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http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Office/office%202013%20RTM/excel%20chart%20context-470-75.jpgIntroduction, Excel and OpenOffice CalcFor a lot of people, working with spreadsheets is a necessary evil. Something they must endure to get their job done. Spreadsheets can be very useful and can make number-crunching much easier, but often people aren't fully trained on the software they are using, or aren't using the best software that they could be. In fact, many people will be hard-pressed to name a spreadsheet application beyond the ubiquitous Microsoft Excel. Excel is a good spreadsheet tool and we'll discuss its features and functionality shortly. As part of Microsoft's Office productivity suite, however, it has benefited greatly from being bundled with Windows PCs for a long time. It is by far and away the dominant player in the spreadsheet software market. Where spreadsheet software is concerned, many people will have only used Excel. Despite this, there are other spreadsheet applications available that can do just as good a job as Excel. For people who already have Excel installed and are comfortable with it, it may be convenient to stick with what you know. For those who are less tied to Excel, however, or those who spend a lot of time using spreadsheets, it may be worth looking around at some potential alternatives (many of which are free). This article takes a look at some of the most popular spreadsheet software packages available, including Microsoft Excel. It provides an overview of each, taking a look at their different functionalities and benefits. Microsoft ExcelWebsite: http://office.microsoft.com/en-gb/excel Price: From £109.99 one-off, or £5.99 per month (both as part of Microsoft Office) Microsoft Excel should need no introduction. It was made available as part of the Microsoft Office suite in 1990 and is the industry standard where spreadsheet software is concerned. Today, Excel is available both as an on-premise piece of software that can be bought and installed with a one-off payment as part of Office, or as a cloud-based offering that can be paid for on a monthly basis as part of Office 365. Excel provides a great deal of basic functionality that we now take for granted. It is, of course, possible to calculate formulas, extrapolate trends and work with sets of data. Charts can be produced to illustrate data sets and data can be filtered and sorted as required. The newest version of Excel, however, provides a host of more advanced features as well. Excel is available across a variety of different platforms, including Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and Windows Phone. Users can create and edit spreadsheets on one device and continue working on them on another device, wherever they are. Its possible to share workbooks online and collaborate on them with others, helping to ensure that everyone is using the same version. It's also possible to share your screen and present Excel online via Lync when delivering data presentations. Other tools are aimed at speeding up the process of working with Excel. Flash Fill detects what users are trying to do and offers a prediction of the final outcome, allowing them to fill a series of data quickly and with ease. Similarly, the Quick Analysis tool lets users convert data into a chart or table in two steps or less. Apache OpenOffice CalcWebsite: https://www.openoffice.org/product/calc.html Price: Free OpenOffice was created as a free, open source alternative to Microsoft Office. It began life as StarOffice in 1985 and was acquired by Sun Microsystems in 1999. Acording to the OpenOffice website, "Sun continued to sponsor development on OpenOffice.org for the next 10 years, a period during which not only did the project grow tremendously and became truly global, but the user base also saw an extraordinary increase, and as of the end of 2010 was estimated to be in excess of 100 million." In 2011, the platform was donated to Apache, which continues to run it, and Apache says it has presided over 100 million downloads since the acquisition. Using OpenOffice can feel a lot like using an old version of Microsoft Excel, and its spreadsheet module, Calc, is no different. That isn't necessarily a bad thing. Users will find the interface and functionality familiar, albeit with fewer bells and whistles. Apache says it aims for new users to find the software intuitive and for more experienced users to find the data manipulation functionality comprehensive. Amongst Calc's main features are DataPilot, which allows users to import raw data in a variety of formats, Natural Language Formulas that allow users to type commands with normal words, and the Intelligent Sum Button that inserts a sum function or a subtotal automatically, depending on context. Calc also offers a variety of Wizards to guide users through different processes and support for multiple users. LibreOffice, Google Sheets, Zoho SheetLibreOfficeWebsite: http://www.libreoffice.org Price: Free At this point, it's worth mentioning LibreOffice. LibreOffice is based on the same source code as Apache OpenOffice, having been forked off from the product in 2011. Much of the look, feel and functionality is the same. Like OpenOffice, LibreOffice is free and open source, and its spreadsheet function is also called Calc. It is suggested that LibreOffice has been developed more quickly than OpenOffice, but there is little difference between the two and any decision likely comes down to user preference. Google SheetsWebsite: http://www.google.co.uk/sheets/about Price: Free Sheets is part of Google Docs, Google's productivity suite and its answer to Microsoft Office. While Sheets does not have the same amount of functionality as Excel, it does more than enough to be adequate for most purposes. In fact, its more stripped back approach could be seen as a benefit. There are fewer fancy features to get in the way, allowing the user to focus on the core functionality. Sheets offers the functionality you would expect from a spreadsheet application, such as using standard formula elements, drag-to-fill for extrapolating trends and simple formatting tools. It is deeply integrated with Google Drive, meaning that all documents are saved to the cloud and can be downloaded in different formats if required. It's also possible to access Sheets via a browser, smartphone or tablet. As with other Google Docs products, Sheets allows users to work on documents with others at the same time. Users can see how others are editing the sheet and a chat window allows for quick and easy communication. It's possible to share individual worksheets publicly or with specific people – and to set permissions for other users. Amongst the other features available in Sheets are an auto-save function that means users never have to remember to press save again and a version history, meaning that users can revert to an old version of a worksheet if needs be. It's also possible to work offline and to install add-ons that extend the application's functionality. Zoho SheetWebsite: https://www.zoho.com/docs/online-spreadsheet.html Price: From free Zoho's wide-ranging product portfolio extends to the office productivity market, and as with its other products, Zoho Docs (of which Sheet is a part) is available via a freemium model. Users can get an initial 5GB of storage along with basic functionality for free, while US$5 per month (around £3, AU$5.50) will get you 250GB of storage and some extra features. Users can upgrade, downgrade or cancel their plan at any point. Zoho Sheet is much like Google's similarly named Sheets offering. It offers the straightforward functionality that users require without lots of flashy extra features. Users can collaborate in real-time and access their worksheets from any device at any time. The standard functions language is available and users can autofilter data to match specific conditions, apply conditional formatting, set up macros and use pivot tables. As with Google Sheets, Zoho Sheet lets users create charts based on their data, and download worksheets in different formats. Spreadsheets can be published online, embedded in websites and shared with others. It's also possible to view the version history of a worksheet. Everything you need to know about spreadsheets but are too afraid to askhttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f7bf962/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474399639/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f7bf962/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474399639/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f7bf962/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474399639/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f7bf962/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474399639/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f7bf962/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/210474399639/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f7bf962/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/pfAuXDZAdgU

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/internet/Internet%20Of%20Things/techtoaster_IoT-470-75.jpgQualcomm has announced that it's to acquire Cambridge Silicon Radio (CSR) for approximately £1.6 billion (around $2.5 billion). But what does this mean for us, the humble consumer? Well Qualcomm is heavily involved in the Internet of Things - connected devices and appliances to you and me - and its latest acquisition comes with some rather useful tech. Steve Mollenkopf, chief executive officer of Qualcomm, said "The addition of CSR's technology leadership in Bluetooth, Bluetooth Smart and audio processing will strengthen Qualcomm's position in providing critical solutions that drive the rapid growth of the Internet of Everything, including business areas such as portable audio, automotive and wearable devices." All your devices are belong to usWhile Qualcomm doesn't actually produce any hardware itself, it does provide the platform for manufacturers to build their systems on to ensure they play nicely with other devices using the same protocols, be it a fridge, your car, a smartwatch or an air conditioning unit. Looking ahead then, and this deal could see more of our every day appliances becoming connected to one another as home, office and life automation takes another step towards reality. So ready your kettle, plug in your toaster and set your washing machine to spin - possibly for the last time - as in the future they may be doing it all for you. Samsung may be plotting an Internet of Things takeover, too

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/cameras/Logitech/03_CC3000e%20Video%20Meeting%20with%20Prototype-470-75.jpgSites like YouTube and Vimeo have transformed the way the average internet user finds information and communicates with other people. Many of the world's largest and most successful companies have recognised this shift and are developing ways to create a YouTube-like experience for their workforce. But YouTube-level capabilities alone will not cut it. For enterprises to truly take advantage of video as a means for communication, collaboration, and knowledge transfer within their organisation, they need an enterprise video platform with a high degree of functionality that goes well beyond what public video sites like YouTube and Vimeo can provide. Here are a few reasons why YouTube for the Enterprise is not enough: IntegrationMany of the most successful businesses have already integrated their various content silos into a central portal to simplify knowledge transfer. While YouTube may work through these portals via tedious copying and pasting links, an enterprise video platform will integrate with an organisation's existing social business portal to make video adoption seamless. SecurityOn a public site like YouTube, sharing is simple. The unfortunate side effect of this simplicity is that it is difficult to control who can and cannot see your content. Corporate video communications often need to communicate sensitive, valuable information to a select group, internally, without the risk of that information leaking. An enterprise video platform provides content owners and managers with a high degree of control over video access through encryption, login security measures and Digital Rights Management. Bandwidth YouTube is built to provide hundreds of thousands of concurrent streams to users around the world. Even the world's largest organisations do not have the network capacity to devote that amount of bandwidth to video, even when it is important that a message reaches a wide internal audience all at the same time. Enterprise video portals optimise network infrastructure with technology like intelligent content routing and video network edge devices that dramatically reduce the volume of video bandwidth required to stream videos to a wide variety of devices on the network. Custom controlProviding the right content to the right people can be a hassle in the freeform organisation of YouTube-style video interfaces. An enterprise video portal offers sophisticated content management and organisational tools like featured videos and channels that let you control the way your video information is presented to employees. Videos like executive webcasts and training channels need to be highly organised for maximum impact in a way that YouTube's open environment cannot provide. Managers can also create custom skins for their corporate video portal to conform to brand guidelines and highlight the most important videos to the organisation. SearchFinding the right video on YouTube can be difficult. With inconsistent metadata and unsophisticated search algorithms, getting the information you need on YouTube can be a frustrating process. An enterprise video solution should employ targeted search algorithms as well as Speech Search which allows users to search through the audio tracks of every video on the platform, reducing search inconsistencies and metadata errors. This will reduce the time it takes for employees to not only reach the specific video they are looking for, but it also enables them to search for keywords within the video itself so they can pinpoint the precise section of the clip containing the information they need. Just the beginning…YouTube has taken video to the next level of daily communication and knowledge sharing. An enterprise video platform allows your business to expand upon those features and deliver a holistic, seamlessly integrated video experience to your employees, globally. When it comes to enterprise video communication, YouTube is not enough, but an enterprise video platform may just be the beginning. Martin Nurser is Vice President of Qumu EMEA. He brings more than 25 years of enterprise and technology industry experience with emphasis on engineered systems and cloud technologies. He is a leading expert in channel and strategic alliance development and management, go-to-market planning, as well as market segmentation and business strategy formulation.http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f78421d/sc/46/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474379709/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f78421d/sc/46/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474379709/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f78421d/sc/46/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474379709/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f78421d/sc/46/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474379709/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f78421d/sc/46/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/210474379709/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f78421d/sc/46/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/9VEHyM0CE98

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/TRBC/Software/lettuce-inventory-470-75.jpgIntroduction, inFlow and BrightpearlInventory management is unlikely to be a subject that gets many people's pulses racing, but the successful management of a business' inventory is both an important business matter and a difficult skill. The ebb and flow of items in an inventory is rarely entirely predictable and is open to unexpected fluctuations. At the same time, organisations need to keep enough items in stock to fulfil orders or actions while minimising the amount of capital tied up in inventory items. Inventory management software allows organisations to track the number of items in their inventory and to help avoid them becoming over or understocked. It can be used to track the location of inventory items, follow the status of orders and deliveries, and analyse efficiency and stock value. For businesses that sell a variety of different products or use different components to manufacture products, inventory management software is a critical tool. As with all sorts of business software, however, choosing which piece of inventory management software is right for your organisation can be easier said than done. There are a variety of different factors involved and not all products in the market are directly comparable. It's first important for you to have a good understanding of what your business needs from its inventory management software. Once you understand this, the following article provides a selection of some of the most popular inventory management tools on the market to get you started. inFlowWeb: http://www.inflowinventory.com Price: Free edition available; paid editions from US$299 (around £185, AU$340) per license inFlow's parent company, Archon, was set up in 2005 by two friends. The first version of inFlow was released in 2007 and, according to Archon, it "has grown to become the #1 most downloaded inventory software for small to mid-sized businesses… with over 300,000+ installs and 1+ million website visits." The firm boasts customers in over 60 countries and in industries including retail, wholesale, manufacturing, e-commerce, professional services, healthcare and government. inFlow allows users to manage over 10,000 products from a single PC. Users can benefit from barcode scanning to track items quickly, working with multiple units of measurements for ease of communication, working with multiple locations and sub-locations, and the ability to assemble products from components while updating the inventory automatically. Orders can be easily taken and inFlow's workflow displays details such as shipping information, specialised picking and customer returns. Stock levels can be tracked with new items ordered and purchase orders easily produced. Detailed analytics and reports are available. inFlow is highly customisable, with admins able to set user permissions and customisable fields. Data can be exported and imported as required and the platform works with multiple currencies and languages. BrightpearlWeb: https://www.brightpearl.com Price: From US$99 (around £60, AU$110) per user per month Brightpearl is another company set up by two friends. It was founded in 2007 to service an existing business that they were running and now has over 1300 customers in 57 countries. A total of 87 employees are split across offices in San Francisco, US, and Bristol, UK. Brightpearl focuses on helping businesses to do three main things through controlling their inventory. It aims to help them improve cashflow, have the flexibility to grow, and make faster, better decisions. The software provides users with a full inventory audit trail that allows for real-time cashflow tracking, along with the ability to manage an inventory spread across multiple locations with product and seasonal variations. It also offers built-in accounting functionality to provide financial insights into the performance of an organisation's inventory. Brightpearl integrates with a number of sales channels, such as Amazon, eBay, Magento, Shopify and Bigcommerce. The platform is cloud-based, meaning it can be easily accessed from anywhere via any operating system, and updates are pushed out to the software regularly. Users are provided with 24/7 support, in-person launch training and a variety of knowledge base resources. Lettuce, Ordoro, JumpStock and ZohoLettuceWeb: https://lettuceapps.com Price: From $39 (around £25, AU$45) per month Like Brightpearl, Lettuce was set up by friends who needed a better inventory management solution than was already available for an existing business that they were running. It was designed to be cost-effective and simple to use, where other platforms were not. The platform was publicly launched in 2012 and was bought by Intuit earlier this year. Again like Brightpearl, Lettuce is cloud-based, meaning it can be accessed from anywhere on any operating system. It provides both inventory management and order management functionality. Inventory management features include an overview layout to give a real-time view of what is happening in an organisation's inventory, and the ability to group sub-parts together into products for manufacture, and forecasting for future inventory planning. Lettuce allows users to capture and track orders online for both consumers and retailers, and in the office via phone call, fax or email. The platform integrates with a variety of powerful services such as Google, QuickBooks, Shopify, UPS and FedEx. Functionality is included for managing shipping, customers and vendors, amongst other activities. OrdoroWeb: https://www.ordoro.com Price: From US$39 (around £25, AU$45) per month Ordoro bills itself as primarily a shipping app, but with built-in inventory management functionality. The company was founded in 2010 and says it has processed over US$244 million (around £150 million, AU$280 million) worth of orders since its conception. It claims to "create user-centric, thoughtfully-designed software that's helping merchants efficiently manage everything that happens after the order is placed on their webstore." Ordoro uses what it calls a "unified inventory" for managing the stock levels for all of a user's distribution channels, such as different retailers and marketplaces. By doing so, it aims to minimise the amount of manual updating that is required to an company's inventory. As with other platforms like Lettuce, parts or components can be grouped into larger products for manufacture. Resupplying of items can be done from within the platform, with suppliers and products added in as required. JumpStockWeb: http://www.jumptech.com Price: Varies Jump Technologies was established in 1999 and offers a variety of software for inventory management, replenishment, procurement, and proof-of-delivery. The company operates across a number of industries, including healthcare, office supplies, food logistics, transportation and distribution. It claims to have been "among the first companies to use the cloud to leverage existing smartphone and tablet technology to solve supply chain problems associated with procurement, inventory management and proof-of-delivery." JumpStock aims to provide a simple, lean and agile inventory management solution. It is primarily targeted at the healthcare industry. The platform uses barcode scanning and smartphone devices to automate procurement and inventory management processes and reduce the amount of time that staff must spend on administrative functions. Its focus on automation is also said to reduce inventory errors. In addition, JumpStock enables users to better track item information (such as use by dates), provide a clear overview of an organisation's inventory as a whole, and scale manageably should an organisation begin to grow. Jumpstock says its implementation process takes less than a week and requires minimal staff training. ZohoWeb: http://www.zoho.com/crm/order-management.html Price: From $25 (around £16, AU$29) per month Zoho's inventory management functionality is actually part of its CRM offering. Zoho has built up a sizable portfolio of over 25 business applications over the years, which can be used in a modular manner. It's products are all cloud-based and have won awards from the likes of InfoWorld, PC World and TechCrunch. The company boasts over 9 million customers worldwide and has offices in the US and China. Zoho's online inventory management software aims to provide seamless integration between pre-sales and post-sales activities in the one application. It allows users to manage organisation-wide product catalogues, create multiple price-books and offer different discount types as required. Users can create and track sales quotes, track sales orders and purchase orders, monitor current stock levels and manage the invoicing process. What's the right cloud service for your business?http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f73579e/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474366699/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f73579e/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474366699/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f73579e/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474366699/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f73579e/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474366699/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f73579e/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/210474366699/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f73579e/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/WURtNMToUag

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Snapchat/snapchat_dog-470-75.jpgFrom the very beginning Snapchat blamed the massive photo leak dubbed "The Snappening" on an unnamed third-party app. The privacy fiasco reportedly saw around 13GB worth of personal Snapchat photos leak to trolls on 4chan and elsewhere, but the company insisted its own servers were never hacked. We had our suspicions at the time about which third-party app was responsible, and over the weekend that company stepped forward to take responsibility. And yes, it was Snapsaved, not the similarly-named but different service Snapsave - but more importantly the company says the leak poses no further dangers. At least it doesn't have 'gate' on the endThe owner of Snapsaved, which was used to save Snapchat photos that otherwise would be automatically deleted once viewed, took to the site's official Facebook page to confess its role in The Snappening. The company blamed the security breach that allowed hundreds of thousands of photos to leak online on "a misconfiguration in our Apache server" and confirmed that Snapchat itself remains secure. However it's more interesting that this post claims that "the hacker does not have sufficient information to live up to his claims of creating a searchable database," as was threatened last week. Think againSnapsaved is no longer up, and its Facebook post says the site was taken down as soon as its owners became aware it had been hacked - although it also claims that only 500MB of data was stolen, which is a far sight less than the 13GB quoted previously. The site apologized and said it never meant any harm to Snapchat or its users, but now those users will have to decide whether they feel their data is safe with Snapchat after all. Snapchat hasn't updated its privacy policy since May of this year, and some would say it shouldn't have to. But despite the service's apparent blamelessness in this, it may make you think twice the next time you feel like sticking your smartphone down your pants and snapping a photo. Facebook wants to make sure you know your privacy optionshttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f6c1f61/sc/21/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474331946/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f6c1f61/sc/21/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474331946/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f6c1f61/sc/21/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474331946/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f6c1f61/sc/21/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474331946/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f6c1f61/sc/21/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/210474331946/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f6c1f61/sc/21/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/1vsEh8P3Lis

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/events/Windows%209/Windows%2010%20IE-470-75.jpgThe Technical Preview of Windows 10 may not have every feature of the upcoming operating system, but Microsoft has revealed that over a million people are testing it out regardless. These users have sent 200,000 nuggets of "user-initiated feedback" - or "UIFs," as Microsoft apparently calls your tips internally - so far. It's been two weeks since the Windows 10 preview version launched, and Microsoft Corporate Vice President of Operating Systems Joe Belfiore wrote in a Windows blog post that testers have so far been "a vocal bunch." "It's been awesome to see so many of you joining the Windows Insider Program and letting us know what you think about the Windows 10 Technical Preview software," Belfiore, who's in charge of phone, tablet and PC design at Microsoft, wrote. 'A different Windows'Belfiore echoed Microsoft Executive Vice President of Operating Systems Terry Myerson in saying that Windows 10 "is going to be a different Windows." He promised that Microsoft plans to share its "plans and progress" with users "earlier and more often, as we want to build a Windows that everyone will love and really enjoy using." Interestingly Belfiore also wrote that only 36% of Windows 10 preview users have cautiously installed the OS in virtual machines, with the remaining 64% going all-in and committing it to actual PCs. He wrote also that 68% of users launch more than seven apps a day, which among other stats indicates to Microsoft that people are really taking Windows 10 out for a spin and not just submitting feedback after fiddling around for a few moments. Installing Windows 10 Technical Preview? Here's 10 things you should knowhttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f6b73f2/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474335098/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f6b73f2/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474335098/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f6b73f2/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474335098/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f6b73f2/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474335098/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f6b73f2/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/210474335098/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f6b73f2/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/cDjX6P1dNrg

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/people/salesforce/Mark%20Benioff%20Salesforce%20CEO%20at%20Dreamforce%202012%20close-470-75.jpgOn the opening day of its annual user summit, Salesforce has launched two new products designed to provide business users with faster access to data on mobile devices. The Salesforce Customer Success Platform offers enterprises access to customer engagement records on mobile devices via the Salesforce1 Platform. The tool can be leveraged to deliver marketing campaigns, sales pitches and customer service resolution through mobile business applications. Salesforce launches Salesforce1 last year to help its customers develop, market and sell sales, service and marketing apps. The San Francisco-based CRM company has built out the tool to provide sales representatives with the ability to send one-to-one marketing campaigns, to plan extended campaigns and access real-time performance data, all via mobile devices. Wave, The Analytics Cloud Salesforce has also launched Wave, The Analytics Cloud, a platform built to offer performance analytics for sales, service and marketing apps. The tool features a search-based data query that is meant to give employees access to information without having to rely on IT. Wave is built to be responsive, so users are meant to be able to measure, group, filter, view and share data on any device without sacrificing interface quality. Wave is available for $250 per month for develops and $125 per month for users. 10 CRM systems you need to knowhttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f67eb3b/sc/46/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474284209/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f67eb3b/sc/46/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474284209/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f67eb3b/sc/46/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474284209/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f67eb3b/sc/46/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474284209/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f67eb3b/sc/46/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/210474284209/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f67eb3b/sc/46/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/qDh-C_j8IVc

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/TRBC/People/Sergio-Galindo-470-75.JPGThe modern organisation has changed drastically over the past few years. The economic climate that ended last decade has helped make businesses more frugal, instilling a requirement in most to get departments to do more with fewer available resources, and IT is no exception. IT admins are required to do more and more with less money and people, whilst having to ensure that the IT department is able to respond to up-and-coming trends, as well as the day-to-day requirements of the business and unseen threats. Here are five trends that IT departments need to be aware of and prepare for. 1. Shrinking budgetsEvery pound you spend is going to have to be stretched further. The applications that you purchase need to do more than one job, and everything can be used for more than one purpose. When you look at new software, whether it's for testing, patching, or security assessments, look for multi-tasking programs that can perform multiple functions. 2. New devicesNew devices are coming out from every major vendor, in every conceivable form factor. Tablets, phablets, phones, Ultrabooks, wearable devices and embedded devices are flooding the market. Businesses will be looking at what devices they will adopt and how IT will support them. What IT will have to worry about are the devices running operating systems that can't be backed up, managed, or imaged with standard tools. 3. BYODMany of those new devices are going to be connecting to your network whether you are involved in their selection or not, and the tech savvy users buy their own and will use them at work. Ignoring BYOD, pretending it will go away, or refusing to permit it on your network are all strategies destined to fail. The best thing you can do is start to focus on securing data, implementing user policies and strong authentication, and providing these devices with network access that is restricted and controlled. Guest networks, remote portals, and extranet applications are all ways to address BYOD, but don't assume that just because you don't own it, you can't manage it. 4. Reduced headcountThe other side of the coin is a reduced headcount, and the same things we discussed in the previous point apply here. Whether current staff are asked to do more, or someone on your team decides to move on, it's unlikely you will be able to expand your team or even backfill existing roles if someone leaves. The best approach is to diversify the skillset within the organisation by cross-training staff. This way you will have capable employees who will be able to undertake a variety of tasks. 5. Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)Threats are always going to come around and bad guys will always want to try and break into your network. The tools these bad guys use keep on evolving and will scan your network for ways to get in, and APTs are the next big thing. Rather than simply scanning for a target, the bad guys are scanning for you. You are the target, and it may take them days or weeks, but they are making a concentrated and focused effort to get into your network through you. The annual vulnerability scan is a thing of the past, as now organisations need to carry out vulnerability scan perpetually, around the clock. Anything that is identified as a potential threat needs to be remedied immediately. It's not enough to patch once a month when new vulnerabilities are discovered daily. If an attacker is playing the long game, and patiently waiting for the one thing that you miss to find their way in, you need to make sure you miss nothing. Knowledge is keyKnowledge is half the battle, and equipped with the knowledge relating to these trends, your organisation will be able to start planning a response to each accordingly. By being in a position where your organisation can adopt and support new technologies, and maintain service levels even when budgets are stretched, your organisation will maintain a high level of security and sanity. Sergio Galindo is general manager, Infrastructure Business Unit, GFI Software.http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f673e11/sc/46/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474282141/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f673e11/sc/46/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474282141/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f673e11/sc/46/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474282141/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f673e11/sc/46/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474282141/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f673e11/sc/46/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/210474282141/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f673e11/sc/46/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/3K8zBcqrtsw

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/features/Why%20I%20switched%20back%20to%20an%20iPhone/Why%20I%20switched%20back%20to%20iPhone%20Hero-470-75.jpgA rocky marriage with AndroidA few months ago, in the midst of switching carriers and desperately needing to upgrade my two-year-old iPhone 4S, I decided to make the leap to an Android phone. After a long period of deliberating different devices, I picked the HTC One M8 - TechRadar's pick for one of the best Android handsets around. At first I was hesitant about making the switch, but I was excited to see the experiment through with the hope of moving over to Androids permanently. Fast forward to the Apple launch where I found myself waiting for the new iPhone 6 to arrive in the mail where afterwards, I realized I would never go Android again. Here's why I went crawling back to the land of Apple. The grass is always greener on the other sidehttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/features/Why%20I%20switched%20back%20to%20an%20iPhone/Why%20I%20switched%20back%20to%20iPhone%2011-420-90.jpg The grass always looks greener on the other side. As part of the Apple camp I always longed for the freedom Android users had with customizing everything. Everyone's iPhone home screen pretty much looks the same. Other than changing your background and moving around the app tiles, iOS offers few ways to customize your phone. The one advantage of keeping things homogenous on iOS made the interface feel much more fluid and snappier compared to Android. Prior to my HTC One M8, I dabbled with owning a first-generation Nexus 7 tablet. I had no problems switching back and forth between my two devices despite the two different platforms. Looking through the Google Play Store, I could find almost every app I would use on my iPhone. Adding in the greater amount of freedom on Android made it alluring enough for me to switch. With my mind made up, I decided to get my first Android smartphone with plans to fully assimilate myself into Google's ecosystem. The honeymoonhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/features/Why%20I%20switched%20back%20to%20an%20iPhone/Why%20I%20switched%20back%20to%20iPhone%204-420-90.jpg Like a honeymoon, my first month with the HTC One M8 was amazing. The hardware by itself was a major step up from my old iPhone with a better screen, more power under the hood and amazing stereo speakers. It was simply a flat upgrade across the board save for some issues with the camera, which I'll get into later. I had more fun using Android than I ever did with my tablet. I spent hours arranging every screen on my phone to my exact liking. As silly as it sounds, it was liberating to be able to move around your app tiles the way you see fit instead of having everything bumped off to the upper right on iOS. Google Now was perhaps the most surprisingly useful tool on Android. Unlike Siri, which is pretty much a voice-controlled computer, Google Now would intelligently prompt me with directions and restaurant suggestions all on its own. Trouble stirshttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/features/Why%20I%20switched%20back%20to%20an%20iPhone/Why%20I%20switched%20back%20to%20iPhone%201-420-90.jpg I started to feel less excited as I spent more time with Android thanks to the increasingly obvious flaws. My biggest gripe was the lack of notifications on the lockscreen (a feature that will reportedly come to Android L). I quickly fixed the issue by downloading a third party app called SlideLock, but then another problem cropped up with the tiny virtual space bar on the stock Sense 6 keyboard. Again I solved my nitpicking issue by installing a custom keyboard. In time, I replaced the default launcher, swapped Gmail with Dropbox's Mailbox, and practically replaced every stock application with a better third-party solution. "Don't like what comes stock with Android? Just replace it," a fellow Android-using friend once told me; this seems to be the mindset behind Android, which makes it so amazingly customizable. Yet, at the same time it's an admission that Android on its own lacks the same level of polish compared to iOS. You can call iOS drab and restrictive, but Apple knows how to make a good-looking and intuitive interface. The Cupertino company opening up to the concept of custom keyboards could be the first step towards a more customizable iOS interface. The app war rages onhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/features/Why%20I%20switched%20back%20to%20an%20iPhone/Why%20I%20switched%20back%20to%20iPhone%208-420-90.jpg Apple isn't just leading in better UI design, it's still the top platform for apps. iOS users have access to a few more apps not available on Android - like Facebook's Paper, Tweetbot and Yahoo News Digest. On top of this, Apple's mobile OS also often gets first dibs on applications that have or eventually will make it to Android - such as Lightroom Mobile and Instagram's Hyperlapse. Apps simply come to iOS first with Android being an afterthought for most developers. This is true of gaming as well. Despite Android being used as the backbone for gaming devices like Nvidia's Shield Tablet and the MadCatz Mojo, games are just as big as a part of iOS. Case in point, Hearthstone has still yet to arrive in the Google Play Store when it has been available for iPad since April. Fundamental differences between Android and iOSLife through the smartphone lenshttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/features/Why%20I%20switched%20back%20to%20an%20iPhone/Why%20I%20switched%20back%20to%20iPhone%207-420-90.jpg My biggest personal gripe with Android wasn't with the mobile OS itself, but the HTC One M8's camera. In April our Mobile Editor, Marc Flores wrote that the HTC flagship has more than enough resolution to take great pictures. While I agree with Marc - that deliberate and well-planned shots can make the camera sing - it's terrible for taking quick snapshots, which is really what the majority of smartphone shooters actually care about. It's a perfectly serviceable camera even with just 4MP and it works exceptionally well in low-light situations. However, add in even the slightest hint of bright lighting into the scene and the camera's dreadful dynamic range rears its ugly, ethereal face. Bright sections of the frame completely blow out the image, causing it to take on a soft focus with cloudy aesthetics. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/features/Why%20I%20switched%20back%20to%20an%20iPhone/HTC%20One%20M8%20test%20shot-420-90.jpg The HTC One M8 isn't the only Android device with a bad camera. The Nexus 5 has had its share of problems, and Android cameras in general still range from just plain OK to good. Meanwhile, Apple kills it when it comes to great smartphone photography. Although Apple continues to use an 8MP sensor while Samsung is blazing trails with 16MP technology, images out of the iPhone look remarkably better thanks to more refined image processing. Apple has made its platform even more appealing for serious iPhoneographers by adding system-level post-processing tools that eliminate the need to launch additional third-party apps. Connecting other deviceshttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/features/Why%20I%20switched%20back%20to%20an%20iPhone/Why%20I%20switched%20back%20to%20iPhone%203-420-90.jpg If there's one thing Android is clearly better at, it's being a platform for other devices to connect to. With my HTC One M8, I could easily connect to anything whether it was a smartwatch or Wi-Fi enabled mirrorless camera. This wasn't so with the iPhone 6. It was a much more annoying and convoluted process to pair everything with my Apple handset. For example, every time I wanted to quickly transfer an image from my Fujifilm X-T1, I had to activate the wireless on my camera, go to my phone's wireless settings, select the camera's ad-hoc Wi-Fi network and then finally activate the appropriate app. This same process on Android boils down to simply starting the app on the smartphone and hitting the camera's Wi-Fi button. The same could be said about my Basis Carbon Steel Smartwatch. On Android, my smartwatch would re-sync every hour like clockwork. The wearable was even able to automatically re-pair itself with my smartphone after my smartwatch completely ran out of charge. In order to sync my fitness data to my new iPhone 6, I had to manually hit the re-sync button on the Basis. I also had to re-pair the devices together in case I reset either the smartwatch or Apple handset. Google has invested heavily into developing its own Android Wear platform for wearables making Android the better platform for device connection, where it seems like Apple will continue to lag further behind. Since the search company also acquired Nest earlier this January, Google's interest in developing a completely smartphone-connected household also looks likely. Aside from the Apple Watch, and the Air Display-connected Apple TV, Cupertino feels light years behind Google in this regard. The road aheadhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/features/Why%20I%20switched%20back%20to%20an%20iPhone/Why%20I%20switched%20back%20to%20iPhone%2010-420-90.jpg This experience has merely been a glimpse into the differences between iOS 8 and Android KitKat where both platforms have their strengths and pitfalls. The mobile landscape has changed drastically over the last few years and mobile operating systems - either iOS, Android and even Windows Phone 8.1 - have all matured with every iteration. iOS 8 opens up the platform to better photography, activity tracker support and the Apple Watch. Google has yet to unveil Android L, but it's poised to finally give the mobile OS a major graphical overhaul as Apple did with iOS 7, lock screen notifications as well as a host of improvements to increase battery life and performance. Ultimately the combination of better camera features and more apps lured me back to iOS and for the time being, that's where I'll stay. In another iOS versus Android fight we pit the iPhone 6 Plus against the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 in a clash of titanshttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f56cc4e/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474225923/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f56cc4e/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474225923/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f56cc4e/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474225923/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f56cc4e/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210474225923/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f56cc4e/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/210474225923/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f56cc4e/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/KiCY3_l30kI

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/gadgets/Honeywell-voice-470-75.jpgHoneywell is bringing a voice-controlled, talking thermostat to the UK, so you no longer have to be either cold or lonely over the winter. The device recognises 12 different UK dialects, using a cloud-based voice recognition system. Honeywell claims this actually learns variants on existing phrases ("turn on the heating" as opposed to "turn the heating on", for instance) and even entirely new ones – crowdsourcing intelligence, essentially. As a result, the US version of the thermostat, which has been in the homes of Americans for around 10 months, now recognises phrases such as "Turn on the heating at 5pm for six hours". In the UK, you'll be limited for the time being to the likes of "make it warmer" and "turn off", but it's a start. The device is said to be able to hear from a reasonable distance: "Even if there are other people around… But not necessarily the upstairs loo, if the thermostat is downstairs" was the scientific way it was explained to us. During our briefing with the thermostat, it failed three times to respond to the wake-up phrase "Hello Thermostat". However, once this Tomorrow's World moment was passed, it responded consistently, albeit with a "thinking time" delay of about a second. Talk it outIf talking to inanimate objects isn't your bag, rest assured the voice-controlled thermostat can also be operated via its own touchscreen, or Honeywell's iOS/Android app. Support is also promised for If This Then That (IFTTT) functionality. For instance, if your smart lighting system is off, the thermostat could also shut off the heating, or vice versa. Whereas the burgeoning smart thermostat market has certainly thrown up better-looking devices from the likes of Nest and Tado, Honeywell is a company with considerable heft in home heating. It actually invented the thermostat – according to Jeremy Peterson, GM of Honeywell's EMEA Home Comfort and Energy Systems, who TechRadar met at the launch, the original prototype, developed at Berkeley was known as the "Flapper Dapper". The Honeywell Voice Controlled Thermostat is £229 and available to order, verbally or otherwise, now. Nest Learning Thermostat review

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/televisions/Google/Chromecast/Review/hdmi-adapter-470-75.jpgGoogle has updated the Chromecast app for iOS with the "Backdrop" feature, which gives users more control over what appears on their screens. Backdrop kicks in whenever Chromecast isn't casting something specific, and now iOS users can use it to take the HDMI stick's idle screen beyond the current time and featured photos. Yes, Backdrop is about as exciting a feature as the name suggests - it's essentially a glorified screen saver. Getting crazyNow Chromecast users with the iOS app can choose to have the streaming dongle display photos pulled directly from their Google+ accounts, satellite images of Earth and space, or art from featured museums. You can also display the weather and current news headlines if you want to go really nuts. There are some settings to tweak, like what kinds of headlines are display and exactly where it pulls images from. But more importantly the iOS app connects directly with Backdrop, letting you follow up on content displayed on your TV - including headlines and photos - directly within the Chromecast app. Microsoft's Chromecast competitor begins to take shapehttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f43af7d/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210402286980/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f43af7d/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210402286980/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f43af7d/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210402286980/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f43af7d/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210402286980/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f43af7d/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/210402286980/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f43af7d/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/LsHxOp3LJZU

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/mobile_phones/iPhone/iPhone%206/Hands%20on%20-%20review/iPhone%206%20review%20(8)-470-75.JPGMicrosoft is committed to the cloud, and its latest way of showing it is an update to the OneDrive iOS app. The update adds new security features to OneDrive for iOS, including TouchID support and the option for PIN security. Now iOS OneDrive users can lock their cloud storage behind either a PIN password or their own fingerprints. The latest version of OneDrive for iOS also has improved iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus compatibility to take advantage of the new iPhones' bigger screens, and the new ability to sort your files in the app. OneDrive to bind themMicrosoft updated the Android OneDrive app in early October as well, but the Windows Phone version appears to be lagging behind for some reason. "For all our Windows Phone customers: stay tuned, updates are coming your way soon, too!" Microsoft OneDrive Group Program Manager Jason Moore wrote in a blog post. It's unclear exactly what's coming in that update, but it definitely won't be TouchID support. Here's everything we know about Windows Phone 10http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f43af80/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210402286979/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f43af80/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210402286979/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f43af80/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210402286979/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f43af80/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210402286979/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f43af80/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/210402286979/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f43af80/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/56BolqzCYqM

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/events/Windows%209/windows10-family-470-75.jpgMicrosoft's CEO, Satya Nadella, has provided more details about the next iteration of its flagship OS, Windows 10 at Gartner's Symposium ITxpo. Intriguingly, the Internet of Things (or IoT) emerged as one of the most commonly used terms during his speech at the event. "Windows 10 is a very important step for us." he said, "It's the first step in a new generation of Windows as opposed to just another release after Windows 8. General purpose computing is going to run on 200 plus billion sensors. We've architected Windows where it can run on everything." What to expect from Windows 10?The polymorphism exhibited by Windows 10 has yet to be detailed but it now appears clear that Windows 10 will run on x86 and ARM at the very least; expect it to be equally capable of handling heterogeneous systems (CPU+GPU or ambidextrous-type systems). Windows 8 for IoT is currently free and Windows 10 for that ecosystem is likely to cost zilch as well. Microsoft unveiled Windows 10 on 30 September at an event that saw the technical preview demoed and then subsequently released to an armada of beta testers. Check out our Windows 10 hands-on hereSource: ZDNet http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f415869/sc/28/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210402276470/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f415869/sc/28/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210402276470/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f415869/sc/28/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210402276470/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f415869/sc/28/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210402276470/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f415869/sc/28/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/210402276470/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f415869/sc/28/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/PNFa6dUuYjY

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/TRBC/Buildings/Microsoft/microsoft-hq-redmond-470-75.JPGMicrosoft has reportedly started sending out emails to a select number of users enrolled in its Office Pre-Release feedback program informing them that it is about to begin. Winbeta published a snippet of that email, which asked the recipient to accept or decline an invitation to enter the Office Pre-Release testing program. As part of the beta test, a number of programs will be run concurrently, lasting from a few weeks to as long as several months. "As cloud services and devices become more ubiquitous in our lives", the email continues, "it's an exciting new landscape ahead with endless possibilities!" Why not read our reviews of Office 365 and Office 2013It is too early at this stage to speculate on what exactly will be on offer during the testing period; it is highly likely that Microsoft will offer client-based and cloud-based options to be tested. Will Gemini, a touch-centric version of Office, or even its iOS/Android applications be part of the mix? No one knows for now. One things is certain, Windows Phone will be there as it was mentioned in the invite email. Apparently, the current beta version of Office for Windows carries the build 16.0.3030.1018. Earlier last month, screenshots of what appeared to be Office 16 (or Office 2015) surfaced with what seems to be minor feature improvements. http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f415873/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210402276467/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f415873/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210402276467/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f415873/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210402276467/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f415873/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210402276467/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f415873/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/210402276467/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f415873/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/-Fxy9yINp98

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Microsoft/Windows%2010/press/windows10-04-470-75.jpgWhat looks like a storm in a teacup has been spurned after a number of news outlets reported that Microsoft's latest operating system collects user data; a lot of user data and not always from the sources you'd expect. Windows 10 Technical Preview has built-in technology that allows Microsoft to capture minute details of a user session, including keystrokes and even voice. While capturing data is nothing new, the extent to which that is done could be seen as worrying. What to expect from Windows 10?The "terms of use" page of the Windows Insider Program mentions that the Cupertino-based company "automatically collect and transmit data to Microsoft and its partners regarding activities on your registered devices, including personal information". However, giving up on Windows 10 completely because of its perceived data logging capabilities would be a bit of a rash decision. Most, if not all, recent operating systems (both desktop and mobile) transmit some sort of data - almost always anonymised - to their respective owners for a number of reasons. One of the rumoured features of Windows 10 was that they'd be able to see what's happening in near real-time on users' machines via a telemetry system called Asimov, akin to an evolved RDC (remote desktop connection) solution. Check out our Windows 10 hands-on herehttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f415880/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210402276466/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f415880/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210402276466/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f415880/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210402276466/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f415880/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/210402276466/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f415880/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/210402276466/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f415880/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/sfMiuOeWLXs

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/TRBC/Buildings/symantechq-470-75.jpgSymantec might be following eBay and HP's lead by considering splitting its company into two separate entities, according to a Bloomberg report. Bloomberg's anonymous sources say Symantec is considering splitting its security software and data storage units into separate companies in order to become more easily acquired by larger technology companies, such as EMC and HP. Trouble had been brewing at Symantec for the past several years. Revenue failuresIn March, Symantec fired Steve Bennett, its second CEO in two years. Bennett was replaced by interim-CEO Mike Brown. Brown was permanently appointed to the position in September. During fiscal 2013, Symantec revenue decreased 4% to $2.9 billion. Analysts expect revenue to decrease even further during fiscal 2014. The Bloomberg report suggests Symantec executives believe EMC and HP will acquire Symantec's independent security or storage business if one or the other isn't saddled down by additional lines-of-business. Via Bloomberghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f3fb8f2/sc/1/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965700090/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f3fb8f2/sc/1/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965700090/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f3fb8f2/sc/1/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965700090/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f3fb8f2/sc/1/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965700090/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f3fb8f2/sc/1/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/208965700090/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f3fb8f2/sc/1/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/39VnJ-e-gKA

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/televisions/EETV/EETV-Press-01-470-75.jpgEE has announced its foray into the television market with the launch of its first set top box service dubbed EE TV. The box - made by Netgem - offers the full range of Freeview channels as well as a range of on-demand and catch-up TV services with the aid of EE's broadband connection. Controls such as pause, rewind and record are all present, and there's a whopping 1TB of storage (good for up to 600 hours of movies and TV) and 4 HD tuners allowing you to watch/record up to four different channels simultaneously. EE TV will be free for all EE mobile customers who already have or sign up to an EE Broadband plan, while eligible plans start from just £9.95 per month. Customers on existing pay monthly mobile plans who sign up for EE TV and home broadband will also receive a boost to their 4G data allowance, increasing to 10GB or 20GB depending on their plan. In terms of an EE TV release date, the network says it will be available "shortly" - which isn't overly helpful but you can expect it to land before Christmas. New tricksEE has packed in a series of features into its first set top box, the first of which is a digital remote control available on Android and iOS tablets and mobile phones. From this you can switch channels, control volume, play/pause/rewind, browse the guide and set and view your recordings. For those of you who still love an old school remote you'll be pleased to learn that one is also included in the box. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/televisions/EETV/EETV-Press-02-420-100.jpg With the multiscreen feature you'll be able to watch four different channels live on four difference devices (your main TV plus three additional mobile devices), which will hopefully put an end to some of those remote hogging arguments. Another useful feature is the ability to watch any recorded program on your tablet or smartphone, freeing up the TV for someone else. You will, however, have to be within your home's Wi-Fi network for EE TV to work. There is no offline option (so no downloading shows to watch on the plane, for example), and you can't go out and about and watch EE TV. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/televisions/EETV/EETV-Press-03-420-100.jpg Meanwhile Replay allows you to select your six favourite channels, and the EE TV box will have the last 24 hours of all six channels recorded on its hard drive, ensuring you don't miss your favourite shows. If you come home mid-way through your favourite show, and the channel is one of the six you've selected on Reply, you can instantly skip back to the start and watch it in full. You can move from the TV to your phone or tablet to finish watching elsewhere around the home, and if you fancy sticking it back on your main TV all you need to do is flick up on your device's screen.

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/internet/YouTube/YouTube%20Miley%20Cyrus-470-75.jpgFollowing an update to the Gmail iOS app yesterday that added iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus compatibility, Google has today updated both its YouTube and Chrome apps. Unfortunately there are no math jokes in today's updates, but they do add bug fixes for YouTube and iPhone 6 support for Chrome. The Chrome iOS app update also lets users download files from Chrome directly to Google Drive, in addition to "stability improvements and bug fixes." This update brings Chrome for iOS up to version 38.0.2125.59. Bug patrolMeanwhile the YouTube iOS app update, which fixes an "add to playlist" scrolling problem and "a few other minor bugs," makes the app version 2.10.3. Yesterday's Gmail app update made the iOS app more compatible with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus's larger screens, fixing a problem new iPhone adopters had with a blurry view. This may be our best leak yet of YouTube's subscription music servicehttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f3823e2/sc/5/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965567715/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f3823e2/sc/5/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965567715/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f3823e2/sc/5/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965567715/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f3823e2/sc/5/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965567715/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f3823e2/sc/5/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/208965567715/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f3823e2/sc/5/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/032XKWp2YI4

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/people/Microsoft/Satya_Nadella/Satya5_web-470-75.jpgMicrosoft has scheduled its next event, and instead of focusing on the company's inability to count this one will be all about the cloud. "Join us to hear what's ahead for Microsoft's Cloud," reads an invitation with the date October 20. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Executive Vice President of Cloud & Enterprise Scott Guthrie will both speak about the cloud during the one-hour event, says ZDNet. Luckily the press conference will reportedly be broadcast live, unlike the Windows 10 event, hopefully indicating that it will have a slightly more consumer-friendly focus than the enterprise-heavy W10 reveal. Sunshine on a cloudy dayNadella is still relatively fresh in the CEO seat over at Microsoft, and he said over the summer that Microsoft will henceforth focus on the Internet of Things, mobility, and the cloud. Windows 10 is a good start to delivering on that promise. The company's October 20 event will reportedly feature both a recap of Microsoft's cloud investments and a spiel about how Microsoft's cloud services trump its competitors' options, according to ZDNet's sources. Hopefully there's something interesting in there as well. Microsoft's cloud service Azure hit by significant global downtimehttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f3823e5/sc/46/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965567714/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f3823e5/sc/46/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965567714/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f3823e5/sc/46/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965567714/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f3823e5/sc/46/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965567714/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f3823e5/sc/46/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/208965567714/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f3823e5/sc/46/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/QaH4V7_DTJA

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Microsoft/Windows%2010/press/windows10-04-470-75.jpgMicrosoft's hope that all the problems of Windows 8 will be forgotten about by missing out number 9 and implementing a 'generation shift' to 10 might be a bit optimistic, but the details they have revealed at least show they are back on the right track. Schizophrenic OSWindows 8 was a complete misfire – Microsoft treated the desktop like it was a tablet, and they just ended up confusing the user. It swung too far to the tablet and left the majority of its customers – the desktop users – out in the cold. Resizing tiles was fine by touch, but clumsy when using a mouse. The way Microsoft mixed up the application tiles and the tiles for newsfeeds was very difficult to customise for the user. The charms bar was designed to allow you to change settings, but it did not allow you to configure things like Apple does - it was too complicated. These were basic user design mistakes; it was a compromise, as if designed by committee. Teenagers at school learn that design is based around the user experience, that is where it starts and they forgot that basic principle. Windows 8 was simply out of touch with Microsoft's users. Going in the right directionFrom what we have seen so far I think Microsoft has refocused and corrected things with Windows 10. It is not a radical new product, but it is a step in the right direction – Redmond has recognised the need to get form and function in sync with the device. Another one of the fundamental design principles in today's digital world is using crowd innovation, and it is heartening to see Microsoft inviting users to help design Windows 10 with its Windows Insider Programme. In other industry sectors it's commonplace to involve communities, and leading brands like Coca-Cola and Procter & Gamble have been using crowd innovation for some time. It is a two-way street – it gives the organisation free marketing because it brings the community on the product journey, while the company gets an infusion of more creative ideas. In the new world of digital developments this is basic best practice; listening to users and focusing on what the new generation of consumers want. Learn more about Microsoft's next operating system through our dedicated Windows 10 hubIt remains to be seen whether this is the start of building a community of developers for Microsoft, as Apple and Android have done. There is a lot of catching up to do – the Microsoft app store is at a mere 170,000 apps, as reported in September, compared to one million plus apps in the iOS and Android markets. Minecraft moveThis is a symptom of mobile software app developers having largely shunned Microsoft, so opening up the development of Windows 10 is a step forward and could help the firm's desire to be a multi-platform operator. Buying Minecraft-maker Mojang may also fit into this strategy as it will give Microsoft a huge user base which they can work with and engage. It is all connected in the digital world – the customer is a co-producer of the development cycle, the customer is part of the journey and not separate. And this is a major point Microsoft has recognised. There has been some criticism of Microsoft's strategy to have the same operating system across all its devices, but I think it is a good idea, as we are seeing the convergence of networks, apps and different devices into the same digital space. Microsoft has to play to the strength it has in the PC market, where the firm has 92% of the market. The demise of the PC and laptop has been predicted by many, but the tablet does not yet have the same usability features of the desktop and the ergonomics of Powerpoint and Word – most people ignore that fact. Desktop dominanceThe PC is still strong and buoyant. Maybe in five years the tablet may have fine-tuned everything and started to take over, but for now Microsoft has to take care of that dominance, and use that to potentially leverage its desktop strength and shift it into the mobile and tablet markets where Redmond is not so strong. Azure has done well in the cloud battle and with Xbox Microsoft has the potential to create an ecosystem across all devices. It just needs to improve the usability of Windows across the devices. It tried a one-size fits all approach with Windows 8, but with Windows 10 it appears that Satya Nadella, Microsoft's CEO, and his team have gone back to improving the usability specific to each device. Microsoft has reverted to getting the desktop to where it was and if the company can match that functionality across different platforms it will have a very strong future with Generation Z, who work across multiple channels and multiple devices – they have to speak to that audience. Mark Skilton is professor of Practice at Warwick University.http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f351eab/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965661434/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f351eab/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965661434/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f351eab/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965661434/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f351eab/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965661434/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f351eab/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/208965661434/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f351eab/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/8kkYWeKzuX8

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/cloud_services/Salesforce/salesforce-heron-470-75.JPGSalesforce.com has revamped its Sales and Service platforms to offer more advanced mobile functionality. The newly renamed apps, Sales Cloud1 and Service Cloud1, offer sales and service agents the ability to access extensive CRM tools via mobile devices. Salesforce has been increasingly focused on mobilizing its CRM tools. The company launched Salesforce1 in November to help clients build cloud-based CRM apps for mobile devices. Since that time it has launched Sales Reach, a tool designed to enable sales reps to launch on-the-go marketing campaigns from their smartphones, and it built in mobile reporting functionality to Salesforce1 so that mobile app developers can keep tabs on how their apps are performing on all devices. Sales Cloud1Updates to the Sales platform include the Today app, a tool that provides agents with a customizable interface that features important tasks, upcoming meetings, and other relevant daily information. Sales Cloud1 also includes Tasks, a to-do app designed for priority management; and Notes, a remember app that allows reps to jot down details that automatically link to customer records within Salesforce. Additionally, Sales Cloud1 includes Events, a meetings and events calendar, Sales Path, a real-time prospect journey roadmap, and Skills and Rewards, a collaboration tool that connects teammates across skillsets and enables co-workers to reward one another for successful interactions. Sales Cloud1 is generally available for $65 per user per month. Service Cloud1As Salesforce updates its Service Cloud to Service Cloud1, new tools include SOS for Apps, which is similar to Amazon’s Mayday button. The SOS provides in-context access to customer service with a live video connection to an agent, on-screen guided assistance and screen sharing for any customer with a mobile device. Service Cloud1 also includes the Smarter Agent Console, which is designed to automatically provide agents with content relevant to service calls without the agent having to perform searches. Instant Service Communities is an addition to the Service Cloud that enables businesses to create communities where customers can connect with information, apps and experts for support. Service Cloud1 is now generally available and pricing starts at $65 per user per month. 10 CRM systems you need to knowhttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f34ee74/sc/46/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208961596516/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f34ee74/sc/46/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208961596516/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f34ee74/sc/46/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208961596516/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f34ee74/sc/46/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208961596516/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f34ee74/sc/46/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/208961596516/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f34ee74/sc/46/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/aKRA-EPcIaw

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/mobile_phones/iPhone/iOS%208/ios-8-release-date-470-75.jpgYou'd be forgiven for thinking that almost every compatible device would be running iOS 8 by now, yet that doesn't seem to be the case at all. The latest figures on Apple's developer site show that 47% of users are now on iOS 8, while 47% are still on iOS 7 and 6% are on earlier versions of iOS. Just 47% on iOS 8 doesn't sound great to begin with, but when you compare that with the numbers from two weeks ago on September 21 you'll see just how much the adoption has slowed down, as back then 46% of users were on iOS 8. So in two weeks only an additional 1% of users have made the upgrade. It's not surprising that things would slow down after the initial flurry of updates, but for it to settle down with still less than 50% of users on the latest version is surprising. iOS 8 hateSo why has adoption slowed down so much? The well-publicised problems with iOS 8 probably didn't help, though they've mostly been fixed now. Some devices also can't run iOS 8, but everything from the iPhone 4S / iPad 2 onwards can, so that's unlikely to be a major factor. Despite the slow adoption rate it's still way ahead of Android in that sense. Google's latest figures show that only 24.5% of users are on Android 4.4 KitKat, with the majority still on Jelly Bean and 11.4% back on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. That at least is easier to understand though, as many manufacturers haven't bothered to update their phones to support recent Android releases, an issue which is less of a factor for iOS users. iOS 7's adoption rate was much faster.http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f32acc4/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208961588341/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f32acc4/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208961588341/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f32acc4/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208961588341/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f32acc4/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208961588341/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f32acc4/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/208961588341/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f32acc4/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/xJMZACCAkkw

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Microsoft/Windows%2010/press/windows10-04-470-75.jpgMicrosoft gave Windows 8/8.1 users the chance to try out its Windows 10 Technical Preview last week, and now the company is giving people on Windows 7 the chance to do the same. As noted by Winbeta, Microsoft has made the beta available to Windows 7 users signed up to its Windows Insider Program, who can download it by turning on Áutomatic Updates'. To see the Technical Preview in Windows Update, you will need to sign up for a free Microsoft account using an existing email address and use it to join Microsoft's Insider Program. Microsoft has been issuing Windows 8.1 to Windows 8 users for free through Windows Update for some time, and its decision to deliver Windows 10 in the same way raises the question of whether the company will offer its new OS to Windows 7 users for free. Classic touchWindows 10 has been described as a blend of Windows 7 and Windows 8 as it combines the classic Start Menu of the former with Windows 8's Live Tiles. Microsoft has repeatedly stressed that the beta has been released to give enterprise users a flavour of how it can be used with a keyboard and mouse, and that a touch-oriented consumer-focused released will be made available in 2015. Check our latest coverage of Windows 10 in our dedicated hub.http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f31a30f/sc/28/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965646225/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f31a30f/sc/28/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965646225/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f31a30f/sc/28/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965646225/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f31a30f/sc/28/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965646225/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f31a30f/sc/28/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/208965646225/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f31a30f/sc/28/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/WGI-j3JgbfQ

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Windows/windows10-2-470-75.jpgMicrosoft revealed a new version of Windows this week, with the stink from Windows 8 so pervasive and deadly that it decided to skip Windows 9 altogether and call its next desktop OS Windows 10. Windows 8 was a tech disaster. There's an exclusion zone still in place around the number. The good news is that Windows 10 looks and works more like the old versions of Windows on a PC. So now we can spend less time on the phone to parents, grandparents, aunts and anyone else for whom we operate as free 24/7 IT support, telling them why everything's suddenly different and why there's a whole new screen of different apps. Because it won't be different any more. And that's great, because Windows needs to be the same. It's the bricks and mortar of the computer world. It's something to fill the space on the screen behind the internet. All it needs to be is a wallpaper and a list of your stuff. A small group of angry people may care what the start menu looks like, but for most users the good news is Windows is going to continue being made and will have icons to make things open so they won't have to access iPlayer via command prompts. So dad can print formsLike that U2 album Apple was happy about buying and giving away to everyone, these changes are aimed at the dad market we are not part of; the confused group of people who like to know they have one of the new things, but don't want to put in the effort of learning how to use the stuff that's actually new. The average user of Windows 10 probably won't even realise there wasn't a Windows 9, they'll just assume there was and they didn't notice. Or assume they were using it all along. There are plenty of people still nursing a copy of Windows XP on a struggling old machine with less RAM than a smartwatch. The fact that Windows 10 is going to be more like the old ones is the dream of anyone who's delayed upgrading because they heard getting Windows 8 is worse for productivity than losing your mouse hand in an office paper shredding accident. For most people, a new Windows is what comes with a new PC, not some sort of expressive lifestyle choice. You get what you're given and learn to put up with it in Windows world; a metaphor for life itself. After all, what other choice is there in desktop space for the cost-conscious buyer once you've eliminated the costly Macs from the equation? Don't say Linux. You really don't want to have to troubleshoot your dad's self-install of Debian over the phone or on Christmas Eve. The more things change....Imagine how much of a pain it'd be if Windows changed its looks and layouts as often as Android. We'd forever be telling grandma how to find her carefully curated Cliff Richard bootleg playlists in the new layout and music app design. Windows users ought to be glad there's at least some level of consistency to what they get. Most of the stuff is always roughly where it used to be and still works with a mouse. Microsoft may be pandering to the Luddites by reverting to the way things used to be done in the new-ish Windows 10, but look what happens when it tries to change things. People go berserk and start burning perfectly valid license agreements in the street. Is the new OS any good? Read our hands on Windows 10 review to find outhttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f22cb41/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965582145/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f22cb41/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965582145/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f22cb41/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965582145/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f22cb41/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208965582145/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f22cb41/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/208965582145/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f22cb41/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/dkhSv4EuTPI

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/events/Windows%209/windows10-06-470-75.jpgI haven't always been this jaded. I remember well my parents' look of benign confusion when I would point excitedly at the family Mac and direct their attention to how in Mac OS 8.5 the names of files and folders on the desktop were now on a semi-transparent background instead of being on a solid white rectangle. I think they were pleased I was excited about something, and that the thing I was excited about was legal and didn't hurt anything besides my chances with the cool kids, but they clearly didn't ascribe the same importance to these nuances as I did. And now, that's me. The problem, as far as OS X is concerned, is that the OS as it stands has been pretty much finished for five years. Don't get me wrong; the annual revision of OS X has added new features and improved the core OS in lots of useful ways. But only a fool would argue that the rate with which major new features are added hasn't slowed since OS X was introduced, as Apple fills in the holes to make it a rich and robust modern operating system. I'm not saying there isn't room for innovation: Handoff in Yosemite and iOS 8 is a hugely clever feature that both merges and keeps completely distinct Apple's desktop and mobile operating systems. But such big jumps seem to be getting rarer. So that's why I'm not hanging on every nuance and feature bullet point of OS X. But Windows? Oh, Windows! There was 95, which everyone loved. There was XP, which everyone loved. Then there was Vista, which everyone hated. (Actually, I quite liked it. At least, I thought Aero was shiny and impressive.) Then Windows 7 which everyone said fixed Vista. Then 8 which couldn't decide if it was for tablets or laptops, and whatever you say you can't have both. 8.1 was a bit more Windows 7-y, and then 9. No, wait, not nine. Windows 10. And 10 is basically 8.1 with Metro bolted to the Start Menu. I refuse to stop calling it Metro, not unlike a dreadful old racist who insists they can't remember what you're supposed to call Rhodesia these days. The recent history of Windows seems to be to innovate away from XP (which everyone loved) and then try to fix the result next time around by making it work a bit more like XP again after people tell them their innovation is less welcome than Ballmer in a Trappist monastery. And I'm just bored of it. There are, I know, people who use Windows by choice. And I mean real people when I say that, not IT procurement executives. Actual, real people who look carefully at OS X, the various Linux distros, even Chrome OS (on which I'm typing this, incidentally) and say no, for me, Windows is the thing. Some of them even don't say "Well I really want a Mac but my work/school uses PCs so I'd better buy one of those." They chose it because they like it. But to me Windows just seems so wildly irrelevant to life these days. I mean the front end of modern life - I'm well aware that lots of infrastructure depends on it (ATMs still predominantly run Windows XP, for example), which is as precious as it is bloody terrifying. But when it comes to the laptop you type on or the console you game on, Windows just seems more tired, old, confused and irrelevant than me at a One Direction concert. Is the new OS any good? Read our hands on Windows 10 review to find outhttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3f21d02e/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208961523330/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f21d02e/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208961523330/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f21d02e/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208961523330/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f21d02e/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/208961523330/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f21d02e/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/208961523330/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3f21d02e/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/xUSut-aKZq0