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Free cloud storageCloud storage has really taken off thanks to fast, reliable internet connections. The appeal is understandable; you can store your files online and then access them from any device that's connected to the internet – from desktops and laptops to tablets and smartphones. The only problem is choice. There are so many cloud storage services to choose from, it can be near impossible to know which is right for you. Size isn't everything, so as well as capacity, we've also considered the security offered by each service, multi-platform support, ease of use, and any limitations on file size or bandwidth. On with the evaluation... http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Nb8qPtrnDgrRdBQaKYM4fj.jpg 1. Megahttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5TkfQ8DT6Cxn8eLZ6myYJR.png Free storage allowance: 50GB Mega (aka MegaUpload) gives free users a generous 50GB free cloud storage and the ability upload or download whole directories at once via the web app. You can only transfer 10GB data every 30 minutes, but this is unlikely to be a problem unless you’re storing large video files. You can use parallel connections for a speed boost, though this will chew through your bandwidth allowance more rapidly. Security is one of Mega’s key selling points; all your files are secured with end-to-end encryption, and when you share a file or directory with other people (which you can do even if they don’t use Mega themselves) you can either send a link together with a decryption key, or send the two separately. Password protection is only available to paid subscribers, but in all other respects Mega is a superb free cloud storage service. It might not be the first name that comes to mind, but we think it's the best free cloud storage service around right now. Try it online: Mega http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/G3NEuMMDfh5U6YDMMHqsMA.jpg 2. Google Drivehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5TkfQ8DT6Cxn8eLZ6myYJR.png Free storage allowance: 15GB One of the best-known free cloud storage services, Google Drive gets off to a great start by giving you 15GB of space free of charge. You can earn more free storage in a variety of ways – such as using additional Google services, performing security checks and so on – or you can buy more via a monthly or annual subscription. As this is Google, Drive integrates neatly with other products from the company such as Gmail. The desktop apps does a great job of synchronizing locally saved files to your online account, and there are mobile apps available so you can access files on the move. In addition to this, you can use the website to browse and even edit files, and Drive offers comprehensive file sharing and collaboration options. Try it online: Google Drive http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zyXemFfCVByrHuhcfE2mK9.jpg 3. Boxhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5TkfQ8DT6Cxn8eLZ6myYJR.png Free storage allowance: 10GB With 10GB of storage provided free of charge, Box is on a par with Google Drive when it comes to capacity – especially if you don’t want to part with any money. If your needs are greater, 100GB of space is available for £7 (about US$8.50, AU$11.50) per month, and there are also business packages available that include unlimited storage. There are limits on the size of file you can upload – 250MB for free accounts – so this is something you need to consider. Whether it's a problem or not will depend entirely on what you intend to use the service for – media files will easily exceed this level, but text and photos will be fine. There are mobile apps available, and these can be used to automatically synchronize files from your iOS or Android device to the cloud. Filesharing is handled nicely, and there's neat integration with a wide range of apps and services that help to add real value to Box's free cloud storage offering. Try it online: Box http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZbrKafwssQpsv8cHnQTUkQ.jpg 4. Microsoft OneDrivehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5TkfQ8DT6Cxn8eLZ6myYJR.png Free storage allowance: 5GB Microsoft OneDrive is integrated into Windows 10, which you'd think would give it something of an advantage. It's therefore disappointing that only 5GB of storage is made available to users free of charge. Upgrading to a bigger package isn’t particularly cheap, either: 50GB – £1.99/US$1.99/AU$2 monthly1TB – £5.99/US$6.99/AU$9 monthly or £59.99/US$69.99/AU$89 annually5TB – £7.99/US$9.99/AU£12 monthly or £79.99/US$99.99/AU$119 annuallyThat seems quite steep, but it's worth noting that the last two options also include an Office 365 subscription. Like other cloud storage services, OneDrive offers free apps for iOS and Android (as well as macOS and Windows Phone), allowing for file access on the move, as well as file collaboration. There's the ability to share files from within any of the apps and an integrated photo viewer for browsing the images you upload. It's all fairly impressive and easy to use, but OneDrive's storage limitations count against it. Try it online: Microsoft OneDrive http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eVdKHB8gZm95cpEwwBKcYh.jpg 5. Dropboxhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5TkfQ8DT6Cxn8eLZ6myYJR.png Free storage allowance: 2GB Dropbox is pretty famous in the world of cloud services, so it may come as something of a surprise to non-users that you are only given 2GB of space free of charge. This may not seem like much, but for many everyday tasks it should be enough, and there are ample opportunities to bump this up through friend referrals and the like. Where Dropbox really shines, however, is in its wondrous ease of use. Whether you are on the website or using one of the mobile apps, uploading, downloading and other tasks are beautifully simple. You can, of course, upgrade your storage for a fee, with 1TB, 2TB and unlimited packages to choose from. Upgrading not only gets you more space, it gives you access to extra features such as advanced sharing with permissions, file revision history, additional security options and collaborative tools. Worth checking out. Try it online: Dropbox http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/lv4dg0KIiSA

Note: Our best Linux distro for small businesses feature has been fully updated. This article was first published in July 2016. Running a small business is no easy task. The last thing you need is extra complexity in your IT infrastructure – so why turn to Linux? Well, it could (if you're lucky) actually turn out to be a less complex choice for many tasks, depending on the distribution you select. And, critically, Linux is free; at least if you don't figure in support costs. That's an overhead ticked off the list. So what's the best choice for your small business? We've approached this selection with a few criteria in mind. Stability is first and foremost, because if you're putting a distro to work, uptime is critical, and solid support provision comes a close second. We've also considered practical capabilities, which is why you'll find a couple of non-desktop distributions on our list: Linux is perhaps better suited to managing your behind-the-scenes hardware than it is being put in front of users who may be unfamiliar with Gnome or KDE. 10 of the best Linux distros for privacy fiends and security buffs10 best Linux distros: which one is right for you?What's the best Linux distro for beginners?How to choose the best Linux distro for laptops10 of the most popular lightweight Linux distrosLinux Format is the number one magazine to boost your knowledge on Linux, open source developments, distro releases and much more. Subscribe to the print or digital version of Linux Format here.Built on the solid foundation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) – and, indeed, officially funded by Red Hat as of 2014 – CentOS is undoubtedly a distro with strong credentials. Its default Gnome desktop is pleasant and reasonably familiar to most computer users, the RPM package management system is widely supported, and it's equally at home on workstations and servers. CentOS harnesses the open source components of its parent OS, which actually make up the majority of RHEL – only Red Hat's trademarks and a few proprietary components are omitted. Thanks to this unique partnership, updates tend to flow to CentOS only a day or two after they hit its parent – this is enterprise-class Linux that anyone can use. CentOS is now one of the world's most popular server distros, and is perfect if you want to build serious hardware appliances without paying for a Red Hat subscription. The downside of going free is support. While the CentOS community is brilliant, professional support is the key reason for using RHEL – but with server prices starting at $349 (around £270, AU$465) per year, it could be prohibitively expensive for small business use. You can download CentOS hereClearOS and CentOS are pretty close cousins. Both run many of the same packages inherited from RHEL, and can benefit from the swift Red Hat release cycle. But while CentOS is a functional desktop OS, ClearOS isn't. Instead, it's intended primarily as a server platform administered entirely from a web interface. Once it's installed, you won't need a keyboard, mouse, or even a monitor connected to its home machine. Because of its tight focus, ClearOS is actually easier to use than most server operating systems. That web interface makes installing this operating system's various components a breeze, so you'll be able to quickly get your business protected with a firewall, manage an email server, install a file server or more – all safe in the knowledge that each of these components will (most likely) work perfectly together. There's support available if you're somehow overwhelmed – it's not the cheapest, but it's there – and a specific paid-for Business edition which includes only highly-tested software packages and patches. You might also be interested in ClearVM, the team's virtualisation solution; the free version allows you to finely manage the precise performance of two virtual machines and eight CPU cores. You can download ClearOS 7 hereWhile CentOS is an open source OS based on a paid-for release, this goes the other way – community-developed OpenSUSE provides the basis of commercially-supported SUSE Linux Enterprise. SUSE actually borrows a lot from Red Hat, including its RPM package management system, but don't make the mistake of thinking it's a clone. OpenSUSE is one of the few distros to default to the graphically-heavy KDE window manager, though it comes with Mate, LXDE and others, so it'll be comfortable on whatever hardware you’re using. In fact, if you're looking to run small web appliances, the latest version heralds the release of a 64-bit Raspberry Pi edition, and it also includes 17% more packages than 42.1 – a huge upgrade. Each Leap release receives critical updates for 18 months, after which you'll need to upgrade to stay on top of the latest developments – bear this in mind if security, stability and low IT costs are a concern. Try the Tumbleweed release if you're looking for rolling updates. You can download OpenSUSE 42.2 hereIf you're running a small business, the security of your network should be as important a concern as the behaviour of your employees. IPFire ticks both these boxes at once. It's an all-in-one Linux appliance: install it on a machine which sits between your internet connection and your network switch and it'll do everything from managing IP addresses to protecting you with a firewall, and controlling what sites your workers are allowed to visit and when. It does require a certain level of knowledge to get IPFire installed, and its unique nature – it's constructed from scratch, not forked from any specific version of Linux – means it won't be quite as easy to extend as other distros may be. Thankfully there are regular 'Core' updates, which incrementally keep IPFire up to date with the latest security and app updates. Also bear in mind that this will require at least a machine with two network connections, and it's all controlled from a web interface – this is definitely not a desktop OS. There's paid support available if it all goes pear-shaped. You can download IPFire 2.19 hereIt's the most popular Linux flavour out there, but Ubuntu’s reputation might lead you to think that it’s best suited to home users. Not so – Ubuntu's stability and compatibility are very solid, there's a free-to-use Ubuntu Server version to handle your backend tasks, and its use of Debian packages and the Apt package management system means you'll be able to get the software you need quickly and easily. Perhaps Ubuntu's strongest feature is its support. The vast user base means there's a raft of technical documentation available, and its generous community has answered just about every question you might have. This is precisely the reason we've suggested version 16.04 over the more recent 16.10 release – the April releases are tagged LTS for 'long term support', and will be maintained and cared for beyond the October ones. With 16.04, you're covered until 2021, which could be a great advantage if downtime costs you money. For those times when you need a little more help, the Ubuntu Advantage program offers a reasonably priced support program for desktops and servers. You can download Ubuntu 16.04 hereManjaro is built on top of Arch Linux, traditionally one of the more complex and obtuse Linux distros out there. This OS does away with that complexity, while sharing Arch's streamlined, fast environment, its fearlessness regarding access to the very latest software, and its rolling release schedule. Basically this means you should never have to install a later version of the software – you'll get the updates as they're released, and your Manjaro machines will upgrade over time rather than being taken out of service. Manjaro's default desktop, a spin of Xfce, is very Windows-like, so your users will likely feel comfortable immediately, and its other improvements over Arch – a better installer, improved hardware detection, repositories full of stable software – make it a solid choice for end-user systems. That's its strong point, mind you. With some work you could probably build a server from Manjaro's Minimal Net edition, a stripped-down version you can construct from the ground-up, but other distros handle that aspect a lot better. You could also find a prebuilt version amongst Manjaro's community editions which may suit your needs perfectly; check them out here. You can download Manjaro 16.10.3 hereWe're entering the realm of more difficult distros here, and we're doing it without the safety net of a dedicated paid support structure, but give Slackware a chance if you're looking to build bespoke Linux systems. It's the oldest consistently maintained Linux distro, having first emerged in 1993, and as such it doesn't make any assumptions about the way you're going to use it, giving you more control than most other distros. You're going to need control, though: its package manager doesn't resolve software dependencies, there's no fixed release schedule (Slackware tends to come out when a new stable version is ready, and the most recent release gap was around three years), and there are no graphical configuration tools. But knuckle down, edit a bunch of plain text files, and you'll be able to create exactly the package you need for your business, all on top of a lightweight and bloat-free distro. You can download Slackware 14.2 herehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/wYHGg3fvrfk

Avidemuxhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png Everybody’s a movie maker these days: we think nothing of pulling out our smartphones to create a quick clip, turning on the webcam to share our stuff on YouTube or switching to slo-mo when we see someone fall on their backside in an amusing way. But what if you need to do more than just record? Pro-level video editing software can be terrifying, and terrifyingly expensive. Avidemux is neither. It’s simple, straightforward and covers everything you need without frightening you with things you don’t. Why you need itAvidemux is designed to handle several common tasks and to make them as simple as possible. You can cut, filter and encode video in a variety of formats – such as AVI, MPEG, MP4, ASF – and there are lots of tools to improve your video including color fixers, bitrate adjusters, sharpness filters and so on. Many tasks can be automated via scripts, which aren’t as scary as they sound, and you’ll find that you can accomplish most common editing tasks without much effort. Avidemux is no substitute for a complete video editing suite, but then it isn’t supposed to be. It’s a really useful tool for those of us who aren’t video editors but occasionally need to edit our videos. Download here: Avidemux http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/FydwisWpQfw

If you’re one of the rare few that has installed Windows 10 and somehow managed to avoid the the big Anniversary Update of last year, then your security is on a timer. Microsoft just announced that it will drop service support for the first version of its new operating system (OS) in May. Once slated for March 2017 (yikes!), the firm made the push-back public recently, through its TechNet blog speaking to IT professionals. “With the availability of Windows 10, version 1607 to the VLSC on January 26th, the grace period for Windows 10, version 1507 will begin,” Microsoft’s Nathan Mercer writes. “That means, after May 2017, Windows 10, version 1507 will no longer be serviced as only the two most Current Branch for Business (CBB) versions are actively serviced.” Windows 10 version 1507 is the technical name for the first release of Windows 10 back in July 2015, while the 1607 version number refers to the Anniversary Update of August last year. The latter is the most current version of the OS, though it has been patched several times since. Eagle-eyed readers will notice a distinction between the Current Branch for Business (CBB, or business) and the Current Branch (CB, or consumer) versions of Windows 10. When asked in the comments of the TechNet article whether all versions of Windows 10 version 1507 will be dropped from service, Mercer clarified simply with, “after May 2017 CB/CBB v1507 will receive no more updates.” So, yes, all service support for the original release of Windows 10 will be dropped this June. This won’t mean much for the lot of you that actually update your PC. But, for those that, for whatever reason, have somehow avoided downloading the Anniversary Update, your device will be at risk come June 2017. Security concerns aside, consider this interesting nugget: all of this is due to the fact that Microsoft has a policy that it will only support the two most recent major versions of Windows 10 at a time. If it’s dropping support of one version after May 2017, it will surely pick up support of another – like the forthcoming Creators Update? While we can’t say with 100% confidence whether this indicates a May release window for the next massive Windows 10 update, it sure does sound likely with this new information. The best laptops of 2017 will be ready for the Creators UpdateVia Neowin http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/v8onnORJSJ4

We’re well on our way to a world where everything – from your refrigerator to your car – is connected via the internet. And while some of these connected devices like smart lights and smart speakers already enjoy mainstream status, others have yet to break out of their niche. So which of our household objects do we feel is going to be next on the list to get the smart treatment limelight? Smart locks. A number of these intelligent deadbolts have popped up on the market over the past few years, and within the next five years could be a common feature on every tech-lover’s abode. But why buy one in the first place? Well, the lock you have on your door right now may serve its purpose, but it’s not terribly convenient. How keys have you lost over the years? How many times have you dragged yourself off the couch to answer the door? Smart locks change that by locking the door automatically when you leave or enter and unlocking the house from a few taps on your cellphone or tablet. Of course, not all smart locks are the same. That’s why we’ve put together this guide – to help you decide which smart lock to buy, how to install it, and more. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/R6caf5HJ5RDid2Vcsi73NX.jpg Before you buy a smart lock, consider the following:As mentioned, not every smart lock is the same – different locks use different protocols, different ways of unlocking, and more. Here are a few things to consider before buying a smart lock: #1. Is your door compatible? Smart locks are aimed at ensuring your deadbolt can automatically lock and unlock, but not every single door will work properly. If you go to your deadbolt and lock or unlock it, it should do so in an easy, smooth motion. If you need to push or pull on your door to properly lock it, then a smart lock may not work properly – you won’t be there to push or pull when your door is locking and unlocking itself. You’ll also want to make sure the lock is able to fully extend into the jamb. Your smart lock will always try to extend fully, and if it can’t the locks motor might get burnt out more easily. Of course, both of these issues can be fixed, but you’ll want to make sure they are before you try and install your smart lock. #2. Do you want to replace your deadbolt, or add on to it? Not every smart lock serves as a deadbolt – but most do. Still, some, like the August Smart Lock, simply attach onto your existing deadbolt and do the manual locking and unlocking for you. These are generally a little easier to install, but you’ll want to make sure that they’re compatible with your deadbolt before you buy them. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ejTm6sVsqqfXCfKZzhmeeH.jpg #3. How would you like your smart lock to connect to the internet / your phone? There are a few different connection standards used with smart locks – as is the case with any smart home device. Most will use multiple standards to connect to your phone and other devices, but you’ll want to check the lock before you buy it. The first, and perhaps most common, standard is Bluetooth. It’s common because it doesn’t use much power, especially compared to Wi-Fi. That’s an important thing to consider, since most smart locks will be battery powered. Bluetooth, however, only works within a certain range. So, that said, if you’re not near your lock, you won’t be able to lock or unlock it. The good thing about Bluetooth, however, is that you don’t need another hub to use it. Another standard is Z-Wave, and it requires a separate hub in order for you to be able to control the lock from your smartphone. Normally, that hub also connects to Wi-Fi. Z-Wave has a range of around 120 feet, however if you have multiple Z-Wave devices, they can each act as a range extender so, with enough products, the range can be extended to up to 600 feet. An example of a Z-Wave hub is Samsung’s SmartThings. The third and final common standard is Wi-Fi, and it’s normally available as an optional add-on – like on the August Smart Lock. In that case, you’ll need to buy a separate component that connects to a power-outlet and then bridges the connection between the lock’s Bluetooth and your Wi-Fi. The plus side of that is that you can control the lock anywhere you have Wi-Fi – so if you’re on holiday and your friend needs to get in, you can unlock the door for them. #4. How do you want to unlock your lock? Most smart locks also have a traditional keyhole so if you don’t necessarily feel comfortable relying on your smart lock 100% of the time, then you don’t have to. Still, some smart locks are keyless, so you’ll need to consider whether or not that’s something you’re comfortable with. Of course, some locks use something else over a keyhole – for example, many of them have a touchpad with which you can install a PIN code to unlock them. #5. Consider why you’re buying a smart lock Before you buy a smart lock, there’s something you should know: smart locks are helpful because they’re convenient – not because they’re necessarily more secure. Most smart locks still use the same old dumb deadbolts, they just make using those deadbolts a little easier. If you think a smart lock is going to make your home a lot more secure, you may be disappointed. The top five smart locks you can buy right nowhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ER2W6mVaBkmNErNSDJxLmB.jpg August Smart Lock: This lock attaches to your existing deadbolt and offers a simple app with Apple’s HomeKit, Nest, and IFTTT integration. Buy the August Smart Lock ($228.94) on Amazonhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4WeCzpHFsFD6uAn8CohM5X.jpg Kwikset Kevo: All you need to do is touch this deadbolt-replacement lock to unlock it – provided you have the right accompanying smartphone. Buy the Kwikset Kevo ($229.00) on Amazonhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/me2cE4zRbyDAeNuHH2mLk.jpg Schlage Sense: Thanks to its HomeKit integration and the ability to create guest entrance codes, the Sense is perfect for the iPhone user on the go. Buy the Schlage Sense ($187.12) on Amazonhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xUHhcWX7g3u43rxjgYMAMY.jpg Yale Real Living: Yale’s Real Living deadbolt lock comes with Z-Wave and Zigbee connectivity, meaning its a great choice for those that want to use their lock with other smart home devices. Buy the Yale Real Living Keyless Touchscreen Deadbolt ($159.95) on Amazonhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xZquC9QT3nww4MFDQvfLHh.jpg Lockitron Bolt: This one is the cheapest lock on the list, and while it only connects via Bluetooth, if that’s all you need there’s no need to spend extra on something more expensive. Buy the Lockitron Bolt ($99) on Lockitron.comHow to install a smart lockSo you’ve done the research and now have a shiny new smart lock, but how do you install it? Turns out, you don’t necessarily need to hire a locksmith to get your lock all set up. It’s important to note that smart lock installation varies widely for each product, so you’ll want to read the instructions for the lock that you end up buying. How you install your lock also varies depending on the type of lock that you buy – if you buy a full deadbolt replacement, you’ll obviously need to take your deadbolt out. If, however, you buy something like August’s Smart Lock, your deadbolt will remain installed in your door. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3JqwtJcUr8KUQmYRK2B4nH.jpg Deadbolt replacement Follow these steps to install a deadbolt replacement lock, such as the Kwikset Kevo. Remember, specifics to the instructions will vary depending on the lock, so for a more detailed look, follow the instructions that come with your lock. First, take the screws out on the side of the door and on the face of the deadbolt. Once unscrewed, the two sides of the deadbolt should easily come off the door, after which you can slide out the deadbolt itself.Next up, you’ll slide the deadbolt into the space on the edge of your door, then screw the bolt piece firmly in place.Next, feed any wires on the front of the deadbolt lock through to the back.Most locks will have a back plate that you need to install, being careful to thread the wires through the appropriate holes.Last but not least, slot any batteries that need to be installed into the front of the lock, connect the wires, and slot the lock into its place.Non deadbolt replacement If you get a lock like the August Smart Lock, which doesn’t replace your lock but rather motorises it, the installation process is a little different. Tape the exterior part of your deadbolt look to the door. This prevents it from falling out when you unscrew the other side.Unscrew the interior part of your deadbolt lock, which is usually held in place with two screws.Screw in the metal mounting plate into your deadbolt.Insert the plastic adapter that best suits your lock.Slide the actual lock onto the plate and make sure it’s secured.Now that your smart lock is installed, you should be able to unlock it and lock it again quickly and easily using your phone. Again, this will depend on the model you get, but most locks use Bluetooth as a proximity sensor, and with many of them you can simply tap on the lock to lock it or unlock it. Not only that, but many will unlock automatically when they detect that you’ve moved away from the lock. As you can see, smart locks are extremely simple to use, install, and monitor. Sure, they all work a little differently, but the point of them is convenience, and most can be installed in 10 minutes or so without needing to call a locksmith. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/FoS-7kyzUGU

uTorrenthttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png Bittorrent is one of the most efficient, effective and robust ways to transfer lots of data around the internet, and there are lots of torrent clients that you can use. uTorrent is one of our favorites. There’s enough to delight power users, but the interface is simple enough for first-time torrent users to pick it up instantly. Why you need itIf you want to download big things – FLAC audio files, HD video, ISOs of operating systems – then torrents are your friend: they don’t die if you get disconnected and they can take full advantage of multiple sources to get the data to you as fast as possible. Torrent clients aren’t all created equal. Some offer stacks of features you’ll never use, others can’t cope with anything complicated and still others are stuffed with spyware. uTorrent isn’t one of those clients. It’s streamlined, simple and straightforward, but it’s smart too: for example it can automatically manage your network bandwidth so that your downloads or uploads don’t choke something more timely, such as a video clip you want to watch. There’s an integrated search engine and an integrated media player too, and in addition to traditional torrent files it also supports magnet links and BitTorrent Bundles. That means it’s capable of handling all the different types of torrents you’ll find on the trackers. Download here: uTorrent http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/AGw5y2uD2c4

Networks underpin the IT infrastructure of the modern business, linking up devices from PCs through to tablets and phones, servers and other crucial hardware. This allows for effective communication and other vital aspects such as resource sharing between staff members. The company network enables everyone to get online, and for the shared use of devices such as group printers, fax machines and email servers. But like any type of technology, networks can easily be exposed to outages and other challenges. When gremlins hit, they can be extremely inconvenient for business owners and employees, which is why it’s important to keep tabs on issues. Network monitoring tools can obviously help you do this, sending alerts by various different means when problems do occur. In this article, we’re highlighting five of the best solutions for keeping a close eye on your company network. We’ve also picked out the best presentation software of 2017http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/i9doWWeTBW3pqgsLhHBHX9.jpg EventSentry is a popular software suite that provides you with the tools to ensure all aspects of your IT infrastructure are secure and running as they should be. It’s been designed as a lightweight and highly customisable network monitoring option for businesses, and provides real-time event, log file and syslog monitoring. The product also considers aspects such as disk space, performance, service, network span and overall IT environment. The software lets you keep track of all the metadata related to your network devices and components, providing reports to enable you to visualise all this. Another impressive boon here is that EventSentry utilises your data for troubleshooting purposes, helping to fix performance issues easily. You can sign up for EventSentry herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yeMNgXj4tiWiXgAfwn8jW9.jpg Pulseway is an easy-to-use package which lets you monitor, manage and control all your IT systems in real-time via a smartphone, tablet or computer. With the platform, you can receive notifications if a network issue has been identified, and solve it within a matter of minutes. It works regardless of your location, so you can be anywhere and ensure your systems are running effectively. Highly expandable and customisable, the product allows you to manage and deploy your own device configurations. There’s also an all-in-one desktop that displays information about your IT assets and customers, and you can develop your own plugins through a customisable API. This is a broad monitoring product with huge potential. You can sign up for Pulseway herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Hm7u3QxjzXNCdhBm5t4gW9.jpg If you’re looking for a comprehensive, user-friendly monitoring solution, it’s well worth checking out PRTG Network Monitor. The platform can scale to networks of any size, meaning that it’s suitable for both small and larger firms. Not only does it measure traffic to ensure your networks aren’t suffering undue strain, but the software also scans system components for any sign of failures – helping to avoid catastrophic outages. PRTG comes with a variety of technologies running out-of-the-box, including the likes of Windows Performance Counters and packet sniffing. To ensure problems don’t happen again, you can download performance reports in a variety of formats including PDF (the software supports multiple languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch and more). You can sign up for PRTG Network Monitor herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/U3e3deVt3zwyczAa7rfLd9.jpg OpManager is a network management platform that provides large businesses and SMEs with the ability to manage their IT assets efficiently and affordably. It’s an expandable platform that covers a variety of areas: You can monitor networks – with automatic L1/L2 network mapping to help spot performance bottlenecks – physical and virtual servers, event logs and Windows services. The product actively looks for outages and other issues, and sends you email and SMS alerts in real-time. You can monitor all your systems and devices from a dashboard updated in real-time, tracking and managing changes as they happen. There are some handy plugins for traffic analysis, too. The system is used by the likes of DHL, NASA and Siemens, so it’s not short of some big-name clients. You can sign up for ManageEngine OpManager herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/n6DyqesebGhTUUWVhJfbb9.jpg WhatsUp Gold is a network monitoring tool from Ipswitch that offers what it calls ‘advanced visualisation features’ to help keep things running smoothly, address issues quickly, and improve overall productivity. Using this product, you can monitor all aspects of your IT and network infrastructure, including applications, servers, virtual machines and traffic flows. The platform provides a very handy interactive network map which lets you see a visual depiction of your entire network, meaning you can swiftly pinpoint any trouble spots. You also have the option to switch between physical, virtual, wireless and dependency views to help analyse your network quickly, and all this information can be turned into easy-to-understand reports. WhatsUp is compliant with HIPAA, SOX, FISMA, PCI DSS and other regulatory standards. You can sign up for WhatsUp Gold Network Monitoring herehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/49tcacEnI3Y

With the rise of the internet, computers and mobile technology, so much has changed in the business world over the decades. And of course, it’s critical to implement the right devices and applications into your everyday operations, not just to boost productivity, but to keep up with – or stay ahead of – the competition. If there’s one thing that’s certain, it’s that running a business isn’t what it used to be. The working economy is far more fragmented. There are still firms that make huge amounts of revenue annually and have a physical presence across the world, but better funding opportunities and new technologies have enabled more people to pursue their business dreams on their own terms. Should you have a big idea, there’s nothing stopping you from turning it into a lucrative business. With the right tech and software, you can run your business from the comfort of your home or a co-working environment. And when you begin to grow and take on employees, they can also work wherever they want. Better quality collaboration tools are increasingly making this type of business strategy likely to be a success. They let you communicate and work on tasks with your co-workers in real-time, regardless of where you happen to be. You don’t even have to own a business – perhaps you’re a freelancer. The premise still stands: how you work is up to you. But if you need the right apps for collaboration and communication, these are the best around… You might also want to look at the 50 best mobile productivity appshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LrLfa7FiheLGF4cnhEHSbd.jpg Slack is without doubt a mighty collaboration tool, with millions of users around the globe. It’s an incredibly smart platform, and you can get it on mobile and desktop devices. It allows for the sending of direct messages (DMs) and files to a single person or a group of employees, and there’s the ability to organise conversations into different channels (perhaps for specific projects, one for technical support, general chat, and so forth). The app also supports video calling. You can use the feature to talk to your colleagues about projects and work in-depth, without having to type everything into a DM. While this isn’t a replacement for cloud storage services, you are able to drag, drop and share files with your colleagues directly within Slack. It’s also compatible with services such as Google Drive, Dropbox and Box. To round things off, Slack even has a free version, although unsurprisingly it has limitations (in terms of the number of messages stored, overall storage space and so forth). You can sign up for Slack herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/saSkAkHZSgLPUFxVvoeskj.jpg Asana has been around since 2008, making it a veteran in the collaboration arena, and companies such as Salesforce, Uber and TED all use it as their core method of communication. It’s been designed as an easy way for companies to track the work of employees and to get the best possible results. Using the platform, you can create to-do lists for ongoing projects, set reminders for upcoming deadlines and send requests to colleagues. Team members can also assign comments to posts within the app. You can organise all your projects in a list or board format, and there’s a search function so you can locate past work quickly. In short, Asana is a very effective way to stay super-organised and facilitate conversations when it comes to updates on how work is progressing. You can sign up for Asana herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FZpXzRT99N4Ani3qG2BPgj.jpg Podio describes itself as a flexible and customisable online platform for work and communication among teams. In other words, it gives you a way to organise large stacks of work and to delegate tasks between employees. Just like many of the other business collaboration apps out there, Podio provides you with the tools to share files, view the status of ongoing projects and get feedback on the things you’re currently working on. These functionalities are combined into an easy-to-use interface. Podio is also equipped with quality mobile apps for when you’re out and about, and need to use your smartphone or tablet, and it has an impressive amount of integration with third-party services and apps including Dropbox, Google Drive, Evernote and Zendesk. You can sign up for Podio herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JrLP5AKvQH5WM4BgMpatXD.jpg Ryver is similar to Slack, aiming to give your organisation a highly effective means of communication, and an easy way to talk over tasks, ensuring that deadlines are met. What makes Ryver a compelling option is the fact that you can create as many teams as you want within the app, and easily categorise them to boot. As is the case with Slack, you can use the platform to set up chats with groups and individuals. There are some interesting filters, too. You can control who sees the things you say and post in the app, and obviously enough, join the teams that are most relevant to you. All company posts are located within a Facebook-style newsfeed, and you can mark posts to come back to them later on. There’s also a host of native clients across mobile and desktop, including Mac and Linux – and best of all, this is a free product. You can’t say fairer than that (an enterprise version will ship eventually, though, which will be a paid offering). You can sign up for Ryver herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GfoVwZRowjyUZMjqFnQVkj.jpg If you have ever looked into project management and online collaboration tools, then no doubt you’ve come across Trello. Available on the web and with mobile apps, it lets you easily organise projects and work on them with colleagues. The platform allows you to work with boards or lists, which can be organised by teams and different tasks. And within these, you can set up to-do lists and delegate amongst colleagues. There’s also the option to assign comments to cards – a quick way to give feedback to others. Furthermore, Trello boasts a number of integrations with apps such as Evernote, GitHub, Google Drive and Slack. You can download the app for free, but there are premium options available which give access to more features. You can sign up for Trello herehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/wn7XkHxob7w

Businesses use a whole host of different technology on a daily basis – from hardware to software, computers and printers through to databases and websites, all of this tech has a place in the modern working environment. But while technology has so many uses in terms of businesses, that’s not to say it’s perfect. Like anything, IT infrastructure and services can easily break down. Unfortunately, faults can happen at any moment, and they can end up being disastrous for companies. For example, if you’re an online-based retailer and suffer an outage that shuts down your e-commerce website, then you can end up losing orders and customers. And if you’re working on an important document and your computer breaks down, you can lose vital work. This is where disaster recovery (DR) becomes essential. With DR policies and solutions in place, you can get your systems back up and running following minor technical hitches, or indeed major disasters such as a fire or earthquake. But which are the best tools to protect your vital company assets? Read on and find out… We’ve also highlighted the best business anti-malware softwarehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dFVc6mX9HCWb33dfiKp8FJ.jpg When it comes to software, Microsoft is a veritable titan, and it offers a disaster recovery solution for enterprises. The Azure Site Recovery platform boasts automated protection and disaster recovery in the cloud. The software automatically replicates your IT environment based on policies you set beforehand, and will suit larger firms well. It can protect Hyper-V, VMware and physical servers, and you can also use Microsoft Azure or a secondary data centre for your recovery site. Azure Site Recovery fully integrates with System Center and SQL Server AlwaysOn. All communication made within Azure is encrypted, and you can also develop sophisticated recovery plans within the Azure portal. You can sign up for Microsoft Azure Site Recovery herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6KSFA8U8ykjTzrE4ie5iLJ.jpg Zerto’s Virtual Replication aims to protect your data and IT assets. This hypervisor-based replication package has been created to help companies simplify disaster recovery and reduce storage costs. This is the only disaster recovery solution on the market that provides orchestration and automation of the whole recovery process, and it does this regardless of the storage or hypervisor you use. Like Microsoft’s offering, the Zerto product comes with some useful integrations. It’ll work with VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V and Amazon AWS out of the box. The solution will protect multi-TB SQL, Exchange, Oracle and file server VMs, and you can transfer workloads and assets between public, private and hybrid clouds. You can sign up for Zerto Virtual Replication herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4AiRZmedFYznX9eAdxoYNJ.jpg Zetta Disaster Recovery is a DRaaS (Disaster Recovery as a Service) offering which has been built to offer the sort of performance and security an enterprise requires, boasting swift ‘push-button’ recovery. The solution replicates your network in the cloud, and you’re provided with VPN access to your recovered environment (at no additional expense). If your business was hit by an outage, you’d still be able to access applications such as email, SQL and business productivity software. There are built-in security protocols and data encryption here, too, so you don’t have to worry about information getting into the wrong hands. You can sign up for Zetta Disaster Recovery herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bNtMLFrW4PNYH6ekcFdC9J.jpg Carbonite Server Backup, as the name suggests, will let you recover files and entire systems with the click of a button. The great thing about this solution is that it’s so flexible. You have the option to backup anything from a file to a whole business application, either locally or to the cloud – or indeed both. Carbonite can protect system state, OS, applications, files and settings in one pass. There’s also the ability to restore to existing or new hardware, without the need to install additional software. Using the system, you can create custom backup policies taking into account group, role and device. All this is stored within a central hub, which is handy if you want a more streamlined recovery operation. You can sign up for Carbonite Server Backup herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZSpzVfnV5c8SkckWfNUDLJ.jpg It always pays to have a ‘plan B’, and in this case, you literally can. Plan B is a specialist disaster recovery service that’s been tested to application level for instant recoveries. The software will identify outages that hit your business and give you full access to your systems while repairs are made. Unlike other DR services, your files and systems aren’t only backed up, but you also get access to specialist engineers who can provide all manner of tech support and help. Obviously that’s quite a bonus if you struggle with complex technology like disaster recovery. The solution creates a snapshot of your data and systems, and they’re instantly turned into virtual environments so you can get work done in the moment(s) of crisis. Your replica systems are tested every day for flaws, and you’re provided with secure VPN access. You can sign up for Plan B Disaster Recovery herehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/-EHX1iJfiA4

Today held the biggest sporting event of the year in the US and for those who weren't able or willing to shell out thousands of dollars to catch the game at the stadium, watching at home was the next best thing. That means taking in all the new ad campaigns that revolve around the event. And among all the excitement, Google found an ingenious way to make its campaign for the Home devices work very well for the company. In the very touching ad, people say, “Okay, Google,” to make the Home units light up. This simultaneously activated numerous Google Home devices all around the nation. Minutes later Twitter was inundated with comments on how the ad triggered their own devices at home. As it turns out, the units in viewers’ homes tried responding to the voices in the ad as if they were real people, causing some units to have hilarious meltdowns. And, for a change, Alexa didn’t follow suit. Amazon Echo devices were quiet this time round, unlike the time when a news story about a Texan six-year-old ordering a dollhouse prompted a not-so-smart Alexa-powered shopping spree to ensue in San Diego. You can watch Google's Super Bowl commercial below. Read our review of the Google Home device.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/ox9DtJ_eUDI

When looking for the best Blu-ray player for your needs, there are a number of things you need to consider. One of the biggest is whether to go for a standard BD player or take the plunge and buy one that can play Ultra HD 4K discs. While Ultra HD Blu-ray players are hitting the market, there is such a small amount of native UHD content available there's still a compelling argument to be made for saving some money by purchasing a non-UHD Blu-ray player. If you're looking for a 4K player, these are the best UHD Blu-ray players you can buy right now.Outside of the the cost-saving arguments, there are still some good reasons to opt for a player that sticks to 'standard' Blu-ray discs. These are not first-generation players, they're refined devices packed full of features such as loading times in single figure seconds, 3D Blu-ray playback, 2D-to-3D conversion, Netflix playback and other apps, streaming to and from smartphones and tablets, home networking. Many of them will also upscale Full HD 1080p Blu-rays up to 4K resolutions as well, although this won't quite match the quality of native 4K Ultra HD discs. So many years on, the technology has been refined to a massive extent – making these some of the best options available, well, ever. Here are nine of the best Blu-ray players to help you make your buying decision: http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4003286ff816c87846d5265cf8d310fe.jpg With a recommended price of $1,299 (£899, AU$1,747) the Cambridge Audio CXU is by far the most expensive Blu-ray player on this list. It's also got one of the smallest feature sets, lacking support for Netflix and other common apps. So why would we choose to include this Blu-ray player in our roundup? The answer is simple - it both looks and sounds better than anything else out there. This player will upscale both DVDs and standard Blu-ray discs to 4K with impressive results, and can even upscale audio to 24-bit/192kHz as well as handling a full suite of hi-res audio formats. The Cambridge Audio CXU is definitely a player aimed solely at hi-end audiophile and home theatre perfectionists, but if the idea of quality over quantity of features sounds ideal to you then you can't do much better. Read the full review: Cambridge Audio CXU http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fcbd5d7384cd5593885dc645cdd02404.jpg The DMP-BDT360 is a classic mid-range option that will suit owners of 3D TVs as well as those after some specific apps and Wi-Fi. A simple to control and impressive machine, the DMP-BDT360 is the cheapest Panasonic deck to offer 2D-3D conversion – which works well – and 4K upscaling, which also delivers impressive results. There's an excellent treatment of digital files, too. The poor remote and a basic selection of apps are the downsides, but overall this future-proof deck is impressive and good value. Read the full review: Panasonic DMP-BDT360 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/edc577a4e3b84c878da620bba3e3f82e.jpg The S6700's bias towards Android devices for both Bluetooth music streaming and for screen mirroring (over Miracast) is irritating, but this diminutive 255x39x192 mm, 900g package promises 4K upscaling (for those with an Ultra HD 4K TV), Full HD 3D support and wireless music features galore. But the real victory for the BDP-S6700 is with its image not only from Blu-ray, which are faultless, but also from lesser sources of video, which are nicely cleaned-up. Read the full review: Sony BDP-S6700 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/83a3812ab8c582dfb46d733f3ba86aab.jpg It's easy to enthuse about the UHP-H1, both as a Hi-Res Audio music player and a top-flight Blu-ray player. Image quality is outstanding, even when compared to first-gen 4K UHD Blu-ray players, and it sounds every bit the premium component. Compared to rival players from Oppo, Cambridge and Pioneer, the UHP-H1 could even be construed as good value. If you're not planning to jump on the 4K Blu-ray bandwagon any time soon, it's well worth an audition. Read the full review: Sony UHP-H1 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/24fa6bdd72f09fa446fb1ec4f8eb2cd8.jpg Do you need Ultra HD 4K upscaling? Probably not, but we all know where this is heading. Your next TV will likely be an UHD TV, but by the time you buy it 4K upscaling will have gone to a whole new level than what the BDP-S6200 can muster. In which case we're left with dual core processing (and so a speedier, though ageing user interface), a bigger physical footprint and unconvincing 4K upscaling as the only features that lift the BDP-S6200 beyond its cheaper sibling (above). Comparisons aside, however, the BDP-S6200 has a decent smart TV apps package, excellent digital file support, and unquestionable quality in in both 2D and 3D Blu-ray disc playback. Read the full review: Sony BDP-S6200 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e74c8e939aa1345a674a8c66c42d3e5b.jpg Fast forward a year and we arrive at Samsung's latest finest. For all the niceties of 4K upscaling, a wide choice of apps and digital file playback, it's the dual core processing inside this good value 2D and 3D Blu-ray deck that most impresses. With a decent – if oddly organised – collection of smart apps and plenty of advanced features, the BD-H6500 makes a great mid-range option if you're after a does-it-all deck that offers some future-proofing. The 4K upscaling on the BD-H6500 is better than we've seen on the Sony BDP-S6200, but not as good as on Panasonic Blu-ray players like the Panasonic DMP-BDT460; either way, it's not one of the many reasons to buy the BD-H6500. Read the full review: Samsung BD-H6500 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9a1a34a3f8b5fc1baaaefe82377f447c.jpg Just like Virgin's TiVo box (though with one less TV tuner), the BD-H8900 lacks the processing power to truly be a breakthrough product. It's the best value of Samsung's two pricey Freeview HD recorders, but for all of its flexibility, 3D Blu-ray disc playback and excellent digital media-friendly design, the navigation and operation is a low-point. So too is a muddled approach to key apps, with second-rate apps too high-up on Smart Hub and many catch-up TV apps hidden in an online store. Video quality is generally very good and digital file handling excellent. It's not perfect, but for anyone after a catch-all solution without monthly subs, this is as good as it gets. Read the full review: Samsung BD-H8900 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/f1dfeef856d83320c9bc0ebe4011957c.jpg The BDP-S7200 is a piece of kit with an external appearance that looks every bit as premium as the decent electronics contained within. It does an excellent job of upscaling content to a resolution of 4K, even surpassing the upscaling technology built into Sony's own TV sets. It might not have support for enough catch-up TV services to completely fill your needs, but when the image quality is this good it's hard to fault the overall package. At this price it's something of a bargain. Read the full review: Sony BDP-S7200 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/9uua1YS6m4Y

Adobe is the latest in an increasingly long line of businesses that has announced it’ll be raising prices for its UK customers in response to the pound’s fluctuating value against the dollar. The company behind popular, and for some essential, products such as Photoshop, Lightroom, InDesign, and Illustrator sent its customers an email stating that because of “recent changes in exchange rates” Creative Cloud subscriptions would be rising in price from March 6. Adobe’s official blog post on the subject is fairly scant when it comes to exactly how much the prices are rising, stating that Swedish and Brazilian customers will also see a rise and that “existing customers will receive information about their subscription pricing directly from Adobe.” Price editIt seems that the amount subscriptions are rising varies from user to user, with people taking to social media to express their annoyance that the price they’re paying is rising by anything from 10% all the way to 60%. According to DigitalArtsOnline, students are being hit worst with their subscriptions rising by 60%. Subscribers on annual plans won’t see their prices rise in March like monthly subscribers as their subscription has been paid, but after their annual term ends they’ll be subject to a price increase. We’ve reached out to Adobe to request the exact details of the price rises and we’ll update with their response. Regardless of exactly how much costs are set to rise, Adobe’s creative software isn't exactly cheap to start with. For those who rely on its products for their studies or freelance work, any increase could hit hard. Some worthy alternativesOutside of professional spheres, the most widely used piece of software that’ll be subject to a price rise is probably Photoshop so in light of that we’ve decided to flag up some free alternatives. They may not have all the features that make Photoshop the first choice for professionals but for everyone else they’re worthy alternatives. Our first suggestion is GIMP which is by far the best free Photoshop alternative. It has fully customizable masks, layers, advanced filters, color adjustments and transformations as well as a wealth of user-created plugins and scripts which replicate popular Photoshop tools. Even better, it comes with an excellent in-depth user manual to help you get started without a fuss. Photo Pos Pro is another excellent alternative which has interfaces to accommodate both beginners and advanced users, the latter of which closely resembles Photoshop. If you find GIMP’s endless lists and menus intimidating and/or exhausting Photo Pos Pro could be the option for you. Its main drawback is the limit on save file sizes (1,024 x 2,014 pixels), but if you decide you like the basic version and want to upgrade, Photo Pos Pro Premium is currently discounted to £17.67 which is a reasonable price for a stellar Photoshop alternative. There are several other free alternatives that may appeal to you, the rest of which you can find here.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/nPKU491SOeY

Free stock photosStock photography has something of a bad rap – it’s often a bit cheesy (aptly illustrated by Tumblr blog Women Laughing Alone with Salad ) and even when you find something suitable for the project you’re working on, you might have to fork out for a costly subscription fee. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. Thanks to talented and generous photographers, there are thousands of stunning original photos in the public domain. We’ve collected the five best free stock photography sites where you can find great pictures for all your projects. All of their photos are free to use without attribution for personal, editorial or commercial purposes. However, there are still a couple of restrictions to bear in mind. The main limitations apply to photos of identifiable people, trademarked products and privately owned property (not only people’s homes, but also and some landmarks). Getty Images has an excellent guide to intellectual property, which is worth checking out before you get started. You might also be interested in our list of free alternatives to Adobe Photoshop. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/K9aX36RbvgAG3fFXbdZ5AC.jpg Unsplash features work by very talented photographers, including superb wildlife photography that you won't find on other stock photo sites – free or premium1. UnsplashStunning pictures from professional and semi-professional photographers Unsplash is a well curated collection of beautiful photos donated by skilled photographers, and has been used to create some stunning work. https://madewith.unsplash.com There are fewer images than you’ll find on Pixabay, but the quality is more consistent. Unsplash’s search tool is the fastest way to find a picture, but if you have a little time of your hands, check out Collections – groups of photos sorted by other users into themes like Light and Shadow, Street Life, and Into the Wild. You can create your own collections after signing up for an account. They’re ideal for inspiration, or gathering resources for a project. As with all the stock photography sites here, it’s not necessary to credit the photographer, but Unsplash notes that it’s nice to add a simple credit with a link back to their profile as a courtesy. The picture featured here is by Carl Flor. Unsplash http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ohsXtgy8Hmi9PzDNpKhJ5N.jpg Pixabay's landscape and nature photography are particular strengths, and there's a great selection of portraits to use in your projects as well2. PixabayThe biggest collection of free stock photos and illustrations online Pixabay is packed with well over a million public domain images – not only photos, but also illustrations, vector graphics, and even a handful of videos. Its selection of landscape photography is particularly strong, and the Editor’s Choice is well worth a look if you don’t have something specific in mind. Once you’ve found a suitable picture, choose an appropriate resolution (print projects will need a much higher resolution than online ones) and complete a Captcha to download the file. You can cut out the Captcha by signing up for a free account. The vast majority of pictures on Pixabay are safe for work, but to avoid anything explicit appearing in search results, make sure you check the Enable SafeSearch box before browsing. Pixabay http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gtx52u5zZcoT33ctGjSVd3.jpg We love Ryan McGuire's sense of humour. Use his quirky photos to bring your own work to life3. GratisographyA collection of fun and surreal photos that provide a breath of fresh air If you’re looking for something a bit quirky, Gratisography – a collection of pictures by talented photographer and graphic designer Ryan McGuire – is perfect. Ryan’s photos often have a surreal edge, and are brilliant if you’re sick of dull stock photo clichés; there are no women laughing alone with salad here. Gratisography doesn’t offer as much content as some other free stock photo sites, but Ryan’s creative eye makes up for that, and he adds new pictures every week. You can subscribe to his newsletter for update alerts, or keep an eye on his Twitter account. It’s not essential to credit Ryan, but he appreciates it if you do. Gratisography http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xC9qod6WzYwi6xxYi7giMN.jpg Pexels features lots of photos of smartphones and laptops, which are ideal for interface mockups, but there are some wonderfully atmospheric images as well4. PexelsFree public domain stock photos from around the world Anyone is welcome to upload photos to Pexels, and the site’s curators will pick out the best shots to populate its searchable collection of public domain images. You can search for something specific, or browse by themes including pastimes, emotions, and locations. Pexels is a particularly good choice for web or app designers, with an excellent set of device images that are ideal for displaying interface mockups. A couple of images stray close to stock photo cheesiness (ideas that are tricky to illustrate spelled out with scrabble tiles, for example), but the vast majority are creative and original. Pexels has a category dedicated to space photography, which looks amazing, but bear in mind that some of the material is from NASA – one of the organizations whose images should only be used in specific contexts. Pexels http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qochGhwTpMjafxGg7ET4Ej.jpg Many of Negative Space's contributors hail from London, as their choice of subjects demonstrates5. Negative SpaceFree stock pictures from up-and-coming photographers Anyone with a camera is invited to contribute to Negative Space, which aims to give amateur photographers a platform to share their work with the world and support fellow creatives. As with Gratisography, you can subscribe to Negative Space’s newsletter for updates when new images are added, and because the content is refreshed so frequently, it’s well worth re-visiting to look for new pictures if you’ve been working on a project for a while. Negative Space is based in the UK, so much of the photography features British scenes. At the time of writing, the collection several shots of architecture in London, so it’s worth checking out this guide to intellectual property and the London skyline before using these. Negative Space http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/k8bbk9NCCBs

It’s preview build season, for sure, and Microsoft has pushed out another version of Windows 10 to testers, with the OS getting Braille support added along with improvements to ‘night light’ settings. Oh, and an absolute barrage of bug fixes. Build 15025 has hit the Fast Ring and improves the accessibility armory of Windows 10 by introducing Braille support in Narrator (although note that this is still a beta feature). Fire Narrator up and head to Settings > Ease of Access, then under Narrator settings, you’ll find the Download Braille button – click that to install support for the function, and then click the Enable Braille button (also in Ease of Access). You will, of course, need to possess and add a Braille display. The Ease of Access section also got another tweak, with an option for mono audio to allow visually impaired users who are using a screen reader program to listen with just one earbud in and still hear every sound through that single speaker (in case they want to leave the other ear free to listen to the environment and conversations around them). http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pByDjNNVqhXgTaEKHeCQd.png To sleep, perchance to dream…Microsoft has also improved the night light settings which can be turned on when you’re working (or playing) on your PC late at night – it cuts down the levels of blue light, using warmer colors which are less likely to affect your sleep quality when you do hit the sack. The color temperature slider now works fully across its entire range, meaning it can be turned down to ‘very red’ (1200 K). Preview build 15025 also witnessed an absolute raft of bug fixes, including solving an issue with games whereby after being minimized, the game was unable to be restored, plus extensions for the Edge browser should now all work correctly again. For the full list of fixes, and also a number of issues to be aware of, check out Microsoft’s blog post here. Thinking of making the leap to Windows 10? These are the best deals aroundhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/NAQO2JoWLTU

You don’t need to be following the smart home space that closely to have heard the name Samsung SmartThings sometime in the last few months. SmartThings is becoming one of the biggest and most recognizable names in the Internet of Things space, and might soon evolve from being a household name to a ubiquitous household product. It offers a number of advantages, but the reason it’s reached such high levels of acclaim is because it offers complete control of your burgeoning smart home without a monthly fee, annual contract or any sort of third-party tampering. It’s a smart home built by you, for you. It’s been discussed on TechRadar on multiple occasions – sometimes praising it, other times calling out its shortcomings (read: the automated home is a mess). But in those times we failed to elaborate, from the beginning, what Samsung SmartThings is, and why some people are buying into it right now. So that’s exactly what we’re going to do here. That said, you’d better buckle up, what you’re about to read about is the future of smart home technology – one that initially might appear complex, but holds the potential to mitigate frustrations and ultimately make your life easier when it goes fully mainstream in the next few years. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2ed991bf75f5c846807093683563533c.jpg Samsung SmartThings: an introductionWhen anyone talks about SmartThings, they’re really talking about two separate but interconnected parts of the same platform –the SmartThings smart home software and the SmartThings family of physical products that includes smart light bulbs, locks, thermostats, cameras, doorbells and more. First off, let it be said that all these smart home products are neat and could probably have worked five years ago independently of one another to serve their purposes. But what Samsung has done with SmartThings is united them under one banner, given them the ability to talk to one another and made them controllable from your phone or tablet. But there’s one key to the puzzle here and that’s the SmartThings Hub. It’s sold separately from all the other products and that’s because it’s the proverbial and sometimes quite literal brains of the operation. The Hub connects to your router via a wired ethernet connection and infiltrates your airwaves with a signal that the smart home devices respond to. Once the hub is installed, it’s time to download the accompanying iOS, Android or Windows app, and start syncing your devices – usually a short and painless process. Depending on what product you set up, you can either start using it independently – if, say you bought a security camera or thermostat – or part of a larger ecosystem by creating routines, i.e. a set of commands that are executed under certain conditions. We’ll dive into these more in a minute, but think of routines as instruction sets. One application of a routine is if you’re leaving the house, for example, your smart home will understand to turn off the lights, lock the door, turn off the air conditioning and close the blinds without you ever lifting a finger. There’s also something called modes, which is basically the state that your smart home is in at a given point. It sounds a bit convoluted at first, but it all makes sense once you figure out your first routine, which we’ll cover in detail down below. OK, here’s the coolest part: all the products you’ve seen or heard about so far – these are just the beginning. There are hundreds of companies working on smart home products as we speak – some of these will help you sleep better, work out harder and, well, generally improve every aspect of your life. We’ll talk more about the future below, but know that by buying into the SmartThings platform you’re not just getting the hundred-or-so products available today, but the hundreds or possibly thousands that are coming tomorrow, too. What products work with Samsung SmartThings?Now that we covered the basics, let’s talk about all the cool smart home hardware you can pick up alongside your smart home hub. There’s the kind of tech you’d expect to be here – smart thermostats like the Honeywell Lyric Thermostat and Ecobee 3 – but also some things you never thought would be here, like key fobs, outdoor sprinkler controls and arrival sensors that let you know when people leave and enter the home. You can see a complete list of products over at Samsung’s website. We won’t write out every single product that works with SmartThings (that’d take ages) but what we can do is highlight the products we’ve found most helpful or interesting, giving you a point of reference and a few ideas of how to build out your smart home of the future. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HYH3CxEW9zGBxVWMDStHVJ.jpg Best smart assistant for SmartThings: Google Home It’s a tight race between the Google Home and Amazon Echo when it comes to best overall smart speaker. But what really seals the deal for the Home as a SmartThings component is its ability to not only sync seamlessly with all your devices, but allow you to link into Google’s family of smart home products, too. With Home, you’ll be able to send videos to your Chromecast, give directions to your Nest Thermostat and check-in with your router if you buy Google Wifi. It’s two smart home systems for the price of one. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6b99wQE7YmZpnmoGDtnDWd.jpg Best smart light bulb for SmartThings: LiFX Color 1000 While Philips Hue has long been the market leader in the smart bulb space, our favorite has always been the LiFX series of smart bulbs – they’re easy to setup and, considering how temperamental smart home tech can be, pretty reliable, too. They may not be the most affordable lights on the market and not the kind of thing you’d use to deck out your whole house, but buy one or two for a living room or game room and we think you’ll be impressed. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/49e3f608ca7239dae11cf9221b183d6b.jpg Best smart thermostat for SmartThings: Ecobee3 If you just ask us which of the three main smart thermostats – Ecobee3, Honeywell Lyric or Nest – is the best, we’d tell you to go for the Nest. It’s the easiest to setup and the most feature-rich of the group. That said, Nest doesn’t play nicely with Samsung SmartThings. If you’re looking for the best thermostat will work with your new smart home center, you should check out the Ecobee3. Not only is it sharp-looking and feature a touchscreen, but it comes with a wireless sensor you can place anywhere in your home to make sure even the tough to heat places are getting enough love. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fwEQHujKYornj29BeTffMi.jpg Best security camera for SmartThings: Samsung SmartCam HD Pro Look online and you’ll find a dozen-or-so connected security cameras that promise to keep your home safe while you’re away. Problematically, however, not all of these work with Samsung’s SmartThings platform. The one that’s guaranteed to do the trick is Samsung’s very own SmartCam HD Pro that offers full 1080p streaming, 128-degree viewing and can automatically switch on when it detects motion – meaning there’s no need for a separate motion sensor. There are better smart cameras out there, but Samsung’s SmartCam works with SmartThings and does the job the just fine. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/NZFh2KiXgfKqKjder6ado6.jpg For everything else: Samsung SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit We could go through and rattle off the best sensors, outlets and motion detectors. We could, but the best option for all of the above comes in the Samsung SmartThings Home Monitoring Kit. The kit includes one SmartThings Outlet, two Multipurpose Sensors, one Motion Sensor and one SmartThings Hub. Pick up one of these then it’s easy to expand out to any of the other products we’ve mentioned so far. Samsung SmartThings sample routinesBy now you should have your SmartThings Hub setup and the app downloaded on your preferred mobile device. All set? Good. The SmartThings app ships with four set routines: Good Morning! Good Night! Goodbye! and I’m Back! These routines are almost useless at first without being hooked up to any devices. The only thing they’ll do when pressed is change the mode of the system to Home, Away or Night. The SmartThings app ships with four set routines: Good Morning! Good Night! Goodbye! and I’m Back! So how do you get them to, you know, actually do their job and automate your smart home? Add a few products and touch the gear icon in the top right of each box. Start your smart home hardware collection by picking up a smart bulb, thermometer, outlet, door lock and camera. That should be enough to get us started. Potentially your morning could start as soon as the sun rises (or, if you’re like us, around 8:30am during the week and close to noon on the weekend) and automatically turn on your smart light in your bedroom. Trigger the thermometer to turn on the heat and turn on your smart outlet that’s hooked up to the toaster and/or coffee maker. If you want to add another layer to this, you could trigger this event when a motion sensor in, say, your kitchen, picks up movement after 6 o’clock in the morning. Leaving the house? Create a routine where, when SmartThings doesn’t detect your smartphone in the house anymore, it automatically locks the front door, turns on your security camera, turns off all the lights and smart outlets and turns off the heat. If you’re leaving the house after the sun goes down, you could always have your smart home leave the outdoor light on just to give the appearance that someone is home. Coming back? Reverse all of the above. Finally, when it comes time to bed, shut everything down and have Samsung text you “Goodnight!” The future of SmartThings and the smart homeSo where is SmartThings going now that it has its foot firmly planted in the doorway? The path for the platform is clear – it has to continue to bridge gaps between companies like it’s been doing for the past year or two, and actively pursue its own solutions from inside Samsung. As much as we like a lot of the third-party solutions out there, it’s more likely that skeptics will be a little less uptight if they see Samsung’s name on every box. Samsung’s also got some competition – both Google and Apple have their own smart home solutions in the form of the Made by Google platform and Apple HomeKit. Both these solutions are relatively far behind Samsung in terms of quality and number of products that they support, but it could only be a matter of time before these companies put their full force behind smart home tech. Beyond those, there are a number of smaller, third-party solutions out there like Stringify that can connect your smart devices without a hub. Considering smart home tech’s presence at this year’s CES, it’s a space we expect to see continue to grow in 2017 and beyond, powered both by large and small developers. Have a routine you’d recommend or a smart home product you really like? Let us know in the comments below. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/mbafq1dDJ-M

As you’re probably aware, China has a history of very strict policies regarding online content. The country recently approved a new cybersecurity law, expected to go into effect this summer, which further establishes firm state control over information flows and tech equipment. As for VPN providers, the situation is no different in the country. China routinely campaigns against VPNs, aiming to interrupt or completely block the services. Still, using a VPN is not illegal in China – the focus is on censorship, rather than punishment. Indeed, VPNs are very popular in China, especially among expatriates and those in academic circles. But circumventing the ‘Great Firewall’, the nickname given to the country’s vast system of online censorship, is becoming harder. It’s important to note that almost every major internet service provider is controlled by Chinese authorities. How to choose the best VPN service for ChinaDealing with this level of censorship of the net is far from easy, but some VPNs are willing to tackle the problem, having proven methods of maintaining uptime in a difficult online climate. Obviously you need to look for a capable service in this respect, and pick out a reliable VPN, too. Choosing one with high quality customer support is also important, for when downtime does rear its ugly head. And obviously the number and range of available servers (particularly those in Asia) will help you obtain a better, faster connection. Tight security and privacy is, as ever, a primary consideration as well. So which are the best VPN services for those based in China? We’ve picked out five top-notch efforts for your delectation. We’ve also chosen the best VPNs for Windows and Machttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iJNeJiDNx5FPudYNcTAMYW.jpg ExpressVPN is one of the most popular VPNs in China, and it’s a go-to provider for many because it deftly navigates around the Great Firewall. The service’s wide array of server locations is a big plus, with Hong Kong and Singapore-based servers being especially relevant in this case. ExpressVPN offers a consistent performance, with neat dedicated apps for the mobile experience. For any trouble that might occur, there’s round-the-clock live chat and email support available from China (the website is not blocked). There’s no free trial of the service and the pricing isn’t cheap. Still, the 30-day money-back guarantee at least gives you some fall-back, and the year-long plan provides the best value for money. The packages available are: [$12.95 a month] 1-month[$9.99 a month] 6-months - $59.95[$8.32 a month] 12-months - $99.85Download ExpressVPN herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DqCH5Fhp5UDnnaQYqMEzh3.jpg One of the main advantages of VyprVPN is its proprietary Chameleon security protocol which can help bypass VPN blocking, scrambling OpenVPN packet metadata to ensure it’s safe from the tendrils of deep packet inspection. VyprVPN is a tier-1 VPN network, which means the outfit owns all of its servers. There are enough of them to ensure good performance (14 are located in Asia), along with solid support for mobile operating systems, and 24/7 live chat for troubleshooting. The much-praised Chameleon protocol is excluded from the basic plan, which itself offers a rather miserly two simultaneous connections. On top of that, the service is expensive, but does offer a 30-day refund period and a three-day trial. Despite the cost, what’s on offer here could well be worth paying for – your best bet is the Pro plan to make sure you get the benefit from Chameleon. The packages available are: Basic: [$9.99 a month] [$80 annually - $6.67 a month]Pro: [$14.99 a month] [$100 annually - $8.33 a month]Premier: [$19.99 a month] [$120 annually - $10 a month]Download VyprVPN herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jQegPnVni22h6LDXFjsc2m.png This Hungarian VPN offers a rather enjoyable experience that’s easy to set up. Surprisingly, there is no native mobile support which is a shame, considering you can connect up to five devices simultaneously. Instead, the company offers detailed guides for configuring mobiles manually – although that won’t be ideal for beginners. There are several servers in Asia which make for a reliable and speedy performance, and you get round-the-clock technical support. One of the more interesting features is the refund policy, which is valid for up to 10 hours, 100 sessions or 10GB of bandwidth. Buffered VPN is somewhat expensive, with the 12-month plan providing the best value. The packages available are: [$12.99 a month] 1-month[$9.99 a month] 6-months - $59.94[$8.25 a month] 12-months - $99.00Download Buffered VPN herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UY6GgYBpnnaKc6SXnYoB9K.jpg AirVPN is a very up-front service with an engaging forum community. That’s not surprising when you find out that it’s operated by ‘activists and hacktivists’ in defence of net neutrality and other online freedoms. The website lists all the available servers and their current load. The number of server locations is low, admittedly, although seven are located in Asia. Nevertheless, the provider has no problems manoeuvring around geolocation restrictions and China is no exception. The service offers solid and reliable performance, even if signing up and getting going is a bit of a hassle. AirVPN has reasonably priced plans – five of them, to be exact. A 3-day plan offers a convenient way to try the service out, while the 12-month plan boasts the best value for money. The packages available are: [$1.05] 3-days[$7.40 a month] 1-month[$5.33 a month] 3-months - $16.00[$5.15 a month] 6-months - $31.00[$4.75 a month] 12-months - $57.00Download AirVPN herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JAjaUso4BPaK9iBR5QjPLA.jpg StrongVPN is one of the favourites among visitors and expats in China. It supports the most popular platforms with detailed manual setup instructions for others. This VPN features a decent number of server locations, and has no problems navigating around the Great Firewall, with connections proving reliable and pretty fast. And if you want security, there’s wide protocol support, up to 2048-bit encryption, along with StrongDNS, the company’s own concoction to protect against DNS leaks. However, there is a limit of two simultaneous device connections which spoils the fun just a little. The plan selection is also on the weak side, with only two options to pick from. Both come with a 5-day money-back guarantee, with the annual plan clearly offering the best value for money. The packages available are: [$10.00 a month] 1-month[$5.83 a month] 12-months - $69.95Download StrongVPN herehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/uZIjm95GoN0

Free music downloadersiTunes and Google Play Music aren’t the only sources of music online – all kinds of websites and services offer songs to download free. But what’s the best way to get it? Should you go for a torrent app for finding FLAC files, or would you have more success grabbing audio from YouTube clips? Whatever your preference, you’ll find the free music downloader that’s right for you right here. As ever, we need to stress the importance of copyright: you should only download music if you have the express permission of the copyright holder, or the music is in the public domain. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/QkBsY9dCti4X55KSga4mRW.jpg qBittorrent is our favorite general-purpose torrent client, and it's ideal for large audio files. The best free music downloader1. qBittorrenthttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png Even huge uncompressed audio files are no trouble when you use a torrent client to download music Torrent distribution is brilliant for transmitting large files, and that’s why it’s the favoured tool of the high-res audio crowd: high quality FLAC files, uncompressed WAV or AIFF files or the new generation of studio quality masters can be massive, and there’s nothing more frustrating than a huge file that’s taking forever to download. Bittorrent downloads from multiple hosts simultaneously, making it a very fast and robust way to get hold of music. There are several really good Bittorrent clients for PC, but we think qBIttorrent is the most flexible: it covers most of the bases without being difficult to use or too demanding of your PC. Download here: qBittorrent http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/K52SHzpRFXjGYbxawr3RwK.jpg Like all of Freemake's free media software, YouTube to MP3 Boom is extremely easy to use, offering only the tools and options you really need2. Freemake YouTube to MP3 Boomhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png A streamlined music downloader that puts all the tools you need in a single neat package Don’t worry, the app is a lot less clunky than the name. Freemake’s music downloader is designed specifically for getting music from YouTube, and it automatically downloads MP3s in the highest possible quality – 320Kbps – if available. You can use it as a YouTube search engine, enabling you to find music from the comfort of your desktop without having to invoke your web browser, or you can paste a YouTube address into it to start a download. There aren’t any fancy swarming features like you’ll find with torrent downloads, but as a cheap and cheerful way to get YouTube audio, Boom is hard to beat. Download here: Freemake YouTube to MP3 Boom http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cYxoPGFREPQJxfRnxEi7Dj.jpg If you don't have a specific track in mind, check out MP3's themes to find music to suit your mood3. MP3Jamhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png Enjoy faster downloads and get the best sound quality – but be aware of the limits If your YouTube requirements are a little more complex, check out MP3Jam. This free music downloader has multi-threaded file downloads, which means it can download from multiple sources simultaneously, and it can run multiple downloads at the same time too. It tries to find the highest quality – up to 320Kbps – and there’s a useful hashtag search you can use to find music of particular genres. There’s a built-in music player too. The only downside is that the free app is deliberately limited in the hope you’ll buy a one-day or lifetime subscription. If you don’t, you can only download five tracks every 25 minutes and you can’t download full albums. Download here: MP3Jam http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jGiG6RjrDUk9tH2G57LSeg.jpg Lacey's Windows Explorer-style interface means it's easy to get stuck in, and automatic transcoding ensures the resulting files are ready to play immediately4. Lacey: Free Music and Video Downloaderhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png A well designed music downloader with automatic MP3 transcoding and search result filtering It's not too pretty and some of the blurb on third-party download sites is out of date – a few of the music services it used to connect to are long gone – but Lacey: Free Music and Video Downloader enables you to search for free and legal music from sites such as Bandcamp and SoundCloud, as well as download from the likes of Baidu and YouTube if you have the copyright holder's permission. It looks rather like Windows Explorer, and it’s packed with useful features including automatic transcoding to MP3 (especially handy for videos where you just want the audio), automatic downloading of cover art and easy filtering of search results. Download here: Lacey: Free Music and Video Downloader http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Dc9zbxHGusxEgfZan8QMwK.jpg Harking back to glory days of peer-to-peer filesharing, Frostware is a music downloader that makes it easy to find the music you want, then manage the downloaded tracks5. Frostwirehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png An old-school peer-to-peer client that searches multiple sources for the tracks you want Remember how peer-to-peer networks changed the way people found music? They’re still doing their thing, and while the likes of Napster and LimeWire are long gone, you can still kick it old-school with FrostWire. It connects to multiple torrent trackers and cloud-based download sites to help you find exactly what you’re looking for, and it includes a music player and music library manager to keep your music organised. It feels like a modern take on the old P2P apps, and is really simple and effective. Download here: Frostwire http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BPKQ77FhT6SFPAfbDZg25Z.jpg BitLord is thoughtfully designed, and comes bundled with the superb VLC Media Player6. BitLordhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png A breeze to use, packed with features for both beginners and seasoned music downloaders BitLord's main appeal is its ease of use. It includes both a music downloader and a media player, eliminating the need to find a suitable one yourself. It can handle comments so you can see if a torrent is a good idea to download, and it supports Apple’s AirPlay so that your Windows PC can send video to an Apple TV. The most recent update in November added support for many more file formats, so you’re unlikely to encounter a file that BitLord can’t handle. BitLord will appeal to power users too, with support for multi-tracker and auto-managed torrents. Download here: BitLord http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aH9BHdqowNFL423gEExPpd.jpg Whatever you want to hear, you can find it with Vuze's powerful search7. Vuzehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png A powerful music downloader that searches all the biggest torrent sources for songs Where Bitlord claims to be the easiest torrent client for new users, Vuze claims to be the most powerful. It comes in two flavors, Leap and Vuze – the former being a super-stripped-back version for simple downloading, and the latter being the all-singing, all dancing option for power users. There’s a third, paid-for option called Vuze+ that adds integrated anti-virus protection and DVD burning. The main draw here is the metasearch, which takes your query and checks all the major torrent sites to find suitable results. If you’ve ever spent forever trying multiple sites for the tunes you want, you’ll see the appeal of that immediately. Download here: Vuze http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wHvNYsJFNcD92G7gGmGyGn.jpg Thanks to its plugin support and browser extensions, Deluge can be tailored to suit you8. Delugehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png Download music on your own terms with Deluge – a totally flexible torrent client Here’s one for the power users: Deluge is a free, cross-platform Bittorrent client that’s expandable via a massive library of plugins. There are plugins to monitor network activity, to delete partial files left after cancellation, to rename multiple files to keep your library nice and tidy, to schedule downloads for times when your connection isn’t so congested and much more. It can integrate with Firefox or Chrome, and because no two users will go for the same selection of plugins it’s the most personal downloading app around. Download here: Deluge http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/asnR5NpeuJBFUkA7R9HCNA.jpg The Windows edition of a superb Mac app, Transmission-Qt Win is reliable and easy to use9. Transmission-Qt Winhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png A minimalist torrent client that's as straightforward as they come – ideal for easy music downloads Transmission-Qt Win is the Windows version of Transmission, one of the best and most reliable torrent downloaders on the Mac. It’s simple enough for absolute beginners, but with options for setting upload and download speed limits, using magnet links, port forwarding and encryption and the ability to prioritize files and block specific IP addresses there’s lots here for power users too. The only real negative is a known performance issue with really, really big downloads, but as we’re talking terabytes rather than gigabytes that’s not going to be a problem when you’re downloading music. Download here: Transmission-Qt Win http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bjBtSdcMHQTdThEP6iFQ53.jpg It doesn't actually download tracks, but if you have a SoundCloud account, Soundnode does the next best thing and streams them right to your desktop10. Soundnodehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png An unofficial client for Soundnode that puts your favorite tunes on your Windows desktop We’re bending the rules a little bit here because Soundnode connects to SoundCloud, which streams music rather than downloading it, but we think that’s okay because the app itself is so good. It’s exactly the kind of app you’d have thought SoundCloud would build itself – which is funny, because it only exists because SoundCloud killed its own desktop app some time ago. Soundnode enables you to stream music, browse playlists and share songs with others and it effectively makes SoundCloud feel like Spotify. It’s a little buggy – it’s an ongoing project – but it’s already very impressive. Download here: Soundnode http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/qlxZXOvmU4M

A number of interesting new features have been spotted in the WhatsApp beta for iOS and Android recently, one of which appears to be live location tracking. It appears that the Live Location feature will display your real-time location to those you chat to in groups using WhatsApp. The feature was spotted by Twitter user WABetaInfo, although exactly where your location will be made visible isn’t clear. Naturally, a feature like this has the potential to raise concerns with regards to privacy. To address these concerns, the Live Location feature will be disabled until the user manually opts in via the app’s settings menu. Just think of all the fibs and lame excuses that could be exposed if this wasn’t the case – all those people who tell you they’re five minutes away when they haven’t left the house yet would be rumbled. In or outThose who don’t want to have their location constantly on display (that’ll be the majority of users we imagine), but who would find the feature useful in certain scenarios, will have the option to enable the feature for a limited window of one, two or five minutes. This isn’t the only interesting feature that’s been spotted in the app’s Android beta. There are also reports that we could soon see the ability to edit messages we’ve sent, as well as recall messages you wish you hadn’t sent at all. It would only be possible to edit or recall messages that haven’t been read, though, so you’ll still have to live with those mid-conversation regrets – at least until WhatsApp develops a memory-wiping feature. Although these features have been spotted in the beta it’s not clear when they’ll be rolled out, or whether they’ll be rolled out exactly as they appear in the beta. 10 brilliant WhatsApp tips and trickshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/DlWz-aynG2Q

“Alexa, do this.” “Alexa, do that.” “Alexa, fulfil my every whim.” The Amazon Echo is a relatively new gadget - a little over a year old in the US - but it’s already crept its way into every corner of our home lives. From playing our every musical fancy to turning up our heating, and from checking our train times to ordering us a pizza, Alexa has quickly become our best electric mate and one that rarely lets us down. When you ask Alexa to do something she’s not capable of though it’s jarring. Why can’t she work with that device or service? This just isn’t good enough. Our belief that we’re really living in the sci-fi inspired future is broken. Although the Echo has impressed, there’s still much that it needs to learn. Yes, Alexa is getting smarter by the day, but the sooner she adds support for this lot, the better. Picture the scene: you walk through the door, kick off your shoes and bellow ‘Alexa, turn on my TV’. Hey presto, sorted. The telly is on while you get a beer from the fridge, no fuss, no fanfare just a single, simple command. Most TVs are connected to the internet now anyway, so there’s no reason why they can’t use those smart skills to play nice with Alexa and adhere to your every vocal command. From webOS to Android TV, all the individual Smart TV platforms would need an Alexa-friendly patch, but once set-up you’d be able to quit your nightly remote hunts and just talk to your TV instead. VR’s still in its infancy, and unless its user interfaces improve, it could stay there longer than it should. Holding your gaze on menu options to make selections is effective, but seriously slow and repetitive. Stating “Alexa, ask Vive to launch Office Simulator” or “Alexa, ask Oculus to open my 360 Photos” as soon as you don your VR headset would speed up the whole process no end. It would also save the problem of mistaken button presses that come with controllers you cant see. It would have another benefit too. VR can be a solitary, isolating experience, but talking to Alexa while in the virtual world could help make the whole thing more of a two-way experience. Slightly. How has this not already happened? Skype seems an obvious way to communicate through Alexa, with the service’s VoIP calls capable of being triggered just by asking: “Alexa, ask Skype to call Olivia.” Not only would Alexa be able to place the calls for you, the Echo’s 360-degree speakers would pipe the conversation out into your home. It would be just like having your call on speaker mode, except you can carry on pottering around your room, with the Echo’s seven beam-forming directional microphones picking up everything you utter. “Alexa, ask Sky to record Arsenal vs Liverpool for me.” Boom, sorted. How much easier would that be? That’s four minutes and about 18 button presses you’ve just saved yourself there as you scroll through the weekend’s fixture list, cussing under your breath as you realise the big match is actually BT Sport’s Monday night fixture. The dream situation would be that Alexa has access to the week’s full TV listings and has been synced up to your own Sky Q box. Now when you want to set something to record later in the week, you’ll be able to ask rather than do the manual work and kick off time hunting yourself. Thanks to Alexa, your Echo can look after your calendar and relay upcoming appointments to you to ensure you never miss a meeting. But what about those Facebook-hosted event invites and reminders? Play time is just as important as work efforts, and hooking Facebook up to the Echo could be a way to find this balance. Although you don’t need every motivational quote and humble bragbook post that pops up on your News Feed verbally relaying to you, being able to ask “Alexa, ask Facebook when Saturday’s party starts” or “Alexa, ask Facebook how old Harry will be on Tuesday” could have genuine benefits. Amazon Music Unlimited is supported, obviously, But so too are TuneIn and even Spotify, so where is the Apple Music Alexa love? If you pay for the streaming service, you’re going to want to listen to it where and however you want. With the rise of digital assistants and smart speakers, that now includes through devices like the Amazon Echo. The foundations are already there - Alexa knows how to play music and Apple Music supports Siri - but the bit in the middle is currently missing. Given we’re still waiting for an Amazon Prime Apple TV app to drop, and Apple’s notorious need for independence, we can’t see this happening anytime soon, but we can dream can’t we? OK, so those must have ’90s machines with the little blinking red light might not be commonplace anymore, but for those that have them, or those who still get voicemails on their smartphone, asking “Alexa, play my new messages” could be a welcome addition. Like with Skype calls, these would then be piped out through the Echo’s circular speaker, letting you listen back to what you missed. As you quickly work out whether the call is PPI junk or something actually important, follow up requests like “Alexa, delete” or “Alexa, return call” could be addressed too, doing away with all those traditional, fiddly button presses. Netflix’s picture-led interface is pretty and the foundation for everything that’s followed (we’re looking at you Sky Q, Apple TV and Amazon Prime), but it’s also a bit on the busy side. It’s all too easy to spend as much time scrolling through trying to pick a film as it does to watch the damn thing. That’s where Alexa could come in, using Netflix’s strong sub categories and search system to find you a film in double quick time. Requests we’d like to see made possible include “Alexa, play me a ‘90s horror movie,” “Alexa, show me a list of films directed by Danny Boyle,” and, most importantly, “Alexa, find me any comedy that doesn’t feature Adam Sandler”. Siri can dictate WhatsApp messages, so why can’t Alexa? Perfect for when you’re phone’s charging on the other side of the room to where you’re sat, WhatsApp integration for Echo would give you the freedom to hold conversations without the endless and often error-strewn touchscreen typing. As well as letting you read out the messages you want sent, WhatsApp support could also get Alexa reading your incoming messages to you, leaving your phone free for other tasks, such as browsing Facebook, sending Snapchats or a solid game of Hill Climb Racing 2. Microsoft has already trialed voice-based Xbox commands, but being able to ask for your disc to be ejected isn’t exactly the biggest win. Syncing your internet-connected PS4 to your Echo, however, opens up a new world of possibilities. It could get you gaming quicker too. Asking “Alexa, check my PS4 for updates” could do away with the disheartening disappointment that comes every time you sit down for a session and are forced to wait 30 minutes for six updates and game patches to download and install. Once you’re finally gaming, you could speak out social chats to be written out and sent to rival gamers and even get feedback on high scores and handy hints - “Alexa, act as my wingman and alert me to sniper sightings.” http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/0Ssm2qOHA1E

Android is by far and away the most popular mobile operating system, being installed on the vast majority of devices out there, so it’s no surprise that the vast majority of mobile malware is targeted at Google’s OS. And often that malware is hidden inside bogus apps. For this reason, by default most Android devices do not allow installation of software from unknown sources such as app stores outside of the officially sanctioned Google Play. You’re running big risks grabbing programs from such third-party stores. At any rate, whatever software you use with your Android phone or tablet, you’d be wise to have an antivirus app installed on your device. In this article, we’re going to highlight 10 of the best antivirus efforts. Many of them do much more than run automatic scans, and they’ll actively try to prevent malicious web pages and files from being opened or downloaded in the first place. We’ve also looked at the best secure messaging appshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oL2jnTxmhCUW82gzKXpWzK.jpg 1. AVLAVL is a former winner of the AV-Test (a well-respected independent antivirus testing outfit) award for best protection of mobile devices. Its features include not only an antivirus database (of course) but a scanner capable of detecting any kind of executable file making its way onto your device. Other handy features include a call blocker to prevent malicious numbers from contacting you, as well as an anti-phishing feature to stop harmful websites from loading in the first place. The app is also designed to be light on resources, which is always handy when you’re struggling for battery life. You can download AVL herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eeZSckTDTsPbeaUGs3cr3L.jpg 2. Avast Antivirus & SecurityAntivirus giant Avast has used its considerable skills to create an app which goes above and beyond a mundane scanner. Extra features in the free version include a call blocker, firewall and even an anti-theft measure allowing you to remotely lock or wipe your Android device if it goes missing. The app used to be paid but is now free, supported by ads. You can pay a small monthly or yearly premium to remove these. Another very useful premium feature is ‘in-app locking’ whereby your device will ask for a PIN before opening certain apps. This prevents malware from launching apps such as internet banking automatically. You can download Avast Antivirus & Security herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fsw8vzFWaHjuG4KWmJKocK.jpg 3. Bitdefender Antivirus FreeBitdefender is a big name in the security community, and its free antivirus program is extremely lightweight. In fact, it doesn’t run in the background which frees up system resources, although this does mean you have to schedule scans or run them manually to be safe. This said, any new apps downloaded to your device are automatically scanned. Another advantage of this app is that it’s ready to go as soon as it is installed – no additional configuration is required. If you require extra security, sign up for a free 14-day trial of Bitdefender Mobile Security. This includes the basic antivirus as well as real-time protection for the Chrome browser and anti-theft features. You can download Bitdefender Antivirus Free herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dQb4UTGDmQ7W2G9p5dJroK.jpg 4. McAfee Security & Power Booster FreeMcAfee is another well-known name when it comes to antivirus software for the PC, and this Android app doesn’t disappoint. Besides the antivirus scanner itself, free features include tracking a lost device as well as locking and wiping it remotely. If your device is stolen, the app can even take a picture of the thief… Other features include the ability to scan apps to check if they leak sensitive information, and lock them if necessary. McAfee will also block access to potentially malicious websites, as well as allow you to keep a blacklist of nuisance callers and texters. The paid version of the app allows you to remove ads and receive phone support. You can download McAfee Security & Power Booster herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/53ocPBGR7JQTgoULbVjy5L.jpg 5. Kaspersky Antivirus & SecurityKaspersky has a reputation up there with the big players like Bitdefender. The free version of its security app has some impressive features, and it’s very good at picking up on malware, with a detection rate of 99.9% according to AV-Test’s trials from last November. Kaspersky Antivirus & Security will also try to block any malicious sites or links before you click through to them, preventing an infection from happening in the first place. On downloading the app you’ll be given a free 30-day trial of Kaspersky Internet Security (it costs $14.95 a year thereafter – around £12, AU$20). The premium version of the app has extra security features such as call and text filtering. You can download Kaspersky Antivirus & Security herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Jhgt36FCeHFLmCXQvqZ2kK.jpg 6. Sophos Free Antivirus and SecuritySophos’ free antivirus app has previously won the AV-Test award for best protection in 2015. Unlike other free scanners, Sophos doesn’t contain any adverts. It does, however, block websites with potentially spammy or illegal content. Apps are scanned for malware or otherwise harmful content as they are installed and Sophos alerts you if they might leak any sensitive information. The antivirus scanner can be scheduled to scan files and folders periodically, and the malware database itself is updated daily. The app also includes a handy QR code scanner which can be used to set up secure Wi-Fi connections. There’s also an authenticator that can generate one-time passwords for two-factor authentication. You can download Sophos Free Antivirus and Security herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EmivAxh4ufY5MWEyYQDDsK.jpg 7. Norton Security and AntivirusThis free app was able to detect 100% of all Android malware when benchmarked by AV-Test a couple of months ago. The scanner is powered by Norton Mobile Insight and can detect viruses inside apps and files, then remove them automatically. Other useful security features include the ability to lock your phone via an SMS message, or if the SIM card is removed. You can also choose to remotely lock your device if it goes missing (or have it locked after 10 unsuccessful attempts to enter the passcode). The app comes with a 30-day trial of Norton Mobile Security which boasts extra features such as SafeWeb filtering that blocks malicious websites. You can download Norton Security and Antivirus herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/npYPXTcstToTqmqYAEH9iK.jpg 8. Trend Micro Mobile Security & AntivirusTrend Micro’s effort not only scans new apps for malware, but prevents newly installed apps from accessing other programs, which can be useful for device admins and parents. There’s also a built-in privacy scanner for Facebook which warns you if your profile settings are displaying sensitive personal information. The free version includes a 7-day trial of premium features. These include a malware blocker which is capable of scanning apps before they are even installed to pre-emptively avoid any potential infection. There are also utilities for safe surfing, as well as call and text filtering. You can download Trend Micro Mobile Security & Antivirus herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pbwsHktEXvCiH7fNQ3FTiK.jpg 9. AhnLab V3 Mobile SecurityThis security app is not as famous as the others on this list, but nonetheless has very high detection rates for Android malware according to AV-Test (99.6%) and runs well even on older Android devices. Indeed, it has a built-in booster to help speed up your phone’s performance. The app comes with a free 10-day trial of the anti-malware features which proactively search for vulnerabilities and warn you if apps could potentially leak sensitive personal information. Other handy privacy features include a hidden gallery for personal photos and a privacy cleaner to securely clear your browsing history. Anti-theft measures include an alarm which kicks in if the device is reported lost or the SIM card is replaced. You can also remotely track, lock and wipe your device. You can download AhnLab V3 Mobile Security herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WUAq2zqS4EEG5ib6p9kPzK.jpg 10. Avira Antivirus SecurityAvira’s mobile offering will not only scan files you download and content on your phone’s memory, but it can also scan external storage such as your SD card. Applications are rated using a privacy scale to help you easily decide how much they can be trusted with your data. The integrated ‘Identity Safeguard’ regularly checks if the email addresses in your contacts list have been involved in any major data breaches. The app is controlled by a web-based management portal, which is extremely useful if you want to set up a common policy over multiple Android devices. The premium version includes better support, automatic blocking of malicious websites, and more frequent updates. You can download Avira Antivirus Security herehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/OIG9sTGg18A

Microsoft is doubling-down on security of late, pushing Windows 10 heavily on this front, and the company is also busy making its online productivity suite more secure, with the latest move being the addition of URL Detonation and Dynamic Delivery to Office 365 Advanced Threat Protection. O365 Advanced Threat Protection (ATP) is designed to keep employees’ email inboxes safe from the ravages of all kinds of malware, and as the name suggests, the new URL Detonation feature guards against malicious links in messages. If an email arrives containing a link, ATP already uses URL reputation checks to detect anything potentially nasty, but it now goes further and analyses the web address for any signs of malicious content. Should an impatient user click the link before ATP is finished scanning, they will simply be warned that the link is currently being analysed. If anything bad is picked up on, the link will of course be blocked from opening, and any potential infection will be avoided. The admin can also set up a SafeLink policy to track user clicks, and thus trace which users have ignored warnings and visited a blocked site anyway. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ksG6cuUKLNyw6S2WBWkXBY.jpg Dynamic duoThe second introduction Microsoft has made is Dynamic Delivery, which simply means that while email attachments are being scanned for malware by ATP, users are free to read and respond to the message. They don’t have to wait for the scan to finish to do this, in other words. Outlook displays a placeholder for the attachment while it’s still being scanned, and if the impatient user clicks on that, they’ll see a progress bar for the scan, so they know how long they’ve got to wait before opening said file. Obviously if the attachment is found to carry some kind of a virus or the like, it won’t be made available for opening. Microsoft notes that URL Detonation can be switched on via the policy controls in the Safe Links admin window under Settings, and you’ll find the button to turn on Dynamic Delivery in the Safe Attachments admin control window – again, head to Settings. In other news this week, Office 365 was crowned king of all productivity apps. Don’t fancy Office 365 still? Then check out the best alternativeshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/Q7VTc6zjeko

Edward Snowden’s revelations about mass NSA surveillance, combined with the fact that the UK government is now requiring ISP's to record all internet traffic with the infamous snooper’s charter, has made privacy a very precious commodity. The ability to monitor your traffic means messages you send with many popular apps can be intercepted and read. In some cases, people can even impersonate you or your friends online. There are messaging apps, however, which buck this trend. Some encrypt your messages before they leave your device, so if they are intercepted, they'll be meaningless. In this article, we’ve highlighted 10 of our favourite secure messaging apps. Also check out: 5 steps to keep your Android phone securehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3PDDrJRrGfKUkgresgY3s8.jpg 1. WhatsAppIn April last year, WhatsApp enabled end-to-end encryption across all platforms, meaning conversations can't be read by anyone but you and the person you're messaging. Not only are your chats protected, but WhatsApp provides a security code so you can verify that someone isn't intercepting your messages and passing them on (this is called a ‘man-in-the-middle’ attack). At this point, you might recall earlier this month there was a warning about a vulnerability in WhatsApp’s secure messages, but this was later proven to be false. WhatsApp is available for both Android and iOS – you'll need to have a verifiable mobile phone number to register initially (it’s also available for desktop computers). You can download WhatsApp herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/znD2WJKa6rQp4Cvexvyfkc.jpg 2. SignalThis privacy-conscious messaging app comes from Open Whisper Systems who bear Edward Snowden's seal of approval, no less. Not only is Signal easy-to-use, but like WhatsApp, conversations are encrypted end-to-end. The source code for Signal is available online so security experts can constantly check it for vulnerabilities, too. In fact WhatsApp uses some of Signal's source code for messaging. Unlike WhatsApp, however, Signal doesn't record metadata of messages i.e. the mobile phone numbers of your contacts, the number and time of messages and so on. If you back up your phone, Signal doesn't store a copy of your messages, either. This app is available for both Android and iOS. You can download Signal herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eWZfdxZHdHjDHpGtARTngc.jpg 3. FrozenChatAside from its cool name and funky design, FrozenChat also offers end-to-end encryption with OTR (Off the Record) messaging. This means that not only are your messages protected and you can verify who you're speaking to, but you also have deniability – anyone can forge a message after the conversation is over. In other words, it's impossible to prove any message was sent by you. FrozenChat is open source and also supports the open XMPP protocol which is used on thousands of servers. These are run by volunteers so there's no one central server that can be seized or taken down. Sadly, FrozenChat is only available for Android. You can download FrozenChat herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/FytNWhp5uDo3mMoMoZKFgc.jpg 4. ChatSecureLike FrozenChat, ChatSecure supports Off the Record messaging and the open XMPP protocol. The Android version is no longer maintained, but the iOS one is still actively developed. When starting a conversation you will see a digital ‘fingerprint’ which you can check with your friend to make sure no one is intercepting messages. ChatSecure also includes an experimental feature allowing for the use of Tor. This should conceal your location when messaging contacts. Try to use an XMPP server which uses a Tor hidden service to keep your conversation entirely in the ‘dark web’ as this is more secure. You can download ChatSecure herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/t2uyZHKcuQeSyTqQw6sTgc.jpg 5. Wickr MeWickr is available for both Android and iOS. Not only does it feature end-to-end encryption but it can strip out metadata such as the timestamp from conversations. Messages can also be programmed to self-destruct after a certain period of time has expired. The app includes a handy wipe feature to securely erase messages. Although several security organisations have audited Wickr Me's code, it hasn't been released publicly so there's no way to check it for security bugs or deliberate backdoors. It’s also not very clear how effectively the app can delete data, so Android users should be sure to encrypt their device, too. You can download Wickr Me herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gCZhGPEEgYFwnrbxpBwchc.jpg 6. SilenceSilence is an awesome replacement for Android’s regular SMS app. It stores all messages you receive in an encrypted database (by default this isn't protected by a password, but you can set one if you wish). If two people are using Silence then the app will automatically recognise this and use end-to-end encryption to send text and media instead. Otherwise it can work just like a regular SMS application. Most importantly Silence is open source so experts can check that its code is free of vulnerabilities, deliberate backdoors or other sneaky stuff. You can download Silence herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/q8Ei6nEoV4x5TzhfrvW3jc.jpg 7. Silent PhoneThis app comes from the good people at Silent Circle – industry leaders in mobile security (and makers of the Blackphone). Silent Phone allows for secure messaging with your contacts as well as free voice calls in HD audio, along with file transfers. Other features include a quick shutdown button and a wipe feature to delete all your personal data. The app is open source so can be checked by experts for vulnerabilities. It is free to download for iOS and Android, but you need a paid subscription ($9.95 per month – around £8, AU$13) to make use of all the features. You can download Silent Phone herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2gcVJSVvaeS5xMXpLBa3pc.jpg 8. GliphGliph is available for Android, iOS and desktop PCs. Its secure messaging feature allows for encryption using SSL and also supports securely deleting messages. There's also a self-destruct feature for messages which can be set to expire after a certain time. Unlike other messengers, Gliph also supports secure group messaging allowing you to talk safely with multiple people. Furthermore, Gliph supports Bitcoin payments which allows you to safely send (or receive) cash to (or from) contacts. Do note, however, that the source code for Gliph has not been released, nor has it been audited by any security experts, so there are no guarantees on this front. You can download Gliph herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/o85VmyXxKY2h7SiCFvCRuc.jpg 9. TelegramTelegram is not only a quick and simple messaging client, but has an excellent ‘secret chats’ feature. Conversations are encrypted and can only be accessed on the same device where you started the chat. This app enjoyed some notoriety when it turned out that Islamic State was apparently using Telegram to recruit followers. Note that the local message database is not encrypted by default so you have to set a password. The encryption algorithm used for secret chats, MTProto, was created by the Telegram developers – so there are no guarantees on the security front here. Telegram is available for Android, iOS and Windows handsets. You can download Telegram herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bNKPckimB9fRSTzCAx6Ucc.jpg 10. Facebook MessengerLike WhatsApp – unsurprisingly – Facebook uses the Signal protocol to employ end-to-end encryption with its optional ‘secret conversations’ feature in Messenger. Open Whisper Systems has confirmed this was all implemented correctly. After starting a secret conversation you can send any content you would in a regular message such as text, a photo or video. Group messaging isn't supported. You can set messages to disappear. However, if someone reports your conversation it'll be decrypted and sent to Facebook. Messenger is out for Android and iOS, but the source code isn't available so there's no way to check for vulnerabilities or intentionally installed backdoors. You can download Facebook Messenger herehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/eZjjXyTlzQM

The Amazon Echo is about to make some dreams come true. Starting today, you can now change Alexa’s wake word to “computer” instead of its name. Like a proper Starfleet officer, you can simply lead a question with the new wake word, and Alexa – the built-in artificial intelligence – will respond. It might not be the HoloDeck that we were promised 40 years ago, but it’s a small step in the right direction. To change the Echo or the Echo Dot’s wake word, open the Alexa app and select settings. Select your device from the menu and scroll down until you see the option for wake word. Then use the drop-down menu to select a wake word, and then select Save. When you change the wake word Amazon says the light ring on your device flashes orange briefly. Once you’ve got your AI companion to respond to the new wake word, all that’s left to do is seal the hull of your ship and wait for the eventual Borg invasion. The best cheap Amazon Echo deals: get Alexa into your homehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/LEOTe-UxHcU

Google Home's suite of compatible home automation devices continues to grow with the Google Assistant-powered speaker gaining two new brands under its belt. Starting today, devices from Belkin's Wemo line and Honeywell are partnered up with Google Home, granting users the ability to automate their abode further with just their voice. Belkin's Wemo line includes smart plugs and light switches, giving Google Home owners the ability to control their home's lighting. Support for Honeywell allows for connected devices like the Honeywell Lyric smart thermostat to be controlled remotely via Google Assistant. Owners can connect these devices to their smart speaker by opening up the Google Home app and pressing "+" in the Home Control menu. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YjZ2e7q8Zd8gKUSqKtmmX9.jpg Craftier Google Assistant users can also program their Google Homes or Google Pixel phones using IFTT functionality. This allows for more specialized interactions with your smart home appliances, such as replacing the blasé phrase, “Ok Google, turn on the living room lights,” with a more emphatic "Ok, Google: Let there be light!" For those looking to cut out the middleman - or rather, middlespeaker - Google also plans on bringing smart device control not just to Google Home, but the Pixel smartphone as well. Google hasn't given a deadline for Pixel smart home support, but says the feature will be out "soon." The best smart home products to go with Google Homehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/bVI0cmAVcCY

Torrents are a popular way of downloading things – legal things, and of course in some cases, not-so-legal things (of course we don’t condone any copyright- trampling activities here at TechRadar) – whereby many users share small bits of a larger file with each other to enable some potentially very fast download speeds. Of course, the downside on the privacy front is that all these other online folks you’re sharing with can clearly see your IP address, so if you want to avoid that, obviously a VPN will ensure that your details stay private. Providing the Virtual Private Network in question supports torrents, of course. How to choose the best VPN for torrentingBecause not every VPN supports torrent downloading, so you need to be careful when picking one out – this is clearly your prime concern when selecting a client for this purpose. Download speeds are important, too, as are privacy and security. You should look for a VPN with a clearly laid out privacy policy, and one that has a ‘no logging’ guarantee. You want the best security possible with strong encryption (although any decent VPN worth its salt should offer that, anyway), and a service that is watertight from DNS leaks and has a kill switch (which shuts down the internet connection if the VPN falls over, thus preventing your true IP from being exposed). Finally, you want a VPN which offers fast download speeds to keep those files coming quickly, and a service which doesn’t throttle bandwidth. So with that in mind, let’s move on to look at the five best VPN services for torrenting. We’ve also rounded up the best VPNs for Androidhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dQkEW6ho7kQEV3DX45iQ46.jpg IPVanish routinely stands out as one of the top VPN providers and for good reason. It offers impressive download speeds, wide global coverage, unlimited P2P traffic and a great client that works well across different platforms. The no logs policy and strong encryption via OpenVPN, PPTP and L2TP/IPsec protocols, along with an automatic kill switch make for a genuinely private and secure experience. However, the price might be the one fly in the VPN ointment. The service doesn’t come with the benefit of a free trial, but you do get a 7-day money-back guarantee. The 1-year subscription is the most popular choice, and the best one in our books. The packages available are: [$10.00 a month] 1-month[$8.99 a month] 3-months - $26.99[$6.49 a month] 1-year - $77.90Download IPVanish herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XimhmfspAEdAxBmzqdgAuZ.jpg When talking about VPN security, NordVPN is one of the first names that springs to mind. You get an ultra-secure connection with support for IKEv2/IPsec, OpenVPN, PPTP, and L2TP protocols, plus there’s a certain number of ‘Double VPN’ servers which actually pass your data through two separate VPN servers for extra security. The service has a strict no logs policy, ample coverage, an automatic kill-switch, a good client and great performance levels with steady download speeds. However, those looking to hook up a larger number of devices have to deal with a slight complication – if you’re connecting these devices to the same server, you have to choose a different protocol for each connection, which effectively limits you to four devices per server. Still, NordVPN has very reasonable pricing which makes the fact that there is no free trial a little less painful. You have three plans available, all with a 30-day money-back guarantee. The 1-year plan is clearly the best choice in terms of pure value for money. The packages available are: [$11.95 a month] 1-month[$7.00 a month] 6-months - $42[$5.75 a month] 12-months - $69Download NordVPN herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4NXFm89WXQTVG9xu9TpPyR.jpg The company’s boast that it’s the ‘world’s fastest VPN’ isn’t an idle one, as Hide.me offers some truly impressive performance levels, actually slightly improving upon our regular download speeds. The client is well-designed and simple to use, automatically selecting the fastest server available at the time. There is also a strict ‘no logging, ever’ policy in place, with the service boasting OpenVPN, PPTP, L2TP, IPsec, SoftEther and SSTP protocols. Another big plus point of Hide.me is the 2GB per month free plan which offers a good preview of the service. You’ll need it as the Premium plan with unlimited data is expensive, so you can use the freebie to be sure before you commit. Your best bet is the Plus plan if you don’t mind its restrictions (75GB data transfer limit, no port forwarding, among other restrictions). The packages available are: Free - costs nothingPlus - $5.42 a monthPremium - $11.67 a monthDownload Hide.me herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GXXKwSKtJPtkD7pt3vTWcE.jpg Private Internet Access offers a well-balanced VPN experience when it comes to torrenting. The service supports up to five devices, PPTP/OpenVPN and L2TP/IPSec protocols, a SOCKS5 proxy and it has no restrictions on P2P. The client also benefits from a number of additional features like DNS and IPv6 leak protection, a kill switch and more; but the performance is where this VPN falters a bit. When we tested the service, both upload and download speeds had their wings clipped considerably – but that said, things remained perfectly usable. The company has three plans with identical features, with only the billing period being different. The yearly plan is the clear winner here with a marvellously cheap price. There is no free trial, but Private Internet Access offers a 7-day money-back guarantee with a ‘no questions asked’ policy. The packages available are: [$6.95 a month] 1-month[$5.99 a month] 6-months - $35.95[$3.33 a month] 12-months - $39.95Download Private Internet Access herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/E7joYdg5h8oMpv7ULXyK7h.jpg As the name suggests, TorGuard is a VPN designed for torrent users. It offers a vast selection of servers, all mainstream protocol support, unlimited bandwidth and 24/7 customer support. Furthermore, expert users will have a field day with the client as it offers loads of configuration options not commonly found in VPN software, along with the necessary stuff like a kill switch and DNS leak prevention. The company doesn't store or log any online activity, either. Things are more wobbly on the performance front, though, and when we tested things out latency was high, although download and upload speeds were reasonable, if a little varied. Overall, we’d describe the service as acceptable in this department. There’s no free trial of this VPN, but there is a refund available if requested within 7-days from the date of purchase. TorGuard has four price plans and generally speaking, it’s about average value-for-money. The 6-month plan offers the best value (seeing as a year-long subscription doesn’t get you a cheaper monthly rate). The packages available are: [$9.99 a month] 1-month[$5.99 a month] 3-months - $17.97[$4.99 a month] 6-months - $29.95[$4.99 a month] 12-months - $59.90Download TorGuard herehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/VnW-PtoCshg