sincity

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Windows/Windows%2010%20anniversary%20update/w10-au-start-menu-crop-470-75.jpgRedmond has confirmed that following the big Anniversary Update which was unleashed earlier this week, Windows 10 won't get any more major updates this year – the next two will both land in 2017. In a recent blog post on TechNet discussing what the Anniversary Update did for IT professionals, Microsoft stated: "Based on feedback from organizations moving to Windows 10, this will be our last feature update for 2016, with two additional feature updates expected in 2017." This confirms what we previously (unofficially) heard back in March, namely that the next update (known as Redstone part 2 or RS2 – the Anniversary Update was RS1) would be delayed until the spring of 2017. Previous to that, it had been thought that RS2 would emerge before the end of 2016. Time spent tinkeringThe delay was apparently caused because Redmond spent a lot of time working with the underlying structure and architecture of the OS, which slowed down the progress of introducing new features, as we reported back at the time. At any rate, it seems that RS2 is likely to pitch up early next year – quite possibly the spring, as mentioned – and according to Windows Central, RS3 will follow in the summer. But again, all this is speculation and could be subject to delays anyhow, just as we've seen this year. Windows 10 is now a continual work in progress, and we won't see a 'Windows 11' or 'Windows 2020' – it's all W10 with periodic major updates going forward as the desktop OS has effectively become Windows as a Service. The big question is: at what point might it become Windows as a Service with a monthly subscription charge? Also check out how to download and install the Windows 10 Anniversary Updatehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/QToUGGsJVoQ

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Windows/Windows%2010%20anniversary%20update/AU%20cortana-470-75.jpgMicrosoft has shortened the period of time which users are given to roll back from an update in Windows 10, cutting it down drastically in fact. Previously, you were given a full 30 days on the Recovery tab (under Settings) in which the option was available to revert to an earlier build on your PC – ensuring that those using the freebie Windows 10 upgrade had a full month in which to try out the new OS and rollback to Windows 7/8.1 if they weren't happy. However, that window (so to speak) to revert the OS has now been shortened to 10 days as of the Anniversary Update which arrived this week. So why the change? Well, now the free upgrade to Windows 10 offer has ceased (at least officially, anyway) Microsoft probably feels that it doesn't need such a lengthy time limit (which after all, was probably made that way partly to give would-be upgraders plenty of thinking time concerning the new OS if they did take the plunge). Quick decisionsWindows Supersite, which spotted this development, also contacted Redmond regarding the change and received a reply to the effect that based on user data, Microsoft had observed that most people who are going to rollback do so within the first few days of an upgrade. Therefore Microsoft felt there was no need for such a lengthy time limit, and indeed cutting it down means that users don't have backup files (the ones needed to revert) hanging around and cluttering up their system drive for so long. Incidentally, if you missed out on upgrading to Windows 10 for free, in actual fact there are still several methods by which you can do so, which we reported on earlier this week, and earlier today. Check out how Windows 10 will continue to evolve post-Anniversary Updatehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/a3SmMa1PVBc

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/How%20tos/Windows%2010%20hub/installwindows10hero-470-75.jpgAs we're all doubtless aware, Microsoft's freebie upgrade to Windows 10 offer officially expired at the end of last month – but apparently Windows 7/8.1 users can still use their product keys to successfully install Redmond's newest OS. We knew it was the case that if you had used your Windows 7/8.1 product key to install and upgrade to Windows 10 on your PC in the past, and then thought better of it and reverted, you could still use that key going forward to reinstall and activate Windows 10 on that machine. But apparently, you can use any old Windows 7/8.1 key – regardless of whether it's had any truck with a Windows 10 upgrade in the past – to install the newest OS, as ZDNet reports. Indeed multiple sources have said this is the case, so essentially anyone can still upgrade using their old product key. Breathing roomMicrosoft isn't officially admitting that this is the case, but by all accounts, the company may simply be giving a little leeway to those who have suddenly thought better of their decision not to make the move to Windows 10. After all, this all adds to the user base numbers for Microsoft. However, it's likely that this avenue of upgrading will be closed off in the near future – probably the very near future. Because on the other hand, Microsoft is missing out on cold, hard cash which folks should now be paying for Windows 10. As we noted earlier this week, there is another method by which you can still get a free upgrade to Windows 10 – although it's certainly a morally questionable one in which anyone can make use of an offer meant for those needing assistive technologies on their PC. Check out our guide on how to install Windows 10http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/Hqmo1nMy-zQ

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Algorithms%20on%20trial/1-470-75.jpgIntroduction and existential threatsShould we hold algorithms and artificial intelligence accountable for their actions? That's the question asked by a provocative piece of performance art by Goldsmiths, University of London MFA student Helen Knowles, in which a computer algorithm goes on trial for manslaughter. In a fictional plot, an algorithm called 'Superdebthunterbot' is used by a debt collection agency that's just bought the debts of students across the UK. The algorithm then targets job adverts at the students to ensure there are fewer defaulters, but two of them die after taking part in a risky medical trial advertised to them by the algorithm. Is the algorithm culpable? There is, of course, one problem with the thesis. Algorithms don't have legal status. "It's possible that a computer algorithm could be put on trial," says Dr Kevin Curran, Technical Expert at the IEEE and reader in computer science at Ulster University, but he raises an excellent question for anyone thinking of getting litigious. "No computer algorithm has opened a bank account yet, so what would you sue?" http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Algorithms%20on%20trial/2-420-90.jpg Who to sue? The answer of who to sue if something goes wrong with an algorithm seems simple enough. "The most pragmatic and reasonable approach is to sue the humans who deployed the algorithm," says Curran, but it's not as straightforward as that. "Take the instance of an automated driverless car causing a death," says Curran. "Does the lawsuit pursue the dealership, the car manufacturer, or the third-party who developed the algorithm that was deemed to be at fault?" Cue new kinds of lawyers; with super-complex incidents put in front of judges, there's bound to be a growing need for lawyers skilled in the role of automation and its relation to legal accountability. "Algorithms are essentially sets of rules that computers must follow when processing data – so, in legal terms, they're much like any other software," says Richard Kemp, founder of Kemp IT Law and one of the world's top IT lawyers. "Just as if CAD software is used to design a building that falls down and injures people, the designers of the defective software may be liable, so it's possible that the designers of faulty algorithms may also have to accept legal responsibility." Technology is rarely just a tool. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Algorithms%20on%20trial/3-420-90.jpg Algorithmic angstTechnology isn't neutral. Apps constantly make algorithm-based decisions that affect their users. Facebook's algorithm decides both what news you read and which of your friends' updates you get to see. Facebook's algorithm decides what values its users are exposed to. This isn't unusual. The values of the Silicon Valley elite are often baked into the platforms and products created in that one tiny corner of a diverse world. For example, some love the part-time, casual labour habits created by the likes of Uber, Lyft and Airbnb to create the 'sharing', 'gig' or 'peer-to-peer' economy. Some hate it for creating millions of largely worthless, zero-hours jobs. But can anyone refute that Uber is akin to a political movement? Or that Airbnb isn't contributing to a housing problem in some places? Both algorithm-driven apps are wrapped-up with moral and ethical dilemmas, whether the coders and programmers behind the apps like it or not. Existential threatsHowever, that's nothing compared to the threat from artificial intelligence (AI). Could AI represent an existential threat to humanity? "A world where big data is constantly whirring away in the background in every part of our lives poses big risks around security, individual liberties and state powers," says Kemp. "All these things in another form are going through the UK parliament at the moment with the Investigatory Powers Bill … AI, big data and algorithms just makes them more pervasive." Top Image Credit: Helen Knowles & Liza Brett Lesser of two evilsFaulty algorithmsApps and social media platforms can purposely or accidentally help shape societies, but such concerns are of a very different nature to mistakes made by programmers and coders now shaping the algorithmic economy. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Algorithms%20on%20trial/4-420-90.jpg "When it comes to systems that monitor vital signs, like automated diabetes pumps or drug injection systems, then a flaw could prove disastrous," says Curran, who notes that AI is used in aviation autopilot systems, in Segways, and even during a Google search, natural language and speech processing, and translation. Mistakes could be costly – a wrongly transcribed word could lead to an accidental libelling of someone, while a mistranslated word could cause a huge legal misunderstanding. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Algorithms%20on%20trial/5-420-90.jpg Lesser of two evilsHowever, we're not just talking about mistakes. "If we think about it, amoral computer programmers are trying to solve moral dilemmas with algorithms," says Curran, but he's quick to jump to the defence of technological progress. "We also have to believe that sophisticated AI is just as likely to be nurturing and ultimately beneficial to mankind in so many ways." There are millions of road deaths every year and huge problems with unemployment and poverty. If algorithms can alleviate those ills – or try to – shouldn't they be forgiven in advance for the odd mistake, or unintended consequences? "Pervasive software, algorithms and big data are a key feature of the Fourth Industrial Revolution – the deep digital transformation affecting our world that is just starting," says Kemp. "So you can add 'lesser of two evil' moral choice issues around smart cities, IoT, robotics and even 'designer beings' to driverless car dilemmas." Where do algorithms go to die? An algorithm found not to be fit for purpose, blamed for an accident, or considered politically irresponsible can, of course, be made to disappear. "An AI algorithm could be banned or deleted," says Curran. "If a system flaw in an algorithm was brought to light, then the organisation deploying that algorithm should seek to rectify the situation … in reality, the system would be tweaked." After all, isn't that how the tech world works? Invent something, code it, beta test, sell it to the public, then iron out the bugs in the software. Even the very biggest, long-established tech companies like Apple approach their global businesses in this bizarrely risky way. "Outside of aviation and medical products, technology experts tend not to follow stringent testing methodologies, but lazily rely on fixing problems as they arise," says Curran, "but a mis-configured service in a fast-moving truck could lead to death." http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/Algorithms%20on%20trial/6-420-90.jpg Blame the programmersThat said, tech companies will have to take responsibility for what they create. After all, in the programmable economy of the near-future, there's an obvious group to blame: the programmers of the algorithms on whose decisions lives will rest. "The motivation to build rigorous and secure systems should be there because it is quite possible that all involved in its design could be held liable if a defect caused or contributed to a collision," says Curran, who thinks that there needs to be guards put in place to protect the public from algorithms deployed in software that could lead to catastrophic events. He adds: "If computer programmers eventually play a bigger role in the way driverless cars move than drivers do, it is likely manufacturers will build the cost of litigation and insurance into their trucks." In the algorithm-driven automated world now being created by programmers there's got to be a massive cultural shift towards more rigorous testing, and more responsibility taken by the tech industry. "There's always someone behind the artificial intelligence, algorithm or program," says Kemp. Algorithms represent the coders' value – and usually it's only about maximising profits. With autonomous vehicles now chosen as the tech industry's next big project, the media is only going to get more obsessed with driverless cars having accidents – and that means that the algorithms behind the wheel are going to come under intense scrutiny. Forget big data – it's time for big algorithms to change the worldhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/L7zwJY8WpDQ

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/audio_systems/Sonos/Sonos%20header-470-75.jpgSonos, the makers of the excellent multi-room speakers, is making it easier to keep the music going at home. The latest beta update for Android, Mac, and Windows simplifies music selection and queuing. Sorry iOS users; you'll have to wait for these new features. The update allows you to start any song from an album, playlist or queue and Sonos will continue playing whatever's next in the track list. No more abrupt stops in your music flow. The update also tweaks how you select a song to play. Previously you had to tap on a song and then select "Play Now" or "Play Next," but the updated app allows you to simply tap once to play. If you're using the Mac or Windows control apps, you double click to play a track. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/audio_systems/Sonos/New%20Play%205/SONOS_Trueplay_2-420-90.jpg To make sure your tunes never stop, Sonos made it much easier to queue up songs. Instead of tapping on the song title to see listening options, there's now a menu button (three dots) that appears to the right of each track. Tapping on the menu button shows options for "Play Now," "Play Next," or "Add to End of Queue." No need to jump back and forth. The minor interface tweaks continue with options for "Play All" and "Shuffle" being relocated at the top of Albums and Playlists. Want to listen to an entire album? Simply tap "Play All." If you're bored of the playlist order, tap "Shuffle." Indie groovesLast but not least, Sonos announced it's adding Bandcamp to the list of supported music services. If you're not familiar, Bandcamp is an awesome marketplace for independent music artists. Musicians set their own prices and can sell merchandise alongside their music. It's a great place to discover music that's not in the Top 40. Sonos now lets Bandcamp users stream their purchases for convenience, but also supports downloads, even in lossless formats like FLAC. Bandcamp joins big names like Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play Music, Pandora, Soundcloud, and Tidal on Sonos. Which is the best music streaming service for you?http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/0dkDWW38bjI

http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Dell/XPS%2013%20(late%202015)/review/Dell%20XPS%2013%20(late%202015)-8-470-100.jpgWindows 10 feature wishlisthttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/laptops/Dell/XPS%2013%20(late%202015)/review/Dell%20XPS%2013%20(late%202015)-8-420-100.jpg The Windows 10 Anniversary Update is here at long last and while it brings improvements to digital pen usage and Cortana with a slew of new features, we still want more Microsoft! Call us greedy, but Windows 10 isn't perfect yet and we think there's still room to improve with even more features and UI tweaks. So here's a quick wishlist of the future upgrades and updates that are just begging to come to Windows 10 and don't forget to hit the comments with your thoughts on what's still missing. This article is part of TechRadar's Windows 10 week. Microsoft's latest operating system turns from a free to a paid upgrade on July 29, and we're looking to answer the question of whether it's good for you. Streaming PC games to Xbox Onehttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/howto/Computing/Gaming/play%20pc%20games%204k%20tv/4khero-420-100.jpg Right now you can stream your Xbox One games to a PC, but what we want to really do is the reverse. Microsoft is already investigating the idea, but it hasn't set a timeline of when the feature might possibly come out. The biggest hurdle in the process is finding some way of translating games you can only play with a mouse and keyboard. However, Phil Spencer has also said such peripheral support is already in the works with Xbox One's developer kit. For now though, it seems mouse support isn't quite there yet and won't likely be there until months away. Given that Razer, Valve and Nvidia have figured out technical part PC game streaming, we can't imagine this would be impossible with the Xbox One. Windows 8.1's Start Screenhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/tablets/Microsoft/Surface%20Pro%202/Screenshots/apps-420-100.JPG I know what you're thinking but hear me out before you call me crazy. There's actually still some design elements that were better on Windows 8.1 than Windows 10. The biggest one namely is the way Windows 8.1 rendered all your applications on Start Screen. Live Tiles on Windows 10 are great and all, but if you want to scroll through every application you have loaded on your system, you're relegated to a small list on the side. Windows 8.1 on the other hand gave you a full-screen slate of apps with larger icons to tap on. It's great that Microsoft focused on improving the desktop experience of its OS, but it could still use a few touch-friendly tweaks. Better display scaling pleasehttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/The%20next%20Windows%2010%20features%20we%20want/Display%20Scaling-420-90.JPG High-resolution displays are quickly becoming the norm on Windows machines, but some applications still have yet to scale properly. For the most part, if you want to display your desktop at 4K that's no problem. Just set your scaling higher to increase the size of text, apps, and other items to 200% – which also happens to be the default scaling set on Microsoft's self-made Surface Book and Surface Pro 4. The problem is everything outside of Microsoft's software portfolio doesn't follow the same model. Everyday applications from Photoshop to Hipchat have comically small and unusable interfaces at higher resolutions. It's high time that Microsoft made a plugin or worked directly with software developers to make display scaling universal across both first- and third-party applications. Account management within Windows 10http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/The%20next%20Windows%2010%20features%20we%20want/Office%20365%20edited-420-90.jpg Our use case with Windows 10 is a bit extreme, having to review a ton of laptop and desktop, but we're tired of having to go through Microsoft's websites to (de)authorize devices connected Office 365 and the Windows Store. We could easily see the same settings being slipped into the account options in settings and it would also be a fairly easy tweak. Tabbed file browserhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/The%20next%20Windows%2010%20features%20we%20want/Windows-420-90.JPG Tabs have around for over a decade since they hit the street in Opera and Firefox, but in 2016 we still don't see a single tab in the Windows 10 file explorer. Just like browser tabs, they would make opening more than one folder and switching back and forth between them so much easier. Apple adopted a tabbed version of Finder back in 2014 with OS X Yosemite, but Microsoft hasn't even hinted at the thought of introducing the helpful feature. What gives Microsoft!? http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/dGs7_KE29EQ

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/2016-Jun/VPN%20software/vpnmain-470-75.jpgIf you're visiting the United Arab Emirates, you're probably already aware of certain don'ts – like not drinking or being obviously inebriated in public – but now you can add another one to the list: using a VPN. The president of the country has issued an edict which effectively bans the use of VPN (virtual private network) tools, and those breaking this law could be jailed and slapped with a hefty fine. The new law states: "Whoever uses a fraudulent computer network protocol address (IP address) by using a false address or a third-party address by any other means for the purpose of committing a crime or preventing its discovery, shall be punished by temporary imprisonment and a fine of no less than Dhs 500,000 and not exceeding Dhs 2,000,000, or either of these two penalties." So essentially, this isn't actually a measure against those trying to hide their IP (or indeed watch iPlayer from the UAE) as such, but rather those using a VPN when engaging in a criminal act online. Proof problemsAlthough as the Register, which spotted this development, points out, you might well be able to truthfully say that you weren't using a VPN service for anything illegal, but you'll have a hard time proving that given that obviously your traffic will have been encrypted. It's a very dicey area indeed, basically, and if you're visiting the country in the future, it would seem that using a VPN is a no-no, unless you want to take some big risks in having a brush with the local law. That maximum fine, by the way – Dhs 2,000,000 – is around £410,000 ($545,000). So the authorities are clearly taking a pretty serious view of violations of this law. Virtual private network software lets you connect to a third-party VPN server, offering an encrypted connection as mentioned, ensuring the security of your browsing (if you are using a public Wi-Fi hotspot for instance) and letting you get around certain geographical restrictions when it comes to streaming services and the like. Check out our round-up of the best free VPN serviceshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/NH18LGbJ_74

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/classifications/competitions/datatraveler_32gb-470-75.jpgMicrosoft's TechNet magazine has posted instructions on installing Windows 7 from a USB key - which will be very handy for anyone installing Windows 7 on a netbook, in particular. Installing Windows 7 from a USB key will also be faster than installing it from DVD. Here, according to TechNet, is what you need to do: 1. You should already have DiskPart installed on your Windows machine - you'll use this to prepare the USB drive. If this free disk partitioning app isn't already already installed, you can download DiskPart from Microsoft. 2. Launch DiskPart by typing diskpart into the Start search box. 3. Now run the list disk command to check the status of your drive. 4. Next, run select disk 1 where the "1" is actually the corresponding number of your USB drive. 5. Now run clean. 6. Once that's done, run create partition primary. 7. Now you can make the partition active by entering active. 8. Next, set up the file system as Fat32 by running format fs=fat32 quick. 9. Enter the assign command to give the USB drive a drive letter - this will make it easier to access from Windows Explorer. 10. Drag and drop the contents of your Windows 7 installation DVD onto the USB drive to copy the files across. 11. Stick the USB key drive into the machine you want to install Windows 7 onto and boot the system from the drive. The Windows 7 installation will now begin. Via TechNet http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/LNFXZfTEwjc

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/games/best-ultrawide-games/ultra-wide-gaming-hero-470-75.JPGIntroductionhttp://cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/software/Windows/Windows%2010%20upgrade/should%20you%20upgrade-420-100.jpg To upgrade or not to upgrade? With Windows 10 turning from a free to a paid upgrade on July 29, that's very much the question of the moment. Being a tech savvy bunch, most of us here at TechRadar were champing at the bit to upgrade to Microsoft's latest (and, as it seems, greatest) operating system at the first opportunity. Following several mis-steps in recent memory (Windows Vista and 8, anyone?) we wouldn't blame you for being a little more cautious. Windows 10 Anniversary Update: everything you need to knowOne year down the line, we're taking the opportunity to sit back and observe the Windows 10 landscape to see just how far Microsoft has come since July 29, 2015. This article is part of TechRadar's Windows 10 week. Microsoft's latest operating system turns from a free to a paid upgrade on July 29, and we're looking to answer the question of whether it's good for you. Kane Fulton, Computing Editorhttp://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/software/Windows/Windows%2010%20settings/settings%20and%20action-420-100.jpg Any regrets? No Tell us more... Though it doesn't feel wildly different, upgrading to Windows 10 from 8.1 has brought numerous small improvements that add up to make for a smoother and more pleasurable experience. I use the Action Center's quick access settings on a daily basis, and the ability to independently adjust scaling settings on my monitor and laptop's display was sorely missing from Windows 8. Windows 10 certainly isn't perfect, but it crashes less, run smoother and looks slicker than its predecessor. Crucially, my two most used apps - Parallels 11 and Word 2016 (with OneDrive integration) - work flawlessly together. Joe Osborne, Senior Editorhttp://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/howto/Computing/Windows/Advanced%20Windows%2010%20tips%20and%20tricks/hero-420-100.jpg Any regrets? No Tell us more... To be frank, you only stand to miss out by not updating to the latest version of an operating system, whether it be Windows, macOS or even Linux. Firstly, Windows 10 has more helpful features than any version before, especially when it comes to interconnectedness between your devices – regardless of those devices' OS in many cases. Cortana and search on the taskbar has been a boon for my productivity, too. Secondly, the OS runs more lightweight than any version before, and, if you're a PC gamer, it's the only way to get DirectX 12. And lastly, reactions to the data Microsoft collects through use of Windows 10 have been unnecessarily heated. I won't disagree that Microsoft could have been far, far more transparent about this – like, way more. But, if you don't think that the makers of every app, service and operating system you use are not using anonymized telemetry to improve said app, service or OS – or, hell, to get more money out of you somehow – you're out of your right mind. We've all signed the EULA's without reading them, after all... Kevin Lee, US Computing Editor http://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/Features%202/Xbox%20One%20games%20we%20want%20to%20come%20to%20Play%20Anywhere/xboxhero-420-100.jpg Any regrets? No Tell us more... Aside from up upgrading my graphics card last year, Windows 10 is easily the best thing to happen to my home gaming PC. In a single play session I switched between playing Overwatch, to running a lap in Forza 6 Apex and ending the night with some time in Red Dead Redemption streaming from my Xbox One by way of backwards compatibility. In the future gaming on Windows 10 is only going to get better with more titles developed on DirectX 12 and Xbox Play Anywhere titles coming to PC as well. Desire Athow, Editor TechRadar Pro & Itproportal http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Microsoft/Windows%2010%20on%20Dell/Start-420-100.JPG Any regrets? No Tell us more... Upgrading to Microsoft's latest OS is the logical continuation in the saga of Windows. Nadella's team managed to take it to another level is by making it free for WIndows 7 and 8.1 users for a whole year while offering continuous improvements to early adopters. I look forward to try the Anniversary edition as soon as it lands. Windows 10 is a more friendly, less arrogant and far more - dare I say - humane operating system than its predecessors. Jon Porter, Home Technology Writerhttp://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/games/Razer/razer%20gamecaster-420-100.jpg Any regrets? No Tell us more... Why? As much as I appreciate the small changes Microsoft made in the transition from Windows 8 to 10 (chief among them the return of the Start menu), I'd be lying if I said that my main reason for switching wasn't gaming. With DirectX 12 - and its huge performance increases - remaining exclusive to Windows 10, there was no way I wanted to be left out in the cold. That doesn't mean I don't have issues with the way Microsoft handled the upgrade process. My dad came home to find his PC, which is only a couple of years old, had automatically upgraded to Windows 10 without his permission, and had broken his graphics drivers in the process. It turns out his CPU's integrated graphics was no longer supported by Windows 10, and so his only option was to fight his desktop to keep it un-upgraded or else buy a basic graphics card that still had support. Ultimately I'm happy that Microsoft chose to make the upgrade free of charge, but that didn't give them the right to force it upon everyone, since many people, like my dad, have very good reasons to not want to upgrade. John McCann, Phones & Wearable UK Editorhttp://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Microsoft/Surface%20Book/Review/Surface-Book-hero-420-100.jpg Any regrets? No Tell us more... Why? It still works. To be honest, I can't really remember what Windows 7 was like. Windows 8 sounded like a car crash, so I'm happy I held off until 10 - although the fact it was free helped massively in my decision to upgrade. Marc Chacksfield, Global Managing Editorhttp://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//Review%20images/TechRadar/Computing/Windows%207%20review/new%20desktop-420-100.jpg Any regrets? No, but… Why? Well, it works for me. I'm not that enamored with it but it's not broken anything (so far) and I can do day to day tasks without fear the OS is going to betray me. But, it was a 'mare to upgrade - the free path didn't seem to work on my Lenovo and I ended up having to get a USB with Windows 10 on it to upgrade properly. My family, on the other hand, HATE Windows 10. My wife's granddad was told he wouldn't be able to get it because Sony stopped supporting the OS on selected models - to be fair he is more than happy with Windows 7, but it's still annoying for him given this was an OS meant to be available to all. And my mother in law got a new laptop with Windows 10 and hated it so much - something to do with its picture organisation and other niggles, and just not being as good as Windows 7 - that she's going to replace the laptop with an older model that has Windows 7 on it. And, yes, I sent her all the Windows 10 tips and tricks I could find on TechRadar, but nothing worked for her. She did look into the possibility of downgrading the OS on the laptop she has but Microsoft has made it almost impossible to do this. It really really wants everyone on Windows 10, but hasn't really taken into consideration for many non-techy people having a brand-new OS pushed on to them is a big deal. I've seen first-hand the frustrations that can be caused when the learning curve is that bit too steep. Matt Hanson, How To Editorhttp://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/software/Microsoft/Windows%2010%20Lenovo/Embargoed%20until%209PM%20PDT%20on%2028%20JULY/Windows%2010%20Desktop-420-100.JPG Any regrets? No….with reservations Tell us more... I think Windows 10 is a big improvement over Windows 8.1, though that doesn't say much. I use Windows on a laptop and desktop PC, so with Windows 10 i no longer feel like I'm using a tablet OS that is awkwardly bolted onto a desktop operating system. The return of the start menu is welcome, and it performs very fast, and reliably, on an SSD. However, I'm not too happy with the data collecting Windows 10 has been involved with, and i needed to turn off a number of settings before i was happy with Windows 10. Check out our how to fix Windows 10 privacy issues feature to find out more. I also find it a bit distasteful how Microsoft has been forcing the upgrade on people. Windows 10 is a genuinely good OS, and I'd recommend people upgrade, especially while it's free. But if people want to stick with what they know, let them. Cameron Faulkner, US Mobile Editorhttp://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/games_consoles/steam_machine_aw_logo-420-100.jpg Any regrets? No Tell us more... I'm not a power user by any means. If I'm on the computer, I'm either playing games on Steam, using Photoshop, or browsing on Chrome. For my needs, Windows 10 doesn't stand in my way of doing these things. That said, I have turned off basically every single marquee feature of the OS, reducing my experience to a very limited and resource-light shell of what most will run into with the upgrade. It's not that I hate Cortana - I just don't want it. And I like that Windows 10 lets me turn off the features that I don't have a use for. Of course, for people hoping to run a slew of legacy programs, I can see how the upgrade might be worrying or cause compatibility issues. But I'm hopeful that the upcoming anniversary update will address any regrets that people might have. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/X1kXhC2o5fA

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/TRBC/office_365-470-75.jpgMicrosoft has highlighted some interesting new goodies which are about to arrive for Office 365, adding new strings to the respective bows of Word, PowerPoint and Outlook. The biggest innovations are coming to the word processing app, which will benefit from two new features: Editor and Researcher. Editor is a built-in assistant which will provide intelligent suggestions in terms of proofing and editing as you write a document. So for example, it will flag up a clunky sentence and offer a suggestion on how to streamline the wording. The system is powered by machine learning, but also has input from the human side, as a team of Microsoft linguists are also working on the feature. Editor will continue to make more honed and useful suggestions as time goes on, or that's certainly the idea. Redmond notes that Editor will use a gold dotted line to underline sentences which need attention in terms of writing style, along with the traditional red and blue underlining for spelling and grammar issues respectively. Researcher is another assistant which helps those writing a paper to easily find reliable sources to cite – it flags up material related to what you're writing about, and allows for a correctly formatted citation to be added with just one click. The system is powered by Bing Knowledge Graph and draws material from the web at large. Brighter OutlookMicrosoft also announced that Focused Inbox, a feature which has previously only been available to mobile users, is rolling out to Outlook on Windows and the Mac (and the web version too). Essentially, this splits your inbox into two, with a Focused tab which contains the emails Outlook believes are most important to you, and the others are stashed away, appropriately enough, in an Other tab. Again, the system is designed to learn from the emails you move into the important section, and improve over time. A second change to Outlook for Office 365 (Windows and Mac again) is the introduction of @mentions, which allows users to easily flag people in their emails – just by typing '@' and selecting them. You can also use Outlook to quickly filter all the emails where you've been '@' mentioned. Office Insiders can use @mentions in Outlook right now. Finally, PowerPoint has seen the introduction of Zoom, a feature which lets users easily create fully interactive and non-linear presentations. Essentially, you get a summary slide as a starting point, and you can then present the following slides in any order you wish, adapting the presentation to the audience in question. Again, this one is already available to Office Insiders (those testing preview builds of Microsoft's productivity apps). Microsoft Bookings makes appointments a snap in Office 365http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/D0KoT70IKNk

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/Apps/WeChat%20and%20Line%20feature/6-470-75.jpgIntroductionhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Apps/WeChat%20and%20Line%20feature/01%20HERO-420-90.jpg Welcome to the 'everything app'. While some predict the death of apps, and other instant messaging (IM) services like WhatsApp, Apple's iMessage and Snapchat are busy bringing in encrypted communications, the Tencent-owned WeChat – called Weixin in China – and Japan's Line are slowly making themselves integral to daily digital life in Asia. These two big players are adding shopping, smart agents, cab-hailing and much more – and it's clear that in the messaging wars, Asia is streets ahead. In this slideshow, we'll explore some interesting facts and figures concerning the explosion in WeChat and Line, and what all this might mean for the future. Also check out: The Messaging Wars: Who gets to choose how we talk?WeChat has 762 million monthly active usershttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Apps/WeChat%20and%20Line%20feature/1-420-90.jpg Oh, and 83% of online adults in China are WeChat users. Why? "It's the Swiss army knife, the Inspector Gadget and MacGyver of apps all rolled into one," says Tim Gibbon, cofounder and editor of the Social Media Portal. "The East has totally bought into OTT, and they'd be hard pressed to live without it … they message, chat, share images, stickers, game, videos etc, and more importantly, they shop," adds Gibbon. "Can you imagine us doing that in the West right now?" There's also the little matter of the Great Firewall of China; Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are all blocked. Outside of that wall, WeChat isn't nearly as popular. In fact, only about 70 million of WeChatters are outside mainland China. You can use WeChat to buy anythinghttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Apps/WeChat%20and%20Line%20feature/2-420-90.jpg Thanks to its WeChat Wallet feature, WeChat is becoming much, much more than a mere messaging app. "WeChat allows payments from within the app itself for Chinese users, which is genius," says Gibbon. As such, WeChat Wallet has become a serious rival to Baidu Wallet and Alipay. A massive 87% of WeChat users shop online, and 75% buy digital content every month, according to GWI. "Tencent is positioning and building WeChat as a platform play, with the core feature being messaging," says Magnus Jern, president, DMI International. "Shopping, money transfers, location, dating, maps, gaming and services are all enabled through the messaging interface." Line is big in Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesiahttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Apps/WeChat%20and%20Line%20feature/3-420-90.jpg The West tends to see China as a standalone – albeit massive – market, and that's pretty much how it's viewed in the rest of Asia, too. Japanese messaging app Line – launched in 2011 – recently became 2016's biggest tech IPO, and has 218 million monthly active users. "Line's user base has not grown as quickly and gained as much scale as WeChat and is heavily reliant on four main countries – Taiwan, Japan, Thailand and Indonesia," says Arnold Ma, founder of Chinese digital marketing agency Qumin, who adds that the Line app is blocked in China, as is Facebook and Twitter. However, it remains a fascinating platform, relying largely on digital stickers of cute characters (very much en vogue post-Pokemon Go), advertising and games. "Line's value stretches beyond pure user numbers," says Ma. "Its value is also in its characters, as they are licensed out beyond simply existing as emojis." Coming soon to Line is cab-hailing and music, too. WeChat users are subject to military-grade surveillance http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Apps/WeChat%20and%20Line%20feature/4-420-90.jpg Post-Edward Snowden revelations about the NSA Prism surveillance – soon to be a movie – there's a trend in the West for messaging apps that promise encryption. Not so in China – not only is WeChat one of the only messaging apps left that doesn't offer any encryption, but it's an open secret that everything can be monitored by the Chinese government. "WeChat is so ingrained into a way of life in the East, surveillance, privacy and personal freedoms have taken a back seat," says Gibbon. On the other hand, Line does offer end-to-end encryption, as almost all IM apps do these days. WeChat has an integrated QR scannerhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Apps/WeChat%20and%20Line%20feature/5-420-90.jpg The QR code is central to the WeChat experience, predominantly used for adding new friends, following accounts and accessing web pages. "Utilising the camera to scan another users' QR code means people can connect in seconds without the need to exchange a phone number," says Ma. "A bridge between analogue and digital … it's created the world's most advanced offline-to-online, or O2O, marketing in China," notes Ma, who expects Snapchat's Snap Codes and Facebook Messenger's circular scans to follow suit, and to prove popular in the West. Asia sees apps and money differently to Europehttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Apps/WeChat%20and%20Line%20feature/6-420-90.jpg Apps have evolved very differently in the East compared to the West. "In Europe and the US, we have an 'app for everything' philosophy," says Kevin Dallas, Chief Product and Marketing Officer at Worldpay. While the likes of Facebook, Amazon, Apple and Google have produced separate, highly specialised apps, that's not happened in Asia. "In Asia we see the reverse, with a small number of super-apps integrating themselves into every aspect of consumers' daily lives." The ease with which China has embraced WeChat as a payments platform has a lot to do with development; China was able to go straight from cash sales to mobile commerce and payments. WeChat and Line are platforms, not appshttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Apps/WeChat%20and%20Line%20feature/7-420-90.jpg In Asia, messaging apps have become a hub for internet activity. "Whereas apps in the West are purely focused on social interaction with friends, the likes of WeChat and Line are built as platforms for broader internet enablement," says Karl MacGregor, VP Digital Content, Worldpay. "Having integrated both the supply and demand for goods and services within their applications, it is simply a natural progression for these businesses to close the loop by bringing payments into the ecosystem too." WeChat Shake lets you find strangershttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Apps/WeChat%20and%20Line%20feature/8-420-90.jpg "WeChat's oddest feature is 'Shake' which adopts a roulette style of engaging with random strangers," says Jern. It's seriously weird – in its Discover section, you shake the phone and up pops users 'nearby' who are also shaking their phones. That's the theory, but it doesn't work all that well outside China; a random shake in the UK found someone in Armenia. What it does highlight is button-less interaction, which is being used by marketers as a way for potential customers to trigger interaction with social channels and mobile ads. There's also a proximity option to find other WeChatters in the area, shakers or not. Huge rise in Asian WeChat usagehttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Apps/WeChat%20and%20Line%20feature/9-420-90.jpg Since 2015, there has been a 97% rise in users for WeChat in Asia and APAC outside of China, according to GlobalWebIndex (GWI). Hotspots appear to be South Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia. GWI also discovered some valuable nuggets of information for anyone planning on using WeChat for marketing and sales: 75% of WeChatters are under 34 (and a third are 16-24), and half of WeChat users in Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, India and Hong Kong follow brands on social media. Western brands want to use WeChat Momentshttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Apps/WeChat%20and%20Line%20feature/10-420-90.jpg You might think that any app associated with surveillance by the Chinese government would be swerved by companies outside of China, but you'd be wrong. "WeChat has more than 700 million monthly active users, with the majority of those residing within its domestic market, China," says Brian Cooper, chief creative officer at Oliver Group UK. "Brands in the West would be insane not to tap into this." However, how brands should use WeChat depends on objectives. "Like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, brands can place sponsored content in WeChat's Moments timeline," explains Cooper. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/4vE-d9i3aqs

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/TRBC/Software/GoogleApps/GAfW%202016/googleappshero-470-75.jpgGoogle has introduced a new training scheme for its Apps for Work online productivity suite. Going by the commendably straightforward name of Training for Google Apps, it's an interactive tutorial experience that's built right into the suite, with Google noting that it acts like a 'virtual coach' to help users discover how to do stuff when IT staff aren't around (or don't want to be bogged down with questions). The training system is fully searchable and consists of various modules (both text-based and voice) covering Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, along with social network Google+ and other bits and pieces. You can, for example, discover how to craft an email signature, or to set an expiry date when you share a document with others. Lots of languagesThe training modules aren't just in English either, also being available in French, Chinese, German and Japanese to name a few additional languages. Google has done some research into how effective this training can be, and it reckons that companies which use the system see, on average, 35% higher adoption of Google Apps among their employees. Training for Google Apps can be pushed out via the Google Apps Admin console to staff using either the Chrome browser or Chrome OS. Office 365 is storming ahead to the detriment of Google Appshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/VsNXFh1zmcc

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/mobile_phones/Windows%20Phone/Windows%20Phone%208/Cortana/Cortana-470-75.jpgDuring the company's fourth quarter earnings call, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella dropped a bomb on us that's arguably bigger than any figure touted since the release of Windows 10. "The Cortana search box [in the Windows 10 task bar] has over 100 million monthly active users, with 8 billion questions asked to date," Nadella stated plainly on the call. Now, the Redmond campus chief didn't specify exactly how many of those users are using Cortana on the desktop with their voice or simply typing into the search box, but how much does that matter? Regardless of their method – granted, 100 million vocal users would go a long way to improve the virtual assistant's voice recognition – a lot of users are tapping into Cortana's cloud-powered knowledge graph and machine learning, which will all improve the more it's used. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/How%20tos/Windows%2010/Privacy%20Settings/Windows%2010%20Spectre%20x360-420-100.jpg The figure is big enough to draw specific attention to it in an earnings call, at least. Now, to put that into a bit more perspective, Microsoft has issued 350 million Windows 10 installs as of this May. So, theoretically nearly a third of all Windows 10 users are using Cortana. Can Apple say the same for Siri or Alphabet for Google Now? At the very least, it sure seems that neither of them have bothered to. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Microsoft/Windows%2010%20on%20Dell/Cortana-420-100.JPG And that's not even considering Cortana on iOS and AndroidThe most specific Apple seems to have ever gotten about Siri's usage statistics was at its WWDC 2016 keynote, wherein SVP of Software Engineering Craig Federighi said that Siri serves over 2 billion requests a week. That's no doubt an impressive figure, but not as specific and widely recognized a metric as "this many million monthly active users." Monthly active users, or MAU, is the generally accepted metric for an app or service's success. Alphabet seems to have said even less about how many people are using Google Now, it's Android-based virtual assistant. The firm gave no specific figures during its 2016 Google I/O keynote regarding Google Now usage, though we do know that Google voice searches have doubled over the past year – as of this February. (An independent Parks Associates study pegs more than half of iOS users regularly using Siri and less than a third of Android users accessing Google Now, figures we should be hesitant to count as they're not from an official source.) http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar//art/software/Apple/MacOS%20Sierra/Homescreen-420-100.jpg Keep in mind that, while Siri's billions of served requests per week is poised to only grow once macOS Sierra is widely released later this year (and Google Now is accessible virtually from anything that has access to Google.com), Nadella's comment on Cortana usage doesn't include numbers from Android, iOS and Xbox One. So, it's likely that Cortana's usage on the whole is even bigger than Microsoft is letting on, but probably not by an enormous margin. (That could change as more gamers download the latest version of the Xbox One software.) Generally speaking, companies don't release MAU figures unless they're large enough to be worth mentioning. On a related note, it's for similar reasons that Microsoft recently opted to stop releasing Xbox One sales figures. So, is Cortana enjoying more success than its rivals already? That's tough to say without either of its biggest rivals being more specific regarding their offerings. But, what can be said is that Microsoft is enjoying wild success with the assistant within its own ecosystem. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar//art/games_consoles/Xbox%20One/Summer%20Update%202016/xbox-summer-cortana-party-420-100.jpg AI and machine learning: a pillar of Microsoft's strategy?What else can be said that's even more important is that, with numbers like these, you better believe that Microsoft is poised to double down on not only Cortana, but the core concepts behind the virtual assistant: artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. From expanding Cortana's functionality and breadth to investing in bots, these two corners of the computing space have become central to the company's ethos. Cortana is getting even more tricked out in the forthcoming Windows 10 Anniversary Update, and we should expect the assistant to be even more central to the operating system (OS) come next spring or summer, when the second phase of "Redstone" is expected to land alongside new Surface hardware. I wouldn't be surprised to see Cortana soon take the wheel in Windows 10 as soon as next year, similar to that of the OS in the film Her, albeit on a far more rudimentary scale. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Microsoft/Windows%20Phone%2081%20hands%20on/Review/cortana-1-420-100.jpg Sure, everyone's been making projections like this for a while of every major tech firm, but now we have far more concrete evidence of the imminent push. And, with Microsoft seemingly leading the pack in AI and machine learning (despite its stumbles), you can bet that Apple and Alphabet will respond in kind. Regardless of who is in the lead, what's key to take away from Nadella's awfully specific remarks on Cortana is that A.) it's not going anywhere, and if anything it's only going to grow more central to Windows and B.) the rest of the industry will respond in kind more emphatically than it has already. Whether you like it or not, AI and machine learning are all but the future of computing. Microsoft may have sorely missed out on the mobile revolution, but it's not about to miss out on the next one. Now, what about Microsoft's part in that other revolution, HoloLens?http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/Upc6oJ1EiPI

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/2016-Jul/Screen%20capture%20tools/CaptureMain-470-75.jpgThe best screen capture softwareThe best screen capture toolsSnapping a screenshot is rarely as simple as just taking a picture of your desktop. There's usually a reason behind every screenshot - posterity, demonstration, preservation - that means each particular case needs something special. That's why we've selected our top five tools for doing more with your screenshots, like adding annotations and fancy adornments, using custom hotkeys, or even accurately capturing specific screen regions without the need to resort to additional software to get the job done. The days of hitting [PrtScn] and pasting your shot into Microsoft Paint are over. We've covered Windows apps almost exclusively here but don't feel left out if you're using a different operating system. On OS X/macOS, there's absolutely no need for a separate screenshot tool – you can do everything with keyboard shortcuts. [Ctrl]+[shift]+[3] captures the whole screen, [Ctrl]+[shift]+[4] captures a region, and there are many other edge cases described on Apple's support pages. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/divider-420-90.jpg http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/2016-Jul/Screen%20capture%20tools/shot_screenshotcaptor-420-90.jpg 1. Screenshot CaptorMulti-purpose capturing software that does much more http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/badgesmaller-111-100.jpgScreenshot Captor seems to have ideas above its station somewhat. Far from just being a screenshot app - and, rest easy, it does do that - it'll grab images from your webcam, and it even includes a full suite of scanning tools to make sure your documents look their best. But those advanced features don't stop there. Ever wanted to capture the contents of a scrolling window? It'll do that automatically, and even trim the margins for you. Need to capture a screen region of a fixed size? Piece of cake. Splicing areas out of screenshots, annotating, interfacing with advanced image editors, blurring areas you don't want seen? It's all here. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/DownloadButtonSmall-266-100.jpgIf there's a downside, Screenshot Captor is a little esoteric in terms of its general interface, but the important bits are all well explained and easy to grasp. It's donationware, so while it's free to use, make sure you chip a little bit into the pot if Screenshot Captor is something you use regularly. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/divider-420-90.jpg http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/2016-Jul/Screen%20capture%20tools/shot_snapdraw-420-90.jpg 2. SnapDraw FreeFeature packed grabber with pretty post-processing effects If you're capturing screenshots for something that needs to be well presented - a user manual, perhaps - it pays to put in a little effort. Or at least you would if SnapDraw Free didn't do absolutely everything for you: borders, backgrounds and even awesome-looking fading reflections are all available by simply clicking a check box. What's more, you can dig down when it comes to capturing, taking shots of everything from multiple monitors at once all the way down to a single object within a window. It's not quite a fire-and-forget screenshot tool, but that's not a negative. There are ton of annotation features, you can layer individually captured windows and elements on top of a single screenshot, and there are even 3D transformation tools available to give your shots some action. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/DownloadButtonSmall-266-100.jpgOh, and you can even automatically upload your images to an FTP server or email them. That's a lot of features. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/divider-420-90.jpg http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/2016-Jul/Screen%20capture%20tools/shot_gadwin-420-90.jpg 3. Gadwin PrintscreenAn install-and-ignore screenshot tool that's easily extendable Gadwin PrintScreen is the screenshot app we regularly turn to here at TechRadar, and for good reason. It's streamlined and extremely convenient, sitting quietly in the system tray until you need it. When you do, it's either bound to a hotkey of your choice - handy if you need the mouse cursor in shot - or accessible from a handy auto-hiding control panel that disappears when you fire off a screenshot, capture a window, or snip a rectangular area. Annotation and image editing is sadly locked away in its paid-for Professional edition (US$24.95, about £18.94, AU$33.35), but Gadwin Printscreen doesn't leave you entirely stranded; it can automatically add shadows or watermarks to your images, save them in a number of formats, resize them automatically, or run an image editor of your choice immediately after capture. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/DownloadButtonSmall-266-100.jpgThe latter ability means you can effectively extend its abilities - point it at Microsoft Paint for rudimentary sketching and cropping, or a more powerful free image editor if you wish. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/divider-420-90.jpg http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/2016-Jul/Screen%20capture%20tools/shot_steam-420-90.jpg 4. SteamCapturing games – any games – made easy and free Don't be too baffled. Yes, Steam is primarily a way of buying and downloading games. But it also applies its own overlay when you're playing games, one which (amongst other things) allows you to take screenshots. If you've ever tried to take game shots using Windows' built-in tools (or even some of the other software we've listed here) you'll know why this is important - the advanced graphics modes that games apply usually leave you with a grey image and the moment completely lost. You're not restricted only to games available through Steam, either - just about everything you own can be added to your Steam library manually, and as long as you launch it through Steam you'll get the benefit of its overlay, which defaults to using [F12] as a screenshot key. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/DownloadButtonSmall-266-100.jpgShots are usually saved to an obscure folder which differs for each game, so check up on them through Steam's View > Screenshots menu, then right-click and select 'Show on disk' to find out where they are. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/divider-420-90.jpg http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/2016-Jul/Screen%20capture%20tools/shot_snippingtool-420-90.jpg 5. Windows Snipping ToolThe built-in grabber you might not even know about Included with the majority of Windows systems since the XP days, the Snipping Tool is an oft-ignored app tucked away in the deepest recesses of the Start menu. It's simple, but it has the power to take useful screen captures. Not only can you grab fullscreen images, rectangles and the current active window, it's also capable of performing free-form snips: drag your mouse around the area on screen you're interested in highlighting and it'll bring in only those pixels within your sketch. You can scribble on your shots with rudimentary pen and highlighter tools, set a delay on captures if you need to set something specific up, but that's literally it: the Snipping Tool is very, very basic when it comes down to it, and most of the time you'll be better off using Windows' built-in screenshot tools unless you want to capture a very specific region. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/X2BhPpMpeic

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/TRBC/Software/Microsoft/Microsoft%20Stream-470-75.jpgMicrosoft has announced its new Stream video service designed to make it easy for colleagues to upload and share videos across the workplace. The free preview version of Microsoft Stream is now available, and anyone with a business email address can sign up to try it out. Redmond is stressing the ease-of-use of the service – it's a snap to sign up (with no payment details required as it's free), and the interface is a simple drag-and-drop affair, so you won't break a sweat uploading and organising your video clips. Users can share videos via email or embed them to web pages, and you can 'Like' your favourites and follow channels you're interested in. Stream also highlights trending videos with machine learning routines powering the selection of said clips. Building on Office 365 VideoRedmond notes that Stream builds on the success of Office 365 Video, and that the eventual plan is that the two will converge, and Stream will effectively take over as the "de facto video experience" in Office 365. But for the time being, though, Office 365 Video will remain unchanged, while Stream gets fully fleshed out and tested. In a blog post, James Phillips, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Business Intelligence Products Group, commented: "This is only the start. We believe video is going to be truly transformative in the workplace." Some powerful features are promised for the future of Stream, such as integration with business apps including PowerApps, Microsoft Flow, and SharePoint, along with the ability to actually search within videos to find the part of the clip you need (utilising tech such as face detection and audio transcription). The latter will be very nifty indeed. Check out our comparison of Microsoft Office 2016 vs Office 365 vs Office Onlinehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/8Db1HmvPPMs

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/TRBC/office_365-470-75.jpgMicrosoft's Worldwide Partner Conference happened over in Canada this week, and one snippet of news to emerge was that Office 365 is muscling out Google Apps for Work. This observation comes from Deutsche Bank, which shared thoughts on the buzz heard at the conference, as reported by Bidness Etc. Deutsche Bank noted that the vast majority of sessions at WPC involved pushing cloud products including Office 365, not too surprising given Microsoft's refocusing on cloud and mobile. Sustained demandKarl Keirstead, Software Equity Research Analyst at Deutsche Bank, said there was "sustained demand" for Office 365, and that while Microsoft still drove hard with a campaign to encourage further adoption of the online productivity suite, not one of its partners highlighted this issue. Keirstead drew the conclusion that this was because adoption of O365 has already ramped up – and many of Microsoft's partners he spoke to said that Google Apps market share is eroding thanks to Office 365. We should note at this point that there are no numbers to back this assertion up, and it's essentially the general sentiment from WPC. But nonetheless, it's a worrying indicator for Google and its fight on the online productivity battleground. These cloud-based online suites are, naturally enough, constantly updated, and one of the latest strings to be added to Office 365's bow is the Microsoft Planner. This is a project management app with a streamlined interface that facilitates easy collaboration and allows for the sharing of files that pertain to any given task. Find out more about it here. Also check out: Microsoft Office 2016 vs Office 365 vs Office Onlinehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/Di5xkw0CIHI

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Microsoft/Windows%2010%20Lenovo/Embargoed%20until%209PM%20PDT%20on%2028%20JULY/Start%20Menu%20Jump%20List-470-75.JPGIt probably didn't escape your attention that Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference was held over in Canada this week, and some interesting nuggets of information emerged on how Redmond will roll out the Anniversary Update. Head of the Windows Insider program, Dona Sarkar, was quizzed about exactly how the big update will be deployed in an interview with Paul Thurrott and Mary Jo Foley, and she confirmed that while the rollout will begin on August 2, it'll happen in waves. Digital Trends reports that Sarkar said: "[The Anniversary Update rollout] is going to take some time. We'll start with PC and phone, and it's going to be a global rollout. It's going to take time. Everyone's going to freak out wondering 'Where's my update,' 'Is it time yet," and 'It didn't come.' So it's going to take a little while to roll out to everybody." In other words, don't expect to be able to grab your upgrade on Tuesday morning. You may be in for a bit of a wait, which isn't surprising really, because there's obviously a lot of planning involved in rolling out a major OS update to a Windows 10 user base of closing on 400 million worldwide. Small consolationIf you don't happen to be in the first wave of those who receive the Anniversary Update, then console yourself with the thought that those initial adopters are the ones taking the risk of suffering at the hands of any small glitch which could be left in despite all the testing. Not that there should be any issues, but as we all know, these things can happen. Speaking of testing, Sarkar was also questioned on when the Anniversary Update would be signed off for RTM, but wouldn't be drawn on the subject. Obviously enough, it should be very soon. The Windows 10 Anniversary Update brings with it all manner of improvements including bolstered security, tweaks to Cortana, work on the Edge browser (extensions will finally be here, for starters), and much more besides. Also check out how Windows 10 will continue to evolve post-Anniversary Updatehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/-ajFjh8STwA

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/Connected%20home/Google%20Nest/new%20Nest%20thermostat-470-75.jpgNest has just unveiled a whole host of new features across its lineup, but curiously absent was any mention of its learning thermostat. But could an update to its central control app, called 'Spaces', be an indication that big changes are coming to the thermostat that started it all? The thermostat, which is one of the most popular smart thermostat on the market, allows you to schedule different heating levels in your house for different levels of the day, and can also be controlled remotely via Nest's app. The thermostat also uses an embedded motion-sensor to intelligently establish whether a user is at home or not and adjust the temperature accordingly. Fixing the flaw?The biggest issue with the thermostat as it stands is that it relies on the thermostat itself being the home's sole temperature and movement sensor. This means that if you have your thermostat in a location which is particularly hot, cold, or you simply don't go as much, then the thermostat is liable to get the temperature of your house wrong, or to assume you're out when you're just chilling (literally) in another room. Also problematic is that the thermostat doesn't allow you to set different temperatures for different rooms, so if you have any rooms that get particularly cold then you either have to live with them being colder or else increase the temperature in the rest of the house to compensate. This ultimately results in energy being wasted since your boiler is working to heat rooms which may be empty or otherwise not in need of more heat. The 'Spaces' updateAs it currently stands, the 'Spaces' update, which allows you to organise your Nest products by room rather than by function, doesn't fix this problem. But giving users the ability to categorise their Nest products by room rather than by function, suggests that the company may be planning to allow more granular control of the different rooms in your house. After all, at the moment it doesn't make much sense to divide your Nest products based on rooms. Most people will have just a single thermostat in the house, and at most one smoke detector per floor. But if this app update is a sign of things to come then we might be set to see Nest give users the ability to control temperature on a room by room basis, allowing them to save energy by not heating rooms that people aren't in, or turn up the valve on a radiator in a room which is one of the colder in the house. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Connected%20home/Google%20Nest/Nest9-420-90.jpg We've already seen automated radiator valves from the likes of Loxone, which allow for temperatures to be controlled on a room by room basis, so the technology to do this definitely exists. What would then be needed in addition to controlling individual radiators is a means of establishing which rooms are currently occupied as well as their temperatures, like Ecobee's solution currently offers. Nest's representatives refused to comment when I asked them about the plans directly, so at the moment this speculation is just that. But if Nest does go down the multi-room heating route it might be set to save users a lot more than the 10-12% that Nest currently advertises. Nest learning thermostat review

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/Home%20Tech/Nest%20Security%20Camera%20/Nest%20Cameara%20Hero-470-75.jpgNest is set to expand its existing lineup of smart security devices with the addition of an outdoor security camera called the Nest Cam Outdoor which features a 1080p resolution and 130 degree viewing angle. Previous Nest cameras were for internal use only, but the new camera (including its power cable) will survive being rained on, although it's not waterproof enough to survive being fully submerged. As well as waterproofing, Nest has also built a speaker and microphone into the outdoor camera, allowing you to speak directly with say, a delivery driver, to let them know where to leave a parcel. The speaker, microphone and camera feed itself can be accessed from the Nest app on your phone. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Home%20Tech/Nest%20Outdoor%20Cam/Nest%20App-420-90.jpg A smarter smart cameraIn addition to the outdoor camera, Nest is also upgrading its software to allow it to alert you if a human figure enters a predefined area of importance. For example, if your security camera overlooks the road you could previously set the camera to ignore movement in the road area, but send an alert to your phone if any movement occurs closer to your house. The camera is able to tell the difference between a neighborhood cat and a delivery man, which should hopefully lead to a lot fewer false notifications from the app, as previously it found this tricky. As standard you only get access to the camera's live feed, but if you want to have access to the camera's previous footage you can pay for a subscription to Nest's Aware service which allows you to have access to the last 10 or 30 days of recordings (depending on your subscription tier). http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Home%20Tech/Nest%20Outdoor%20Cam/Nest%20Camera%201-420-90.jpg A serious flawThe Nest camera looks like it could be excellent for anyone who's tired of the hassle of having parcels delivered to an empty home, but we are less convinced by its abilities as a security camera. There are two issues here. First is the fact that the camera is not bolted to the wall, it's magnetically attached. This should make it easier to install, but will also mean that if it's within arm's reach a potential intruder could easily pull it off its magnetic base. Second is the power cable. Nest's representatives were bullish in their defence of the decision not to rely on batteries (like the Ring for instance) for the security camera, but it's hard not to worry that any potential intruder will simply unplug the device's power cable before acquiring entry. Prior preparation and planning requiredThese problems aren't deal breakers since with a little planning you should be able to avoid them by placing your camera and power cable out of arm's reach. Nest's aim with the outdoor camera is to bring a professional level of security to the home, but these issues show the difficulties even the pros must face when installing security systems. But Nest's efforts to create a truly simplistic home security system might prove to be impossible due to the difficulties of making a system that isn't susceptible to being circumvented by intruders. We should be able to find that out come September when the Nest Cam Outdoor is released in the US for US$199. Meanwhile a UK release has been promised before the year's end with it's price still unknown. How hackers are making your smart home safer

http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/deals/Amazon-Prime-Day/Amazon%20Prime%20Day%202016/primeDay1-470-100.jpgAmazon Prime Day deals 2016http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/deals/Amazon-Prime-Day/Amazon%20Prime%20Day%202016/primeDay1-320-100.jpg The best Amazon Prime Day deals in the US started at midnight and all of the temporary price drops only last 24 hours through the end of July 12. We're updating the massive list below every hour. The good news is that the Deal of the Day bargains list proves to be better in year two. Amazon Prime Day includes almost 16,000 deals, rivaling Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Even better news: You don't have scour through the Amazon.com website to find the biggest discounts. Prime Day is the retail company's "Christmas in July," and we've got you covered. Here are the best deals we could find on Amazon that you can add to your shopping cart and check out with today only. Jump straight there: go straight to the Amazon Prime Day deals homepage http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2-420-90.jpg http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/deals/Amazon-Prime-Day/Amazon%20Prime%20Day%202016/amazon%20prime-200-100.jpg Many of today's Amazon Prime Day deals require you to be a paid member of the e-retailer's special service. An Amazon Prime membership costs $99 a year, paid on an annual basis, or $10.99 when paid month-to-month. It includes two-day free shipping, unlimited streaming of Amazon Video movies and TV shows and other services like playlists through Prime Music and Photos. Here's a trick: if you're not a member yet looking to renew, you can always get a 30-day free trial and access all of the deals without having to pay anything. See more about the Amazon Prime free trial http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2-420-90.jpg http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/deals/Amazon-Prime-Day/Amazon%20Prime%20Day%202016/amazon%20prime%20day%20hero%20image-900-100.jpg The best Amazon Prime Day deals 2016:4K Ultra HD deal: Samsung UN55KU6600 Curved 55-Inch 4K Smart LED TV. Here's the 2016 model of one of Samsung's best televisions, now $649.99, was $1,247.99. Amazon Echo: Echo Bluetooth Speaker with Alexa. This is the cheapest you'll find Amazon's futuristic gadget. It gives your home a smart speaker with AI controls and 360 omni-directional audio. Say "Hey Alexa" commands for a whole lot less. It was $179, now $129. Amazon Fire 4K: Amazon Fire TV Streaming Media Player with 4K Ultra HD. Get the Ultra HD-capable version of Amazon's excellent media streamer for just $69, down from $99. Fire TV Stick: Amazon Fire TV Stick. Streaming on a budget just got a whole lot cheaper thanks to this Amazon Prime Day deal that's cheaper than Chromecast, now $24.99, was $39.99. Apparel: 60% Off Athletic Shoes Android devices: Nexus 6P and Huawei watch are a classy couple and Amazon Prime Day is offering a discount on both of up to 25% or more off the list price. Kindle: Kindle Paperwhite. Reading is about to make you smarter, so don't pay top dollar for an e-reader when you can get it for $89, down from $119. Kindle: Amazon Fire tablet 7" gives you an entry level tablet for a low price, which is good news because you won't find Amazon Prime Day iPad deals anywhere. It's now $33.33, was $49.99. Memory Cards: Sandisk memory products. You can never have too many memory cards for your camera, phone or gaming device, and now is the time to get them at up 40% off. GoPro: GoPro 4 Sessions bundle: Capture everything in your line of sight without spending too much money thanks to this GoPro Amazon Prime Day deal. Xbox One bundle: Xbox One Console, 2 Games and 2 Controllers make the perfect pairing today. It's the starter kit for for anyone who wants a real videogame as soon as they tire of Pokemon Go. It starts at $279, was $408. iRobot Vacuum: iRobot Roomba 614 Vacuum Cleaning Robot. You don't need to vacuum your floor because you live in the future and Amazon Prime Day is giving you a nice discount from the original $379. Fast & Furious: Fast & Furious 1-7 Collection. Can you ever have enough of Vin Diesel? The answer is most certainly no, and Amazon agrees with 65% discount on all seven movies. Polaroid Printer: Polaroid ZIP mobile printers. Your printer is too big, and this one isn't. Save space and save money, while also saving your memories in print form, was 44% off from the original $129.95. Toys: 50% off Nerf, Barbie, Fisher-Price and more Video game: Doom. Blast demons in half after taking half off the original price of the popular video game first-person shooter series. It's up to 50% off. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2-420-90.jpg http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/deals/Amazon-Prime-Day/Amazon%20Prime%20Day%202016/primeDay_ps4_xBox-250-100.jpg Amazon Prime Day: PS4 and Xbox One dealsThere are some pretty good Xbox One and PS4 deals on offer here. They're not what you'd call barnstorming offers but they're better than any deals yesterday and for that reason alone it's probably wise to pounce on one of these deals now if you like the look of one. Prices will return to normal tomorrow. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2-420-90.jpg Xbox One: Xbox One 500GB Console - Gears of War: Ultimate Edition Bundle. Enter the future of video games while going back in time to relive one of the best shooters from Epic, now $259.99, was $299.99. Xbox One bundle: Xbox One 500GB Console - Name Your Game Bundle with a bunch of free games, a special edition controller and a $50 Amazon gift card, now $279, was $455.22. Xbox One Game: Titanfall 2 - Vanguard Collector's Edition The Titanfall sequel doesn't come out until October, but you can snag the collector's edition for $50 off today. Wii U: Nintendo Wii U Super Mario Maker console bundle gets you a brand new console and a popular DIY Mario game. Discount starts at 7:00am Pacific. Nvidia Shield: Nvidia Shield Pro + 2nd controller. Gaming and multimedia streaming in one, easy-to-use device costs less with an Amazon Prime Day price that's now $249, was $359. PS4: All PS4 games, controllers and accessories on sale today. Xbox One: All Xbox One console bundles games, controllers and accessories today. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2-420-90.jpg http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/deals/Amazon-Prime-Day/Amazon%20Prime%20Day%202016/primeDay_tvs-250-100.jpg Amazon Prime Day: TV and Home Entertainment dealsThere are some great deals on home entertainment products here. The Amazon Fire deals themselves are brilliant - if you're after a TV streamer to turn your old TV into a Netflix-streaming mega TV, the top two deals here are for you. Or if you're after a cheap TV or a projector, there are some super deals too. We'll be checking other sites throughout the day - not just Amazon - so we'll update with all of the best deals we can find. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2-420-90.jpg 4K Ultra HD deal: Samsung UN55KU6600 Curved 55-Inch 4K Smart LED TV. Here's the 2016 model of one of Samsung's best televisions, now $649.99, was $1,247.99. 4K Ultra HD deal: Samsung U28E590D 28-Inch UHD LED-Lit Monitor isn't nearly as big, but it has just as many pixels to offer at $399.99, down from $499.99. Projector: ViewSonic PJD7828HDL 1080p Projector gets you a big, full HD picture for under half a grand with an Amazon Prime Day price of $477.58, was $599.99. Fire TV with Antenna: Amazon Fire TV and HD Antenna bundle. Cut the cord properly with this money saving deal that starts with a low price and saves you on a cable bill at $79.99, down from $131.47. HD monitors: All HD computer monitors as low as $59.99 http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2-420-90.jpg http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/deals/Amazon-Prime-Day/Amazon%20Prime%20Day%202016/primeDay_laptops-250-100.jpg Amazon Prime Day: Laptop and computing dealsIf you're after a cheap laptop, there are a few really enticing offers here. Firstly a Lenovo Chromebook for less than £100 - that's an astonishingly good deal, especially if you just need a cheap laptop for surfing the web and checking emails. There are also a few excellent deals on Windows laptops and a batch of Microsoft Surface Pro deals if you want a laptop/tablet hybrid. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2-420-90.jpg Dell laptop: Dell 15.6-Inch Gaming Laptop. It has a 6th-gen Intel Quad-Core i5-6300HQ processor up to 3.2GHz with 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD and Nvidia GeForce GTX 960M. It runs Windows 10 for $774.99, not $800. Dell laptop: Dell 13-inch Inspiron i7359-2435SLV. Treat yourself to a 2-in-1 touchscreen laptop with a 6th Generation Intel Core i5 CPU, 4GB of RAM and a 500 GB HDD, now $479.99, was $630. Chromebook: Asus C200MA Chromebook gets you a 11.6 Inch laptop with an Intel Dual Core chip, 4GB RAM, 16G internal drive for $179.99, was $190. Chromebook: Toshiba Chromebook 2 (2015 Edition) gets you last year's 13-inch laptop with an Intel Core i3 processor, 4GB of RAM and an LED-backlit keyboard for $279, was $399. MSI laptop: 17-inch MSI GE72 Apache Pro-029. This gaming notebook packs a Nvidia Geforce GTX960M i7-6700HQ with 16GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD drive and 1TB internal hard drive. With Windows 10, it costs $999.20, no longer $1,249.99. Kindle 10: Fire HD 10 Tablet, 10.1" HD Display. You don't have to buy an expensive iPad in order to get a large, 10-inch tablet display. Amazon has one for $149.99, down from $229.99. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2-420-90.jpg http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/deals/Amazon-Prime-Day/Amazon%20Prime%20Day%202016/primeDay2-250-100.jpg Amazon Prime Day: Assorted electronics dealsAside from laptops, games consoles and TVs, Amazon is running a whole range of other tech and gadget related Prime deals today. Here we've listed all of the 'electronics' deals of the day so you can see what's going. We like the look of the Philips Hue deals - particularly if you've already started your smart lighting setup - it's a great chance to flesh out your lighting on the cheap. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/LINE2-420-90.jpg Apple Watch: Apple Watch Sport goes on sale at 8:00am, and while we don't know the official Amazon Prime Day deal price just yet, it's likely to be the cheapest you can get the iPhone smartwatch today. Philips Hue: Hue White and Color Ambiance A19 Bulb Starter Kit. Turn your home into an neon smart home of the future. Paint your rooms in awesome colors for $149.99 instead of $199.99. Philips Hue White: Philips 455303 Hue White Starter A19 Kit. These bulbs do the same thing, except you can have it in any color - so long as it's white. A great starter kit now $60, was $80. Kindle for Kids: Amazon Fire Kids Edition Tablet, 7" Display. Get your kids a tablet and protect your investment with a bumper-proof, colorful case included, now $69.99, was $99.99. Segway: Segway miniPRO Personal Transporter. These self-balancing scooters don't come cheap, but Amazon Prime day is offering them for $699.00, down from $1,299.

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Microsoft/Surface%20Book/surface-pro-4-vs-surface-book-470-75.jpgA new Windows 10 preview build landed last Thursday, but then this weekend just gone, Microsoft pushed out another preview hot on its heels – indicating that testing work is intensifying as the Anniversary Update approaches (it's due on August 2). Build 14385 was unleashed at the weekend with the usual accompanying blog post that noted Microsoft was now "churning out builds like crazy", with a load of bug fixes on board. Redmond said it wanted to get the build out quickly so as to give the maximum amount of testing to these hundreds of new fixes. They include improved battery life for those running Windows 10 preview on Surface devices, and the smoothing over of a load of issues with various apps including Spotify random crashes, and errant clipping with Google's Chrome browser, as well as problems with the LastPass and AdBlock extensions in Microsoft's Edge browser. There were, of course, plenty more fixes than this, and if you want to check out the full list see the post here. Swift paceIt's likely that we'll see preview builds coming out pretty quickly for the rest of this month as Microsoft tries to tighten everything up. Another interesting point to note is that this is build 14385, and it scotches speculation that the next build from Microsoft, which was rumored to be version 14384, would be the RTM (release to manufacturing) client. Obviously, that isn't the case – although clearly we are in the final stretch with testing of the Anniversary Update. The previous Windows 10 preview build fixed plenty of issues itself including problems with Surface machines being connected to external monitors, and erratic behavior with Bluetooth mice. Check out this article for more on the Windows 10 Anniversary Updatehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/Qn61bwvsL7Q

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/2016-Jul/Magic%20actions/MagicActionsMain-470-75.jpgThe ultimate home cinema with Magic ActionsBetter movies on YouTubehttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/badgesmaller-111-100.jpgYouTube has always been a publishing route for indie filmmakers, and the video-sharing site offers the latest blockbusters to rent or buy too. But before settling in with your popcorn, take a moment to download Magic Actions for YouTube (for Chrome and Firefox), and take the experience to the next level. The creators of Magic Actions are constantly updating it to keep pace with new versions of the browsers, so make sure you have the latest stable version of your browser before installing it. Magic Actions is packed with features so useful you'll wonder how you managed without - like volume control via the mouse wheel and the ability to protect your sanity by hiding the horror show that is the comments box - but TV and film are where it really shines. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/2016-Jul/Magic%20actions/MagicActionsSettings-420-90.jpg Once you've installed Magic Actions, you can begin tinkering with its settings page. Volume control via the mouse wheel and auto-HD playback are essential, as is Cinema Mode, which hides away everything except the playback window itself - including comments, descriptions and recommended videos. Cinema mode can be activated with a single click, or automatically when you start a video. Experiment with the other options - many of them will improve your YouTube experience even when you're only watching a quick clip at your desk, but don't hide the header - it contains YouTube's search bar. All your changes will be saved automatically, but you'll need to reload any YouTube tabs you already have open. When you do, the site will look quite different, with all the usual distracting clutter stripped away. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/2016-Jul/Magic%20actions/MagicActionsAmbient-420-90.jpg While you're watching a video in Cinema Mode (activated by clicking the film strip icon under the video window), you'll notice an ambient glow around the video, similar to the Ambilight function on Philips TVs. To change the colour of this glow, click the icon at the very top right and choose an option from the palette. Note that you'll only see the ambient light in full-screen mode if you activate the 'experimental' full-screen option. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/DownloadButtonSmall-266-100.jpgMagic Actions for YouTube is all about enhancing the viewing experience, pulling you into the action and blocking out distractions. For enhancing the home cinema experience, there's nothing else like it - and it's completely free. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/FBHR1skYWTw

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/Sport/wimbledon_1-470-75.jpgWimbledon's famous All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, bedecked in the iconic purple and green and overflowing with Ivy, flowers and generations of tradition might, at first look, seem like a strange place to be contemplating how technology and sport have become such familiar bedfellows. And yet this most traditional of sporting environs is embracing technology on a whole host of levels, whilst maintaining the dignity and history as the home of tennis. Mick Desmond, the AELTC's commercial and media director explained that there was an "alchemy" in the balance of seeking what's new and innovative whilst understanding and enhancing what makes this most famous of tennis tournaments great. "We look at what's true in our brand in terms of the all-white dress code, the grass courts and the strawberries and cream, and as an event we do transcend the sport. We look at the things that make us special and we amplify them. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Sport/wimbledon_2-420-90.jpg "But in the digital realm particularly we can be very innovative and push the boundaries… whilst still enveloped in a Wimbledon way." This intent, according to former England cricketer and academic, Ed Smith, is not as new as many might think - insisting that embracing the latest technology has actually been at the heart of sport's development. "If you think about sport as we now play it, it's rested on a series of technological evolutions," he insists, taking us on a whirlwind tour of innovation, from lawnmowers to the iPhone via vulcanized rubber and, of course the impact of sport in the media. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Sport/ed_smith-420-90.jpg "The year 1923 brought the moment that changed sport forever - a radio station in New York saying we're going to put every second of the World Series on air. And then TV creates a whole new energy for sport - allowing it to become the world's lingua franca. In fact I'd say it is the most important shared culture in the world." At Wimbledon, IBM is at the centre of Desmond and his team's plan to reinvigorate tennis through data, and create their own '1923 moment' while remaining respectful of those all-important traditions. In the bowels of the broadcast centre, IBM has what it calls a bunker, and it is within these technology-packed rooms that the digital magic happens. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Sport/wimbledon_3-420-90.jpg Sam Seddon, IBM Wimbledon Client and Programme Executive, explains how the now famous cognitive and analytical abilities of the Watson AI is being brought to bear on the reams of data the company is collecting from the tournament, and what impact it has on our social media, our apps, the media coverage and the commentary. "We start by asking 'how do we help Wimbledon to be the best tennis tournament in the world? How do we help them achieve greatness?' And if you take something like social media the challenge that we're addressing here is 'how do you get a millennial to take an action within a six second window to interact with my social media rather than anyone else's?'. "The limited opportunity window you have with young people on social media [means] that people need to see [the information] there at that point of time and that's where something like the Watson capability helps us, because we're using the cognitive solutions and capabilities of Watson to understand the reasons behind what is happening in the world of social media around sport and particularly around Wimbledon. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Sport/wimbledon_6-420-90.jpg "So the command centre is looking at Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram and saying 'what are the evolving topics of conversation and what are people looking at right now in this moment?'" And the analysis - being performed at a scale that would be impossible outside of computers - extends beyond just tennis - with IBM understanding that to resonate the conversation needs to look outside of what's happening at Wimbledon to what's happening in the wider world of sport. Seddon gives an example of Iceland playing in their high profile game against Portugal, and linking it to an Icelandic player playing at Wimbledon, and how you can join those conversations. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Sport/wimbledonsite-420-90.jpg Of course 'winning' at social media is not the only use for IBM. The company's most visible work at Wimbledon is producing the reams of data that we see ourselves on apps, televisions and that is also being handed to the commentators, broadcasters and the players themselves on a special site that allows them to analyse and watch back each point. "What we do here - and we've been here since 1990 - is a large, technical data-capture, transformation and distribution project," explains Seddon. "At the heart of it is capturing information at the side of the court and, to give you a sense of scale, we captured around 3.2million data points last year." You'd be forgiven for thinking that the sheer scale of this data capture means that it is technology that is doing the recording, but actually IBM's output relies heavily on good old human cognition as well. "We have a team of highly trained analysts," explains Seddon, "There are technology solutions we can deploy - and in fact Wimbledon have one of their own on the practice courts. "But when it comes to the speed, the accuracy and understanding the subtleties and nuances between forced and unforced errors it takes a human being, and a very good tennis player at that, to be able to interpret all of that at the speed that we need." Seddon explains that data, Watson's smart analysis and, of course, the experts, combine to bring us a richer experience of this most traditional of sporting events without ever impacting on the values that have kept it so central to the tennis calendar. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Sport/wimbledonstats-420-90.jpg "The data we capture at the side of the court - like is it 30 love? And was it an ace or not? - is then turned into analysis and statistics like '75% of first serves in'. "In order to make that interesting information and invaluable to the club and the commentators we have to turn that into insight and that insight is in the context. "So for Andy Murray you might ask 'when he won in 2013 what was his first serve percentage? What is it now? And how is he performing in this match?' All that information is available not only to the commentators but democratising it so we can get that info out to the fans around the world. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Sport/wimbledon_5-420-90.jpg "With apps, and websites that information is becoming increasingly available to anyone from my mum to my 11-year -old daughter. People have a thirst for that information to bring it to life and to make it the best tennis tournament in the world." And that is at the heart of what the team at Wimbledon are striving for. As Desmond puts it: "the banner of 'in pursuit of greatness' is something we think embodies Wimbledon. "Everyone is so passionate about the brand that every single year they are looking to raise the bar. We'll never reach perfection but we'll pursue greatness." Watson may not (yet) truly understand how it is contributing to that process - but IBM's most famous son is certainly now a part of this goal, and although still being aided by a crack team of human experts, the digital future is already pretty well wedded with one of the most traditional past and presents. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/xuFWZB1t5A8

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/2016-Jul/PaintNet/PaintNetMain-470-75.jpgRetouch photos free with Paint.NETRetouch photos for freehttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/badgesmaller-111-100.jpgPhoto retouching is often referred to as 'Photoshopping', but you don't need to splash out on Adobe's premium software to make your portraits and selfies look stunning. Paint.NET is a completely free photo editor that's just as capable as many full-price programs.. It was originally created as an upgrade/replacement for Microsoft Paint, but has evolved from those humble beginnings into a powerful tool for editing images and creating your own artwork from scratch. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/2016-Jul/PaintNet/PaintNetStamp-420-90.jpg Editing out blemishes is easy with the stamp tool - hold Ctrl and click a nearby area to take a sample, then click and drag to 'paint' over the flaw. Like all the tools in Paint.NET, the stamp is fully configurable and can be adjusted using the options at the top of the main window. For a natural look, enable antialiasing and reduce the hardness of the brush. You might need to take several samples and to make sure the colours line up with the contours of the face. The clone stamp is also very useful for editing out flyaway hair, or specks left by dust on the camera lens. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/2016-Jul/PaintNet/PaintNetLiquefy-420-90.jpg Like Photoshop, Paint.NET supports plug-ins, some of which are specially created for retouching photos. Installing plugins is easy - just download the ZIP archive, then extract the DLL file to Program Files > Paint.net > Effects. One of the best for photo retouching is Liquify, which you can download from the Paint.NET forums. Just like the Photoshop tool of the same name, it lets you distort images by clicking and dragging, and you can use it to smooth out bumps, slim down noses and tighten jawlines. Keep your changes subtle, and bear in mind that the background will also be distorted by Liquify, so avoid using it near any lines or regular patterns. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/2016-Jul/PaintNet/PaintNetVignette-420-90.jpg Like any photo editor worth its salt, Paint.NET includes a levels editor (under Adjustments), which you can use to adjust the contrast in your image. Tweaking the diagonal line into a gentle S shape will increase contrast and make your picture look more dramatic, but you might find decreasing the contrast yields a more flattering effect. For a more dramatic change, try the Soften Portrait tool (under Effects > Photo). This softens skintones in your picture and lightens colours to obscure imperfections (a little like deliberately over-exposing a photo). It also adds a flattering warm color cast. The default setting is a bit strong, so tweak the sliders until you're happy with the result. The Vignette effect (also in the Photo menu) is worth a try too - it adds an Instagram-style retro camera effect that draws attention to the subject. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/DOWNLOADS/roundups/DownloadButtonSmall-266-100.jpgWith so many dedicated functions and filters, plus user-created plugins that replicate the most popular features of premium retouching tools, Paint.NET is an essential program for tweaking everything from selfies to wedding portraits - and it's completely free. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/7DsTG1SXtuQ

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/TRBC/Videoconferencing/Polycom/CX5500/CX5500%20camera%20application%20image-470-75.jpgConsumers aren't loyal to established brands in the main, and are more than happy to use so-called 'disruptive' technologies from new startups if they're convenient and save them time – and indeed plenty of time is being saved by these sort of apps and tools according to a new study. The research, commissioned by Rackspace, found that UK consumers are using disruptive apps (on phones and computers) or online services to make an average of 2.2 hours' worth of time-savings per month. Across the whole country, that amounts to over 51 million hours saved every month (given that 46% of respondents said they'd saved time, and applying that percentage to the total adult population). The survey found that the main advantage of these disruptive apps and services was cited as convenience (which 51% of respondents said), and also time-savings (45%), with these concerns being way ahead of saving money (25%). Those questioned were also asked what their priorities were when it came to choosing which apps or online tools to employ, and 66% of respondents said that ease-of-use was their top priority. 54% plumped for time-savings, and slightly more this time – 47% – went for monetary savings. Don'ts for disruptionWhat were the biggest turn-offs putting folks off adopting freshly unleashed disruptive apps? The top bugbear here was security on 36%, closely followed by data privacy worries on 33%, and then the simple lack of storage space to be installing software was the third biggest concern affecting 24% of those surveyed. So the smaller your app, and the tighter your privacy and security controls, the better. And as for brand loyalty, 68% of respondents said they felt no loyalty to the big-name established players, when it came to switching to other more convenient apps or online services. Darren Norfolk, UK Managing Director of Rackspace, commented: "Thanks to the sharing economy and a boom in machine learning and cloud capabilities, many industries have seen disruption in recent years – with more expected in the near future. "With brand loyalty a thing of the past, legacy brands are even more ripe for disruption than they might believe. This means that they must build in some of the same convenience and time saving factors that startups are creating, or risk being disrupted – or even put out of business entirely." What CIOs should know about working with startupshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/fppRWqqIhiM