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Microsoft may very well host its 2018 annual Build developer conference on May 7 through May 9 this year in Seattle, Washington, infamous Microsoft leaker ‘@h0x0d’ on Twitter claims. That’s just a day before the start of Google’s IO 2018 developer conference in San Francisco, set to run May 8 through May 10. The news of the potential dates for Microsoft’s long first came to light through a promotional image (seen below) seemingly obtained and shared by ‘@h0x0d’, a famed Microsoft leaker on Twitter. This leak was then corroborated by The Verge, which simply reported the news as an official announcement albeit without any verifiable source. What does this all mean? At the very least, we know that Microsoft and Google are going to be fiercely competing for not only developer attendance but for their respective fair share of the tech news cycle on those days. We also doubt that this was done intentionally, as these events are mapped out and planned months of in advance of any public announcement – intentional or otherwise. As for what to expect, we’ll likely get in-depth previews of features to be released in the next late 2018 release of Windows 10, as what we now know as the Spring Creators Update could launch a month or more in advance of Build 2018, like the Creators Update of 2017 preceded its respective Build conference by about as much time. If the past few Build conferences are anything to go by, don’t expect to see any flashy new hardware at Build 2018 – this conference is normally reserved for the developers, not the customers. This is everything we know about Windows 10 S todayVia MSPoweruser http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/Bcz96VFGF9E

As more and more folks head online to shop, it’s not surprising that the e-commerce sector is thriving. However, with so much choice in how you set up your online store, it can be difficult finding the right platform for your needs. The good news is that you don't need to have any knowledge of HTML, graphics applications, or any other complexities, as today e-commerce can be as easy as filling in a few online forms. Choosing your weaponsWhen deciding how to set-up your e-commerce site there are a number of key decision to be made that fall into a number of categories: Online or self-hosted – you can use a number of e-commerce applications that are hosted online, or build your own site and host this on your own serversWebsite or blog – these days the difference between these two is blurring with many businesses 'e-commerce enabling' their blogs. A standalone website can though, give you complete control over every element of your storeShopping cart – the most important aspect of your e-commerce presence is efficiently taking payments. Look for shopping cart software that is fast and efficientSecurity – shoppers are now more comfortable buying online, but always ensure your site uses SSL (Secure Socket Layer) that is now the industry standard for online paymentsAbove every other consideration should be your site's visitor experience. Don't forget your competitors are just a mouse click away in the world of e-commerce.http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JY5B6jkQofxGVXACYxNdLX.jpg Many serious businesses have taken to eBay these days Is eBay right for your business?Opening its doors in 1999, eBay UK now has over 14 million users, with over 10,000 people using the site for a business that is their primary means of income. It's not just about people selling unwanted goods - businesses have used the simplicity that eBay offers to set up lucrative operations. Even the larger brands such as Argos, Debenhams and House of Fraser are using eBay to sell online. With sophisticated tools now available you can be up and running with your store in just a few hours. The eBay Seller Centre has all the information you need. Each store is managed via eBay's familiar user interface, and there are a number of eBay-provided tools to help manage, track and promote your shop once it's established. Using eBay as the platform for your business could be ideal if your business wants to sell goods on a fixed price basis. The complete integration of the PayPal e-payments system into eBay takes care of this essential component of your store. The key with eBay is to look closely at the costs involved and also the transaction fees that PayPal charge before moving forward and setting up your own store. How to create your own e-commerce solutionOf course if you want complete control over every aspect of your new online store, building each page yourself will be the best course of action. Hiring someone to code your website is one option. If you decide to do this follow these steps: Ask the company for live examples of their work to look atWrite a detailed brief of the site you want created. The more detail the better to avoid confusionEnsure you understand the price you are being charged and how many revisions this price includesAlways have a signed agreement or contract before work commencesAsk whether the designers will host your site and if you will be able to make updates yourself or if all updates must go through the design agency at an additional costAsk for the copyright of your design to be assigned to your company, as your website is an important part of your business' intellectual propertyPut into your contract, details of how the agreement can be amicably dissolved if things go wronghttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HmwhHPg5WxUDjCbmTNHbHo.jpg Choose a website design from Template Monster You also don't have to build your site completely from scratch. Buying a template can give you all the basic pages your site needs. You can then either modify them yourself using an application like Dreamweaver, or hire a coding expert to make the changes. Website templates are available from a number of vendors including Template Monster. If you already have a website and want to add e-commerce functionality, this can be easily achieved with a number of applications including: XCartClickCartProCubeCartOff-the-shelf e-commerce packages for businessThere has been a steady expansion of packaged e-commerce applications over the last few years. Most of the well-known apps now offer a full set of e-commerce tools you can use to construct and manage a professional e-commerce site. Let's take a closer look at some of the leading packages. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/23fe1cc3192747aa832bc74e133549ae.jpg Shopify has been going for well over a decade ShopifyWeb: http://www.shopify.com Price: From $29 (around £21) per month Shopify is perhaps the most well known e-commerce platform available. It was set up in 2006 by founders Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand and Scott Lake who, as the story goes, felt that there wasn't a simple-to-use e-commerce platform available and so built their own. The company claims that: "You don't need to have any technical or design experience to easily create a beautiful online store." According to Shopify, it's possible to get one of its online stores up-and-running within minutes. Users can choose from a wide range of templates, or they can design the look and feel of their store themselves. It accepts a comprehensive range of credit cards, has Level 1 PCI compliance and 256-bit SSL encryption for security, and it offers 24/7 support via phone, instant messaging or email. The platform provides a full CMS with which users can manage the functionality and layout of their online store. Users can manage their store on-the-go using Shopify's mobile apps, and the platform itself is fully responsive, meaning the store will be optimised for visitors regardless of whether they access it from a desktop computer or a mobile device. Shopify also offers users unlimited hosting for their stores, in-depth analytics of how visitors are using the store, and functionality for marketing such as SEO optimisation, a discount and coupon engine, gift cards and email marketing tools. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/166450a10e33a8757c109894dc74726b.jpg Bigcommerce promises top quality support and help videos BigcommerceWeb: http://www.bigcommerce.com Price: From $30 (around £21) per month Bigcommerce was established in 2009 and promises to "support your business, not just your store." In addition to offering support via phone, instant chat and email, it also offers articles and videos to help with e-commerce, and access to a team of e-commerce experts who can provide advice and guidance about online selling. Their experts are qualified in both Google Analytics and Adwords. Like Shopify, Bigcommerce provides a variety of templates and themes to help stores look their best and get up-and-running quickly. Alternatively, users can design their own store or use Bigcommerce designers to do so. The platform incorporates a full-featured CMS that allows users to run an entire website, rather than just a store. Users can benefit from detailed and flexible product management, optimised search engine rankings, along with a variety of integrated marketing tools and analytics. Payments can be accepted via 40+ pre-integrated gateways and shipping details can be customised as per the business's requirements. The platform offers automated order processing, flexible tax rules depending on where orders are made and shipped, and support for multiple currencies. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/f05c9c115660f0cb82d077496c62bda0.jpg Volusion is a veteran e-commerce operator VolusionWeb: http://www.volusion.com Price: From $15 (around £11) per month Volusion has been around for almost two decades, having been set up in Texas over in the US in 1999. The company touts its platform as being an "all-in-one e-commerce solution", and offers a free 14-day trial (no credit card required). As with other e-commerce platforms, users are offered a variety of templates from which to choose, and can also customise templates if they so wish. Should a more complex design be required, Volusion offers a custom design service that can incorporate branding and a firm's social media presence. The platform provides the site and product management tools you'd expect, marketing functionality for SEO, social media, and affiliate outlets, along with emails and order management functionality for fast order processing, accepting payments, tax calculations and POS integration. In addition to its platform and associated services, Volusion offers apps from its partners, support for users and a knowledgebase for help with e-commerce. Users can draw upon blog posts, guides and webinars. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/85a4f592af3d959296adc61ee2ec41df.jpg CoreCommerce delivers e-commerce services to SMBsCoreCommerceWeb: https://www.corecommerce.com Price: From $19 (around £14) per month CoreCommerce was set up in 2001 and focuses on providing e-commerce services to small and medium-sized businesses. The company places an emphasis on simplicity and transparency, promising that its platform is easy-to-use and that customers will not fall foul of any hidden charges. Perhaps CoreCommerce's most unique aspect is that all of its features are offered to all customers regardless of what plan they are on. Price plans are determined by the number of products, the number of email addresses, the amount of bandwidth and the amount of storage required by the user (and higher-end plans also benefit from additional support). As with other e-commerce providers, CoreCommerce offers functionality for store design, product management, order processing and marketing. Of its headline features, the platform offers unlimited product customisation options, a built-in blogging engine, and secure hosting that is provided by Rackspace and comes with a 99.9% uptime guarantee. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e4ae0b3600126e418ae6aa56891e4689.jpg 3dcart offers a free 15-day trial 3dcartWeb: http://www.3dcart.com Price: From $29 (around £21) per month Having been founded in 1997, 3dcart is the oldest of our featured providers here. It was set up with a view to incorporating as many of the most requested e-commerce features into one platform as possible. The company says it has six core values by which it operates: ongoing innovation, good service, simple solutions, fostering trust, keeping employees and customers happy, and stimulating prosperity amongst employees and customers. Some of the platform's innovative features include a module that users can install to offer gift-wrapping, a purchase order system, the option of running a loyalty program and the ability to offer recurring orders. Many of these features are very specific, meaning that stores can be highly tailored to the needs of each business. Stores can be designed using one of the many templates offered by 3dcart, or users can design their own store. A quick edit bar means that making changes to the design of a store is simple. Product images are forefronted with 3dcart's auto-zoom feature and products can be sold via Facebook with its store integration. As with some other platforms, users can blog directly from 3dcart and tools are provided for setting up coupons, sending newsletters and affiliate marketing. In addition to its platform, 3dcart offers a number of professional services. Users can request help with SEO, PPC, shopping feed management, social media, Facebook ads and conversion consulting. Help can also be provided to ensure that a user's store is set up to the highest standard. Services such as site cloning, setting up custom tracking, data migration and training are offered. In addition, 3dcart can provide SSL certification. Hosting is guaranteed at 99.9% uptime and 24/7 support is provided via phone, email or online chat. Also consider: ActinicShopFactoryekmPowershopFinal adviceWhichever route you decide to take when building your website always remember: You need to ensure your store can be easily updated and managed.Good professional web hosting is vital to ensure your site is always available.Look for payment and shopping carts that are intuitive and efficient to use.Customer service is king these days. Businesses shouldn't just efficiently take customers' money, but should also properly support them.Make sure that your store is fully integrated with all the leading social media sites.Setting up your online store should be approached carefully and diligently to ensure you put a professional and efficient site live. Internet shopping continues to expand. Make sure your business doesn't miss out on a sales channel that shows no signs of slowing down. We’ve also picked out the best website builders of 2018http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JY5B6jkQofxGVXACYxNdLX.jpg Many serious businesses have taken to eBay these days http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JY5B6jkQofxGVXACYxNdLX.jpg Many serious businesses have taken to eBay these days http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JY5B6jkQofxGVXACYxNdLX.jpg Many serious businesses have taken to eBay these days http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/o2-ciFBUUD4

The first major update to Windows 10 in 2018 may very well be known as the ‘Spring Creators Update,’ judging by a screenshot grabbed by IT Pro Today’s Richard Hay through a tipster and shared on Twitter. Hay claims to have found a direct mention of such a Spring Creators Update inside the ‘Bug Bash Quest’ within the Windows Insider community. Microsoft gives its most supportive Windows Insiders early Windows 10 code with the mission to help it identify bugs and other issues. One insider found the reference specifically in a ‘Windows Defender Application Guard Quest’ and reads: “Windows Defender Application Guard (WDAG) provides unprecedented protection against targeted threats using Microsoft’s industry leading Hyper-V virtualization technology. We have expanded this new defense-in-depth protection to Windows 10 Professional and Enterprise in our Spring Creators Update.” Tripling down on creativesSince this leak of information, Microsoft has removed references to a ‘Spring Creators Update’ from the Quests section of its Feedback Hub tool, replacing them with simply ‘R4 update.’ However, that does little to nothing in covering up any connection between the two. ‘R4’ is a dead ringer for ‘Redstone 4,’ which is widely known by the insider community to be the next and fourth major update to Windows 10 since its July 2015 launch. It’s safe to assume that the marquee features – of which this aforementioned security tool will almost definitely not be – within the big Windows 10 update will largely focus on creative professionals and prosumers. This will be the third of such update to cater directly to this crowd, and it makes a lot of sense. If Microsoft wants to continue to push its own hardware devices – not to mention that of partners that purchase its OS – as the perfect hardware for hip and cool creative types jumping around the media and startup scenes, it needs to back that up with software that delivers on those promises. So far, we know that the so-called Spring Creators Update (or Windows 10 Version 1803) will feature ‘Sets’ and ‘Timeline’ as headlining tools that will reorganize how we work in Windows as well as the ability to download fonts from the Microsoft Store and more Fluent Design features. We’ll likely know what the official title for Microsoft’s first big 2018 Windows update is when it’s revealed at this year’s Build conference. In the meantime, expect even more convenient ways to work and create this year from Microsoft. Here’s all we know about Windows 10 S so farVia WccfTech http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/Ea5sNRqtjls

You’ll soon be able to get Google Assistant to respond to a custom ‘wake word’. That’s the phrase you use to activate the voice assistant. Up until recently, your options have been ‘Okay Google’ or ‘Okay Google’. Google then added ‘Hey Google’ for those users that wanted something a bit more informal, but now it looks like you’re going to be able to use anything you’d like. This is going to come as a relief for anyone who would rather not call out the name of a major corporation every time they want a traffic update. Training your Google HomeThe revelation comes as 9to5google did a complete teardown of the latest app update, and found the following code: That ‘”%1$s’ is a placeholder for whatever you’d like to use as the command. It will be interesting to see if Google competitor Amazon follows suit. You can currently make an Echo device respond to ‘Amazon’, ‘Computer’, and ‘Echo’, but the most common is the name Alexa which has caused no end of problems for the human Alexas of the world. Also included in the update is code that allows Google devices to make and receive Google Duo video calls. This will be most useful for the new range of Google Assistant smart speakers with screens that were shown off at CES. Want to see what we think of the Google Home smart speaker? Check out our full review.Via The Ambient http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/FPpq4v7Phbo

Update: Amazon has responded to claims that the security of its Amazon Key smart lock system can be compromised. Speaking specifically of the steps Amazon takes to protect a customer, an Amazon spokesperson said: "The delivery driver must complete all steps of the in-home delivery on her/his handheld system to move to the next delivery, including physically checking to ensure that the door is locked. "During a delivery, the customer can see time stamps regarding how long the door is open and Amazon receives an alert if the door is unlocked for more than several minutes. In the extremely rare case Amazon is unable to lock the door after a delivery, we immediately call the customer." The original story continues below. There's no denying that it's an annoyance to miss a delivery – especially one that's been fast tracked by the premium Amazon Prime service you've paid for. But it'd be a whole lot more annoying if a desire for a speedy delivery led to your home being robbed instead. That's what's alleged to be a potential hazard of using one of the new Amazon Key security systems. To avoid missed deliveries, the web-connected smart lock gives delivery workers temporary access to your property, allowing them to leave your parcel safely indoors without you being present. An included Wi-Fi camera acts as a deterrent for any light-fingered delivery person who may want to make off with your personal items. However, the integrity of the security system has been called into question by a hacker who has shown that it's possible to manipulate the system so as to give anyone access to an Amazon Key-protected property. Open-sesameA hacker known online as "MG" posted the above clip, showing the Amazon Key's security protocols being overriden in a controlled situation. Though MG is withholding the details of how his hack works until Amazon has had an opportunity to address the issue, the video shows the Amazon Key's lock potentially remaining open even when a delivery driver's access allowance has expired. It appears to take advantage of what's called a "dropbox" – a mobile computer with Wi-Fi connectivity, which can control the key, either finding a way to prevent it from re-locking itself, or simply unlocking it itself. Amazon Key: Everything you need to know about Amazon's new delivery servicehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/dXMGBjydFbs

What did you do with your old phone? If you're anything like us, it's currently sat in a drawer, thrilled that someone is remembering that it exists. Yeah, you tried to sell it, but the guy in the store said you needed the box, and the cable. And you wanted to keep that cable. Plus, it was worth 0.5% of what you paid for it, so you took it home with the intention of trying somewhere else and never did. The good news is, it could have a second life - as a security camera. And we don't just mean pointing your phone's camera at something terrible happening like an extra in a Marvel movie. If you download and use Manything, your old trusty handset could works as a real Wi-Fi security camera, like the Nest Cam IQ, but iPhone 5 shaped. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/93urUA8qn7vkvSDeWSyfSf.jpg Like this We sat down with the CEO of Manything James West to talk about where the idea came from, and some of the unexpected things he's seen since setting up Manything. "In 2012 there was something extraordinary happening in smartphones which was that the smartphone was already higher resolution, packed with more sensors than your standard video monitoring camera," says West. "If you were wanting to do video monitoring of your house, or a shop, or an airport, that security camera is lower resolution than your smartphone. "It was pretty clear to us – even back then, by the end of 2013 – there were going to be a billion spare old generation smartphones in the market that were all of the higher specification than any CCTV cameras out there." From thought experiment to home securityIt's all well and good realizing that a device is higher spec, but how do you go from that to having a security business? "It was really just a sort of mad thought-experiment at the beginning which is ‘what if we could write some code to turn them into home security cameras?’. And what if that would cater to a market that previously didn't exist which is people who need a video monitoring camera now. Not tomorrow, not having read all the reviews, that want it now." Many people that have a security camera use it half as a method of observation, half as a deterrent. But if you need a camera now, there's a good chance you either know something bad's about to happen, or something bad is already happening. "We have a very high rate of people needing us and bad things happening. Many of our users have a benign need which is ‘puppy and parcel cam’ but we've also got a whole bunch of users who have an immediate threat to their safety, so it might be domestic violence, it might be bad neighbors. It's the only security camera that they can have now.' Not all doom and gloomBut luckily it's not just the worst side of live that Manything captures, and one of the cool features of Manything is that users can share clips of the interesting or funny things that they have caught with their cameras. The clips fall into a range of different categories, and West was telling us about some of the more unique uses of the Manything system that he's seen: "When something's happened you wanna send us, you can you can choose a category of whatever it is and these kind of reflect our user breakdown. We actually have an alien's category because we've got enough people that think they see aliens. "We had a very cool one which was that Arizona meteor that lit up the whole driveway. We’ve got one guy who’s a Potter who watches his furnace with it. We’ve got someone who's got a wind turbine who wants to see if it trips." If you want to see some of the clips Manything users have shared, check out the video below: Manything is free to download and use, with subscriptions starting from $3.99 (£2.99) that allow you to add more cameras and watch more video recorded to the Manything cloud. If you're interested in setting yourself up a camera (as old as an iPhone 3GS, or Android device running 4.2), check out our guide: How to turn an old smartphone into a security camera. If you'd rather a more traditional security camera, check out: Best security camera: keep an eye on your home from your smartphonehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/-KDoTTMXXaI

Home security is serious business, and while a good lock on your door and an alarm system might help you feel more secure, there’s nothing more reassuring than being able to quickly check in on your house while you’re away. Maybe you’re a parent wanting to make sure your children are behaving themselves, maybe you’ve got people working in your house and want to make they're getting on with the job and not poking around, or maybe you just want to make sure that if the worst happens and you do suffer a break-in, you have video evidence of the perpetrators. Whatever your needs, there are a range of different cameras out there for you to choose from, and thanks to recent developments in technology many of them come with the ability to steam HD-quality video straight to your phone and speak to people in your house over two-way speaker systems, while some can even use algorithms to tell the difference between your dog, and a person, meaning you don’t get a notification every time your canine companion moves. In this buying guide we’re going to talk you through the best security cameras that we’ve tried out. We’re going to be adding to this list with new devices as we review them, so keep checking back if you don’t see one you like this time. Indoor camerashttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VXAKXv6QynTCbYMdWMZHQR.jpg The Hive View is the latest camera from the smart home manufacturer behind the well-regarded range of heating control kits. A collaboration with designer Yves Béhar, the Hive View is one of the few security cameras we’ve ever seen that actually looks stylish, coming as it does in a choice of ‘champagne gold’ or black and ‘brushed copper’ finishes. Thankfully, as much effort has gone into the substance as the style, and the Hive View comes with some really cool features. Most notable is its detachable head, which allows you to temporarily move the camera – with its HD 180 degree field of vision – to anywhere you’d like in the house for as long as the on-board battery lasts, which is about an hour. Perfect if you want to keep an eye on the baby while cooking. The Hive View works with the wider Hive ecosystem, so if you’ve already got the Hive thermostat and sensors everything will work seamlessly together in the same app. Read our review: Hive Viewhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WHAth8fvmG6LnXULi9YbfJ.jpg The Nest Cam IQ has IQ in the name for a reason: it’s intelligent. Really intelligent. Not only can it notify you if there’s movement in your home, it can differentiate between people and animals, and – what’s really remarkable – it can even identify if it’s a familiar or unfamiliar person. The Nest Cam IQ also has the best image quality of any of the cameras we’ve tested, shooting in 4K and HDR (high dynamic range). If someone is in your home, you’ll have crystal clear images of them. The main drawback with the Nest Cam IQ is its price. Not only is it fairly expensive to start with, to use its full range of functions you’ll have to purchase a subscription to Nest Aware. But if you want the best quality, and are prepared to shell out for it, the Nest Cam IQ is probably the camera for you. Read our review: Nest Cam IQhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jD4vvCXCeJeT63YwwGxAJi.jpg The Hive Camera is the original connected camera from Hive, and if you’re not bothered about the View’s swish looks and advanced features it may be more up your street. It’ll be lighter on your pocket too. The Hive Camera doesn’t work with the Hive ecosystem, and instead has its own dedicated app, which is either going to be a positive or a negative depending on if you already have Hive products, or are planning on building out from your camera purchase. What’s nice is that the Hive Camera has a slot for an microSD card so that you can record footage directly on the camera, with no need for a subscription. The design is more traditional, with a white plastic casing, and a black surround for the camera lens. It has some tricks up its sleeve, like being able to sound an alarm or even replicate the sound of a barking dog if you see someone in your house who shouldn’t be there. Read our review: Hive Camerahttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LKvyCxMQ3a5uhbHBEqQsC.jpg The Logi Circle lacks the integration with smart home systems that you’ll get with more advanced systems like the Nest Cam IQ. Rather, it’s a fun standalone option if you just want a security camera without any fuss. And yes, we did just say fun – it’s not a word you typically associate with home security, but that was our reviewer’s experience when spending time with the Logi Circle. It has some intelligent features that allow you to set zones in your home – so, for example, if you want to know every time your dog jumps up on the couch, you can designate the couch as a zone, and any movement in that zone gets included in your digitally edited highlights reel of the day. The camera only records footage where there’s movement or audio, so at the end of each day you don’t have to watch hours of footage to find the few moments where something actually happened. Like the Hive View it has an onboard battery, and so can be removed from its dock and used wirelessly for a short time. Read our review: Logi CircleOutdoor camerashttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7J73LbDDxtBYAiTpFGNXUc.jpg The Netatmo Presence is a definite statement of a security camera. Its hefty black body feels significant to hold, and is difficult to miss. This is both a strength and a weakness, as aesthetically it’s probably not going to complement your house design, but it does mean it’s a strong deterrent for anyone thinking about breaking in. Adding to the deterrence factor is the powerful dimmable LED floodlight, which you can adjust to your specified brightness. The Presence itself is an all-metal unit waterproofed to IPX7 standard, so you don’t have to worry about it being outdoors in a storm. You can adjust your notifications so that you’re only alerted when the camera identifies a person (or animal, or car). One frustration is that the camera works over Wi-Fi, and that means it needs to be within communicating range of your router to work. A clear benefit is that the Netatmo has a slot for a microSD card, meaning you don’t have to pay hefty subscription fees to record video, so you can quite quickly recoup the price difference for the fairly expensive unit. Read our review: Netatmo Presencehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Juf6jtUFU7Dns9vPcbGfXB.jpg The Nest Cam Outdoor is, unsurprisingly, the outdoor camera from Nest. Much like its indoor counterpart, the Outdoor boasts brilliant image quality and a fantastic app – which is no surprise given Nest’s origins as a Google company, now existing as part of Google’s parent company Alphabet. The Nest Cam Outdoor requires a subscription in order to unlock the full suite of features, but that’s fairly common with security cameras. The one fault we have to pick with the Nest Cam Outdoor is that it connects to its base with a magnet, meaning a thief could feasibly pluck it from the base, and, er… steal it. Nest is obviously aware of this flaw, and there is an upgrade in the works in the shape of the Nest Can IQ Outdoor, which has the smarts of the Nest Cam IQ (above), but is ‘tamper-proof’. A claim we'll be sure to put to the test when it comes out. Read our review: Nest Cam Outdoorhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg More in the market for a baby monitor? Check out: Best baby monitor: great baby cams and smart camera alternativeshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/OcCQPSR8s48

Smart home company Atmos is currently seeking funding for its long-awaited control platform, which promises to bring all of your disparate, connected devices together in one easy-to-use central hub. Called the Atmos Smart Home Control System, it consists of a central panel with a high-definition interface, which you can use either via touchscreen navigation or by using voice commands. As more and more of us add smart products to our homes the number of different standards, networks and ecosystems can be overwhelming and leaves your house feeling anything but smart. Atmos believes it has the answer with its new system, which promises to take the burden off your smartphone and bring together all kinds of connected devices from its central control panel. Bringing all the family togetherAside from being a smart home hub with a screen, its main selling point is that compatible with a vast range of smart home standards on the market right now, including Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Z-Wave, and even infra-red to control non-smart TVs. According to the Atmos website, this means it'll play nice with the majority of smart home brands and lists Philips Hue, Belkin WeMo, Nest, Sonos and Spotify, although that list isn’t exhaustive. But the control system isn’t the only thing Atmos has been working on. The company is also hoping to bring a new lighting control solution to the market too. Called Atmos Expand Smart Light Switch, the device allows you to control all the smart lights in your home and even employs a proprietary system that keeps them up and running if your WiFi goes down. It also plans on giving Amazon, Google and Apple a run for their money by entering the smart speaker space with the, you guessed it, Atmos Surround Smart Speaker, which is a voice-controlled smart speaker that works in tandem with the Smart Home Control System to ensure you’re the king or queen of your connected kingdom. The Atmos Smart Home Control System is expected to be available to pre-order soon after its final funding round is complete in March 2018. The smart home tech of CES 2018Via DigitalTrends http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/Nk-pvi9trag

Apple has confirmed that you won’t be able to stream music to the HomePod speaker from a phone or tablet using Bluetooth. One of the big questions that is currently hanging over the smart speaker is whether you’ll be able to play music from third-party music providers like Spotify. Apple is famous for its closed ecosystem, and it looks like the HomePod is no exception. Along with native audio content from Apple Music, iTunes, Beats 1 Live Radio, and podcasts, you’ll be able to stream music to the speaker, but only over AirPlay, meaning you have to be the proud owner of an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV or Mac in order to stream music to the HomePod. Keeping it in the familyThis is perhaps no surprise, seeing as you need a device running iOS 11 to set up the speaker in the first place, and we imagine that those willing to invest in the expensive speaker will already be the type of person who has all the latest Apple goodies anyway. Apple isn’t explicit about what you’ll be able to stream over AirPlay, just saying “other content”. As you can already stream Spotify over AirPlay, this would seem like a workaround to get it (and other music services like it) on to the smart speaker. Whether you’ll be able to use Siri to control Spotify over AirPlay is another matter entirely, and we’ll have to wait until the HomePod’s release on February 9 to test it out. The HomePod’s biggest competitors the Amazon Echo and the Google Home both have third-party streaming natively on the speaker, even if they try to favor the native Amazon Music and Google Play alternatives. As HomePod is angling to be the smart speaker that excels at music, having limited access to one of the most successful music streaming services in the world is certainly an interesting move. Want to know everything about the HomePod? Check out: Apple HomePod release date, news and featuresVia The Verge http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/Ms2ppgMVo84

Microsoft has confirmed that Office 2019 will ship in the second half of this year, but when it does become available you’ll need to have a PC running Windows 10 in order to benefit from the next-gen productivity suite. In a blog post, Microsoft clarified that the new version of Office will only run on Windows 10 (or the next long-time-servicing-channel release of Windows Server). So those running Windows 7 or 8 are out of luck if they wanted to plump for the standalone Office apps, as opposed to Microsoft’s cloud-based subscription option, Office 365. In other words, this is another sizeable shove for those who have yet to upgrade to Windows 10, and a further reminder that Microsoft’s focus is moving away from its older desktop operating systems. Doubtless there are many individual users out there who won’t appreciate the prodding. Moreover, when it comes to businesses, where upgrading a whole fleet of machines is a whole different world to firing up an upgrade on a single PC – in terms of both organization issues and cost, as well as potential legacy app considerations – this move may run the risk of causing serious alienation for those who don’t want to be pushed into either Windows 10 or Office 365. This new tack could backfire if such companies decide to dig their heels in, instead, and make the decision that they will now stick with Windows 7 and an older standalone version of Office. And as the support deadline for that OS looms, they might further consider a switch to open source as an escape route: the Linux plus LibreOffice (or similar) path. Although that brings complications of its own in terms of staff having to adapt to a whole new OS and software, with businesses having to consider training costs and so forth. Short supportAs mentioned, Office 2019 will be out in the second half of this year, although the beta apps will be deployed in the second quarter (so possibly April at the earliest). Microsoft further noted that while mainstream support for Office 2019 would run for the usual five years, extended support would be curtailed to just two years – down from five years – meaning the suite will run out of support road in 2025. Microsoft describes Office 2019 as the next ‘perpetual’ version of the suite, meaning that it is standalone software that can be installed on-premise (rather than cloud-based) and is purchased with a one-off payment as opposed to an ongoing subscription. The suite consists of the Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Skype for Business apps, and comes with a ton of improvements which include the likes of new charts for Excel and fresh animations for PowerPoint, better inking features and tighter security. Via Trusted Reviews We’ve picked out the best laptops of 2018http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/1EN4iLOuir0

Iolo is offering TechRadar readers an exclusive 70% discount off its superb System Mechanic and System Mechanic Pro PC optimization software. That means you'll pay just US$14.98/£14.98/AU$14.98 for System Mechanic, or US$20.98/£20.98/AU$25.93 for System Mechanic Pro. To claim your discount, select your product and use the voucher code TECHRADAR at the checkout. Both programs are packed with tools that will make a real difference to your PC's speed, and are great for beginners and experienced users alike. Quick performance boostIf you want to give your PC a quick tune-up, the software's dashboard might be all you need. With one click, System Mechanic and System Mechanic Pro will scan your system for junk files, missing or broken registry entries and unnecessary browser cookies. Once the scan has finished (which doesn't take long), you can delete everything it's identified with one more click, or drill down through the results to discover exactly what it's found. Unlike some PC optimization software, Iolo System Mechanic gives you a detailed description of everything it finds and why you should consider deleting it, helping you make an informed decision. After the initial cleanup, System Mechanic's ActiveCare tool keeps everything running smoothly by carrying out the same cleanup whenever your PC is idle. Advanced tuningSystem Mechanic and System Mechanic Pro offer a full suite of advanced performance-enhancing tools. Both versions of the software offer a dedicated internet speed booster; a privacy cleaner to erase all traces of your browsing and chat history; and a registry optimization tool that defrags, compresses and backs up your system registry. You also get LiveBoost, which adjusts dozens of Windows settings automatically for improved speed and performance. Security firstIolo System Mechanic Pro also includes excellent malware protection with its System Shield threat detection. Unlike some security software, which only blocks malware, System Mechanic Pro also removes existing infections. System Shield's behavioural analysis detects suspicious behaviour, enabling it to eliminate malicious software, even if it's never been encountered before. System Mechanic Pro also includes an enhanced Drive Scrubber, which can not only wipe the contents of a storage drive, but also create a bootable USB tool, enabling you to totally erase the contents of your system drive for full security if you're selling or recycling your PC. Whichever you choose, you'll see a real difference in speed and stability, and benefit from improved security every day. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/nYitqkzNFNI

If you find yourself wasting time managing multiple email accounts – constantly checking messages and writing replies – Hiri is the email client for you, and it's free for TechRadar readers. Hiri works with Microsoft Exchange, Outlook and Hotmail accounts (support for Gmail is on the way), and will change the way you use email. Download Hiri freeEmails rarely need an instant reply, but it's easy to fall into the trap of opening your inbox whenever a push notification appears, or the number in your browser tab ticks up by one. Hiri solves this problem with a cleverly designed dashboard that tells you how many new messages you've received, and gives you a timer telling you how long to wait before reading them (half an hour is the default setting). http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xksLchRF9ZwHTexdFuQZMT.jpg There's no need to reply to emails the instant they arrive. Hiri helps you take control of your time When you're ready to check your mail, Hiri offers two inbox views: Unified Inbox, which displays all messages, regardless of status, and Inbox Zero, which encourages you to categorize emails by dragging them into different folders. The choice is yours, depending on the way you prefer to work. Save time every dayHiri is focused on saving you time and improving your productivity, and includes lots of clever design features to help you break bad habits. For example, in the Compose window, the Subject box is at the bottom. It's an unusual choice, but it makes sense; once you've written an email, you'll have a better idea of how to summarize it for the recipient. You'll also notice that there are only basic writing and formatting tools. There are no fancy tables or elaborate font options; only the essentials you need to get a message across in a way that's clear and easy to read. At the end of the week, Hiri will give you a report grading you on your writing style, including brevity and tone. It might sound dry, but it's a great way to tell if you're striking the right balance – keeping things clear without sounding terse. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YiJehgyu2AUBqEuFyr5NfR.jpg Hiri includes an excellent calendar for scheduling tasks and events Hiri uses 'Action' and 'FYI' fields instead of the usual 'To' and 'CC'. These perform the same function if the recipient uses a different email client, but if they have Hiri, your messages will be automatically sorted into different folders, making them easier to prioritize. You can also attach tasks to emails, and Hiri includes an excellent calendar for managing jobs and events. There's even a scheduling assistant so you don't double-book yourself. All this is yours to download and use free. There'll be a tiny eight-word message added to the end of your email signature letting recipients know you're using Hiri, but there are no limitations on the software. If you use Outlook, Exchange or Hotmail, Hiri is the email client for you. The best free email clientshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/5nF_pIgH8h0

SoftMaker Office 2018 is coming to Mac, and you can download the public beta free today. SoftMaker Office is an affordable alternative to Microsoft Office, with no rolling subscription. It's fully compatible with Microsoft's latest document formats, with an interface so similar there's practically no learning curve. The software has been available for Windows, Linux and Android for some time, but this is the first time it's been available for macOS. Early adopters can take it for a spin free, and give their input before the final release later this year. “For us, a completely new chapter begins with the Mac version of our Office suite,” said Martin Kotulla, managing director at SoftMaker. “We are confident that we can offer Mac users a great Office alternative and look forward to the testers' feedback.” Text, slideshows, spreadsheets and moreThe free edition of the suite, SoftMaker FreeOffice, has held a place in our roundup of the best free office software for years, but is only available for Windows, Linux and Android. SoftMaker Office also includes lots of extras not found in FreeOffice, including spellchecking, an enhanced version of the Thunderbird email client, the ability to save in DOCX, PPTX and XSLX formats, and free technical support. Download SoftMaker Office for Mac free Check out our guide to the best free office softwarehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/PROwduzDL9U

Amazon has introduced a new feature: SMS messaging. If you’re currently the proud owner of an Echo device you’ll know that you can send messages between Echo devices, but this new feature allows you to send more traditional text messages using only your voice. You’ll need to live in the US and have an Android phone linked up to your Alexa account in order to take advantage of this feature. There’s no word yet on whether this feature is going to be coming to iOS devices or other regions. We’d be surprised if it stayed as a US exclusive feature, but given that Apple is due to release its own smart speaker (the HomePod) to the market in the coming weeks, it’s possible that the feature won’t come to iOS, as Apple may offer an iMessage alternative. Alexa, text Wife I'm losing my voiceWhat’s quite cool about this new feature is that although you won’t be able to send MMS messages (or group messages, or message 911), it looks like you’ll be sent not only the text message but also a link so you can listen to the message. This new feature looks like it’s not the only change that Amazon in making to Alexa. In a Superbowl teaser commercial, Alexa loses ‘her’ voice, and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos lines up replacements. This could mean that on Sunday we get a host of new voices in Echo devices. The YouTube video lines up a number of videos on Autoplay of celebrities opening Amazon boxes with headsets, including rapper Cardi B, actor Anthony Hopkins, chef Gordon Ramsey, and comedian Leslie Jones. It’s not clear yet if these are going to be permanent voices or just a marketing stunt. We’ll keep you posted. For now, you can watch the teaser below: Want to see Alexa's best skills? Check out: The best Amazon Echo Alexa skills and commands: The best uses for your EchoVia Engadget http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/xG7iH1SJFFE

Burglars beware: houses are soon going to step up their theft-protection game. It’s a trend that began with the introduction of Internet of Things devices, and has recently reached a fever pitch now that companies like Schlange, Nest and Ring have made a fortune on keeping your home locked down. What does this new world of automated home protection look like for those that have taken advantage of it? Well, one common scenario is that home owners install a Nest Secure can trigger an alarm when uninvited guests open the front door, which then triggers Nest Cam to record the face of the hapless robber. But isn’t it too late at that point? Wouldn’t it be better if would-be thieves stayed out of your house entirely? That’s the foundational question posed by Kevin, a new smart security device and the world’s first “virtual roommate”. Kevin, which launches today on Kickstarter for $149 (around £100, AU$185), is a smart security device that will provide the illusion that someone is home - even when you’re tens, hundreds or thousands of miles away. It plays audio clips from movies to replicate the sound of a TV; it will use built-in LEDs to create moving shadows on the wall and, according to its creators, it can even replicate the sounds of a four-person family. We got a chance to go hands on with a prototype of the device in San Francisco to see for ourselves if it had the chops to foil a B&E. Here’s what we found out. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/d6G9i2MNuDTv2buabYdmk.jpg Kevin? Like the little kid from Home Alone? The first point that’s worth addressing is the name: Kevin, if you haven’t already made the connection yourself, is a not-so-subtle reference Macaulay Culkin’s character in the Home Alone movies. The creators named it after Kevin because, like Culkin’s character in the film, they believe it has the power to stave off a home invasion by using a few simple tricks like using the sounds of a movie to ward off would-be thieves. The thinking here is that, if a robber believes you’re home and can see evidence of this - like, say, flashing lights or music - they’re less likely to try to break in. How is Mitipi, the Swiss company behind Kevin, so sure that’s what will happen? Apparently, they’ve spoken to burglars themselves and found that, for nearly all of them, the possibility of confrontation with a homeowner was reason enough to leave the house alone. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kt9Mea3f7VrB2ENPWDoHsi.jpg Home while you’re away from home Setting up the speaker is pretty easy - basically it involves hooking it up to a power source and connecting it to your home network. Once it’s powered on, you can download an accompanying app that will allow you to set a scene. These scenes can simulate any number of different scenarios - like, say, if you want to simulate having a dog or a small group of kids in the house. Once the app is completed, there will be scenes that help differentiate between rural and urban locales, and even the ability to record some of your own conversations if you’d like to use that instead. All of these scenes can either be controlled via your smartphone or via the buttons located on the device itself. Using the former will allow you to change settings on the fly from wherever you are in the world, while the latter is easier for the less-technically savvy. The idea itself is an interesting one - but one that we felt could’ve been achieved by the technology people already own, you know, like a TV or any old speaker. When we told that to the developer, their rebuttal is that, while that would likely work, Kevin offers a slightly more customizable solution, and one that uses significantly less power. The other key component here is that there’s no ongoing subscription charge when you purchase the security device - something that fewer and fewer rival smart home devices can claim. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cUjgtHoahsxvDhacn84Xgd.jpg Home - but not - AloneIn a demo, the team had us stand outside of the office as Kevin did its thing. Inside the office we could hear the noises of a movie, and through the slats of the window blind could see what appeared to be movement. It’s fairly convincing - even if the audio, at this point at least, comes off a bit too generic-sounding to be authentic. The one glaring flaw that the speaker was missing, at least in our opinion, was a built-in camera. Should a thief be able to see through Kevin’s ruse and break in, Kevin won’t have any way to report back to you what happened. That means, for the ultimate security, you’ll still need to invest in something like the Nest Secure or Nest Cam to adequately arm your house against home invasion. The team assured me that improvements are definitely on the docket before Kevin comes to homes later this year and they’re keen to listen to feedback to improve the overall quality of the device. So, when will Kevin be available to move in? According to the team’s Kickstarter page, they expect that the first set of units will be delivered in Q4 of this year - around December, if everything else goes according to plan. Will Kevin be able to thwart (or at least diminish) the amount of burglaries that happen here in the US and Europe? If Kevin puts up half the fight as its on-screen namesake, there's a very good chance. Until then, here are the best smart home deviceshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/JK2J6UT-YnA

If you're looking for the best free privacy software to help you browse the web anonymously, then you've come to the right place, as we've listed the top choices to help protect your privacy. There are plenty of legitimate reasons why you'd like to use privacy software to browse anonymously. As well as preventing third parties building up a profile of you, the best free privacy software can open up the web, granting you access to sites blocked in your country, to access region-locked content when you're travelling away from home, and to add a layer of protection when you use a public Wi-Fi network. If you would prefer to keep your personal details private, a VPN or proxy tool will help. You can check out our best VPN buying guide (or our best free VPN guide) or See our guide to setting up and maintaining a VPN. Want to access region-blocked content while covering your footprints? Check out our guide to the best free VPNs.http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tjegAWV5DctLx8PH2JPQnC.png Tor re-routes data through a series of remote nodes to disguise your location1. Tor BrowserThe super secure Tor browser is the cornerstone of any privacy toolkit Tor Browser is probably the best-known anonymous browsing tool out there, and it is described as a 'censorship circumvention tool'. Tor Browser has a vast following in the online privacy and security communities. It works by bouncing your communication through numerous encrypted node on the internet, making it impossible to determine your location or other identifying information. Tor Browser employs complex technology, but is refreshingly accessible. It's based on the same code as Firefox, and guides you through the process of getting online one step at a time. It uses different connection methods depending on what you're trying to achieve, but there's no need to understand the details because it's all taken care of for you. This combination of effective protection and ease of use makes Tor Browser the best free privacy software you can download today. Review and where to download: Tor Browser http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/b0a6c9327ab967dfafa08d71912cd7b5.jpg Privoxy is an extremely flexible privacy tool that you can use with any web browser2. PrivoxyPrivoxy gives you total control, but the options might be overwhelming Privoxy is a web proxy tool that's available not only for Mac, Windows and Linux, but also Android and iOS. It is a tremendously powerful tool, but you'll need to invest a little time and effort to get it up and running. Privoxy can be used in conjunction with just about any web browser, which is a big bonus; simply set the browser to run its traffic through the tool. However, one of Privoxy's key features could also be a drawback for new users: it gives you very granular control over privacy settings, and configuring them is very much a manual process. There's a helpful quick start guide available, but it has the potential to be off-putting. That said, if you're happy to persevere, this free privacy software lets you set up advanced filters that will not only ensure you remain anonymous online, but also protect you against unwanted ads. Download here: Privoxy http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/b435nhrpWfyFmtVULcVtLR.jpg Hotspot Shield hides your IP address and encrypts data to protect your privacy3. Hotspot ShieldProtect your identity by hiding your IP address from prying eyes Hotspot Shield is available in two flavors: a free, ad-supported one, and a paid-for version that offer unlimited bandwidth. Hotspot Shield hides your IP address and provides encrypted traffic tunnelling (ideal for use on public Wi-Fi networks) to improve security and ensure privacy. You may not want to use Hotspot Shield at all time. For instance, you may only be interested in using it to access certain sites that are blocked in your country. In this case you can create shortcuts to individual sites in the Hotspot Shield window, which will enable protection before launching the sites. Protection can also be toggled on an off with a single click. The paid-for version, Hotspot Elite, only costs a few pounds or dollars a month, but it's worth trying the free edition first before opening your wallet. Its additional features, including ad-free browsing and dedicated customer support, make it a tempting proposition. Review and where to download: Hotspot Shield http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hpbfkgH32KtLGB2wDZPhzR.png If you've never used a VPN before, Tunnelbear is the tool for you4. TunnelBearTunnelBear is VPN made easy – but keep an eye on the data limit In addition to anonymous browsing, free VPN client TunnelBear can also be used to bypass traffic-shaping and throttling put in place by ISPs. The free version of TunnelBear gives you up to 500MB of data each month, but if this isn't enough, unlimited data is available for a subscription fee, with prices starting at US$4.16 per month (about £3, AU$6). Whether you go premium or stick with the free version, you can share a single account between up to five phones, tablets, Windows PCs or Macs. Configuration is incredibly simple, and TunnelBear's free privacy software can be used with any browser. It's probably the most accessible VPN tool there is, and is just about impossible not to recommend. Review and where to download: TunnelBear http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/KMoLkp4CqhgZ6WuDguHCzR.png CyberGhost re-routes your data through a remote proxy server, but the free version only lets a certain number of users connect at once, so you might have to wait a while to get online5. CyberGhostA great way to protect your privacy, but free users have to wait their turn Another multi-platform VPN tool, CyberGhost is available as a free ad-supported app, as well as a paid-for edition offering better performance and more features. For day-to-day or occasional use, the free version should be perfectly adequate. Configuration is very simple, with the only potential stumbling block being the installation of a virtual network adaptor. With a single click, CyberGhost will activate, giving the impression that you're browsing from another country. The free privacy software also lets you keep an eye on how much traffic you've transferred through the service using a handy graph. The downside of using CyberGhost's free edition is that there's a limited numbers of spaces on the servers, so you may have to wait to gain access (although you're unlikely to be kept hanging for long). Review and where to download: CyberGhost Now here’s a list of the best mice you can buyhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/0ZPFCO0jTe8

We've rounded up the best free anti-malware software for Windows – whether you're looking for a whole new security package, or just an additional program to give your regular antivirus a boost. So why would you install one of our choices for the best free anti-malware software? Malware is a threat and a concern for us all, it's not just viruses we're talking about here, but also annoying programs such as adware, that can embed themselves in your web browser and add toolbars or change you homepage. Not only are these annoying, but they also pose a serious security risk. A good antivirus suite is an excellent first line of defence for your PC, but it's often a good idea to install additional anti-malware software to boost your protection from a more diverse range of threats. Alternatively, you could replace your existing security software with a whole new suite designed to protect against all kinds of malware - see our best free antivirus software. Otherwise, read on to find out our pick of the best free anti-malware software you can download. With any of these installed, you'll be able to browse the internet with confidence. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9d8b11b635025b4f8ea1de3d26c578ec.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2Tzq9ms6GCp3sQjV6MvLJd.jpg BitDefender provides a simple, hassle-free way to keep your PC safe from malware. It's a whole antivirus and anti-malware package in one1. BitDefender Antivirus Free EditionDiscreet but effective, BitDefender is the best anti-malware for your PC BitDefender Antivirus Free Edition is the strong, silent type. This anti-malware software doesn't even ask questions when you install it – it just quietly gets on with the job of identifying and eliminating anything that poses a risk to your safety and security. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bdUsuuYBKWwyVPfQ82BFbP.jpg It has B-Have, which looks for apps behaving badly; link scanning to identify cons; proactive malware and spyware scanning that can detect threats nobody has encountered before; and boot scanning every time you start your PC. Ad-free, nag-free and hassle-free, BitDefender Antivirus Free Edition is a great product that runs quickly and silently while you get on with something more interesting. Its comprehensive suite of tools to protect your PC makes BitDefender the best free anti-malware software you can download today. It's all the protection you need in one handy package. BitDefender Antivirus Free Edition reviewDownload BitDefender Antivirus Free Editionhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9d8b11b635025b4f8ea1de3d26c578ec.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ChRVRd5DaL3kyr9F5WGtgL.png AVG AntiVirus Free presents frequent pop-ups, but is a reliable security solution that will keep your PC safe from malware2. AVG AntiVirus FreeA simple interface and effective scanning with remote activation If you're looking for anti-malware software that keeps quiet and won't disturb your work, be warned – AVG Antivirus Free is quite vocal with its notifications, and irks us from time to time with pop-ups telling us we've done something fantastic with regard to our online safety. As an anti-malware app, though, it's very good. The dashboard is user-friendly, there's protection not just from downloadable threats, but from dodgy links too, and you can use your mobile to scan your PC remotely, which is pretty clever. The paid-for Pro model has more security options - it has more robust download protection, offers data encryption includes a firewall - but the free version offers decent protection for most PC users. AVG Antivirus Free reviewDownload AVG Antivirus Freehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9d8b11b635025b4f8ea1de3d26c578ec.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/w7PrHafeopodigAoBxA3j5.jpg The free version of MalwareBytes Anti-Malware is excellent, but the paid-for version is even better3. MalwareBytes Anti-MalwareAn excellent anti-malware tool, but the free version lacks real-time protection You can use MalwareBytes Anti-Malware free for as long as you like, but there's an important caveat: real-time protection, the fast 'hyper scan' mode and malicious website blocking features all expire after 14 days - and that means you're missing out on some of the program's best features. MalwareBytes has a deserved reputation for destroying malware and spyware that other programs miss, and its chameleon technology - which once again expires after a fortnight in the free version - means it's less susceptible to attacks that deliberately target security software. Think of the free version as a short-term savior or a test drive; the Premium version costs £19.95 (about US$30, AU$40) per year. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware reviewDownload Malwarebytes Anti-Malwarehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9d8b11b635025b4f8ea1de3d26c578ec.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7VdcE8QMjtFP2uqYBjjJZ4.jpg The free edition of SpyBot Search and Destroy does an excellent job of cleaning up adware, malware and spyware4. SpyBot Search & DestroyAn anti-malware and anti-spyware stalwart that's ideal for diagnosing existing infections SpyBot Search & Destroy is a veteran of the malware wars, dating back to the first adware in 2000, and while it doesn't scan for viruses – that's in the Home version, which is $13.99 (about £10, AU$20) – the free software does a decent job of finding and fixing adware, malware and spyware. It's more of a system repair tool than a system protection tool, however, and you need to be careful where you get it from: there are fake versions in circulation designed to cause damage, not fix it. The version linked here is the real deal. Spybot Search & Destroy reviewDownload Spybot Search & Destroyhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9d8b11b635025b4f8ea1de3d26c578ec.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ghYh3h5RRCtm3BeKKnpxvm.jpg You can carry Emsisoft Emergency Kit on a USB stick for use whenever and wherever you need it5. Emsisoft Emergency KitA lifesaver if your PC is already infected, but not a preventative tool Most security software tries to stop malware and spyware getting onto your system. Emsisoft Emergency Kit doesn't: it's the 911 call of security software, the app you use when your PC's been poked by something unpleasant. It's designed to be portable – an anti-malware app you carry around with you on a USB stick – and its system requirements are tiny: just 200MB of RAM, so it'll run happily on any PC with 1GB memory or more. With two million malware signatures, Emsisoft Emergency Kit can restore almost any infected PC to rude health. Emsisoft Emergency Kit reviewDownload Emsisoft Emergency Kithttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/-kwBO20hvkI

Following on from the impressive Argus security camera, Reolink has released the Reolink Argus 2, a totally wireless security camera that promises 1080p HD footage, motion detection, night vision, a two-way speaker system, and an inbuilt alarm. What’s more, it’s offering all this for $129.99 (about £90, AU$160). That’s significantly cheaper than the Hive View, the Nest Cam IQ, and the Argus 2’s direct competitor the Arlo Pro 2. Now, this cheap price does mean you’ll be making some compromises. The Reolink Argus 2 doesn’t have any integration with smart home setups like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or IFTTT which the Arlo Pro 2 does have. This is in the works, but according to a Reolink spokesperson "the exact timeline is not set yet". Battery power for monthsAlso, while the Reolink Argus 2 claims to be ‘weatherproof’, it’s certified to IP65, which isn't totally waterproof. This is the same of level of waterproofing that the Arlo Pro 2 offers, and it basically means it can take a rain storm but you shouldn't submerge it in water. You should be fine to mount it outside though. How waterproof is your phone? IP68, IP67 and more ratings explainedThe wireless nature of the Argus is one of its biggest draws, and was ultimately what caused its predecessor, the original Argus to be an Indiegogo success story. The rechargeable battery on board the Argus 2 should last between four and six months, and you’ll get notifications when the battery is low so you can recharge. If you’ve put the camera up outdoors and out of reach, there is an option to buy an additional solar panel for just $29.99 (about £20, AU$40) so you never need to recharge the camera. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WQeCPT7ARyHunuQTyEsThX.jpg Adding to the affordability is the fact that the Reolink Argus 2 has a microSD card slot for on-board video recording, saving you the subscription fees that come with video recording on many of the security cameras available on the market at the moment. That said, storing its footage locally does make the Argus 2 vulnerable to tampering in a way which a camera that automatically uploads its footage to the cloud wouldn't be susceptible to. Of course, a cheap product is only good value if it’s a good product, but given how impressed we were with the original Argus, we’ve got high hopes for the Argus 2. You’ll be able to read our full thoughts once we’ve had a camera in for review, but for now it looks like totally wireless security cameras have taken a step towards being more affordable. Want to know what your other options are? Check out: The best security camera systems for home and business in 2018http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/OYxbHB4GqO4

Microsoft has released a new tool that takes the hassle out of designing apps by turning sketches into useable code. Designing apps usually involves drawing them by hand, then coding them from scatch. Microsoft Ink to Code lets developers skip this step by drawing using a mouse or touchscreen, then turning the sketch into a working prototype. Ink to Code uses AI to automatically tidy up hand-drawn designs, resizing and aligning elements to create a neat wireframe. Ink to Code is only a prototype at the moment, but it's available to download free from the Windows Store. Space to hackInk to Code is the latest experimental app to emerge from Microsoft Garage – a space for the company's employees to hack technology and explore new ideas. Other projects currently in the Garage include Holographic Photo Project, which uses HoloLens mixed reality to project 3D models into the world around you; Dictate, a speech-recognition add-on for Microsoft Office that uses the same tech as Cortana; and Color Binoculars, which replaces tricky color combinations with shades that are easier for people with color blindness to differentiate. Via ZDNet The best iPhone apps to download in 2018http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/nRErGdzxWNs

The UK government’s former Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport John Whittingdale has published a call to arms over illegal streaming. In a statement specifically calling out Kodi boxes, he said: “Illegal streaming of copyright content is tantamount to theft and is already doing huge damage to our broadcasters, content creators and rights owners. In 2018, let’s take action to stamp it out.” While noting that Kodi boxes (and other devices like them) are legal, he highlights that these boxes “are normally bought for the apps that can be added, enabling illegal streaming of films currently in the cinema, of TV programmes not yet aired in the UK, or of sports content only legitimately available on subscription channels.“ Costing the entertainment industry billionsIn his piece, published in the ‘i’ newspaper, he claims that in the UK alone, more than a million boxes have been sold in the last two years, meaning that the likelihood is “even if you’re not using one, you probably know someone who is.” The danger of these boxes, he claims is that by allowing you to stream illegal content on your television, rather than having to navigate obviously disreputable websites, is that it normalizes an illegal act. And the cost of this, as always with piracy, is the future of the arts. Whittingdale cites research claiming that “Kodi box pirates are siphoning as much as $4.2 billion a year out of the creative economy in the United States,” and while he doesn’t cite overall numbers for the UK, he does claim: “the impact on television and film producers alone is estimated at around £820 million – and that figure doesn’t include losses incurred by pay TV providers and sports rights holders.” The call to arms seems to be twofold, a direct call to the government that it “must get on with developing a legal framework for tackling this threat,” and a more overt call for users of these boxes, and those who know users of boxes to cease pirating content. Want to learn more about legitimate use of Kodi? Check out: Kodi is now available on Xbox OneVia Gizmodo http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/mO3z67RQ-6k

Microsoft had added a new feature to the Photos app for Windows 10, and it's ever so slightly creepy. The new tool, called Choose a Star, lets you upload a collection of photos and videos, then pick a particular person to focus on. The app then uses facial recognition to hunt this person down in your uploaded media and build a presentation around them, even zooming in on their face at times. To give it a try, type 'photos' into the search bar and launch Microsoft Photos (it's bundled with the recent Fall Creator's Update, but you can also download it separately from the Windows Store). Click the 'Create' button, select 'Automatic video with music' and pick the media to include from your OneDrive account. Click 'Create' again, give your masterpiece a name and select 'Create video'. Click 'Remix' until you're happy with the way the app has ordered your pictures and clips, then select 'Choose a star' to decide who should be the focus of attention. The resulting presentations are impressive, though it might be a good idea to inform your 'star' before sharing them online. Learn how to use the Windows 10 Photos apphttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/0NrZmIOIyzc

It appears that Microsoft is working on a revolutionary version of Windows 10, codenamed Polaris, that will ditch traditional desktop applications and take a modular approach to computing. According to a report by Windows Central, Polaris will be a version of Windows 10 built on Windows Core OS, a modular version of the operating system that can be adapted by Microsoft to suit various needs and environments. Sources close to Windows Central have described how Microsoft is building Polaris to be a version of Windows 10 that can run on desktop, laptop and 2-in-1 devices, and it will be tied entirely to UWP (Universal Windows Platform) apps from the Microsoft Store, rather than classic desktop applications. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9KRiZCfs8VMVsSgzxnirGY.jpg UWP? LOL!If a version of Windows 10 that only runs UWP apps sounds familiar, it’s because Microsoft has already attempted that with Windows 10 S. However, Windows 10 S was a bit of a half-hearted step, as it used the full Windows 10 code, and merely limited users to running UWP apps. Because it used the full code, users could upgrade to the full Windows 10 Pro operating system – which many did. However, it appears that Polaris, like other versions of Windows 10 built on Windows Core OS, will feature CShell, an entirely new graphical user interface. The current Windows shell has been in use in some form since Windows 95, and so has features and elements that are no longer used, or don’t apply to modern devices. Switching to CShell will allow Microsoft to scale Windows 10 to a variety of devices, such as smartphones, tablets and 2-in-1 PCs, while stripping out redundant features, allowing for a lighter, and faster operating system. This does mean that many legacy applications will no longer work. By keeping to UWP apps, Windows 10 Polaris should be more secure, less resource intensive, and should mean batteries on mobile devices running the operating system won’t run out so fast either. Goodbye Paint?Switching to CShell will also mean users won’t be able to upgrade from Polaris to the full version of Windows 10 Pro, but Windows Central’s sources suggest that Microsoft is looking into ways of bringing legacy desktop applications to the new operating system via ‘remote virtualization’ – essentially running full applications in an emulation container. This should mean that your old programs may still be able to be run in Polaris without the operating system having to include the bloated legacy code. Windows Central suggests we’ll see Polaris in 2019, and while we’ve not been entirely convinced by Windows 10 S, which feels like it has too many compromises that mean it doesn’t satisfy everyone, we’re keen to see how Microsoft evolves Windows 10 to keep pace with modern devices. Check out our collection of how to use Windows 10 tutorialshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/lo5zRoU6Ac8

The next major update of Windows 10 will introduce new tools to tell you more about the data it collects and grant you more control over what the operating system (OS) shares with Microsoft. The company announced new features in a blog post starting with Activity History, which is designed to tell you exactly what the Microsoft Privacy Dashboard has recorded. Available now, this is a new web page within the online Microsoft account website with detailed, visual representations of your voice, search, location and web browsing data. From there, you have the option to now ‘clear’ those types of data either from a category level or right down to the specific instance of use. Meanwhile, the brand-new, app-based Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer lets you see more of the behind the scenes diagnostic data that Microsoft gathers, listed below as per Microsoft's Marisa Rogers: "Common Data, like the Operating System’s name, the Version, Device ID, Device Class, Diagnostic level selection and so on.Device Connectivity and Configuration such as device properties and capabilities, preferences and settings, peripherals, and device network information.Product and Service Performance data that show device health, performance and reliability data, movie consumption functionality on the device and device file queries. It’s important to note that this functionality is not intended to capture user viewing or, listening habits.Product and Service Usage data includes details about the usage of the device, operating system, applications, and services.Software Setup and Inventory such as installed applications and install history, device update information."From this viewer, you can see how these tracked diagnostic events, stored in its cloud servers, are used by Microsoft, but you can’t manage or delete that data. Microsoft says that you’re able to ‘take action with your diagnostic data,’ but the only action we can see later mentioned in its blog post is to provide feedback about the app itself. The Activity History page is live right now through the Microsoft account webpage, while the Windows Diagnostic Data Viewer is available to Windows Insiders – public beta testers of new Windows 10 builds before they’re widely released – starting now through the next Windows 10 Insider Preview build, 17083. Making good – or better – on promises of privacySince coming under fire for its data collection practices since the launch of Windows 10, Microsoft's greater transparency on the data it collects from customers’ using its operating system is welcome. The fact that you can delete activity events down to specific instances is even better. However, the Diagnostic Data Viewer tool’s feature set doesn’t currently seem to allow this same level of control, which isn’t much of a step beyond the company’s current position on the matter. That is to say you can see exactly what data Windows 10 is storing regarding your use of it, but you can’t really stop that collection from happening – only minimize it. With that, we can only hope that the firm is using this data to improve how Windows 10 works, and nothing more. It’s debatable whether it’s unreasonable to expect Microsoft to be able to deliver a consistently improved product without knowing how its users are interacting with it. At the very least, Microsoft is clearly trying to be more upfront with users regarding exactly how and why it collects the data from us, and what it’s doing with that information. These are the best VPNs we’ve used to datehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/pp9SNppgfvg

WhatsApp, India's favourite messaging app is often the most irritating app on your phone too. It seems Indians are flooding WhatsApp with "good morning" messages, which are also affecting smartphones. According to a report from Wall Street Journal, India, the fastest growing smartphone market, is obsessed with morning greetings. Google researchers in Silicon Valley found that these greetings in form of GIFs, images or videos eat up a huge chunk of your smartphone’s memory. Well, there are ways to avoid this, and here's how. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iZxRU5zak5WJqWq5zaDKHh.jpg The simplest and a highly adopted way is to open your photo albums > Go To WhatsApp images folder > Delete the images you no longer need. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LYPLZzUwXZo4Tg7y3X3o4A.jpg The second, easiest and most effective way is to tweak your WhatsApp settings. Open WhatsApp > Tap on the three dots on the top right > Settings > Data and Storage usage. Here, under the media auto-document settings, you need to uncheck all the media options in ‘when using mobile data’, ‘when connected to Wi-Fi’ and ‘when roaming’. This will not only save a lot of data, but also stop unwanted media from being downloaded and saved on your device. Try Google Files Go appThe Files Go app from Google, with your permission, accesses your phone’s storage first. Once the permission is granted, it will display total occupied storage on the phone and the available storage. As you scroll down, the app shows you cards for folders like, downloaded files, Slack media, WhatsApp media and more. It uses AI to sort duplicated or unused files and displays the amount of storage they occupy. Similar to the file manager, you can select the whole folder or individual images to free up space. Third party toolsYou can use the Siftr Magic Cleaner app, which is an intelligent app designed primarily to delete junk photos from WhatsApp, Hike, and more. You can also consider Cleaner for WhatsApp, which allows you to delete WhatsApp media by a regular interval or by a storage limit. It has a very easy to use UI which collects all WhatsApp media at one place to make deleting a little easier. This is not a method we would recommend, since cleaner apps are usually not truly useful. They add overheads on the processor and often affect the phone's overall performance. WhatsApp for Business is not in Indiahttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/bB-gWSAAv9w

Mozilla has released a new version of Firefox that delivers faster, smoother web graphics. It's the latest step in Mozilla's Firefox Quantum program, which began in November with the aim of making Firefox the speediest browser around. The new graphics engine uses a dedicated GPU thread to reduce the choppiness that happens when loading images and text on some web pages. In tests with a simulated Javascript-heavy page, Mozilla's engineers saw a speed boost of almost 30%. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6MgMdAtis9Xh2wy5HiJek7.jpg How it worksDisplaying a web page on your monitor involves the following steps: Collecting all the visible elements on the page (known as display items)Grouping items into layers based on the way they are scrolled or animatedAsking each display item to render itself in its layer (rasterization)Compositing the layers into one image, which is sent to the monitorThe compositing step already happens off the main GPU thread, but the other steps don't. Rasterization can take a lot of processor time, especially with high-resolution monitors, which increases the time taken to display the page. The new technology, known as Off-Main-Thread painting, simply moves the rasterization step into its own thread (called the Painting thread). Mozilla has released a full description of the process on its graphics team blog. Mobile updatesFirefox for Android has also received a boost thanks to improved bookmarking. Instead of a dialog box, which can be awkward, users will now have a full screen to organize their bookmarked sites and sort them into folders. Android users will also get improved support for PWAs – websites like Twitter that can appear as mobile apps on your phone. When visiting a website that's a PWA, you can add it to your home screen as an app by tapping the house icon that appears. When you use the home screen icon, the app will open outside the browser interface, with no address bar. Which browser should you be using?http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/hUdQce4x4LM