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Announced at IFA 2017, Neato’s Botvac D7 robot vacuum cleaner has the ability to map your home as it vacuums, allowing you to give it specific instructions about where it should clean. You have a couple of options as to how it generates this map. It can either chart the territory throughout its maiden cleaning voyage, or else you can put it into ‘discovery mode’ which won’t risk it vacuuming areas that you’ll later set as no-go areas. You use the app to set these locations, and it will also report any obstructions the vacuum cleaner encountered, so you know where it hasn't been able to clean. iRobot has included similar functionality in its Roomba line in the past, although this has relied upon you physically placing battery-powered sensors throughout your home to tell the robot to not enter certain areas. Controversial mapmakingThis isn’t the first time a robot vacuum cleaner has mapped a home as it cleans, but in the past it’s proved slightly controversial. iRobot CEO Colin Angle suggested that the company would be willing to sell these floorplans to other smart home companies, but later appeared to step back from the position. Importantly, Neato’s mapping efforts appear to be focussed around giving users more control over their vacuum cleaner’s path rather than to sell this data to third-parties. The vacuum cleaner will also integrate with all major smart home ecosystems, including Amazon Alexa, Google Home, and IFTTT. There’s also a Neato Facebook Messenger Chatbot if you’re into that sort of thing. No firm release date for the Botvac D7 has been released beyond ‘Q4 2017’, but when it’s available it’s set to cost $799 (around £617 / AU$1000). We're live from Berlin for IFA 2017, Europe's largest technology conference. Stick with TechRadar for all the latest news.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/fPeBwLeFZWc

Libratone has announced that it’s (already very attractive) Zipp and Zipp mini speakers are soon getting another reason for you to buy. With a free app update rollout later in the year, the speakers will house Amazon’s digital assistant Alexa. The announcement comes as part of the tech convention IFA 2017 currently happening in Berlin, and will no doubt be a welcome addition for people who have already bought the Libratone speakers. But this also makes them a more interesting proposition for anyone thinking of getting an Alexa-powered speaker in their home. Setting Sonos in its sightsWhen we reviewed the Zipp speaker in June, we gave it four stars, and that was without the digital assistant component, so it is now a seriously interesting proposition. The Zipp and the Zipp mini manage to straddle the line between a great-sounding home speaker and an on-the-go speaker. Both feature Wi-Fi, meaning you can set up a solid multi-room system, and with the recent announcement that Alexa now has the capability to control this sort of arrangement, this could be just what the Zipp line needs to make it a serious Sonos competitor. The Zipp speakers already feature Apple’s Air Play, and are already prepared for Air Play 2 when it launches later this year. Simon Peschcke Køedt, VP of Global Marketing for Libratone said: ”We are proud to be one of the first Wireless speaker companies in the world to release AirPlay 2 support. This will underpin our ambition of bringing well sounding and beautifully designed wireless speakers to the world even further” According to Libratone, all of these new features will automatically rollout in free app updates later in the year, so you don't have to do anything to take advantage of them except update your software. IFA 2017 is Europe's biggest tech show. The TechRadar team is in Berlin to bring you all the breaking news and hands-on first impressions of new phones, watches and other tech as they're announced.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/mzFkxPA3A0c

If you’ve been interested in the Nest’s ability to save you hundreds each year on your energy bill, but couldn’t quite stand the taste of its $249 (£279) price tag, you’re in luck: there’s a brand-new entry-level model that does everything the original can at half the price. The new model is called the Nest Thermostat E. According to the smart thermostat maker, it’ll cost only $169 and arrive just in time for the approaching winter months up here in the northern hemisphere. Now winter, is obviously the most practical season to use a Nest Learning Thermostat but, as it turns out, it’s also the inspiration behind the Nest Thermostat E’s design: The new learning thermostat is covered in a frosted glass exterior (an industry-first according to Nest), and a white ring will now encompasses the outer edge of the display. The display is not only a unique distinguishing aesthetic feature but, apparently, also a practical one as well. The frosted display uses an ambient light sensor to share information at just the right brightness – which means, when the display is off, the screen is grey, and when it’s on, it’ll use be just the right brightness. And of course, when no one’s home, both the sensor and the system itself will shut off completely. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NDwH63H3GQrf2exv7rRWG6.jpg Affordable energy control While the design of the unit might feel a bit unfamiliar, the Nest Thermostat E remains the same great energy-saving product you’ve always known. To that end, the thermostat ships with a pre-set schedule that should fit for the majority of folks, but that schedule can be morphed and modified either by your own wishes through the Nest app, or via Nest’s learning algorithm that detects when everyone is out of the house and shuts down the system accordingly. Should you want to integrate the Nest Thermostat E into your existing smart home armada, that’s no problem – just like the original, the new Thermostat E works with both major smart speakers, the Amazon Echo and Google Home, as well as any product in the Works with Nest ecosystem. The best part? It’s available right now via Nest’s website. These are the best smart home devices in 2017http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/r0jqkpw9sf0

Today, Google announced that it wants to make its virtual assistant more widely available by freeing it from the confines of smartphones, smartwatches and Google Home and rolling it into a wider range of third-party products. At CES earlier this year, we felt that we couldn't turn a corner without seeing a product boasting Amazon Alexa support. Alexa was in everything from fridges to alarm clocks. At this year’s IFA in Berlin, however, it looks like it might be Google Assistant’s turn to be the star of the show. Not long from now, you’re going to start finding Google Assistant in third-party speakers, washing machines, vacuum cleaners and more. Unlimited assistanceSo, outside of Google Home what speakers will Google Assistant be coming to? Perhaps the most noteworthy that was announced at IFA was probably Panasonic’s SC-GA10. Due later this year, the speaker is being positioned against Apple’s HomePod in terms of prioritizing sound, but it’ll be fully fitted with Google Assistant support to ensure it has smarts too. If anything, it's an interesting competitor to Google Home itself. You’ll also find Google Assistant in Anker’s Zolo Mojo and Mobovi’s TicHome Mini, but according to Google, this is “just the start” and even more speakers will be announced with Google Assistant support throughout IFA. While the speakers will appeal to a wide range of budgets, they’ll all be capable of the same Google Assistant functions such as web searching, schedule organising, smart home control and voice recognition. Not content to stay within the confines of speakers, Google will also be partnering with appliance manufacturers such as LG. Later this year Google Assistant support will be integrated into a range of washing machines, dryers, and vacuum cleaners so you’ll be able to control your kitchen via any Google Assistant equipped device, whether that’s a speaker or a smartphone. Google has said in its blog post that it will continue to update users throughout IFA on the different partnerships it’s making and where we can expect to see Google Assistant over the next year or so. It’s interesting, however, that this announcement has come around the same time Microsoft and Amazon announced they would be aligning their assistants, Cortana and Alexa, more closely. Whether or not Google is firmly setting itself up as a flexible digital assistant platform through these partnerships, or if it has any intention to work with other AI assistants, is unclear. We’re on the ground at this year’s IFA, so we’ll hopefully be able to bring you hands-on impressions of the new devices supporting Google Assistant and get some feedback from industry experts on how exactly they think the digital assistant market is going to evolve. IFA 2017 is Europe's biggest tech show. The TechRadar team is in Berlin to bring you all the breaking news and hands-on first impressions of new phones, watches and other tech as they're announced http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/C8wdTLxxEx0

Though we have a choice of many digital assistants from a variety of companies that are capable of helping us do everything from turning on our favorite song to organizing our day, one thing they haven’t quite managed is to work together. It appears, however, that’s about to change thanks to a new partnership between Amazon and Microsoft. In a recent report, the New York Times has said that before the year is out, Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana will be able to communicate with one another. So, for anyone using an Alexa device it’ll be possible to access Cortana by saying “Alexa, open Cortana” and vice versa for anyone using a Cortana-enabled device. It’s a basic level of integration which essentially just involves both companies creating skills on one another’s platforms, but it’s been something the New York Times says has been in the works for around a year. An unlikely pairIt’s also a somewhat surprising move - it’s not common to see companies as large as Microsoft and Amazon work together, particularly in an area as crowded and seemingly competitive as digital assistants. But it will have benefits to users. Cross-platform integration will mean Alexa users will now more easily be able to access Cortana’s Microsoft Office skills and Cortana will be able to fill the hole in its wider skills gap by allowing its users to call on Alexa. According to the New York Times, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos said that it’s important that users “have access to as many of those AIs as possible” as in the future it’s likely we’ll turn to different assistants for different things. For example, users will naturally turn to Cortana for anything relating to Microsoft’s Outlook or Office services. The most likely outcome (and the outcome that’ll be most beneficial to users) is that there’ll be a primary assistant capable to directing the user’s request to whichever assistant is most equipped to answer their request. Bezos stated that at the moment he hasn’t reached out to Google or Apple to see if they would be interested in a similar partnership but says that he would “welcome it”, while Microsoft’s Satya Nadella stated he hoped they would be “inspired” by the partnership. It is, perhaps, a different situation for Apple and Google given that their respective assistants Siri and Google Assistant are important parts of the very distinct iOS and Android smartphone ecosystems. Arguably these companies have more to gain from keeping their assistants separate. However, it could be beneficial for both users and Google and Apple to at least work more closely with Alexa and Cortana, if they can’t work with one another. More details of the partnership will be released later this week and we'll report with more news as it comes in. Via The New York Times There's now an Alexa skill for Ocado so you can do your shopping by voicehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/DIX9V57ay5c

If you thought the McGregor-v-Mayweather was going to be the best fight you’d see in 2017, you might be sorely disappointed: Sonos and Amazon are preparing for an all-out brawl in the connected speaker space. The latest barrage of blows happened this morning when Amazon added multi-room audio support to the Alexa app, allowing you to group Amazon Echo devices together – a move that effectively copies Sonos’ greatest strength. Grouping Amazon Echo devices will not only give you the ability to hear the same song in a different room but also also control the playback of the song from any Echo device in the house, creating a seamless whole-home audio solution not unlike the one Sonos already offers. The new feature comes just one day after the news leaked that Sonos is planning a voice-controlled speaker of its own, similar to the Amazon Echo, Google Home and Apple HomePod that, that according to new sources, will be unveiled during an October 4 event. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/N8WLGEDdCAaqJzPJ6P5huG.jpg A Game of TonesOK, while I'd like to tell you that you're about to witness a re-creation The Battle of the Bastards by two of the most powerful tech companies in the world, it'll probably be a bit closer to that game of espionage Littlefinger and Arya play in the middle of Season 7: a lot of subversive plays to try and draw out what the other one is doing. To that end, both solutions have something the other one lacks. Sonos quite obviously desires the voice control functionality that Amazon Echo has, while Amazon wants the multi-room playback functionality that Sonos had. At first glance, it might appear that the battle is done and over. But there's a caveat: The multi-room music feature is only available in three countries at the moment: the US, the UK and Germany. There's also the minor limitation that synchronized music playback on Amazon Echo currently works for songs playing from Amazon Music, TuneIn, iHeartRadio and Pandora, with support for Spotify and SiriusXM coming soon. Sonos, for the record, can control playback for any of those streaming services and works in over 60 countries – but, for now, still lacks voice control. Which one will win a seat on the Iron Mantle of our homes? Only time will tell. Don't miss this showdown: Amazon Echo vs Apple HomePod vs Google Homehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/JdYx1QBWzqo

Lots of action is happening around the Amazon Echo this week, and the latest development is a doozy: the flagship smart speaker is out of stock in the US. The Amazon Echo smart speaker in black is listed as "currently unavailable" on Amazon for the first time we’ve seen outside of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. TechCrunch was first to make the spot. While it was available at our first check, the white Amazon Echo is out of stock now as well. A check of Amazon UK shows the Amazon Echo in stock in both colors, so this isn't a global pulling of the device. However, it raises a few questions. Namely, is an out-of-stock Amazon Echo a sign the online retail giant is preparing to launch the Amazon Echo 2? That can't be ruled out. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/x4X7VoGgLDv77PoXTXeELT.jpg Making room for Amazon Echo 2? Amazon has held a number of significant Amazon Echo sales in recent months, with the biggest a 50% price reduction on Amazon Prime Day (July 11). Many, including your friends at TechRadar, saw this in particular as a means for Amazon to clear out inventory of the speaker to make way for the next-generation model. Then yesterday, as Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods was finalized, shoppers noticed Amazon Echo and Echo Dot speakers on sale in select supermarkets. The prices of the Echo and Echo Dot were reduced by $80 and $5, respectively, in stores and online. This raised eyebrows as potentially another sign Amazon might be looking to get the Echo, which was released in 2015, off of shelves. The Amazon Echo Dot is still in stock online. Now, Amazon may simply be facing significant demand for the Echo because of these price cuts, and it took Echo sales offline in order to catch up with orders. Or, Amazon could have an upgraded Echo 2 waiting in the wings. The possibly sleeker speaker is rumored to debut in the fall, or between September and December. With Apple HomePod launch scheduled for December, it's likely Amazon will want to get a jump with any updated smart speaker it has planned. Via The Verge Deals, deals, deals: Here's what to expect on Black Friday 2017http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/OpIsKUBOiQA

If you’re a music loving student, Amazon has an offer that you may be interested in. It has launched a new payment bracket for Music Unlimited, meaning that if you’re a student, you can subscribe for just $4.99 (£4.99) a month. What’s more, there’s a special incentive to mark the launch of this new price bracket. If you sign up now, you get the first six months for just $6 (£6). The Music Unlimited service gives you access to over 40 million songs and thousands of curated playlists and personalised stations. This service typically costs $7.99 for Prime members and $9.99 for non-Prime customers. Sweeter than the competitionWith the vast number of streaming services available on the market, it makes sense for Amazon to be offering something to try and sweeten the deal. What’s interesting is that the new price matches Spotify’s student pricing. Of course, one of the benefits of having your music streaming service provided by Amazon is that if you want to use an Alexa-powered speaker, all of the benefits of your streaming service are available using just your voice. Spotify is also available on Amazon’s speakers too, but if you’re torn between the two, that first six months are a pretty big incentive. We have reached out to Amazon to confirm if this deal is extending to Australia. Want to know more about recent Alexa skills? Check out: There is now an Alexa skill for Ocado so you can do your grocery shop by voicehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/JkL76vBRpO4

Online supermarket Ocado just took a leap into the voice assistant market, by becoming the first UK supermarket to release an Alexa skill. Skills are the name for apps on the Amazon Alexa enabled speakers, including Amazon’s own Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show, and the numerous third-party speakers that are powered by the smart assistant. Using the new skill, you will be able to add items to a currently existing basket, find out which products are in season and get inspiration for how to best use them in recipes, check if a product is already in your basket, and track an order. At the moment the skill doesn’t enable you to create and check-out a new order, it only allows you to add to or track an existing one. Vocal competitionWhat’s quite interesting is that this isn’t the first time that you've been able to do a food shop using Alexa, Amazon offers it’s own grocery service with Amazon Fresh. In the UK, this service is run in collaboration with Morrisons, and the operation is very similar to the new Ocado skill. Potentially this means that Ocado will be in direct competition with Amazon's own offering. Amazon has already allowed for third-party companies to make speakers that use Alexa, and it’s even opened up its hardware build for the Echo speakers, allowing for other manufacturers to make speakers with the same microphone array. This all seemed to be a move to ensure the ubiquity of Alexa, seemingly so that Amazon could then make money off customers using its online services. Seeing the skills store filling up with other services that are in direct competition makes us wonder what the bigger picture is for Amazon. But in the short term, enjoy adding carrots to your shopping basket even when you’ve got dirty hands in the kitchen. Want to get the most out of Alexa? Check out: The best Amazon Echo Alexa skills and commandshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/E-hrLtu__0c

It was easy to dismiss the rumors that Sonos was planning on integrating Alexa, Amazon’s smart assistant, into its Play family of connected speakers. But, as it turns out, there were a lot more to those rumors than we thought: a recent FCC filing from the company shows the schematics for a smart speaker, one that could rival or even surpass the Apple HomePod, Google Home and Amazon Echo. The filing was discovered this morning by ZatzNotFunny, and it contains pretty much everything you’d expect from a high-powered smart speaker including a far-field microphone array and integrated voice controls for “multiple voice platforms and music services”. The multiple music service part is par for the course, but could Google Assistant, Siri, Cortana and Alexa all live on the same speaker in harmony? Looks like we’re going to find out. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XwqdamEkffrXgwRD2Spykc.jpg That’s so SonosHonestly? If there was any company out there that could unite a divided smart assistant speaker world, Sonos is it. This is the company that happily supports Apple Music, Amazon Prime Music, Google Play Music and a half-dozen more inside the same Sonos app, so maybe it all makes sense. The device hasn’t been named by Sonos yet, but in the description for the patent it’s labeled as product model S13. The codename doesn't give us any idea of where it fits into Sonos' pre-existing line-up of speakers unfortunately. Should the news of this new speaker send shivers up Apple's spine? Considering that the speaker could launch right around the time the Apple HomePod hits shelves (December 2017 for those who forgot) the answer is yes. Yes it should. These are the best Bluetooth speakers on the planethttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/1tENxjUwvcM

Amazon now officially owns Whole Foods, and to mark the acquisition not only is the online retailer dropping prices on food items, it's also selling its hardware at discounted prices in some stores. Shoppers have spotted Amazon Echo speakers on sale in select Whole Foods locations, as reported by TechCrunch. Right next to the produce, natch. Whole Foods is selling the flagship Amazon Echo and smaller Amazon Echo Dot for $99.99 and $45.99, respectively. Those are $80 and $5 price drops, respectively, from the speakers' everyday US prices. But Amazon Echo prices aren't just lower in brick-and-mortar Whole Foods locations; Amazon has also reduced the speakers' online prices to match. Get the Amazon Echo for $99.99 / £99 on AmazonGet the Amazon Echo Dot for $44.99 / £44.99 on AmazonIf it makes any difference, the speakers are marked as 'Farm Fresh.' Ha. The in-store signage also has a 'Whole Foods Market + Amazon' logo on it, marking the companies' merger and pointing to future benefits to come. These include giving Amazon Prime members special savings and other perks when they shop at Whole Foods, plus further price reductions for all shoppers. Amazon is giving customers a taste of what its tenure as Whole Foods owner will look like by putting its hardware in stores. What's more, it's likely selling off inventory in preparation of a rumored Amazon Echo 2 launch later this year. Whatever Amazon has up its sleeve, you can bet it's not done putting the Amazon Echo front and center in its supermarkets. Not by a long shot. Will the Amazon Echo 2 be here by Black Friday 2017?http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/E4kTr7UUrdw

Keeping your hardware drivers up to date is essential to ensure your Windows PC keeps running smoothly, but it’s all too easy to miss updates that would improve its performance. That’s where Driver Booster comes in. The latest version of this handy software, released last week, can automatically scan your PC and over 400,000 devices and PC driver provided by more than 5,000 companies, including Nvidia, Intel and Microsoft. Driver Booster is particularly useful for gamers, updating not only your graphics card drivers, but also other components like DirectX, VC Runtime and PhysX. It’s a great timesaver, and once you’ve given it a try we think you’ll be impressed. Bear in mind that you might experience a brief interruption to your internet connection if Driver Booster needs to update your network adapter drivers. Download here: Driver Booster http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg Download of the Day is our pick of the best free software around – whether it's useful, fun, or just plain silly. If you have any recommendations, please send them to downloads@techradar.com. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/ZRPcgtSESmw

In a recent report by The Intercept, Sarahah app that’s become everyone’s favourite in the past few weeks and is aimed at giving a user constructive criticism by his/her peers was caught red-handed when a user discovered it collecting private information. Zachary Julian who is a senior security analyst at Bishop Fox installed the app on his Samsung Galaxy S5 which was running Android 5.1.1 Lollipop. What’s special about this smartphone is that Zachary had BURP Suite pre-installed on the phone which monitors traffic coming in and going out of the handset. That is when he fired up Sarahah and found out that the app started uploading his data that included phone numbers and email to its servers. On iOS though, a pop-up message appears as he starts the app, which asks his permission to access the contacts. After The Intercept’s story, Zain al-Abidin Tawfiq, the brainchild behind Sarahah revealed in a tweet that the app asks for contacts as a result of a “find your friends” feature that couldn’t make it to the app in time due to some technical issues along with the fact that his partner whom he had stopped working with was supposed to take care of removing this issue from the app. Zain also said that the app doesn’t store any private information in its database. Android 6.0 Marshmallow onwards, Android has introduced a micro-managed permissions options that ask users to allow a third-party app to read data from the smartphone among other things. This particular incident also sheds light on the fact that most people do not simply care about the app asking them for permissions to access private information and they just allow it to read the data. Zain might be giving a valid reason for the app to pick up a user's data but we will never know for sure. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/yapDarV-abU

You don't always need a fully-fledged photo editor to get your vacation pictures ready to share on Facebook. Sometimes all they need is a little judicious tweaking before they're ready to show off, and that's exactly what Adobe Photoshop Express delivers. Photoshop Express is as beautifully designed as you'd expect from a program developed by Adobe, and its clear, straightforward interface is easy to use with a mouse or touchscreen. Just open the photo you want to adjust, then use the simple buttons and sliders to crop, refine contrast, exposure and white balance, and apply stylish filters. When you're done, a quick tap or click is all it takes to save the finished picture to your device or publish it straight to Facebook. Download here: Adobe Photoshop Express http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg Download of the Day is our pick of the best free software around – whether it's useful, fun, or just plain silly. If you have any recommendations, please send them to downloads@techradar.com. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/jOH71me_w5o

It's easy to make small typos when you're sending an email, posting to social media, or filling out a form online. Sometimes it doesn't matter, but there are occasions when little slip-ups are embarrassing. Grammarly is a convenient little browser extension for Chrome that acts as a second pair of eyes, checking your writing for mistakes before you click 'send'. Rather than just checking your spelling, Grammarly also looks for things like missing apostrophes and incorrect hyphenation that would otherwise be missed. The basic version of Grammarly is free, and will check all text typed into your browser. For more advanced assistance, Grammarly Premium highlights stylistic issues and vocabulary enhancements. Premium subscriptions start at US$11.66 per month (about £9, AU$15). Download here: Grammarly http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg Download of the Day is our pick of the best free software around – whether it's useful, fun, or just plain silly. If you have any recommendations, please send them to downloads@techradar.com. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/8Bs9OrACM6c

The smart speaker market is about to get some more competition as Samsung confirms it's also working on a device to rival Google Home, Amazon Echo and the upcoming Apple HomePod. DJ Koh, president of Samsung's mobile division, said in an interview that the company behind the Samsung Galaxy S8 and recently announced Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is currently working on its own smart speaker, according to CNBC. This news follows just over a month after multiple rumors claimed Samsung was working on a smart speaker powered by Samsung's digital assistant, Bixby, under the codename 'Vega.' While Koh did not provide a lot of details — for example, it's not been confirmed if the device will actually be powered by Bixby — he does mention the possibility of an announcement coming "soon." However, with Amazon Echo and Google Home in a fierce arms race to one-up each other, (and Apple's Siri-powered HomePod arriving on store shelves this December) we hope the smart speaker market isn't too crowded in time for the supposed Vega's launch — for Samsung's sake. Apple HomePod vs. Google Home vs. Amazon Echo: battle of the smart speakershttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/-sTxepaSC3Y

After being mistakenly released and quickly retracted in June this year, Bluetooth audio streaming has returned to the Google Home and looks to be here to stay. The feature was first announced at Google IO 2017 as part of a larger software update, and while the unit has always contained a Bluetooth chip, it hasn’t yet been possible to use this connectivity option to stream audio. Previously, Google Home users had to rely on the services that were strictly supported by the device – Spotify, Google Play Music, Pandora, and YouTube Red – or otherwise cast their media using their home Wi-Fi network and supported apps. Now users can stream local audio directly via their Bluetooth connection. How do I do it?Firstly, there’s a chance you may not yet have access to this feature as it seems to be rolling out to users gradually – you’ll need to check if you have the latest firmware (version 1.26.93937) for it to work. To pair the Google Home with your device, you’ll need to navigate to “Devices” in your Google Home app. Under this menu, you’ll find an option for “Paired Bluetooth Devices” which will allow you to “Enable Pair Mode”. From here, go to the Bluetooth settings of the device you want to pair and find Google Home in the list in order to pair with it. There hasn’t yet been any official announcement from Google about this update, but according to Google Support chat via Ausdroid, the feature is here to stay. Some users have reported spotty connections and lag issues with the Google Home’s Bluetooth connection, so there’s a chance the feature may be further developed, but we’ll have to wait and see if any related updates are on the way. Google Home also just added support for free Spotify streaming.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/k8s23trPxP4

It seems as though the iconic circular Nest thermostat could be in line for a redesign, after serial tipster Evan Blass tweeted out a picture of a new-look model (see below), one which would appear to be taking a cheaper and more plastic approach than the original. Blass didn't supply any other pertinent details like a launch date, a price or a name, but we have heard whispers about a cheaper Nest before - one that would cost less than $200 rather than the $249 (or £249) that the current model retails for. Sources speaking to Bloomberg said the new Nest would appear at some point next year, so it would make sense for the first official shots to be floating around. Alternatively the company might push out their new model in time for the 2017 holiday season. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/hcCPCA9X45XqoCEVvsJd8G.jpg The price would be driven down by using cheaper materials and a lot of plastic, rather than the metal of the current model. The thermostat's display could also see a downgrade as well, as Nest looks to make its product offerings more palatable to smart home enthusiasts on a budget. On top of the new thermostat shown here, Nest is also apparently working on remote thermostat sensors that would monitor individual rooms in your home and allow you to change the temperature in them separately. Whatever's in the pipeline, it should be made official in the next few months. Nest's most recently launched product is the Nest Cam IQ, which we were rather impressed with - as with a lot of Nest gear though, it's not cheap once you add in the subscription fees for recording what's going on around your home. If you're kitting out a smart home, here are the best devices for 2017http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/eSek1JzT0Ew

If there’s one place in the world that’s supposed to feel safe and comfortable, it’s the home. When you’re not working or doing things outside, this is the place where you and your family members can relax. However, as a result of modern homes becoming increasingly connected, there are fears that they are becoming hot targets for cyber criminals. Connected technologies are taking over the world. According to recent statistics from research firm Gartner, there will be 8.4 billion internet-enabled devices in use by the end of 2017. And this number will grow to a staggering 20.4 billion by the end of the decade. Total spending on Internet of Things products and services is expected to reach $2 trillion this year, too. Gadgets such as smart fridges and wearables are making our lives easier and more productive in a plethora of ways, whether keeping a track on your personal stock of milk, or suggesting you at least attempt to lift your bum off a chair. That’s why they have such a potent role in our homes. But while they’re so useful, that’s not to say they’re safe. Hackers are using these devices to get hold of personal information and cause havoc. A recent investigation by consumer group Which? found that tech-savvy crooks are able to compromise a home network and connected devices within just four days. In this study, ethical hackers were able to gain access to a variety of home-based connected gadgets - including CCTV cameras, smart children’s toys, internet routers and artificial intelligence speakers like the Amazon Echo. These threats go largely unnoticed, until it’s too late. So it's time to spot the threats before they happen. Here's how the modern home can be hacked. Consumers less confidentFrom the NHS attack to the Ukrainian security breach, there have been a number of high-profile cyber attacks over the past few months, and they’ve all had great consequences for the general population. The thing is, these hacks are not only happening more frequently, but they’re also becoming more complex. Shaan Mulchandani, director of technology and security at global engineering firm Aricent, says that cyber criminals are targeting a range of consumer devices and that consumers are becoming less confident in manufacturers. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZQ3YMn5CftVt6U6hcV9kxa.jpg “Data leakages undermine consumers’ trust in connected environments and attacks like WannaCry and Petya cause for further consternation," he tells us. "This is the tip of the iceberg as physical threats can have profound consequences. Disabled smart locks in homes and offices may lead to theft while disabled vehicle detection and collision prevention features in a connected car can be fatal. “Similarly tampered connected fire alarms, Carbon Monoxide / Natural Gas detectors and smart thermostats among other devices can all lead to fatalities. What’s more, cybercriminals can use connected toys and digital assistants to access and manipulate home patients’ insulin pumps and pacemakers, or instruct children to consume dangerous substances." Mulchandani believes that if tech companies put security first, they can forge better relationships with consumers. “These threats should not put off increasing connectivity. Instead, businesses must recognize security as a value creator to increase the take-up of connected and smart use cases. Focus on preventive capabilities and build trusted, resilient ecosystems." Spying on your passwordsAlthough many types of technology can be hacked, many cyber criminals are showing an interest in webcams. Last year, researchers at Vectra Networks - a threat detection and response company based in California - were able to hack into a low-cost D-Link Wi-Fi web camera and reprogram it to act as a network backdoor. This gives hackers the ability to not only access computer systems, but also use the camera to capture credentials and passcodes. Matt Walmsley, EMEA director at the company, says it’s become increasingly difficult for companies and individuals to secure their networks from outside attacks - especially those committed through unsecured connected devices such as surveillance cameras and sensors. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rQPyP6JS4Xvq7eoPYJMdxa.jpg “Webcams are of interest to hackers given the video and voice recording functions that can enable them to capture credentials and passcodes to access computer systems and secure facilities," he says. "There are numerous tried and proven ways to exploit these features. For example, to capture and recover hand movements to reveal someone’s passwords and other sensitive details. “Last year, we demonstrated how easy it is to hack a D-Link Wi-Fi web camera and reprogramme it to act as a persistent network backdoor without disrupting its camera function. These IoT cameras are installed in businesses as well as homes and the irony in this particular scenario is that Wi-Fi cameras are typically deployed to enhance security, are giving ‘Peeping Tom’ voyeurs with unauthorised access the ability to spy, spread and steal without being detected. “To protect homeowners from being hacked, smart devices need to have secure credentials, enabling the purchaser to configure the device for their own network environment. However, the default credential very often goes unchanged after installation, creating a significant vulnerability for attackers to leverage.” Manufacturers ignoring threatsDespite the fact that these security risks are pretty obvious, many people believe that manufacturers aren’t paying enough attention. Pete Turner, a consumer security expert at Avast, happens to be one of them. He says hardware makers often put factors such as speed and affordability before security, creating big opportunities for cyber criminals. “Because of the demand of IoT and smart home devices, impetus is usually put on the speed of manufacturing and an affordable retail price, with security sometimes coming as an afterthought. Hardware manufacturers are rarely experts in security software so consumers have to figure out how best to keep their devices and their personal information safe and secure, with many not knowing how,” he tells us. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qvYBVYrjh6hfGUudgUQXxa.jpg Turner says common devices such as broadband routers and webcams are easy targets for hackers. Cyber criminals are also using webcams to take down internet services. “Internet routers are one of the devices revealed to be hackable and, in a recent study, Avast found that nearly half of all routers (47%) in the UK are in fact unsecured, along with around a fifth of the webcams (22%) in our homes. Webcams are in fact a popular choice with hackers who access these devices either to create a botnet which can take down our internet services, as happened to Talk Talk routers just last year,” he says. Before an attack occurs, it’s important to ensure your devices are secure, and Turner says there are some basic steps to do this. “Firstly, change any default passwords as soon as you get a device – or immediately if you have never changed any that you currently use - and make sure that your passwords are unique to each of your appliances and not shared across other devices. Also ensure you have a good and up-to-date antivirus software,” he suggests. Smart TVs and speakersDr Ben Silverstone, course leader for computing and quantitative business at Arden University in Coventry, says data leakages and phishing scams can affect devices like smart speakers and connected TVs. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e4XGtoBrNmNtEa4JNbmHxa.jpg “There is issue of potential data leakage. Items such as smart speakers and home assistance devices transmit a large amount of data about behaviours, and preferences which could be used to build a profile of owner activities,” he says. “There is also the potential for phishing type scams such as the hacking of smart TVs, which could be used to target other connected devices in the home. However, there would only really be value in attacking devices that require human interaction. The damage caused by trying to control a light bulb or central heating may be an irritation but would not necessarily be overly damaging. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qdTKEnQAsGVeiTi6iHevxa.jpg “Before there is a real move towards financially motivated hacking of connected devices there will be the 'hobby hacker', who will try it just to see what can be achieved. Looking at the patterns of this and the types of attacks committed will give a good indication of future issues.” Homes are easy targetsCyber criminals may have some sophisticated techniques to get into complex systems, but in the home environment, the majority of devices just happen to be easy to hack. Raj Samani, chief scientist at McAfee, says hackers often have the ability to develop code to get into and brick devices quickly. “You just need to look at Mirai for example to see that cyber criminals hacking techniques aren’t particularly sophisticated,"he says. "In fact, many of the devices that are used as part of the connected home are currently being secured by passwords that are publicly known. This in turn makes it easier for hackers to develop code that can exploit these devices, which in some cases are known to ‘brick’ these devices. “No matter what the device, consumers need to always ask the following questions: What data does it collect? Where does it go? Who is it shared with? If they are not comfortable with the potential answers then they must walk away. If they do feel comfortable, it is essential to check whether there is a default password and whether that can be changed. Cyber criminals often exploit the fact that many consumers don’t switch to a new, more secure password, making it even easier for cyber criminals to attack.” We all love the connected devices and commodities that we keep in our homes. They make life more convenient and keep us entertained, but they also happen to be potentially dangerous. Unfortunately, manufacturers don’t always focus on hardware security, and this is creating lucrative opportunities for hackers. There’s no doubt that we’ll see hacks continue to happen as connected technology evolves – and if security doesn’t improve. For the time being, for our own sakes we'll have to personally be extra careful, and extra vigilant. After Wannacry, here's how you can protect against ransom attackshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/SOozBuHT84g

Would you buy a Surface Pro device running Windows 10 S? We only ask because Microsoft has issued new firmware for its latest tablet explicitly supporting the new operating system. Released on August 12, the new firmware patches the Surface Pro with four key Intel driver updates, all of which directly cite support for Windows 10 S. Furthermore, these are the only changes found within the firmware update, making it only more suspicious that Microsoft is up to something. Why would a device that ships only with Windows 10 Pro be receiving hardware drivers that work with Windows 10 S? Surface Pro meets Windows 10 SThe most logical conclusion here – i.e. the only one we can come up with – is that Microsoft is laying the groundwork for an eventual version of the Surface Pro paired with Windows 10 S. While we’ve had little evidence from which to draw that conclusion, there stands little other reason for a device to be updated with firmware for an OS it doesn’t currently use. We can’t find much reason in Microsoft offering a “Switch to Windows 10 S” option on Surface Pro, because few would leap for that. With Windows 10 S giving teachers greater access to their student’s devices, coupled with strong Back to School deals on Surface Pro 4, it makes sense for Microsoft to push the classroom-edition of Windows on a potentially better-selling device. So, what we’re left with is the first inkling of a Surface Pro device running Windows 10 S, but next to nothing else suggesting such a move. So, would you buy a Surface Pro for – one would hope – a bit less cash if it meant a more secured OS? You might be able to vote with your dollar soon enough. Compare Windows 10 S to macOS SierraVia Windows Central http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/ch-iKfFGHtM

If releasing and updating smart home devices was a foot race, Amazon would be winning. It was the first to launch the Amazon Echo ahead of the Google Home, and the first one to offer both device-to-device calling and video conferencing via a camera on the brand-new Amazon Echo Show. But sometimes it’s not about coming in first – it’s about doing things better. Starting today, Google Home can now make calls not to another Home device, but to any number in the US and Canada – home phones, cell phones and business numbers – absolutely free. To activate the free calling service, all you need to do is ask Google to call someone listed in your Google Contacts with an associated phone number. Of course, if you’re unsure of a phone number, like, say for that pizza place down the street, simply ask Google Assistant to call a location specifically and it will locate a number for you. Saying “Hey Google, call Dad” automatically triggers a ringtone, a neat feature for the times you're just a bit too pre-occupied to pick up the phone, but, perhaps even cooler is the fact that if your roommate or significant other walk in and make the same request, Google Assistant will know to call their father instead thanks to Google Assistant’s ability to identify voices. So, what does the person on the other end see when they receive a call from Google Home? The way the system is setup right now, if you’re a Google Voice or Project Fi user, they’ll see your name and number. If you’re not, they’ll see it pop up as call from “Unknown” or “No Caller ID”. That will change soon, however, according to Google, who says that by the end of the year it will be possible for your own mobile number to be displayed. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/M4VgRdPApszMrCAqEqGwMS.jpg The new 'Home' phoneThe easiest comparison to make here is to a home phone – the kind that have become somewhat of a relic in recent years thanks to the rise in cellphone use. Like home phones, Google Home is obviously tethered to the house, but unlike the unappreciated rotary dials of yesteryear, Google Home’s landline service is available for free without a monthly service fee. Ahead of launch, a representative from Google whitelisted our account, allowing us to place phone calls to friends and family before the service went live. The experience took a bit of front-loading (i.e. making sure our Google Contacts were up-to-date with pertinent phone numbers) but when finished, the service worked nearly flawlessly: Those we spoke to said that we can through loudly and clearly, perhaps not as clearly as we did while using a proper headset or a phone’s built-in microphone, but quite well considering our distance from the speaker. They said they heard themselves partially during the first few minutes of the call but later on couldn’t hear themselves – a likely sign that the built-in microphone is picking up some of the caller’s voice. Besides a few niggling performance issues, the only problem with the service is that, as of right now, Google Home only works as a line out. You can use it to make calls to friends and family, but not the other way around ... which is probably one of the reasons that you can’t use Google Home to call emergency services, as they’d have no way to call you back should you get disconnected. The fact that Home can only make calls and not receive them is a weakness that Google hasn’t necessarily addressed yet. But, considering that it’s making a brand-new hands-free voice calling service available to millions of customers at no cost, it’s hard to hold this minor oversight against the company for long. And, I mean, you have to save something for next year’s Google IO, right? Battle of the smart speakers: Amazon Echo vs Apple HomePod vs Google Homehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/ae2ps2SWkcc

If you're sick of having to open PDFs in your web browser or Microsoft's simple Reader app, take a look at Foxit. This free PDF software lets you view, sign and annotate PDFs before sharing them. Foxit Reader can also create PDFs from virtually any Microsoft Office document, and has a brilliant security feature that disables JavaScript in case a document you've downloaded is harboring anything unpleasant. Foxit Reader makes navigating large, cumbersome PDFs easy, and its tabbed interface lets you work with several files at once. If you're in the market for a new PDF program, or you're still using the Windows defaults, you'll be amazed by the difference it makes. Download here: Foxit Reader Download of the Day is our pick of the best free software around – whether it's useful, fun, or just plain silly. If you have any recommendations, please send them to downloads@techradar.com. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/6QiALexIU5U

Facebook Messenger is getting a lot more interactive if you’re a UK user. Facebook is launching its digital assistant M, as part of its global rollout. M is a completely automated assistant that makes suggestions based on the conversations that you are having in Messenger, potentially alerting you to features that you may not have known about previously. The sorts of suggestions that M can make include: Sending stickers - personalised suggestions for stickers like ‘Thank you' or 'Bye-bye'.Sharing location - If the conversation is about your location, so someone asking “Where are you?” for example, M will suggest that you share your location.Making a plan - If you are trying to organise a plan with a group, M will suggest using Messenger’s planning capabilities.Creating a poll - If you and a group are having a difficult time deciding on a subject, M will suggest creating a poll to decide once and for all.Birthdays - If the person you are speaking to in a one-on-one conversation is currently celebrating their birthday, M will surface a suggestion to wish them happy birthday in one of the many ways Messenger currently supports; these include stickers, cards, and videos.Saved - When content is shared in a message that M decides is worth you saving for later, a suggestion will pop up for you to use the Saved extension. This can be used for URLs, videos, Facebook posts, events, and pages.Starting a voice or video call - If you’re in a one-on-one message and one of you suggests you actually speak, M will suggest initiating a call within the app.http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nBgHHLeP9gEkKFegFWKtNL.jpg While the suggestions are undoubtedly useful, there will be users who are uncomfortable with knowing that there is a bot essentially listening in on every conversation that they are having, waiting for an opportunity to make a suggestion. If you would rather not have M making suggestions, it is possible to mute suggestions in M settings. We contacted Facebook to see if muting turned off the observation of your conversations. A representative said: "Turning this feature off means you will stop receiving helpful suggestions and prompts from M. However, Messenger will continue to use automated tools to analyse messages so that we can help reduce spam on our services and also to make our products responsive to how people are using Messenger." This is the latest rollout of the feature, which was brought to the US in April 2017 after successful testing. In the US, M has slightly more suggestions than it currently has in the UK thanks to Messenger’s payment functions that are yet to come to the UK. All these suggestions are obviously a way for Messenger to try and keep you within its ecosystem, as many of the functions that M is suggesting are functions that users typically turn to other apps for. That said, there are some truly useful features of Messenger that many people don’t use, and may not even know exist, so we do envisage M being useful for those users. Suggestions from M should automatically appear on your Messenger app. If it doesn't, it may be worth checking that you have the latest update. Want to get the most out of messenger? Check out: 8 things you didn’t know you could do with Facebook Messengerhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/SAy25LT_bQY

Welcome to Amazon Great Indian Sale on TechRadar. The sale is in full swing and we are filtering all of the best Amazon Great Indian Sale deals throughout the three day event. It not just takes away the hassle of hunting for the best deals, but also save your time to know if the products are worth the cash or not. After holding a successful Prime Day in India, Amazon is all geared up to set new records with its yearly sale dedicated to consumers inside Indian border. Find the best deals on AmazonFree 30-day trial: Amazon Prime Deals on Apple phonesHere find our selection of the hottest smartphone deals: http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ycntEL6EkVo4eG22HHXcPX.jpg Apple iPhone 7 32GB at Rs 42,999 @ Amazon (save Rs 13,201) The 32GB variant of the iPhone 7 will be available for Rs. 42,999 compared to its regular price of Rs. 56,200. This means that if you buy the device during the sale, you can save Rs. 12,201. The iPhone 7 comes with a 4.7-inch display with a resolution of 1334 x 750 pixels. The device come with Apple A10 Fusion chip and 2 GB RAM. It features a 12MP primary camera and a 7MP Facetime HD camera on the front. The device is powered by a 1,960mAh battery. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EQ3jGY683ERgY9hrgQacnJ.jpg Apple iPhone 6 32GB at Rs 23,999 @ Amazon (save Rs 5,501) Just like the iPhone 7, the 32GB variant of the iPhone 6 will also be on sale. The device will be available for a discounted price of Rs. 23,999 compared to its original price of Rs. 29,500. This means, that customers will get a discount of Rs. 5,501. The iPhone 6 comes with a 4.7-inch display with a resolution of 1334 x 750 pixels. Best Amazon Great Indian Sale deals by categoryAmazon Great Indian Sale 2017: best deals on smartphonesAmazon Great Indian Sale 2017: best deals on TVsAmazon Great Indian Sale 2017: best deals on laptopsAmazon Great Indian Sale 2017: best deals on refrigerators, washing machines and moreAmazon Great Indian Sale Day 3: best deals on Bluetooth speakersAmazon Great Indian Sale 2017: best deals on Kindle and Apple productsHand-picked dealshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/P7a62YR29oDKfcdm3euxVa.jpg Buy SanDisk Cruzer Blade 16GB USB 2.0 Pen Drive @ Rs 349 The most basic and reliable 16GB pen drive from SanDisk is now selling for Rs 191 below its original price. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/f7tLxpSf5BGAM8PCo5rnjD.jpg Buy Sony MDR-ZX110A headphones 16GB USB 2.0 Pen Drive @ Rs 649 At Rs 649, Sony MDR-110A is an amazing option for those looking for a budget over-the-ear headphone at minimal cost. It is capable of delivering good quality audio for its price. The original cost of the headphone is Rs 1300. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/g7Wqro53W96W8cYZQLZ8Bn.jpg Buy Logitech M235 wireless mouse at just Rs 729 Looking for a wireless mouse? Here's a great deal with a great product from Logitech. The M235 is void of any drawbacks and can stick to your computer table for years. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mkEgsAvbWLSdJ6Bnno3UtW.jpg Buy Seagate 1.5TB portable hard disk @ Rs 4,799 on Amazon Seagate is one of the most trusted brands when it comes to storage solutions. If you are on a hunt to get the best value of your cash while buying a portable hard disk, this deal may be the one for you. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/nXLG4iAG2k4gRPKxc5uo9H.jpg Buy TP-Link 300MBps router @ Rs 899 on Amazon Got a new internet connections? TP-Link TL-WR841N is a great choice for single band budget router especially when it is available at a discount of Rs. 600. It is capable of giving you up to 300Mbps Wifi speed. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QWGyLsMa96JnKaX59esXsm.jpg Buy Logitech K230 Wireless Keyboard @ Rs 678 on Amazon Logitech is renowned for its high-quality computer accessories. Out of its vast portfolio, K230 is one of the finest budget wireless keyboard. It is compact and comes with great battery life keeping your data safe using 128-bit AES encryption. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mi7Vodb5uHbmUYAHTZjduZ.jpg Buy Sony MDR-XB250 Extra Bass headphones @ Rs 1005 One of the highest selling budget headphones from Sony now available for a discount of Rs 485 only for today. Sony MDR-XB250 has received a lot of praise from it's users and is one of the finest under its budget. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tV3JgyUBvtWjrTGZ5nKPGS.jpg Buy LG 32LH576D HD smart LED @ Rs 22,499 LG LH576D comes with Android OS and is a great option for a budget HD LED. Amazon is offering a good deal on the TV, so here's something that will justify the cash you put on it. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/6dmczq4AsdM

If you need to record your desktop, Flashback Express is the perfect tool for the job. It's packed with features for capturing anything from your screen, including a dedicated gaming mode, and it's incredibly easy to use. You can also use Flashback Express to capture footage from a webcam. All footage is saved in WMV format ready to upload to YouTube, Facebook or any other video hosting site, and there are no time limits or unsightly watermarks to worry about. Download here: Flashback Express Download of the Day is our pick of the best free software around – whether it's useful, fun, or just plain silly. If you have any recommendations, please send them to downloads@techradar.com. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/FdkI7JlZ1_g