it without the safety net of a dedicated paid support structure, but give Slackware a chance if you're looking to build bespoke Linux systems. It's the oldest consistently maintained Linux distro, having first emerged in 1993, and as such it doesn't make any assumptions about the way you're going to use it, giving you more control than most other types of Linux. You're going to need control, though: its package manager doesn't resolve software dependencies, there's no fixed release schedule (new stable versions of Slackware tend to come out when they're ready, and the most recent release gap was around three years), and there are no graphical configuration tools. But knuckle down, edit a bunch of plain text files, and you'll be able to create exactly the package you need for your business, all on top of a lightweight and bloat-free distro. You can download Slackware 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 here.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/mvUgf_GT5WY

Spotify might just be coming to India soon, according to its CEO, Daniel Ek. During the company’s annual presentation on Thursday, Ek stated that, “We are working on launching in some of the biggest markets in the world, places like India, Russia, and Africa which has a very rich musical culture.” He didn’t provide any specifics as to when Spotify may release nationally but this confirms that Spotify definitely has India’s music loving audience on its radar. Previous reports have already told us that Spotify has leased office space in Mumbai. The report also shows that Spotify has 308 employees across 21 nations, that includes India as well as Brazil, Singapore and others. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e642178c43531372e40bdfa56e901091.jpg Daniel Ek Spotify in IndiaIndia already has access to various music services like Saavn, Gaana, and Hungama. Even international music streaming services like Apple Music, Amazon Music and Google Play Music are already present in the Indian market. Once Spotify does come into the Indian market, it will have to compete against these established players to capture market share. Spotify shouldn’t be too worried though with 71 million paid subscribers, which is double Apple Music’s 36 million subscribers and Amazon Music’s 16 million subscribers. Tencent Music, which just Gaana’s strategic partner now, has over 120 million paying music streams but it’s service is limited to China for now. Interestingly, Tencent is also in an equity partnership with Gaana, which means they both have minority stakes in each others companies. The company has recognised that most of its users are under the age of 34, making India an ideal platform to launch on with its current demographic dividend. Spotify globallySpotify has already started expanding globally with launches in South Africa, Vietnam, Israel and Romania within the last week. The service is present in a total of 65 countries around the world within 10 years of it’s initiation. Aside of its plans of expansion, Ek also reiterated the plans of Spotify to go public on April 3. He explained that, “You won’t see us ringing any bells or throwing any parties. The traditional model for taking a company public isn’t good for us.” Instead of Wall Street underwriting their public offering, the company is going down the unbeaten path of directly listing itself on the exchange. The India music market’s revenue from streaming services is poised to cross Rs 3,100 crore by 2020 according to a report by Deloitte and with Spotify leading the world in music streaming, it only makes sense that the company takes advantage of this opportunity. Not to say that there won’t be heavy competition, but Spotify’s reputation and content should be enough to carry it through. Apple Music vs Spotify: See how the two music streaming giants fair against each other. Can't figure out which music streaming service is best for you? Here's our guide on what you should be on the look out for.Music streaming has been around for a while, but the arguments in streaming are still the same. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/alrj2i26EzI

Nest's smart heating system just got smarter. From today, you'll be able to pre-order the long-awaited Nest Temperature for $39 (a three pack costs $99) letting you get precise heat readings from every corner of your home. While UK and Australian pre-orders have yet to open, that converts to around £25 / AU$50 and £70 / AU$125 for the single and three packs respectively. A bundle that comes alongside the Nest Thermostat is set to launch in the spring, too. Smarter readingsYou may be asking, if the smart thermostat itself can read ambient temperature, what's the need for an additional sensor? Well, a thermostat only take a general reading from its immediate surroundings. So if you've got several floors to your property or a draughty corner, it may not be an accurate reflection of some colder or hotter corners of your home. With a set of the temperature readers, the thermostat can be programmed to favor the temperature in individual rooms – perhaps lifting the temperature for a cosy sleep in an icy bedroom, while lowering it at a time when the kitchen is generating lots of heat. A replaceable CR123 battery keeps each sensor ticking over for as long as two years, but you'll yet to be able to get smart assistant integration for the sensors. You'll have to wait a bit longer before you can ask Alexa or Google Assistant for specific temperatures in specific rooms. The smart home tech of 2018: from heated toilets to connected fridgeshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/dh1uhDBsa_4

Google has added location-based reminders to its Google Home speakers, giving them another smart edge over Amazon’s Echo products. Google announced this upgrade on Twitter. It says you can tell your Google Home “Hey Google, set a reminder to pick up more coffee at the grocery store”, and you’ll get an alert on your phone when you reach the supermarket. Pretty neat, right? Soon the only thing we’ll need to remember are the 400 passwords for all our logins. Google PowerGoogle wrote about its plans for location-based reminders in late February 2018 in a blog post. Just three weeks later, it’s here. What we don’t know yet is how versatile and reliable these reminders will be. We haven’t had a chance to test location reminders yet. However, it demonstrates the power of cross-pollination of Google services. Having Google Maps and Assistant baked into Android phones makes this, theoretically, less of a technical challenge than it would be for Amazon Alexa. Amazon Echo vs Apple HomePod vs Google Home: the battle of the smart speakershttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/-H2IdjwrqFE

Been looking painfully at that heavy, untouched copy of War and Peace, but just can't bring yourself to lug it around with you for the next six months? If you're the owner of an Amazon Echo, there may be an alternative for you. Amazon, which also owns audiobook company Audible, is letting owners of its Echo speakers listen to one audiobook of their choosing for free through the smart device. You can pick any book currently on the Audible service and have the Echo read it aloud for you in its entirety – providing you've not already previously subscribed to the service or used another taster offer for the listen-a-long app. CompetitionIf you're not particularly bookish, Amazon will let the Echo pick a popular new book for you, letting you get up to date with the latest bestseller that everyone's talking about. For Amazon, its dominance in the audiobook space is about to be tested by Google, which has just started selling audiobooks on its Play store, ready to be paired with a Google Assistant speaker. Should you want to keep up with Audible after you've given that first free book a go, there's a monthly subscription fee of £7.99 / $14.95. The best audiobook siteshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/3SQYBY4ZCts

If you’re a fan of Google Assistant, today is a good day. Google has now launched Routines in the US. Much like Scenes from Amazon or in the Apple HomeKit ecosystem, Routines allows you to group a number of actions together, so you don’t have to individually activate each of your smart home devices, ask for updates, and more. At present there’s only one Routine that’s live – Good Morning – but there is a roster of six different routines on the Google Routines page, so we know there are more to come, and from talking to a Google representative it looks like they’ll be coming in the next few days. Putting you in the driving seatGood Morning replaces My Day (which is still available in the UK and Australia) which gave you updates about weather, traffic, news, and your calendar. Good Morning adds the ability to turn on lights, adjust thermostats, and more. It can even take your phone off silent mode if activated using an Android phone. The additional modes are for leaving the house and arriving home, commuting to and from work, and going to bed. They are called Leaving Home, I’m Home, Commuting to Work, Commuting Home, and Bedtime. No prizes for originality then. The skills include the ability to play music, control smart devices, set alarms, even send text messages. What's cool is that because Google Assistant can distinguish between voices (unlike Siri on the HomePod), individual users can have personalized Routines. There’s no news yet on when Routines is going to be launching in other countries, but hopefully it’ll be sooner rather than later. Want to see if Google Home is the right smart speaker for you? Check out: Google Home reviewVia Android Police http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/s30Fez2d3wE

Smart home devices have been gaining in popularity in Australia over the last few years, especially after Google Home officially launched Down Under in July 2017 and Amazon Echo devices recently following suit. To help its customers get their homes smartened up, Telstra launched the Smart Home Hub in 2016 to keep different Internet of Things (IoT) devices connected and working in sync. Almost two years on, the telco now boasts a total of 15 smart home devices that work with the Hub, including a water leak detector and the usual run of smoke detectors and lights. To keep the Smart Home hub connected, Telstra now has an internet bundle dedicated to all these smarts. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RShktoass6Czp4cR4vgjvK.jpg Get connected smartlyThe Smart Home Internet bundle costs $124 a month and includes unlimited data, Telstra TV with 24 months of Foxtel Now access, plus a Telstra Smart Home Starter Kit. Starting today, customers who sign up for this bundle will be able to choose between a Google Home Mini or an Amazon Echo Dot, plus receive a $100 credit to spend on connected devices from Telstra’s online store if the internet connection is activated by April 30. For anyone interested in smart home connectivity but already own a Google Home or Amazon Echo, there is a $25 per month option which comes with a choice of Telstra’s Smart Home Starter Kits: either an Automation and Energy starter kit or the Watch and Monitor kit. All smart home bundles are on a 24-month plan and users can control their devices via the Telstra Smart Home app available for both Android and iOS. The best Telstra mobile plans for 2018http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/BOIcQlkEk2Y

The lowly light switch is getting a 21st century upgrade, thanks to home tech company Ecobee. As you might expect, there's a voice assistant built right in. The new Ecobee Switch+ features Amazon Alexa, bringing voice-enabled technology and a speaker to an otherwise mundane household fixture. The Switch+ is anything but mundane. You can ask it to turn on and off the lights, play music, or tell you what the weather will be like today. Its motion sensors know if you're in a room or not, flipping off lights if it detects no one is there so as not to waste power. You can also set a timer for when lights go on, such as sunset for outdoor lights. Through a software update launching in the summer (between June and September), the Ecobee Switch+ will even work with the Ecobee smart thermostats to regulate room temperature. Alexa, everywhereIf you're not an Alexa user, the good news is the Ecobee Switch+'s voice controls aren't beholden to Amazon's voice assistant. The switch also works with Apple HomeKit, Google Assistant, SmartThings and IFTTT. But Alexa is at the heart of the Switch+, and because it features far-field voice recognition and Amazon Voice Service, you're getting much the same technology found in an Amazon Echo, only now mounted to your wall. And, because the switch responds to your voice and talks back to you, it's really as if you're using an Echo in another form. It's no secret Amazon Alexa is showing up in more and more home products. Other light switches are compatible with the voice assistant, and it can be found in loads of other smart home devices, from refrigerators to alarm clocks. The Ecobee Switch+ is the deepest integration we've seen in a light switch yet, however, and likely not the last of its kind. The Ecobee Switch+ price is $99 in the US and $119 in Canada, or about £70 / AU$125. The light switch is available for pre-order today from Amazon, The Home Depot and Best Buy, and goes on sale in North American retail stores on March 26. According to Ecobee, you can install the Switch+ yourself in about 45 minutes. Smarten up your house cleaning with one of the best vacuum cleanershttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/XSDsrDc7NQk

As we draw ever closer to the release of Microsoft’s next major version of Windows 10, the info dumps only grow more frequent and more specific. This time, the latest details come directly from Microsoft itself. A Microsoft Developer blog post name-dropping the operating system (OS) version known internally as ‘Redstone 4’ was updated on March 13 to include an expected launch date of ‘April 2018.’ This update all but confirms that, at the very least, we can expect to see the next major Windows 10 version next month. Meanwhile, the world expects Microsoft to publicly dub this major revision the ‘Spring Creators Update,’ a name that has appeared in several leaked Windows 10 Insider Preview builds up until this point. That more than likely name tells us a lot about Microsoft’s intent with this OS version, namely that it aims to further appease the creative professional audience, as the Fall Creators Update and Creators Update have before it. Of course, we already know that this next version of Windows 10 will put a magnifying glass on things like artificial intelligence, gaming, HDR video and security, among other features. And, now it looks as if our wait to see this so-called ‘Spring Creators Update’ will be rather short. These are the best laptops on which to run this new Windows 10http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/PW5TP_28lYc

Amazon is looking to increase the amount of regional content available on its platforms. Prime Music just signed up with Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS) while Prime Video is looking to integrate more content from South India and sports streaming. The IPRS enables Prime Music to have access to more than a million unique tracks in multiple languages across different eras and genres. This tie-up is significant as IPRS is the sole authority to issue music licenses within the country. This organization collects royalties on the behalf of artists and distributes them accordingly between writers, composers, and publishers of music. Amazon Prime Video, since its inception in India around a year ago, has a huge library of regional shows in five different local languages. Amazon’s Prime Video service is growing with the most speed in India as compared to anywhere else in the world. James Farrell, Head of Content in the Asia-Pacific region, commented, “We haven’t announced any originals yet from the South but we are looking to do as much as can be done.” Tim Leslie, Vice President of Amazon Video International, also indicated that Amazon Prime Video is looking to expand into sports content globally stating, "It’s day one in sports for us and we’re getting involved in it." In the US, they’ve already started streaming American football and is currently in the process of striking deals for other sports such as tennis. Currently, Amazon does not stream sports in India but this trend is probably trickle down to the Indian platform once the international structure has been established. Currently Hotstar has exclusive digital rights to stream all ICC events in India. The Indian market is of prime importance for Amazon since it’s been on a constant upward trajectory even since it’s local launch. Its unique outlook for providing region-specific original content has also worked out well with shows such as Breathe. 10 best smart TV apps for your Samsung TVThe ultimate smart TV for every platformhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/LUB0Z9-aflk

Smart home giant Hive has released a new home hub, the Hive Hub 360 and this time it’s actually good looking. Or at least, it’s supposed to be. We’ve not seen it in the flesh yet, but from the images released, it has a glossy plastic look. It’s designed to sit in the same visual family as Hive’s beautifully designed Hive View camera. The View was a collaboration between Yves Béhar and British Gas-owned Hive. In fact, it was the second collaboration, with the original Hive Thermostat also being designed by the Swiss designer. Bringing chic to the smart homeThe Hive Hub however wasn’t designed by Béhar, rather ‘is in keeping with the Hive View style’. We're fans of the Hive View’s styling, thinking that it’s one of the few security cameras on the market that actually looks like it could match some high-end interior design, thanks to its curved steel arm, unlike the uniform white plastic look that most cameras have. Hive has applied this stroke of design to the Hub 360, too, which replaces the nondescript white plastic box that was the original Hub. And looking across the industry, that is fairly standard for home hubs. The Wink 2 and Samsung SmartThings hub are both white plastic boxes. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nYAARTLtHmEEgQv4bhCYH3.jpg Hive’s offering to the smart home hub market is a little less all-inclusive than the others mentioned above, in that it only unifies the products in the Hive ecosystem, namely the Thermostat, View camera, Plugs, and Sensors. It does have one other trick up its sleeve though, in that it’s also a sound monitoring device. Working much like a security camera, it will notify you when it hears a sound, and records it to your Hive cloud so you can listen back to it. To match the Hive View, the Hub 360 comes in White and Champagne Gold or Black and Brushed Copper, and costs $139 (£99). Want to know what we think of the current Hive ecosytem? Check out: Hive Active Heating 2 reviewhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/a-yGTU38zwc

We've just heard another interesting revelation about Microsoft’s alleged future vision for Windows, and it involves an operating system which is fully adaptable and boasts various different modes, like a ‘gaming mode’ which is specifically designed for playing games with an Xbox controller. In this rumored ‘gaming mode’, you’ll be provided with a tailored environment for playing games using an Xbox controller. Additionally, there will be a ‘quiet mode’ with a productivity-centric desktop, and a ‘kids mode’ which is essentially a highly simplified tablet-style interface. All of this flexibility comes thanks to a piece of technology Microsoft has been working on called CShell. This is a new Windows Shell which offers a scalable and flexible UI that allows it to work across a whole host of devices. In other words, it’s a modular version of the Shell capable of utilizing different components to build a desktop which fully suits the device it’s running on – whether that’s a phone, tablet, PC, Xbox console and so on. Think of it as like Continuum – which allows for the UI to transition between tablet and PC desktop, for example, when used with a 2-on-1 – but on a much grander scale. As to its practical application, Microsoft is reportedly building a new streamlined version of Windows 10 codenamed Polaris which will leverage the adaptability of CShell. And the latest word from sources who spoke to the Verge is that Microsoft’s vision of this future modular Windows will include various modes for different types of usage of the OS. Doubtless there will be scope for other modes, too, and the beauty of building all this on the bedrock of CShell is that the different modes will scale seamlessly across a whole gamut of devices – including hardware which hasn’t been released yet. Shell out for a SurfaceWe’ll get our first taste of Microsoft’s operating system’s modular future with the release of the Surface Hub 2 which should happen before the end of June (with the unveiling likely to take place at Build 2018 in May). Apparently this will be the first piece of hardware to show off the benefits of CShell, so that will make it an intriguing prospect indeed. Furthermore, we may see Microsoft’s supposedly incoming dual-screen tablet (or phone) which is codenamed Andromeda sporting this technology to help make it a truly flexible device. Clearly big things are around the corner for Microsoft on both the software and hardware front, and we should hopefully know a lot more about them in the next few months. Meanwhile, even Apple is making further moves to blur the lines between its desktop and mobile operating systems, with the recent news that iOS apps may arrive on Mac computers this year. How long will it be before Windows 10 Polaris graces our best laptops?http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/u4yKMNRn6ds

Philips Hue, the smart lighting system that can be set to any of millions of colors and be controlled with your voice and smartphone, is expanding to include outdoor lighting options. A new line of weatherproof spotlights and lanterns will let you bathe your outdoor spaces in all manner of shades, adding dramatic lighting to your prized flowerbeds, and added security to less-well illuminated corners of your property. Both white-only and color-changing models will be available. The colorful wall-mountable Lily spotlight and Calla pedestal lamp will each let you set them to one of 16 million different colors, while the Lucca, Tuar, Ludere and Turaco will offer only white shades. Smart gardeningThe Philips Hue outdoor range can be controlled in just the same way as the indoor options, meaning that dimming controls, color changing and voice commands through the likes of Amazon's Alexa Echo devices are all capable. Security features make even more sense in an outdoor environment too – lighting is a known deterrent against burglaries, with Hue's Home & Away function letting you set up a timed lighting routine to give the impression of your presence even when you're absent from a property. GPS smarts also mean that you'll be able to set your outdoor lights to automatically come on as you approach your home. While Hue's other bulbs have gone global, it's worth noting that, for the time being at least are limited to US and European territories. That puts the Lily and Calla at $280/€299 and $130/€140 respectively, while the US-exclusive Hue White lamps will be priced from $50. We'll update with news of localised pricing for the UK and Australia once they become available. What is smart lighting? Everything you need to know for your connected homehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/ILHPZ6A4VU8

Google’s AI-based virtual assistant just added another skill up its sleeve. Google Assistant now has third-party app support to make the app more relevant and useful. As of now, Google Assistant can only perform tasks based on universal commands like providing weather updates, text or call, turning services on/off, playing songs and much more. Despite having support for many third party partner apps, the support for complex commands on Google Assistant was missing. Developers can now integrate custom commands while adding Assistant support for a specific device. To put things into perspective, Google suggests that an oven manufacturer could use this ability to program voice controls for specific settings, like set the oven to convection and preheat to 350 degrees". This will allow developers to integrate and explore the full-potential of their products, they can turn a regular appliance into a smart appliance, simply by adding Google Assistant and desired hardware support. In a nutshell, if you want support for a device or service on Google Assistant, you won’t have to wait for Google to roll out direct support, and developers can begin integration from their end instead. Not just appliances and gadgets, but it will also aid the automobiles to have better voice controls using Google Assistant. Furthermore, Google Assistant gets better media playback features (Alexa-like) on smart speakers and Android smartphones. Similar to Alexa, speakers powered by Google Assistant will get features like interactive stories, news briefing, TV shows clips, and more. Netflix was the first to introduce third-party support to their service. It lets users cast Netflix shows and movies to a nearby Chromecast without a hassle. The list was further elongated with the addition of 51 more services later on. Some of the notable names include CNBC, Uber, Dominos, Quora, The Wall Street Journal and more. Google Assistant will be multilingual by the end of 2018http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/RtoBzW65Zu8

One of the biggest running jokes in tech is the ‘we want to change the world for the better’ trope coming from Silicon Valley companies. With Facebook changing its entire mission statement to be about changing the world for the better, it seems like an ideal time to question whether a tech company can truly be the servant of two masters: the good of society and its bottom line. It seems like companies are either big, and very financially successful with bolted-on ethical practices, or focussed on improving the world but will never make serious money. One company that is bucking that trend is What3Words (iOS, Android), a free location app that has given addresses to the world by dividing it into three meter square units, allocating a three word combination to each, giving you easy to remember, incredibly accurate location information. Smart and simpleAs simple an idea as this seems, it turns out it’s been quite revolutionary for people in the developing world that don’t have a post code, or even an address. But it looks like the benefits reach far beyond humanitarian efforts. We sat down with What3Words CMO Giles Rhys Jones at an event hosted by Tech4Good to talk about where the idea came from, how it makes its money and what’s next. The original idea came – as many great ideas do – out of necessity. What3Words founder Chris Sheldrick was a musician and music events organiser who often struggled with corralling musicians, roadies and crew because of poor addressing. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wCN6twxkkCEvqn5aSSaDwc.jpg “Chris decided that he would use GPS coordinates because GPS coordinates are accurate, what could go wrong?” Giles said. “But it became apparent very quickly that roadies, guitarists and caterers are not best programmed to remember 18 digits. “And the problem with GPS coordinates is if if you make a slight mistake you don't necessarily realize you've made a mistake. You mix up a four and a five, and still you end up on a hillside in Rome, just on the wrong hillside.” They experimented with using an alphanumeric code to shorten it down, but found that brought more problems, as if you mix numbers and letters, a ‘1’ could as easily be a ‘7’, or even an ‘l’. It was back to the drawing board. “There was a dictionary on the table, and they thought: ‘How many words would we need [if we were just using words]?’ They worked out that three meters by three meters was the right size to be useful, and there were 57 trillion of those three meter squares in the world. To cover all of them you need 40,000 words, as 40,000 cubed is 64 trillion, which gives you enough to cover the entire world.” Far more than just a faster pizza deliveryThe fact that it covers the entire world has been revolutionary, especially for those in countries that don't have an advanced addressing system, if they have one at all. During the conference, Giles spoke about a program that What3Words is involved with in Durban, South Africa. A ticket machine is planted in the centre of a rural village, which people can use to print off a three-word ticket for the location where they live. They can then give that address to emergency services, potentially saving lives in situations where every minute counts. All of this is completely free, as is the app itself, which is amazing, but doesn’t sound great for profit margins. It begs the question: can a company both do good and make money? “Yes, and it should. There's a variety of different studies out there that say that businesses with purpose perform better than those without. I think that certainly at this particular point in in history, people gravitate towards companies that they have shared interests, shared belief, that they share a philosophy with.” http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/14050a79b0ff99ceeac9c6512f2917e0.jpg Which makes sense, but the basic (and we know this is very basic) principle of capitalist economics is that value is driven by supply and demand. When you have a product that people need, you get to charge more for it. Obviously, when you get a product that makes a difference to people’s lives, and you charge a lot for it, you end up as Martin Shkreli. But you give it away free, and where does your profit come from? “If you’re a large business and you can make or save a lot of money using us we charge you a fee based on volume. We ran some tests in London and Dubai and in Manchester. In London we gave two couriers 20 party parcels each, one with the three word addresses on, one with the same street addresses on, and we tracked them with GPS monitors and heart rate monitors. “The one with three-word addresses was 30% faster. In Dubai it was 40% faster. For a business that's a significant amount of money. UPS said that if they can save each of their drivers one mile a day that equates to a saving of 50 million dollars." http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kGkMiR2v5tkkVhn7LMKGLR.jpg Using tech to leapfrogOne of the truly fascinating things that's happening with What3Words that it never expected is that developing countries have been able to skip vast chunks of technological developmental history thanks to having the ability to locate yourself using the app: "In Mongolia you can get a pizza, you can get a taxi, you can open a bank account all with a three-word address. They’ve leapfrogged all the legacy systems that we have here in the Western developed countries, and they’re into the future already." It's clear that What3Words is successfully making good money while doing good. Obviously its business model can't be utilized by all businesses, but it's good to see an example of it in action. Want to see some more positive changes being brought on by tech? Check out: Hashtags that save lives - the end of slacktivismhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/Fv_UTogv4_I

What better way to turn your kids into binge watchers than by turning Netflix into a badge-collection scheme? That's apparently the thinking behind a new feature currently being tested on the video streaming service, which rewards children with stickers when they watch certain shows. According to a report from Variety, those involved in the test see red padlocks on the top of TV shows that can earn them a badge. At the moment at least, that's all the reward that they get – there's no other incentive to race through a whole series of Paw Patrol. It would seem that only a small subsection of Netflix users have the feature enabled for the time being, so it's by no means definite that this is going to roll out for everyone. Netflix is always keen for viewers young and old to spend as much time as possible on the platform though, so it would make sense. "A more interactive experience""We are testing a new feature on select kids titles that introduces collectible items for a more interactive experience, adding an element of fun and providing kids something to talk about and share around the titles they love," Netflix told Variety. "We learn by testing and this feature may or may not become part of the Netflix experience." Some parents have taken to social media to complain that the scheme is going to make it harder to pull kids away from their various screens, while others have reported that the introduction of badges is definitely working for Netflix. Netflix recently introduced improved parental controls so moms and dads can block specific TV shows or movies they don't want their kids watching. Maturity ratings are also going to become more visible before a title starts playing, giving parents a better idea of what to expect before they start watching. Is Barack Obama the next big Netflix star?http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/iNg2AYA9C54

According to Microsoft, Windows 10's built-in antivirus software, Windows Defender, protected a malware epidemic that struck almost 500,000 PCs this week. Just before midday on March 6, Windows Defender blocked 80,000 suspected attacks by a new group of trojans. They had never been seen before and weren't yet in Microsoft's threat database, but were identified based on their behaviour, which matched patterns commonly seen in malware. Within the next 12 hours, Defender recorded and thwarted another 400,000 instances. The trojans were new variants of Dofoil (also known as Smoke Loader) – a type of malware that installs other software on the victim's device. Dofoil has been menacing PC users in various forms since 2011, but the payload keeps changing to keep with the times. This time, it was a cryptocurrency mining program that would hijack the host's hardware. How Dofoil spreadsAccording to McAfee, Dofoil trojans usually arrive in email attachments – often embedded as macros in Microsoft Word documents. There are other routes though; in January, criminals targeted users in Germany looking for a patch for the Spectre and Meltdown bugs by creating a fake information page that appeared to be hosted by the German Federal Office for Information Security. The site appeared to offer a download link for the latest patch, but actually installed a variant of Dofoil. Antivirus is essential and there are browser extensions that block webpages from loading cryptocurrency mining software, but the best way to protect yourself is caution – don't open attachments in unexpected emails and always check URLs before clicking. The sheer scale of this attack makes it unusual, but Windows Defender isn't the only antivirus software to use behavioral analysis (also known as zero-hour protection) – it's something you'll find in all the security suites in our roundup of the best antivirus software. How to protect yourself from cryptomininghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/fD-IeiK1_Qk

Renowned router and smart home manufacturer D-Link has announced a new smart plug socket that features voice control with both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa voice assistant. The smart home is a rapidly evolving thing, and while there are now millions of smart speakers filling our homes, voice assistants are still used primarily to set timers and ask the weather. Well, there’s no need to limit your voice interactions to just these basic requests. With a smart plug you can make even your stupidest home devices ‘smart’. Hey Google, can you feel the power?What this means is that if you’ve got that one lamp that forces you to fold yourself into origami shapes just to reach the switch, you can now turn it on and off using just your voice. Like D-Link’s previous smart plug offering you can also use the mydlink app if you’d rather not be that person hollering at their plug sockets. D-Link has used the launch of the DSP-W115 Smart Plug to launch an updated mydlink app with a ‘One Tap’ feature that allows you to control several devices with a single tap. If you’re a fan of IFTTT, you can set the new D-Link plug to work with motion from a smart camera, so you start to get true home automation. The plug is available to preorder on Amazon at £29.99 right now. We’ll be getting one in to review to let you know how it stacks up against the other voice assistant-controlled plugs soon. Don't know what IFTTT is? Check out: How to control your smart home with IFTTThttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/arX60gpRJAs

Following hot on the heels of the rumors that Apple is planning to launch a more affordable MacBook Air and a cheaper iPad this year, we’re now seeing speculation that a more affordable HomePod could be in the works too. A recent report from Economic Daily (via Macrumors) suggests that the cheaper HomePod will launch in the United States in the second half of 2018 for $150 to $200 (around £110 to £145), which is significantly lower than the device’s current $349/ £319 price point. Released earlier this year, the HomePod has received both high-praise and cutting criticism and, as a smart speaker, it’s a hard sell against the lower-priced offerings from Google and Amazon. Apple is, however, selling it as a high-quality speaker first-and-foremost which helps it stand apart. Affordable AppleIt’s not clear whether this lower-priced option would be a cut-price version of the current model offering lesser sound quality, or whether it’ll be a brand new device along the lines of the Echo Dot or Google Home Mini. The miniature model makes more sense as it has more chance of retaining its signature sound quality relative to other speakers on the market. At $150 to $200, though, it’d still be a fair bit more costly than the miniature offerings from competitors. Given all of these lower-price device rumors it seems plausible that Apple is intending to create a more budget range of devices, while continuing to extend its high-end offerings. While the cheaper iPad and MacBook Air are expected to make their debut very soon, the HomePod is somewhat further off which means we might not see any sign of it until WWDC in June, or even later at the traditional September iPhone launch. Don't miss our full review of Apple's HomePodhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/HdJUaNwWsgw

Today in 'utterly creepy tech,' Amazon's Alexa voice assistant is laughing at users. And no, we're not talking a playful giggle after it's been asked it to do something (which would still be weird). We're talking an unprompted cackle that's downright unsettling. You can hear it for yourself in this tweet from late February. Folks elsewhere on Reddit and Twitter are reporting that Alexa on devices like the Amazon Echo and Echo Dot utters a loud laugh out of nowhere, or in response to a typical command, like turning off the lights. In some cases, Alexa has refused to perform the task, making the situation all the more terrifying. Unwelcome laughterAmazon said in a statement to BuzzFeed News that it knows about Alexa's unprompted guffaws. "We're aware of this and working to fix it," the company's statement read. On follow-up, an Amazon spokesperson told TechRadar in an email that, "In rare circumstances, Alexa can mistakenly hear the phrase 'Alexa, laugh.'" To address this particular issue, Amazon is changing the prompt to 'Alexa, can you laugh?', which is less likely to produce false positives, or instances when Alexa thinks you're asking it to laugh, but you really aren't. Amazon is also disabling the 'Alexa, laugh' prompt. Finally, Amazon will now have Alexa first say, 'Sure, I can laugh,' followed by laughter, rather than going straight into laughter. Still, this doesn't explain the instances when Alexa laughs when seemingly no one is talking. We've asked Amazon for more on this glitch. Needless to say, having a device laugh at you unprovoked is... frightening. Beyond simply being scary, there's already a level of invasion with having a device like the Amazon Echo or Google Home in your house, or other products with sensors and microphones, like TVs. We trade off the convenience of being able to speak voice commands to these machines, or have them anticipate our needs seemingly through osmosis, by giving up some level of privacy. With Alexa laughing at us unsolicited, the feeling of unease goes up just that much more. Via The Verge How Dyson keeps your privacy secure even as its products gather more datahttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/rt2q-Xe9K-8