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Apple has pushed out a patch to protect macOS users running older versions of the desktop OS from the major Meltdown flaw in Intel’s CPUs, following the original fix aimed at High Sierra (10.13). This patch is for Sierra and El Capitan, the previous two incarnations of macOS (versions 10.12 and 10.11 respectively). As CNET spotted, Apple posted about the security updates on its support site. To get protected, check for new updates in the App Store. Back at the start of January, Apple said it had already protected users against Meltdown in macOS High Sierra. If you’re running a version of Apple’s desktop operating system prior to El Capitan, of course, you’re out of luck here. There are still no known exploits levelled against Meltdown (or the other big bug, Spectre, which affects other processors, not just Intel), but the likelihood is that the bad guys out there may be close to weaponizing an exploit. Stability woesOf course, at the beginning of the week, Intel warned against installing ‘current versions’ of Meltdown and Spectre patches in general – following instability problems that have hit some PCs – but presumably that caveat doesn’t pertain to these patches from Apple. Intel’s aforementioned warning applied to manufacturers and software developers as well as end-users, and if these fixes were problematic, you’d hope Apple wouldn’t have released them yet – plus these mitigations have already been applied to High Sierra at the start of the month, as mentioned, with no apparent issues. Still, given Intel’s warning, some of the more cautious folks out there may still be a little reticent to go ahead and patch, and may feel that it’s prudent to wait a little longer, at least while there isn’t a known exploit being leveraged against Meltdown – which just underlines how much of a PR nightmare this thing is turning into for Intel. Enter stage left Linus Torvalds to chuck just a little more fuel onto the fire from a Linux perspective. As Extremetech reports, he called Intel’s fixes for these bugs “complete and utter garbage”, never being one to mince his words. According to emails he has sent, Torvalds is particularly unhappy about the Spectre fix for Linux machines, accusing it of being bloated and containing ‘redundant junk’, and also criticizing it for being optional, among other things. Not a happy bunny doesn’t quite cover it. We’ve chosen the best laptops of 2018http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/TtR4-YvyGW8

Netflix has supported Google Assistant for a while, but as it only started up the main user profile, the hands-free benefits of the voice assistant were somewhat limited if you lived in a busy household. Fortunately, Google has announced that it’s expanding Google Assistant’s voice match feature so that users can open their personal Netflix profile without having to reach for the remote. If you’ve already set up individual voice profiles for your household, linking them to the right Netflix account is as simple as going into the Google Home app’s video settings and accessing the manage profile section. From here you can decide which Netflix profile is linked to your voice profile. A personal experienceThis will mean that now when you ask Google Home to start playing Netflix, it’ll start from where you last left off, reducing the risk that you’ll jump into your flatmate’s profile who’s watching the same show, just five spoiler-filled episodes ahead of you. Though this is a small improvement to Google Home, it’s one which makes it the more appealing digital assistant option for those living in a busy home. Not sure what to watch on Netflix? Check out our top TV show recommendationsVia Engadget http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/bV9Rg0B0MRs

Google has launched an audiobooks service in the Google Play Store that allows you to purchase individual books and listen to them on a frankly staggering range of devices. The audiobooks will work on Android, iOS, Chromecast, as a web-based application and in any device with Google Assistant. That last one is particularly interesting, as Google’s voice assistant is becoming fairly ubiquitous. This means you’ll be able to listen to your audiobooks on a vast array of first and third-party smart speakers like the Google Home range, plus Android Wear-powered wearables. It's also coming soon to Android Auto, so you can be entertained while driving, and the service will remember where you are in your novel so you can transition from one to the other without restarting the chapter. Smarter speaking from your smart speakerGoogle is putting the same level of computer learning that you’ll find in its other features into the audiobooks service, allowing you to interact with your books so that rather than just ‘Track 12’ showing up on your dashboard's display, you’ll get the chapter title, and with the Google Assistant interaction, you can ask for pertinent information about the book like the author’s name. Smart speakers are well known for their timers, and Google Play audiobooks takes full advantage of this, allowing you to set a countdown timer for when to stop reading, so if you want to delegate the reading of your child’s bedtime story to your Google Home, you can. Although there’s nothing to stop the little nipper from requesting more stories. Talking of family, one of the things that sets Google’s offering apart from Amazon’s Audible is the family sharing feature. With Audible, you’re able to share an audiobook with one other adult in your Amazon Household. With Google, you can share with up to five other people in your family. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DG8Y5WetMozrnCkdspojem.jpg The Google Home Max speaker We asked Greg Hartrell, Google Books Product Manager, about Google's definition of family, if you had to be biologically related to them, he had this to say: “We don't have an opinion on the various definitions of families. You set up a family account by going to Google Play, the head of the household puts on a payment instrument, and up to five people can get added to that family account. And since there are many definitions of a family, we hope that people use that experience to have their family enjoyed their audiobooks together.” So if your family happens to be your book club, that looks like it’s all part of the plan. That’s not the only differentiator, and the next is probably going to be the most appealing for those that aren’t regular readers but want to dip their toe in to the world of audiobooks: “This is an a la carte model with prices below list,” continued Hartrell, “making it affordable and easy to try, and there's no commitment meaning that you can listen to as many or as few as you want without a subscription.” Available titles in the US include Ready Player One ($6.99), Fire & Fury: Inside the Trump White House ($8.99), Murder on the Orient Express ($4.99), Lincoln in the Bardo ($8.99), 1984 ($5.99) and The Girl on the Train ($6.99). Okay Google, why now?It makes sense for Google to be getting into audiobooks now, with Google Assistant looking set to live within all sort of smart home devices, and as Hartrell puts it: “The audio publishers association in America published a statistic that the sales of audiobooks have grown double digits year over year and that's growing faster than any other book format.” In the smart speaker market, Google managed to release the Home range long after Amazon’s Echo range hit the shelves and still became a major competitor. It will be interesting to see if it can do the same with audiobooks. Want to learn more about Google's latest smart speaker? Check out our Google Home Max reviewhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/3ncjPKEF32Q

Did you buy Nokia’s (formerly Withings’) most expensive smart scale, the Body Cardio? Unfortunately, Pulse Wave Velocity, one of its highlight features that tracks the speed of your blood flow, is being unceremoniously deactivated on January 24. According to Nokia, which sent out a notice to N users and posted on its website, the feature is being switched off due to it requiring a “different level of regulatory approval” – in layman’s terms, Nokia could find itself in legal trouble if it kept the PWV function up and running. In this age, it’s a blessing and a curse that products can be updated post-release. Sure, most companies use this as a benefit, adding onto products with pro-consumer updates. But in the case of Nokia, those who paid good money ($80 more than the next cheapest scale) have found themselves in an unfortunate situation. And because it's a Wi-Fi connected smart gadget, you can't avoid the automatic update. Nokia points out that all other features are unaffected, and thankfully, the company’s offering a plan to make it up to customers. If you’ve purchased a Body Cardio smart scale, you can opt in to a $30 credit to spend or get a full refund through this page. Via Engadget Listed: The best smart home deviceshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/vOtj9usROPI

By their very nature smart speakers need to constantly listen to you, but having a machine directly linked to a major corporation when it could be harvesting private information feels like an invasion of privacy. All of the major manufacturers of smart speakers claim that you aren’t really being listened to, not in the way that everyone seems to fear, but to assuage these fears, there are mute functions for the microphones in many smart speakers, and now we seem to have confirmation that Apple’s upcoming HomePod will also have the ability to mute its mics. The reveal comes from a Twitter user called Filipe Espósito, who describes himself as an “Apple specialist and soon-to-be professional journalist”. While digging around in the image assets accompanying iOS 11.2.5, Espósito found a number of icons that point towards different “scenes” the alter the functionality of the HomePod, including mute functions. Siri, what do these pictures mean?At the moment the exact meaning behind these images is a matter of speculation, but since mute icon is a fairly universal symbol it's a safe bet that this is what it does. Obviously it could mean a mute of the speakers rather than the mic, but Espósito does mention the ability to disable Siri. It's not yet clear whether this mute functionality is hardware or software based. The Amazon Echo's mute button is a hardware switch, which means that a hacker could never un-mute the speaker using a software exploit. This is an important security feature of the speaker. In a further comment, he also confirms that he’s found some data strings that point towards multiple accounts for voice. Apple’s HomePod was originally supposed to see a December 2017 release, but it was pushed back and we’re now expecting to see it hit shelves in the next few weeks, with a supplier suggesting it could ship in February. Aside from the mute icon, the meaning behind the other images are a little harder to discern. There are some obvious ones, like the HomePod, mute icon and lamp, which we'd assume is some kind of ‘shut up I’m working’ function. More obscure are the image of a single fried egg and box of popcorn which we’re wondering if Apple put in there just because they knew this exact thing was going to happen. The icons do appear again with the house icon, the stickman walking towards the house and the Apple TV icon, so it’s possible that it’s a geolocation setting of ‘when I’m arriving home turn the TV on, put the lights in movie mode...and fry me an egg?’ I guess for some of them we’ll just have to wait and see. Hopefully the rumors are right, because February isn’t too long to wait. Want to know what we thought of the HomePod when we had time with it? Check out our hands-on review. From 9to5Mac Via The Verge http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/x6hTa9Y92M4

Qualcomm is about to go in big with the burgeoning smart home scene. As well as its 'Smart Audio Platform' CES announcement, which will help to push smart voice assistant technology into an even wider array of speakers, it's also looking to become a smart home hub gatekeeper in its own right. The Home Hub platform from Qualcomm will allow manufacturers to easily integrate the Google Assistant inside any smart device of their choosing. While one new Qualcomm system-on-a-chip focusses on appliances such as ovens and fridges, the second chipset is centered around the new wave of Google Assistant-powered devices that also feature a screen. As well as speakers like the Lenovo Smart Display pictured above, these will also include anything with a display, from thermostats to security systems. Getting Thingy with itQualcomm's set up will support Google's Android Things feature, which means most of the processing for a device's purpose will take place locally, on the gadget itself, rather than being sent off to be processed elsewhere. In other words, if your web connection goes down, some functionality will still be retained. If you're looking to get in on Qualcomm's smart home push, expect to see devices using its technology turn up before the summer kicks off. With Qualcomm's dominance in the Android mobile space, it seems a safe bet that this relationship with Google's growing smart home sector will be be a long one. And, if you're less enamoured with Google's platform, that Smart Audio Platform announcement means that Qualcomm's spread its eggs around a few baskets, supporting Amazon's Alexa and Microsoft's Cortana too. The smart home tech of CES: heated toilets to connected fridgeshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/T6urzW3aOAg

This year at CES, it seemed like every manufacturer was boasting of voice assistant integration; Alexa and Google Assistant found their way into cars, bathroom mirrors, and even smoke alarms. And while initially it felt a little gimmicky, it actually solves one of the major niggling points of the smart home: you want to have access to your voice assistant in every room but don’t really want to fill your home with speakers. The problem with having a house full of speakers is twofold really; firstly, where do they all go? If you’ve just got one sat in a prominent position in your living room, it’s not that big a deal, but once you’ve got one in every room, they feel like an imposing, ever-present entity. This does nothing to assuage the ‘I’m being watched’ fear that many people already have around smart speakers. Big house, big walletThe second problem is expense. Even if you have a small two bedroom flat and wanted to have one in every room you’re talking about six speakers; bedroom one, bedroom two, kitchen, bathroom, living room, hallway. Now these problems are something that the major players Amazon and Google have obviously considered, and it does feel like Amazon’s range in particular is tailored towards a user that wants to fill their home with speakers. One of the most common questions that we get asked is ‘Which Amazon speaker is right for me?’ And while it’s an understandable question, it might be more accurate to ask ‘Which Amazon speaker is right for my bedroom?’ There’s the main Echo Plus, which is probably best to think of as the hub (although whether it is actually a fully-featured hub is a conversation for another day) which you’d have in the living room. Then you’ve got the Dot which is the small satellite speaker that’s probably right for the hallway and bathroom. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/i97gfhzSCWY8yyTabDuzwR.jpg The Echo Plus, Echo and Dot For the kitchen you’d want to Show, with its screen to show you recipes. In the bedrooms you’ll probably want the Spot, with its small screen so that you can do a tannoy video call, and check on your baby, or ask if your partner wants their eggs scrambled or poached. The Echo Plus is $149 (£139, AU$199), the Dot $49.99 (£49.99, AU$49), the Show $229.99 (£199.99, about AU$290), and the Spot $129.99 (£119, about AU$160). That means a full house set up sets you back a hefty $738.95 (£676.97, about AU$900) just to have Alexa in every room. And that’s a small flat. Now, if instead of a smart speaker you had a smoke and carbon monoxide detector like the Safe & Sound from FirstAlert with Alexa or Google Home integration, you’d be doubling up on the functionality of an item, ridding yourself of the need for another speaker, and you’d change your smoke alarm from something you buy but hope you never need, to something that is useful on a daily basis. There may be a trade off in terms of audio quality (we don't know, we haven't heard the alarm's speaker), but given that it's replacing a Dot, it's not like you'd be losing hi-fi sound quality. Alexa, do I still need a smart speaker?Likewise, if your fridge was also your smart home hub and a speaker with a screen, you’d be consolidating multiple smart home functions into a device that you already need to have in your home. Samsung was demonstrating this exact thing at CES with the Family Hub fridge. Now, coming from Samsung, it works with Bixby which (to put it lightly) isn’t the most popular voice assistant out there at the moment, but it's building on the SmartThings smart home hub platform which is industry leading. If Bixby isn’t your thing, it’s only going to be a matter of time before similar offerings with Alexa and Google Assistant integrations are commonplace. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QZx5rGVxdNRK3x49VfJ7fW.jpg Now, these devices aren’t cheap. Safe & Sound is currently available for preorder in the US at $249.99, which is considerably more than an Echo Dot, but the prices will come down, and over time we predict that this type of integration will become the norm rather than the exception. The question that this really asks is when everything is a smart speaker, will we need smart speakers that are just speakers at all? http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/Lr0_lTJSU2A

Bitcoin (BTC) was originally invented as a decentralized and easy-to-use payment system. To this end there are a huge amount of wallet applications available for Android phones and devices, allowing you to take your BTC with you on the move. In this guide, you'll discover five of the most popular Bitcoin wallets for Android available today. While we've tried to select apps that are as simple to use as possible, if you do have a large amount of BTC you may want to choose a wallet with more security features such as GreenBits. If you only have a small amount of Bitcoin and just want to test the water, you can get started immediately with apps like Bitcoin Wallet. Bitcoin isn't the only cryptocurrency on the market today. If you hold any other kind of virtual currency, or would like to exchange some of your coins, you may prefer a multi-currency wallet such as Coinomi. When picking a wallet that's right for you, whatever choice you make, we strongly suggest you stick to the ones available either in the Google Play store or the F-Droid repository, as these are less likely to contain malware. We also show you how to mine Bitcoinshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ugrnJEVUYxmr3hTzLmJoj3.jpg Electrum is well-known in the Bitcoin world as one of the most popular 'thin clients' for storing Bitcoins, and the Android app doesn't disappoint. After downloading, your wallet is generated using a 'seed' of 12 random words, which you must write down. If anything happens to your Android device, you can then use this seed to restore your wallet along with your BTC. Your 'private key' is not locked in to Electrum and you can export your BTC to another wallet if you wish. The Electrum Bitcoin Wallet for Android takes security seriously: your seed and private keys never leave your device. During setup you're also asked to create a 6-digit PIN which is used to confirm payments. If you already use the desktop version of Electrum, you can even set up a 'watching only' wallet on your phone which lets you view your balance and receive BTC – but not send them. The most recent version of Electrum Bitcoin Wallet comes bundled with its own QR scanner to easily capture wallet addresses and send payments. To receive BTC, just tap on the 'Receive' section to display a handy QR code for others to scan. This feature is only compatible with the ZXing QR Scanner. If you use another app to scan codes, be warned that this may cause compatibility issues. Download Electrum Bitcoin Wallet herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/W76JdJywkLC8oPuYeFYAkP.jpg Coinomi Wallet was originally created in 2015 and has since developed a solid reputation as a great wallet for storing not only Bitcoin but other cryptocurrencies, including Litecoin, Dash, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, not to mention any amount of Ether tokens. During setup you can choose which coins to display in the handy 'overview' section which lists the current market price and value of each currency. Like Electrum, your wallet addresses are generated using a 'master seed' of 12 random words which never leaves your device. You can use this to restore your wallet balance for all of your coins should anything happen to your device. Coinomi offers the option to set a password during setup rather than a mandatory PIN as with Electrum. If you choose not to set a password, make sure your Android device has screen lock enabled and is encrypted. See our guide on encrypting your Android deviceCoinomi has integrated support for exchanging different coins using either of the services Shapeshift or Changelly for a small fee. User reviews have reported occasional issues with this whereby transactions don't confirm for some time, although this wasn't an issue during our own tests. As of January 2018, Coinomi also no longer appears to be open source. This means that it's very difficult to know if there are any undisclosed security bugs or backdoors in the software. Download Coinomi Wallet herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RqahHEBAivU4L3aaQYkC98.jpg Mycelium is one of the most highly acclaimed Bitcoin wallets around. The website claims that Mycelium won the ‘Best Mobile App’ award from Blockchain.info in 2014, and that there's no wallet which has more stars from reviews on Google Play. Mycelium is entirely open source, which means it's much easier to check for any software bugs, and also near-impossible for developers to include hidden backdoors to steal your BTC. The interface is laid out in very simple fashion with buttons to send and receive BTC as well as scan in QR codes. Mycelium also has a built-in address book for making payments. The settings section of Mycelium contains a massive arsenal of security features. First and foremost is the security PIN which you can set so that Mycelium requests it each time you make payments. The app also supports sweeping private keys from paper wallets, as well as 'cold storage' wallets which will only display your balance, and cannot be used to send BTC. Although there's no desktop equivalent of Mycelium, you can use it with hardware wallets like Trezor to digitally 'sign' transactions. This makes it much harder for anyone to steal your Bitcoins. At the time of writing Mycelium doesn't support Segwit. You can read more info about what this is and why it matters here. However, this should not affect everyday transactions. Download Mycelium Bitcoin Wallet herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uQRXTwcDfJGFf9276deaBW.jpg GreenBits is a secure and open source Bitcoin wallet. It is truly cross-platform in that as well as being available for Android, there's also a GreenAddress Chrome extension allowing you to manage your BTC from any device running Google’s browser. If a person or company supports the GreenBits wallet service, BTC can be sent without needing to wait for confirmation via the Blockchain (which can take hours or days), allowing for near-instant payments. Each payment also has a unique 'hash' preventing fraudsters from spending the same coins twice. During setup, a 24-word mnemonic is created which you can use to restore your BTC on another machine if anything happens to your Android device. The app also prompts you to set up payment confirmation via two-factor authentication. GreenBits is secured via a PIN which you create during setup. If you fail to enter the PIN correctly three times, your wallet's decryption key will be destroyed. After that, the only way to recover your BTC is by re-entering the 24-word mnemonic. This makes for a very secure wallet, although the setup process might be a little intimidating for newer users who only hold a small amount of Bitcoin. The good news is that once you have secured your wallet, the interface is very easy to navigate. BTC can be sent by entering an address or scanning a QR code. Download GreenBits Bitcoin Wallet herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3YYokaJncSmpyJKvAScfV.jpg With BTC transaction fees skyrocketing at present, users may also be concerned that there's no built-in feature to manage these either. Bitcoin Wallet simply informs you what the transaction fee will be. The developer of the free and open source Bitcoin Wallet claims that its Android app is the oldest in existence, and that it's one of the easiest ways to get started with Bitcoin. Unlike other wallets which require you to set up a PIN or write down a seed, you can use Bitcoin Wallet immediately after installation. The interface couldn't be any clearer – simply click 'Send' or 'Receive' to manage your BTC. There's even a handy address book to keep track of your favorite payment destinations. Your current balance is displayed in mBtc (millibitcoin) by default, as well as your local fiat currency, but you can change this in the app’s settings. This extra simplicity comes at the price of security, however: anyone with access to your device could open the app and steal your Bitcoins. Your private keys, which are used to send payments, are stored securely on your Android device, but there doesn't seem to be an easy way to recover your BTC if anything happens to the device itself. The app does, however, support 'sweeping' of paper wallets – in other words, scanning the private key of a Bitcoin paper wallet to empty it and add the BTC balance to the wallet app. Download Bitcoin Wallet hereWe’ve also picked out the best graphics cards for mining Bitcoin, Ethereum and morehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/46Wrzkv5exs

After months of anticipation, Apple may finally be on the verge of releasing its HomePod smart speaker. Earlier today we reported that clues along the Apple supply line suggest that the device might ship in February, and this afternoon word dropped that Apple had finally gained approval from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for the device. In the official FCC filing, the device is referred to as the "Apple Inc. Wireless Speaker," with a code name of A1639. Accompanying product diagrams almost certainly confirm that it's the same device that we've seen discussed since June of last year. The approval clears the way for Apple to start selling the device on US shelves, and FCC approvals are often considered a reliable indicator that a new Apple product will be heading our way soon. (In some cases, though, as with product A1844, the approved device turns out to be something as mundane as a door lock that was intended for Apple's new campus.) As MacRumors notes, for instance, the iPhone X secured FCC approval on October 4 and was available to the public beginning November 3. A long way to midsummerIt's possible that we won't see that quick of a turnaround for the HomePod, but the FCC approval suggests that Apple might meet its updated "Early 2018" HomePod release date for customers in the US, the UK and Australia after all. As a downside, an "Early 2018" release window would still be applicable months after the current rough winter is only a memory. Other complications that prevent the HomePod from releasing in a timely manner could also still be on the horizon, of course. Considering that smart speakers like the Amazon Echo and the Echo Dot already saw massive sales last December, Apple should probably get its latest device in homes before it gets left in the wake. Here's to hoping the February rumors have some truth to them. Tired of waiting on the HomePod? Check out our list of some of the best existing smart speakershttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/2cYoAdfX8EU

It's all been a little quiet on the HomePod front since Apple abruptly announced that its new smart speaker wouldn't be arriving in December 2017 as it had previously announced. But now new information from one of Apple's HomePod suppliers, Inventec, suggests that shipments of the speaker could start as early as February. The news is supported by previous Apple statements that the speaker would see a release in 'early 2018'. Inventec, which is one of the two suppliers alongside Foxconn Technology Group, also revealed that it estimates initial sales of the speaker will reach 10 million units. Want an early look at the hardware? Our HomePod hands-on review has all the info you needA pricey voice assistantApple is a little later to the smart speaker game than its main two rivals, Amazon and Google, and the HomePod also commands a pretty large price premium over their competing speakers. The HomePod is set to cost $349 when it releases in the US, compared to $130 for a Google Home and the $99 Amazon Echo. Pricing for other territories has yet been announced, but we can expect the premium to be similarly large. But the company is hoping that the promise of better sound quality, not to mention integration with the rest of the Apple ecosystem, will be enough to win over consumers, even as both Amazon and Google make audio upgrades of their own with the Amazon Echo Plus and Google Home Max respectively. However, it's not yet clear whether Siri will be up to the job of competing with Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant, which have both seen massive improvements since their initial smart speaker releases. Amazon Echo vs Apple HomePod vs Google Home: the battle of the smart speakershttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/ywNDkcEuWSk

Microsoft has released a new version of Office 2016 for Mac, introducing new online features that bring it closer in line with the cloud-first Office 365. Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint now feature automatic saving for documents stored in the cloud – a feature that could stop you losing hours of work to an accidentally closed window or system crash. Worried about accidentally deleting a chunk of your document and having the original overwritten? Office's upgraded Version History tool shows a list of changes and lets you roll back to an earlier version. See who's doing whatWord, Excel and PowerPoint now offer live previews when you're working on a shared document. Flag icons show you where they're working (much like in Google Docs) and you can see what they're typing in real time. Each app has received its own updates as well. PowerPoint will highlight slides that have changed since you last saw them so colleagues can't slip in sneaky edits without you noticing, and Excel has a host of new charts and functions. Most interestingly, Outlook now integrates more closely with Google services, letting you manage your calendar and contacts within the app. Office 2016 vs Office 365Microsoft Office 2016 is the latest version of Office available as a one-off purchase. When Office 2019 is released later this year, Office 2016 users won't get it automatically; they'll have to pay again if they want to upgrade. Office 365 is the same software, but paid for via a monthly or annual subscription. It includes extra online storage via OneDrive, ongoing tech support and automatic updates. Office 365 users will get all the new features of Office 2019 as soon as it's released as part of their subscription. Looking for a cheaper option? Check out the best free office softwarehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/DEhfK-EYFv0

Chrome is a fabulous browser – fast, well designed and packed with essential features – but that's just the start. Chrome's real strength is in the huge library of add-ons that give it endless new functions and abilities. In fact, the Chrome Web Store is packed with so many extensions that it's hard to know which will really make a difference to your everyday browsing. That's why we've put together this list of 10 of the best Chrome extensions around. These are the ones we've installed in our own browsers. Give them a try and transform your online experience. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2RLSEswMVMcx2hLqFMs8W4.jpg 1. LastPassKeep your passwords in one place and log into accounts automatically It's no secret that using secure passwords everywhere is a vital part of staying safe online, but when something like gLR6@z!kklEc is so difficult to remember, it's tempting to use 123456 everywhere instead. LastPass solves the problem by creating a different strong password for every site, storing it locally in an encrypted vault, and automatically filling web forms and logins as required. You just need to remember a single master password, and LastPass takes care of almost everything else on its own. Unlike some password managers, there's no need to add all your usernames and passwords to a database before you can use it (unless you want to). Just install the extension, and whenever you log into an online account, it will ask whether to save it. It's wonderfully convenient. Download LastPasshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GXAcLVekRkv63MLBx7fmSZ.jpg 2. Lazarus: Form RecoveryAvoid the frustration of losing data typed into online forms We're sure you know the feeling – you've just spent ages filling in an enormous online form (perhaps a tax return or insurance claim), you press the submit button and you're presented with an error page. Perhaps your session has timed out, or your internet connection has dropped. Whatever the reason, when you click the back button everything has been erased. Lazarus: Form Recovery helps you avoid grinding your teeth to stumps by saving form data as you type. The typed data can be encrypted, and is stored locally on your machine rather than being sent to third-party servers. You can also disable certain domains so Lazarus doesn't cache anything you type into your bank's website, for example. If you don't already have Lazarus, download it now before disaster strikes. Download Lazarus: Form Recoveryhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LAysXEBBiLkRB6VNG6RiFS.jpg 3. Evernote Web ClipperClip web pages, chunks of text or bookmarks and read them later If you're researching a project, or just find yourself getting distracted by interesting articles while you're trying to work, Evernote Web Clipper is fantastic. When you find something you want to read, click the elephant icon and Evernote will let you save the entire article, a simplified version of it (with no pictures or formatting), an entire page, a screenshot, or just a bookmark. You can choose which notebook it should be clipped to, and add tags and notes if you like, though this is optional. If you're in a hurry, you can clip something with just two clicks. By default, Evernote Web Clipper selects your last used settings when saving a new clip. Evernote Web Clipper also integrates into the context menu, letting you clip a page, screenshot or bookmark by right-clicking a page, and there are customizable keyboard shortcuts too. When you have some time on your hands, log into your account on Evernote.com or using the web app and everything you've clipped will be there, ready to read. Download Evernote Web Clipperhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bBLuwztaeKdjGw85BtC8E.jpg 4. Save to PocketNot into Evernote? Pocket is a great alternative and suggests extra content Save to Pocket (formerly known as Read it Later) works much like Evernote Web Clipper, letting you save interesting bits and pieces during your everyday surfing. Save to Pocket lets you save web pages, links, images, files and more to a central list, then automatically syncs the results across all your devices. It's a great system for web research. Whether you're adding pages or links on your phone, tablet or desktop, they're immediately available for browsing on any of the others. When you save something to Pocket, the extension suggests other content that might take your fancy. If that's not enough, users in the US can also see trending Pocket topics using the Pocket New Tab extension. Download Save to Pockethttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Qu9vMPVVVJ7j2u4XGZMGFc.jpg 5. FoxClocksGet a fully customizable world clock in your browser's status bar FoxClocks is a simple idea, brilliantly executed. It shows you the time different countries at the bottom of your browser, saving you the hassle of looking the same information up on Google. That's it. FoxClocks takes account of daylight saving times, so you can be confident you're not going to miss an important meeting or deadline by an hour, and you can see the time in a format of your choice. Pick a timezone or search for a city to add it to Chrome's status bar. If that looks too cluttered, locations are also accessible by clicking the button beside your browser's address bar. Download FoxClockshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eyQJXEZb6m6dKSPsky6VRV.jpg 6. Tab WranglerClose inactive tabs automatically after a certain time has passed Chrome is fantastically flexible, but running too many tabs at once can gobble up RAM like nothing else. If you're the kind of person who ends up with dozens, or even hundreds of tabs open while you're browsing, Tab Wrangler is well worth your attention. It works by closing tabs that you haven't used for a certain period of time. If that sounds alarming, don't worry – all closed tabs are saved in Tab Wrangler's 'corral' (nice cowboy metaphors) so you can re-open them with a click. Any tabs you really need to keep open can be pinned so they stay in place. Tab Wrangler is brilliant for tab-addicts, but bear in mind that it doesn't save the state of a page, so if you've been working on something in a web app or form, it'll be lost. Unless you've used Lazarus, that is – see above. Download Tab Wranglerhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YpBTutaeDwtvudDjPgS75S.jpg 7. Full Page Screen CaptureGrab a whole web page with a single click and download it as a JPG Firefox Quantum includes a built-in full-page screen grab tool, and Full Page Screen Capture can add the same thing to Chrome. The extension doesn't need any special permissions – just install it, then click the icon in your browser or tap Alt+Shift+P to take a full-page screen grab. The page will scroll as it's captured, and you're advised not to move your mouse over it until it's finished. Once it's done, the resulting image will open in a new window, ready to be downloaded. It's a particularly handy tool for saving webpages that you want to read offline. In the unlikely even that the page is too huge to be grabbed in one go, Full Page Screen Capture will warn you and split it into manageable chunks instead. Download Full Page Screen Capturehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3rtQwDm8DRAx8pMyUQzD4N.jpg 8. PushbulletSend and receive messages and get call notifications in your browser Distracted by the smartphone on your desk? Pushbullet puts all your chat services in your browser, including WhatsApp, Kik, Facebook Messenger, and even SMS messages. You'll receive notifications when you receive messages and calls (provided you have an Android phone), and dismissing them on your desktop will clear them from your handset too. If you're at your desk anyway, why not make full use of your keyboard and mouse? Sending text messages from your computer is far easier than using a fiddly touchscreen, and sharing links is effortless. Download Pushbullethttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/abvaffpzERJR5jbgK7RogA.jpg 9. StylishGive unattractive web pages a new look with custom color schemes Some web pages are incredibly useful but, frankly, ugly. That's where Stylish comes in. This handy Chrome extension lets you apply custom skins to web pages, giving them an instant makeover so they're easier on the eyes. If reading black text on a white background gives you a headache, you'll appreciate the abundance of themes specially designed for sites including Reddit, Facebook and Google. There are also themes for all the biggest video hosting sites for a more pleasant viewing experience on YouTube, Vimeo and others. You can edit any installed themes, and create your own with the Stylish CSS editor if you're feeling creative. Download Stylishhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GBPMry8yMPVy9AAbNb3BdD.jpg 10. Adblock PlusBlock ads and tracking cookies for improved speed and privacy It'd be remiss of us not to mention Adblock Plus, the best-known ad-blocker for Chrome. Installation is quick and easy, and the benefits are obvious immediately. Just point your browser at an ad-heavy site, the Adblock Plus icon displays a running count of everything it's blocked, and you'll probably find most pages display far more quickly. The other major highlight with Adblock Plus is its extreme configurability. Whether you just want to prevent the extension running on a particular site, maybe to avoid causing problems, or you'd like to use a completely new set of ad blocking rules, the Options dialog has tools to help. All we'll say is that most websites rely on advertising, so maybe think about disabling ad-blockers on friendly sites like TechRadar. Download Adblock PlusWhat's the best web browser right now?http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/Ow_tqoePYEQ

Amazon’s launch in Australia may have had a few road bumps along the way, with a false starts eventually making way for an underwhelming catalogue, but the online retail giant did promise to bring its own smart AI assistant to our shores in “early 2018” and that promise has been kept. The Echo range of smart speakers are now available for pre-order on Amazon Australia with the units going on sale early February. And with them comes our own true-blue Alexa, with what we can only assume is going to be a fair dinkum Aussie accent. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cezVTqozn2UZ5Dz9TTePnd.jpg Getting smartAlexa is Amazon’s own digital assistant, the voice behind the Echo range of speakers and bitter rival of Google's own smart assistant ecosystem, currently comprised of the Google Home and Google Home Mini. With these speakers you can play music, get weather updates, set alarms, keep tabs on your appointments, control your lights and do plenty more. Amazon Echo was the first model to launch. With a 2.5-inch woofer, a dedicated tweeter, 360-degree audio and Dolby sound, it’s a capable standalone smart speaker for any home. The Echo Plus does everything the Echo can but comes packing a smart home hub that makes connecting to your smart home devices easy. The Echo Dot is the baby of the bunch and is a great way to smarten up the home at an affordable cost. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iBwWyyXfRVRUUksWGfAcdV.jpg Pricing and availability The Echo, Echo Dot and Echo Plus are available to pre-order on Amazon for $149, $79 and $229 respectively. The smart speakers go on sale in early February, and will be up for purchase at JB Hi-FI, Officeworks, Telstra and Myer. If you hurry, though, you could snag the speaker for less – Amazon is offering introductory prices for a limited time. The Echo Dot can be had for just $49, while the Echo and Echo Plus carry an introductory price tag of $119 and $199 respectively. For anyone looking to set up multi-room smarts, getting a two-pack of Dots for just $79 means you save more, while the Echo Plus comes with a bonus Philips Hue smart bulb. Amazon is also launching its music streaming service in Australia and New Zealand alongside the speakers. Amazon Music will go live on February 1, with monthly subscriptions costing $11.99 for the individual plan. A family plan will set you back $17.99 a month and will allow up to six people to share a single account. Getting a new Echo device? Here’s how you can set up your new Amazon Echo.The best Amazon Echo Alexa skills and commands: The best uses for your Echohttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/guXMWCkSsUw

Google has removed four malicious browser extensions with a combined total of 500,000 downloads from the Chrome Web Store. Security firm ICEBRG discovered the malicious extensions after it picked up an unusual spike in outgoing network traffic. The first extension identified was called HTTP Request Header. After further investigation, it discovered three more: Nyoogle, Stickies and Lite Bookmarks. In a blog post, ICEBRG said that although the extensions were probably used to commit click fraud (imitating the process of a user clicking an ad in their browser) or manipulate search engine results, they could be used to create a botnet with the potential to access business networks and user information. “Removal of the malicious extension from the Chrome Web Store may not remove it from impacted hosts,” ICEBRG added. “Additionally, the use of third-party Chrome extension repositories may still allow the installation of the extensions.” It’s possible that the number of downloads could have been inflated through use of bots to make the extensions seem legitimate and trick more people into installing the malware. Verifying browser extensionsEach browser developer takes a different approach to verifying the quality and safety of add-ons in their stores. Before publication on the Google Chrome Web Store, extensions are subjected to a process called Enhanced Item Evaluation – a series of automated checks that examine its code and behavior once installed to identify malware. Once the validation is complete, the app is published – usually within an hour. The process normally works well, but sometimes extensions slip through the net. For example, in October last year, 37,000 people downloaded a fake version of Adblock Plus that was almost impossible to differentiate from the real thing. Microsoft launched an extension store for Edge in 2016, and tests each submission individually before it's published – a process than can take 72 hours. Mozilla takes a more liberal approach. All Firefox add-ons must comply with a set of policies and practices that varies depending on circumstances. Extensions listed on addons.mozilla.org may be subject to automatic and manual review and testing, during which they won’t appear in search results, but will still be accessible if you have a link to their listing pages. Unlisted add-ons aren’t subjected to quite such strict standards. They must still be uploaded to addons.mozilla.org, but have to be distributed elsewhere. Via: Ars Technica The best Google Chrome extensionshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/1wHWy7dvVfU

Amazon's Echo smart speaker range started with just one device, the original Amazon Echo, but has expanded to now include five different devices. Now, as well as a newly revamped standard Amazon Echo you've got a beefier Amazon Echo Plus, and the budget Amazon Echo Dot. But that's not all. Amazon has also been hard at work introducing screens into its Echo ecosystem with the Amazon Echo Show and smaller Amazon Echo Spot. Confused? We don't blame you. So here’s our ranking of the Amazon Echo lineup as it currently stands. We’ve divided the list into two sections, screen-less and screen-equipped, and we've omitted the left-field Amazon Echo Look because it's just so different from the rest of the lineup. Note that while all the devices featured here are available in the US, some have yet to be released outside the US, and Amazon has yet to launch its Echo range in some countries. The screen-less Echoshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jqbGaS8M9LFMrfiNWFoT75.jpg Amazon Echo (2nd gen)The new version of the Amazon Echo made a number of changes compared to its predecessor. It switched to using a pair of buttons to control volume, it replaced its matt plastic in favor of fabric, wood and metallic finishes, and it added a 3.5mm jack to allow it to be hardwired into an external speaker. It's also the perfect entry point into the Amazon Echo ecosystem. It might lack the bigger sound and smart home hub of the larger Plus, but we wouldn't say the price difference is quite worth the improvement. Read our full review: Amazon Echo http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AsqukFruXZi3NMS2dyG5ag.jpg The Amazon Echo Dot is a much smaller version of the Amazon Echo, and is around the size of a hockey puck. There have actually been two generations of the Echo Dot released, with the second ditching the volume dial in favor of two dedicated volume buttons. The Dot’s size meant some compromises on sound quality had to be made, resulting in a sound level that’s fairly weak and tinny and unsuitable for playing music. However, an included 3.5mm jack means that it’s perfectly possible to connect the speaker to an external sound system if you want to get your tunes playing, and you can also connect to a Bluetooth speaker. We wouldn't advise you to buy this speaker if you want to do a lot of music listening, but if you want to try out Alexa on the cheap, or you're buying it for non-music tasks, then the Dot is a fantastic budget buy. Read the full review: Amazon Echo Dot http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EmEvhvKsLSTk3tWquvVEph.jpg The Amazon Echo Plus is similar in appearance to the original first-generation Amazon Echo. Under the hood, however, a number of improvements have been made, and the most significant of these is the addition of a ZigBee-compatible hub. Zigbee is the connection protocol used by a number of different smart home devices, which usually come with a hub that must be plugged into your router in order to allow them to function. Having a hub inside the Echo itself means you no longer need this additional hub plugged into your router. In theory, so long as your Echo is connected to your home network then your smart home devices will function. In practice, however, smart home functionality is limited when using the built-in hub, and so you'll probably want to keep using an external hub to get the most out of your devices. Combined with the price premium, the Amazon Echo Plus offers probably the weakest value proposition of the three screen-less speakers. Read our full review: Amazon Echo Plus The screen-equipped Echoshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XHoRBAbgRZC3LjL6dZaaeB.jpg The first Echo device to be equipped with a screen, the Amazon Echo Show is able to show you a wealth of information that would be impossible on a regular Amazon Echo. A picture is worth a thousand words after all. As well as displaying visual information, the Show is also capable of playing video content from a variety of sources including, of course, Amazon Prime Video. The screen can also be used for video calls, or to stream a video feed from compatible smart cameras. We're not convinced Amazon has built in enough screen-enabled functionality to make its screen a must-have inclusion, but what it can do it does competently. Read our full review: Amazon Echo Show http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iXweW4TBXDGqw8syCHetwH.jpg The Amazon Echo Spot is a miniature version of the Show, replacing the 7-inch rectangular screen of the Show with a 2.5-inch circular screen. This smaller screen means the device is less useful as a video-watching device. Although this is still supported, the round screen doesn't lend itself that well to long-form video viewing. Instead, you’re more likely to use the screen to read messages, show virtual clock-faces, or conduct video calls. The Spot's small size also means the built-in speaker isn’t as good as the larger Show’s. But, in our brief tests with the device, it is better than its small form factor would have you believe. Amazon is positioning this as a compact device that you might want to have on a bedside table as opposed to the Show’s countertop-sized form-factor. Its size also makes it a great kitchen or desk gadget. And, whisper it, it's the best-looking Echo device around at the moment Read our initial impressions of the speaker here: Amazon Echo Spot Read about Amazon's closest competitor, the Google Home smart speakerhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/1vkrwgekhig

If you’ve noticed that your Wi-Fi has gone a little funny recently, and you’re the owner of a Google smart speaker or Cast device, the two things may be connected. The good news is that Google is aware of the issue, and “is working quickly to share a solution” according to a Google spokesperson. The problems started to occur with Google’s latest offering to the smart speaker market, the Google Home Max, when used with the the TP-Link Archer C7 router. According to AndroidPolice, as soon as the Google Home Max was connected to the network, the network would become inaccessible. A range of devicesTP-Link issued a fix, but as the issue developed it began to look like it originated from the Google device rather than the router. During December of last year there were a number of different complaints on the forums of a number of different router manufacturers, covering almost the full range of Google’s offerings. We covered the news as it related to Chromecast devices, but it looks like the same problem is affecting Google Home devices too, on a range of routers from ASUS, Linksys, Netgear, TP-Link, and Synology. According to 9to5Google the problems are affecting different routers differently, so it may not be causing a total outage. If you are having router issues, it’s worth disconnecting your Google device to see if that’s the cause of the problem. We’ll keep you updated if there’s anything you need to do once Google’s fix is available, but it's most probably going to come in the form of an update patch, so make sure you keep your devices updated (if you can connect to the internet). Want more Google Home news? Check out: Google Home Mini wall mount will let you place it anywhere and everywherehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/asv744EHC8c

From the way Google and Amazon have been pushing smart speakers it's clear the two companies won't be satisfied until you have a Google Home or Amazon Echo in literally every room in your house. But while that's easy enough when a room is full of surfaces, it's a little more difficult in rooms like the hallway, which are a little more light on places to put them. Enter a new wall mount for the Google Home Mini. Produced by Incipio, in partnership with Google, the mount should make it easy to blanket your home in Google Assistant coverage. Blanket coverageHowever, while making sure a smart speaker can hear you no matter where you are in your house is one thing, if we learned anything from CES it's that the days of a dedicated smart speaker might be numbered. After all, with the likes of Alexa and Google Assistant now being built into everything from soundbars to televisions and even thermostats, you might find that you soon have a voice assistant in every room in your house without going to the effort of wall-mounting speakers. The Google Home Mini wall mount is currently available from the US Google Store for $15. There's no word yet on UK or AU availability or pricing. Our guide to Google Home vs Mini vs Max has everything you need to know about Google's smart speaker lineupVia: Digital Trendshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/xCw4rLy6nd0

Smart speakers are big business, with about 39 million Americans now owning one according to a recent poll undertaken by US radio syndicator NPR and Edison research. That roughly translates as 16% of all Americans, one in six. That’s a 128% increase in the numbers from January 2017. While that rate of an increase is pretty staggering, it’s not that surprising when you think that the range of smart speakers has expanded to include some very cheap options like the Google Home Mini and the Amazon Dot. Small prices, big sales figuresThis was especially true across the Black Friday period, when price slashes and bundles put the price of Google's Home Mini in the sub-$30 bracket. Unsurprisingly there were a large amount of the speakers purchased over the period. Not to be outdone by the Google Mini, Amazon slashed its prices on a vast range of Amazon devices, and it paid off. After the Black Friday period, Amazon released a statement claiming: “The Echo Dot was the #1 selling Amazon Device this holiday season, and the best-selling product from any manufacturer in any category across all of Amazon” http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Vc2zXFLJvuy9Ydj9n8ULL4.jpg The Google Home Mini Amazon rarely discusses exact numbers but, according to the study, the split falls in Amazon’s favour with 11% owning an Alexa-powered device, towering over Google Home’s 4% taking. NPR’s research found that 7% of all Americans purchased a smart speaker over the 2017 holiday season, with 4% buying their first smart speaker. This not only shows the number of people wanting to jump on the bandwagon, but also the number of people that like their speakers enough to purchase another, either for themselves or as a gift. Alexa, entertain meWhat’s really interesting from the research is that 64% of all owners of a smart speaker say that they couldn’t go back to their life without it. 39% said speakers are replacing time spent with an AM/FM radio. What is surprising is the 30% that said their smart speakers are replacing time spent with a television, and 34% say that it replaces time with a smartphone. Although, it’s not all bad news for the smartphone, with 44% of smart speaker owners saying they use voice assistants more on their phones since getting a speaker. If the recent showing at CES is anything to go by, we are entering an age were voice assistants are in everything from cars, to TVs, to toilets, not to mention the ever-increasing range of smart speakers including Apple's HomePod, Facebook's rumored Portal device, and the vast quantity of offerings from third-party manufacturers. It may seem that we'll reach saturation pretty quickly, but if a study from the Consumer Technology Association is to be believed, 44% of Americans plan to buy a smart speaker in 2018, so expect to see – or should that be hear – a lot more from voice assistants in the coming months. Want to see the smart home offerings from CES, check out: The smart home tech of CES 2018: from heated toilets to connected fridgesVia DigitalTrends http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/5mZUCovxTLU

If you're looking for the best antivirus software in 2018 to keep you and your PC secure online, then you've come to the right place. Even in this day and age, it is still essential to have the best antivirus software you can get your hands on installed on your PC (be it Windows or Mac), as malicious users are still coming up with ways to access you machine, be it hijackers grabbing your search page, or the latest ransomware encrypting all of your files. If you're running Windows 10, then you may think that the built-in Windows Defender is enough to keep you safe. Sure, it's free and easy to use, but independent tests show its protection rates can be considerably lower than the leading competition. Also, by making it so widely-used, it also means that if a virus writer wants to hit as many PCs as possible, making something that evades Windows Defender will be their biggest priority. There are free antivirus solutions that can be used with other tools to keep you protected, but they don't always provide a complete suite of antivirus software tools that the best paid-for antivirus software provides. For that reason, if you want an all-round antivirus tool that provides up-to-date protection against the latest threats, then paying for antivirus software is your best bet. This doesn't mean you have to start spending big money, however, and we've come up with this list of the best antivirus software that features our very own price comparison tool to help you find the very best price for protection. Shopping for business or professionals? Then why not check out our listing of best business antivirus packagesCheck out: the best antivirus for Android 2018 and the best free antivirus software 2018http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GA8roMkwy8s54BjHyvprP7.jpg In a world packed with free security software, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2018's annual $39.99 fee may look expensive. Especially as this now only covers you for a single device, down from three last year. Still, there are compensations. Bitdefender's engine is one of the most accurate and reliable around, for instance, loved by all the big independent testers. Web filtering blocks access to malicious sites, a secure browser keeps your online financial transactions safe, and there's a password manager which auto-completes credit card details in web forms. An excellent anti-phishing module alerts you to malicious links in your search engine results, and blocks access to dangerous sites. There are one or two issues – it grabs more resources than average, and might conflict with some programs – but Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2018 is still a likeable package which offers excellent detection rates, great performance, and more than enough bonus features to justify the price. Alternatively, you can purchase the Total Security 2018 edition for not much more. It adds a firewall, parental control, antispam, file encryption and more, and covers up to five PCs, Macs and Android devices (iOS is ‘coming soon’). US Prices: 1 year and 1 device - $39.993 years up to 3 devices- $119.99UK Prices: 1 year up to 3 devices - £323 years up to 3 devices- £96http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NUiYQrvstWErNf9wnJRVUW.jpg If you judge an antivirus on the length of its feature list, ESET NOD32 Antivirus 2018 Edition might be a disappointment. There’s no firewall, password manager, file shredder, vulnerability scanner or any of the bundled extras you'll often find elsewhere. This doesn't mean the package is short on power, it's just more focused on the antivirus fundamentals. ESET NOD32 Antivirus 2018 Edition comes with real-time malware protection, an anti-ransomware layer, exploit protection, URL filtering to block malicious websites, and modules to prevent attacks using PowerShell and malicious scripts. A Device Control module limits the risk of infection from other devices by controlling access to USB sticks, external hard drives, optical storage media, even devices connecting by Bluetooth and FireWire. It's an unusual extra, but could make a difference if others are regularly plugging devices into your PC. ESET NOD32 Antivirus 2018 Edition isn't aimed at beginners. The interface is clumsy sometimes, some features are very advanced, and even the Help isn't always exactly helpful. Experienced users will appreciate ESET’s power and configurability, though. Above-average protection does a good job of keeping you safe, and a lightweight design ensures the package won't slow you down. One of the new features in the 2018 Edition is the UEFI Scanner which protects you from threats that attack your PC before Windows has even started. US Prices: 1 year and 1 device - $39.991 year up to 3 devices - $59.99UK Prices: 1 year and 1 device - £29.991 year up to 3 devices - £44.99http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QvM3wNEpc6HnVk7TsA5bt8.jpg F-Secure Antivirus SAFE is a great collection of antivirus software tools, and while it's a bit more expensive than some of the other antivirus software on this best of list, the amount of features you get makes the cost worthwhile. With F-Secure Antivirus SAFE, you get the brilliant antivirus software from F-Secure, along with banking protection for safe online shopping, family safety tools and a device finder that lets you track your lost Android or iOS device, and if needs be remotely lock or delete it as well. The package typically receives maximum marks for protection from AV-Test, and generally scores highly with AV-Comparatives, too. They also say it can generate significantly more false positives than most of the competition, but how that affects you will vary depending on how you use your computer. The interface is a major plus. It's extremely easy to use, lightweight, and for the most part you can just leave the app alone to look after your PC. The program has minimal effect on your system performance, and if you do need to intervene then you can generally solve any issues in a couple of clicks. In 2018, F-Secure Anti-Virus SAFE remains an appealing package: fast, lightweight, and able to run alongside many other security tools without conflict. US Prices: 1 year up to 3 devices - $69.99UK Prices: 1 year and 3 device - £59.991 year up to 5 devices - £79.99http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hDapYgCwHUX629zEeJSsvS.jpg Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2018 is a stripped-back security package which focuses on the core security essentials: web filtering blocks dangerous URLs, an accurate antivirus engine detects and removes threats, smart monitoring technologies track and reverse malicious actions, and that's about it. Fortunately, what you do get works well. Very, very well. We've consistently found Kaspersky to be amongst the best at blocking malware, and removing it from an infected system, plus it's regularly top-rated at sites like AV-Comparatives. The program is easy to use, too. A well-designed interface has just the right number of buttons and options – not too basic, but not complicated or intimidating, either – and there are plenty of on-screen instructions to explain how everything works. Even a beginner will be at home right away. If you just need accurate, reliable and consistent malware protection, Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2018 will serve you well. US Prices: 1 year and 3 devices - $29.992 years up to 3 devices - $59.99UK Prices: 1 year and 1 device - £24.992 years up to 3 devices - £69.99http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3QTiuaKftG5W8GAb5p6WEA.jpg Norton AntiVirus Basic 2018 is a top quality malware hunter which can automatically protect your PC all on its own, but also offers plenty of tweaks, options and settings for those who need them, making it one of the best antivirus software suites in 2018. A handy URL blocker keeps you away from malicious websites, for instance. If that misses something, an excellent file reputation service recognises suspect downloads immediately. And if malware still finds a way through, intelligent behaviour monitoring kills it at the first sign of trouble. If you're a more hands-on type, you can easily run scans on demand. Maybe set up and save custom scans to check just the areas you need. Even schedule them to run at a particular time, but only if your system is idle, and it's not running on battery power. There can be problems with some of the browser extensions. The bundled Norton Identity Safe is a capable password manager when it's running properly, but we've found the Chrome version sometimes stops working for no apparent reason. We've seen plenty of reviewers reporting similar problems, so there does seem to be a real issue here. Still, you don't have to use Identity Safe at all, and Norton AntiVirus Basic's main functions deliver on all fronts: it's easy to use, has the configuration options experts need, comes highly rated by the testing labs, and is carefully designed to have the least possible impact on your system performance. US Prices: 1 year and 1 device - $29.99UK Prices: 1 year and 1 device - £24.99http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/PJ9jhnmH2N4oLyWTcoNjqE.jpg Real-time malware detection, speedy cloud-based scanning, URL filtering to block malicious websites: Panda Antivirus Pro has all the goodies you'd expect from the best antivirus software. That's just the start. A simple two-way firewall helps to keep your system secure. An application control system can define exactly what runs on your PC, stopping even some brand new and undiscovered malware. A virtual keyboard helps you enter confidential data without it being intercepted by keyloggers. There's even a tool to build a bootable USB rescue disc, ready to remove even the most stubborn threats. Some of these bonus features are relatively basic. The Panda firewall does its job and can make you more secure, for instance, but it doesn't compete with the standalone firewall competition. Experienced network users will probably want more. The simplicity does at least keep everything very easy to use. Options are organised in a straightforward Windows 10-like interface, with all the main modules just a click or two away. Even the firewall doesn't need to know anything more than your current network location: Home, Work or Public Place. There's not a lot of Panda test results from the independent labs around right now, but the figures we've seen show the company delivers above average protection, and overall Panda Antivirus Pro does a good job of keeping malware at bay. US Prices: 1 year and 1 device - $27.991 year up to 3 devices - $41.991 year up to 5 devices - $55.99UK Prices: 1 year and 1 device - £20.991 year up to 3 devices - £34.991 year up to 5 devices - £45.49http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3hSGnLqEnNKwtr4yuPFk3b.jpg Trend Micro Antivirus+ Security is a capable antivirus package that's simple to use with above average antispam and an effective ‘Folder Shield’ module to block ransomware. How good is it? The top testing labs all rate it highly for protection, although there's some disagreement on the details. In particular, AV-Comparatives says it gives a high number of false positives, which could be a real nuisance. But AV-Test reports high levels of accuracy and no issues with false positives at all. If there's a problem here, it's likely to be performance impact. PassMark's March 2017 Performance report assessed 15 security products on various performance-related benchmarks, and Trend Micro came bottom of the list. Our experiences with the product are a little more favourable: protection levels appear similar to Bitdefender, false positives are only marginally higher, and it doesn't slow down our system noticeably more than anything else. We'd recommending running the trial for its full 30 days before you buy, then, to see if you notice any problems. But if you're unaffected, its high levels of detection and excellent bonus features make Trend Micro a good choice. US Prices: 1 year and 1 device - $29.952 years and 1 device - $49.95UK Prices: 1 year and 1 device - £19.952 years and 1 device - £29.95http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dq5fpVeebg5uUGEt6zUJgi.jpg Just about every antivirus tool claims to be ‘lightweight’, but Webroot SecureAnywhere AntiVirus is the only one to really deliver on this front. Installation takes seconds, the program files barely grab 2MB of your hard drive, RAM footprint is tiny, and there are no bulky signature updates to tie up your bandwidth. There's no compromise on features, though. Along with the core antivirus protection, there's smart behaviour monitoring, accurate real-time antiphishing, a firewall and network connection monitor, enhanced anti-ransomware, and other interesting extras. It's not easy to compare Webroot's accuracy with the competition, as the big testing labs rarely evaluate the company's products. But when they are reviewed, they generally score well, and our own tests show solid and reliable protection. There's a lot to like about SecureAnywhere AntiVirus, and Webroot's 70-day 100% money-back guarantee suggests it's confident in the product, too. If you're tired of overly complicated and bloated antivirus engines, Webroot must be on your shortlist. US Prices: 1 year and 1 device - $19.991 year up to 3 devices - $29.99UK Prices: 1 year and 1 device - £19.491 year up to 3 devices - £25.99http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/2hQKL6-gFxQ

If you've decided to take the plunge and have bought your own Bitcoin (BTC) mining hardware or mining rig, your next step is to connect to a mining 'pool'. This allows you to share your machine's resources over the internet and receive a portion of the mining profits in return. There are a number of programs available to help manage your crypto-mining. In this guide, we've explored five of the most popular. If you're an experienced computer user, you may prefer to install the free operating system Linux and make use of one of the text-only programs such as CGminer. If you prefer to keep things simple and are sticking with Windows 10, mining clients with a GUI such as MultiMiner may suit you better. Before getting started, if you want to be sure a mining program will work with your particular device or operating system, the Bitcoin Wiki has a very helpful list. We also show you how to mine Bitcoinshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/exPDeVsWamrxLEY9SQmzyR.jpg CGMiner has been around for over six years and is coded in C, meaning it’s compatible with almost all operating systems. It works via a simple command line interface and supports multiple mining pools and devices. It's primarily designed to be used with hardware mining devices but can make use of any GPUs connected to your machine as well. On first run, CGMiner will ask you to enter the URL, username and password (if necessary) for your mining pool, and it will automatically detect any hardware you have connected such as an ASIC device. Although you have to work with CGMiner via the command line, the layout is very easy on the eye: mining devices are listed at the top and you can use simple keyboard commands to change your settings (e.g. to enable verbose mode or detect new hardware). During our tests using CGMiner 4.9.2 on Windows 10, we found that Windows Defender and our antivirus software tried to block the download. This may be because hackers using their own versions of this program could secretly install CGMiner on someone else's machine to mine for their own benefit. You can configure your system to make an exception for CGMiner if you wish, or use the Linux version. Download CGMiner herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GR2skJGpuemuYCQactkzVK.jpg The Bitminter Mining Pool has been around since 2011, and as one of the longest-running and most reliable services out there, it's perhaps unsurprising that its creator Geir Hansen has also produced an excellent mining client too. The Bitminter client has an extremely clear graphical interface and can work with GPUs and external ASIC devices equally well. A simple dial on the left displays your hashrate in MH/s. Simply click 'Engine Start' to begin mining. You can check progress at any time by reviewing the 'Stats' section which lists vital info such as the number of proofs of work accepted/rejected by the server, as well as the time spent working. You can reset these values at any time. The Bitminter client also has a text console at the bottom of the window which provides you with updates such as when a device is connected, or when it has successfully connected to a mining pool. The software has been designed for use only with Bitminter's mining pool. This means you'll need to create an account via the website. You also need to be happy with the location of Bitminter's servers (US and Europe), as well as the way in which the company shares mining rewards. Download Bitminter herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BFMTWGPFxQyBNw3ftg2XCc.jpg BFGMiner is based upon the aforementioned CGMiner, but is designed specifically for ASIC mining hardware. The client is also compatible with FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) devices and can be configured to work with some graphics cards – but it's unlikely you'll make a profit from these. As BFGMiner has a narrow focus, it has more features to allow you to tinker with mining devices, such as overclocking and using a remote interface. It also monitors the temperature of most devices and can connect to multiple mining pools. Furthermore, BFGMiner will stop connecting to unreachable pools, saving you precious system resources. The interface is text-based, but as with CGminer, options are very clearly laid out. You can make use of hotkeys to perform routine tasks such as monitoring pools, identifying devices and enabling extra features. Besides offering a simple text interface and an arsenal of features, BFGMiner is available for Windows and all major flavors of Linux. BFGminer can be installed on a Raspberry Pi, too, as part of the free Minera operating system. Download BFGMiner herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Q5zNQF97fRuQ8qP8jR9Ms8.jpg MultiMiner is a graphical frontend for BFGMiner. As such it has many powerful features but is also much kinder to newcomers. When you first install and launch Multiminer, the application will guide you through the process of entering your pool information, using helpful tooltips to explain potentially unfamiliar terms. After setup is complete, MultiMiner will automatically scan for mining devices and list their details in a helpful table, such as the pool used and average hash power. Most importantly, the client will also display your daily projected profit with your current mining hardware. You can use the 'Pools' tabs to connect to multiple pools if you wish. The 'Strategies' section provides an easy way for you to choose how you want to mine: for instance you can choose to mine automatically based on which coin is most profitable, or choose to mine coins with low difficulty. During setup the software developer requests that you send 1% of your profits to his wallet as a way of saying thank you for creating this awesome mining software. This is entirely voluntary – you can enable/disable this from within the app in the 'Perks' section. Multiminer is cross-platform but you need to install additional software to get it working on macOS and Linux. Download MultiMiner herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/T85DLq4sr4Y6VGKx8ZjBRQ.jpg EasyMiner serves as a graphical frontend for the mining programs CGminer and CPUMiner. On first run, EasyMiner enters 'MoneyMaker' mode which allows you to automatically create a paper Litecoin wallet and start mining right away with a private pool. As convenient as this is, it's unlikely to generate much profit at the current difficulty rate. The dashboard has a neatly laid out interface to allow you to configure mining pools, amend network settings and view your wallet. You can also use the settings feature to enable ASIC hardware such as an Antminer. This done, simply click 'Start Mining' to begin. EasyMiner includes a console which informs you of the progress of CGminer (cgminer.exe) and CPUMiner (minerd.exe), which by default are used to mine Bitcoin and Litecoin respectively. There doesn't seem to be an easy way to switch off CPUMiner if you're only interested in Bitcoin. During our tests on Windows 10, Avast Antivirus also automatically removed both the main EasyMiner program and CPUMiner, as malicious hackers have previously installed their own versions of these programs on other people's machines to mine coins for themselves as part of a botnet. If you're interested in EasyMiner but don't want to deal with antivirus alerts, the program will work on Ubuntu Linux using Wine (see here for more info). Download EasyMiner hereTop image credit: Targaryen (Wikimedia Commons) We’ve also picked out the best graphics cards for mining Bitcoin, Ethereum and morehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/utggtKqGitU

The voice assistants that were once confined to our smart speakers have been spreading their wings at CES 2018, with pretty much every device on show, from TVs to cars, boasting about including Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, or Samsung Bixby under the hood. But while our assistants may increasingly be venturing outside the home, most of the innovation in this area is still happening indoors. Here we're going to be highlighting some of the most interesting offerings for your humble abode from this year's Vegas tech extravaganza. Winner of the TechRadar award for Best Smart Home Device of CES 2018, the Samsung Family Hub fridge is actually a modern version of its existing 'fridge with a screen' range. What really sets this model apart (and makes it worthy of the accolade) is the fact that the fridge can function as a smart home hub, meaning that if you've got a range of different smart home products from a number of different manufacturers and want a way to control them all from a unified device, this fridge will function as that hub using SmartThings, Samsung's hub ecosystem. On top of that is the ability for the fridge to tell you when things inside it are going off, suggest recipes, and even source coupons of your repeat purchases. And of course it contains Bixby, so you can control it with your voice. Another award-winner here. This time taking home the award for Best Smart Speaker. The LG ThinQ is a Google Assistant speaker, but unlike the Google Home, the ThinQ has been specifically tailored towards exceptional audio quality. Partnering with hi-fi giants Meridian Audio, LG has created a speaker that's tailored for use with lossless audio files, and which, if it delivers on its promise, will be a speaker that not only contains smarts, but one that you'll actually want to sit and listen to. No more connecting to a better Bluetooth speaker? Yes please. While we're on the subject of smart speakers, an honorable mention has to go to JBL's Google Assistant speaker. The inclusion of a screen puts the JBL Link View in direct competition with Amazon's Echo Show (and with Facebook's potential Portal device). Given the fact that you can't play YouTube videos on Amazon devices at the moment, we imagine a Google-powered screen speaker is going to be an attractive proposition for many. JBL wasn't the only manufacturer to create a Google Assistant screen speaker, but it was our favorite in terms of looks. One of the ranges that surprised us as to how much we actually wanted it was the connected range from American luxury bathroom brand Kohler called Kohler Konnect. The range includes a voice-controlled shower that can remember a number of presets of heat, music, lights and more, so you can get the perfect shower just by asking for it. Also included in the range are a mirror that doubles as an Alexa speaker, a bath that fills itself, a tap that can pour set amounts of water, and a toilet that has foot warmers, a heated seat, atmospheric lights and music, and a bidet. It's not likely to be a cheap range, but then you can't put a price on a shower that doesn't require you to stand in scalding hot/freezing cold water as you frantically try to adjust the temperature. The smart home hub is potentially the least exciting thing in the whole ecosystem, even if it is the device that connects all your different devices from all of your different manufacturers under one umbrella, allowing you complete control of your home. While we're starting to see smart speakers like the Milo get released that combine smart speaker and hub, the reality is that most homes still need a hub, and for Americans, CES 2018 saw the release of Homey. Homey is a smart home hub that is compatible with over 30,000 different smart home devices, and brings the control for all of them into one interface. What's more, it can be controlled with Google Assistant, Alexa, and even by Facebook Messenger. Talking of Facebook Messenger, European smart home manufacturer Netatmo used CES 2018 to introduce Smart Home Bot, a dedicated bot that means you can control your Netatmo devices from Messenger. If you've got Netatmo's camera, you can even text the bot to ask who's home, and you'll get a reply with a picture of the people who are home. Now obviously, given the previous post, Netatmo isn't the first company to offer this feature, but it is a much bigger name than Homey, and we'll be keeping a close eye on other major manufacturers to see if this is the start of a new trend. AI was the buzzword of CES 2018, and we saw some truly useful applications of the technology. Among them was the Somfy Outdoor Camera. The ability for cameras to use artificial intelligence to identify a human being is now a fairly common feature, but Somfy's new camera goes one step further. When it identifies a person getting too close to your property it not only sends you a notification, it also gives off a warning to that person to leave the area using an onboard speaker, and if the intruder doesn't heed the warning it goes into full alarm mode with a 110db siren – that's the same volume as a rock concert. Still on the subject of home security products, but this time dealing with the thorny issue of letting strangers into your house, we have the August Access. This is smart lock manufacturer August's alternative to Amazon's controversial Key service, which gives delivery drivers access to your home when you're not there by offering them temporary control of your smart lock. August's service works by giving the delivery person a one-time code that opens your door, whereupon they make the delivery and then leave. Hopefully. August has partnered up with American delivery service Deliv, which delivers products for a large number of retailers including Best Buy and Macy's. Given that the smart home market is full of competing brands, it's always nice to see a collaboration between two of them, and at CES we saw two of the biggest names – Nest and Yale – team up to bring out a smart lock. The Nest x Yale lock is able to store 250 different PIN codes, and has a really nifty feature in that you can set codes to only work as specific times. So if you're worried about someone letting themselves in at night, you can make sure their code only works at the time they're supposed to be there. The partnership also means that when the Nest Hello video doorbell hits the market you'll be able to remotely unlock your door if you know the person who's outside. Want your smart home controller to be a little more dodecahedron-y? Allow us to introduce you to the Nanoleaf Remote. Unveiled at CES 2018, the Nanoleaf Remote allows you to control the very unique smart lighting Nanoleaf units, and other products that connect to the Remote using Apple's HomeKit ecosystem. Apparently the testing for the Remote was as unique as the device itself, with testers given no instructions and left to figure out the device for themselves. We'll definitely be calling this one in for review. While this may not strictly be smart home, every home should arguably have one, and CES 2018 marked the return of the adorable Sony Aibo. When we first reported on the rumors of Aibo coming back to us there was a possibility that it was going to be a smart speaker. While that's looking less likely now, the new Aibo does still have cameras and microphones onboard so it can learn commands, and even adjust its behavior based on who is talking to it. There were other robots shown off at CES that can help out with smart home integration, such as LG's Cloi. Want to know more about them? Check out The best robots of CES 2018: from cyber cleaners to robo pals. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/lCsIYk8p80E

You could summarize CES 2018 pretty simply: “That tech thing you own? Now you can talk to it with Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.” Voice-activated functionality through these two popular platforms is dominating the discussion in Las Vegas. But while Amazon is showing off what Alexa can do for your TVs, cars and laptops, one Indiegogo campaign is jumping into the CES fray to boast what its product can do for Alexa. The ZLINK Smart Home Hub was designed to essentially convert your Amazon Echo, Echo Dot or Echo Spot into a voice-activated smart hub, using Amazon’s voice software to communicate with smart Z-Wave devices throughout your home via radio waves. Let's back up a bit: Devices like the Google Home and Amazon Echo communicate over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, which work fine for buying groceries, but doesn’t fit the bill for talking to most smart devices like thermostats or locks. These typically run on specialized wireless networks like Z-Wave or Zigbee that aren’t vulnerable to Wi-Fi outages, hacking or the whims of your service provider (imagine being locked out because you didn’t pay your cable bill). That's why companies like Samsung, Verizon, ADT and AT&T all use Z-Wave for their smart tech. Enter ZLINK. It does what any smart hub would do; communicate with your wireless mesh network of Z-Wave lights, sensors and plugs and send data to a smartphone app, through which you can control said devices. But, because you can talk to any ZLINK-connected device through your Amazon Echo, you don’t need your smartphone at all: your Echo has essentially become the ZLINK. Best of all, the ZLINK is so compact that you’ll need to be careful not to lose it. It’s shaped like a USB drive, and you can plug it into “any standard USB power supply” to power it, including your laptop. The little hub that couldEarlier today, another CES attendee announced its plan to fill the same gap as the ZLINK. The Milo speaker fuses the features of both Echo and ZLINK into one powerful device that communicates over Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Z-Wave, and Zigbee, so no possible smart device on your network is left out. ZLINK's creators say they plan to add Bluetooth functionality in the near future, and if you connect it with an Amazon Echo Plus — which does have Zigbee functionality — you could theoretically make your ZLINK-Echo combo match Milo's capabilities. Still, that's a lot of work compared to simply buying a Milo speaker that'll be ready out of the box in early 2018. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Mx22XzFG4xxJ3Tdkfb5ie9.jpg Milo speaker But Milo may have more of an uphill battle to success than ZLINK. The all-in-one speaker, which costs $149 (about £120, AU$200), is competing directly with the Echo and Google Home. Millions of people bought speakers last year alone, and many of them may not even realize their Echo or Home isn’t a smart hub. By contrast, the ZLINK currently retails for just $15 (about £10, AU$20) if you pay the “early bird” Indiegogo price. Those who already own Echos can just augment their current (and future) models with ZLINK, and TechRadar staffer Andrew London noted that the Milo has half the number of microphones as Amazon’s, and found no details on how intelligent the company's assistant will actually be. Plus, the ZLINK team claims they’ll begin work on integrating ZLINK with Google Home Assistant if they hit their $50,000 stretch goal, though who knows how long adding that functionality could take. For now, we’re excited to hook ZLINK up see just how good the $20 gizmo is at being Echo’s smart translator, once it ships out this March. New year, new tech – check out all our coverage of CES 2018 straight from Las Vegas, the greatest gadget show on Earthhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/9cRhj5UAbQ8

One of the big talking points of home security in 2017 was around the Amazon Key service, the one that allowed its delivery drivers to access your home while you were out. And while the response was definitely mixed, that hasn’t stopped others from trying their hand at this service. August, a manufacturer of top-quality smart lock and video doorbell products has taken the opportunity of CES 2018 to launch its own rival service called August Access. August Access works by giving delivery drivers a one-time access code, that means if they arrive to deliver a parcel while you’re out, they can input the code and let themselves in. New, but not newSimilar to Amazon Key, August claims that for added protection you can watch the delivery happen. The promotional image attached to the press release shows a driver inside, but as the range currently only includes a doorbell camera, we’re not sure what level of security that brings once the person is inside your home. Now, August Access isn’t technically a new feature. It’s existed in one form or another since 2015, and August was in the process of running a trial in 2017 with Walmart, before the company was acquired by Assa Abloy, one of the world’s largest lock manufacturers. That acquisition means that this service is able to roll out to more than just August locks. It also includes Yale and Emtek, which are also Assa Abloy brands. At present the service is only available in the US, and the first trusted partner is delivery service Deliv, which handles delivery for around 4,000 retailers including major names like Macy’s and Best Buy. Customers will be given the option when checking out their basket to select August Access delivery, and then on the day of delivery the unique code will be sent to your driver. You just have to choose if you feel comfortable letting a stranger in your house while you’re not there. New year, new tech – check out all our coverage of CES 2018 straight from Las Vegas, the greatest gadget show on EarthVia TechCrunch http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/VSrBlLGOG5I

The Samsung Family Hub 3.0 refrigerator is even smarter than the previous model, packing in Bixby smarts and powerful AKG audio to make your time in and out of the kitchen more enjoyable. Aside from the massive display, it might look like just a regular fridge, but this new model is all about convenience and fun – two things that are usually amiss in most kitchens. The biggest addition to this year’s family hub is Bixby, which operates a lot like it does on, say, the Samsung Galaxy S8. But this particular twist on Bixby is tuned to know what’s inside of your fridge and, uniquely, is able to whip together recipes based on the food that you have. While our time with Samsung’s smart assistant on smartphones has had its ups and downs, our demo of the Family Hub proved that the kitchen is a place where it reigns supreme. It knows when your food will expire, and it can show you local coupons so you can get the best prices on refilling your stock of grub. And thanks to the new AKG speakers integrated into the fridge, it’s a surprisingly competent alternative to picking up a Bluetooth speaker because, well, it’s Bluetooth-enabled. Samsung has yet to announce price and availability for the Family Hub 3.0 refrigerator. But based on the reception to the previous model, which is widely available, we expect to see this soon. So, if you feel like your kitchen is in need of a smart makeover with a fridge that’s basically equivalent to having your very own meal curator, this is one to watch out for. You can read more about what the Family Hub is capable of right here. New year, new tech – check out all our coverage of CES 2018 straight from Las Vegas, the greatest gadget show on Earth http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/QmCH5nk4v58

One of the most confusing parts of the smart home setup at the moment is the need for a separate smart hub to actually control all of the elements in your smart home in one place. For many, you may not even realize that the smart speaker (think Amazon Echo or Google Home) isn’t a hub, though it certainly feels like it should be, and with the Amazon Echo Plus it almost is, but even this top-of-the range device still doesn’t contain all of the wireless protocols necessary to communicate with all the devices in your smart home. A standard smart speaker like the Google Home or the basic Amazon Echo will have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, but will lack Z-Wave and Zigbee, two competing low energy wireless connection methods that are hugely popular in the smart home. One step too manyWhat this means is that you have to buy a separate hub like the Samsung SmartThings hub, which you then command using your smart speaker. It just feels like an unnecessary layer of complication in an already complicated setup. What would be ideal is a smart speaker that already has Z-Wave, Zigbee, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and even infrared like the Homey hub has, so you didn’t need two separate devices. While this may sound like asking for the moon on a plate, this is exactly what manufacturer Hogar has managed to do (minus the infrared) with the Milo speaker that it’s showcasing at CES 2018. New year, new tech – check out all our coverage of CES 2018http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Va9Qkj3qCgHafJXfeMrzMR.jpg The Milo, in black and white What’s more, it’s only $149 (about £120, AU$200). That’s more than the standard Amazon Echo or Google Home, but the same price as the Echo Plus. Now, this isn’t us saying that it’s a better speaker. We’ve not had hands-on time with the Milo, and from looking at the specs it’s not quite as impressive as its competition. For example, it only has a three microphone array which is half the amount of the Echo. But our point is, the first smart speaker that can truly stand as a smart home hub competitor hasn’t come from Amazon or Google. And that’s a little surprising. It’s possible to speculate that with Amazon backing Zigbee, it means that Z-Wave will end up being the Betamax of the smart home race, but for the time being at least smart speakers need to start providing a real alternative to smart home hubs. According to Hogar, the Milo smart speaker is going to be available early 2018. We'll be trying it out to let you know if it's worth buying, and keeping an eye on the big names to see whether the next wave of speakers solves the separate hub problem. New year, new tech – check out all our coverage of CES 2018 straight from Las Vegas, the greatest gadget show on Earthhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/5X-qqgJP8zw