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http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png If you’ve ever idly looked at a shed online only to spend the next decade being followed around the internet by adverts for sheds, you’ll know that when you’re online you leave a footprint. But you probably don’t realise just how many different organisations are tracking you online – and if you’re on a public Wi-Fi connection, how vulnerable your data may be. Hotspot Shield VPN aims to protect your privacy and your data on Windows, Mac and on mobile devices too. Why you need itHotspot Shield VPN creates a virtual private network, or VPN for short. It keeps your online surfing anonymous, and has the happy side-effect of bypassing geographic blocks – so you can bypass those annoying “this video is not available in your country” messages on your favourite video sites, or blocked sites if you’re connecting at work or school. And if you’re connecting to public Wi-Fi, Hotspot Shield encrypts your communications so that the bad guys can’t intercept what you’re doing. If you’re sharing secret stuff or just don’t want advertisers to track your every move, Hotspot Shield VPN is a powerful ally. Download here: Hotspot Shield VPN http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/wnilyD64rY4

http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6x3tTqVptBqmFitgSRCoS5.jpg Amazon is launching new Black Friday deals every day until Black Friday itself and we're listing all of the best ones right here on this page. This drip-feeding deals strategy is something we're seeing across most UK retailers, who are all bidding to extend the sales period in order to protect margin and avoid discounting so hard they end up making a loss on individual items. The deals on this page will run and run until they sell out, with each one having a limited amount of stock - Amazon is not telling us what those stock levels are so if you like the look of something, go for it! To help you pick out the best offers, we're listing all the best Amazon Black Friday deals below so that you can take a look at them and select which ones to investigate further. Today's highlights include the continued sale on Amazon Prime memberships (£20 off!), cheap outdoor lighting, watches, cameras and more. Go straight there: Amazon's Black Friday homepagehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2QjeXG3TAxfDYR9dFFRwVE.jpg Deal of the day: Save £20 and get a year of Amazon Prime for £59Amazon is currently offering a £20 discount on annual Amazon Prime memberships - that means a year of Amazon Prime, including free next day delivery, access to Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Music and lots more, will only cost you £59 instead of £79. But this offer is only running for another two days, it expires on November 18th! Amazon Prime: SAVE £20 and get a year of Amazon Prime for £59http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg Amazon Black Friday deals: 16th November 2016Electronics and home entertainmentBlu-ray & DVD: Save at Least 20% on Selected Batman DVD & Blu-ray Camera: Up to 30% Off Zookki Action Camera Accessories Electronics: Save on MINDKOO Wireless Stereo NFC Headphones - Comfortable On-ear Headset with built-in Microphone and Rechargeable Battery - Compatible with Mobile Phones, iPad, Laptops and more Sports: Up to 30% Off Zookki Action Camera Accessories Watches: Up to 60% off on Mike Ellis Watches http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg PCPC: AVerMedia - LGP Lite, HD Game Capture up to 1080p 60Mbps £71.36 £55.99 PC: MSI GP62 15.6-inch Core i5 GTX 960M Graphics Notebook £899.99 £749.99 PC: TP-LINK TL-MR6400 300 Mbps SIM Slot Unlocked Wireless N 4G LTE Router £89.99 £68.99 PC: Up to 25% Off Syncwire Charging Software: Adobe Creative Cloud, Student & Teacher License (12-Month License) (PC/Mac) [Download] £145.99 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg HomewaresHome: Great Prices on Selected Anglepoise Lights Kitchen: 30% off KitchenAid K45SS Classic Stand Mixer£349 £244.99 Kitchen: 44% off Karcher SC2 Multi-Purpose Steam Cleaner £129.99 £68.99 Home: Vax Action U86-AN-Be 602 Base Upright Vacuum £59.99 £40.99 Outdoor lighting: VicTsing 2PCS LED Solar Motion Sensor Lights £29.99 £18.99 BBQ: Save up to 40% on Landmann Home: Up to 50% off Selected Bodymould Memory Foam Mattress Toppers http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg The best of the restOffice Products: Save up to 40% on Moleskine Office Products: Save up to 60% on Sharpie Maps: Save 50% on Maps Luggage: Up to 60% Off Kipling Bags & Luggage Clothing: Up to 50% Off Kids Sleepwear Clothing: 50% Off Wrangler Toys: Save up to 40% Off across the Learning Resources range Shoes: Up to 60% Off Kipling Bags & Luggage Beauty: Great Skincare Savings Beauty: 40% Off Bomb Cosmetics Luxury Ballotin Assortment Bath Gift Set £13.99 £7.99 Beauty: Save at least 20% on Heathcote & Ivory Atlas Silks Beauty: Save on Blue Badge Company Luxury Cotton Toiletries Case Wash Bag with Waterproof Lining, William Morris Golden Lily and more Beauty: Save over 50% on selected Olay products Beauty: Up to 30% off selected Johnson & Johnson health care essentials Beauty: Save 33% Bomb Cosmetics Three Little Birds Gift Pack £12 £7.98 Beauty: Personal Care Appliances Ideal for the safe and professional removal of hard skin from your feet at home £39.99 £14.99 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg Amazon Black Friday deals: 15th November 2016Electronics and home entertainmentVideo Games: Sony PlayStation 4 500GB Watchdogs 2 Bundle £299.99 £239.99 Amazon Prime: SAVE £20 and get a year's worth of Prime for £59 Electronics: Anker Powerline+ USB C to USB 3.0 Cable £12.99 £8.00 Electronics: Save on Sol Republic Tracks HD2 On-Ear Headphone - Black and more £99.99 £78.66 Electronics: Ugreen Cat7 Cat6 Cat5 RJ45 8P8C Network Keystone Jack In-Line Coupler£6.99 £3.39 Electronics: Up to 38% Off TaoTronics Headphones and Speakers Electronics: Up to 38% Off TaoTronics Headphones and Speakers Home Entertainment: Save up to 43% on Finlux Televisions Wireless: Up to 38% Off TaoTronics Headphones and Speakers DVD: Save 20% on The Hobbit Trilogy £49.99 £15.90 Home Entertainment: Save up to 43% on Finlux Televisions http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg PC and tabletPC: ASUS AC1800 Gigabit Access Point/Media Bridge £153.24 £94.99 PC: ASUS Dual-Band Wireless-AC750 Range Extender £61.30 £29.99 PC: ASUS N900 Dual-Band Wireless VDSL/ADSL Modem Router £123.77 £79.99 PC: AVerMedia - CV710 ExtremeCap U3, Game Capture Xbox, PlayStation Uncompressed HD Video up to 1080p £124.95 £79.92 PC: Dlink 8 Port Gigabit Unmanaged Metal Desktop Switch £23.99 £13.50 PC: Elgato Thunderbolt 2 Dock £199.95 £159.00 PC: Elgato Video Capture, Digitise Video for Mac, PC or iPad £89.95 £49.95 PC: Gigabyte GA-990X-Gaming SLI Socket AM3+ ATX Motherboard £139.99 £68 PC: Lavolta Elevated Monitor Riser Platform Shelf Stand for Apple iMac £32.90 £20.98 PC: Lavolta Eva Kids Stand Shockproof Protective Case Cover for Apple iPad 2/3/4 £14.90 £12.66 PC: Lavolta Folding Laptop Table Desk Tray Stand with Mouse Board and Cooling Pad £39.99 £33.99 PC: Lavolta Laptop Table Desk with Mouse Board £39.99 £33.99 PC: Lavolta Portable Folding Laptop Table Desk Tray Stand with Cooling Pad - Bue £29.90 £25.41 PC: Lavolta Portable Folding Laptop Table Desk Tray Stand with Cooling Pad - Red £29.90 £25.08 PC: Restman Comfort Wrist/Forearm Support Mouse Pad Mat Armrest £19.90 £15.44 PC: SanDisk Extreme PRO 128 GB USB Flash Drive £70.99 £46.99 PC: Save on iBeani Bean Bag Stand/Cushion Holder for iPad/Tablet/eReader £24.99 £19.90 PC: Save on Lavolta Adjustable Floor Stand Holder for 8.9 - 10.4-Inch Tablet and more £36.90 £31.36 PC: TRENDnet Outdoor 3 MP Full HD network camera £129.80 £99.99 http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg The best of the restKitchen: 27% off KitchenAid K45SS Classic Stand Mixer £349 £254.99 Kitchen: Vax Action U86-AN-Be 602 Base Upright Vacuum £59.99 £40.99 Home: 30% off JAY-BE Folding Bed Mattress Range Home: Up to 50% off Silentnight Stratus Mattresses Beauty: Save over 50% on selected Olay products Lawn and Garden: Save up to 20% on Netatmo Music: Passenger - Young As The Morning Old As The Sea £13.99 £6.99 Pet Products: 25% Off DakPets Grooming Products Shoes: Up to 50% Off Slippers for Kids & Adults Apparel: Up to 50% Off Kids Sleepwear http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/eaV3kfiKqe8HZw8guGnRxS.jpg Amazon Black Friday deals: 14th November 2016Beauty: Save 30% Bomb Cosmetics Three Little Birds Gift Pack Beauty: Save at least 60% on Baylis & Harding Gift Sets Books: Phot-R Professional 2x3m Adjustable Portable Heavy Duty Photo Studio Backdrop Background Support System Stand 2x2m Light Stands 3m Crossbar Lighting Photography + Carry Case Electronics: Over 30% Off Bluedio Headphones and Speakers Electronics: B&O PLAY by Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H3 ANC In-Ear Headphones - Gunmetal Grey Electronics: EasySMX 2.4G Optical Wireless XBOX ONE 360 PS4 PS3 PC Laptop Tablets Chat Skype MAC Gaming Headset Electronics: EasySMX 2.4G Optical Wireless XBOX ONE 360 PS4 PS3 PC Laptop Tablets Chat Skype MAC Gaming Headset Electronics: EasySMX Updated Version Vibration Stereo LED Lighting Over Ear PC Gaming Headset with Mic Adjustable Health: Andrex Gentle Clean, Puppies on a Roll Toilet Tissue Paper - 45 Rolls Health: Roll over image to zoom in Andrex Washlets Flushable Toilet Tissue Wipes, Classic Clean - Pack of 12 (Total 504 Wipes) Home: 20% off Yankee Candle Medium Jar Range Home: From 30% Off Selected Kitchenware Products Home entertainment: Blaupunkt 24-inch Widescreen HD Ready LED TV with Freeview and PVR Record Home entertainment: Blaupunkt 32/133I-WB-11B-HDP-UK 32-Inch 720p HD Ready LED TV Home entertainment: LG 24MT48DF 24 inch HD Ready TV Home entertainment: LG 24MT48S 24 inch Smart TV HD Ready 720p with WebOS Home entertainment: LG 22MT48DF 22 inch TV 1080p Full HD (2016 Model) Home entertainment: LG 28MT48DF 28 inch HD Ready TV Home entertainment: LG 43UH603V 43 inch Ultra HD 4K Smart TV WebOS, 2016 Model - Black Home entertainment: LG 55UH605V 55 inch Ultra HD 4K Smart TV WebOS, 2016 Model - Silver Home entertainment: LG SH6 All-in-1 Sound Bar - Black Home improvement: Bosch ALB 36 LI Cordless 36 V Lithium Ion Leaf Blower Featuring Syneon Chip Home improvement: Bosch IXO Cordless Lithium-Ion Screwdriver with 3.6 V Battery, 1.5 Ah Home improvement: Bosch Rotak 34 R Corded Rotary Lawnmower, 34 cm Cutting Width Home improvement: Bosch Rotak 43 Ergoflex Electric Rotary Wheeled Lawnmower Home improvement: Kärcher K4 Premium Eco Home Water-Cooled Pressure Washer Home improvement: Kärcher WV 5 Plus cordless Window Vacuum Cleaner - 3rd Gerneration Novelty 2015 - UK Plug Version Home improvement: Leatherman Wave Multi-Tool With Pouch Kitchen: Hamilton Beach Electric Breakfast Sandwich Maker - Silver Kitchen: Hamilton Beach Electric Breakfast Sandwich Maker - Silver Kitchen: Kenwood KMX50BK Stand Mixer, 5 kg, 500W, Black Kitchen: Kenwood KMX50BK Stand Mixer, 5 kg, 500W, Black Kitchen: Philips HD4671/20 Energy Efficient Kettle, 3000 W , 1.7 L - Brushed Metal Kitchen: Vax Action U86-AN-Be 602 Base Upright Vacuum Luggage: Save up to 50% off Antler & Revelation Suitcases Luggage: Up to 50% Off Vans Shoes and Bags Music: Sia - This Is Acting (Deluxe) Music: The Ride - Passenger Music: Various Artists - Keep Calm & Chill Musical instruments: 30% Off Singing Machine Karaoke Equipment Office: Save up to 40% on Moleskine Office: Save up to 60% on Sharpie PC and computing: NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Router PC and computing: NETGEAR ReadyNAS 212 2 Bay Network Attached Storage (Diskless) PC and computing: Acer Predator XB281HK 28" Gaming Monitor PC and computing: ASUSTOR AS6104T 4-Bay Intel Dual-Core NAS PC and computing: Corsair 256 GB USB 3.0 Voyager Slider X1 Capless Sliding Flash Drive PC and computing: Corsair Air Series AF120-LED 120mm Quiet Edition High Airflow LED Fan - Blue (Dual Pack) PC and computing: Corsair CH-9000231-EU SCIMITAR Multi-Colour RGB Backlit Performance Optical Gaming Mouse - Black PC and computing: Corsair CH-9101021-UK K70 LUX Cherry MX Blue Performance Red Backlit Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - Black PC and computing: Corsair CH-9104023-UK MX Silent Red Backlit Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - Black PC and computing: Corsair CH-9300011-EU M65 PRO Multi-Colour RGB Backlit Performance Optical Gaming Mouse - Black PC and computing: Corsair CP-9020073-UK Professional Platinum Series HX850i ATX/EPS 850W Power Supply Unit PC and computing: Corsair CW-9060028-WW 120 mm Hydro Series H45 All-In-One Liquid CPU Cooler - Black PC and computing: Corsair Gaming CA-9011145-EU VOID Wireless Dolby 7.1 Comfortable PC Gaming Headset - White PC and computing: Creative SB Inferno Gaming Headset PC and computing: NETGEAR 24-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch PC and computing: NETGEAR 5-Port Pass-Through Gigabit Switch PC and computing: NETGEAR AC1200 Wi-Fi Range Extender PC and computing: NETGEAR AC750 Dual Band Wi-Fi Range Extender with Extra Power Outlet PC and computing: NETGEAR AC750 Wi-Fi Range Extender PC and computing: NETGEAR Aircard Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot with Super Fast 4G+ LTE PC and computing: NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 VDSL/ADSL Modem Router PC and computing: NETGEAR Powerline Ethernet Adapter - Twin Pack PC and computing: NETGEAR ProSAFE 8 Port Gigabit Smart Switch PC and computing: NETGEAR ProSAFE Gigabit Smart Ethernet Switch PC and computing: NETGEAR WAC720 Wireless Access Point PC and computing: QNAP TS-251+-2G 2 Bay NAS Enclosure, 2GB RAM PC and computing: Razer BlackWidow Ultimate 2014 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard (USB, Fully Programmable with 5 Macro Keys) PC and computing: SanDisk Extreme 64 GB up to 90MB/s Class 10 V30 FFP microSDXC Memory Card with SD Adapter PC and computing: Save up to 30% on Adonit Jot Pro Styli PC and computing: TP-Link RE210 AC750 Dual Band Gigabit Wi-Fi Range Extender PC and computing: TP-LINK TL-MR6400 300 Mbps SIM Slot Unlocked Wireless N 4G LTE Router PC and computing: TP-Link TL-PA4010P KIT V2.20 AV600 Powerline Adapter with AC Pass Through Starter Kit PC and computing: TP-Link TL-PA7020KIT AV1000 2-Port Gigabit Powerline Starter Kit PC and computing: TP-LINK TL-WR940N 450 Mbps Wireless N Cable Router PC and computing: Winter Wacom Deals Personal care: Philips SatinShave BRL170/00 Wet and Dry Prestige Electric Ladyshave Personal care: Save £95 on Philips HealthyWhite+ Electric Toothbrush Shoes: Up to 50% Off Vans Shoes and Bags Shoes: Up to 70% Off Selected Rocketdog Women's Shoes Toys: Up to 50% Off Selected K'NEX Toys Sere all Amazon Black Friday deals "The Black Friday Sale on Amazon.co.uk will run from midnight on Monday 14th November until 23:59 on Friday 25th November,” says Amazon. Christmas shoppers can take advantage of thousands of deals on a range of must-have products from day one of the sale, but only while stocks last. There will also be thousands of Lightning Deals introduced throughout the sale - products available at a discount, in limited quantities, for a short period of time. Amazon Prime members, including customers enjoying a free Amazon Prime 30-day trial, have an exclusive 30-minute early access period to all Lightning Deals.” Amazon's Black Friday commitmentAmazon says it has been investing heavily in its UK infrastructure this year in order to be ready for what is expected to be the biggest day of spending planet Earth has ever seen. “In response to positive customer feedback for Black Friday deals, we are introducing The Black Friday Sale - 12 days of fantastic deals on must-have gifts and products, saving our customers millions of pounds,” – that’s from Doug Gurr, Amazon’s UK bossman. “We’re also thrilled to have over a thousand small businesses featuring in our Black Friday Sale, broadening the selection for our customers and enabling those businesses to boost their sales in the run-up to Christmas.” What that means is that while Amazon will have loads of mega deals on brands big and small, there will be far more deals coming your way from the smaller electronics manufacturers who have their own stores on Amazon Marketplace. Amazon Black Friday: what you need to knowIn short, if you care even slightly about Black Friday this year, you need to pay attention to what Amazon is doing. Thing is with Amazon though, it’s not the most user friendly site to navigate. With many different sellers touting the same products all at different prices, it can be a challenge to track down the best deals. That’s why you should check in with TechRadar every day for the rest of the month as we’ll be listing all of the deals that we think are genuinely worth your attention. Amazon is sharing with us in advance all of its biggest deals. We can’t tell you what they are until they go live on the site (sorry), but we’ll certainly be shouting to the rafters each day for every deal we think is awesome! Amazon's role in Black FridayBlack Friday in the UK was, basically, an invention of Amazon's to bring the US price-drops to the UK. You could be cynical about it, and sometimes we are, but anything that drops prices is surely welcome. Amazon's price drops are sometimes astounding, but there are also severe restrictions on the availability. A limited amount of price-reduced merchandise will be available and it usually fits into Amazon's flash sales, where the company has time-limited sales. These tend to be as diverse as Amazon's catalogue and mean that you'll pick up up all sorts of bargains. BOOKMARK: The best Black Friday deals 2016Last year Amazon offered some 7,000 total deals during its Black Friday season. And don't forget there's also Cyber Monday, which adds additional deals into the mix. "This year Black Friday falls on November 25 and you can bet Amazon will be in the thick of it" Amazon's Christopher North said last year "Customers love Black Friday. Every year we see more excitement and more demand for great deals. That is why we now have more than 20 times the number of deals than we had back in 2010 when we first introduced Black Friday to the UK.” It stands to reason that 2016 will be the company's biggest Black Friday yet. What Amazon did on Black Friday last year Last year Amazon offered the Fire TV stick with a £10 discount, taking it to £24.99. It's quite likely that there will be savings on both the Stick and Fire TV box this year to get people interested in subscribing to Prime to watch the Clarkson, Hammond and May show The Grand Tour. So expect to see £20 or even less deals on the Stick. There's a real likelihood that Amazon will do a massive clearance on the old Xbox One and the original PS4, console bundle deals always make a strong showing in these deals, but this year both these consoles are being replaced with newer models making it even more likely. Top 5 Amazon Black Friday deals last year:http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/a153bfdbe66adb078a09dcae31b25d1c.jpg 1. Sony PlayStation 4 (Graded) Amazon was one of a few sites selling refurbished PS4's for £199 which at the time was the cheapest PS4 price ever. This year you can expect even cheaper PS4 deals, and look out for bundle deals with games too. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9RC94nADEiNKM8SdGkwgMQ.jpg 2. Amazon Fire TV Stick Many of Amazon's biggest discounts came on its own 'Fire' and 'Kindle' products. The Amazon Fire TV Stick was £24.99 last year, and it's well worth that price because it gives you access to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and loads of games and apps. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WFKNx3fkRLoJFWBobNa2SV.jpg 3. Kindle Paperwhite Amazon's awesome ebook reader was reduced to just £79.99 last year - it's Amazon hardware, so it's beautifully made and works really well. If you have an old kindle an upgrade is always worthwhile. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/g5wSPj9Sj8vsKxHKR9oNiN.jpg 4. HD TV's galore One of Amazon's best Black Friday deals was a 42-inch 1080p LG LCD TV for just £295, this was 40% off and a really great TV. This year expect 4K TVs to get some price drops as 1080p screens are dying out. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GoxShdq9wmndGh3BmBocG3.jpg 5. The Samsung Galaxy S6 Samsung's excellent flagship phone of last year was going SIM-free for £343.99 on Black Friday last year, a smashing phone even this year and sure to be discounted again - look out for S7 deals too. Amazon Black Friday deals to expect in 2016:1. Xbox One - with Microsoft's console getting a new version this year called the One S you can expect the original model to be discounted. Expect great bundled deals and cheap prices on the console itself 2. Sony PlayStation 4 - because the PS4 Pro launches around Black Friday it's super-likely that there will be massive price-drops on the original machine. Again, games bundles will offer some great discounts. 3. Amazon Fire Tablets and TV devices - Amazon often does big price drops on its own hardware for Black Friday, so expect amazing deals this year too. 4. Amazon Prime - it's not often Amazon does a deal on Prime membership, but this year is the debut of Clarkson, May and Hammond's Grand Tour. A lot of money has gone into this show, Amazon will want lots of people watching it. 5. Home and Kitchen - it's hard to be specific here but Amazon often has killer deals on things like electric razors, cooking appliances and other domestic devices, it's fair to say this will also be true this year. How to find the best Amazon Black Friday deals:As always we'll be keeping an eye on Amazon's deals to direct you to the best deals on offer. We'll give you as much notice as we can as well, because Amazon's fast-moving sales require that you'll on the ball to get those reduced prices. Remember, the key with Amazon is to have a list of things that you want or need in advance - don't let sales mania ruin you with the tempting prices on things you don't actually want. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/EiwXVKb23vY

Facebook has had a bright idea in terms of helping businesses keep on top of managing their social media – and better responding to customers – with the introduction of a unified inbox for Facebook, Messenger and Instagram. Rather than trying to juggle comments and responses across these three channels separately, with the new Pages Manager inbox, the social media manager (or team) at a company will have access to them all within this single app. That means if you fire a complaint across on Instagram, it’ll just as likely be seen as a message posted on Facebook (as opposed to being more likely to be missed when posted on the ‘lesser’ channel). Thus we can hope for prompter responses, whichever medium is used to message a company, and hopefully less cases where comments fall by the wayside and could end up ignored. Facebook also noted that the app provides an easy way to glance at basic info about the folks who interact with a business – it’s just a case of tapping their name to see their public profile and previous interactions with the organisation. Productivity plus Nicole Chase, admin of Nicssential Oils Silver, told Facebook: "The new and improved inbox gives me a quick snapshot of all media channels in an organised and succinct way. It cuts down the time I spend on administrative tasks by around 12%, and it allows me to provide a more detailed and personalised service." The new inbox is being rolled out to users of the Pages Manager app (on iOS and Android) over the ‘coming weeks’ according to Facebook, so businesses haven’t got long to wait – and neither have customers who will hopefully feel the benefit as mentioned. In other recent changes, Facebook is also rolling out the ability to join public chat rooms in Messenger. Currently this feature is only available in Australia and Canada, but it’s likely to spread elsewhere soon enough. Via: Engadget Want to avoid a social media disaster? We’ve got 10 tips on thathttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/Tzmn_QN9wtM

We’ve all heard of Black Friday, but Click Frenzy is arguably Australia’s biggest shopping event of November, with masses of online retail shoppers converging on the Click Frenzy website to bag a fantastic bargain on a number of category-specific sales. Created in 2012 as an Australian equivalent to the Cyber Monday sales in the US, only without being linked to the same US-centric timing, the Click Frenzy event centralises hundreds of deals from a large number of Australian online retailers in one location for 24 hours. While retailers also hold sales on their own sites, the Click Frenzy website is built to withstand enormous concurrent traffic volumes, with a marketplace that will allow shoppers to search by brand, item, category or just browse the large number of deals on offer. Click Frenzy officially starts tonight (Tuesday, November 15, 2016) at 7pm (AEDT). You can already head over to the marketplace website now to keep an eye on the ‘countdown to the sale that stops a nation’. However, many vendors are starting their sales before 7pm on their own sites. Here’s a list of the big tech brands taking part, plus links to their specific CF sale pages: Dell Click Frenzy dealsMicrosoft Click Frenzy deals (starts at 4pm)HP Click Frenzy dealsKogan Click Frenzy dealsLenovo Click Frenzy dealsMwave Click Frenzy dealsAppliances Online Click Frenzy dealsVideopro Click Frenzy dealsThe Good Guys Click Frenzy dealsWe'll add more vendors as we uncover them! http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/wE88vuduwE4

http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jwfiVfSRJQF3ZsFfk78EaA.png Amazon's Black Friday deals have begun to roll out, with the site launching daily deals from now until the Black Friday weekend. These deals do not have a time limit - they will run for the duration or until stock runs out which is the more likely outcome. We're listing all the Amazon Black Friday deals items below so that you can take a look at them - you'll notice a lot of computing products as well as a batch of LG TVs and a variety of other things. Remember, if you spot something you like the look of, the discount will only run until the promotional stock runs out so strike now! Go straight there: Amazon's Black Friday homepageAmazon Black Friday deals: 14th November 2016Beauty: Save 30% Bomb Cosmetics Three Little Birds Gift Pack Beauty: Save at least 60% on Baylis & Harding Gift Sets Books: Phot-R Professional 2x3m Adjustable Portable Heavy Duty Photo Studio Backdrop Background Support System Stand 2x2m Light Stands 3m Crossbar Lighting Photography + Carry Case Electronics: Over 30% Off Bluedio Headphones and Speakers Electronics: B&O PLAY by Bang & Olufsen Beoplay H3 ANC In-Ear Headphones - Gunmetal Grey Electronics: EasySMX 2.4G Optical Wireless XBOX ONE 360 PS4 PS3 PC Laptop Tablets Chat Skype MAC Gaming Headset Electronics: EasySMX 2.4G Optical Wireless XBOX ONE 360 PS4 PS3 PC Laptop Tablets Chat Skype MAC Gaming Headset Electronics: EasySMX Updated Version Vibration Stereo LED Lighting Over Ear PC Gaming Headset with Mic Adjustable Health: Andrex Gentle Clean, Puppies on a Roll Toilet Tissue Paper - 45 Rolls Health: Roll over image to zoom in Andrex Washlets Flushable Toilet Tissue Wipes, Classic Clean - Pack of 12 (Total 504 Wipes) Home: 20% off Yankee Candle Medium Jar Range Home: From 30% Off Selected Kitchenware Products Home entertainment: Blaupunkt 24-inch Widescreen HD Ready LED TV with Freeview and PVR Record Home entertainment: Blaupunkt 32/133I-WB-11B-HDP-UK 32-Inch 720p HD Ready LED TV Home entertainment: LG 24MT48DF 24 inch HD Ready TV Home entertainment: LG 24MT48S 24 inch Smart TV HD Ready 720p with WebOS Home entertainment: LG 22MT48DF 22 inch TV 1080p Full HD (2016 Model) Home entertainment: LG 28MT48DF 28 inch HD Ready TV Home entertainment: LG 43UH603V 43 inch Ultra HD 4K Smart TV WebOS, 2016 Model - Black Home entertainment: LG 55UH605V 55 inch Ultra HD 4K Smart TV WebOS, 2016 Model - Silver Home entertainment: LG SH6 All-in-1 Sound Bar - Black Home improvement: Bosch ALB 36 LI Cordless 36 V Lithium Ion Leaf Blower Featuring Syneon Chip Home improvement: Bosch IXO Cordless Lithium-Ion Screwdriver with 3.6 V Battery, 1.5 Ah Home improvement: Bosch Rotak 34 R Corded Rotary Lawnmower, 34 cm Cutting Width Home improvement: Bosch Rotak 43 Ergoflex Electric Rotary Wheeled Lawnmower Home improvement: Kärcher K4 Premium Eco Home Water-Cooled Pressure Washer Home improvement: Kärcher WV 5 Plus cordless Window Vacuum Cleaner - 3rd Gerneration Novelty 2015 - UK Plug Version Home improvement: Leatherman Wave Multi-Tool With Pouch Kitchen: Hamilton Beach Electric Breakfast Sandwich Maker - Silver Kitchen: Hamilton Beach Electric Breakfast Sandwich Maker - Silver Kitchen: Kenwood KMX50BK Stand Mixer, 5 kg, 500W, Black Kitchen: Kenwood KMX50BK Stand Mixer, 5 kg, 500W, Black Kitchen: Philips HD4671/20 Energy Efficient Kettle, 3000 W , 1.7 L - Brushed Metal Kitchen: Vax Action U86-AN-Be 602 Base Upright Vacuum Luggage: Save up to 50% off Antler & Revelation Suitcases Luggage: Up to 50% Off Vans Shoes and Bags Music: Sia - This Is Acting (Deluxe) Music: The Ride - Passenger Music: Various Artists - Keep Calm & Chill Musical instruments: 30% Off Singing Machine Karaoke Equipment Office: Save up to 40% on Moleskine Office: Save up to 60% on Sharpie PC and computing: NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 Router PC and computing: NETGEAR ReadyNAS 212 2 Bay Network Attached Storage (Diskless) PC and computing: Acer Predator XB281HK 28" Gaming Monitor PC and computing: ASUSTOR AS6104T 4-Bay Intel Dual-Core NAS PC and computing: Corsair 256 GB USB 3.0 Voyager Slider X1 Capless Sliding Flash Drive PC and computing: Corsair Air Series AF120-LED 120mm Quiet Edition High Airflow LED Fan - Blue (Dual Pack) PC and computing: Corsair CH-9000231-EU SCIMITAR Multi-Colour RGB Backlit Performance Optical Gaming Mouse - Black PC and computing: Corsair CH-9101021-UK K70 LUX Cherry MX Blue Performance Red Backlit Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - Black PC and computing: Corsair CH-9104023-UK MX Silent Red Backlit Mechanical Gaming Keyboard - Black PC and computing: Corsair CH-9300011-EU M65 PRO Multi-Colour RGB Backlit Performance Optical Gaming Mouse - Black PC and computing: Corsair CP-9020073-UK Professional Platinum Series HX850i ATX/EPS 850W Power Supply Unit PC and computing: Corsair CW-9060028-WW 120 mm Hydro Series H45 All-In-One Liquid CPU Cooler - Black PC and computing: Corsair Gaming CA-9011145-EU VOID Wireless Dolby 7.1 Comfortable PC Gaming Headset - White PC and computing: Creative SB Inferno Gaming Headset PC and computing: NETGEAR 24-Port Gigabit Ethernet Unmanaged Switch PC and computing: NETGEAR 5-Port Pass-Through Gigabit Switch PC and computing: NETGEAR AC1200 Wi-Fi Range Extender PC and computing: NETGEAR AC750 Dual Band Wi-Fi Range Extender with Extra Power Outlet PC and computing: NETGEAR AC750 Wi-Fi Range Extender PC and computing: NETGEAR Aircard Mobile Wi-Fi Hotspot with Super Fast 4G+ LTE PC and computing: NETGEAR Nighthawk AC1900 VDSL/ADSL Modem Router PC and computing: NETGEAR Powerline Ethernet Adapter - Twin Pack PC and computing: NETGEAR ProSAFE 8 Port Gigabit Smart Switch PC and computing: NETGEAR ProSAFE Gigabit Smart Ethernet Switch PC and computing: NETGEAR WAC720 Wireless Access Point PC and computing: QNAP TS-251+-2G 2 Bay NAS Enclosure, 2GB RAM PC and computing: Razer BlackWidow Ultimate 2014 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard (USB, Fully Programmable with 5 Macro Keys) PC and computing: SanDisk Extreme 64 GB up to 90MB/s Class 10 V30 FFP microSDXC Memory Card with SD Adapter PC and computing: Save up to 30% on Adonit Jot Pro Styli PC and computing: TP-Link RE210 AC750 Dual Band Gigabit Wi-Fi Range Extender PC and computing: TP-LINK TL-MR6400 300 Mbps SIM Slot Unlocked Wireless N 4G LTE Router PC and computing: TP-Link TL-PA4010P KIT V2.20 AV600 Powerline Adapter with AC Pass Through Starter Kit PC and computing: TP-Link TL-PA7020KIT AV1000 2-Port Gigabit Powerline Starter Kit PC and computing: TP-LINK TL-WR940N 450 Mbps Wireless N Cable Router PC and computing: Winter Wacom Deals Personal care: Philips SatinShave BRL170/00 Wet and Dry Prestige Electric Ladyshave Personal care: Save £95 on Philips HealthyWhite+ Electric Toothbrush Shoes: Up to 50% Off Vans Shoes and Bags Shoes: Up to 70% Off Selected Rocketdog Women's Shoes Toys: Up to 50% Off Selected K'NEX Toys Sere all Amazon Black Friday deals "The Black Friday Sale on Amazon.co.uk will run from midnight on Monday 14th November until 23:59 on Friday 25th November,” says Amazon. Christmas shoppers can take advantage of thousands of deals on a range of must-have products from day one of the sale, but only while stocks last. There will also be thousands of Lightning Deals introduced throughout the sale - products available at a discount, in limited quantities, for a short period of time. Amazon Prime members, including customers enjoying a free Amazon Prime 30-day trial, have an exclusive 30-minute early access period to all Lightning Deals.” Amazon's Black Friday commitmentAmazon says it has been investing heavily in its UK infrastructure this year in order to be ready for what is expected to be the biggest day of spending planet Earth has ever seen. “In response to positive customer feedback for Black Friday deals, we are introducing The Black Friday Sale - 12 days of fantastic deals on must-have gifts and products, saving our customers millions of pounds,” – that’s from Doug Gurr, Amazon’s UK bossman. “We’re also thrilled to have over a thousand small businesses featuring in our Black Friday Sale, broadening the selection for our customers and enabling those businesses to boost their sales in the run-up to Christmas.” What that means is that while Amazon will have loads of mega deals on brands big and small, there will be far more deals coming your way from the smaller electronics manufacturers who have their own stores on Amazon Marketplace. Amazon Black Friday: what you need to knowIn short, if you care even slightly about Black Friday this year, you need to pay attention to what Amazon is doing. Thing is with Amazon though, it’s not the most user friendly site to navigate. With many different sellers touting the same products all at different prices, it can be a challenge to track down the best deals. That’s why you should check in with TechRadar every day for the rest of the month as we’ll be listing all of the deals that we think are genuinely worth your attention. Amazon is sharing with us in advance all of its biggest deals. We can’t tell you what they are until they go live on the site (sorry), but we’ll certainly be shouting to the rafters each day for every deal we think is awesome! Amazon's role in Black FridayBlack Friday in the UK was, basically, an invention of Amazon's to bring the US price-drops to the UK. You could be cynical about it, and sometimes we are, but anything that drops prices is surely welcome. Amazon's price drops are sometimes astounding, but there are also severe restrictions on the availability. A limited amount of price-reduced merchandise will be available and it usually fits into Amazon's flash sales, where the company has time-limited sales. These tend to be as diverse as Amazon's catalogue and mean that you'll pick up up all sorts of bargains. BOOKMARK: The best Black Friday deals 2016Last year Amazon offered some 7,000 total deals during its Black Friday season. And don't forget there's also Cyber Monday, which adds additional deals into the mix. "This year Black Friday falls on November 25 and you can bet Amazon will be in the thick of it" Amazon's Christopher North said last year "Customers love Black Friday. Every year we see more excitement and more demand for great deals. That is why we now have more than 20 times the number of deals than we had back in 2010 when we first introduced Black Friday to the UK.” It stands to reason that 2016 will be the company's biggest Black Friday yet. What Amazon did on Black Friday last year Last year Amazon offered the Fire TV stick with a £10 discount, taking it to £24.99. It's quite likely that there will be savings on both the Stick and Fire TV box this year to get people interested in subscribing to Prime to watch the Clarkson, Hammond and May show The Grand Tour. So expect to see £20 or even less deals on the Stick. There's a real likelihood that Amazon will do a massive clearance on the old Xbox One and the original PS4, console bundle deals always make a strong showing in these deals, but this year both these consoles are being replaced with newer models making it even more likely. Top 5 Amazon Black Friday deals last year:http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/a153bfdbe66adb078a09dcae31b25d1c.jpg 1. Sony PlayStation 4 (Graded) Amazon was one of a few sites selling refurbished PS4's for £199 which at the time was the cheapest PS4 price ever. This year you can expect even cheaper PS4 deals, and look out for bundle deals with games too. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9RC94nADEiNKM8SdGkwgMQ.jpg 2. Amazon Fire TV Stick Many of Amazon's biggest discounts came on its own 'Fire' and 'Kindle' products. The Amazon Fire TV Stick was £24.99 last year, and it's well worth that price because it gives you access to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and loads of games and apps. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/WFKNx3fkRLoJFWBobNa2SV.jpg 3. Kindle Paperwhite Amazon's awesome ebook reader was reduced to just £79.99 last year - it's Amazon hardware, so it's beautifully made and works really well. If you have an old kindle an upgrade is always worthwhile. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/g5wSPj9Sj8vsKxHKR9oNiN.jpg 4. HD TV's galore One of Amazon's best Black Friday deals was a 42-inch 1080p LG LCD TV for just £295, this was 40% off and a really great TV. This year expect 4K TVs to get some price drops as 1080p screens are dying out. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/GoxShdq9wmndGh3BmBocG3.jpg 5. The Samsung Galaxy S6 Samsung's excellent flagship phone of last year was going SIM-free for £343.99 on Black Friday last year, a smashing phone even this year and sure to be discounted again - look out for S7 deals too. Amazon Black Friday deals to expect in 2016:1. Xbox One - with Microsoft's console getting a new version this year called the One S you can expect the original model to be discounted. Expect great bundled deals and cheap prices on the console itself 2. Sony PlayStation 4 - because the PS4 Pro launches around Black Friday it's super-likely that there will be massive price-drops on the original machine. Again, games bundles will offer some great discounts. 3. Amazon Fire Tablets and TV devices - Amazon often does big price drops on its own hardware for Black Friday, so expect amazing deals this year too. 4. Amazon Prime - it's not often Amazon does a deal on Prime membership, but this year is the debut of Clarkson, May and Hammond's Grand Tour. A lot of money has gone into this show, Amazon will want lots of people watching it. 5. Home and Kitchen - it's hard to be specific here but Amazon often has killer deals on things like electric razors, cooking appliances and other domestic devices, it's fair to say this will also be true this year. How to find the best Amazon Black Friday deals:As always we'll be keeping an eye on Amazon's deals to direct you to the best deals on offer. We'll give you as much notice as we can as well, because Amazon's fast-moving sales require that you'll on the ball to get those reduced prices. Remember, the key with Amazon is to have a list of things that you want or need in advance - don't let sales mania ruin you with the tempting prices on things you don't actually want. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/t5oOcu_LZbM

This year Black Friday 2016 falls on November 25Black Friday has become the biggest shopping day of the year in the US and UK, and while this retail event may not officially be a thing in Australia yet, a number of retailers across the country have started to get in on the action by presenting their own crazy deals in an attempt to send shoppers into a buying frenzy. Now, Black Friday 2016 is just a fortnight away! This year, the TechRadar team will be hunting down all of Australia's best Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Click Frenzy deals — you'll find all the details right here on this page, so that you can easily find your way to the best prices for all the best tech and gear. While it may not be as big here (yet) as it is in the US, Black Friday will almost certainly be the biggest day of online spending the world has ever seen, so it's nice to see Australia get some good deals, too. Below is a list of all known retailers participating in the Australian seasonal sales. This list will be kept updated with any specific Aussie deals that we find right up and through the holiday season. Black Friday deals Quick Links:Kogan Black FridayAmerican Express Black FridayJB Hi-Fi Black FridayThe Good Guys Black Fridayhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/tOfUi2iyNVc

http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png To celebrate its 30th birthday, Ubisoft is giving away Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon for PC free throughout November. The game is available to download now from the Ubisoft Club website. Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon takes its noisy cues from 80s action films. Its glaring neon lights, overpowered guns and free-range dinosaurs (with laser eyes, naturally) are a wonderfully executed pastiche of the decade’s most ridiculous and fun sci-fi movies. Send for a medic, so I can kill him tooThe offer is part of a celebration that makes one of Ubisoft’s most popular classic games free to download each month from June to December. Previous giveaways have included Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, and Beyond Good and Evil. Next month’s treat will be announced in mid-December. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/O6EL4xE9NOs

http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png If you want to do something more ambitious than just record from a microphone, you’ll need an audio editing app - and with a price tag of zero, Free Audio Editor looks pretty attractive. Once you’ve installed it (and as ever with free software, made sure you aren’t installing anything else you don’t want), it enables you to capture sound from any source including streaming and live inputs. You can edit your recordings and adjust the way they sound, create music CDs, and there’s even an option to take text documents and turn them into audio files for mobile consumption. It can remove unwanted breath sounds from microphone inputs, remove noise from old cassette recordings and there are plenty of filters to get your audio just so. Why you need itUnless you’re a musician, the main jobs for an audio editor are making podcasts, converting files from one format to another or digitising old media formats such as vinyl or even cassettes. Free Audio Editor can do all of those things, and it’s been designed in such a way that you don’t need to go looking for obscure menu items to find the features you need. Everything is on screen and easy to find. Download here: Free Audio Editor http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/INUkA89xRBk

The best free home finance softwareThinking about personal finance may not excite you, but it may not be as hard as you think to get on top of things. The first step on the road to financial success is understanding what’s going on with the cash you already have. Once this is covered, you can start to think about how to generate more, and how to make what you have work harder. You could pay an accountant to trawl through your bank statements, or you could draw up ledgers of your own. A far better and easier way, however, is to turn to free home finance software, which can make light work of managing your money. Choosing the right tool will depend on what you do with your money, but here we've collected five of the best free home finance programs available to help you make the most of your money. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/p2yHU6sxFfrchLLL2iuLJk.jpg If you've never used home finance software before, Money Manager Ex is a great place to start. It's clear and well designed, with clear reports to help you see where your money is going each month1. Money Manager Exhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png Money management made simple with a wizard-based interface and easy reporting tools Setting up a financial database can be daunting, so with Money Manager Ex it's great to see that there is a wizard on hand to guide you through process. This means you are prompted to enter the details of all of the bank accounts you have, indicating their type (current, savings, etc) and funding level. As you receive and spend money, you can add this data to the program, adding payees along the way or setting them up in advance. At its most basic, Money Manager Ex lets you see where your money comes from and where it goes, and the reporting tools are superbly clear. There is no option to pull in data directly from bank accounts, but with enough manual data entry the program is able to help you with budgeting and features cashflow forecasting. The soul of the program is about tracking money, and this it does flawlessly - you just have to be willing to put the time and effort into keeping everything up to date by hand. Download here: Money Manager Ex http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CrXZTot6ThTEjJ6yPMuUJk.jpg GnuCash is great for both home and small business finances. Once you've set up your accounts, it's easy to track your transactions and generate reports2. GnuCashhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png If you're already used to home accounting, you'll appreciate GnuCash's more advanced functions Suitable for home accounting as well as for small businesses, GnuCash is an open source program available for a number of platforms; in addition to desktop versions for Windows, Mac and Linux, there is also a GnuCash Android app that lets you track your expenditure while you're out and about. As with other free home finance software, you're guided through the initial account setup process so you can quickly add all of your accounts, assets, regular payments and so on. If you've already been using financial software, you can import data in QIF and dOFX formats. Small business features such as double-entry accounting and tax tools also serve to bolster the home financing side of things. GnuCash does really require a degree of familiarity with accounting, but the data analysis and reporting tools are an excellent free alternative to an accountant or financial advisor - and the reconciliation tool for checking transactions on a statement is something that could come in very useful. Download here: GnuCash for Windows http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ERPNaBUA7jn6Ve4kjxRbJk.jpg 3. Mvelopeshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5TkfQ8DT6Cxn8eLZ6myYJR.png Cloud-based free home finance software for managing your accounts on desktop or mobile Mvelopes is an online tool rather than a dedicated standalone program, and this has its advantages and disadvantages. There are free and paid-for packages available, but here we're concerned with the free one, and this means there are a few limitations. The first is that you are only able to work with four accounts, and the second is that you can only use 25 'envelopes' - the custom organizational categories used by Mvelopes. Envelopes are used to categorise spending and income, and with a little inventiveness, it's easy to overcome the limitation of a free account. Once set up, you can see at a glance where all of your money is going, and use the software to set a budget (monthly or annual) and start a saving plan. Technically you need to be in the US to sign up for an Mvelopes account. You'll be asked to provide a US phone number during the sign-up process, but we're sure you can make up something suitable. Using the iOS or Android apps could be a little harder in the rest of the world, though. Try it online here: Mvelopes http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg 4. HomeBankhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png A user-friendly home finance tool that takes the complexity out of managing your accounts With support for an unlimited number of accounts, HomeBank is some of the best free home finance software for novice users no matter how complicated their finances may be. Accounts can be linked together to allow for transfers back and forth, and there are a number of templates available to make it easier to setup recurring transactions for bills and savings. Clearly keen to make the potential dull topic of money a little more approachable and appealing, HomeBank make heavy use of colorful graphs and charts to help you to visualize how you're spending your money. There are also some handy extras such as the vehicular cost tool which makes it easy to monitor and predict the cost of car ownership based on mileage, average repair cost and so on. HomeBank is not the most advanced financial tool out there, but that doesn't matter. It has all of the essentials covered making it ideal for most home users. Download here: HomeBanks http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XpjytZKadYHuY5Kqsnopd7.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/35LSvAUXWat2eqKn6WQkJk.jpg It's easy to import transactions from your online bank into AceMoney Lite, and it includes support for e-payment methods5. AceMoney Litehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png Streamlined free personal finance software with added support for e-payment services As the name would suggest, this is a cut-down, free version of the main AceMoney home finance software. Clearly this means that a few sacrifices have been made along the way, but the streamlined program is still excellent in its own right. It can only handle two accounts, but for many people and families this is likely to be enough, and while it isn't possible to import transactions from your bank automatically, you can download and add them yourself quite easily if you bank online. This is a great timesaver when it comes to getting all of your transactions in place, and is one of the main reasons you might want to consider using AceMoney Lite over some of the alternatives. As well as traditional banks, there is also support for e-payment system such as PayPal making this program ideal for internet shoppers. The two account limitation is the only thing that's slightly disappointing about the free version of the program. If you can get by with this, AceMoney Lite is perfect, but otherwise you may need to consider upgrading to the paid version for US$40 (about £30, AU$50). Download here: AceMoney Lite http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/3dc5h8etD4I

Microsoft is busy working away on its to-do list app codenamed Project Cheshire, with the software having moved on to beta testing. Apparently the app is now in private beta – it’s available to download on the Windows Store, but only those signed up to the beta can use it – and according to Thurrott.com, there will soon be not only a universal Windows app, but also Android and iOS versions. Project Cheshire is looking more polished than previous incarnations that were spotted, as you would hope, although it still looks fairly basic at this moment in time. Microsoft is billing it as a “brand new and simple, yet incredibly focused, to-do app that helps you get stuff done”, and it boasts the usual tricks including letting you set reminders of things to do (obviously) and making suggestions of things you might need prodding to remember. It certainly looks like the emphasis is on making this an easy-to-use piece of software, but clearly it isn’t finished yet. It makes you WunderAside from how it’s coming on, most of the chatter online regarding Cheshire is exactly how it’s going to fit in with Wunderlist, the to-do app Microsoft already owns, having acquired it back in the summer of last year. Wunderlist is one of our 10 essential free business appsIt seems odd, then, to be developing another to-do affair, although one possibility that has been mentioned is that this project is an incoming successor to Wunderlist which will take all its best bits and integrate everything with Microsoft’s Office suite. As ever, time will tell. Meanwhile, in terms of products which are imminent, last week saw Microsoft Teams unveiled, which is the company’s answer to Slack (with some fresh spins on the formula). Image Credit: Thurrott.com Here are the 50 best mobile productivity appshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/1YI9N7GTJk8

http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png As you’ve probably guessed from the name, CDBurnerXP is a CD-burning app for Windows. But what it’s obvious from the name is that it’s a very good and deceptively powerful app too. It’s compatible with all versions of Windows from XP onwards, it can burn CDs, DVDs, and even Blu-rays if you have the hardware to do so. It also has a host of features including gapless audio playback, creation of bootable system discs, spanning data over multiple discs and full disc copying, although (as you’d expect) it won’t attempt to bypass copy protection systems on commercial software. It’s compatible with a huge range of IDE, USB, FireWire and SCSI drives and has automatic buffer underrun protection to prevent CDs becoming coasters. Why you need itWindows’ lack of decent disc burning has been a pain for years, and CDBurnerXP addresses the problem beautifully. You can use it as a backup app or to make music CDs, to burn your home movies to DVD or create MP3 CDs for compatible players, create music CDs from M3U or WPL playlists, and fully erase rewritable data discs. Not bad for something that’s completely free of charge for both personal and commercial use. Download here: CDBurnerXP http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/453Svg-EiSA

iFixit has finally had its way with Google’s new smart connected speaker, the Google Home, and the teardown has revealed a significantly different piece of hardware than the Amazon Echo. The most interesting discovery is that the Home has just two microphones which it uses to pick up your voice, as opposed to the Echo’s seven-microphone array. The Echo’s substantial microphone array was cited as a reason for its ability to pick up your voice in noisy environments. It will be interesting to see whether the Google Home is quite as capable in that regard with its more limited two-mic array. The drivers across the two speakers also differ significantly. The Home has just one 2” driver alongside dual 2” passive radiators, while the Echo opts for a dual-speaker array of one 2.5” woofer and a 2.0” tweeter. Chromecast specsAnother interesting revelation from the speaker is how similar its innards are to Google’s Chromecast streamer. iFixit notes that the dual-core ARM Cortex-A7 media processor is the same, as is the 256 MB of NAND flash and the 512 MB of DDR3 SDRAM. We’re still getting to grips with the Google Home speaker for ourselves, but stay tuned for our full review coming soon. Check out our full guide to Google Home vs Amazon Echo.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/2UxGqDJXKq0

Gumtree, Australia’s leading online classifieds site, has announced the implementation of Gumbot, a helpful Chatbot that will help you search and browse the site’s offerings from within the Facebook Messenger app. According to Gumtree, the feature aims to simulate an actual human conversation between a potential customer and the site’s Facebook account. Users will be able to enter queries in the Gumbot chat window, such as ‘Search for Toyota in Newtown’ or ‘Search for BBQ in Manly’, for example. Gumbot will also be able to help you with login problems and forgotten passwords. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YUpWmZbVnXPJCZdT5i3P46.jpg To access Gumbot, simply like Gumtree Australia’s Facebook page, then send it a message like you would with any user or page on the social network. If you’d still rather chat with a real person, then you should check out the Live Chat feature on Gumtree’s proper site to speak to a community support representative between the hours of 9am-9pm (AEST) on weekdays. While you're there, you should also have a look at Gumtree's new and improved Help Desk page. Perhaps you'll be able to find some of these products on Gumtree...http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/RsX1Tr_2SfI

http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png The days when we did everything on a single computer are long gone. Today we’re flitting around between Macs and PCs and maybe Linux boxes too. So how do you keep the stuff you need synchronized between all your machines? Some operating systems have tried to address this by offering sync services, which automatically update files across your devices, but those services are often tied to a particular platform - so for example OneDrive works on PCs and Macs but not officially on Linux, and iCloud doesn’t really care about anything that isn’t a Mac. Enter FreeFileSync. Why you need itFreeFileSync is open source and cross platform, with versions available for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux, and with support for external devices such as Androids and iPhones, tablets and even digital cameras. It’s extraordinarily capable, customizable and programmable via macros, and its licence is free not just for home use, but commercial use too. The only limitation is your system memory, so if you plan to sync more than 1.7 million files at once you’ll need a device with more than 1GB of RAM. We don’t think many people will need to worry about that. Download here: FreeFileSync http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/tVCXJekfyj8

Want an AI-imbued smart speaker on the cheap? Check out Google Home, the Mountain View-based company’s take on cylindrical form factor that’s launching everywhere today. The pint-sized smart home hub is on sale at places like Best Buy, Target and Walmart for $129. But why pick Google Home over its main contender, the Amazon Echo? Well, it’s cheaper, obviously. But moreover it plays nicely with other Google devices like Nest thermostats, Google Chromecast and other Google Cast-enabled devices like Vizio’s SmartCast speakers – as well as devices from Honeywell, Ecobee, Philips and Belkin. It’s also more customizable, too. Don’t like the all white coloring? You can pick up new bases from the Google Play Store for around $20. No idea where to start with Google Home? Check out our guide to the best smart home products that work with Google Homehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/4fSYyOcep9s

http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Z3NPEW36KgeQUzUqXReN6.png Here’s an odd thing: Picasa shouldn’t exist. Google announced its retirement earlier this year, but like a detective who can’t retire while his nemeses are still doing crimes, Picasa is still around to tame your photo libraries. It’s available for both Windows and Mac, although it won’t be updated now that Google has turned its attention to its newer Google Photos product. The selling point of Google+ integration isn’t what it was either, but that’s not to say that Picasa isn’t worth a place on your desktop. Why you need itIt might not be Google’s favourite thing any more, but in its day Picasa was head and shoulders above most other free photo organisers: it was fast, offered useful facial recognition, made online storage simple, and included a whole host of decent camera effects. And that’s still true today, apart from the online component (Picasa Web Albums), which is no longer available. If that’s not a deal-breaker there’s still plenty to like here including geotagging and text overlays, the excellent Fill Light tool to improve darker shots and its effective blemish removal tool. Picasa is a great alternative to other image viewers/editors like Irfanview. It’s just a shame that it’s not going to get any updates in the future. Download here: Picasa http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/_eI76a2YBZQ

From The Jetsons’ Rosie through to Star Wars’ R2-D2, robot helpers have been the stuff of sci-fi dreams for decades. And though cleaner bots have been knocking around in one shape or other for a while, they’ve tended to be disappointing. But as you’d expect from the British design and engineering geniuses at Dyson, the Dyson 360 Eye robot vacuum cleaner is more than a match for your home-of-the-future desires. Built around Dyson’s powerful V2 digital motor, and making use of the Radial Root Cyclone technology that lets the company’s upright vacuum cleaners suck up microscopic dust and dirt, the Dyson 360 Eye would give even a clean-freak’s vacuuming session a run for its money. That’s because Dyson has made tonnes of smart design decisions throughout the 360 Eye to make sure it gives your home the best clean it can with every pass. Making use of over 420 patented technologies, the 360 Eye features a full-width brushbar, running along the length of the machine for maximum surface coverage. It’s also the only robot vacuum with carbon fibre filaments for hard floors and stiff nylon bristles for carpets which, paired with its tank-like treads, make it capable of taking on any surface it encounters. It’s small too. Weighing just 2.44kg, its circular shape and smart programming lets it weave around furniture with ease, avoiding practically any obstacle that could prevent it giving your home a thorough clean. But where does the “Eye” name come from? Sat on top of Dyson’s robot is a unique 360-degree vision system, which constantly helps it to scan its surroundings. From the information it gets back from the camera, the Dyson 360 Eye is able to remember where it has already cleaned to avoid unnecessary double passes and, when it has completed its task, can roll on back to its discrete charging dock without any input from you. And, thanks to the Dyson Link app, you can control the Dyson 360 Eye robot vacuum cleaner from pretty much anywhere in the world. It links up to your bot, letting you remotely set schedules, start cleaning cycles and even check up on which areas of the house its cleaned through smart maps pinged back from the robot to your mobile device. The 360 Eye is available now from Currys PC World with a 2 year guarantee included. There are a range of delivery options including next day delivery or free delivery within 5 days; or you can reserve online and collect in store at your nearest Currys PC World or Carphone Warehouse. You can even spread the cost with our uniquely flexible credit option, Your Plan, available online and in store. The Dyson 360 Eye is the result of £28m of intense investment by Dyson, and it shows. It’s jam packed with innovations, and really is a cleaning product designed for a future in which all you have to do is put your feet up. The robot revolution is here and available right now from Dyson. Are you ready? http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/hFoUs-sEfdU

Some software is so good, it alone makes a piece of hardware worth buying. If you've any doubt about that, ask around – chances are you know someone who snapped up a Wii U just for the latest Mario Kart and/or Smash Bros. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rQiavuDYnuhvbELVTyKroT.gif Mental Canvas appMental Canvas is like that, but for Microsoft's wildly ambitious Surface Dial. The $99 accessory was launched last month alongside the Surface Studio, but to date, we haven't heard much from software manufacturers looking to take advantage. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8R6mTVZfyPrX9z59JTMK3X.gif Mental Canvas app This app "allows creators to illustrate ideas and depict design concepts freely in virtual space," which is a fancy way of saying that your drawings can now extend beyond a flat plane. Toss in a Surface Dial, and you can easily zoom in and out of a forest, building, or anything else you're drawing with depth. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UwLDXdmoEwskU5EYF5CNf.jpg Mental Canvas appFor now, a Player app is available in the Windows Store that that allows people to explore spatial drawings created using the Mental Canvas authoring software. That piece – which is no doubt what you're truly after – will be released later this year. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uvMhoAWHVxNpscXpJSRra.jpg Mental Canvas appArtworks crafted within the program can be shared on any device with a web browser, and its key selling point is the ease of use when compared to complex CAD alternatives. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/uvMhoAWHVxNpscXpJSRra.jpg Mental Canvas appAnd to think – we had to express ourselves using sticks and loose dirt. Kids these days just don't know how good they have it. Hands-on: Surface Studio reviewhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/yyyR9sz3pEk

Google Earth’s name is a little misleading these days, because in addition to modelling the entire world it also enables you to explore bits of the moon and Mars. It’s an astonishing technological feat, and its uses are almost endless: you can use it to explore far-flung places or see the ocean floor; you can see the effects of natural disasters or use it to identify places to visit when you’re travelling somewhere; you can use it as an educational tool or just load up on Sunny Delight, sit really close to the screen and imagine you can fly. Maybe that last one is just us. Why you need itIf you have children it’s a must-have app: it’s widely used in education and the ability to access all kinds of data and swoop and soar around the planet is just as exciting today as when we first experienced it just over a decade ago (and it’s much more realistic). http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7gaReKkHGknFTR36uCQpEH.png And if you don’t have children it’s just as useful: you can watch real-time traffic flows and explore the potential effects of earthquakes, see entire cities in 3D and virtually visit places like Mount Everest. How amazing is that? http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/n7AucY-CFgU

Microsoft has not been sitting idly as Slack and HipChat have become the de facto kings of online workplace collaboration. The firm has just announced the long-rumored Teams app, a familiar-looking answer to those services that leverages all of Microsoft's Office 365 apps and services. Teams brings the entire Office 365 suite together under one app, but in a nigh-identical interface to Slack with some key improvements over that app. An app like this from Microsoft is a long time coming, and even so, is still a ways away from general availability. Teams is available right now in a customer preview edition for the Office 365 Business and Enterprise suites on Windows 10, iOS, Android and macOS in 181 countries across 18 languages, with general availability due within the first quarter of 2017. So, why does Microsoft hope you'll ditch Slack or HipChat and get into the Office 365 fold? http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/zmxeM3BHGqL2Av3G69BvVN.jpg That interface looks mighty familiar, doesn't it?Everything Slack can do, Teams (claims it) can do betterMicrosoft Teams has the basics well covered. General chat rooms are available, as are 1:1 conversations between team members. Users can even create custom channels for specific tasks and invite individuals, and they can search across channels, team members and files – just like Slack. Two functions we noticed that Teams has over the competition is first that, when you create a message, you can deem it as "Important" with an exclamation point symbol, alerting everyone in the channel. This in addition to just alerting channel members directly via throwing an "@" symbol next to the user's name. Second is that Teams offers a custom polling tool to easily take team members' reactions to a given idea, subject or whatever, really. Slack can do this, but needs a plug-in first. But, beyond this, users can format their messages either like standard chat posts in the same vein as Slack, or like miniature emails, complete with formatting and other rich features. These are the best mobile workstations aroundAnd, yes, GIFs and all sorts of meme tools are supported for those precious laughs during the work day. Just like Slack and HipChat offer, Teams allows for video and audio chat through Skype for Business integration (duh). (However, this is not available yet in the mobile apps.) The app even offers helpful chat bots that seem to go beyond what Slack or HipChat provide currently. Its T-Bot, for instance, offers help with the app itself over either chat or a browse interface, while the Teams Who-Bot can provide information about specific team members. For example, if you want to know which team member knows about, say, programmatic advertising, Who-Bot can tell you through scraping chat history that you've been a part of as well as member profiles, uploads and even emails you've been on. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jisoyYQYqx9JDu8ehw6aFa.jpg Here's how Teams will look on your mobile phoneIt's like Slack, but if Microsoft made itBut, that's just the tip of the iceberg. The key advantage of Teams is that it integrates just about every Office 365 app and service. When a user creates a channel, they can add relevant Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and associated PowerPoint presentations right to a tab interface above the channel's chat area. You can then view the file with your fellow teammates and discuss, before moving to edit it within the proper app either locally or on your browser. OneNote and SharePoint are integrated into the service as well, as are Power BI and Planner. The idea here is for Teams to become the hub for any professional Office 365 user, and it seems poised to do just that. You can sign up for the Teams customer preview edition and see it in action through an interactive demo right here. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/QtSQmmjTCEM

In the corners of the world where the clocks have turned back, and the winter nights are drawing in, it can feel increasingly difficult to get out of bed in the mornings. That’s not necessarily a sign that you’ve had a heavy night, or are just simply a lazy-bones - you may be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Otherwise known as 'winter depression', it’s a condition associated with the colder, darker months of the year, and is thought to be linked to a lack of daylight slowing the production of happiness hormone serotonin, making sufferers feel a bit groggy. Thankfully, there are plenty of gadgets out there to help ease the effects of the seasonal change - gadgets that’ll be enjoyed not just by those feeling the effects of SAD, but anyone wanting a light-fuelled energy boost in the mornings or throughout the day. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DEdWuki7dhL9Dua9L6Gzcm.jpg The egg-like Lumie BodyClock Elite 300 is one of the best wake-up lights we’ve tried. It’s not the most advanced wake-up light on this list, but it’s certainly the most useful. Not only does it wake you with a gradually building light (along with one of a selection of natural alarm sounds), but it also offers the best sunset feature, helping you drift off to sleep - which most of the competition do not offer at all. Seven-day alarm settings can be programmed, allowing for different wake up times across the week, while there’s also the option to use it as an AM/FM radio or MP3 player (provided you load an SD card up with tracks) too. In addition, it also comes pre-loaded with meditation tracks to help calm you before taking a nap. There are a few too many buttons for all the controls and alarm combinations, and there’s a little construction involved outside the box - you’ll need to insert a regular lightbulb, and clip on the glass shade, too. But once you’ve got used to its intricacies, it’s a lovely warm light to wake to that works nicely as general bedside lamp, too. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/DLZBFN8KVaC6REG3nxQCSH.jpg The Philips HF3520 is perhaps the best-looking wake-up light on this list, and one of the best overall performers from our test. Circular (like a mini sun!) on a conical base, it gives off a warm glowing light that can be set to one of 20 intensity settings, from gentle ember to a room-filling blast. With two separate alarm slots (which, slightly annoyingly, have to be activated each time you want to use them) and five natural wake up sounds, the HF3520’s gradual light steps were naturally graded, offering a peaceful start to the day. In a nice touch, a simple tap of the lamp sets its alarm into snooze mode. But the other controls, either dotted around the outer ring or the touch-sensitive ones on its front face, could be a bit fiddly, especially when programming different settings. You’ll want to keep the instruction manual handy for the first few days. This Philips light is let down by one point that otherwise mars a wonderful device - the radio function gets gradually more distorted along with the rising intensity of its light. I’d still heartily recommend it, but consider that potential problem before purchasing. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XDVCMomMiyL59UEVejhYgk.jpg A SAD wake-up lamp with a scented twist, the Lumie Bodyclock IRIS 500 also doubles up as an aromatherapy gadget. You can fill two diffusers, tucked away underneath the lamp shade, with different smelling oils which will then be heated by the IRIS 500 and released in line with your morning wake-up and bedtime routines. While it was great to walk into a lavender-scented bedroom, it could sometimes feel a bit overwhelming to have the perfumes released so close to my head (with the lamp sat on a bedside table - a placement I’d expect to be somewhat unexceptional). Again, like the previous Lumie, seven-day programming options are available, with a range of light intensities, as well as sunrise and sunset options. It also has a physical remote control, should that be useful to you. But the light felt a lot harsher than the Bodyclock Elite 300, and the alarm options less varied. Unless you’re really into aromatherapy, there are simpler options with better lamps available. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/BP8J3vwLAKnMX93CC8REz9.jpg Whereas the previous lamps on this list have been intended for the bedroom, Beurer’s TL100 is intended for use throughout the day, hitting your SAD lows with a full-on bright-light blast. Lighting up to an approximate intensity of 10,000 lux, it can be set to light up a room for up to two hours (in 15 minute increments), allowing you to keep track of how much time you’ve had in front of it. Slim and standing about a foot tall, it’s attractive and discreet enough to have in a shared office - I’ve had it on in TechRadar towers every day for about a month now, without complaint. Well, at least until I started playing with the mood light settings! With a Bluetooth-connected app (available for iOS and Android), the TL100 can be set to one of 256 different colors, pulsing out on a set of preset timers and patterns, or a single color on a custom timer. So when the SAD lamp has given you a lift, you can essentially set it to #partymode. Did it make me feel any cheerier overall? That’s hard to say - so many factors can affect a mood during a day. But I’d say that having it on while working certainly made me feel more alert. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8jC9X9vW3ZzoZeKNJoV5pa.jpg The Beurer WL90 has all the trappings of a great bedside SAD wake-up lamp, and definitely has the most feature-rich spec sheet. In addition to sunset and sunrise options, radio and melody alarms and multiple mood light colors controlled via smartphone app, it also has a Bluetooth connection for playing back songs from your smart devices. It’s a reasonably attractive device too, with stereo 3W speakers sat either side of a relaxed lamp with a semi-circular shade. Its clock timer was easily visible in the dark too. However, for anything but the most basic of functions, all controls rely on the smartphone app. This wouldn’t necessarily be a problem, were it not for the fact that the Bluetooth connection was so inconsistent. If it connected to my Android phone one in ten times, that would seem like a lot. With light color and music Bluetooth playback controls so reliant on the app, and those being the main reasons buy this option over the Lumie and Philips alternatives, it’s hard to recommend the WL90 while such problems persist. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vT7xhBGw6ezhmm8bU6FqZB.jpg The most compact of the wake-up lamps on this list, the HF3505 sadly proved my least favorite. The least flexible in terms of alarm slots (only one is programmable), alarm sound options and sunrise settings (let alone offering a sunset), it is nowhere near as feature-rich as its competition. That’s understandable, given the relative affordability of the HF3505. But affordability comes at a price - its LED offers one of the harshest, most-sterile of white lights of any lamp on this list, while the touch buttons on the front (paired with the process with which settings are navigated) made it a chore to use. It may help you rise a little easier, but you won’t lose any sleep without it. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ZcZizMKVYDsVvVbHQ6iBJM.jpg And now for something completely different. Seeing as this isn’t a tabletop lamp, you’d be forgiven for seeing how the Valkee Bright Light earphones qualify for a place on this list - if anything, they look more like a stylish MP3 player than a light source. But hear us out on why we’ve thrown in this wildcard option. Valkee’s Bright Light earphones, rather than playing music, use fibre-optics to shine high intensity brightness light into your ear canals. Though the science behind the idea is a little sketchy, the company claims that regular sessions with the earphones can shake off the winter blues by triggering light-sensitive proteins in your brain - the ones which play a role in setting the hands for your internal body clock. Charged over USB and good for more than a week’s worth of use against the recommended session amounts, it’s a discreet and portable alternative to the the Beurer TL-100, if not quite a like-for-like substitute for the wake up lamps listed here. As with the TL-100, I’d be cautious to assign my faith in shaking the effects of seasonal affective disorder entirely over to the Valkee buds - or any one device without professional medical advice being sought out first. But it’s certainly a tidily designed gadget, should you try it and find it helps ease your symptoms. Best fitness tracker for 2016http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/ZRjzXfKBO9s

The race to a fully connected house has been going on for some time now, but it’s just recently that one of the biggest players in the game has arrived to steal the show. The device maker in question is Apple, and its play into the IoT space is called HomeKit. We’ve covered the app and the devices that work with HomeKit with in detail elsewhere, but the short version of the story is that devices with the Home Kit branding will all work together in one ecosystem that’s run by Apple. For many’a Apple owner, the HomeKit ecosystem is a dream come true. For the rest of us, however, it’s not so great. Instead of wallowing in our lack of inclusion, however, we’ve done something a little more productive with our time and compiled a list of ecosystems and devices that you can buy into right now, only one of which requires iOS to operate. Our starting point? Samsung’s SmartThings, the old mainstay. This one has been around forever and, as far as we can tell, has the most devices under its umbrella. Samsung SmartThingshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HngPU5TnFXXARwY5gNBBmZ.jpg Talk about platform-agnostic, Samsung’s SmartThings is probably the most egalitarian option on the list with the most available devices under its banner. From lighting options from Philips, Leviton and OSRAM, to thermostats from Honeywell and Ecobee, to both major smart speakers – Google Home and the Amazon Echo family of devices – the list of products compatible with Samsung’s SmartThings platform seems to go on endlessly. That said, because no one has the time (or the budget) to go through and test out all the options, a good starting combination would be a Honeywell Lyric Thermometer, Samsung SmartCam HD Pro Camera, Skybell HD Video Doorbell and an Amazon Echo to give you the option of speaking specific commands rather than finding your phone every time you want to use a smart device. OK, caveat time: while Samsung definitely doesn’t need Apple’s permission to sell smart home products, it does require that you purchase a Samsung SmartThings Hub before you dig into any of its interconnected wares. The Hub plugs into your router at home and allows you to control your smart home devices whenever and wherever you go. Google Home (a.k.a. Made by Google platform)http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5owRC5svgu7aV5NaEiWRrW.jpg If you’re looking for the most cutting-edge option out there, check out Google’s brand new Home speaker. This AI-equipped speaker connects to other Google devices – including Nest thermostats, Google Chromecast and other Google Cast-enabled devices like Vizio’s SmartCast speakers – as well as devices from Honeywell, Ecobee, Philips and Belkin. (Here’s our round-up of the best Google Home-compatible devices.) The Home is powered by the Home Assistant, which is in charge of parsing commands given to the speaker and relaying pertinent information to the other devices in the home. On top of the physical devices that can be controlled on an individual basis, Google Home also connects to IFTTT (recipe-based smart device software) and is one day expected to hook into SmartThings. Until then, however, the best place to start with the Made by Google platform is with the $129 (around £100, AU$170) Google Home speaker, a Chromecast, a Nest thermostat, a couple of LIFX lightbulbs and Google’s strange new Google WiFi router. Stringify http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Momqm8Xf5HUUnriTVbitvS.jpg “Now wait,” you might say. “I have to buy additional hardware just to make this other hardware I just bought work?” Well, not always. While you’ll have an easier time controlling smart home devices via voice commands through Google Home, or through an interconnected hub like Samsung’s SmartThings, you don’t always need one. There are plenty of app-based options out there that will allow you to “string” connected devices together without additional hardware. The one I’ve tested the most is called, somewhat ironically, Stringify. It’s available only on iOS at the moment, but the idea here is that once you get in the devices you want to use (Stringify not only supports traditional smart home devices, but also other applications like Evernote, Reddit, Twitter and Slack), all you need to do is connect them to your main Stringify account – no additional hardware required. Once connected you can then create “flows” to string multiple devices together. One example could be that when you get close to home (the app can pull your location at any time if you enable it), you want to turn up your thermostat, start some music and turn on your Philips Hue lights. Can’t find a flow you like? Stringify invites you to create flows of your own via its drag-and-drop interface that’s sort of like Legos meets low-level programming 101. Two other optionsIf you still haven’t found a smart home hub that fits your needs, don’t worry. There are plenty of other options out there. (There’s a really helpful forum for the subject on Samsung’s website, actually.) If you live in the UK, you might want to check out Zipato or VeraPlus, two popular options there, while those living in Australia should look at Z-Wave or Insteon for their smart home fix. Don’t see your favorite smart home ecosystem on the list above? Let us know which one you recommend in the comments below. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/foPSYnjs1tI

Tesco is one of the UK's leading retailers, well known for Marmite and Pot Noodles, but did you also know that it sells games consoles and tellies and that? No? Well it does, and it goes in for Black Friday in a pretty significant way too. In the dirty, offline world, Tesco makes sure that certain key stores are stocked up with extra Black Friday gear for people to rush in at opening time. Great if you want to join the hoi polloi, but those of us who like shopping from home more, there's the website. BOOKMARK: The best Black Friday deals 2016Here's the thing to remember about Tesco. The retailer sort of has two online stores. Tesco.com is the main entry for the grocery shopping portion. There are often electronic and other items on this store but there is a larger selection on Tesco Direct, and deals might only appear on one or the other. Tesco will also have some deals that are in-store only, so you may see mention of things online that you can't find unless you go to a shop. The Tesco site is already live, but there's nothing on there just yet. We would expect that Tesco, like most retailers, is really going after all that pre-Christmas money - so expect big things. We'll be updating TechRadar regularly with news about the sale, as we get it. What Tesco did on Black Friday last year:Last year there were cheap deals on things like the PS4 Star Wars Battlefront pack and the Xbox One Fallout 4 bundle. TVs were reduced too, although not as dramatically as some retailers and you could nab other things - like printers - cheap too. Best deal last year was on a Samsung Quantum Dot TV with an £880 discount - crikey! Top 5 Tesco Black Friday deals from 2015:http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yjFRXyfxbbBNk35Pj6cwe7.jpg 1. Big home cinema TVs The massive 60-inch LCD TV from Samsung got an equally massive price drop from £2300 to £1420 - a great TV and Quantum Dot TVs are superb for deep blacks and rich colour. Expect more deals like this on Black Friday this year! http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RPr9SGth5kHjsWta6jkpoB.jpg 2. Sony PS4 bundle deals PS4 with CoD Black Ops III was £289 on Black Friday last year and you got Fifa 16 free - console bundle deals are always hot in Black Friday week and this year there are new consoles coming, so deals will be even better. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/P5mRnFgaefvCec8FDtCU3G.jpg 3. Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Amazon's brilliant Kindle Paperwhite was down to £79.99 at Tesco Direct on Black Friday last year, always a great christmas gift this one, and a great price. Kindles are great for reading especially when you are away from home. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/S8nKuLKhmY6tf4aoCDSr3K.jpg 4. Fitbit Charge The Fitbit Charge is one of the best and simplest fitness trackers out there, last year Tesco dropped to to just £49 a steal, make sure you run away with it fast. This year the Fitbit Charge 2 is selling well so you could expect some decent discounting. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/UKGBsjJCmyKaBFpHCQLvMP.jpg 5. Navitech Apple watch dock Apple Watch owners got £14 off a Navitech Apple Watch charging dock last year on Black Friday, a smashing deal at the time. Apple Watch accessories like straps are prime fodder for price drops during Black Friday. Tesco Black Friday deals to expect in 2016:1. As with a lot of retailers, expect a cheap deal on the PS4. The old model is getting replaced with the Pro soon, so stock will need to be cleared - bundles offer the best value and snag you a game or two. 2. Expect another round of deals on the Amazon Kindle, the company has updated them again so the old stock needs to go. 3. Last year's insane TV deal is likely to get another outing. Entry-level 4K TVs will cost meer hundreds, with high-end models coming in with massive discounts too. 4. It's reasonable to expect some of Tesco's summer toys for kids will get a massive price drop too - need a trampoline? This is likely the time to buy, and they're great even in the winter. Paddling pools less so. 5. New Apple Watch and iPhone mean there may be reductions on the older models, Tesco has its own mobile network, so deals are quite likely. How to find the best Tesco Black Friday deals:We'll take you through all the different Tesco options. If we hear about in-store deals, we'll post them. We'll also be linking you to all the newest and best hardware deals on the Tesco site, so make sure you check back as Black Friday and Cyber Monday approach. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/CDn41Tgd990

Uber has announced that the unpopular surge pricing model applied in the ride-hailing side of its business will now be introduced to its food delivery service, UberEATS, in a select number of cities. Uber revealed the news on a blog post on its website, where it said that the reason for its decision was simply a response to the growing popularity of the service and the demand being placed on it by the “tremendous appetite” of its customers. “In order to maintain the speed, reliability, and selection people have come to expect from Uber, we depend on having delivery partners available in the right places at the right times” wrote the company. As a result, it has to find a way to incentivise more drivers to come out to work when there’s a local shortage. Supply and demandUber doesn’t use the exact phrase “surge pricing” in its post, instead saying that UberEATS customers will be asked to “pay more for delivery when they order from restaurants in areas where demand is high but delivery partners are scarce.” The logic behind the timed price hikes is similar, though, and with surge pricing proving to be an effective method with its car drivers, it makes sense to introduce a similar model for delivery drivers. Just like when ordering an Uber car, customers will be warned of the extra charge before they make their order. You’ll know if you have to pay extra to order from a certain restaurant as it’ll feature an arrow beneath its name. The exact charge appears above the menu, and as a separate line item before checkout and on the order receipt so it’ll be hard to deny you weren’t made adequately aware of being charged any extra. By doing this, Uber hopes it will be able to keep offering delivery from all of its restaurants even when it’s busy so that customers don’t have to miss out on the places they love most just because they’re ordering at a peak time. Uber says that the extra money will go “toward financial incentives for delivery partners as well as our other operational costs.” State sideThe new pricing model will be introduced to US cities Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, DC, Miami, and Atlanta first. It won’t be city-wide, instead only high-demand areas are likely to see it applied. Considering UberEATS is now in operation in 43 cities across the globe, it’s likely the price surges won’t be limited to US cities as it increases in popularity elsewhere. Though it’s unpopular, the surge pricing model is currently tolerated in the ride hailing service. It could, however, be under threat in London as an employment tribunal is due to rule on whether Uber’s drivers are self-employed or should be given basic employment rights by the company. Uber is arguing that its drivers are self-employed and can choose to drive when and where they please, which is part of why the surge pricing model is so important; Uber can’t demand that its drivers come out so it has to find other ways to convince them. If the tribunal finds that Uber drivers are actually workers, they’ll be entitled to certain rights under employment law such as sick pay and the national minimum wage which will have severe implications for Uber’s current business model. It could also have a knock-on effect with regards to the employment status of its UberEATS delivery drivers, who have already protested the company's treatment of them. How to become an Uber driverhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/ovr0uhnWA0Y

Each month, a new range of free downloadable games becomes available to North American, European and Australian PlayStation Plus subscribers, with titles across PS3, PS4 and PS Vita. We suggest you grab these games while they're free, as you'll then be able to play them as long as you have an active Plus subscription. As the free games are refreshed monthly, we've taken the liberty of keeping you updated on the titles that are being offered. Here are your free PlayStation Plus games for November 2016, which will be available sometime during the first week of the month. PlayStation 4Everybody's Gone to the Rapture – a critically-acclaimed game from developer The Chinese Room, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture is a haunting open-world game that see the player explore the abandoned (but beautiful) village of Yaughton in an effort to find out where everyone is. The Deadly Tower of Monsters – modelled on the B-grade science fiction movies of the 1970s, this tongue-in-cheek third-person action game sees you play as Dick Starspeed, a space explorer who has crash landed on an alien planet and must deal with its hostile inhabitants, Thankfully, he has the help of Scarlet Nova, heir to the planet's tyrannical Emperor. PlayStation 3Dirt 3 – The third game in Codemasters' Dirt series, Dirt 3 mixes traditional rally action with the extreme sports influence of driver Ken Block to create one of the finest racing games of the last console generation. Costume Quest 2 – an adorable role-playing game from the beloved studio Double Fine Productions, Costume Quest 2 sees a pair of twins try to save Halloween night from the evil Dr. Orel White. PS VitaLetter Quest Remastered – a cute turn-based role-playing game, Letter Quest Remastered sees a pair of adorable grim reapers take on a legion of monsters. The game is also a cross buy title with PS4. Pumped BMX+ – what do you get when you cross Trials HD with Dave Mirra BMX? You get one seriously bitchin' extreme sports game! Time to bone up on your bunny hops before the release of Pumped BMX 3 later this year. The game is also a cross buy title with PS3 and PS4. For a discounted PlayStation Plus subscription, be sure to check out the PlayStation Plus deals at CDKeys.com. Join us next month as we update you on December's free PlayStation Plus games! http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/IiT7Xh5ZMaQ