sincity

If you’re already the proud owner of a Nest Cam IQ Indoor, we’ve got some good news for you. The smart security camera has just had another function added to its (already extensive) armory: It’s now a smart speaker. That’s right, you can now talk to your Nest camera as if it were a Google Home Mini, asking it all the usual weather based questions, setting events in your calendar, and even controlling other Nest-compatible products. The update is only coming to the Indoor version of the camera, which makes sense, because you don’t really want strangers to be able to walk up to your security camera and get updates on your schedule. More changes comingAlthough the timing looks interesting – coming just weeks after Nest announced it was becoming a part of Google again – this update has been a long time coming, having been initially announced last year. Along with the Google Assistant update, Nest announced that it’s adding an additional payment option for Nest Aware, its subscription service that lets you watch back recorded footage. Up until now you’ve had $10 for ten days or $30 for 30 days payment options, but now there’s a $5 for five days option. It’s less money, but it’s not actually any cheaper, and considering the Nest Cam IQ is already an expensive camera, it’s unlikely to draw in new customers. The camera comes with a three microphone array and speaker, which up until this point has been used for two-way audio, and should provide a good smart speaker user experience for simple requests, but don’t expect to use it to listen to an album, it will be more of a periphery Google Assistant product for controlling your smart devices. Want to see what you options are for security cameras? Check out: Best security camera: keep an eye on your home from your smartphone http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/INeHdvKlW7Y

In our humble opinion, AI should be embraced, not feared. Most people associate this technology with HAL or Skynet, but the potential positive benefits of AI seem to outweigh fears of our creations gaining sentience and destroying us all. In truth, AI will only be as benevolent or evil as human intentions make it. A 101-page report titled The Malicious Use of Artificial Intelligence from researchers at Yale, Oxford, Cambridge and OpenAI stresses that the real danger of this technology could come from hackers wielding malicious code to target vulnerabilities in AI-automated systems, giving people greater capacity to cause physical or political harm. Released Wednesday and first covered by CNBC, this report stresses the “dual-use” nature of AI: automated programs built with the best of intentions can be twisted into harmful technology. What should we fear the most? “[AI] surveillance tools can be used to catch terrorists or oppress ordinary citizens,” was one example given by the report, or commercial drones for grocery delivery being weaponized. Another outlined scenario involved self-driving cars. They warn that hackers could alter just “a few pixels” of an AI’s concept of a stop sign, a small enough change that humans might not notice the difference, but could cause an entire fleet of cars on one company’s server to begin ignoring safety laws. The authors organized potential security threats into digital, physical and political categories: AI are already used to study patched code vulnerabilities and extrapolate what new ones could be for bots to exploit; in the future, AIs could give bots human-like browsing habits, making DoS attacks impossible to defend againstAutomation could “endow low-skill individuals with previously high-skill attack capabilities”; in theory, one person could feasibly control a “mini-swarm” of drones using a coordinating AI scriptPolitical repercussions could include “deepfake” technology being used to smear a political leader’s reputation, or automate the disinformation and trolling that Russia currently enacts to influence future elections.http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xBwoGmEjDLvPmTXCHEBrAQ.jpg Anticipating worst-case scenariosThese examples, as frightening as they are, mostly remain hypothetical, and the report isn’t meant to imply that artificial intelligences should be banned as inherently dangerous. Instead, the report’s authors stress that certain action items should be put into motion by governments and businesses now, while the industry is still nascent. Policymakers in world governments, they say, should start studying the technology, and work with experts in the field to effectively regulate AI creation and use. AI devs, meanwhile, need to self-regulate, always anticipating the worst-possible implications of their technology and warning policymakers about them in advance. The report also urges AI developers to team up with security experts in other areas like cybersecurity, and see if principles that keep those technologies safe could also be used to safeguard AI. The full report goes into far more detail than we can summarize here. But the gist is that AI is a powerful tool, and as with any new technology, governments and stakeholders in their development have to study it to make sure it isn’t exploited for nefarious purposes. For all of the positive applications and implications of AI, check out our AI Week Hub to see how AI is improving our lives. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/rFvfQJIiYSA

WyzeCam has released an updated version of its budget-friendly security camera with a better sensor, as well as motion-tagging technology, which detects and outlines motion directly in its footage. The best part is, like the original WyzeCam, the new version will still only cost $20. Although there's been no official UK and AU pricing revealed yet, that converts to around £14/AU$25. WyzeCam v2 is much like the original WyzeCam in most respects. It captures 1080p footage, comes with 14 days of free rolling cloud storage, allows you to create custom timelapse videos and boasts continuous microSD recording (a microSD card isn't included though). Affordable peace of mindWhat sets this latest version apart is its motion-tagging technology, which outlines motion whether you're watching a livestream or replaying content. It's also packing a significantly improved CMOS sensor, which serves up clearer images during the day and provides you with enhanced night vision in the dark. Its new audio chip also aims to reduce interference, while a matte finish replaces the original camera's glossy look in a bid to reduce glare. According to Engadget, the WyzeCam v2 will be getting a firmware update in March that will add IFTTT integration and limited support for Amazon Echo devices – you won't be able to control the camera via the speakers using voice commands, but you will be able to watch live feeds on the screen-equipped Echo Show and Echo Spot. Best security camera system for your business in 2018http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/Ev8b_EcvnYs

Google is reportedly working on a new navigation bar for the existing Google dialer app on its Android devices. The new interface will bring the in-app shortcuts — recent, contacts and favourites to the bottom of the screen. The new Phone app is a customised version of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) dialer. The new update is hidden in the version 17 of the Phone dialer app, so you’ll need to root your phone to enable this feature. The report on XDA Developers explains the whole process on how to get the UI on your phone right now. But make sure you follow the steps right to stay void of messing with XML codes. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/SUKsEvjSKZ4ZLTaUKLxGgK.png Source- XDA Developers The new Google Phone design resides the contacts, history, speed dial at the bottom and it also brings a new VoiceMail tab right next to it. The iconography and design of the bottom pallet remains the same, but it now has text labels for better identification. The Phone app has been updated quite a few times recently. Some of the new features include real-time spam protection, call blocking, caller ID and local directory feature. It’s still not confirmed if Google will even push this new update in near future or not. You may soon be able to buy the Essential Phone on Amazon Indiahttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/t0l0ApHSoMY

Google Tez, the instant mobile payment app based on UPI just got an update that allows users to make bill payments. At present it supports over 80 billers including national/state electric, gas and water and TV/internet services. Some of the billers include Reliance Energy, BSES, and DishTV etc. The app was launched back in September 2017 exclusively for India without support for bill payments. Until then, many payment apps like PayTm, PhonePe, Freecharge and more already had bill payments allowed on their platforms. The feature has arrived at a time when WhatsApp app has begun testing peer-to-peer payment feature in the country. WhatsApp is currently used by over 200 million people in India, whereas Tez was able to bring on 12 million users till December 2017. How to pay?Follow these steps to add a new biller- Tap on ‘New’ icon under payments.Select ‘Pay your bills’ Select the biller from the list or search for your in the search bar above. Now enter the necessary details to link your account. You can also rename the recurring bills when added. Now, you are good to pay using your UPI ID. Tapping on your biller will get you access and manage your transaction history, or details of a pending bill. Tez will also prompt you with notifications of pending bills. Google is offering a scratch card with every payment done via Tez, which also goes with the new bill payment feature. For every new biller you pay this month, you’ll get a scratch card that could win you up to Rs 1,000. It remains to be seen if Tez can catch up with the number of billers available on major platforms like PayTm and Mobikwik, and how is this going to fare against the competitors. Google Tez vs other e-payment solutions in India: How do they differ?http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/QdA3xmAxsuE

In the crowded world of smart home assistants, Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant are dominating the market and leading the pack when it comes to skills and popularity. Despite the uphill climb it faces, though, Microsoft is slowly but steadily improving the capabilities of Cortana to stop the assistant falling off the radar. Most recently, Microsoft has announced that Cortana is now compatible with a handful of new smart home devices as well as IFTTT. Though adding new devices such as Ecobee, Honeywell Lyric, LIFX, and Geeni to Cortana’s roster is a positive step, it’s IFTTT integration that will really give the assistant a boost. It opens Cortana up to accessing more than 600 additional third-party services and gives users the ability to create a more personal and effective smart assistant. Cortana catch upAccording to the Cortana team, by “using IFTTT, you will be able to customize your experience by creating your own phrases to use with services on IFTTT.” And the added support of Applets means that it’ll be possible to create a single command that starts a chain of multiple actions. It’s possible to control all of these smart home devices using Cortana on Windows 10, through the iOS and Android mobile apps or through its dedicated Harman Kardon Invoke speaker. Setting them up is as simple as opening the Cortana app and adding them to the Connected Home section. While IFTTT is a boon for Cortana, however, it’s something that Google Assistant and Alexa have supported since 2016 and 2015 respectively. Whether catching up this late in the game will be enough for Cortana to retain, or even grow, its share of the market remains to be seen. Read our full review of the Harman Kardon Invoke speakerhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/UetAbZAiOoA

LG Electronics India plans to foray into premium ceiling fans segment this season. A top official from LG has told PTI, that the company will be launching IoT-based smart fans in India soon. The smart fan will bring along features like adaptive speed control and cloud controls, as it will be constantly connected with the internet. The adaptive speed control will allow the fan to adjust according to the change in temperature, and the cloud control will give users access to the fans from any part of the world. "This year we are preparing to launch ceiling fan," LG Electronics India Managing Director Ki Wan Kim told PTI. The fans, which are made specially for the Indian market would focus on "energy efficiency" and "aesthetics designs" and would have higher value propositions, he added. "It would have IoT technology in some premium products, which would adjust speed automatically," Kim said, adding that it would be convenient to maintain. "It would have removable parts, which will be easy to clean and wash after dismantling it," he explained. For those who do not know, IoT refers to a network of devices and sensors that are constantly connected to each other through the internet. LG has not dropped any hint on pricing, but what we know so far is that the company plans to launch three models, and one of them will have IoT features. LG in India plans to increase the number of IoT-based appliances in different segments, depending on the demand. "Of course, we would do one by one and model by model," Kim told PTI, adding that IoT based appliances have "huge potential" here. Besides, the company is also hoping to produce energy-efficient products by extending energy-saving inverter technology to other products like washing machines and refrigerators. LG V30+ reviewhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/JWNFuZu7L0w

Canonical is planning to make a change to Ubuntu which would mean that the popular Linux distro would collect information (or telemetry data) on desktop PCs during installation and afterwards. And it’s a move which has immediately been criticized by some Linux fans, as you can imagine, drawing comparisons with Microsoft and Windows 10 which has had an infamously checkered history regarding hoovering up user data. Will Cooke, Ubuntu Desktop Manager at Canonical, explained that this is happening because the company wants to work on the elements that matter most to Ubuntu users, and the data collected will help the firm decide what to focus on going forward. That data will include the version of Ubuntu being installed, basic spec of the PC – CPU family, memory, disk size, GPU, display resolution, manufacturer – along with details of the third-party software selected, and time taken for the installation, among other information. The OS will also gather data on location, although this will simply be the location selected by the user during installation – no IP address information will be collected. In other words, the data collected will be completely anonymized, and transferred via HTTPS for obvious security reasons. Cooke further explained that some manner of checkbox option would be added to the Ubuntu installer, asking whether the user wants to ‘send diagnostics information to help improve Ubuntu’, but that this would be ticked by default. In other words, data collection would be an opt-out affair, rather than a decision to opt-in. Trend spottingYou might be forgiven for thinking this is just a case of a one-time firing off of info post-installation of Ubuntu, but Canonical also intends to install Popcon on consenting user’s PCs – to help pick out trends in package usage – along with Apport to send crash reports (anonymously). All the data gathered, incidentally, would be made public, allowing everyone to see the percentages of Ubuntu users who use certain hardware. As mentioned, there has been some predictably negative reaction in the chatter we’ve seen online, with one of the main points of controversy being the fact that the default setting is on rather than off. Although this is perhaps less of an issue for Linux users than, say, Windows, as generally speaking open source OS devotees are a bit more clued-up as to what they’re doing during installation, and more likely to read prompts rather than gloss over things. Still, that’s not exactly an excuse for Canonical, and it would certainly look better if the scheme was opt-in, rather than opt-out. Incidentally, if you don’t turn this feature off during installation, you’ll be able to do so later on in Gnome’s privacy panel. Furthermore, bear in mind that this isn’t going to happen for sure – it’s just what Canonical is planning, so there could be a course change yet. But if the move does go ahead as planned, it’s likely that the top rival distros, such as Mint, Fedora and Debian, will be rubbing their hands together at a potential influx of new users migrating to a different flavor of Linux. For some folks, even the perception that Canonical is taking some steps down the same road as Microsoft will likely be too much to bear. Via The Register We’ve picked out the best Linux laptops of 2018http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/D2WSY8GWjmk

Have an entry level phone that lags whenever you run heavy apps? All too often, even if you have a smartphone, you don’t have the RAM to run your favorite apps seamlessly. This is more often the case with budget smartphones rather than flagship models, but it’s a pain nonetheless. They either crash or don’t install in the first place because you don’t have the space. Google devised a solution by releasing a chain of Go Apps that don’t tax your memory and don’t compromise on the usage experience. The latest addition is the Gmail Go app. The similarities are so astute that it makes one wonder why they should even bother using the regular Gmail app. It’s currently available on Android Oreo 8.1 and versions that will come later. Not only does the app support the most basic features of Gmail as well as multiple accounts, but you can also sync your non-Gmail mail accounts like Yahoo Mail, Outlook.com or IMAP/POP email accounts instantaneously. The differences between the regular app and the Go app are so slight, that you wonder if the Go apps are just the next evolutionary step. The Gmail Go appWhat makes the Gmail Go so different from the original Gmail app is the smaller apk size, 20.66MB vs 9.51MB. Hence, the app is lighter when you install it on your smartphone consuming only 25MB as compared to the 47MB that the regular app accounts for. You’d think, that with such a cut back, the user would have to compromise on features. Fortunately, that isn’t the case. Even with its lightweight built, the Gmail Go app lets you categorise your email according their function. That is, social, promotional and important under separate tabs so that you can focus on emails as per their priority. It even supports the conversation view that will group emails for IMAP, POP3 and Exchange accounts within the same interface. The design is more or less identical to the original Gmail app aside from a slight change in the way that the user profile is displayed. Currently it sits on top of the title bar displaying your profile photo and background image. Safety being on the forefront of everyone mind with myriad of privacy issues that being highlight of late, you wonder if that’s where the Gmail Go app goofs up. Instead, the new app comes equipped with Google’s internal data sets and algorithms so that spam messages will still be blocked as per their guidelines regardless of which account is synced. In case a message or two do sneak through, the option to mark it as spam or important still exists. Some sources have reported that there is some lag in the new app. They’ve also justified that this will probably be fixed before the Android Go device are officially launched. Regardless, the prime motto of the Go Apps is to use less RAM and data, which the Gmail Go app delivers. The question still remains, why does the regular Gmail app need to be twice the size when the Gmail Go app works just as well? Android Oreo (Go Edition) The Android Oreo (Go Edition), meant to be a powerful online experience for entry level smartphones, is going to host a bunch of Go Apps that can empower devices with just 512MB to 1GB of memory. Other Go Edition apps that are already in the Play Store are Files Go, Gboard Go, Google Go, Maps Go and YouTubeGo. Not all of these apps are the same as their regular counterparts. For example, the YouTube Go app has its own set of unique features. You can download videos for offline viewing and even share videos with friends that are in your immediate vicinity. The Files Go app has a feature that’s similar to Apple’s AirDrop ad-hoc service. Gmail Go may only be available to Android O 8.1 and Android Go users, but Files Go, Google Go and Maps Go are available across the board. Since the Go apps might actually be better that the regular apps, they may perhaps, make the regular apps obsolete in the coming months. The ParadoxLimiting the Gmail Go app to Android O 8.1 or above means you either need a Nexus phone or a Pixel device to run it. Aside from that you could run it on an Android Go device… Which doesn’t exist as of now. If the differences between the Gmail Go app and the regular Gmail app are so few, shouldn’t Google just scrap the original app and exclusively offer Gmail Go? Perhaps it’s the bugs or limited availability, but Google didn’t even officially announce that the Gmail Go app was in the market. If more users feel the way that we do, perhaps Google with take that initiative in the near future. Google phones always get the latest updates so investing in one is probably a good idea. Check out the reviews to make your choice.Google Pixel XL reviewGoogle Pixel reviewGoogle Pixel 2 reviewGoogle Pixel 2 XL reviewhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/Is321_v0i9g

In a bid to capture the emerging surveillance and security solutions market, Nvidia under its Metropolis program has partnered with an Israel-based AI developer AnyVision. The two companies will work towards developing smart cities by installing automatic facial recognition CCTV surveillance cameras. Although the technology is not in India yet, but you can get an idea from James Bond movies where finding a person with matching facial features is a matter of a few clicks. Mashable reports that AnyVision’s technology enables cameras that can scan for faces round the clock, uninterruptedly. The company also claims that it can automatically identify and track individuals within a large crowd with 99% accuracy. This is aided by algorithms working with human monitors to compare and identify a face with its database without compromising personal data that CCTV cameras collect. Their technology is not restricted to just one platform, but can also be accessed on the go. That means you can use it with laptops, tablets and even mobile phones. It allows operators to identify and add suspects to a centralised database, and even receive notifications when the suspect is around. While this technology seems terrifying and breaches privacy, it is can also help society if we look at a bigger picture. It cannot just help in tracking down terrorists and criminals, but it can also identify unregistered faces and suspicious behaviour. At most, it can also be used to find individuals who have gone missing. India is currently moving towards developing a set of cities into smart cities, which includes CCTV surveillance but without face recognition. Thanks to Aadhaar, Indian government has more than 118.64 crore population already enrolled with the UID scheme. That means India has enough facial data registered so that may serve as a help to such technology, one day, hopefully. All eyes on you: what is the future of public surveillance?http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/p_Cs1O301wg

Bargain-priced “Smart speakers” like Amazon’s Echo and Echo Dot, along with Google Home Mini, have found their way into one of six American households. Now, based on a report from Digitimes, Facebook may be looking to jump into the smart speaker war—up until now dominated Amazon and Google—with two devices focused more on the luxury crowd, developed by their Building 8 division and slated for release by July 2018. Codenamed “Aloha” and “Fiona”, these devices will launch with 15-inch touchscreens built by LG Display—more than doubling the Echo Show’s screen size. They will support voice commands, and will focus on “video chat” and other unnamed “social networking functions”. Aloha is reportedly the nickname for Facebook’s Portal, a $499 speaker that was first rumored last month during CES 2018, and will be an upgrade over “Fiona”. One such upgrade is that Portal will come bundled with a “wide-angle lens” capable of video calls and, Digitimes claims, facial recognition capable of logging users into Facebook instantly. Bloomberg first announced rumors of these devices last August, and said Facebook would bundle them with a “Siri-style voice assistant”. But based on our Portal report last month, those plans might be scrapped; those sources claimed Portal would not be a “traditional” smart speaker with an Alexa equivalent. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zxp88ZGG66MdWGs4GTmhUa.jpg Facebook's smart speaker is rumored to offer almost twice the screen real estate as LG's 8-inch WK9 Smart Speaker. A “phone-like” speaker hubPortal doubles the Echo Show’s screen size, but it will do the same to the Echo’s price tag. Will consumers want to shell out that kind of cash for this smart speaker/tablet hybrid? Our Echo Show review felt the devices limited video call options and poor audio quality were definite cons. That said, we’ll have to get our hands on the Portal to see how it compares in those areas. The Digitimes report claims they pushed the Portal and "Fiona" launch back two months to "perfect the acoustic quality". Even CEO Mark Zuckerberg reportedly isn’t sure how Portal will compete in a competitive speaker market, but sources claim he “doesn’t care if the device generates profit”. Instead, he “wants [Portal] to change user behavior and encourage phone-like usage among owners.” Speculating on that user behavior change isn’t too difficult. More and more people are relying on voice assistants for their everyday needs, which pushes a lot of people towards staying in one tech ecosystem—say, only using devices that can link to a Google Assistant, or services easily accessed through Alexa. Facebook wants you to keep using their products, and may see jumping into the speaker hardware game as the best way to stay relevant as a primary source of information and services. If the Portal is your main home device, for example, you may use their fledgling Watch service more than YouTube, or Messenger to video call instead of FaceTime. Facebook could even enable you to use Messenger to control your smart home products. These are the best speakers you can buy in 2018http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/bRyfV8EEMpk

A recent report from Bloomberg stated that Google will be working towards improving the look of the software. The new generation of Android might mimic Apple’s controversial notch design to let OEMs achieve the bezel-less panels similar to the iPhone X. If rumours are to be believed, Huawei P20 will be incorporating the iPhone X like notch design. Android, which was originally meant for digital cameras, has grown and evolved a lot over a period of close to ten years. The OS has seen major overhaul from the design to features in accordance with latest technologies over time. Since Android P is still in works, let’s give some rest to speculations and recall the instances when the world’s most used smartphone OS changed shapes based on evolving hardware technologies and trends. The beginning Android started in 2003 known as Android Inc. till it was bought by Google in 2005. The OS wasn’t out in the wild until the first iPhone was released in 2007. The original iPhone was followed by the first Android phone from HTC in 2008 that came with a 3.2-inch touchscreen display. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/98ffb776ae63d1493f92a12faa57134e.jpg During the initial phase, there were minor changes to the vintage Android skin. The changes came in form of a simple search box and an on-screen keyboard in the Android 1 Donut update. The next iteration, Android 2.0 Eclair, brought features like live wallpapers and Google Maps navigation. Users could also access multiple Google accounts on this update, but there wasn’t anything that could refresh the experience as there weren’t any major innovations done by the component makers and designers. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fSarcnGmuz8LduYo9akLPU.jpg The first Nexus phone made its debut in 2010 which was again based on a similar design that got updated to Android 2.2 Froyo soon after the release. It was succeeded by Android 2.3 Gingerbread, which brought in support for extra-large screen sizes and resolutions. Fast forward to 2011, the Android 3.0 Honeycomb turned out to be a major development from team Android at Google. The platform was designed solely for tablets, as it was the era when tablets were freshly in. In its next update, there was support for resizable Home screen widgets. Later, based on the same UI, Android Ice Cream Sandwich was introduced as a shrunken version of the Honeycomb. It brought new blue coloured Tron themed icons, holographic interface, on-screen navigation keys and face unlock. Till this time, there was nothing that could be said to be a considerable overhaul in terms of UI design. It continued with the Jellybean in 2012, where features like "Daydream" screensavers, showing information when idle or docked and Google Now made their debut. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2JgyyYcHfm2Zzfa5pQQyXC.jpg In 2013, Android 4.4 Kitkat was announced, but history repeated and we didn’t see a lot happening there again. The only change in design was a fresh interface with white elements instead of blue. The turnaroundhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/39012acfeafa029963329cb337b9e0d3.jpg By 2014, a 5-inch and 1080p display had become a norm in smartphones, but Google wasn’t ready until the version 5.0 Lollipop was out. It was the same year when Apple introduced their first 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch phones— the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. Users seemingly started adapting bigger displays, and Apple wasn’t the first one to realise it. In fact, customers leaning towards bigger Android phones was apparently one of the reasons why Apple went in that direction. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/25e45f207aa760dd206b3c8947c89e81.jpg Google also rolled out Material Design update with Lollipop 5.0, which was a major revamp considering it changed the whole interface. It arrived with a new notification panel, lock screen notification feature, redesigned soft keys and a lot more. To future-proof the OS, Android now supported scalable vector graphics in the interface, which allowed it to be used on displays of any size and resolution. One year later, Google made a jump to Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which introduced a bunch of new features like native fingerprint sensor support, Google Now on tap, vertical scrolling app drawer, USB Type-C support and a bunch of new features. But again, there wasn’t a major design change even in Android 7.0 Nougat but it brought some incremental changes on the surface. The biggest features were the split screen multitasking and rearranged notification shade. They came along with bunch of performance improvements under the hood too. The most current version of Android, the 8.0 Oreo was released in 2017. We saw a redesigned Quick Settings and Settings with a white background with black and accent font colours. Restructure of settings by regrouping in sections and adaptive icons were new this time. Long story shortGoogle has been improving Android’s interface over the time, but there were two instances when the change was huge. One is when Google released Android Honeycomb dedicated to tablets and the second was Lollipop, when the Material design was introduced. Interestingly, the Honeycomb update came around Apple’s first iPad release in 2010, and the second one collided with Apple’s new big display phones in 2014. Now, since Apple has revised the design with the iPhone X, it is highly possible that Google might also bring a major renovation in the UI design in the Android P. 10 years of Android: 10 times it wowed the worldhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/NjC2bZZP5cA

In early October 2017, we expected Google to reveal a new operating system that has been rumored and reported for almost two years: ‘Google Andromeda,’ a merging of its Android and Chrome operating systems (OS) in a way we've never before seen. Sadly, that didn’t happen, and today we know that project as ‘Google Fuchsia,’ which is very much still in the works – and publicly. Fuchsia is expected to become Google’s singular platform for laptops, phones and tablets running its software. Whether its running the full-fat version of Google Docs, fully leveraging Google Drive or finding your favorite app from the Google Play Store, you’ll be able to do it all from any Google Fuchsia-powered device. What’s more, you’ll be able to pick up from exactly where you left off on each app easily from any other Fuchsia device. For as excited as we are about Fuchsia, even with running early versions and the like, we’re still in the early days of Fuchsia – likely a year out from seeing Google laptops and phones alike run on this OS. That’s plenty of time to gather all the latest info and speculate! So, join us as we explore what Fuchsia is, what its capabilities are and how it might affect both Chrome OS and Android – and Google’s rivals – whenever it releases. Cut to the chaseWhat is it? An Android-meets-Chrome, multi-device operating systemWhen is it out? An early form is available on Chromebook Pixel nowWhat will it cost? Likely nothing, as is with Android and Chromehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/by9zV74tBzsBeoHUq8vWRF.jpg A Google Pixelbook running an early version of Fuchsia OS (Image Credit: Ars Technica) What is Google Fuchsia?Again, Google Fuchsia is a hybrid OS that is still very much in development. The entirety of Fuchsia OS is comprised of two distinct but connected user interfaces (UI): a phone-centric one codenamed ‘Armadillo’ and a traditional desktop UI known as ‘Capybara’ internally, according to 9to5Google. So far, more is known about the mobile version of Fuchsia than the laptop one, but ArsTechnica was recently able to get Fuchsia running on a Google Pixelbook in an awfully early state. 'Fuchsia is going to accomplish much of what Microsoft and Apple already have in Windows 10 and iOS-to-macOS Sierra Continuity, respectively, but in a very Google way.' This approach to OS design is very similar to Microsoft’s, in which Windows 10 exists within PCs, phones, tablets and game consoles with very specific interfaces tailored to those devices. However, all of those different interfaces are built upon the same root code, known as a kernel, allowing them to run the same apps. In the case of Fuchsia, that kernel is known as ‘Zircon’, 9to5Google reports, and it’s designed to be consistently upgradeable and safe from applications accessing it constantly, adding an extra layer of security and eliminating situations in which apps are rendered incompatible with OS updates. Whether it’s in the mobile or desktop orientation, Fuchsia is laden with Google’s Material design found all over its Android and Chrome OS products. Shadows are a big focus on the design aesthetic, using a new renderer known as ‘Escher’ to do the job. The result is an interface with more depth to its look than traditionally flat OS products. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HbYTJFEiZxTfzHw6cTuSyb.jpg Google Fuchsia as it appears on a smartphone device. Fuchsia is also heavily focused on a cards-based interface, in which every app you open appears inside one of these cards – plus, you can place multiple apps into a single card. This orients the user around tasks at hand rather than apps. From there, the OS revolves quite a bit around Google Assistant more deeply accessing your apps and information to provide even more thorough actions and insights. Google has referred to these apps and pieces of information as ‘entities’, according to a GitHub developer page, and on Fuchsia they’re all accessible by Google Assistant. Finally, Fuchsia wants to be the best cross-device OS to date. To achieve this, Fuchsia uses a new tool known as ‘Ledger’ by the GitHub community. Ledger, once you’re signed into a Google Account on a Fuchsia device, will automatically save your place in all installed apps across all Fuchsia devices. All in all, Fuchsia is Google’s attempt to get the best of Chrome and Android into a single operating system that’s more efficient both while you’re using it and when you’re away – not to mention in between those states or between devices. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fxydjj4gT6cVRrcndtYnSF.jpg This is likely where Fuchsia will make its debut. Google Fuchsia release dateSince August 2016, the Google Fuchsia release date has been rumored several times – only to turn out untrue. These rumors have generally cropped up before Google’s big Google IO developer event in California or, in the case of last October, when we know a big hardware release is imminent. Sadly, the latest treasure trove of Google Fuchsia information from ArsTechnica’s hands-on time with the OS doesn’t contain any hints toward a possible release date. However, the outlet does go out of its way to note just how early in development the OS looks and feels. This should help frame our expectations for when we should expect to see Fuchsia on shelf-ready devices: most likely not before 2019. That doesn’t mean that we won’t see the OS at all in 2018, as Google could choose to preview it somehow this year in preparation for a wider release next year. At any rate, keep it locked to this page as we draw closer to a possible release date and therefore might have some new information for you. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Yzh9gjppGL6MBnWbE2QTVd.jpg Is Fuchsia the end of Android as we know it? What could Fuchsia mean for Android and Chrome – and Windows and macOS?From what we're hearing, Fuchsia seems to be Google's response to Microsoft and Apple's united platforms with one of its own. In turning Android into one of the two biggest smartphone platforms and later popularizing Chrome OS – and its extensible web-based productivity programs – in the classroom and workplace, Google itself has become a major player on all platforms. Again, from the sound of it, Fuchsia is going to accomplish much of what Microsoft and Apple already have in Windows 10 and iOS-to-macOS Sierra Continuity, respectively, but in a very Google way. It's easy to expect access to Google's inimitable search and data-tracking at your fingertips – Google Assistant and ‘entities’, anyone? – which it would tout as better than Microsoft and Apple's, and an interface that changes based on the device from which it's accessed. Will this eventually mean the end of Android and Chrome? In name, most likely, but their principles will almost certainly live on – there's too much solid foundation not to build on top of them. Just look at the Material design language found throughout these early builds of either version of Fuchsia. The end result, likely to be seen in a preview form later this year and in purchasable devices in 2019, will be just one platform for Google to worry about. With Fuchsia, Google will be able to push new updates and features to all versions at once, simplifying support as well as user understanding. With that, Google will become that much more formidable a foe to Microsoft and Apple, and that much appealing an option to Android and Chromebook users all over. Who knows, perhaps it will be enough to bring people over from the other side of Microsoft and Apple’s fences. These are the best Chromebooks we’ve tested to datehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/WKN87poTcE4

Watch out cinephiles, Panasonic has just announced a new 4K HDR Blu-ray player that stands to rival some of the best decks on the market. A direct competitor for the Oppo UPD-203 and UPD-205, the Panasonic DP-UB9000 is a Blu-ray player with quite a few tricks up its sleeve. Not to be confused with the Panasonic DMP-UB900 that came out back in 2016, the brand-new UB9000 has dedicated sources for audio and visual, meaning the two channels should be totally crisp and devoid of noise. Of course, in order to truly isolate the channels, you need independent outputs, and the UB9000 has an HDMI output for each, meaning you get a totally uncluttered signal. Surprisingly inclusive designSo what formats can the new player handle? According to Panasonic, the UB9000 will handle both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision. The latter of the two might be a little surprising for followers of Panasonic’s range, as it doesn’t support Dolby Vision in any of its TVs, favoring the open HDR10+ format. Apparently the reasoning behind the move is to not exclude users looking for a high end Blu-ray player who may own a TV from a manufacturer like Sony which has supported Dolby Vision. The audio output is 7.1 for home surround-sound systems, with THX certification in the works, an XLR balanced output and a ‘high performance’ DAC. In a further effort to improve sound quality, the unit is 7.5 kilos, with a design that is supposed to reduce vibration. There’s no word on price yet, but we’re not expecting to see the UB9000 hitting shelves until toward the end of 2018. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/d8gXLBWHwYNbpjyCvDNamT.jpg Meet the HC2020, the first speaker from Panasonic to include Chromecast Alongside the UB9000, Panasonic also released new cameras, televisions, and a speaker with Chromecast built in. The HC2020, pictured above, is the first ever speaker from Panasonic to include Chromecast in the speaker, meaning you can access Spotify, Deezer, Google Play Music, and TuneIn Radio using Google Assistant on the speaker. On top of that it’s a traditional CD player, and supports play over Bluetooth. At the moment we’ve been given a price of €249 (about £220) but we’ll let you know when we get a definite price. Release date is TBC. Between the new speaker and the 4K Blu-ray player, it's looking like 2018 is going to be another exceptional year for audiovisual gear. These are the best 4K Blu-ray players you can buy in 2018http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/xVKclRg6FYU

While the recently-released Apple HomePod is impressing with its audio quality, an early assessment from non-profit reviewing organization, Consumer Reports, claims that the Google Home Max and Sonos One slightly edge it out with their audio chops. In a short video, Consumer Reports mentions that, despite being “one of the best-sounding smart speakers they’ve tested”, the HomePod didn’t sound as clear as Google’s larger competitor or the more audio-centric Sonos One. The early review claims that the HomePod suffers from overemphasized bass and a muddier sound overall. However, the organization has yet to complete its full evaluation, so whether or not they’ll alter their assessment in this field is yet to be seen, but we should find out in the coming weeks when the full results are released. This could spell trouble for Apple, as its $349 (£319 / AU$499) device was largely lined up to compete with Google’s $399 Max smart speaker (around £300 / AU$510), with its audio quality being touted as a prominent selling point. But for those already engaged in the Apple ecosystem, the HomePod will still likely please. Read our full Apple HomePod review for an in-depth look at the latest smart speakerhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/NxThQwKaHcE

Amazon’s sudden move into AI chip development suggests they want to make your conversations with Alexa as delay-free as possible. As first reported by The Information, Amazon plans to create proprietary AI chips and place them in its Amazon Echo, Amazon Dot, and every other speaker in their lineup. This will allow your new device to handle speech recognition and data processing locally instead of shipping it off to the cloud first. Right now, whenever you ask Alexa about the weather, she doesn’t know what you’re asking; she just transcribes the words into data and sends that data to the cloud for information. With integrated chip software, Alexa would hear and understand your question – maybe even remember you asking it before – and could look up the forecast without needing to send data to and from Amazon’s remote servers. With over 400 employees with AI chip expertise, Amazon hopes they’ll be able to improve response time to your questions, as well as improve the quality of responses overall. The Information speculates that these chips could even help prevent your Alexa data from being hacked, and the chip could help Alexa stay functional if Amazon’s cloud ever goes offline. Shaking up the AI industryAmazon used to rely on Intel and Nvidia for its processor chips (we called Nvidia an “AI and graphics card titan” last year). Now, with Amazon deciding to strike out on its own for Alexa, Nvidia and Intel might be running out of companies to sell their AI chips to: Google, Apple and Samsung all rely on first-party AI chips for their devices. Google’s Tensor Processing Unit chips are what power DeepMind, its AI program designed to “learn like a human” by recalling previously learned skills and connections between ideas. In Amazon’s quest to give Alexa a more “human” response time, these AI chips will likely focus of speech-based connections: linking the words you say to the thing you most likely want answered or purchased, without needing to consult huge amounts of cloud data to infer the answer. We don’t know how long it will take for Amazon to develop and integrate these chips, but we’re excited about the implications. Voice assistants like Alexa dominated CES this year: dozens of companies integrated their devices into Amazon’s voice-assisted network. If controlling your devices get even faster than before, then a truly “smart” home doesn’t seem too far out of reach. If you like smart speakers, don't miss our review of the Apple HomePodhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/vU52rs_R_zQ

VideoLAN has released a new version of VLC Media Player, bringing the open source player up to date with support for new and future video technologies. VideoLAN released a standalone 360-degree video player as a technical preview last year, and has now incorporated it into VLC 3.0. The updated player also supports 360-degree audio, which changes along with the viewpoint as you pan around a scene – essential for enjoying video via a VR headset. Look to the futureVLC 3.0 adds support for ultra HD video in resolutions up to 8K. Sharp has been promoting 8K TVs in Japan for some time, but 2018 looks set to be the year the technology becomes more widely available in the rest of the world. There's HDR video for compatible TVs and monitors too, meaning brighter colors, vivid contrast and more dramatic images. Again, this is a technology that's expected to become more mainstream in the coming months, making VLC a great choice if you're looking for a future-proof media player. It's not just picture quality, either – VLC 3.0 adds support Chromecast as well, enabling you to stream media from VLC around your home (ideal for getting those 8K videos to your TV). VLC 3.0 is available to download for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android. The best free media playerhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/gBbpnlCj1Nc

Facebook is going grey, losing its teen audience and gaining popularity among over-55s. According to market research company eMarketer, 2018 will be the first year when less than half of internet users between the ages of 12 and 17 use Facebook at least once a month. Unlike in previous years, when the site managed to hang onto younger users via Instagram, it now seems to be losing serious ground to Snapchat. eMarketer predicts that the number of US Facebook users under 12 (below the minimum age for registering on the site) will drop by 9.3% this year, while the number of users between 12 and 17, and 18 and 24 will decrease by 5.6% and 5.8% respectively. Meanwhile, more over-55s are signing up, with half a million new users expected to join by the end of the year. Snapped upThat might come as unwelcome news to Facebook, which had its sights set firmly on the next generation of users. In December it launched Messenger Kids – a version of its instant messaging and video chat app designed specifically for kids too young for Facebook itself. Pre-teens can only use the app to communicate with people to a list created and approved by a parent, but once they reach 13 they’ll be familiar enough with the site to make their own account. Facebook also offers to work with schools to bring online safety lessons into the classroom. This is a sensible move to help kids learn how to protect themselves, but also helps raise the site's profile among school kids. Facebook is also pouring investment into new technologies like advanced AR and VR, including full-body tracking – tools that might be of less interest to older users. Via the Guardian Concerned about your kids' safety? See our guide to parental control softwarehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/puA4pmg0EGk

It appears that Microsoft may be planning to allow Windows 10 users to test preview versions of the operating system’s core apps without having to sign up to be a Windows Insider. In other words, folks running the normal (retail) version of Windows 10 will be able to play around with standalone preview versions of these apps, and test out their new features, without having to sign up and install the preview build of Windows 10. At least that’s the word from Thurrott.com, which spotted that there is a new preview program available for the Camera, Photos, Alarm & Clock, Feedback Hub, Tips, and some other integrated Windows 10 apps. Users can apply to test these pieces of software on a per-app basis, although there may be limited numbers of testers taken on board. Testing the testersAt this point, it’s not clear exactly how the ‘Windows App Previews’ scheme will work, or even if it will happen. Thurrott.com says that Microsoft is testing this idea out at the moment. Brandon LeBlanc, senior program manager on the Windows Insider team, confirmed that the change is designed to facilitate the testing of app updates on retail builds of Windows, as well as preview builds. This certainly seems like a sensible enough move in terms of getting more testers on board – those who don’t want to go the full hog of installing a preview build of Windows 10 for whatever reason – for certain core apps. The other advantage is that Microsoft will be getting feedback from people who specifically want to test out a particular app, which might prove useful. But nothing is certain at this point, and as ever, we’ll just have to wait and see if Microsoft actually goes ahead and implements this new app testing program. You might have seen that late last week, Microsoft released a new Windows 10 preview build that includes various enhancements on the gaming and security fronts, as well as improved HDR video playback. Via Neowin Some of the best laptops of 2018 run Windows 10http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/xzyhTzvDJ5Q

Apple’s iPhones and iPads can't be affected by malware in the same way as Windows, but your devices will still be vulnerable to a host of other threats. Whether it's malicious websites, annoying ads, web trackers or just someone grabbing your device when you're not looking, there's plenty to be concerned about. Fortunately there are lots of big-name antivirus and security vendors that can help. Installing the right app can protect you from both web-based threats and local snoopers, with powerful extras available from cloud backup to VPNs and high-end identity theft protection. Not all these apps deliver on their promises, but we've found five top-notch contenders that definitely deserve a closer look. Keep reading to find out more. Stay extra secure online with one of our best VPN serviceshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dJGtKH4Vhn7K2kX6ZUdXy7.jpg German-based Avira is one of the most effective antivirus engines on the desktop, and although Avira Mobile Security doesn't have the same malware-hunting focus, it's still crammed with useful features. Phishing protection does a good job of blocking malicious websites, an excellent first step in keeping you safe online. An Identity Safeguard automatically scans the email addresses of you and your contacts to check whether they've been leaked online, and alerts you to any security breach. An unusually versatile Contacts Backup feature can protect your address book by emailing the details to yourself, or backing them up directly to Google Drive or Dropbox. Elsewhere, handy management tools enable analyzing memory and storage use, as well as providing monitoring reports on recent security events, plus the suite is rounded off with a simple anti-theft module. Put it all together and Avira Mobile Security is a versatile suite which uses multiple layers to protect you from web-based and other dangers. Go grab a copy immediately. You can download Avira Mobile Security herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PXvmgUHHvvCXDVeKT2LEZc.jpg Mobile Security is a popular freemium app which offers an interesting mix of privacy and security-related functions. Free features start with the Vault, a simple tool for securely hiding your most confidential files and photos. A Safe Browser allows for private and ad-free surfing, and a security alarm aims to prevent device theft. Upgrading to the Premium plan – from $8.99 (£6.40) a month – gets you cloud backup and a "premium security VPN". Using a VPN is more about privacy than security, but the developer claims it can also "identify unsafe websites and connections, and block them" before they can cause you any harm, which could be useful. Getting access to a VPN is an unusual plus point, but probably not quite enough to justify the price. The Mobile Security website has barely any details on the VPN service and what it has to offer, and you could sign up with one of the top specialist VPN services for little more than half the cost. Still, a three-day trial allows you to run your own tests before you buy, and Mobile Security's free services alone are probably enough to justify the download. You can download Mobile Security & Anti-Theft Protection herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qftWLLV7JYYU4UdZ7w6A4.jpg Lookout is an unusually complete security app which shields your iDevice with four layers of in-depth protection. Powerful security tools check for common security vulnerabilities (missing updates, a jailbroken device), monitor running apps for suspect activity, and raise an alert if you connect to a dangerous Wi-Fi network. An effective set of anti-theft technologies include various device location tools, an alarm that works even if your device is on silent, and the ability to display a custom message on the lock screen to help you get the device back. Simple backup options are on hand to keep your contacts and photos safe from harm. The $9.99 (£7.15) a month Premium Plus version adds a full-strength identity theft protection service. This includes alerts if any of your personal information is exposed in a data breach, along with social media monitoring, lost wallet recovery to help you quickly cancel and reorder credit cards, 24/7 support if the worst happens and $1m identity theft insurance to cover any damages or legal fees. Some poor reviews for recent releases have seen Lookout's App Store rating drop to a miserable 2.7, but there's still a lot of functionality here, even in the free version, and it deserves a few minutes of your time. You can download Lookout: Security and Identity Theft Protection herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gQgryH4PUhKwsgSuS3ipfF.jpg McAfee Mobile Security won't exactly surprise you with its functionality. Anti-theft, contacts backup, secure local storage for your media files: it's all very familiar. But don't let that put you off – the app is more interesting than you might think. The Media Vault hides your photos and videos, for instance. That's not unusual, but you can also snap photos or videos directly from the app, and have them automatically encrypted and stored in the vault. And you can quickly reopen the vault with Touch ID or even Face ID on the iPhone X. The anti-theft features take a similarly thorough approach. Yes, there are the standard options to track your device on a map, or activate a remote alarm which sounds even in silent mode. But the bundled CaptureCam feature can email you with a snapshot of anyone trying to get into your vault. You're able to initiate an alarm from your Apple Watch for easier location. The app can even save your device location when the battery is low, giving you a better chance of tracking it down. Bonus features include automatic contacts backup, remote wiping of contacts if your device is stolen, and a battery indicator which allows checking your iPhone battery level on your Apple Watch. McAfee Mobile Security may not have the most imaginative of feature sets, then, but there's a lot here, especially for a free app from a big-name vendor. If you don't have some of these functions already, it's well worth a closer look. You can download McAfee Mobile Security herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eDZaLr7nZ2ToejBVqEwRCT.jpg Your iOS devices may not need antivirus software in the traditional sense, but there are plenty of other threats out there online, and Trend Micro Mobile Security tries to combat them all. Built-in web filtering works with Safari and other browsers to prevent you accessing malicious or unwanted websites. Integrated ad and tracker-blocking maintains your privacy while cutting data usage and speeding up website load times. A Social Network Privacy feature scans your Facebook and Twitter account settings and reports on any potential privacy concerns. Trend Micro's Safe Surfing is a secure browser which supports its own private surfing mode, giving you extra reassurance that your history isn't being recorded. A bundled anti-theft feature enables locating missing devices via GPS, Wi-Fi or cell towers. All this functionality comes at a price. $2.99 (£2.15) a month, to be specific, dropping to an equivalent $2.08 (£1.49) if you pay for two years upfront. Trend Micro Mobile Security does allow for testing all its premium features via a time-limited trial, though, and even if you don't sign up, the app has a couple of useful free features. The Device Access Status module checks your system to ensure it's configured properly, and a Secure QR Code Scanner provides a safer way to open mystery links. You can download Trend Micro Mobile Security herehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/Zn_QV3S0vSo

The awesome operating system Linux is free and open source. As such, there are thousands of different ‘flavours’ available – and some types of Linux such as Ubuntu are generic and meant for many different uses. But security-conscious users will be pleased to know that there are also a number of Linux distributions (distros) specifically designed for privacy. They can help to keep your data safe through encryption and operating in a ‘Live’ mode where no data is written to your hard drive in use. These are the best Linux training providers and online courses in 2018Other distros focus on penetration testing (pen-testing) – these come with tools actually used by hackers which you can use to test your network’s security. In this article, we’re going to highlight 10 of the best offerings when it comes to both privacy and security. 5 of the most popular Raspberry Pi distros7 best Linux distros: which one is right for you?5 of the most popular Linux gaming distros10 of the most popular lightweight Linux distroshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iLLLadmBbjMCNd6Mr2KTEB.jpg While definitely not for novice users, Qubes is one of the top privacy-conscious distros. The graphical installer must be used to install the OS to your hard drive, which will be encrypted. Qubes OS uses the Xen Hypervisor to run a number of virtual machines, compartmentalising your life into ‘personal’, ‘work’, ‘internet’ and so on for the sake of security. This means if you accidentally download malware on your work machine for instance, your personal files won’t be compromised. The main desktop uses colour-coded windows to show different virtual machines, making it easy for you to tell them apart. You can download Qubes OS herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZUrcnVRJjnCs738iSapEGP.jpg Tails (which stands for ‘The Amnesiac Incognito Live System’) is probably the most well-known privacy-focused distro. It can be run from a DVD in Live mode whereby it loads entirely into your system RAM and will leave no trace of its activity. The OS can also be used in ‘persistent’ mode where your settings can be stored on an encrypted USB stick. All connections are routed through the anonymity network Tor, which conceals your location. The applications in Tails have also been carefully selected to enhance your privacy – for example, there’s the KeePassX password manager. There are also a small number of productivity apps such as Mozilla Thunderbird and the powerful LibreOffice suite. You can install more applications from Debian repositories via the command line, but they will take some time to download as they pass through the Tor network. Do note that vulnerabilities are constantly discovered with Tails so be sure to check for updates (as you should do with any OS, of course). You can download Tails herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GgWCPi5n4NcoRGso8XSfMB.jpg This pen-testing distro is based on Arch Linux, which may be good or bad news depending on how familiar you are with its parent operating system. While relatively new, this OS contains over 1,900 different hacking tools, saving you the trouble of having to download what you need each time. The distro is constantly updated, with new ISO images being released on a quarterly basis. These are very large in size (currently 7.5GB) due to the amount of pre-installed programs, but note that there's also a much smaller Netinstall version which is only around 500MB. BlackArch can be run live from a USB stick or CD, or installed onto a computer or virtual machine. It can even be installed onto a Raspberry Pi to give you a portable pen-testing computer that you can carry anywhere. The ‘anti-forensics’ category is particularly worth mentioning as it contains tools to scan your memory for passwords to encrypted devices. This helps protect your machine from a ‘cold boot’ attack. You can download BlackArch Linux herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XWdwoxVw9LL5AxQ95atw8P.jpg Named after the Hindu goddess, Kali is one of the oldest and most well-known pen-testing distros. The Kali download page offers ISOs that are updated weekly, which can be run in live mode or installed to a drive. Kali will also happily run on ARM devices like the Raspberry Pi. Kali’s reputation is so formidable that its creators offer training through the Kali Linux Dojo. Lessons include customising your own Kali Linux ISO and learning the fundamentals of pen-testing. For those unable to attend the training, all educational resources from the classes are available on Kali’s website free of charge. Anyone interested in a career in Information Security can also take on Kali's paid penetration testing courses which take place online and are self-paced. There's a 24-hour certification exam which if passed will make you a qualified penetration tester. You can download Kali herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/swCenNYeRv9Jjkhg58NWJ3.jpg This privacy-oriented operating system is based on Fedora Linux and can be run in Live mode or installed to your hard drive. Just as Tails OS routes all your connections through the Tor network to anonymise your connection, Ipredia routes all your network traffic through the anonymous I2P network. This is known as 'garlic routing', a process whereby I2P establishes one-directional encrypted tunnels to protect your data. This is theoretically much safer than Tor's 'onion routing' which transmits data over established 'circuits', meaning they can be targeted for surveillance. Features include anonymous email, BitTorrent client, and the ability to browse eepsites (special domains with the extension .i2p). Unlike Tor, I2P doesn’t act as a gateway to the normal internet, so Ipredia cannot safely access regular websites. The advantage of only accessing eepsites is that your connection is truly untraceable. As I2P is designed specifically for 'hidden' services, connection and download speeds are generally much faster than routing through Tor as TAILS does. You can download IprediaOS herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/u624bkV9zB5Qe92hDMQxFB.jpg Booting a Live operating system is a nuisance as you have to restart your machine, while installing it to a hard drive means there’s a risk of it being compromised. Whonix offers an elegant compromise by being designed to work as a virtual machine inside the free program Virtualbox. Whonix is split into two parts. The first ‘Gateway’ routes all connections to the Tor network for the second ‘Workstation’ part. This hugely reduces the chance of DNS leaks which can be used to monitor what websites you visit. The OS has a number of privacy-conscious features. These include bundled apps such as the Tor Browser and Tox instant messenger. As it runs in a virtual machine, Whonix is compatible with all operating systems that can run Virtualbox. Virtual machines can only use a portion of your real system's resources, so Whonix will not necessarily perform as fast as an OS that has been installed to a local hard drive. You can download Whonix herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ihm9QNsZpVdoL9JzfU3iD3.jpg This intentionally misspelled distro is the successor to the awesome Ubuntu Privacy Remix. The OS contains no support for network hardware or internal hard drives, so all data is stored offline in RAM or on a USB stick. It can be run in Live mode, but when booting from a volume also allows you to store some of your settings in an encrypted ‘Cryptobox’. Another clever feature is that kernel modules can only be installed if they’ve been digitally signed by the Discreete Linux team. This prevents hackers from trying to sneak in malware. Note that this operating system is currently in the beta testing stage. You can download Discreete Linux herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UbJiq95TcBs5VzrFhjD7t5.jpg This pen-testing distro comes to us from the Italian team Frozenbox. Like Kali and BlackArch it categorises tools for easy access and even has a section for the ones you most commonly use. Parrot is based on Debian 10 (Buster), the testing branch of this OS, so you might encounter stability issues. However, note that Parrot has much more colourful backgrounds and menus than its parent OS. As such, its hardware requirements are rather more demanding than other pen-testing distros such as Kali. A minimum of 4GB of RAM is recommended. If you don't have the RAM to spare, you can go with the 'Lite' edition of Parrot Security OS and choose to install and run only the programs you need. For those with minimal resources, Parrot Cloud is a special version of the distro specifically designed to run on a server. It has no graphics but does contain a number of networking and forensic tools to allow you to run tests remotely. You can download Parrot Security OS herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KVRixEfnMSo7hmko9edhHB.jpg Subgraph OS is based on Debian Linux and is designed for ultra-tight security. The kernel has been hardened with a number of security enhancements, and Subgraph also creates virtual ‘sandboxes’ around risky applications like web browsers. A specialised firewall also routes all outgoing connections through the anonymous Tor network. Each application has to be manually approved by the user to connect to the network, and to access other applications’ sandboxes. In April 2017 Joanna Rutkowska, the creator of Qubes, together with security researcher Micah Lee, were able to circumvent Subgraph's security by running a malicious app in the Nautilus file manager, which isn't sandboxed. This attack would also work on other privacy-oriented distros such as Tails. The Subgraph team has yet to develop a patch for this exploit, but have pointed out that the OS is still in the alpha stage of development. This distro is designed to be installed on a hard drive. Encryption of your file system is mandatory, meaning there’s no danger of writing unencrypted data anywhere. As mentioned, Subgraph is still in its testing phase so do not rely on it to protect any truly sensitive data (and as always, keep regular backups). You can download Subgraph OS herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cGXEzPjeMARUXL9PnMCyH3.jpg Our tenth offering is, rather aptly, TENS (Trusted End Node Security). Formerly known as LPS (Lightweight Portable Security), this Linux distro has been designed by none other than the US Air Force and is NSA approved [PDF]. The public version of TENS is specifically designed to be run in Live mode, meaning that any malware is removed on shutdown. It includes a minimal set of applications but there is also a ‘Public Deluxe’ version which comes with Adobe Reader and LibreOffice. All versions include a customisable firewall, and it’s also worth noting that this operating system supports logging in via Smart Card. You can download TENS here (if you have issues downloading the ISO from the official site, check here for support)http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/PNZWxxIiBVM

Google’s fight for a more secure internet continues with the announcement that its Chrome 68 update – to be released in July this year – will see all unencrypted websites (HTTP sites) marked with a ‘not secure’ label. Read more: Google Chrome reviewThe internet giant began rolling out the ‘not secure’ label with the release of Chrome 56, with all HTTP sites requiring a password or containing a payment field marked with the label. Chrome 62 saw any HTTP site opened in an Incognito Window named and shamed that way. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/39DLA6pk6EcPpKTygiqNPP.png After these initial measures, Google says 81 of the top 100 websites on the internet now use HTTPS encryption, with over 78% of Chrome OS and Mac traffic and more than 68% on Android and Windows is secure. Google hopes that this change will convince site owners to adopt HTTPS encryption, and the search giant is even offering up its own Lighthouse tools to make the migration easy. Which browser should you be using?http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/O00PgcccCTc

Modern Linux distros are designed to appeal to a large number of users who run modern hardware. As a result, they have become too bloated for older machines, even if you manually delete files. Without a healthy dollop of system memory and an extra core or two, these distros may not deliver the best performance. Thankfully, there are many lightweight distros, trimmed and tweaked by expert hands, which can be used to breathe new life into older hardware. These are the best Linux training providers and online courses in 2017But there's one caveat to bear in mind when working with lightweight distros – they usually manage to support ancient kit by cutting away just about everything you take for granted, such as wizards and scripts which make everyday tasks easier. That said, these lightweight distros are fully capable of reviving older hardware and can even function as a replacement of your current operating system, if you're willing to adjust to their way of working and install extra programs as necessary. 10 of the best Linux distros for privacy fiends and security buffs5 of the most popular Linux gaming distros10 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 laptopshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EsCLug2yQWd8vm6TtohwCn.jpg Absolute Linux is a lightweight distro designed for desktop use, and as such comes preinstalled with the Firefox browser and LibreOffice suite. It's based on Slackware 14.2 but unlike its parent OS, aims to make configuration and maintenance as simple as possible. New versions of Absolute Linux are released roughly once a year. The most recent version (15.0) was made available for download in February 2018. It’s available as a 2GB ISO for 64-bit computers. The OS is still in the beta testing stage so may perform a little unpredictably, as ever with beta software. Whichever version you choose, there's a massive selection of lightweight applications available. The installer is text-based so there's no Live mode, but nevertheless it's incredibly simple to follow. The way Absolute is structured also means that you can add and remove packages from the install media to create a distro which truly suits you, though you'll need some time and experience with Linux if you really want to make the most of this feature. Once installed, Absolute Linux is incredibly nimble. This is ensured through the lightweight IceWM window manager, along with popular apps such as LibreOffice, making this OS perfect for older machines. There's also plenty of documentation accessible from within the desktop itself to assist new users. You can download Absolute Linux herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dyRCsQJiQVnz5SdTRkSXCn.jpg The Core Project offers up the tiniest of Linux distros, shipping three variants on which you can build your own environments. The lightest edition is Core, weighing in at just 11MB, which comes without a graphical desktop – but you can always add one after installation. If that's too intimidating, try TinyCore (currently v8.2). The OS is only 17MB in size and offers a choice of FLTK or FLWM graphical desktop environments. You can also choose to install CorePlus, which measures a relatively hefty 106MB. This spin offers a choice of lightweight window managers such as IceWM and FluxBox. CorePlus also includes support for Wi-Fi and non-US keyboards. TinyCore saves on size by requiring a wired network connection during initial setup. The recommended amount of RAM is just 128MB. There are 32-bit and 64-bit versions as well as PiCore, which is a build for ARM devices like the Raspberry Pi. This minimalist distro doesn't feature many apps. After installation there's little beyond the Terminal, a basic text editor and a network connection manager. The Control Panel provides quick access to the different configurable parts of the distro such as display, mouse, network, etc. Use the graphical package manager 'Apps' to install additional software such as multimedia codecs. You can download TinyCore herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9538cb30605bc6efeb721b18ef61394c.jpg The 'L' in Lubuntu stands for lightweight, and it unashamedly appeals to those Ubuntu users who are looking for an OS which requires fewer resources than most modern distros, but doesn't force you to compromise on your favourite apps. Lubuntu is primarily designed for older machines and as such uses a desktop environment based on the lightweight LXDE, which is far less resource hungry than mainstream Ubuntu's Unity desktop. It comes with a plethora of office, internet, multimedia and graphics apps, along with a wide assortment of useful tools and utilities. As a lightweight distro, Lubuntu focuses on being fast and energy efficient. It features alternative and less resource intensive apps where possible, such as Abiword for word processing instead of LibreOffice, and the ultra-efficient Sylpheed email client. This doesn't mean that Lubuntu is lacking, though: it's based on Linux Kernel 4.13 and Ubuntu 17.10, so it's a proper modern Linux distro – it's just shed all unnecessary weight, in the manner of a rally car having all but one of its seats removed. The OS follows the same release schedule as mainstream Ubuntu, and requires at least 512MB to run – but for smooth running, try to use a machine with at least 1GB of RAM. It’s available in 32-bit and 64-bit incarnations. The unique selling point of Lubuntu is its compatibility with Ubuntu repositories, which gives users access to thousands of additional packages that can be easily installed using the Lubuntu Software Center. You can download Lubuntu herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hmupV4ktVzEWs8Grfr8KYW.jpg LXLE is a lightweight version of Linux based on the annual Ubuntu LTS (long term support) release. Like Lubuntu, LXLE uses the barebones LXDE desktop environment, but as LTS releases are supported for five years, it emphasises stability and long-term hardware support. The most recent version at the time of writing (16.04.3) is a remaster of the current of version of Ubuntu LTS. Aimed primarily at reviving older machines, the distro is designed to serve as a ready to use desktop out of the box, specifically tailored to appeal to existing Windows users. The developers spend a considerable amount of time making all the necessary mods and tweaks to improve performance, but they don't skimp on niceties. Aesthetics are a key area of focus as evidenced by the hundred wallpapers which are included, along with clones of Windows functions like Aero Snap and Expose. The distro boasts full featured apps across categories such as internet, sound and video, graphics, office, games, and more. It also includes plenty of useful accessories such as a Terminal-based Weather app and Penguin Pills, which is a graphical frontend for several virus scanners. Like Lubuntu, LXLE is available as a Live image for 32-bit and 64-bit machines. The hardware requirements are the same as Lubuntu – 512MB of system RAM minimum, with 1GB recommended. You can download LXLE herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qfzmMWhxsmnmj6CwZVxNZf.jpg Damn Small Linux (DSL) lives up to its name in that the install image is barely 50MB. It's designed specifically for x86 PCs and will run on an ancient 486 CPU with 16MB of RAM. This means it can run fully inside your system memory which can result in phenomenally fast speeds. DSL is usually run from a USB or CD, or you can do a Debian-style installation to a hard drive if you prefer. Despite the extremely minimal desktop, you may be surprised at the vast array of tools that come preinstalled. You can surf the web with a choice of three browsers – Dillo, Firefox or the text-based browser Netrik. You can also examine office documents using the Ted word processor and check your email with the minimal Slypheed client. Or indeed sort through your data with the ultra-tiny emelFM file manager. The latest stable version of DSL (4.4.10) was released in 2008. However, you can update and add new applications using the MyDSL Extension Tool. You can download Damn Small Linux herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/okTuRmrKiLgT4R8CTCFhQW.jpg This Slackware-based distro is designed to be completely portable and run on removable media such as a USB stick or CD, but can just as easily be installed to a hard disk. The distro is incredibly fast as it's small enough to run entirely from system RAM. The unique selling point of Porteus is that it exists in a compressed state (less than 300MB for the Cinammon and MATE editions) and creates the file system on-the-fly. Besides the preinstalled apps, all additional software for the distro comes in the form of modules, making the OS very small and compact. Porteus is available for 32-bit and 64-bit machines. The distro provides users with the choice of KDE, MATE, Cinnamon and Xfce desktop environments when downloading the ISO image. Unfortunately the option to build your own custom ISO has been removed since we previously looked at Porteus, but the pre-built images offer a decent selection of software and drivers, as well as an excellent selection of tutorials to help you get started. You can download Porteus herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HKGRBgMt62t9UWVJ3SGkef.jpg This distro’s credo is 'keep it simple, keep it small', and it manages this to great effect. It allows users to mould the distro to serve just about any possible purpose – Vector Linux can be a lightning-fast desktop for home users, and can just as easily be used for running servers, or as the gateway for your office computer. After a lengthy period, Vector Linux 7.1 was finally officially released in July 2015, and now comes in two flavours: Light and Standard. The difference is in the desktop environment used. Vector Linux Light uses the ultra-efficient IceWM for the desktop environment while the Standard version is powered by Xfce. This Slackware-based distro tends to favour GTK+ apps such as Pidgin Messenger, but you can use the TXZ package manager to fetch and install additional software. You can download Vector Linux herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eUCd5AN9WLLMkhcpaAnUF4.jpg Puppy Linux is one of the oldest lightweight distros out there. The project has been turning out slim, sleek and fast distros for over 11 years now, and offers different versions depending on the underlying environment. Slacko Puppy 6.3.2 is based on Slackware, for example, while XenialPup 7.5 (pictured above) is built on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS. Puppy Linux developer, Barry Kauler, also manages a sister project named Quirky, a version of Puppy Linux built using the custom tool Woof-CE. The distro is full of apps, belying its small size – some are quite unconventional, such as Homebank which helps you manage your finances, or Gwhere which is for cataloguing disks. There are also graphical tools to manage Samba shares and set up a firewall, for example. The sheer variety of applications is impressive. The XenialPup edition of Puppy Linux is compatible with Ubuntu's repositories, giving users access to the parent distro's vast software collection. The handy QuickPet utility can be used to install some of the most popular apps. You can download Puppy Linux herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KR6eA4zXxx57SWg6uNJ8qW.jpg Linux Lite is based on Ubuntu (currently Long Term Support version 16.04.3). It is specifically developed to ease Windows users – particularly those with old machines running Windows XP – into the world of Linux. It features familiar tools like Firefox (with built-in support for Netflix), plus VLC Media Player and LibreOffice are preinstalled. The OS also includes the zRAM memory compression tool which makes it run faster on older machines. There's also a special ‘Lite Upgrade’ utility. Despite its name, this distribution isn't the least resource hungry out there, as it requires both a 1.5GHz processor and at least 1GB of RAM to run smoothly. That said, this shouldn't be too much to ask of any computer made in the last decade. Try it on modern hardware and you'll be amazed at just how quickly it runs. Linux Lite can boot from a Live medium such as a USB stick or CD, or install to your hard drive. It also supports multi-booting so you can keep your existing OS if you wish. The distro is available for both 32-bit and 64-bit systems. You can download Linux Lite herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LmbiekfZLRT8qfu5krBJaW.jpg Crunchbang (or #!) was a very popular Debian-derived distro specifically designed to use as few system resources as possible. While it was discontinued in 2013, the community fondly remembered its lightning speed and responded with two Crunchbang-based distros to continue its legacy. BunsenLabs seems to be the most active. Its current release (Deuterium) is based on Debian Jessie featuring a gorgeously configured Openbox window manager and its own repository of core packages. There's also a point release option, which is regularly updated if you want to stay on the bleeding-edge. It requires at least 256MB of RAM to run (with 1GB or more recommended). Crunchbang++ is based on Debian 9 (Stretch) and like BunsenLabs Linux uses the Openbox window manager. Version 9 is based on version 4.9 of the Linux kernel and is available as a bootable 'live' operating system so you can try before installing. You can download BunsenLabs here or Crunchbang++ 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/jWhE2BX-cJo

Smart home manufacturer Nest is being taken under the wing of Google – and not for the first time. Nest was originally taken on by Google four years ago after being purchased for $3.2 billion, but split off from Google and became a property of Alphabet, Google’s parent company. Now it’s back in the fold, and all indications point towards a greater integration of Google’s voice assistant, Google Assistant. It’s always been a little strange that Google and Nest were two Alphabet companies making smart home products independent of each other, and rumors have been circulating for a while now that this move was on the cards. Sales figures are goodNest is most famous for its smart thermostats Learning and E, and its top-of-the-range security cameras Cam IQ and Cam Outdoor. It'll be interesting to see if the design language of the Nest range changes to fall more in line with the other hardware from Google. Google’s smart home range is, for now at least, limited to its smart speakers, the Home, Mini and Max. It appears to be a success, however, with Google claiming that it’s “sold tens of millions of products for the home in just the last year”. That quote comes from the Google blog post penned by Nest CEO Rick Osterloh to announce the organizational change. Also included were some interesting claims about Nest’s sales figures: “The company doubled its hardware portfolio last year – selling more devices in 2017 than the previous two years combined.” We’ve yet to find out if Nest products will be rebranded as Google, or what other changes we’re likely to see. The only thing we do know is that Google is doing its best to become the dominant force in the smart home market. Want to know what else Google is working on? Check out: Google is working on a console and game streaming servicehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/hmBxdCfDy68

Mozilla, the creator of Firefox, has launched Project Things – a platform that lets you connect and control all your smart home devices via a single web interface using a Raspberry Pi. It aims to let users mix and match devices and build their own smart home network, without being tied to a particular platform (like Amazon Echo, Samsung SmartThings or Google Home). Project Things lets you build a gateway to connect your smart devices directly to the web, and give each one its own URL. You can control them using a simple web interface and voice controls (the latter feature is currently in an experimental stage). Home hackingProject Things lets you create ‘if this, then that’ commands to control how your devices interact, and set up floor plans showing the position of devices in your home (with virtual devices to represent any you don’t own yet). There's also an add-on system for third-party extensions. Project Things is still very much a work in progress, and currently only supports a small range of devices, but the new release adds support for dimmable switches and smart plugs. More hardware will be added in future releases. Mozilla has published a guide explaining how to set up a network using a Raspberry Pi 3, but you can also use a different developer board (such as an Arduino), or a laptop or desktop PC. Check out some other fun Raspberry Pi projectshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/xubJOBNdPWU