sincity

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/other/AU%20News/fetch-tv-stan-470-75.jpgIt's no joke: From April 1 this year, Fetch TV subscribers will be able to tickle their funny bones with the arrival of a new Comedy Central channel on the internet-based Pay TV platform. The new channel will feature a curated stream of entertainment, specifically crafted for an Aussie audience. With shows like Inside Amy Schumer and the Daily Show with Trevor Noah already on the schedule, it will closely match its US counterpart, won't just be a feed from the States. The channel is also promising that all long-form content will be broadcast (or streamed, in this case) ad-free. (Don't) Pity the FoxtelComedy Central already licenses a chunk of its programming to the Comedy Channel on Foxtel, but the launch of its own local channel won't influence that partnership. According to a report in the AFR, content won't be delayed to Foxtel's channel, with both comedic networks enjoying the same access to the relevant shows. Fetch TV has been pushing to support SVOD platforms like Netflix and Stan recently, so it's good to see that having a strong content lineup as part of its Pay TV offering is still part of its expansion plans. Should you get Fetch TV? Read our review!

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/games/Tomb%20Raider/Rise%20of%20the%20Tomb%20Raider-470-75.jpgIn a move that is unlikely to make the company many friends, Microsoft has started to push adverts on the lock screen for Windows 10. As ExtremeTech notes, it's not like we didn't know this was coming, but it will certainly be interesting to see the wider reaction now that lock screens are actually being adorned with ads – the first one is for Rise of the Tomb Raider, by the way. This decision will likely produce more cracks in the ice Microsoft is skating on with Windows 10, which has been getting thinner of late with all the controversy surrounding the amount of data the OS sends back to Redmond HQ (even if you adjust all the settings you can to block this, data is still being sent – at least with the Home version of the operating system). At any rate, not everyone is seeing the adverts yet, so this "feature" would appear to be still rolling out (it may even be US only at this point). Flick that switchIf you do find yourself being wound up by said adverts, the good news is it's easy enough to put a stop to them. Simply hop on over to Settings, Personalisation, Lock Screen. There you'll find a little button for 'Get fun facts, tips, tricks, and more on your lock screen', which will be on. Switch it off and you will no longer be bothered by Lara Croft trying to persuade you to buy her latest adventure. As well as privacy issues, the other major controversy surrounding Windows 10 is how Microsoft is pushing the upgrade hard at Windows 7/8.1 users, including making it a recommended update earlier this month (meaning that installation could conceivably kick-off automatically without the user taking any action). Also check out: Should you upgrade to Windows 10? http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247392901014/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4de06241/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247392901014/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4de06241/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247392901014/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4de06241/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/247392901014/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4de06241/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/247392901014/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4de06241/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4de06241/sc/15/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/X7dHNvAxNZ4

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/av_accessories/Chromecast/google-chromecast-hbo-now-470-75.jpgIn a very confusing turn of events, a new report suggests that Google will take a bite out of its streaming device business in order to incorporate Chromecast-like functionality directly into future television sets. Several sources speaking with Variety confirmed the existence of a new series of TVs from Vizio that will integrate Chromecast directly into the hardware. While this sounds a lot like an Android TV offshoot, the report says it's similar in functionality, but not exactly the operating system we've come to know and love on Sony TVs and Nvidia Shield. The new line of TVs won't have any native apps, instead opting to stream videos directly off a phone or tablet, i.e. Chromecast but without a circular disc hanging off your television set. To make this news a bit juicier, Vizio might go as far as to provide a new Android device to anyone who purchases a Chromecast-equipped TV in lieu of a traditional remote. However, the report warns that the inclusion of an Android-powered remote might be subject to last-minute changes. Should the report turn out to be true, this would mark Google's fourth entry into the living room space after Chromecast, Chromecast Audio, Android TV and the original Google TV that failed to take off in 2014. There's no word on pricing or availability for the first set of "Chrome TVs," but my money's on a launch sometime in the fall. These are the best Chromecast apps

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/laptops/Apple/New%20MacBook%20(2015)/review/table-tennis-470-75.JPGAfter Cortana made the leap to Windows 10, maybe OS X has been feeling a bit lonely. Not to worry, as Apple is reported to soon introduce Siri to its desktop operating system (OS) to keep it company. This is according to 9 to 5 Mac, reckoning that Siri will show up in OS X 10.12, the next incarnation of the OS that will follow OS X 10.11 El Capitan and is due to launch this autumn. It has been a long wait for Siri to come to the Mac, but apparently Apple believes the time is now right, with the user interface being suitably polished. As for the exact implementation, Siri will reportedly nestle in the Mac's menu bar, with an icon in the top-right to switch it on. After clicking, you'll see a transparent Siri window (with a dark background) pop up in the same area of the screen, asking what you need help with (complete with the same dynamic sound wave graphics to correlate with voice input found on iOS). http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/desktop_pcs_and_macs/Apple/Siri_Mac_cant_say-420-100.jpg Hey, Siri!There will apparently also be a keyboard shortcut to wake up Siri. And, if your Mac is plugged into an outlet, you'll apparently be able to use simple voice activation to kick Siri into action – as in "Hey, Siri." Apple is busy working on making Siri smarter across the board. With its acquisition of Vocal IQ late last year, Apple looks to be focused on developing more natural exchanges between you and the digital assistant. That's can only be a good thing. Siri has already been introduced to the firm's hardware beyond the iPhone, like the Apple Watch, the latest Apple TV, and indeed Apple CarPlay features Siri voice control. So, while this is a classic report citing anonymous sources, the Mac only makes sense as Siri's next home. What do we think of the latest MacBook? http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247392686517/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4dd3903b/sc/28/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247392686517/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4dd3903b/sc/28/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247392686517/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4dd3903b/sc/28/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/247392686517/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4dd3903b/sc/28/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/247392686517/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4dd3903b/sc/28/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4dd3903b/sc/28/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/Z3dm3Ou6B6I

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/other/AU%20News/FoxtelBundles-470-75.jpgFoxtel subscribers hoping to get a better value package from the Pay TV provider are officially in luck, with the company upgrading its broadband plans for Pay TV subscribers. The big development is that in the upper tiers, Foxtel broadband now offers unlimited data. Costing $115 per month on a 12 or 24-month plan – in addition to the price of a Foxtel entertainment package, of course – customers get unlimited data, plus unlimited standard local and national calls. Platinum Foxtel subscribers have it even better, with the broadband plan cost dropping to $90 a month for the same benefits. Those that sign up to the 24-month contract will also get the Foxtel hub wireless router thrown in for nothing. Less for moreIf those prices seem a bit steep but you still like the idea of packaging your Pay TV with your broadband, Foxtel has also announced a 100GB plan for $80 a month on top of your Foxtel package. As far as value is concerned, these new plans are definitely on the more expensive end of the unlimited data spectrum, especially considering the price of a Foxtel subscription is going to be added on there as well. But if you already pay for Foxtel and want the convenience of a single bill, these new plans are still better value than the previous plans. Compare unlimited broadband deals

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/TRBC/Software/Linux/Linux%20distro%20update/distro-mint-470-75.jpgWhen you download an operating system, you certainly don't expect to be installing an altered version with a backdoor in place, but sadly this is what happened to some folks who downloaded a popular version of Linux over the weekend. To be precise, we are talking about Linux Mint – specifically the 17.3 Cinnamon edition. As the makers of Mint announced in a blog post, what actually happened was a malicious party made a modified version of said OS (containing a backdoor) and hacked the official website to point to this compromised download. The maliciously modified version was available for a time on Saturday (February 20) before the issue was discovered, so if you downloaded and installed Mint from the official site on that day, then you've got a problem (and if this was a machine with business data on, a potentially even bigger problem). If you grabbed another version aside from Mint 17.3 Cinnamon edition, then you're fine, and equally if you downloaded from elsewhere other than the official website (say via torrents) then you're also okay. If you're unsure about whether you're safe or not, as Clement Lefebvre, who is in charge of Linux Mint, advises, you can check the MD5 signature "with the command md5sum yourfile.iso (where yourfile.iso is the name of the ISO)." The list of valid signatures is provided in Clem's blog post, and further advice is given on what action to take if you did install this backdoor-laden OS (take the PC offline, reinstall the OS or format the partition, and change any passwords you may have used on the machine). Apparently the compromised ISO was loaded with Tsunami botnet malware. Forum compromisedAt the time the attack was discovered, Lefebvre said that it was traced to Bulgaria, but the motivation wasn't known. However, ZDNet later spoke to a lone hacker from Europe by the handle of 'Peace' who claimed to be responsible, and said they had successfully compromised a few hundred machines running Mint. The hacker also claimed to have stolen a complete copy of the Mint website's forum on two occasions, containing personal information of users including birthdates, email addresses and passwords (although the latter were encrypted). However, the passwords are in the process of being cracked by all accounts (simple passwords will be particularly susceptible to being brute-forced), so if you're a forum member, you should take action on that front too and change your password (and other instances of that password if you've used it elsewhere – of course, it goes without saying that's very bad security practice). The Mint team was quick to respond to this whole incident, and transparent in dealing with it, although the fallout from the compromise is likely to be considerable in the short-term. 10 best Linux distros: which one is right for you? http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247392312389/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4dc3a11e/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247392312389/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4dc3a11e/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247392312389/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4dc3a11e/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/247392312389/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4dc3a11e/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/247392312389/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4dc3a11e/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4dc3a11e/sc/15/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/b_QSeUfLRGE

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/Home%20Tech/Xperia-projector-470-75.jpgAlongside its new Xperia X and Xperia XA smartphones, Sony has also revealed a new number of concept ideas it has been working on including the Xperia Ear, Xperia Eye, Xperia Agent and - potentially the most exciting – the Xperia Projector. It might have the dullest name of the four, but the Xperia Projector was the Sony product that caught my eye at this year's Mobile World Congress this year. It's a little box, no bigger than your average computer, that does a lot more to a blank wall than your average movie projector. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Home%20Tech/Xperia-projector-2-420-90.jpg The Sony Xperia Projector runs apps and works as a central hub in your home for assistance and keeping up to date with the outside world. While I was inspecting the box I saw apps such as weather, calander and contacts among others. Perhaps most impressively, the projector works also works as a virtual keyboard, allowing you to give it voice and gesture commands. There are a variety of different menus that turn any white service into a screen of your choosing. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Home%20Tech/Sony%20Xperia%20Projector/keyboard-420-90.jpg This is still in the development phase so everything was a little laggy when I tried it, but considering this is such an early concept I was surprised by how well it seemed to work. The good news is that it's not just for those with large blank walls. It works just as well on a table, too. In fact, this way it's easier to play games on even let the kids draw over the surface with their fingers rather than pens. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Home%20Tech/Sony%20Xperia%20Projector/drawing-420-90.jpg Watching the demonstration of how the Xperia Projector works I started to understand why this could be a really useful device. It's not just about giving you a way to watch the latest episode of Game of Thrones on a bigger surface. When it comes to apps, there are so many possibilities. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Home%20Tech/Sony%20Xperia%20Projector/phone-420-90.jpg The projector itself, although not final, looks great and wouldn't look out of place in the home living room. It's compact, so it wouldn't stick out when not in use. Sony was demonstrating this as a home phone-style device where you can tap the wall and ring your mum, but personally I think this could be used for bigger and better things. Gaming, education and any number of creative tasks could be enhanced by having a this type of technology in your home. That's not even to mention the possibilities if it were to be used in schools. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Home%20Tech/Sony%20Xperia%20Projector/behind-420-90.jpg For now this is just a concept, and there's no sign from Sony that it will actually be available to buy one day. But I hope Sony sees what potential it has on its hands here, and gets it on the market sooner rather than later. Sony is working on an Amazon Echo competitor

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/Home%20Tech/Sony-Xperia-Agent-470-75.jpgSony has used MWC to announce its brand new Xperia X and Xperia XA phones - but that's not all, with the Japanese giant using the opportunity to show off concept designs as well. One of these concepts is for a personal assistant device called the Xperia Agent that will give you useful information, communicate with you and also allow you to control your home. It uses Sony's voice technology to communicate and will be controlled by either your voice or gesture controls. It all sounds a lot like the Amazon Echo. Hello, AgentThe Xperia Agent will also have a projector to show content on blank surfaces in your home. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Home%20Tech/Xperia-Agent-2-420-90.jpg Sony sadly doesn't have an Xperia Agent device ready for the market, but it's interesting that Sony has embraced voice assistant technology for the first time. If the voice technology takes off, we may see a competitor to the likes of Siri and Cortana in future Sony phones. The same projection technology is also used in another Sony concept called the Xperia Projector. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Home%20Tech/Xperia-projector-2-420-90.jpg The concept is a small device that will project onto any clear surface and also respond to touch, voice and gestures much like a smartphone does. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Home%20Tech/Xperia-projector-420-90.jpg Sony also revealed a concept for a wearable wide-angle lens camera called the Xperia Eye. It will attach to clothing or worn around the neck in the company's smallest ever camera device. It would allow for 360-degree field of view and will detect faces and voices to make it easier capturing photos. This again is just a concept though, and in a year when other companies have created 360 cameras it's a bit of shame Sony hasn't got a finished product ready to put up for sale. Take a look at the Sony Xperia X and Xperia XA

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/Features%202/Antivirus%20feature/Antivirus-470-75.jpgWe all know we're supposed to have some form of antivirus software on our computers, but even with (hopefully) most people running some form of protection, malware is still rampant. Panda Security reports that in 2015 32.13% of the computers it scanned were infected in some way and over 84 million new malware samples were detected. Of those infections, not all fall under the label of viruses. The majority of infections were found to be malicious programs, known as Trojans. A virus, on the other hand, is something which attaches itself to an existing program to cause harm. Other malware includes worms, adware and PUPs (potentially unwanted programs), the latter being unwanted software which installs at the same time as something you actually do want - more annoying than dangerous. Yet despite smartphones basically being pocket computers, and therefore surely at risk of infection, antivirus software seems to be more seen as optional than essential. So should we be worried about viruses and other malware on our phones? Or are there enough built in protections already? The risks are real, but avoidableWe asked Tony Anscombe, Senior Security Evangelist at AVG Technologies whether phones really are at risk. He told techradar that: "Ultimately, all devices are at risk from malicious viruses, but as we become increasingly dependent on our smartphones for all aspects our daily lives they become a much more attractive target for hackers. "Think about the amount of information stored on your phone: personal ID, bank and credit card details, browsing history, app data, medical notes – and that's just scratching the surface. Today, smartphones hold everything a hacker needs to steal money and, at worst, your identity." Of course the answer here could simply be to change how you use your phone, so that there won't be all that personal information for thieves to find. It's also perhaps unsurprising that an antivirus company would present viruses as a significant risk, yet the evidence so far seems to be that on smartphones they're not as much of a worry as you'd expect. There aren't yet close to the same number of viruses on smartphones as on desktops, with a recent report from Motive Security Labs finding less than 1% of mobile devices infected with malware. Compared to PCs that's a tiny proportion and while they still present a risk it's a pretty tiny, and largely avoidable, one. The way our phones pick up malware also differs from how we're most likely to get it on a PC. Gert-Jan Schenk, VP of Lookout EMEA, told us: "One thing to pay particular attention to is phishing. Mobile devices' small form means we interact with them pretty differently than desktop computers," he said. "In fact, studies have shown that users are three times more likely to click on a malicious link from their smartphone than a PC, which makes phishing emails or messages a serious issue on mobile." Text messages are another vulnerable area. Anscombe explained that: "One of the most vulnerable aspects for smartphone users is text messaging – simply because we're not conditioned to recognise malicious content in the same way when we get a text message." So it seems the risks could be lower still once people wise up to them. In general, if you get a link in a text message from a number that's not in your phone it's probably sketchy, even (or especially) if it claims to come from a reputable institution, like your bank. Similarly, some messages will ask you to call a number, warning of - for example - suspicious activity on your account. To be on the safe side always use a number that you can identify as official, such as one that's come directly from the institution's website. It can take longer to hunt out, but it keeps you safer. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/Antivirus%20feature/antivirus%20(3)-420-90.JPG No OS is totally safeThe risks vary depending on which operating system you use too. Android is the highest risk, both because it has the biggest market share, making it an appealing target, and because of its open source nature. Anscombe warned that: "Vulnerabilities found in the Android OS, such as Stagefright in 2015, highlight the issues associated with open source operating systems like Android, as opposed to the closed environment that iOS presents. "As a result, there is always going to be a potentially greater risk that a vulnerability exists or could be introduced by a third party developer for Android smart devices, than those run on other operating systems." Stagefright was one of the single biggest arguments for smartphone antivirus, as it opened millions of devices up to an attack which could monitor your activity and steal your information, yet there's no evidence that hackers were actually exploiting it. While Stagefright only affected Android, being on iOS or Windows Phone doesn't mean you're completely safe, with an issue arising in 2015 when developers downloaded infected software from less reputable sources to code for iOS. Schenk pointed out that: "Historically, iOS was certainly perceived as more secure than Android. However, that all changed this year when we saw a number of threats to iOS. "With XcodeGhost for example, app developers unwittingly added malicious code to their applications after using a repackaged version of Apple's development environment Xcode. The impact: for the millions of people who've downloaded apps with the malicious code, that code can steal sensitive data." That said, it's not clear how many people actually downloaded the affected apps, how many affected apps there were or what (or how much) data was actually stolen. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/Antivirus%20feature/antivirus%20(8)-420-90.JPG Keep it officialSo should we stop downloading apps if they're such a big risk? If you stick to the official app stores the answer seems to be no. Google and Apple review applications before allowing them on their respective platforms, so the risk is typically minimal. Apps on both iOS and Android are also run in a 'sandbox', which limits their ability to interact with other programs on the phone. On top of that, on Android you can see which permissions an app requires and make a judgement call on whether you therefore want to download it. If you're downloading an app to perform one task and it requires access to a completely different part of the phone, make a call on whether it's legitimate. Reading reviews can help - but remember, if it's a small number these could be faked, so stick with those that have many pieces of feedback. The risk certainly goes up once you start using third-party stores on Android, as these often don't have the same level of security as Google Play. That's less a problem on iOS, but if you jailbreak your device you're increasing the risk of letting malware in, particularly if you download software from unofficial sources. Schenk pointed out that: "Apps on a jailbroken device can run with escalated privileges and access sensitive data belonging to other apps. For example, the recent KeyRaider malware impacted jailbroken iOS devices and stole 225k Apple accounts." http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Features%202/Antivirus%20feature/antivirus%20(2)-420-90.JPG Stay sensible to stay safeSo with all that in mind is it worth having antivirus on your phone? Apple would seemingly say no, as it's culled just about all antivirus software from the app store. On Android you at least have the option and many antivirus apps come free of charge and from trusted names, but with them running and scanning in the background they can inevitably have a small but real impact on performance and battery life. Lookout for example claims that in general its service should use less than 2% of your battery each day, but with smartphone battery life often so low to begin with that's still a consideration. If just 10 apps on your phone are doing that in the background you're down 20% each day before even getting to your general phone-related tasks. If you're generally careful and don't use third-party app stores then the risk of infection is tiny, with or without an antivirus. But the key is to be careful and sensible online, even when using a phone. If you're worried about viruses and can live with the performance impact there's no major downside to using an antivirus, but don't become too reliant on it. Anscombe pointed out that: "Believing that any one security measure is going to completely protect you is generally incorrect and might lead you to more risky behaviour." You'll never be completely safe from malware, but do all of the above and the risks are minimal. One day we might see malware become a real problem on phones, but the reality seems to be that for now, if you're sensible, it's not. Whether or not you use an antivirus you should be wary of what you install and which stores you use. You should also keep your software updated and use two-factor authentication for your accounts to keep track of when and where people are trying to access your account - hopefully, it's always you. People don't trust smartphone security. http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247392119004/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4db54d29/sc/28/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247392119004/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4db54d29/sc/28/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247392119004/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4db54d29/sc/28/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/247392119004/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4db54d29/sc/28/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/247392119004/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4db54d29/sc/28/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4db54d29/sc/28/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/SQkRiCmnl-s

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/av_accessories/Chromecast/New%20Chromecast/review/Chromecast2_4966-470-75.jpgThe superb Google Chromecast may have launched last year for other western countries, but Australia was left wondering when their wireless disc streamer would arrive down under. As of today, there's no more need to wonder, with Google officially launching both the Chromecast and its sound-only brother, Chromecast Audio, both online and in retailers today. Both devices will retail for $59, a $10 premium over the original 2013 Chromecast's RRP. Of course, that particular device often ended up costing much less, so expect to see similar discounts on the newer model too. You can pick up the new Chromecast from JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, The Good Guys, Bing Lee or the Google Play store, while Chromecast Audio is only available at JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman and Google's store. Sure, it's available, but is the Google Chromecast worth buying? Read our Chromecast review to find out.

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/Randoms/JBHIFI-Now-470-75.jpgIt’s hard out there for a music streaming service, which is why JB Hi-Fi has announced that its own Spotify competitor, JB Hi-Fi NOW, will be closing down on March 17, 2016. In an message posted on the JB-Hi-Fi NOW website, the service explained that subscriptions “will remain active up until 17th March following which you will no longer be able to stream music.” This marks the second digital service that the retailer has shuttered in less than a year, with its JB Hi-Fi NOW Books service shutting down in September last year. The day the music diedThough it’s offering refunds for paid days beyond the upcoming cutoff period, the service “will no longer be taking any direct payments, new subscriptions or renewals from 17th February 2016.” The retailer has also assured customers with JB Hi-Fi NOW gift cards that they can either obtain refunds, or trade them in for in-store credit. As for JB Hi-Fi NOW users’ prized playlists, the retailer vows not to leave its customers in the dark – the service will be providing users with a list of their “favourites, mixes and queue lists to make the transition to a new streaming service easier.” Need a new music service? check out Apple Music, Spotify, Tidal and the rest http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247391843382/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4da726f6/sc/28/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247391843382/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4da726f6/sc/28/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247391843382/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4da726f6/sc/28/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/247391843382/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4da726f6/sc/28/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/247391843382/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4da726f6/sc/28/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4da726f6/sc/28/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/nHulS2InunU

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Microsoft/Windows%2010%20background-470-75.jpgWant to know which apps in the Windows Store are specifically built for Microsoft's newest operating system? Well, now it's possible to tell as with the latest tweaking of the store, Windows Central reports that Redmond has added a new 'Built For Windows 10' label which highlights those apps specifically made as universal apps for Windows 10. You'll find this underneath the app's name (actually underneath the 'Share' icon under the name, to be precise), and it indicates that the program won't have any issues running on a Windows 10 device. That's definitely good to know for those who have made the move to the new OS which Microsoft is busy pushing very hard indeed. This change is thought to have landed with the latest update to the Windows Store, although it wasn't clear at the time, as the update didn't provide any changelog to let us know what was new. Various bug fixes were, of course, a given, as ever… Windows 10 has now racked up in excess of 200 million installs, and at the end of last week, Microsoft introduced a new 'Ring' for those who like to test preview builds of the OS – although in this case, the new Release Preview Ring doesn't actually offer whole builds, rather just driver and software updates to try out before they hit consumer PCs. How to use Windows 10 http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247391574301/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d98a1b5/sc/28/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247391574301/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d98a1b5/sc/28/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247391574301/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d98a1b5/sc/28/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/247391574301/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d98a1b5/sc/28/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/247391574301/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d98a1b5/sc/28/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4d98a1b5/sc/28/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/uN--OHzWhxo

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/mobile_phones/4G/telstra%20towers-470-75.jpgTelstra felt really bad for the network outages that plagued its mobile customers last week, so it decided to give all its customers unmetered data for a day. Now that day is done, and Telstra has given us an insight into just how much data was pushed through its tubes. Spoiler: It's a lot. In a post on its Exchange blog, Telstra's group managing director of Networks, Mike Wright, explained that from the moment the clock struck midnight on Sunday, Telstra's services were hit by increased demand. By 8am, it had hit peak weekday levels, and continued to climb from there. Over the course of the day, over 1,841 terabytes of data was downloaded across Telstra's mobile customer base, which included pre-and-post-paid customers, business customers, mobile internet and Boost retail customers. Downloading concernsThat figure apparently represents double the normal Sunday traffic experienced on the Telstra network. The unmetered data initiative survived the load, which is almost definitely what Telstra wanted to show customers. Given that Telstra charges a premium for its network, it needed to come out swinging following the outage last week. What better way to do that than by showing that even when your entire customer base is downloading whatever they want for free, your network handles the load without issue? With little effect on overall speed around the country, Telstra will no doubt be considering this exercise a resounding success. Who's got the best 4G network?

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/mobile_phones/4G/telstra%20towers-470-75.jpgTelstra felt really bad for the network outages that plagued its mobile customers last week, so it decided to give all its customers unmetered data for a day. Now that day is done, and Telstra has given us an insight into just how much data was pushed through its tubes. Spoiler: It's a lot. In a post on its Exchange blog, Telstra's group managing director of Networks, Mike Wright, explained that from the moment the clock struck midnight on Sunday, Telstra's services were hit by increased demand. By 8am, it had hit peak weekday levels, and continued to climb from there. Over the course of the day, over 1,841 terabytes of data was downloaded across Telstra's mobile customer base, which included pre-and-post-paid customers, business customers, mobile internet and Boost retail customers. Downloading concernsThat figure apparently represents double the normal Sunday traffic experienced on the Telstra network. The unmetered data initiative survived the load, which is almost definitely what Telstra wanted to show customers. Given that Telstra charges a premium for its network, it needed to come out swinging following the outage last week. What better way to do that than by showing that even when your entire customer base is downloading whatever they want for free, your network handles the load without issue? With little effect on overall speed around the country, Telstra will no doubt be considering this exercise a resounding success. Who's got the best 4G network? http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247391484468/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d966309/sc/23/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247391484468/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d966309/sc/23/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247391484468/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d966309/sc/23/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/247391484468/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d966309/sc/23/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/247391484468/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d966309/sc/23/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4d966309/sc/23/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/KUgStJ4ZfbQ

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/other/AU%20News/batman%20superman%20final%20trailer-470-75.jpgWith a little over a month until Zack Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice hits cinemas, the final trailer for the film has given us our first real glimpse of just how brutal Ben Affleck's Batman will be. The emphasis for this trailer is very much on the Batfleck, with Henry Cavill's Superman not getting a word in throughout the entire two minutes. The trailer opens with Batman taking out a crew of two dozen bad guys single-handedly, before lamenting to Jeremy Irons' Alfred that he's not as fast as he used to be. Brutally man-handling his enemies by throwing them around the room, the scene impressively manages to capture the sheer power of Batman, something that has always struggled to be captured on film. The trailer continues by remixing footage we've seen from previous trailers with shots of Superman and Batman fighting it out – plus a nice little interaction between Gal Gadot's Diana Prince and Affleck's Bruce Wayne. The trailer ends with Superman's surprise at an armored Batman blocking his super-punch. The trailer may be a little short on the whole "Dawn of Justice" part of the film's title, but it promises to deliver the "Batman v Superman" part in a big way when the film opens next month. YouTube : youtubeurlv=Cle_rKBpZ28

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Microsoft/Windows%2010%20background-470-75.jpgIf you're a Windows Insider (testing out versions of Windows 10 before they're sprung on the computing public at large), then you'll be interested to learn that Microsoft has added a new 'Ring' alongside the existing Slow and Fast Rings for both PC and mobile users. And the new channel, named the Release Preview Ring, is essentially one for the very risk averse. As you're likely aware, the Fast Ring is designed to push out preview builds swiftly and is used by those who want to try out new features as early as possible, but with the risk of bugs affecting their experience (and sometimes potentially quite nasty glitches). The Slow Ring, on the other hand, receives builds at a slower pace, but when more bugs have been ironed out so there's less risk to the user's device. Third RingAnd now there's the Release Preview Ring, which Gabe Aul, VP of Engineering Systems, notes is: "Best for Insiders who enjoy getting early access to updates for the Current Branch, Microsoft applications, and drivers, with minimal risk to their devices, and still want to provide feedback to make Windows devices great." As he states, this is really for those who want to take as little risk as possible, and it will only deliver software and driver updates early, as opposed to whole new preview builds. There are doubtless those who will appreciate this option, although some denizens of the net appear to be complaining that the Ring system is becoming somewhat confusing (although really, it isn't – and there will always be someone complaining). Microsoft recently promised to speed up the pace of builds being delivered via the Fast Ring, and indeed we saw the first evidence of Redmond pressing down harder on the accelerator last week. But of course, more speed equals more risk – hold onto your hats, preview people… Via: Betanews Should you upgrade to Windows 10? http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247391191443/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d83344d/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247391191443/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d83344d/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247391191443/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d83344d/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/247391191443/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d83344d/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/247391191443/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d83344d/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4d83344d/sc/15/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/pEI2tnunDG4

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Office/Office%20for%20Mac%202016/Office%202016%20for%20Mac%20review%20hero-470-75.jpgIf you're a keen Office Insider testing out the Mac version of Microsoft's productivity juggernaut, then you'll be pleased to hear that a new preview build of the Office for Mac suite has been released. Yes, build 15.19 is now out for Apple's desktop computers and boasts a few significant changes which Redmond highlighted. The most tinkering has been done with PowerPoint, with the presentation module getting a new type of transition, namely the 'Morph'. This allows for the seamless movement of objects across slides, a pretty neat effect. You'll find it on the Transitions tab, of course. Customisation capersPowerPoint, as well as Word and Excel, also now benefits from Quick Access Toolbar customisation which allows the user to add any command they use a great deal to said toolbar for the maximum in convenience. Finally, Outlook has seen a small tweak in that the keyboard shortcut to forward an email has been reinstated (Command-J), a much requested feature apparently. How do Mac users become an Office Insider? Simply start any of the Office apps, go to the Help menu and select Check for Updates, where you can access AutoUpdate and opt in for preview builds. As ever with preview versions of software, though, bear in mind that you may run into bugs and inconsistencies. Where is Microsoft headed with Office in the future? For one thing, it has big plans for the connected car to allow commuters to be able to access Office 365 cloud services on their journey to work (in a safe manner, of course). Via: Neowin 10 things Microsoft should do with Office http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247390952245/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d7666ed/sc/28/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247390952245/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d7666ed/sc/28/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247390952245/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d7666ed/sc/28/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/247390952245/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d7666ed/sc/28/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/247390952245/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d7666ed/sc/28/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4d7666ed/sc/28/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/gCY9JZySzoo

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/broadcast/Sky/SkyQ/For%20hands%20on/sky%20q%20with%20remote%20on%20white-470-75.jpgFor those people waiting to get the incredible but very premium new Sky Q box, the time is getting near, with the box officially going on sale today. Those that choose to upgrade or subscribe can now do so on the Sky website, although the first boxes will only be installed by the end of February. We were hugely impressed with the box, with our hands on Sky Q review suggesting that this finally feels like a box built for the modern age of television viewing, cleverly mixing streaming with satellite and allowing your viewing to take place on whatever device you want. Of course, this comes at a cost - with Sky unsurprisingly pricing the cutting edge set-top box at the premium end of the market. Anyone signing up for the service will pay an up-front cost, which starts at £99, but will get a professional install to make sure that all the wires are in the right places. Read our Sky Q hands on reviewSky Q deals

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/mobile_phones/Google/Nexus-6P/HandsOn2/Nexus6P-HandsOn-03-470-75.JPGTouchID on the iPhone 6S may have standardised the mobile fingerprint scanner, but over the past 12 months, flagship devices like the Nexus 6P and Sony Xperia Z5 Ultra have made an integrated digit scanner standard. And as of today, all those fingerprint scanners just got significantly more useful, with the Android version of 1Password receiving an update that includes support for fingerprint unlocking the app. There's a slight catch – it will only work with Marshmallow's integrated fingerprint support, so if your device is running a previous version of Android you are all out of luck. Designer fingersIt's not just your digits getting some loving from the update – the whole design has received a makeover, falling into line with Android's Material Design philosophy. The app is free to download (and you should, given it's easily on our list of the best password manager apps), although you may need to pay a bit for the premium features. 1Password is already on our Best iPhone Apps list http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247390854990/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d744c7f/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247390854990/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d744c7f/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247390854990/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d744c7f/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/247390854990/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d744c7f/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/247390854990/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d744c7f/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4d744c7f/sc/15/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/RUCFLUOGlwI

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Microsoft/Windows%2010%20on%20Dell/Start-470-75.JPGIntroduction and consumer adoptionFive months. That's all it took for Microsoft to sell 200 million copies of Windows 10. It is easily the fastest selling operating system the company has ever released, and possibly the best. However, as several industry experts told techradar, while the number is a positive indicator of success, it's still important to understand the breakdown of those 200 million devices. For starters, it may be too easy to see the Windows 10 launch as a raging success and push through adoption and deployment faster than necessary. The truth is, Microsoft achieved that number as a result of changing consumer habits, not fanatical business interest. Consumer adoptionRoger Kay, a consumer analyst with Endpoint Technologies, makes a great point about the 200 million number. Consumers seem to have lost their "fear of the unknown" and are now much more likely to purchase, use, and adopt new devices and new operating systems. He says they will put up with apps not working, crashes and bugs, and even outright failures if they feel they can ultimately benefit from something new, shiny, trendy, and cool. That's not exactly a good measuring rod for the enterprise. Interestingly, Kay says that in business, the OS should be more like the plumbing. A plethora of features and advancements are not as important as having an operating system that's stable and stays out of the way. "Microsoft has the commercial segment to lose," says Kay. "Windows is still the main environment for the vast majority of businesses. Despite inroads, Apple hasn't made that much progress, particularly in larger organisations, which are very price sensitive. CIOs may even like Apple better personally, but will only pay for Microsoft." The X FactorAs IDC analyst Steve Kleynhans explained to us, the biggest reason that rollout number is so high is due to the Xbox One, which accounts for at least 20 million installs. Unofficially, he said he's heard that leaves about 180 million computers that are now running Windows 10, which is still incredibly high and means that, in just five short months, Windows 10 has become the fastest selling OS ever released. However, it's a good reminder about the story behind these numbers. Xbox One users tend to agree to updates as a way to improve the experience. (You could argue that the new Windows 10 interface on an Xbox One is more confusing than the previous version). It's also free, and has nothing to do with enterprise computing purchasing cycles. Furthermore, it's also a reminder that, according to Kleynhans, a vast number of the installs for the remaining 180 million computers were on consumer devices, not in the enterprise. "Enterprise-based Windows 10 rollouts haven't really started and won't really get going for another six months at least," says Kleynhans. "Companies just take a lot more time to plan and test – and cost justify – any significant project. Today we see a lot of piloting across the majority of companies, and the feedback is typically positive." http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Windows/Upgrade%20to%20Win%2010%20Pro/go%20to%20store-420-100.jpg Slow enterprise launch?It's easy to forget that the initial rollout of Windows 10 was not exactly smooth. Kleynhans mentioned several negatives at launch – users were initially concerned about privacy and how the operating system tracks online usage patterns and can even display relative ads in games. The end-user license agreement also came under fire for being a bit too aggressive. Most of these concerns proved to be unfounded, however. The uproar died out quickly when Microsoft clarified some of the "features" and addressed privacy concerns. Charles King, an analyst with PUND-IT, told techradar that business installs are only about 20 million units, as mentioned in a Microsoft blog post. That's mostly due to the long rollout cycles for the enterprise, which King estimates at about 12-18 months. However, the enterprise might start moving quickly. King says that Microsoft insists there are as many as 600 million aging computers in the world that are four-years-old or more. That's a springboard already, and combined with the consumer upticks, it could boost sales even more and lead to wider enterprise adoption, especially for those older systems. The big billionIs Windows 10 really a hit?Even though there is a ripe market, most of the sales of Microsoft's new OS have been in the consumer market. It begs the question for larger companies – is Windows 10 as popular as the 200 million installs seems to indicate? Kleynhans says it's important to evaluate the actual operating system, its features and UI, and plan your strategy rather than give in to the hype. For starters, there are some features that look attractive but may be superfluous. One is Windows Hello, the authentication system that can use a fingerprint reader, your face, or your iris. The biometric technology involved already exists from vendors like HP and Lenovo. "Only a handful of devices have shipped that enable Hello – most notably Microsoft's Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book but not much else," says Kleynhans. "It was a nice feature for the ads, but the market wasn't ready with the devices needed to support it. To the best of my knowledge there still isn't a consumer-friendly aftermarket option for adding Windows Hello to your PC." http://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/software/Windows/Windows%2010%20upgrade/should%20you%20upgrade-420-100.jpg The one billion target200 million devices is an incredible number. What's even more incredible? The ultimate goal of one billion devices, a number that Microsoft has stated publically without giving a detailed timeline for when it aims to hit that major milestone. It's a given that the market has to expand well beyond the consumer sales we've seen so far and reach critical mass in business. "It is reasonable to assume that by the end of 2018, hitting that target should be straightforward if enterprise upgrades continue and as long as the consumer PC market doesn't get too much worse," says Kleynhans. "It would be surprising but not impossible by the end of 2017. That would require a sharp jump in users taking the free upgrade – which may still happen – and companies to move at lightning speed through their testing and deployment." "For Windows 10 to be widely accepted, it has to replace the remnant of Windows XP and all the Windows 7 that's out there," adds Kay. "I think the company has made the point that Windows Vista and Windows 8 are not real problems from an upgrade point of view. Three years sounds reasonable, although in a bad economy, people will hold onto computers longer." The final analysis? Microsoft is on a roll with consumers, and that should make you pay attention. It should not change your rollout strategy. As usual, the numbers point to a positive trend, even if the numbers don't always tell the whole story. 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http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Linux/Best%20niche%20distro/distro-satanic-470-75.jpgIntroductionhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Linux/Best%20niche%20distro/distroniche-intro-420-90.jpg Note: Our weird and wonderful niche Linux distros round-up has been fully updated. This feature was first published in December 2011. Fed up with the bog-standard Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora and so on? Looking for a distro that reflects your individuality? In this round-up we've discovered no less than 13 of the best, oddest and most useful distributions that Linux has to offer. They include one distro which is the official, sanctioned OS of North Korea, no less, along with a Satanic Edition of Ubuntu (yes, you read that correctly), and also a distro which is so light it will run on a PC from the mid-80s. That ancient 386 in the attic could still be useful, then… Read on to find out more about each of these interesting distros – and why on Earth you'd want to use them. 10 of the best Linux distros for privacy fiends and security buffs5 of the most popular Linux gaming distros10 best Linux distros: which one is right for you?What's the best Linux distro for beginners?How to choose the best Linux distro for laptopsRed Star OShttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Linux/Best%20niche%20distro/distroniche-redstar-420-90.jpg One distro that's never going to trouble the top of the Distrowatch rankings chart is Red Star OS. This is the Linux distribution that was developed/is being developed as the officially sanctioned operating system of North Korea, apparently originally at the behest of Kim Jong-Il, the country's ex-leader. The latest release – version 3.0 – was released back in 2014 and gives the desktop (and installer) an OS X-like makeover. It works surprisingly well, although you'll need to learn Korean to have any chance of understanding what's going on. Familiar apps have been renamed too – there's a notebook app called My Comrade, and Firefox is called My Country (perhaps fittingly, as North Korea has its own internet). We searched for 'Democracy' in the default search engine, but nothing came up. If you're desperate to try it for yourself, download the 2.5GB ISO from this website and try it in a VM. MuLinuxhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Linux/Best%20niche%20distro/nichedistro-mulinux-420-90.jpg The classically educated might be able to guess that MuLinux is a small distro, possibly in the same vein as Puppy or Damn Small Linux. You'd have difficulty, however, comprehending just how small it is. MuLinux requires 20MB hard disk space and 4MB RAM, and will run on an Intel 80386 processor or later. That's the same Intel 80386 processor that was released in 1985, meaning Mu will breathe life into even ancient hardware. Mu is no match for a modern system in terms of productivity, having been finished in 1998-99, but if you have a 25-year-old machine that you want to rescue from the scrapheap, it's the distro for you. Ubuntu Satanic Editionhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Linux/Best%20niche%20distro/distro-satanic-420-90.jpg Ubuntu spin-offs are ten-a-penny, but we have to recognise that the makers of Ubuntu SE have gone beyond the ordinary in their quest to please The Dark One. The dark theme and collection of background images is the most obvious modification, and the sound effects and start-up jingle have also been customised. Ubuntu's fondness for alliteration is still there (the last three releases have been Lucifer's Legion, Microsoft Massacre and Necrophiliac Necromancer), but the version numbers have been modified to 666.8, 666.9 and 666.10 respectively. Sadly, development appears to have ceased, but if you're a fan of the dark arts and Gnome 2-based desktops, then Ubuntu SE may still appeal. Oh, and it doesn't have live CDs; they're "undead". Endearingly bonkers. GoboLinuxhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Linux/Best%20niche%20distro/distroniche-gobo-420-90.jpg This is one that will appeal to the techies out there – the thing that marks GoboLinux out from the rest is its filesystem layout. Most Linux distributions use an archaic non-arrangement wherein an application's files are scattered around your hard drive in several different folders. GoboLinux adopts an OS X-like approach (which Apple took from RISC OS), and stores all files associated with an application in a single folder in /Programs. The most current version of GoboLinux is 015, which was released back in 2014 boasting the Enlightenment 18 desktop along with refreshed versions of the GoboLinux management tools. GNewSensehttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Linux/Best%20niche%20distro/distroniche-gnewsense-420-90.jpg If you like software freedom, you'll love GNewSense. It's based on Ubuntu, but has had all non-free software removed, including those tricky non-free driver files that are loaded into the Linux kernel (known as binary blobs). Unfortunately, many of these blobs are drivers for wireless networking cards, so GNewSense may not be the best distro for laptops. On the plus side, it has removed or renamed software that doesn't fit the Free Software Foundation's definition of freedom (Firefox, for example, is renamed as Burning Dog), and it doesn't provide any links to non-free repositories, making it even more free than Debian. Until we get the Hurd to replace the Linux kernel and create Gnu/Hurd, GNewSense – along with another Ubuntu-based distro by the name of Trisquel – is the closest we'll get to completely free. C.A.IN.Ehttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Linux/Best%20niche%20distro/distroniche-caine-420-90.jpg The bizarrely named C.A.IN.E stands for Computer Aided Investigative Environment, and is basically targeting those who need to perform computer forensics. It's described as "an interoperable environment that supports the digital investigator during the four phases of the digital investigation." To this end, it focuses on a user-friendly front-end that organises software tools into modules for easy access. It can be installed to the hard drive or run direct as a live CD – the current version 7.0 (DeepSpace) is based on Ubuntu 14.04.1, and was released in November 2015. Yellow Doghttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Linux/Best%20niche%20distro/nichedistro-yellowdog-420-90.jpg Yellow Dog was released in the late 90s for Apple computers using the PowerPC chip architecture, and found its niche among people who wanted an even more different way to think differently. All was good, but then Apple abandoned PowerPC in favour of Intel chips, which it's still using today. This left Yellow Dog out in the cold, but after a change of ownership it reinvented itself as an OS for high-performance multicore computing – most notably as the OS used on PlayStations hooked up to form cheap supercomputing grids. Ubuntu Studiohttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Linux/Best%20niche%20distro/distroniche-ubuntu-studio-420-90.jpg This is a distro for media enthusiasts. Whether you're into music, graphics, video, photography or publishing then you'll find Ubuntu Studio comes with all the apps you need pre-installed, complete with workflows to help you get stuff done. It's bang up to date too, with builds based on the latest LTS and cutting-edge releases available. All you need to do is follow the Ubuntu-friendly installer, choosing which package sets to install. Once complete, you'll reboot into an Xfce 4-powered desktop Gentoohttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Linux/Best%20niche%20distro/distroniche-gentoo-420-90.jpg We love the freedom that we have to modify and recompile source code according to our needs, but very few of us actually do this, because it's easier to just download a Deb or RPM file. The lazy majority would not like Gentoo – or Linux For Masochists, as it's sometimes known – for the simple fact that you have to compile it yourself. That's not just the apps – it's the whole thing, including the kernel and all the other bits of your current distro that most people take for granted. The point of this is that if your Linux distro is compiled for your exact hardware, it should be possible to wring every last drop of performance from your kit. You just need to make sure that you have a large supply of coffee to hand before you attempt to install it. And yes, we know that there are versions of Gentoo in existence that are easier to use, but they're not really Gentoo now, are they? Scientific Linuxhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Linux/Best%20niche%20distro/distroniche-scientific-420-90.jpg There still exists among our Windows-using cousins the risible idea that Linux isn't good enough to take over on the desktop – that the continued dominance of Microsoft on the desktop is inevitable, because Linux is not up to the job technically. This can easily be refuted: the cleverest people on the planet – the scientists searching for clues about the beginning of the universe – use Scientific Linux at the CERN laboratories. It's based on Red Hat, and anyone can download and install it on their machine. You don't even need a PhD in theoretical physics. Parted Magichttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Linux/Best%20niche%20distro/distroniche-parted-420-90.jpg We're sure that nobody runs this as their full-time operating system (if you do, get in touch and tell us why), because although it's technically a distro, it's best thought of as a specialist tool. Parted Magic is a live distro that comes with all the tools you need to fix broken partitions. If something won't boot, this is what you use to fix it, and that goes for both Linux and Windows machines. It also allows for secure disk erasing (making sure that data is really nuked), benchmarking, and disk cloning among other features. As a troubleshooting aid, it's indispensable, but it will cost you $9 (around £6.30, AU$12.70) to download direct from the author's site. Bodhi Linuxhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Linux/Best%20niche%20distro/distroniche-bodhi-420-90.jpg Before Unity, Gnome 3 and KDE 4 came along and showed the world what it was missing, the Linux desktop was a staid place, enlivened only by the ongoing flame wars between KDE and Gnome users. This is odd, because as long ago as 1997 we had a far glitzier alternative: Enlightenment. Enlightenment is a window manager, and is beautiful without distracting you from the task in hand or forcing you to adopt your way of working to it. Bodhi Linux ships with a modified version of the Enlightenment desktop called Mokha, which means 'emancipation, liberation or release', and it's this decision to go with Enlightenment over other, better known desktops, that puts it on our list. Papyros (coming soon)http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/software/Linux/Best%20niche%20distro/distroniche-papyros-420-90.jpg The purpose behind this new Linux distro is to give those who love the material design of Android the opportunity to run the same user interface on their computer. Papyros is so new at this stage that at the time of writing it was still in alpha pre-release stage, with the developers currently working towards version 0.3. However, if you're desperate to experience the user interface for yourself, you can install the shell in Arch Linux. This will give you a decent flavour of what's coming, and we'll certainly be keeping a close eye on this one. http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247390586833/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d62834c/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247390586833/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d62834c/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247390586833/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d62834c/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/247390586833/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d62834c/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/247390586833/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d62834c/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4d62834c/sc/15/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/FwlLaUOz3Vk

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/internet/Cables/Virus_synapse-470-75.jpgBe warned that if you use Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, a popular piece of software for combating malware, there are some major vulnerabilities in the program – and these won't be fixed for some time yet. The security flaws were first discovered by researcher Tavis Ormandy, who is part of Google's Project Zero team that searches out exploits. Ormandy informed Malwarebytes of the vulnerabilities back in November, but now more than three months has passed, the details have been made public (which is Project Zero's policy). Obviously, that makes these security holes all the more dangerous, as when it comes to malware authors and peddlers, all and sundry are now aware of the issues and can attempt to exploit them. Apparently, Malwarebytes was able to fix a number of the vulnerabilities pretty much immediately after being told server-side, but patching up the client software is a different and evidently entirely trickier matter. As it stands, the company says that it is now testing a new version of the client software with the flaws patched, but this won't be released for another three to four weeks, worryingly. Signature snafuOrmandy listed four vulnerabilities which affected Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, the principal one being that the program gets its signature updates over HTTP, which could potentially allow a man-in-the-middle attack to be successfully instigated. In a blog post, Malwarebytes said: "The research seems to indicate that an attacker could use some of the processes described to insert their own code onto a targeted machine. Based on the findings, we believe that this could only be done by targeting one machine at a time. However, this is of sufficient enough a concern that we are seeking to implement a fix." Note that if you're using the premium (paid-for) version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware, you can go to settings and enable self-protection, and that will apparently take care of these vulnerabilities. Free users don't have that luxury, unfortunately. Malwarebytes has apologised, saying: "While these things happen, they shouldn't happen to our users." The company has also initiated its own bug bounty program, in an effort to ferret out further vulnerabilities – something of a PR/damage control move, of course, but certainly a good idea nonetheless. Malwarebytes certainly isn't alone though, and indeed Tavis Ormandy found a gaping flaw in Trend Micro's antivirus product last month. He's previously exposed other security outfits as well, such as Sophos. Via: ZDNet Best antivirus: 10 antivirus packages reviewed and rated http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247390449766/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d5b8a37/sc/28/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247390449766/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d5b8a37/sc/28/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247390449766/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d5b8a37/sc/28/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/247390449766/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d5b8a37/sc/28/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/247390449766/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d5b8a37/sc/28/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4d5b8a37/sc/28/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/L6bvw0z0wng

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Microsoft/Windows%2010%20background-470-75.jpgMicrosoft has pushed out a new preview build of Windows 10 (Redstone) to the Fast Ring, while noting that you'll now see an increased pace of builds being deployed, as previously promised. Gabe Aul, VP of Engineering Systems, announced the new build which is version 14257. In a blog post, he said that this marked the beginning of a new development cycle bringing new features to Windows 10, but that Microsoft's teams were still in the early stages of work on said features, so there won't be many changes just yet. Again, this is nothing new, as all the recent preview builds have been about tinkering with the underlying code of Windows rather than adding much in the way of new features. (And Redmond also took some time to revamp the internal build development process itself). So what is new with build 14257? Well, quite a number of bug fixes, including some stuff that the previous build broke – such as the Connect button, which now appears in the Action Center once again. Some sporadic app crashes caused by memory management issues have been put right, and F12 Developer Tools now load properly in the Edge browser. Microsoft also fixed the following problems: We fixed an issue where suggested apps were being shown on the Start menu even though "Occasionally show suggestions in Start" was turned off under Settings > Personalization > StartWe fixed an issue where if you try to change the Lock screen picture with "Get fun facts, tips, tricks and more on your lock screen" turned on it will revert back to the defaultWe fixed an issue where the positions of desktop icons get jumbled up after switching DPI settings from 100% to 150% or 175%We also fixed an issue where pasting files into a new .zip file (compressed folder) in File Explorer by either right-clicking or Control-V would not work. You should be able to paste tiles into new .zip files just fine nowDon't click that!Naturally enough, there are some new issues with this build – one thing Microsoft also promised is that faster delivery will mean more potential bugs, for obvious reasons. There is one showstopper to be aware of, and that occurs if you select Reset This PC under Settings > Update & Security > Recovery – in which case, your system will become borked with no workaround possible, and you'll have to reinstall Windows 10. So, don't reset your PC… Build 14257 also makes the front-facing camera unusable on computers with Intel RealSense, so bear that in mind as well. For the full list of flaws, see Microsoft's blog post. As well as Windows 10 previews being pushed out faster, the full version of Redmond's new OS is also making its way onto consumer PCs at a swifter pace in recent times, particularly when it comes to the gaming community. Via: Betanews Should you upgrade to Windows 10? http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247390442546/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d5b459d/sc/28/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247390442546/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d5b459d/sc/28/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247390442546/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d5b459d/sc/28/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/247390442546/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d5b459d/sc/28/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/247390442546/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d5b459d/sc/28/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4d5b459d/sc/28/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/SwatXGuGaQY

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/audio_systems/Amazon/Echo/Echo_Pizza-470-75.jpgAlexa, the AI built into the Amazon Echo, can keep appointments, shuffle music, recall sports scores, and track the weather, but now the smart speaker knows a new trick: ordering pizza. Domino's is bringing its AnyWare technology — which allows orders to placed with the pizza chain using smart devices — to the Echo, enabling users to order a slice with a single voice command. To utilize instant vocal pizza-summoning, users just need to link their Domino's Pizza Profile to the Amazon Alexa app, granting the AI knowledge of your preferred toppings and other crucial account info. From there, following the pie's progress is as easy as asking Alexa to check in on the Domino's Tracker, which shows the journey your meal takes, from the oven to the delivery guy to your doorstep. The Amazon Echo marks the eight platform for Domino's AnyWare program, which grants pizza-ordering capabilities to smartwatches, tweets, smart TVs, and even emojis. "We want to continue making ordering pizza as convenient as possible," said Domino's vice president and chief digital officer, Dennis Maloney. The feature is rolling out just in time for the Super Bowl, which Domino's claims sees five times as much business as a typical Sunday. Once activated and ordered, Alexa can use the phone number associated with the order to keep you up-to-date on the pizza's status, ensuring food will reach you without leaving the couch or even taking your eyes off the screen, just in case you have particularly hungry/impatient guests over to watch the big game this weekend. The Echo may be getting a makeover soon

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/Randoms/Windows-95-in-browser-470-75.jpgIt might not feel like such a long time ago, but this August will mark 21 years since the release of the game-changing Windows 95 operating system. Though the OS was seen as revolutionary at the time of launch, acting as an introduction to the internet age for many people, 19-year old Scottish developer Andrea Faulds has found a way to run Windows 95 inside a browser window. Faulds accomplished this impressive task with the use of Emscripten, which allows for the conversion of C/C++ code into JavaScript, and the DOS emulator DOSBox. You won't need to install anything to run this browser version of Windows 95, though you will need to wait a few minutes (depending on your internet connection) for its disk image to download (47MB gzipped, 131MB uncompressed). Nostalgia through emulationThough Faulds was born after the release of Windows 95 (feeling old yet?), the developer says she was driven by a sense of nostalgia, as she "grew up with ancient computers" due to her father's stubborn refusal to upgrade to Windows XP – something many of us can probably relate to! As can be expected of an emulated OS running within a browser window, it isn't perfect (time out errors do occur and it's occasionally sluggish), however, it's quite a fun 'window' to a simpler age, when Minesweeper and Solitaire were all that was needed to waylay boredom. If you've never had the pleasure of using Windows 95 before, let this video starring Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston guide you through the basics (if you can hold back your uproarious laughter, that is). A look at the many Windows boot screens through the ages http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247390272439/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d52263f/sc/21/rc/1/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247390272439/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d52263f/sc/21/rc/2/rc.img http://rc.feedsportal.com/r/247390272439/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d52263f/sc/21/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/247390272439/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d52263f/sc/21/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/247390272439/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4d52263f/sc/21/a2t.imghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4d52263f/sc/21/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/o1NGQ0hu2X0