sincity

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/mobile_phones/Apps/Facebook_messenger_phones-470-75.jpgMark Zuckerberg recently completed a public Q&A and - amid fielding questions about his choice of T-shirt and David Fincher's The Social Network - explained the forced installation of Facebook Messenger. He told the assembled crowd that the primary purpose of the Facebook app is the newsfeed, but that the company was noticing more and more usage of the direct messaging feature. According to Zuckerberg, the experience of using the main Facebook app to send messages created too much friction when compared to dedicated messaging services like iMessage or Whatsapp. "Even though it was a short term, painful thing to ask folks to install a separate messaging app, we knew that we could never deilver the quality of experience as just a tab inside the main Facebook app." Adoption principleZuckerberg moved on to explain the forced adoption principle by saying that Facebook's goal was to create something for the entire community. "We're trying to build a service that's good for everyone. Because Messenger is faster and more focused, if you're using it, you respond to messages faster," he said. Okay, skirting the issue a bit there, Zuck. But then when you're dealing with 10 billion messages every day, you're never going to be able to please everyone. Facebook Messenger is free, but the app still carries plenty of negative reviews from users unhappy about being forced to download it. What do you think about Facebook's decision to force you into using a separate messaging app? Let us know in the comments box below. Read our opinion on why Twitter and Facebook are making the same mistakes as MySpace.http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/404105e5/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597329426/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/404105e5/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597329426/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/404105e5/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597329426/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/404105e5/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597329426/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/404105e5/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/211597329426/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/404105e5/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/xvPQHST-yvA

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/TRBC/Miscellaneous/MPSA-470-75.jpgIntroductionMicrosoft licensing agreements for businesses are famously complex, with prices varying depending on how many copies you're buying of what product, with what support and upgrade rights, and who you're getting them from. The new Microsoft Products and Services Agreement (MPSA) that's rolling out to more countries this year aims to simplify things, especially for mid-sized companies. It's not just that you get a single, short licensing document instead of nearly 40 pages of different agreements, or even that instead of going to a different Microsoft website to see each of your agreements they're all on one portal, complete with your volume licence keys and software downloads – handy as that is. Advantage MPSAThe advantage of the MPSA is that it's a single way to buy Microsoft software and online services, with or without Software Assurance, even from multiple sources, that everyone in your company business can use to get volume discounts – without having to buy the same software. "Especially when they're using multiple partners, people have ended up with a proliferation of agreements so they have to stitch together their own reporting. We're trying to give customers a one shop stop, no matter what type of organisation they are; big, small or diversified, they have a single mechanism to buy software and services through one portal," Microsoft's Mark Croft told TechRadar Pro. "They always get the right price and they get central reporting. They can rest easy, knowing who has done what and that they will be automatically getting the best price." If you have branch offices or multiple departments, you can let them use your Microsoft purchasing account and add up all the Microsoft products you buy individually and use the total to qualify for volume pricing. That's everything from Windows to desktop Office to server software like SQL Server to cloud services – currently Office 365, Intune, Dynamics CRM Online, Project Online, Lync and Yammer. Azure (including services like Azure Active Directory Premium) and the Microsoft Enterprise Mobility Suite are "on the roadmap". "If you want Office 365 you can buy it through the MPSA as a subscription, or if you want the Office client you can install you can buy that, or if you want the next version included so you're always up to date – it covers all of that," Croft explains. Money to be savedThat adds up to both simplicity and savings, according to Stacie Boulay of Microsoft licencing partner En Pointe: "This is an initiative to simplify the customers' overall experience by allowing them to consolidate all of their purchases under one agreement. And customers are going to save money overall; this affects their total operating expense and cost of business. The pricing hasn't changed much but with the ability to self-provision, a customer reduces the amount of downtime for a PO to be processed, and they have immediate access to latest technology for any project deadline." Boulay describes the tools in the new portal as "pretty easy" to use. Discount tiersThe MPSA doesn't replace all of Microsoft's other licensing programs. For very small businesses, Croft says the Open and Open Value programmes are more relevant – "we're going to add more cloud options for very small business users through Open," he claims. And if you're buying thousands of licences a year through an Enterprise Agreement, you're going to be doing that for a while (although Croft says the MPSA will evolve to be more attractive to large customers). If you're currently signed up for Microsoft Select Plus licensing, the MPSA is what you'll be looking at. "The MPSA does everything that Select Plus does, it does it better and crucially it does both on premise and cloud. We've announced that we'll be retiring Select Plus over the next couple of years and that's deliberate. Of course, if you've bought through Select Plus you don't lose those rights even once it's retired, but we'll be trying to slowly bring people over onto the MPSA." Until you move all your licences to the new agreement, you can't manage them all with the new portal (or use them to qualify for discounts). "The challenge for a customer is going to be if they have a legacy VL agreement which uses one tool while MPSA uses another," Boulay points out. "They will need to manage two separate portals and there is no functionality at this time, nor are there any plans in the future, to incorporate old licences from legacy tools into the new MVLC platform. MPSA can only be viewed on the new Microsoft Volume Licensing Centre and the traditional volume licensing programs can only be viewed on [the current] Volume Licensing Service Centre." 250 users and upTo qualify for MPSA volume pricing, you need to be buying for at least 250 users or devices and you need to have bought 500 points worth of software by the end of your first year – as you buy more points worth of software, you qualify for bigger volume discounts (the discount levels run from A to D, with D being the highest discounts). Microsoft products are divided into three pools (operating systems, servers and productivity software), so you have to earn 500 points in each pool to get volume discounts in that pool. "Think of it like earning airline frequent flyer miles," Croft suggests. The point system is simpler than trying to deal with multiple currencies and he says the 500 point level "is not an aggressive target". MPSA currently covers the UK and indeed the whole of the EU, and by summer 2015 "it will be global, with the possible exception of mainland China," Croft told us. But you don't get it from Microsoft, rather, it's available through Microsoft's 400 licensing solution partners – although once you have an MPSA you can just go online and buy more licences or new online services without going back to the partner. "If a customer is opening a new branch office over the weekend and wants to set up ten new employees with Office 365 they can log in, add those ten users on the plan they want, provision those users and have them up and running without needing to go back and forth to the licensing partner. The partner can see what the customer is doing but the customer doesn't have to wait on the partner and the customer doesn't have to micromanage the partner." Simple and unifiedYou can have different licensing partners, so you could get your OS and data centre products from Dell but your productivity tools from another partner. But Microsoft partners who resell services like Office 365 with their own products – like email archiving or encryption services – aren't yet able to offer the MPSA. So this is a simpler, unified system, but unless you're buying your first Microsoft products you probably can't use it for everything. http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/403ff5fe/sc/36/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597324363/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/403ff5fe/sc/36/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597324363/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/403ff5fe/sc/36/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597324363/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/403ff5fe/sc/36/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597324363/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/403ff5fe/sc/36/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/211597324363/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/403ff5fe/sc/36/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/qMZtP3mw5rM

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/gadgets/amazon_echo-470-75.jpgVoice commands don't always work very well on the Xbox One, but maybe Amazon can succeed where Microsoft has floundered? The bookseller has introduced something called the Amazon Echo, a Bluetooth-enabled speaker with an always-on microphone that listens for voice commands. The Echo can play music or the news, answer questions, create lists, set alarms, and more at your command, according to Amazon. And the trigger word that prompts it to start listening is "Alexa." Hope your name's not AlexaIt may not be ideal for people named Alexa, but Amazon says the Echo can hear you even when it's playing music from its speaker. A 9-inch cylinder, the Amazon Echo has a built-in subwoofer and reflex port, a light around the top, an "action" button, and a button to mute the microphone. A companion app for Android and Fire phones, plus a browser app for other devices, helps with initial set-up and further management of the Echo. And Amazon says the Echo will harness the cloud to constantly learn and get smarter. The Amazon Echo is available to purchase by invite only for $199 (about £125, AU$230) or $99 (about £60, AU$115) for Amazon Prime subscribers. Amazon Prime subscribers are getting unlimited cloud photo storage

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/TRBC/Software/Nokia%20HERE%20Maps/AR-maps-hero-470-75.jpgIntroductionAfter a decade of work on augmented reality on mobile devices, Daniel Krause of Nokia's HERE Maps team thinks we're ready to get past the demos and start using phones that show us an X-ray vision of the world around us. "We're moving from just a map for navigation that's a digital version of a paper map to a next-generation map that's much more contextual, that's much more active and dynamic, that fits in to the moment and really provides the information you need," Krause told TechRadar Pro. The key to giving you that moment of information is making augmented reality fit seamlessly into the digital maps we already use, Krause says. Nokia added AR to its maps on Windows Phone last year and they quickly learned what does and doesn't work. "People really like the idea of vital information in context and getting away from the equivalent of a paper map into the real world, but it's very important to keep the map context. If it's an augmented reality viewer that just shows stuff around you then people are confused about what it shows. Our technology, Live Sight, is integrated very tightly into the map; really it's just another map mode." Big breakthroughThe breakthrough was building a 3D transition that morphs between the traditional overhead map view and the heads-up augmented reality view where you hold the phone up to use it like a lens on the world. "We do a 3D transition between the orthographic map and the camera view and back," Krause explains. "We fly the camera down through the classic oblique angle and down to the ground and you see 3D buildings pop out and into the camera view." That lets you keep track of how what you can see around you fits in with the map, which Krause calls 'spatiality'. "One of the greatest uses of 3D is to provide the spatial connection between the heads-up view and the world around you." So if you see an unusual building and you wonder what it is, you can pull out your phone. Instead of just looking on the map for a building, you can hold up the phone. "As you tilt the phone, the building would show in 3D. If you continue to push the phone up the building will tilt fully and fade into the building that's here in front of you," he explains. The sensors in your phone aren't accurate enough to do that on their own – "we've done a lot of registration work to get it right," Krause notes. Where can I go now?What people really find augmented reality tools useful for is exploring the world right around them. "We want to explore things within two or three hundred metres of where we're standing," says Krause. That's fun for tourists but even more useful for business travellers. The labels you see in the camera view could tell you more than just the name of the building or business you can see, like ratings and offers. "Here are the restaurants you can see, and here are the ratings, and these two have a special on," he suggests. If you have enough detail in your map, an augmented reality view could save you a lot of walking if you're heading into a large building like a shopping centre or an office complex. "I want to get a route to the door of the building – as a pedestrian, I could be half a mile off. Augmented reality could show me the points of interest. I want to take a quick glimpse; is it in here or how do I find it?" HERE Maps is adding more features to make that easier. The first is showing the dynamic distance to a point of interest as you walk towards it, and the other is called Point Me There and puts arrows on-screen to point you in the direction of a point of interest. "That solves the problem of doing a search and holding up the phone and all the Italian restaurants that are close are behind you," jokes Krause. Getting the direction is accurate up to about 20 or 30 feet he says. Still issues to overcomeThere are still some problems to solve concerning displaying the right information for where you are, such as when you're outside a large building and you want to see details of what's inside (like the different shops and services in a railway station) or you're inside the office and you want to see what's outside the building. That's the occlusion problem: "There's something blocking what I'm looking at – should we efface things that are not directly visible? It works in the other direction too – if you're outside, you might not want to see the points of interest that are behind the building," Krause observes. Or if you're in a large venue, you might want to be guided to the exit without seeing the details of businesses outside. And what about handling different levels: how do you show if an exit is underground or the coffee shop you're looking for is on the second floor? The Live Sight team is working on the best way to show all of these elements so they're meaningful. "It has to be so when the user pulls their phone out the information being given is really clear and accurate and in context – and it shows any deficiencies that may be there. The limitations [we face] are defined by the resolution of the location information that's available from hardware and how good we are at providing directions that are really constructive, and extremely robust." Are we there yet?Live Sight is the third-generation of Nokia's augmented reality technology. Krause thinks it will take off this time, partly because we have fast enough processors, big enough screens and good enough location tools in our phones, along with voice recognition that works reliably. It's also due to the fact that as smartphones have become more ubiquitous, we've started to demand ways of getting information that make sense on a phone screen – and AR is ideal for that. "I think we're getting very close because people are interested in a simpler and more humanised experience. I don't want to stand out on the street and type in 'pizza'; I want to hold my phone up and say 'show me pizza joints'. There's a desire for simplification and speed. People want it to be simple and easy to get to. It's about searching, exploring, navigating – and making that entire workflow visual and effortless and preferably one-handed. There are lots of technologies starting to appear in phones and operating systems, like the increasing amount of voice recognition, that's starting to tie in with what we can do with Live Sight." But he's also excited about what we get with the next generation of mobile devices. We asked him when will augmented reality become commonplace, and Krause replied: "I feel it will happen as phones get thinner and lighter, as they become transparent screens [on the world], things we hold up and look through – the glasses on your face or a tablet you hold up and unroll like a pirate map." http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/403a971a/sc/36/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597260416/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/403a971a/sc/36/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597260416/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/403a971a/sc/36/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597260416/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/403a971a/sc/36/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597260416/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/403a971a/sc/36/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/211597260416/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/403a971a/sc/36/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/YEFc5qcml0A

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/waterstone6-470-75.jpgIntroduction and analysisThe payments ecosystem continues to face significant change driven by the continued acceleration of traditional online commerce coupled with the increasing relevance of mobile technology—all of which is driving a new set of omnichannel consumer expectations. Big Data/Analytics, Internet of Things (IoT), Cloud, and "as a Service" business models are creating a myriad of new revenue generation and operating model improvement opportunities and changing the nature of competition and scale economics. In many ways, what is happening within the payments space mirrors what has already begun to change the traditional technology sector. There has been a lot of focus on the consumer end of the payments value chain in terms of emerging solutions, mobile, digital wallets, and the changing nature of retail. However, these changes are also putting significant pressure on "behind the scenes" players in the merchant acquisition, processing, and services space, including: Increased pricing pressure from traditional and new competitors and commoditization of core offerings - all driving an increased focus on customer retentionRise of ecommerce and mobile driving increasing merchant demand for integrated, omnichannel capabilitiesPressure on historical go-to-market and customer success models as well as limited ability for certain players to drive significant EBITDA via increased scale aloneIncreasing customer expectations for support and value-added services beyond just enabling paymentsThese challenges are compelling payment services providers, particularly merchant acquirers/processors, to transform many aspects of their business model to be successful. Three key value-creation themes have emerged as critical for success: http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/Value%20Creation%20Themes%20Graphic-420-90.jpg There has been substantial activity among leading players in the first two value-creation areas, particularly in new capabilities and offers, SMB segment focus, and go-to-market strategies and partnerships. In addition, we see the third value-creation area—optimizing customer experience and leveraging post-sales services and support—as an exceptional and underleveraged opportunity to enhance profitability and improve retention. This is particularly true as some players can no longer drive profitability through scale economies alone. Our experience within the technology sector, particularly around software and other recurring revenue businesses, suggests that there are several lessons learned that are directly relevant to the payments processing ecosystem. The customer success value-creation opportunityThe payments ecosystem and key players in the value chain will continue to evolve towards software-enabled, integrated payments solutions and services. Further, we foresee growth in Cloud-enabled, potentially "as-a-Service" business models, either directly or through key partnerships. In the transition to Cloud-enabled, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) models, software companies have identified an increased need and opportunity to focus on improved customer experience. Doing so strengthens the role and contribution of services and support resources to grow revenues, reduce attrition, and enhance customer lifetime value. This is particularly relevant to players that have reached the point of maximum economies of scale and need to drive incremental EBITDA through differentiating products/services and enhancing customer support. Case study and conclusionEnterprise software: a case study in driving customer successAs enterprise software companies have faced the migration of software to the Cloud and SaaS delivery models, the following challenges have emerged: Changing revenue model/mix driving the need for significantly more effort post sale to reach target EBITDA levels and combat increasing churnCompanies continue to experience increasing customer acquisition costs that may not be offset by current/legacy customer retention effortsServices revenue is declining for many tech companies, resulting in loss of critical customer experience touch pointsThese shifting market dynamics have driven an increased need for enhanced services and customer success and retention capabilities to drive profitability within the subscription model, deliver against increasing customer expectations, and grow recurring revenue within the account. Through our work with software companies around their Cloud-enabled transformation to SaaS models, we have identified four key imperatives that are very relevant and transferable to the rapidly changing merchant acquirer/processor space: http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/waterstone%20copy-420-90.jpg Applying software's customer success lessons to the payments ecosystemFollowing is an exploration of the four key customer success imperatives outlined above and the implications to merchant acquirers/processors: 1. Monetizing Additional Offerings: Merchant expectations are increasing. Products and services must be expanded to address omnichannel operations and to support and help drive merchant market success. Acquirers/processors need to explore additional revenue and value-add opportunities such as offering premium options, cross-selling additional offerings (proprietary or third party), and supporting/promoting any downstream services of its own or from key partners. To this end, acquirers/processors must take a broad view of offering portfolios (e.g., how far across the value chain) and proactively manage offer development (independently and/or with existing and new partnerships). Key considerations include defining offers and services to bundle with base service, how to price incremental offerings, and minimum acceptable margins to justify given acquisitions costs and churn/retention impact. 2. Embracing New Service Delivery Channels: Acquirers/processors should proactively manage customer service delivery cost and effectiveness, particularly as they move into an omnichannel environment. This may mean augmenting traditional phone and email support with new delivery channels, including self-service portals, online communities, and social customer relationship management (CRM). However, these new delivery channels are not without challenges. While self-support is a low-cost option, support sites and digital channels are still relatively nascent from a proof of concept point of view. B2B social CRM has become an attractive channel given its low cost and broad reach. However, it is still in its formative stages and there is not yet a comprehensive understanding of its effectiveness. People are still a significant driver of effectiveness and there is a danger in relying on business cases that focus too heavily on technical solutions. Companies need to embrace B2B digital support channels, but operate them fundamentally differently than consumer-oriented businesses, including managing them under the customer success umbrella rather than by the traditional marketing, website, or other stakeholder groups. Additionally, performance of these channels must be clearly measured, potentially including customer resolution rate, time to resolution, and customer satisfaction, much as they are in contact centers today. Lastly, online communities and forums should be actively monitored for potential customer-support and product-related issues, and leveraged as a valuable source of customer insight. A recent study by Edison Research showed that over 40% of customers that contact a company via social media expect a response within an hour and nearly 60% expect it within the business day. While the use of social channels are still evolving within the B2B space (and in some cases may not be directly replicable from the B2C world), carefully targeted and curated user communities have proven to be effective across a variety of dimensions (e.g. lowering call center costs, increased stickiness with users, lower churn levels, and lower education/training costs). In addition, the ROI and strategic value of different solutions will vary across the enterprise-to-SMB continuum. Therefore, there is risk in deploying a one-size-fits-all model. In summary, while digital channels and social CRM have tremendous potential to lower cost-to- serve and improve the customer experience, especially with SMB/middle market customers, a blend of legacy customer support strategies augmented by new digital tools carefully deployed over time (and on a segmented basis) is likely the optimal approach. 3. Proactively Managing Customer Success and Retention: Acquirers/processors must proactively manage customer experience and success over time, particularly as companies move towards "as-a-Service" models. This may be a new mindset versus waiting for a contract renewal or believing that "no news is good news." We see clients creating clear roles and accountability in account management and support—if not a dedicated "customer success management" function—to drive value, adoption of additional products/services, and, ultimately, enhanced retention. Acquirers/processors, both directly and with their partners, should a) proactively manage each customer touch point to ensure product usage/business success, identify new customer needs and new leads, and c) enable their "customer success" capability with enhanced CRM and other technologies. The idea is to strike a better balance between investments in customer acquisition and customer success/retention, and to take advantage of new technologies while not underestimating potential required changes to workflow and people management processes. 4. Rethinking Additional Services: Services has the potential to become an even more important part of the business model—beyond initial merchant setup and training—with an offering portfolio that can support a customer throughout the life cycle. This may require developing new offerings and skills sets internally as well as clear alignment with partners in the value chain (e.g., ISVs, VARs, and ISOs). New offerings may include packages designed to speed merchant on-boarding as well as enhanced training and content development and delivery to help drive volume and adoption, particularly with new technology-based offers and services (e.g., mobile, beacon, loyalty/analytics). Post-implementation and performance improvement services can be considered to help the merchant customers maximize solution value/ROI. The ultimate goal is to ensure that the service portfolio helps the customer achieve its desired business outcomes while transforming services to drive usage, adoption and higher perceptions of value creation. The customer success imperativeGiven the rapid changes in both capabilities and customer expectations, and pressures on traditional profit pools, the time is ripe for merchant acquirers/processors to establish a renewed focus on optimizing customer experience and support to drive growth and strengthen recurring revenue and ROI. "I think many acquirers suffer from far too high attrition and we all believe there is not much to solve for in this challenge. We spend more time winning customers than we do keeping those customers. … So looking after our customers, keeping every single customer longer, making it easier for them to do business with us, are all things that will drive growth within our business as opposed to just chasing after loads and loads of customers. … I think this change in philosophy is just the start, and it's making Elavon relevant, exciting, and helping us grow in the marketplace…." – Guy Harris, President of Elavon North America, August 2014 As highlighted by Guy Harris of Elavon above, key merchant acquirers/processors have already begun to recognize the opportunity to generate value by focused improvement in customer success. As merchant services become increasingly technology enabled/dependent and potentially move toward more "as-a-Service" models, the lessons we take from the software industry are very relevant and transferrable – but potentially even more challenging to execute in the complex and dynamic ecosystem of payments solutions and service providers. While next generation customer success models are still in the early stages of evolution, the potential to drive higher levels of performance has never been greater for companies that take a strategic approach to business model design and execution. Scott Haug is a Partner at Waterstone Management Group. Laura Green is a Principal at Waterstone Management Group.http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/403a9723/sc/36/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/w25lQuuwKt8

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/techradar/TechRadar%20Deals/6th%20Nov%2014/main%20deal-470-75.jpgTechRadar has a team of tech-savvy super-elves putting together our daily deals, and today we've got some great ideas for discounted Christmas presents. We've got Apple iPad Airs, bluetooth speakers, some nifty kitchen gear, PC components, DIY tools and more! Why don't we start with the iPad Air: we've spotted the iPad Air 32GB WiFi model on Tesco Direct for just £329. That's a pretty amazing deal when you think that the new iPad Mini 3 costs about the same price. You'll need a secret eCoupon code to get the special price, which is: TDX-TGHR. The deal won't last for long so be quick. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/TechRadar%20Deals/6th%20Nov%2014/jbl4-580-100.jpg One brilliant present to give someone this Christmas is a Bluetooth speaker. They're all the rage and great for taking music with you when you stay with family or go on holiday. We found the JBL Micro wireless protable speaker online for just £19.97. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/TechRadar%20Deals/6th%20Nov%2014/leapfrog-580-100.jpg And how about this activity tracker for young kids? It's a wearable pet designed to keep kids active, With the LeapFrog LeapBand Activity Tracker kids can have a good time getting active with a customisable pet pal as they play games and complete challenges together. And it's available on Amazon for just £18.16. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/TechRadar%20Deals/6th%20Nov%2014/3lego-580-100.jpg Our LEGO deals are always super popular because everyone loves LEGO! Here we have a DC Comics LEGO Super Heroes set which includes Batman and The Riddler. You can pick it up on Amazon for £17.51. MORE DEALSKENWOOD KM331 Classic Chef Kitchen Machine - Silver - £149.00 at Currys (Less than Half Price) LG 42LB5500 42 Inch Full HD LED TV at Argos only £269.99 Delivered, Save £110 off original price Bosch IXO IV Cordless Screwdriver - 3.6V Argos £19.99 Lego Star Wars AT-AT, down from £109 to £72.99 @ Amazon Lenovo Z50-70 Laptop, Intel Core i7, 8GB RAM, 1TB + 8GB SSHD, 15.6", Silver £629.95 ( £525 after cashback) @ John Lewis 128GB SD CARD QUMOX SDXC £28.50 Sold by Sunwood-UK and Fulfilled by Amazon. Intel Core i5 i5-4690K CPU £167.60 @ Amazon Haynes V8 Model Combustion Engine £26.49 Delivered @ Amazon HDMI KING - Double Insulated 3M (9.8ft) Imperial Series High Speed v1.4 HDMI Cable with Ethernet, 3D, Audio Return, 2k and 4k Support for £3.49 Wacom Bamboo Solo Stylus - Black for £7.18

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/mobile_phones/Google/nexus5/Nexus%205%20Review/nexus-5-review-10-470-75.jpgGoogle said last month that Android 5.0 Lollipop would arrive on the Nexus 5 and other devices "in the coming weeks," but so far three have come and gone without the update arriving. Now Phandroid speculates that the Lollipop delay on those handsets might be thanks to a battery-draining bug that's been reported on Google's issue tracker. The glitch is causing the Nexus 5's battery to drain more quickly than it should when wi-fi is activated in the OS's developer preview version. There's no specific evidence that the issue is causing a delay in Lollipop's rollout, but Google employees have at least acknowledged it. Well that's something"Android Engineering is aware of an issue affecting Nexus 5 users running Android 5.0 which causes significant 'Miscellaneous' battery usage while WiFi is enabled," Google Android Open Source Project Senior Developer Programs Engineer Trevor Johns wrote in a thread about the bug. "This appears to be caused by an abnormally high number of IRQ wakeup events," he added. "We are continuing to investigate this issue." Users who haven't yet received the Lollipop upgrade they're waiting for may be frustrated with the delay, but in the end it's better for Google to make sure they're not making Android phones and tablets worse with new updates. Google may be about to kill the Nexus 5http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/40327df3/sc/5/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597260335/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/40327df3/sc/5/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597260335/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/40327df3/sc/5/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597260335/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/40327df3/sc/5/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597260335/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/40327df3/sc/5/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/211597260335/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/40327df3/sc/5/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/HFAJopu-A0A

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Google/materialdesign_googlemapsapp-470-75.jpgGoogle has so far made good on its promise to keep things rolling with the Material Design updates, with Google Play, Google Drive, Docs, Wallet, and Play Games all getting updated - plus others. Now Google Maps is the latest Google app to be refreshed with the new visual style, not to mention some other improvements. Google Maps UX Designer Evelyn Kim wrote on the company's Maps blog that the new update is about improving functionality along with the app's look. "Layers and buttons come to life so you know just where to touch to get directions, recommendations and imagery," she wrote. Uber and OpenTableThe Google Maps Material Design update will arrive for both Android and iOS users "over the next few days," the post reads. Besides the aesthetic changes, the new Maps app also has new ways to explore locations and better OpenTable and Uber integration. Watch out for the Maps update this week, and more are sure to follow. Apple Maps surging back in fight against Google http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/40327df6/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597260334/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/40327df6/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597260334/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/40327df6/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597260334/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/40327df6/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597260334/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/40327df6/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/211597260334/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/40327df6/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/y8m8r9ZootU

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Google/inbox_google-470-75.jpgGoogle's Inbox is an interesting new Gmail alternative that until today has been available only to a select few. Inbox invites have been scarce, but Google will change that when they open the email app to anyone who asks for one hour today, beginning at 3pm Pacific Time. They're calling it "Inbox Happy Hour," and it will briefly make getting an invitation to Google Inbox as easy as sending an email. Don't be late, act nowGoogle announced the Inbox Happy Hour via its @inboxbygmail Twitter account. Just send an email to inbox@google.com between 3 and 4 PT this afternoon, and Google says you'll receive an invite by 5pm. Invites may well become scarce again after that, so best to get in while the getting's good. Google Inbox users can now download the web apphttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4031ddcd/sc/21/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597264925/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4031ddcd/sc/21/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597264925/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4031ddcd/sc/21/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597264925/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4031ddcd/sc/21/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597264925/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4031ddcd/sc/21/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/211597264925/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4031ddcd/sc/21/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/ahfGAWGdxsI

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/TRBC/Buildings/IBM/IBMhq-470-75.jpgIBM has launched a security solution designed to protect data on hybrid clouds. The tool, Dynamic Cloud Security, which is built on IBM's cloud, security and analytics software, is an analytics-based approach to securing multiple data and cloud environments. Businesses will be able to determine who is accessing information within their hybrid cloud environments, the device the person is using, their location and what information they've seen. The cloud- or on-premise-based tool can analyze web and mobile applications for security weaknesses, and it is built to improve response times if an event is occurring or is likely to occur. The tool analyzes more than 20 billion daily security events to help identify threats. IBM's security chopsNo company has stressed the value of data security more than IBM has in recent months. IBM is the third-highest grossing security vendor on the market behind Symantec and Intel's McAfee, and the company is doing everything it can to move closer to pole position. Last month, IBM launched an analytics tool designed to help travel and transportation companies reduce security risks. The tool is built to protect operating systems, databases, pricing systems and any other endpoint solutions travel and transportation companies use to store customer and corporate information. The travel security solution is built on IBM's QRadar security tool, which it beefed up earlier in the year by adding Incident Forensics. The addition is designed to help security professionals retrace the steps of cyber criminals, helping identify how breaches were made and where vulnerabilities lie. It also acquired two companies: CrossIdeas, an Italian security company that helps manage user access to applications and data, and Lighthouse Security Group, which focuses on identity and access management. Top 10 data breacheshttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/4030c456/sc/36/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597237511/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4030c456/sc/36/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597237511/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4030c456/sc/36/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597237511/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4030c456/sc/36/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597237511/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4030c456/sc/36/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/211597237511/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/4030c456/sc/36/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/Kdef6rm4-8E

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/internet/hearbleedkeyboard-470-75.jpgOpen source cloud OS OpenStack is at a reduced risk of a Heartbleed-style security incident due to its community's "robust system" for identifying errors in contributed code, according to the OpenStack Foundation. The Heartbleed Bug is a serious flaw in the open source OpenSSL security protocol that allows attackers to expose the information of people visiting websites running on affected servers. It was created following a coding error by a German developer. 6 security threats more deadly than Heartbleed or ShellshockSpeaking to TechRadar Pro at the OpenStack Summit in Paris, foundation executive director Jonathan Bryce said that the OpenStack testing system ran two million tests on code in the six-month release cycle leading up to the launch of Juno, the 10th and latest version of the platform. He said: "Heartbleed was a very big vulnerability. The team that's responsible for OpenSSL has really smart guys, but they didn't have a huge support network around them, the type that allows you to dedicate the resources you need. On the other hand, OpenStack has a massive community and a dedicated security team, along with companies that spend millions of dollars to test and develop on it. "From the foundation's perspective, we make sure that we help to put the frameworks and systems in place to keep those groups operating, functioning and sharing information." Check pointAccording to Bryce, every piece of code contributed toward OpenStack goes through a set of automated tests before being reviewed by experienced developers called core reviewers who are elected by their OpenStack peers. He continued: "Following automated tests, two core reviewers have to approve the contribution (or patch), which then re-enters a testing environment to check that nothing has changed in the time that it has been reviewed. If that all works then it finally enters the source tree. "It's a very robust system and a really cool process that anybody can see happening online in real-time on our website if they want to." Seven things you need to know about the Heartbleed Bughttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/402f087c/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597231238/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/402f087c/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597231238/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/402f087c/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597231238/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/402f087c/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597231238/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/402f087c/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/211597231238/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/402f087c/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/DxD9331PEQ8

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/techradar/TechRadar%20Deals/5th%20Nov%2014/MAIN%20DEALS%20PICTURE-470-75.jpgDid you hear about our plans for Black Friday? On November 28 we'll be going dealerious, bringing you the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday tech deals as they go live on the internet! In the meantime, you can still pick up a bargain or two! For a start, we spotted the brand new Call of Cuty Advanced Warfare on Xbox One online for just £34.85. Not bad given it costs at least £40 in most other places! And we've got a lot more for you to peruse as well. How about the Apple iPhone 5C 32GB Sim Free Unlocked for £319. More dealshttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/TechRadar%20Deals/5th%20Nov%2014/1hero-580-100.jpg On Amazon today you can pick up a GoPro for just £94. It's not the latest and greatest model, but it'll still happily record high-quality 1080p video at 30fps and 720p at 60fps. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/TechRadar%20Deals/5th%20Nov%2014/3%20hdmi-580-100.jpg Games consoles, Blu-ray players, laptops, Sky HD boxes, YouView, Freesat... they all need HDMI cables to plug into your TV. And at the moment you can pick up a double insulated 9.8ft HDMI King cable for just £3.49 - down from £49.99. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/TechRadar%20Deals/5th%20Nov%2014/3%20lenovo-580-100.jpg After a cheap Android tablet? You can currently pick up the 8-inch Lenovo Yogo Android tablet for just £109.99 on Amazon. It's got a really nifty kick stand which makes it easy to place in any position. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/TechRadar%20Deals/5th%20Nov%2014/5%20bamboo-580-100.jpg And while we're talking tablets, Amazon currently has an excellent discount on the Wacom Bamboo Solo Stylus wihch has a smooth tip for that important pen-on-screen feeling. The RRP is £24.99 but you can currently get it for £7.20. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/techradar/TechRadar%20Deals/5th%20Nov%2014/4%20lego-580-100.jpg Everyone loves LEGO! You can pretend you don't like LEGO, but we all know you secretly dream about it at night! Check out this LEGO storage skeleton head for £11.99. Ideal for storing all your other LEGO! EVEN MORE DEALS!CRUCIAL MX100 2.5" Internal SSD - 128 GB for £44.99 down from £54.99 Sennheiser CX 300 II Precision Noise Isolating Ear-canal Phones for £21.84 down from £44.99 PortaPow 2.5A Quad USB Wall Charger for £13.49 Netgear PR2000 Trek Universal N300 Wi-Fi Range Extender and Travel Router for £24.58 down from £29.99 RAC - RACHP707 - LANTERN, ECO SOLAR WIND-UP for £1.25 Wahl 5560-801 Dual Head Personal Battery Trimmer Nose/Nasal/Ear/Eyebrow Clipper for £1.99 down from £14.99 Garmin VIRB Elite Action Camera for £166.50 down from £199.80 Eastpak Messenger Bag for £1.73 down from £40.00

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/techradar/Black%20Friday%20Deals%20UK/PNG/Black-friday-deals-uk-470-75.pngIn the US and Canada, Black Friday needs no introduction: it's a time for big sales, crazy prices and CCTV footage showing shoppers knocking lumps out of each other. But it's becoming a huge deal in the UK now as well, with some of the biggest retailers like Amazon slashing their prices for one day only. And the best news? TechRadar will be busy finding all the best deals on phones, headphones, speakers, cameras, games and more, and posting them here so you can find them more easily. So what is Black Friday - and while we're at it, how is it connected to Cyber Monday? What is Black Friday?Black Friday is the first Friday after Thanksgiving, and it represents a perfect storm for retailers: many people in the US have the day off, and as a result it's been the busiest shopping day of the year for nearly a decade. To make things even busier, many retailers now offer some of their best sale bargains on Black Friday. Even Apple joins in. When is Black Friday?That depends on when you're reading this. If it's 2014, Black Friday is Friday 28 November. If it's 2015, it's Friday 27 November. And if it's 2013, you've been asleep for a year. The things you've missed! How did Black Friday get its name?Take your pick: some say it's the day that retailers' profits finally move into the black, although Wikipedia reckons that the true origin of the term comes from Philadelphia where it referred to the disruptive pedestrian and vehicle traffic that occurred during the holiday. Is it really as big a deal as it seems?Yes it is. Every year there are reports of fisticuffs as bargain-crazed shoppers beat each other up, partly because of the practice of using "doorbusters" - amazing and excruciatingly limited deals to attract as many customers as possible. US-based retailers such as Amazon are now keen to make it a tradition here in the UK. Can I trust the deals I see?That's a very good question. Some Black Friday deals are as honest as the half-price wines you see in some supermarkets. But there are still plenty of amazing deals too, although don't expect Tim Cook to lop 50% off the price of an iPhone 6. The good news is that many retailers are quite generous because competition for your money is high, especially between big product shifters such as Amazon. If last year was any guide, you can expect to see large discounts on big TVs, wireless speakers, smartphones, headphones, games and more! Is Black Friday connected to Cyber Monday?Cyber Monday is the Monday immediately after Black Friday, and it was invented in 2005 in an attempt to create an online equivalent of Black Friday. What this has resulted in now, is an entire 4-day weekend of hot deals both in store and online. What's TechRadar doing for Black Friday?No one likes a tech bargain more than TechRadar! And we don't want to keep them all to ourselves. So we'll be beavering away tirelessly all weekend to constantly bring you the hottest deals as they go live online. You'll need to keep your wits about you though, because many deals only last for an hour or until stocks run out. So you need to be quick off the mark - and we'll be on hand to make it as easy for you as possible. Tune in to TechRadar on November 28th, 29th, 30th and December 1st to get at the hot deals first!

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Office/microsoftoffice_dropbox-470-75.jpgMicrosoft has made no secret about the fact that it's all about the cloud these days, but there's nothing wrong with getting a little help from your friends now and then. With that in mind the tech giant has teamed up with Dropbox to better integrate the cloud storage service with Microsoft Office, according to a Dropbox blog post. Thanks to this new collaboration users will be able to access Dropbox from within Office apps, and edit and share Office apps within Dropbox. The change will affect the Office and Dropbox apps across numerous devices, including phones, tablets and the web. Office, Dropbox and enterpriseThe details are still somewhat nebulous, and they'll remain so until these features roll out "in the next few weeks." But it sounds like Office, through Dropbox, is going to gain a lot of the functionality that attracts users to Google Docs, like easy online collaboration. This is good news for consumers, but it's even better for enterprise users, as Microsoft points out in its own announcement. The companies said over 1.2 billion people use Office for work, and that Dropbox already hosts 35 billion Office files. Millions more Dropbox leaks could be on the wayhttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/40276210/sc/1/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597213990/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/40276210/sc/1/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597213990/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/40276210/sc/1/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597213990/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/40276210/sc/1/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597213990/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/40276210/sc/1/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/211597213990/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/40276210/sc/1/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/xvkSoQQ4JMg

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/people/jim-zemlin-470-75.JPGOrganisations need an external R&D department if they are to successfully identify, develop and integrate open source software, according to Linix Foundation Executive Jim Zemlin. Speaking at the OpenStack Summit in Paris, Zemlin said that organisations need more software than they alone can write, and should find "faster and cheaper" ways to create software that allows them to "truly differentiate". He said: "The top 10 tech companies in the world spend around 4 billion dollars on research and development, and that's largely internal spend, but what's interesting is that 80% of the code in their products comes from outside the organisation from projects like OpenStack. "The question is: if you're getting most code from outside your organisation, how are you managing your external R&D?" New SkillsZenlin added that organisations are moving from "a bit of open source usage at the edge of the network" to "strategic use" and need to learn new skills in order to collaborate on open source software projects. He said: "It's important to understand how to pick the right projects and intellictual property frameworks, coding styles, and collecting and integrating that code into the organisation, improving it to make changes and then giving them back to the central project to create proudcts and services cycles both for companies and open source projects. "It's an importnat thing for all companies to master. If you don't have an external R&D at your organisation, you should start doing that right now. The question to ask is whether you are ready for the next open source blockbuster." Is open source the future of content management systems?http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/401a028f/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597143901/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/401a028f/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597143901/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/401a028f/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597143901/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/401a028f/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597143901/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/401a028f/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/211597143901/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/401a028f/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/AszbyU58f8w

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/Watches/Apple%20Watch/Apple_Watch_apps-470-75.jpgThe App Store is doomed. Actually, it probably really, really isn't, but I needed a nice pithy line to draw you in with. There is a problem though, and it's that the pace of innovation has slowed for apps in Apple's shop for iPhone and iPad software. Every week I still see games that intrigue and delight, but apps – straight apps – don't often surprise me these days. Why? Partly because 'it's all been done'. I don't mean this literally, of course; I'm not suggesting every piece of software that could ever be written has been. But I do think that enough big ideas have been checked off that there's less obvious opportunity to wow the public with some astonishing new app. That is at least until big new services of the order of Facebook or Uber come along, and they're less to do with the app itself than they are the idea and infrastructure behind it. Apple and its fans had been in the habit of pointing to the sheer number of apps in the App Store as evidence of its supremacy, and this actually had some merit. Nobody's going to install and use a million apps, but it means that for a few million people they are more likely to find the one app that will make the iPhone truly valuable to them. If we're honest with ourselves, though, the number of third-party apps a smartphone platform has to have for it to be viable is shockingly low. For most people, I suspect, having Twitter and Facebook, and maybe WhatsApp and Instagram, would be enough. This probably isn't true of you simply by virtue of the fact that you're reading this on TechRadar, but my gut tells me it's true for the wider populace. Much more importantly, however, I think the pace of innovation has slowed because developers are increasingly reluctant to take risks, and it's only when you take risks that you create truly astonishing things. Let me be very clear here: I'm not picking on developers. This is Apple's fault. The issue is one that's dogged the App Store almost since it opened in 2008: inconsistency in applying the review guidelines. The latest casualty is James Thomson, a Scottish developer who made the hugely well-received calculator app PCalc. The latest version of PCalc adds a widget version to take advantage of iOS 8's new ability to add functionality to the Notification Center. After the app was approved and on sale, Apple contacted James to tell him widgets mustn't perform calculations and so he could either remove that ability or remove the app from the Store altogether. The great irony here is not only that Apple had approved it, but that at the same time as it was telling James he would have to remove PCalc, Apple was actually featuring it in the widgets section of a 'Great apps for iOS 8' showcase on the App Store. Apple then did one further u-turn and told James that it would allow the app after all. After so many 180° volt-faces, I'm feeling rather dizzy, and if I was a developer I'd be adding nausea and disorientation to the list of symptoms too. In itself, this is no more than a wry anecdote (unless you're James Thomson) but it's emblematic of a systemic problem with the App Store, and while it might seem like an esoteric problem that has little impact on the vast majority of iPhone users, it's not hard to see how it could have a subtle but wildly fundamental and detrimental effect on the App Store. Developer David Barnard said it well in his letter to Apple a week ago: "So many decisions I make end up being filtered through whether or not I think something might get rejected. […] If a significant number of people involved in iOS development start to fear App Review the way I have the past couple years, that changes the game. And I'm not just talking about indie developers like me. "Contractors may steer their clients away from taking risks. Project managers at companies like Facebook and Pinterest may think twice before pitching a new feature. Venture capitalists may pass on a fledgling company because its product is too dependent on an iOS feature that might get rejected." So no, the App Store isn't doomed, but it doesn't take much imagination to conjure up a future where we don't get many of the cool things we might otherwise have got – not because Apple explicitly disallows them but because people just can't tell ahead of time if they will be rejected so don't want to risk the time and money it would take to create them. And if you think that's a problem now, imagine how this might stifle innovation for the Apple Watch at launch, just at the time it will need it most. Hark back to Apple's good old days, with CEO Tim Cook's explanation of why they killed the Classic.http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/401354c6/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597136024/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/401354c6/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597136024/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/401354c6/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597136024/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/401354c6/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597136024/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/401354c6/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/211597136024/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/401354c6/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/T0wlXlwWeTE

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/televisions/Review%20of%20the%20Year%202014/PanasonicAX802_Room1%20copy-470-75.jpgTV Review of Year: IntroductionLooking back at 2014It's been a tumultuous year for TVs. Technologies like 4K, curved screens and OLED have hit big, while old favourites have faded away. As the dust settles, we look at the year's winners and losers. New technologies have dramatically increased the types and shapes of TVs consumers can choose from this year, prices have plummeted again, and our approach to TV content has undergone nothing short of a revolution. Naturally this has made buying a TV even more challenging for consumers. But it's also put severe pressure on the big TV brands to not only keep up with the pace of change without letting standards drop, but also find new ways to stand out from the crowd. Before getting into the new TV stuff, though, let's first pause to mourn the passing of a 'golden oldie'. The end of plasma TVsThis year plasma technology pretty much completely died. LG and Samsung trotted out a couple of budget models in the UK to mop up any residual market (though LG let slip at a recent event that it will probably cease plasma production totally by November), but by far plasma's biggest supporter, Panasonic, totally pulled the plug on its much-loved flat panel tech. And the more the year's gone on, the more we've found ourselves missing plasma's knack for delivering contrast-rich pictures with natural colours and sharp motion. The demise of plasma has coincided with a disappointing rise in the number of LCD TVs that struggle to deliver the sort of contrast we expect from a modern TV – an issue which seems to be down to the growing use of IPS-type LCD panels, something we'll come back to later. http://cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/televisions/4k-200-100.png 4K is here to stayMoving into more positive territory, 2014 has been defined by the explosion in two significant new screen technologies: 4K/Ultra High Definition resolutions, and curved screens. Where 4K is concerned, every key brand has released multiple TVs this year with the necessary 3840 x 2160 pixels – four times the resolution of full HD TVs. The prices for 4K TVs have more or less halved versus the debut 4K TVs from last year too, and a new 4K-friendly connection standard – HDMI 2.0 – has now been formalised. On the content side, Netflix launched a 4K streaming service in April, with Amazon scheduled to follow suit (only on Samsung TVs initially) in October. Samsung has now launched a HDD server containing UHD movie transfers for use with its UHD TVs, and we've finally had a Christmas 2015 date announced for the launch of 4K Blu-ray discs. Much of the World Cup was filmed in 4K, and Sky and the BBC have both openly run 4K production and broadcasting trials. In other words, the more 2014 has gone on, the more it's become clear that 4K is here to stay. http://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net///art/televisions/Samsung%20UE65HU8500/SamsungUE65HU850-200-100.jpg Curved screens are here... for nowThe situation with curved TVs – where screens curve away from you towards their centre - is less clear cut. For starters, only one brand has so far really pushed the curved screen format heavily and that's Samsung. Mind you, Samsung is a major player - so much so that it really does have the muscle to bend (pun fully intended!) public opinion to its will. LG is also going curved for most of its OLED screens, and by the time you read this Sony should have launched its debut S90 curved LCD TVs for the UK (it already has a few curved models in the US). Philips launched a single curved screen at IFA too. Early sales reports suggest that Samsung's curved TVs have outsold its flat ones by as much as 3:1, which certainly suggests there's a public appetite for curviness. These figures may be a little skewed, though, by the fact that Samsung only puts its very top-level picture technology inside a curved TV (the HU8500 series). We get the sense, too, that the other brands are only dipping their toes into the curved TV arena at the moment either for aesthetic reasons (the thinness you get with OLED technology is really emphasised by the curve) or because they feel they need to be seen in the market. None have really joined Samsung in arguing the case for curved TVs radically improving the viewing experience. As we've observed ourselves, there are advantages to watching a curved screen. But there are disadvantages too. And perhaps tellingly many of the key 'opinion makers' in the AV world appear unconvinced about the usefulness of curving TV screens. So at the time of writing we'd say that the future of curved screens in the long-term TV market seems less assured than that of 4K. http://cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net///art/televisions/LG/55EA980W/lg_curved_tv-200-100.png OLED is the future of TV?If you've been paying attention you'll have noticed a couple of mentions of OLED technology. OLED panel technology is seen by many as the great hope for the future of TV thanks to its remarkable contrast, colour and motion-handling capabilities. And towards the end of 2013 we would have predicted great things for OLED in 2014. However, these dreams were shattered at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January as almost every brand appeared to be retreating from OLED – seemingly on the grounds that it's still too expensive to make. Thankfully, though, one brand is still carrying a torch for OLED: LG. The Korean brand has rolled out a couple of new HD panels already, and is on the verge of launching the first 4K OLED TVs. Prices for these new 4K models are comfortably higher than the costs of same-sized 4K LED TVs – the 65-inch 65EC970V OLED will cost around £7,000, while Sony's 65X9005B 4K LED TV costs around £3,300. But actually this isn't quite as high a price disparity as we might have feared, and certainly raises hopes for much more 'mass market' OLED pricing for 2015. Turning next to smart TV developments this year, there have been a couple of significant ones. LG's webOS system moved the Smart TV world forward significantly with its brilliantly slick, fun, economical interface and the way it realised that you need to treat everything – even individual connections – as an app these days if you want to deliver a truly intuitive, multi-tasking TV operating environment. We were also impressed by Panasonic's integration of both the Freetime catch-up TV system and TV Anywhere system for watching your TV on a smart device anywhere in the world. http://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net///art/home_cinema_systems/3D/3d-glasses-200-100.jpg Where has 3D gone?One last technological development to consider is 3D - or the near death thereof. It's been noticeable how more mid-range TVs have started to ditch 3D support, and even more tellingly, Sky recently stopped filming its Premiership football 'crown jewels' in 3D. The BBC gave up on 3D long ago, and while Hollywood is still making a few films in 3D the annual number hasn't really grown over the years, and still surprisingly few of these movies are actually filmed in 3D rather than being converted to 3D in post production. We're not necessarily saying 3D is going to disappear completely – it will likely always be on premium TVs and there will likely continue to be a trickle of 3D movies. But it's an increasingly niche proposition that fewer and fewer households seem willing to bother with. TV Buying Tips for Christmas 2014http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/televisions/Review%20of%20the%20Year%202014/PanasonicAX802_Room1%20copy-420-90.jpg Buying tips for Christmas 2014Based on our experience of 2014's TV world, here are a few tips we'd give to anyone about to brave the market for a new TV. 1. Go 4K if you canIf you've got a decent budget, look to spend it on a 4K TV rather than a high-end HD TV – even if you have to save up a bit longer. Not all 4K TVs are brilliant, but you can get some excellent models for less money than you might think. 2. Go for a big screen... if you canIf you go for a 4K TV, go for as big a screen as you can manage, as this will emphasise 4K's benefits. 3. Check those specsIf you go for a 4K TV, make sure it has the necessary HEVC decoder for handling Netflix 4K streams, and make sure it has the latest HDMI 2.0 ports capable of handling full colour bandwidths and 4K at 60p. 4. Be cautious of curves...Don't buy a curved TV until you've read up on the pros and cons of the format, and ideally until after you've had a demo of one. 5. Avoid IPS LCD panels... If you're a serious film fan who likes to dim the lights when you're watching films, it's probably best to avoid TVs that use IPS panels due to their common contrast failings. IPS panels were designed to deliver a wider viewing angle than rival VA panels, but their downside is that they offer less control over how much light is passed through the LCD crystals, meaning that dark scenes tend to look milky. Or else pictures suffer with over-obvious light 'leaps' and light blocking problems thanks to how hard IPS TVs have to work to counter their core contrast issues. 6. The sweet spot...If you're looking for the best value/performance sweet spot in this year's TV ranges, look towards the mid-range HD models of the main brands. Sets like Sony's W829 and W705 series; Panasonic's AS600 and AS640 series; and Samsung's H6400 series all offer terrific performance levels and features for their prices. If you start spending less you run a much higher risk of finding significant picture quality issues and missing out on some of today's most useful smart features. 7. Second screening...With more and more of us 'second screening' these days – using our phones and tablets while we watch TV – it's worth looking for TVs that offer plenty of tablet and phone content-sharing and control features. TVs in 2014: which brand should you choose?http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/televisions/Review%20of%20the%20Year%202014/PanasonicViera_Room_Set_2014_AS600FC%20copy-420-90.jpg Which brand should you choose?In this section of our look back over 2014's TV landscape we look at what each of the major hardware brands has been up to. Starting with… http://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net///art/televisions/Sony/Sony%20KD-65X9005B/sony-hero-250-100.jpg Sony 2014Sony's main focus this year has been on developing its 4K TVs – an area in which the brand clearly feels it has an advantage due to its involvement in all parts of the 4K creation, production and playback story. It's stuck with LCD/LED technology to deliver its screens, and had stayed flat until it recently unveiled a couple of curved models - the S90 series. Its other key focus has been newly aggressive pricing of its mid-range HD TVs, delivering in the process some of the year's most attractive bargains. Sony TV range 2014 reviewThe good...It's been mostly a successful year for Sony – though there have been a couple of stumbles too. The star of the Sony show has been the X9005B TVs. These 4K sets have combined deliriously good picture quality with extraordinarily powerful audio by TV standards, making them the best all-round TVs of the year. Just be prepared to have to accommodate a serious amount of hardware versus today's usual super-slim designs. Another stand out series has been the W829 upper mid-range sets, which have delivered truly exceptional picture quality at striking aggressive prices. The cheaper W705/6 and W605 series have also performed very well for their money. The bad...The misfires have been Sony's flagship HD series, the W955s, and the X8505 step-down 4K screens. Both of these ranges – which we'll be fully reviewing soon - have opted to use IPS panels, with the result that their contrast performance is clearly compromised versus the excellent efforts found elsewhere in Sony's range. http://cdn2.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/televisions/Panasonic/Panasonic%20TX-32as600/TV_panasonic-250-100.jpg Panasonic 2014Having boldly opted to leave its beloved plasma technology behind for 2014, Panasonic came out fighting at the Consumer Electonics Show (CES) in January by unequivocally stating that it believed its top-end LCD TVs for 2014 would out-perform its best plasma TVs. Since then, though, the brand has enjoyed/suffered a startlingly up and down time. Where the positives are concerned, a key Panasonic strength for 2014 has been its smart TV features, thanks to three great innovations. The best of these has been the integration of Freetime into many of Panasonic's UK TVs. This allows you to access the on-demand catch up TV services of many of the UK's broadcast TV services – including the 'big four' of the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5 – via the brilliantly simple interface of an EPG that can scroll back through time as well as forward. Then there's TV Anywhere, which lets you watch over the internet the tuners or USB recordings of your home TV via your tablet or phone no matter where in the world you are. Finally there's My Stream: a clever scrolling, tiled interface for highlighting content from multiple sources Panasonic's TVs think you'll be interested in based on an analysis of your viewing habits. These new features integrate nicely, too, into the superbly friendly and customisable My Home Screen interface Panasonic has continued on from 2013. On the downside, we've yet to see the supposed plasma-beating X902 series, and with one or two exceptions the picture quality of Panasonic's first all-LCD TV range has been a bit disappointing. Panasonic TV range reviewThe good...As noted, unfortunately we haven't yet seen the TVs – known as the 4K/UHD X902 series in the UK – Panasonic reckons can outgun plasma. They are due before Christmas and they have certainly looked awesome in demos, but that's all we can say about them so far. Of the Panasonic TVs we have seen, the AX802 4K series has been the star of the show in picture quality terms. But Panasonic made a mess of the original launch of these TVs by failing to make them compatible with Netflix 4K streams, and then telling confused journalists that the sets would never be able to play such streams. Mercifully it was revealed at the recent IFA technology show that the AX802s could be upgraded to accept Netflix 4K streams after all, but the mess around the issue was hardly Panasonic's finest hour. The bad...Where Panasonic's HD TVs are concerned, unfortunately a large part of the range has been affected by the IPS issues discussed in the main feature. In other words, many of its sets have suffered with sub-par contrast. The exception has been the AS600/AS640 series, which don't use IPS panels and actually deliver good performance – and features – for very aggressive prices. http://cdn2.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/televisions/Samsung/Samsung%20UE32H6400/UE32H6400Hero-250-100.jpg Samsung 2014The big push for Samsung in 2014 has been curved TVs. There are almost as many curved TVs in its current range as flat ones, with Samsung underlining its faith in the technology by making its top-tier picture technology only available in a curved TV – the HU8500 series. Samsung has also spent a great deal of time extolling the value of curved screens in enhancing your viewing experience – though there are undeniably also issues with the technology that mean that it may not suit everyone. Samsung has also embraced 4K/UHD in a big way, with far more ultra high definition models in its range than it had last year. It's also improved its picture quality generally, with better contrast and viewing angles and, on its flagship TVs, new wide colour gamut technology. Key features in helping Samsung's sets stand out are the compatibility of its most expensive TVs with future external boxes which can retrofit your TV with next-generation features, picture processing technologies and even connections. Aside from doubts still remaining over curved TV's usefulness, the one disappointing thing about Samsung's 2014 range has been the lack of progress with its smart TV features. These haven't really moved forward in either interface or content terms from 2013. Though to be fair, while the interface is starting to feel a bit long-winded, Samsung does still offer the most extensive collection of smart TV apps and streaming services in the TV world. Samsung TV Range ReviewThe good...It's been another strong, consistent year for Samsung's TV division. Across its range, from the most expensive sets to the cheapest, it's been particularly effective at delivering the sort of good contrast performance which is the bedrock of good picture quality. It helps in this respect that Samsung doesn't use any IPS panels. Samsung has also included striking new PurColour technology in its flagship HU8500 TVs which works with these sets' 4K/UHD resolutions to deliver stunning extra detail and vibrancy to 4K pictures. Also of note with its 4K sets is the quality of its upscaling of HD and even standard definition sources. While the HU8500s have dazzled at the top end of Samsung's range, the HU7500 series have done a good job of offering plenty of 4K quality for a pretty aggressive price – and without you having to worry about a curved screen. Where HD models are concerned, the highlight models are the H6400 series, which combine a strong picture performance and feature count with strikingly affordable prices. But even if you go further down Samsung's range than the H6400 series you'll find plenty of screens that consistently outperform similarly affordable rivals. The bad...The only models that have troubled us about Samsung's range this year are the H7000 HD series, which have looked too expensive for non-4K models. There remain concerns, too, about the potentially divisive nature of curved screens. http://cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/televisions/LG/55EA980W/lg_curved_tv-250-100.png LG 2014While LG might not have got everything right in 2014, it's grabbed many of the year's TV headlines on the back of delivering arguably more innovation than any other brand. Key among these innovations is webOS. Developed in Silicon Valley, webOS basically reinvents the smart TV interface – in all the right ways. It's efficient, thoughtful, logical, friendly, easy on the eye, inviting, and inspired in the subtle ways it reinforces your actions and choices with little animations. Plus it's brilliant at multi-tasking. LG's other massive move for 2014 is OLED. Heralded as the 'saviour of TV' for years now, 2014 has seen LG emerge as the driving force behind this hugely exciting new technology. In fact, LG has unexpectedly become the ONLY brand that sees OLED as a genuine TV force for 2014, with other brands withdrawing quietly back to their LCD panels and stating they see OLED as something for the future, not today. LG has already launched a couple of gorgeous HD OLED models to the market this year – and crucially these have cost just a fraction of the price of LG's debut OLED TVs. Most excitingly of all, in November LG will be launching its first 4K OLED TVs, potentially offering the ultimate TV solution. One other smaller point worth making about LG's TVs this year is that they've done some interesting things with their sound, including delivering transparent, super-slim but still good sounding speakers in the 55EA980W OLED TV, and getting audio brand Harman Kardon to supply a startlingly powerful multi-channel speaker design for its UB980V flagship LED series. The downside in LG's topsy-turvy year has been the way issues with its IPS-type LCD panels have been fairly ruthlessly exposed by the increased quality of rival panels. Almost every LG LCD TV we've seen has suffered with contrast issues versus the best rivals. Which is why OLED couldn't have come along at a better time for LG, really. LG TV Range ReviewThe good...The stars of LG's TV showing this year have been its OLED TVs. Even though the models we've seen so far – like the 55EA980W - haven't been 4K, they've set new standards in every way bar resolution. The brand's 4K OLEDs aren't due until November, but from every demo we've seen they look likely to bring the house down in performance terms At £7000 the 65-inch 65EC970V isn't nearly as expensive as we might have expected, either. Even though, of course, dropping seven grand on a TV is not something your average household will feel able to do. On the LCD side, the star of the show is a set we'll be reviewing here soon: the 65UB980V. This UHD/4K model is LG's flagship LCD TV for 2014, and thanks to a higher-level processing chip and more advanced backlight controls it's a much more capable all-rounder than any of LG's cheaper LCD TVs. The bad...Strangely, the weakest point in LG's range is the 4K model just below the 65UB980V, the UB950V series, which suffers with some serious backlight problems and a curiously ghosty 3D performance. LG's other LCD sets have all tempted with their webOS features and, at times, strong value. But while their pictures often look good in bright rooms and with bright content, their contrast problems are sometimes ruthlessly exposed in more challenging/serious conditions. http://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net///art/televisions/Philips/Philips%204K/Front_Black%20copy-250-100.jpg Philips 2014Philips is yet another brand that's had a startlingly mixed year, at least in picture performance terms. Again, a key factor in this mixed bag is the fact that the brand has used IPS panels in quite a few of its TVs, with the attendant problems already discussed. Philips also continues to lag behind other brands with its Smart TV offering, and it's a shame that Philips has this year taken the decision not to bring its premium-grade TVs – sets which could have added more picture quality to the Philips 'pool' - to the UK. Philips has taken this action for 2014 because its UK team has decided it needs to build brand awareness by actually starting to shift some TV volume – which means, of course, focussing on aggressively priced TVs. And although we miss seeing Philips' at its high-quality best, it's fair to say it's pursued its 'volume' policy quite well for the most part. It's important to add, too, that while the Philips TVs we've had in the UK so far haven't done anything exciting in smart TV terms, at IFA Philips unveiled its first TVs powered by the Android platform, opening the gates to a hugely ramped up app count and even, further down the line, a potentially much improved interface. Unfortunately Philips has yet to confirm if the UK will be getting one of these 'Android TVs', though even if we don't get the first generation it seems inevitable that we'll get some Android action from the brand next year. Philips TV range reviewThe good...The highlight of the Philips range so far is a range we'll be testing here soon: the PFT5509 series. This budget range offers great value by combining good, contrast-rich pictures with strikingly aggressive prices. For instance, the 48-inch model only costs £529. Also quite strong is the step-up PFS6609 range – at least in 2D mode. Watch 3D on it and you'll just get a headache. The bad...The weakest point in Philips current range, surprisingly, is its PUS7809 'budget' 4K range (due for a full review soon). For while we love the prices involved here – the 55-inch model costs just £1500 – the picture quality they offer is seriously compromised by yet another unimpressive, IPS-caused contrast performance that leaves pictures looking inferior to those of most other 4K TVs this year. http://cdn2.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net///art/televisions/John%20Lewis/John%20Lewis%2055JL9000/JohnLewisHERO1-250-100.jpg Best of the rest...It's been a fairly quiet year for the smaller, price-driven brands in the UK. Toshiba, at least, has managed a genuinely useful innovation in the shape of its MediaGuide Replay function, which automatically records programmes it thinks from analysing your viewing history that you'll be interested in. This TiVO-like feature has the potential to create your own nightly personalised 'channel' of content – though it's a pity you have to add your own USB HDD drive for the feature to work. Toshiba hasn't set the world on fire with its picture quality this year for the most part, despite the use of a uniquely bright panel design in its premium (but still highly affordable) 7 Series HD range. Toshiba's focus on IPS panels hasn't helped in this respect. Budget brandsOf the other less well-known brands, the only two worth picking out are Finlux and Linsar. Finlux we highlight as a budget brand to watch, for as well as its exceptionally aggressive pricing it's managed to deliver some genuine quality in some – though only some – of its TVs this year. The brand's inconsistency means you should try and find reviews of a particular set you're interested in before you buy, but overall it seems Finlux is on a gently upward trajectory. Linsar we mention because it's relatively new to the market, is a British brand, and has mentioned an intention to launch UHD TVs into the market in the not too distant future for very aggressive prices… One last rather sad thought should be spared for a once mighty brand: Sharp. The Japanese brand has been so quiet of late, at least where providing TVs to review is concerned, that we'd almost forgotten it was still around. Actually, though, it's launching a new 4K range as we speak, and also launched a range of TVs earlier in the year with intriguing 'Quattron Pro' technology that supposedly offered a higher-than-HD resolution without reaching true 4K resolution levels. But with no review samples arriving in response to our repeated requests, we can't say anything more than that these TVs exist. The best TVs of 2014http://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/televisions/Best%20TV%20main/tv_best-580-100.jpg The best TVs of 2014Confusingly 2014 has been simultaneously a ground-breakingly great and a slightly disappointing year. There have been some amazing TVs at the cutting edge, notably in the 4K, curved and OLED markets, but quite a few uninspiring models in the mid and lower sections of the market. There are actually a few potential key TVs still to emerge this year, such as Panasonic's X902 series, LG's 4K OLEDs, and Sony's S90 4K curved TVs. But as things stand to date, 4K technology has been a huge winner; curved TVs have probably just about managed a score draw; OLED still looks like being the best thing to happen to TV since sliced bread; we've missed plasma loads; and HD LCD TVs have had a pretty average year. Culled from this tumultuous backdrop, here's our pick of the best TVs of the year so far. http://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/televisions/Sony/Sony%20KD-65X9005B/sony-hero-250-100.jpg Best Flagship TV:Sony X9005BSony's top 4K TV for 2014 is a stellar all-rounder. Its pictures benefit from arguably the best backlight handling in the LCD world, fantastically clever processing (especially when it comes to upscaling), and gorgeous colours thanks to Sony's Triluminos system. Sealing the deal is the X9005B's audio, as an array of Sony's magnetic fluid speakers belt out sound with levels of power, clarity, and dynamic range that you'd usually only get from a decent external audio system. Read: Sony KD-65X9005B review Also consider:Pushing the 65X9005B hard for best flagship TV is the Samsung 65HU8500. This also delivers contrast-rich 4K/UHD pictures with stellar upscaling processing and great colour response. Its curved screen may divide opinion, though, and it doesn't sound nearly as good as the Sony. Panasonic's 50AX802 deserves an honourable mention as another great 4K TV too now that it can handle Netflix 4K feeds. In the HD rather than 4K world the best flagship TV is unquestionably LG's 55EA9800 OLED set. http://cdn2.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net///art/televisions/Sony/Sony%20W8%20TV/Sony%20W8%20main-250-100.jpg Best mid-range TV:Sony W829Sony strikes again. The 50W829 was one of the first 2014 TVs we tested, so it's a testament to just what a great balance of performance and value it offers that it's survived the onslaught from rivals throughout the year. The key to its success is Sony's outstanding backlight control, which delivers black levels, contrast and colour heights far beyond those of the vast majority of other mid-range TVs this year. Read: Sony KDL-50W829 review Also consider:Samsung, again, pushes Sony hard in this section, especially with its H6700 series, as probably best represented by the UE48H6700. Otherwise the only other model warranting a mention here is Philips' PFS6609 series, as represented by the soon to be fully reviewed 55PFS6609. http://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/televisions/Panasonic/Panasonic%2042AS500/PanasonicHERO1-250-100.jpg Best budget TV:Panasonic AS500While Panasonic has certainly missed its plasma TVs this year, it did manage to hit a nice sweet spot at the lower end of the market with the 42-inch 42AS500. Its picture quality is good for its money, it's well designed, and although it doesn't offer Panasonic's brilliant Freetime feature it does still benefit from the brand's friendly, personalisable My Home Screen interface. Read: Panasonic TX-42AS500 review Also Consider:Sony has a compelling proposition again in this sector in the shape of the £429 40-inch 40W605, which we'll be reviewing soon. Also, if you want a slightly bigger bargain, you could do worse than checking out the £529 Philips 48-inch 48PFT5509. The future of TV: What to watch in 2015http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/televisions/Review%20of%20the%20Year%202014/unnamed%20copy-420-90.jpg What to watch in 2015...For the most part we expect the TV world to be considerably calmer next year than it was in 2014, at least in technology terms. In other words, we expect to see brands consolidating this year's key innovations – curved TVs, 4K TVs and, in LG's case, OLED – rather than coming up with radical new designs and technologies. This could be great news for the consumer. For 'consolidation' of new technology almost always means plummeting prices. So we expect 4K prices to almost halve again for 2015 having halved already for 2014. OLED prices, too, may halve, though LG may not feel too pressurised unless other brands re-enter the OLED market (which doesn't seem likely). 4K will get cheaper...A couple of other key points about 4K are that it will start appearing on more and more screens next year (in fact, it could well be almost de facto on TVs with 50-inch screens or bigger); and that we'll really start to see content providers trying to catch up with the 4K hardware revolution. It will be interesting to see if current 'curve sceptic' Panasonic joins Sony, Philips, LG and, of course, Samsung in offering curved screens in its range; our suspicion is that it will. Bendable TVs are coming...On the subject of curves, we suspect the main hardware innovation for 2015 will be 'bendable' TVs. LG and Samsung have already confirmed that they will be launching TVs where you can select whether you want your TV to work in flat or curved form, depending, say, on how many people are watching it. Things might be more interesting on the software side, as other brands may scrabble to try and 'catch up' with LG's webOS smart TV system. Certainly we expect to see more attempts to turn every source, even each input, into its own app, to support better multi-tasking. Home automationOne other area where we might just see some gentle first moves is home automation. We've seen previous clumsy attempts to sell the concept of the TV as a central hub for a wider home monitoring and control system, but these rather vague efforts have suddenly been given a whole new focus since Apple started to get 'serious' in this area with the launch of its HomeKit app for its phones, tablets and Apple TV device. Who knows – we might even finally get word of the long-mythologised Apple television. Though as we argued recently, this may be one dream you're best not holding your breath for… TV Buying Guides by size2014's Best TVs by size...http://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/televisions/Best%20TV%20main/tv_32-200-100.jpg Best 32-inch TVsThe perfect size for bedroom TVs or sets for smaller rooms Most living rooms can't physically take a TV much bigger than 32-inch, making this size by far the best for a lot of people in the UK. But within this size division, there's plenty of choice. A basic HD-ready set can be found for less than £300 is you search hard, though it's just as easy to spend over £2k on the best ones. There's only one certainty at this size – your new TV will be a LCD TV. If you're lucky it could have LED backlighting, but it won't be a plasma; LG used to make plasmas at this size, but there's not one on sale currently. 10 best 32-inch TVs in the world today http://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/televisions/Best%20TV%20main/tv_40_42_v4-200-100.jpg Best 40 and 42-inch TVsThe sweet spot for plasma TVs offers lots of bang for your buck Once known simply as 'plasma screens' in the collective consciousness, the 40-42-inch size is where the flatscreen dream started in the late 1990s - and where it's still at its most innovative and best. Now a lot more varied, with plasmas rubbing shoulders with (and quickly being outnumbered by) LCD TVs and their ultra-modern LED TV makeover, 40-42 inches is still the sweetspot for anyone not overly concerned with ruining the interior design of their living room. As well as being the fastest growing sector of the market, this size also offers possibly the best value TVs around. Serious home cinema addicts have moved on to 50-inch and bigger screens, leaving this category a swarm of slashed prices. 10 best 40 and 42-inch TVs http://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/televisions/Best%20TV%20main/tv_46_47_48-200-100.jpgBest 46 and 47-inch TVsOffering the pinnacle of performance, this is where it gets serious There was a time when plasma screens reigned supreme in the 46-inch TV market. But in much the same way as a meteor strike killed off the dinosaurs, the second coming of the LCD TV is the invasive species that has done for plasma. We're still huge advocates of plasma on TechRadar, don't get us wrong, but the tech is dying out at this size. Old-school CCFL tech has been replaced by LED backlight scanning and technical wizardry to make LCD tech viable in large sizes. So the majority of TVs in this size bracket are now from the LED side of the wall, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. LED TVs these days are brighter than plasmas, they're thinner and there's a lot more variety on show. So here's our selection of the best 46-inch, 47-inch and now also 48-inch TVs for your perusal.. 10 best 46, 47 and 48-inch TVs http://cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/televisions/Best%20TV%20main/tv_50-200-100.jpg Best 50 and 55-inch TVsWhere the home cinema experience begins The size where a home cinema turns from dream to reality, it's also at this 50-55-inch TV screen size that 3D starts to become immersive enough to convince and impress. This size, last year dominated by full HD models, is now being overrun by Ultra HD 4K models. While LED tech has gone a long way towards condemning plasma to a role on the outskirts of the TV industry, at 50-inches and above, plasma really comes into its own if you can find one. Most home cinema buffs still swear by plasma, with its cinematic colours and deep blacks making for a real movie-watcher's paradise. But 2014 sees the first batch of 50-inch LED-backlit panels off the production line, a development that further marginalises plasma technology at one of the sizes it previously dominated. If you're looking for a dream movie-watching experience, check out these home cinema beauties. 10 best 50 and 55-inch TVs http://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/televisions/Best%20TV%20main/tv_60_65-200-100.jpg Best 60 and 65-inch TVs and aboveIf you want the best, you'll need to pay the best If you're feeling extravagant or want to furnish your big living room with a similarly big TV, 60 inches or more of television will certainly make a statement. There are some truly massive TVs available these days, with Ultra HD-toting 84-inch screens such as theLG 84LM960V, Toshiba 84L9300, Sony KD-84X9005A and Samsung UE85S9ST. But for most of us, 65 inches of screen space is luxurious enough, while still being manageable. Gone are the days when the over-60s were mere monitors; expect to find all the niceties a good living room-ready TV should have, such as Freeview HD tuners, perhaps even Freesat HD tuners, too, plus smart TV apps and 3D compatibility. There's a smattering of plasmas here - it's the size category where the original flatscreen TV tech truly excels. But as plasma fades, the real story in this category is the rise of the 4K LCD. So what's the best 60-65-inch TV for you? 10 best 60 and 65-inch TVs in the world today http://cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/televisions/Best%20TV%20main/tv_4k-200-100.jpg Best 4K Ultra HD TVsThe latest big thing in big screens Everyone wants an Ultra HD 4K TV! Yes, okay, we all know there isn't much 4K source material to properly showcase the stunning picture quality, but Netflix has at least started to offer 4K content. There could also still be a 4K Blu-ray format later this year, and before you know it there'll be test transmissions and perhaps even a 4K TV channel from Sky or the BBC. It's all about future-proofing, though there's slightly more to it than that; some of the first batch of Ultra HD TVs pump out best-ever Blu-ray images, thanks to some wonderfully adept upscaling tech. The birth of 4K could also lead to the re-birth of 3D – it just looks so much better at this higher resolution. The big stumbling block – as always – is money, but already there are relative bargains to be had and, better still, some sumptuous designs stuffed with new innovations. The race for 3840x2160 pixels is on. 10 best 4K TVs in the world today

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/copresence_google_leak-470-75.jpgDevices with different operating systems are traditionally limited in the ways they can interact with one another, but Google may be working to fix that with a feature called "Copresence." Google Copresence is a tool that will let iOS and Android devices that are in proximity to one another exchange files, photos, directions, messages, and more, according to Android Police. The site says that with Copresence, the devices can authenticate with one another using Bluetooth or location information, then transfer data back and forth via Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi direct. The images above were reportedly unearthed in the latest Google Play Services APK, and they clearly show different types of handsets and tablets - iPhones and iPads and Android devices - interacting with one another. Dynamite with a laser beamDevelopers have reportedly also glimpsed a Copresence API in various documentation, among other clues. The feature is being compared to Android Beam, a hidden gem for NFC-enabled Android devices, and Google's Nearby, a feature that was rumored over the summer. In fact, it seems Copresence may be an evolution of what we were previously hearing about as "Nearby," or the name of the technology behind the Nearby feature. Either way, word is we'll be hearing more straight from Google within "the coming weeks." iOS is losing to Android in the global tablet markethttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/400b0ba5/sc/5/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597067682/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/400b0ba5/sc/5/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597067682/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/400b0ba5/sc/5/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597067682/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/400b0ba5/sc/5/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597067682/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/400b0ba5/sc/5/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/211597067682/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/400b0ba5/sc/5/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/pioh4d32TYk

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/mobile_phones/Samsung/AtivS/Press/SamsungAtivS-Press-04-470-75.jpgIt's been exactly one week since a select few Samsung Ativ S began receiving their Windows Phone 8.1 updates, and now there's more good news for Ativ S users this Halloween. The update was limited at first to Ativ S handsets in Austria, but Windows Central reports that their unlocked UK Ativ S has been upgraded as well. Users on the site's forums are saying the same in other regions, so it seems Samsung has begun to push out the WP 8.1 Ativ S update in earnest at last. Enter CortanaThe over-the-air update bumps the Ativ S up to Windows Phone 8.1, and it also includes the first minor update after that as well. That bundling may be why it took longer for 8.1 to arrive on Ativ S handsets than it did on Lumia phones, the site speculates. Windows Phone 8.1 adds speed improvements, bug fixes, new features, and - most importantly - Microsoft's virtual personal assistant, Cortana. If you have an Ativ S you may be treated to the update just in time to ask Cortana what kind of candy you should eat this Halloween. Windows 10 just borrowed a feature from Windows Phonehttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/400ad813/sc/15/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597102098/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/400ad813/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597102098/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/400ad813/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597102098/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/400ad813/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597102098/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/400ad813/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/211597102098/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/400ad813/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/lOD14T7MDqk

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/OnOne/Perfect%20Photo%20Suite%209/perfect-photo-suite-9-470-75.jpgOnOne's Perfect Photo Suite is more than just a collection of plug-ins. The Browse module lets you view your whole photo collection with a folder tree and thumbnail previews, and version 9 adds the ability to apply ratings and keywords and filter your images. The Perfect Layers module is equally interesting, because if you use the suite as a plug-in for Aperture or Lightroom, it effectively adds layers capability to these programs without the need for Photoshop. You can combine images and use masks to control which areas are visible, and blend modes to control how they interact. Perfect Photo Suite 9 has a new Quick Mask Brush to help you make detailed selections quickly, and OnOne has reconfigured the masking options to make them simpler. Previously, Perfect Mask and Perfect Layers were separate modules with separate masking tools – now, Perfect Mask has been made part of Perfect Layers. There's now a noise reduction feature, too, in response to user requests, and a new lens flare filter. The bottom linePerfect Photo Suite has evolved through many different versions to reach this point, but each one is a carefully thought-out improvement over the last. As a plug-in collection, it's probably not as well-known as the Google Nik Collection, but the Browse and Perfect Layer modules take it into areas that the Nik Collection doesn't cover. You probably could use it as your sole image-editing tool. OnOne has also rationalised the versions available, and Photo Suite 9 now comes in two versions rather than the previous three: Basic and Premium. The Basic versions costs $96/£60/AU$109 but only works as a standalone application. If you want to use the Perfect Photo Suite 9 modules as plug-ins for Elements, Photoshop, Lightroom and Aperture, you'll need the Premium Edition, which costs $168/£104/AU$190. Perfect Photo Suite 9 is now available as a 30-day trial from the OnOne website. http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3ffe8a31/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597050271/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ffe8a31/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597050271/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ffe8a31/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597050271/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ffe8a31/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597050271/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ffe8a31/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/211597050271/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ffe8a31/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/JeWaRrXSQz8

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Microsoft/Windows%2010/windows10_actioncenter-470-75.jpgAll of the 35 NHS trusts in the UK are using Windows XP with only 14% currently using desktop virtualisation to tackle the issue of Windows XP migration, a FOI request from Citrix has found The government purchased an extension of Windows XP support until April 8th 2015 for a whopping £5.5 million but while three quarters of trusts mentioned in the report were planning to migrate their last device in March 2015, one in seven didn't know when they would transition their last devices. "Like the rest of the public sector, the NHS is under tremendous pressure to do more with less. The IT department is no exception," Jason Tooley, UK country manager at Citrix stated. Windows XP is still very popular despite being 13 years old; it accounts for nearly one in every four desktop OS on the planet and is Microsoft's second most popular operating system behind Windows 7. Ironically, Windows XP is likely to be used either in corporate environments (banks, POS, public sector) or on very old household PCs. The operating system reached its end-of-life beginning of April 2014. What to do with your old Windows XP PChttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/401337d4/sc/36/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/7G8cQiaC1OU

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Android/google_play_store_app_materialdesign-470-75.jpgRetailers may be shunning Google Wallet along with Apple Pay, but Google certainly isn't. And as the official release of Android 5.0 Lollipop approaches with the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 right around the corner, Google is updating more and more of its apps with the Material Design look. The Google Wallet app for Android has been updated along with several other Google apps with a Material Design makeover, not to mention some new features. For Google Wallet, that means the pretty cool ability for the app to tell you when your balance is low and even add money automatically with recurring bank transfers, according to a Google Commerce blog post. Lollipop paint jobOther Google apps to get the Material Design treatment today include Google Drive, Google Play Games and Google Docs. The new UI style has bold colors and clean lines, with updated icons and various other tweaks. It's a staple of the upcoming Android Lollipop update, and we're going to be seeing a lot more of it very soon. Android Lollipop might make it easier to uninstall carriers' junk appshttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3ff788ab/sc/5/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597021293/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ff788ab/sc/5/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597021293/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ff788ab/sc/5/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597021293/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ff788ab/sc/5/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597021293/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ff788ab/sc/5/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/211597021293/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ff788ab/sc/5/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/ecV7WsBwlbk

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/mobile_phones/Google/Nexus6/Press/Nexus6-Press-01-470-75.jpgAndroid Lollipop is the most significant change to Google's mobile operating system in years, but not every change is a black-and-white improvement. Then again, some are, like the new Lollipop feature that lets Google Play install carriers' bloatware junk apps for them. These unwanted apps are usually installed to devices' system partition, making it difficult or downright impossible to delete them. But if they're installed through Google Play - even if it's done automatically when you first boot up a phone or tablet - they'll land on the data partition, and users can subsequently remove them, Google Vice President of Engineering for Android and Nexus Dave Burke and Android team Group Product Manager Gabe Cohen told Ars Technica. Of course there's a 'but'The obvious concession is that this is an optional feature that carriers have no reason to take advantage of. After all, what's the point of making all those terrible crapware apps if your customers won't be forced to look at them day in and day out? The Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 will launch with Android 5.0 Lollipop soon, so we may get to see then whether this feature will be of any actual use. Google wants you to make fun of friends without Android Lollipophttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3ff69c10/sc/5/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597018753/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ff69c10/sc/5/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597018753/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ff69c10/sc/5/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597018753/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ff69c10/sc/5/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211597018753/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ff69c10/sc/5/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/211597018753/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ff69c10/sc/5/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/9FDY6ikvFUc

http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Generic/Data%20Centres/future-data-centre-470-100.jpghttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Generic/Data%20Centres/future-data-centre-220-100.jpgThe Software-Defined Data Center (SDDC) is at an early stage in its development but software and hardware vendors are already lining up to sell you SDDC products. EMC recently released its Federation Software-Defined Data Center Solution, a combined software stack that it hopes will serve as a reference architecture for all future software-defined data centers, similar to the way the Java EE reference architecture is a template solution for many Java enterprise applications. The goal of a SDDC is to eliminate large infrastructure boxes and replace them with network services dedicated to and tuned to the needs of individual applications. This will allow applications to be decomposed into compute workloads, transport workloads, and storage workloads--and these various tasks can be executed wherever it makes the most sense. "Hot Content" Use Case An example of a SDDC-aware application is a Video on Demand application that uses both solid-state drives (SSDs) and hard-disk drives (HDDs) in a complementary fashion--where "hot content" that needs the fastest possible IOPS (streaming new releases or the most popular movies) can rely on performance-optimized SSDs, while "cold content" that needs the largest possible capacity for storing thousands of classic movies can use capacity-optimized HDDs. A Virtualized and Federated Data Center The new SDDC is built on top of these products from the Federation, which consists of EMC and its subsidiaries, VMware, RSA Security and Pivotal Labs: • Management and Orchestration: VMware vCloud Automation Center, VMware vCenter, Operations Management, VMware IT Business Management, EMC Storage Resource Manager • Hypervisor : VMware vSphere virtualization platform • Networking : VMware NSX , the network virtualization and security platform • Storage : Designed for EMC ViPR, EMC Storage Resource Manager and EMC Storage • Data Protection : EMC Avamar, Data Domain, RecoverPoint, VPLEX • Hybrid Cloud Deployment : VMware vCloud Air connectivity and workload migration • Choice of Hardware: Built on converged infrastructure and can be deployed on a variety of hardware including VCE Vblock Systems and VSPEX • PaaS: Delivering Platform-as-a-Service with Pivotal CF The SDDC is the first of five solutions that integrate technology from the Federation, with four more expected to be released over the next few months, include Platform-as-a-Service, which combines technology from EMC, VMware and Pivotal; a virtualized data lake featuring Pivotal technology; end-user computing with VMware and EMC technology; and security analytics, which will add RSA security to the virtualized data lake. The new Federation SDDC is designed to be the base for all these future solutions. Does SD(DC) = SD (Hype)? Since the term software-defined data center was coined by VMware, it's not surprising that EMC and its partners are actively promoting the SDDC notion. SDDC is part of the latest IT industry fad to label all kinds of infrastructure "software-defined," as in Software-Defined (X), where "X" can be any number of things, including "Servers" and/or "Storage" (SDS), "Data Protection" (SDP) and "Networking" (SDN). This semantic fad has its critics, too, who are prone to dismiss SDDC as software-defined (hype) when the label is able is applied to data center architecture since, in their view, only companies with homogenous IT systems already in place, such as Yahoo! and Google, will be able to make the transition to software-defined data centers. The SDDC vision The underlying concept of a software-defined data center is one where all IT infrastructure–the network, server and storage – is virtualized and offered as a service. In this scenario, configuration and control is automated and it's possible to provision, control, and manage all SDDC components with the click of a mouse on a single computer screen—the proverbial single pane of glass. This allows applications to be managed by their service-level agreements (SLAs) where things like CPU resources and network bandwidth will be automatically reserved and allocated according to the particulars of the SLA. Developing SDDC standards Although the Software-Defined Data Center is not currently defined by an existing standards body (e.g. IETF, ITU, NIST), the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) last year announced an Open Software-Defined Data Center Incubator, which it calls a "forum where the IT community can discuss and develop SDDC definitions, architectures and use cases that will be interoperable via open and standard interfaces." SDDC and Open Source Other vendors besides EMC and VMware are currently working on SDDC development including Cisco, Citrix, Dell, Ericsson, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Juniper Networks, Microsoft and others, who are all contributing to the collaborative open source OpenDaylight Project. Additionally, there are a bunch of open-source technologies such as OpenStack, OpenFlow and Open vSwitch that are linked to the software-defined data center concept. We Ain't There Yet By some estimates, it will take roughly a decade for the software-defined data center to become a reality. Since SDDC standards are still being defined, very few companies will be willing to rip and replace what they have in support of what many see as SDDC vaporware. It's likely, too, that when they get around to it, most companies will try to deploy open, vendor-neutral SDDC solutions that can work in a widely heterogeneous environment of new and legacy applications. The fact that the new Federation SDDC reference architecture includes solution-specific workflows ought to give EMC and its partners first-mover advantage in driving the SDDC standard forward. Interestingly, just as VMware is trying to establish its proprietary vCloud Air hybrid cloud service as a standard, VMware said it's establishing a partnership with Docker, an open source container-based virtualization framework that can be used in-place of a VM hypervisor, which is VMware's cash cow. By incorporating Docker container technology into its product mix, VMware is hedging its bets but also making it more likely that a version of the Federation's SDDC reference architecture will gain significant traction among cloud computing enthusiasts eager to avoid vendor lock-in. At that point, the idea of the software-defined data center may just start living up to its hype as the next big step in the evolution of virtualization and cloud computing. http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3fec36a4/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211596954442/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3fec36a4/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211596954442/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3fec36a4/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211596954442/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3fec36a4/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211596954442/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3fec36a4/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/211596954442/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3fec36a4/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/WdC_EhEiW6I

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Google/googlefit_official-470-75.jpgGoogle Fit has officially arrived, and with it Google's best bet at giving Apple's HealthKit a run for its money. Unveiled at Google IO 2014, Google Fit is an app and platform that spans Android, Android Wear and browsers to track users' health and fitness across multiple devices. It also collects data from other fitness gadgets and apps like Strava, Withings, Runtastic, Runkeeper, and Noom Coach all in one place. And now Google Fit is available in the Google Play store for Android devices with Ice Cream Sandwich and above. Built-in fitnessGoogle Fit users the sensors in your various devices to track all your physical activity. "It's a great tool to discover how active you are and check in on your progress as you work on your fitness goals," Google Director of Android Product Management Sabrina Ellis wrote on the official Android Blog. She continued, "Just keep your Android phone with you and we'll make sure your activity counts - whether you're cycling up steep hills, going for a morning jog or walking the dog." Google Fit is available now from Google Play for free. Google would like to make Android Wear compatible with iOShttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3fec36ac/sc/15/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211596954441/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3fec36ac/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211596954441/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3fec36ac/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211596954441/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3fec36ac/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/211596954441/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3fec36ac/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/211596954441/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3fec36ac/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/vQ-4CRuK-eY