sincity

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/internet/Microsoft/webapps/excel2-470-75.jpgThe British government has officially adopted PDF/A and HTML for viewing government documents while ODF (Open Document Format) has been selected for collaborating and sharing government documents. The move, which was announced by the Minister for the Cabinet Office, Francis Maude, is expected to save British taxpayers an estimated £1.2 billion (around $1.9 billion, AU$2 billion). More than 500 comments were received ahead of the selection process with money being the recurring leitmotiv behind move. When it all started... Government considering swapping Microsoft Office for open sourceThe official press release metions that "citizens, businesses and voluntary organisations will no longer need specialist software to open or work with government documents". The decision marks a setback for Microsoft who had been pushing for OOXML (Office Open XML) to be adopted instead. But, as Rafael Laguna, CEO of Open-Xchange, suggested, pointing to the Germans who adopted ODF back in 2008, the transition might be a long and treacherous one. "As long as Microsoft Office has a home on government PCs", he added, "proprietary file formats will remain a fact of life". http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3cd3e0e2/sc/7/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/JdF5d87BY-E

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/mobile_phones/iPhone/iOS%208/ios-8-beta-control-center-470-75.jpgiOS 8 isn't yet ready for public consumption yet, as Apple's still tweaking it and ironing out the bugs. But thanks to the existence of a developer preview, it's a fairly open process with changes arriving in each new build. The latest version, iOS 8 beta 4, has just landed, and while most of the changes are aimed at stability and squashing the aforementioned bugs, there is one visual change which particularly stands out: the humble Control Centre. Functionally it's the same as ever, but eagle-eyed observers will notice that the black borders around icons are gone and that the circles are filled with white when activated, whereas in the current version the black border and the icon itself turns white. This changes everything. Again. May not be finalIt's a minor alteration that's unlikely to cause too much division. Personally we're not sure it was a change for the better as we like the relative subtlety of the old style. It's worth noting though that there's no guarantee it will still look like this come release. Apple is regularly making changes to the preview build so it may well change it again before the final version arrives. But while nothing is set in stone this could well be the future look of Control Centre. It's not just Apple that's working on an OS update.http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3cc0779c/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108288644/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3cc0779c/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108288644/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3cc0779c/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108288644/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3cc0779c/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108288644/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3cc0779c/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/199108288644/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3cc0779c/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/WALzQD3iyfo

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/events/wwdc/2014/screengrabs/os-x-yosemite-470-75.jpgApple isn't in the habit of releasing public betas of new OS versions. In fact, it's been over a decade since it has. But that changes with OS X 10.10 Yosemite, which will enter public beta this month, reports 9to5Mac. The public will gain access to a beta build of Apple's latest OS X overhaul by the end of July, with the fourth version of the developer preview arriving today, sources told the site. (Update: OS X Yosemite Preview 4 did arrive to developers after we first posted this story.) Apple previously said a public preview of Yosemite would take place by the end of summer. Plans changeThe same sources told the site that a new developer preview of iOS 8 will arrive today as well, though the report is tempered with a warning that "these plans are fluid" and might change. (Update: It did indeed arrive to developers). Because plans could change, the OS X Yosemite public beta might be pushed back to early August because Apple reportedly wants to make sure the OS is ready for the mass consumption. Yosemite brings a number of changes to OS X, including interface tweaks, better Spotlight search, increased iOS synchronization, and improvements to various apps. The completed version of OS X Yosemite is scheduled to arrive this fall. 10 things you need to know about OS X 10.10 Yosemitehttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3cb9022e/sc/15/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108254996/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3cb9022e/sc/15/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108254996/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3cb9022e/sc/15/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108254996/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3cb9022e/sc/15/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108254996/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3cb9022e/sc/15/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/199108254996/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3cb9022e/sc/15/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/LVEYMWkHlqY

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/features/10%20apps%20for%20educators/education-470-75.jpg 10 inexpensive apps for educatorsBack-to-school shopping used to mean a trip to the neighborhood's office supply store to purchase notebooks, pens, pencils, calculators and backpacks. Today, savvy students and teachers rely more on technology than on physical tools to get them through the school year. Education apps have enabled schools to collaborate, helped teachers with their lessons in the classroom, and resulted in students becoming increasingly interested in learning. Apps have also been observed to help students and teachers with organization in and out of the classroom. As more schools incorporate tablets into the classroom, educators are realizing the necessity of apps. We've compiled a list of ten important and inexpensive apps for schools that help administrators, teachers and students excel. EpicWinhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/features/10%20apps%20for%20educators/education/epicwin-420-90.jpg Perhaps the most "fun" of the educational iOS apps, EpicWin users customize an avatar, such as a warrior or princess, and complete learning quests in order to score loot. The more quests successfully completed, the higher your level. EpicWin includes time-critical exercises, repetition tasks, reminders for overdue quests and planning for future goals and quest completion. This is an especially great app for students to use as enrichment at home or even as a classroom activity with a substitute teacher. Parents also can use EpicWin to encourage successful completion of otherwise dreaded chores. Price: $2.99 (about £1.75, AU$3.19) Google Drivehttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/features/googledrivetips/00%20Intro-420-90.jpg Group projects used to require careful coordination with students' schedules to ensure successful completion. With Google Drive, students can take digital notes, collaborate with their peers on joint documents, charts and presentations, and interact in real time with their teachers. Teachers also use Google Drive to create lesson plans with fellow faculty members, create paperless classroom handouts, assignments and assessments, and backup files without taking up precious hard drive space. Google Drive is compatible with Microsoft Office products, so all documents and presentations can easily be downloaded in a variety of formats. Price: Free (accounts come with 5 GB of storage) Grammar Jammershttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/features/10%20apps%20for%20educators/education/grammarjammers-300-100.jpg Grammar Jammers is an iOS app that provides primary, elementary and middle school students with entertaining and catchy songs to teach lessons and encourage studying. To ensure understanding, students complete a short quiz about the material at the end of each song. Made by leading learning company Pearson, Grammar Jammers takes the dread out of otherwise boring language lessons. Old, dusty grammar textbooks are a thing of the past with this creative app. Grammar Jammers teach grammar concepts including parts of speech, sentences, punctuation and capitalization. Price: Primary level is free. $2.99 (about £1.75, AU$3.19) for Elementary and Middle editions. iTunes Uhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/magazines/MacFormat/Issue%20247/MAC00.iphone.ipad_hor-420-90.jpg Teachers can create courses and easily manage virtual classrooms with Apple's iTunes U. In turn, students receive a customized learning experience from their iPads with easy access to classmates and teachers. The app allows teachers and students to track assignments, organize notes and access materials at any time. By enrolling as an institution, K-12 school districts, colleges and universities can distribute courses and education content by signing up with the public site manager. Price: Free NASA Apphttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/features/10%20apps%20for%20educators/education/nasa-420-90.jpg Designed for students in grades four and up, the NASA App provides access to NASA news, more than 13,000 images, on-demand videos, live streaming of NASA TV, ISS and Earth orbiting trackers, and mission information. This is a great app for students working on school projects and for teachers creating lesson plans about the solar system. The best part? The app is free, which provides schools with quality and engaging teaching material for students without breaking the bank. Price: Free Nearpod, Skype, Socrative, TeacherKit, YammerNearpodhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/features/10%20apps%20for%20educators/education/nearpod-420-90.jpg Nearpod is an iOS app that allows teachers to deliver customized presentations directly to students' devices, and allows them to interact with their classes through customized assessments. The multimedia content will capture the attention of students of all ages, keeping them focused and eliminating off-task behavior. In fact, teachers can actually control students' devices when delivering a presentation through Nearpod. The reporting tool enables teachers to monitor individual results and analyze student progress. Absences also become less problematic since students can join in a Nearpod session from anywhere. Price: Free Skypehttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/internet/Skype/skypevideocall-420-90.jpg In today's age of being constantly connected, Skype is an essential app for the classroom. Parents unable to attend a crucial teacher conference? Skype makes virtual conferences simple with its easy-to-use interface. Other uses for Skype include incorporating a pen pal program with students from around the world or using the app to coordinate with guest speakers to offer virtual class visits. Price: Free Socrativehttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/features/10%20apps%20for%20educators/education/socrative-300-100.jpg Socrative is a smart student response system that allows teachers to engage with the classroom through a series of educational exercises and games via smartphones, laptops, and tablets. One version is downloaded on a student's device while another is downloaded on a teacher's. Students can respond to multiple-choice, true/false and essay questions, and teachers control the flow and selection of the questions. Teachers have the option to view results in real time, or download and assess the results upon completion with the app's detailed reporting tools. Price: Free TeacherKithttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/features/10%20apps%20for%20educators/education/teacherkit-300-100.jpg Having a teacher's assistant in the classroom can be quite useful, but not every school has the budget for the expense. TeacherKit is a school-wide tool that keeps teachers, students and even administrators organized. It is also a virtual organizer that can be used to take attendance, enter grades and manage and analyze student progress and behavior. Administrators can also use the tool to track all student and teacher performance. Price: Free Yammerhttp://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/TRBC/Software/Yammer/yammer2-420-90.jpg Yammer isn't just for the enterprise. The popular business social network provides administrators, teachers and students with the full cloud suite of Microsoft Office productivity, email, file sharing, communication and IT management tools. Discussion and assignments can extend out of the classroom with Yammer's collaboration tools, encouraging more communication among peers and teachers. Yammer's specially priced solutions for academic institutions also make it a value for educators and students. Price: Range from free to $3 student/month (about £1.75, AU$3.19); $6 teacher/month (about £3.50, AU$6.50) Find out more about the latest iTunes U updatehttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3cb90236/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108254994/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3cb90236/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108254994/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3cb90236/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108254994/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3cb90236/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108254994/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3cb90236/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/199108254994/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3cb90236/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/TN5ibPqwWFQ

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Microsoft/Windows%20Phone%2081%20hands%20on/Review/wp8-1-470-75.jpgGoldfinger may not have been the kiss of death for James Bond, but a Windows Phone prototype originally bearing the same name appears to have met its maker by Microsoft's own hands. WPCentral reported Friday that Microsoft has apparently laid to rest any plans for a new high-end Windows Phone handset known as "McLaren," an internal codename previously referred to as "Goldfinger." Apparently lacking the Midas touch, McLaren was rumored to be Microsoft's flagship device for this fall, which would have reportedly introduced new technology alongside the launch of Windows Phone 8.1 Update 2. McLaren's main claim to fame was an enticing new feature known as 3D Touch, a sensor-based system first outed last November, which allows users to interact with the device using touchless hand gestures. Feature or gimmick?Although that sounds more than a little like Amazon's new Kindle Phone, Microsoft apparently found a way to perform such tasks as swipes and side taps without the use of camera sensors. 3D Touch worked hand-in-hand with other APIs including MixView, a feature which allows a single tile to break apart into smaller pieces, each of which could be independently selected using a finger hovering over the display. The report paints the impression that Microsoft's development team found 3D gestures to be little more than a gimmick at the moment, although development on the technology behind 3D Touch is said to be ongoing even as McLaren's carcass turns cold. While the natural assumption might be that McLaren was axed as part of last Thursday's extensive layoffs in Redmond, unnamed sources claim the project actually met an untimely end sometime "within the last few weeks," leaving Microsoft with a potentially big hole in their holiday lineup this year. Soak in our full review of Microsoft's Xbox One!http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3cb869b5/sc/5/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/4owMDHhPFTc

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/internet/Twitter/twitter_screen-470-75.jpgTwitter has announced a much-needed pair of improvements to the direct messaging portion of its service, which will roll out over the next few weeks. On its Twitter support account, the firm announced mobile users will soon be able to see their entire DM history on their mobile phones, rather than just the last few conversations. In a second tweet the firm announced it is working on changes that will syncronise deleted messages across all of a user's devices. As of now users can delete a conversation on their smartphone, yet still see it on their tablet or in the web browser at Twitter.com. Taking on WhatsApp?Twitter has started to make strides to make its DM feature, less of an afterthought. As Mashable points out, the firm introduced pop-up notifications on the web in April, added photos last December, tested out messaging options that didn't require users to follow each other. It is also rumoured the firm is interested in rolling out group messaging, or even a standalone messaging app. Direct Messaging remains somewhat of an untapped resource within Twitter. Making it more prominent could allow it to rival the likes of WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger as a portal where interactions can be kept private. At a recent earnings call CEO Dick Costolo said: "When you think about the best international opportunity, there's a real opportunity for us when we think about our private messaging to strengthen the core of our Twitter product by making it easier for users to move more fluidly between the public conversation that happens everywhere on Twitter and the private conversation between you and a friend or you and a few friends." Tweeters rejoice at the arrival of .GIFshttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3caa9ad3/sc/5/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120790161/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3caa9ad3/sc/5/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120790161/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3caa9ad3/sc/5/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120790161/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3caa9ad3/sc/5/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120790161/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3caa9ad3/sc/5/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/199120790161/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3caa9ad3/sc/5/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/wAeqbsbRLBU

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/techradar/BOT/BOT0-470-75.jpghttp://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/other/best_tech_v3-200-100.jpg The best tech you can buy in 2014Our ultimate tech buying guide! It's our mission at TechRadar to help you find the tech products that are best for you. That's why we review the specific products we do, while offering a veritable smorgasbord of helpful buying guides and product round-ups to help you find the perfect play things and workplace wonders. Whether it be an ideal camera phone for your mum or a kick-ass Blu-ray player to pair with your new TV, we've got the experts on hand to offer the very best buying advice on the internet. Here you'll find a comprehensive repository of all that expert knowledge. With buying advice and specific product recommendations, look no further for your best chance of finding all the cool gadgets available today. Read: Cool Gadgets: the 1000 best products in tech http://cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/car%20tech/BMW/i8/review/BMW%20i8%20(4)-200-100.jpg The incredible high-tech supercar that changes everythingThe BMW i8 is astonishing A near £100,000 / $150,000 supercar tuned for fuel efficiency and sporting a mere three-cylinder engine? The all new BMW i8 is surely proof that the modern obsession with emission has finally driven the car industry round the twist. As it turns out, the BMW i8 is one of the most brilliantly resolved cars we've driven all year – maybe even years when you consider just how complex it is. Read all about the BMW i8 http://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/mobile_phones/Nokia/NokiaX/Nokia%20X%20Review/press/NokiaX-200-100.jpg Why the Nokia X is the best phone you'll never buyWhere's the X-Factor? While 2014 will likely be remembered for its Samsung, HTC, LG, Sony and Apple flagships, it's a trio of budget Nokia handsets that have been among the most unexpected and surprising releases so far. We're talking of course about the dramatically named Nokia X and its siblings the Nokia X+ and Nokia XL. They're phones which had tongues wagging ever since they were first rumoured for the simple reason that they were Nokia devices running Android. When they were finally revealed there was perhaps a sense of disappointment at just how low end they were, but that hasn't stopped the Nokia X from selling. Continue reading... http://cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/features/Inflame/MUSTATTRIBUTE_By-Marius745-(Own-work)-%5BCC-BY-SA-3.0%5D-200-100.jpg Privacy on a fast-track to nowhere?Time to bring back carrier pigeons? The UK government announced something quite unusual last week, in the form of a rushed plan to "fast track" new laws on compulsory data retention into place. The fast track element worried many, as this is a sort of emergency parliamentary process used to force rules into place in a hurry, without the usual debates and votes that we, as a democracy, tend to expect to see. Continue reading... http://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/games_consoles/ps_game_pad_for_James-580-100.png 13 features the PS4 needs to be a kick-ass consoleNow Sony, it's not that we're not grateful for the PS4. It's so shiny (well, half shiny), pleasantly shaped and ever so full of games at 60fps. It's still the best selling next-gen console and it's a more capable gaming machine compared to Xbox One. But there are just a few niggles we'd like ironed out sooner rather than later. We're not ungrateful in any way for the intuitive UI, great social features and easy ways to share screenshots and gameplay but we are a bit like eighth generation Oliver and just want a little bit more. Here are the thirteen features that we'd like as soon as possible. http://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/games_consoles/Xbox%20One/xbox_game_pad_for_James-200-100.png 14 features the Xbox One needs to be a kick-ass consoleCome on Microsoft, you know you want to add these features The Xbox One has radically changed since its launch in November last year. Microsoft has, to its credit, listened to fan feedback and rolled out a wealth of system updates almost every single month - refining certain features, adding completely new ones, and even ditching the bundled Kinect, something the company once claimed it would never do. But though the Xbox One is undoubtedly improved from its initial incarnation, there are still a few improvements to be made here and there before we consider Microsoft's work well and truly done. Here are fourteen changes we want to see in future updates http://cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/other/Robots/ASIMO/DSCN1830-200-100.JPG Face to face with the all-new ASIMOIf you want to know what it's like to meet ASIMO in person, we'd recommend checking out Jake Schreier's Robot & Frank. There were moments during our presentation where the similarities between ASIMO and the film's own little white bot were uncanny. Like, scarily uncanny Jaguar Land Rover reveals 'self-learning intelligent car of the future'http://cdn2.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/car%20tech/Jaguar%20Land%20Rover%20Self-learning%20car/JLR%20Self%20Learning%20Car%202%20-%20hi-res-200-100.jpg Forget self-driving cars, this one's self-learning Jaguar Land Rover has today announced what it's billing as the 'self-learning intelligent car of the future'. Disguised as vaporware but actually comprising real-life technology that definitely works, it's a new in-car intelligence system designed to reduce driver distraction by anticipating your every thought and auto-performing your in-car activities so you don't have to bother. Real tech or too good to be true? You decide... My Android epiphany: iPhone battery life is killing Applehttp://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/mobile_phones/LowBattery-200-100.jpg FIGHTING TALK The last week or so, I've been using a different device – a Sony Xperia Z2. Just for fun. As you do. And I've had this major epiphany: I have been battering the device and yet, the battery just won't die. I'm yelling at it: "LET GO, DAMMIT!" but it just won't. I managed 18 hours of standby yesterday with almost four hours of screen on time and it still sat at 36%. That was without power saving mode enabled. I've come to work without a charging cable today and for the first time in a long time, I'm not panicking. Read on to find out why... http://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/cameras/Nikon/D4S/Product%20Shots/Nikon-D4S_hero-580-100.jpg Yo ISO, how low can you go?Why do camera manufacturers insist on taking ISO settings upwards instead of down? It was by a series of great achievements that by the end of the 1800s photographic 'emulsion' was sensitive enough to light that portrait photographers no longer had to use head clamps to ensure their subjects stayed still for the duration of the exposure. Progress in the science of light-sensitive materials had discovered compounds and ways of creating larger crystals that reduced the time required to make a decent photograph. By the end of film's heyday, perhaps sometime in the 1990s, photographers had access to emulsions that had reached the heady heights of ISO 3200. That's quite some dramatic progression from the ISO 1/4, and lower, equivalent ratings of the early days of our craft. Continue reading... http://cdn2.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/mobile_phones/Nokia/Lumia930/Hands%20on3/Nokia%20Lumia%20930%20review%20(9)-200-100.JPG Nokia Lumia 930A colourful handset that battles against Windows Phone The Nokia Lumia 930 is the best Windows Phone yet – you'll probably read that across the web. But that's like saying it's the best seaplane: you'll really need some elements of it from time to time, and you'll be able to use it, but really you want something that's able to flourish in more scenarios. The build quality is excellent and iconic, and the camera is powerful and results in mostly great snaps. I like that 32GB is on offer as the base model, and wireless charging built in is perfect. The price is pretty good too, and if you're a fan of Windows Phone there is nothing better right now. But Microsoft needs to boost the UI and usability of its OS as soon as possible to make sure it keeps up with pack – and that's the main thing that's troubling the Nokia Lumia 930 right now. Nokia Lumia 930 review http://cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/televisions/Samsung/Samsung%20UE55HU8200/Samsunghero1-200-100.jpg Samsung UE55HU8200Samsung's cheapest curved screen delivers superb 4K/UHD picture quality Do you need a curved TV? Of course not. Does it help the picture? Not particularly, but there's no doubting that this 55-inch edge LED-backlit LCD from Samsung is one of the best looking TVs around. Much more important is its 4K resolution, which thankfully doesn't mean the UE55HU8200 is biased towards this virtually non-existent source of video. Treating Blu-ray and Freeview HD very well with high detail, accurate colour and bags of contrast, the app-packed UE55HU8200 is a great all-rounder that only struggles with its smart interaction voice control, and the odd motion blur. Samsung UE55HU8200 review http://cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/av_accessories/Eclipse/Eclipse%20TD-M1%20AirPlay%20Speakers/eclipse-tdm1-life-01-200-100.jpg Eclipse TD-M1These 2.0 AirPlay speakers look good, and sound even better The Eclipse TD-M1 AirPlay speakers offer a beautiful sound, but they're not for everyone. In taking a new look at the way speakers operate they will suit the very discerning jazz, classical and easy listening enthusiasts, especially when accurate vocal reproduction is demanded. However, rock or hip-hop fans that demand an intense, thumping bass might not appreciate them quite as much. Make sure you don't waste their talents on over-compressed MP3s, too. Eclipse TD-M1 review http://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/televisions/Samsung/Samsung%2055HU8500/Samsung55HU8500Hero3-200-100.jpg Samsung UE55HU8500Samsung's flagship 4K/UHD TV with curved screen and enhanced Smart TV features The UE55UH8500 is a worthy addition to the 4K/UHD stable, complementing its big brother, the mightily impressive UE65HU8500. There are some unsatisfying aspects to its less important features but for its sheer picture excellence it's a total delight. As for the screen's shape: try the curve, if you've got the nerve. Samsung UE55HU8500 review

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/internet/Netflix/Netflix%204K%20feature/Netflix-redesign4-470-75.jpgWe at TechRadar know there's nothing wrong with going on a Netflix binge and marathoning Power Rangers or watching that Katy Perry movie ten times in a row. But you may not want those things on your permanent record, so to speak, which is why Netflix is testing a new private viewing mode. The mode will prevent content from appearing in your viewing activity and will ensure it isn't factored into your recommendations, no matter how many times you watch The Baby-Sitters Club. The official name of this extremely helpful addition is "privacy mode," according to an email Netflix Director of Corporate Communications and Technology Cliff Edwards sent to GigaOM. Gotta watch 'em allLetting Netflix users who share the same account use individual profiles was a big step toward improving the service's recommendations, and it sounds like this will be another. After all, you don't necessarily want the streaming service to show you more programs like Pokemon the Movie: Kyurem vs. The Sword of Justice. Netflix's privacy mode is currently being tested across all markets, and may be in testing for several months. However the feature is unfortunately not guaranteed to ever see a full release, depending how it performs in these tests; "We may not ever offer it generally," Edwards reportedly said. Let's hope they do, so we can finally watch Jumanji again in peace. Netflix vs Amazon Prime Instant Video: which is best for you?http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3ca62dfe/sc/28/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120866091/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ca62dfe/sc/28/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120866091/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ca62dfe/sc/28/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120866091/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ca62dfe/sc/28/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120866091/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ca62dfe/sc/28/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/199120866091/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ca62dfe/sc/28/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/MtMHys9kgi0

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/Fitness_tech/FuelBand/Nike_FuelBox_NYC-470-75.jpgUntil now, the Nikefuel currency was useful only for keeping track of personal movement goals. However, a New York vending machine is allowing fitness fanatics to get something tangible in return for all that sweat. The Fuelbox, which seems to be on the move around New York, allows Fuelband SE owners to cash in their Nikefuel on fitness gear like socks, hats and t-shirts. "The Nike+ FuelBox drops today and only your Nike+ FuelBand makes it work. Keep your eyes open. Keep your movement up," the company tweeted. Considering vending machines usually spit out garbage that's the very opposite of fitness focused, this little marketing gimmick could spell a welcome change. Running Mates: What's going on with Apple and Nikehttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3ca4b56f/sc/36/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108176107/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ca4b56f/sc/36/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108176107/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ca4b56f/sc/36/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108176107/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ca4b56f/sc/36/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108176107/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ca4b56f/sc/36/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/199108176107/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3ca4b56f/sc/36/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/bwfqBUdhyng

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/broadcast/Sky/skysports5-470-75.jpgVirgin Media television customers who subscribe to the Sky Sports and Sky Movies channels through their cable service will have the added bonus of on the go viewing from this August. Virgin customers paying for Sky's premium content will be able to log into the Sky Sports Mobile TV and the Sky Movies apps for iOS next month using their existing Virgin account details. As well as live action in time for the start of the Premier League season, they'll also be able to tap into to the on-demand content from within the apps. There's a host of additional content through the iPad app. Just like Sky TV customers, Virgin-ers will be able to log in on two Apple devices, but there's no access for Android customers as yet, according to a post on the Virgin community forums Common enemyVirgin Media customers are already able to access 7 Sky channels (from farther down the trough) through the Virgin TV Anywhere apps for iOS and Android. Earlier this week the company also announced the arrival of the Sky Sports 3, Sky Sports 4 and Sky Sports Formula 1 channels in HD. It seems, through this latest alliance, Sky and Virgin have resolved to unite against the threat posed by BT's television and broadband offerings. Earlier this week Sky announced a new Sky Sports 5 channel which will show the Champions League coverage next season. Virgin customers will have access. BT's will not. As the old saying goes: "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3ca62e0b/sc/28/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/nyX-ucTOQTA

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/people/Microsoft/Satya_Nadella/Satya5_web-470-75.jpgMicrosoft will cut approximately 18,000 jobs within the next eleven months, CEO Satya Nadella wrote in an announcement to staff. This round of layoffs will be the largest in the company's history and the largest since former CEO Steve Ballmer cut 5,800 employees in 2009. Roughly 12,500 employees brought on as a result of the Nokia acquisition, which occurred in April, will be let go. The deal added 25,000 employees to Microsoft's payroll. At the time of the acquisition, Microsoft said it would cut $600 million (about £350.8 million, au$640 million) per year in costs. How will this affect Xbox and Nokia products?Although most of the cuts will be made within the Nokia division, approximately 5,500 jobs will also be cut across other lines of business, including marketing jobs in the Xbox unit, as well as marketing jobs in other divisions, according to Bloomberg sources. The layoffs are unlikely to impact how consumers experience Xbox and Xbox products. Nadella has insisted Xbox will be a top priority for Microsoft under his tenure. Additionally, Microsoft devices head and former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said "there will be limited change" for the Xbox and Surface divisions. The company-wide changes will dramatically affect Nokia products. In his July 17 memo announcing the cutbacks, Nadella said he is focused on integrating Nokia into the Microsoft business. As a result, Nokia X smartphones will be migrated from Android to the Windows Phone operating system. This tactic allows Microsoft to continue to compete in the budget smartphone market and ensures that budget smartphones users are running on Microsoft's platform of choice. Big changes to the enterpriseNadella is also expected to make changes to the engineering organization, which will likely consolidate the roles of software testers and developers, as cloud building has made it easier for developers to test and fix issues autonomously. Microsoft has more than 127,000 employees globally. The majority of employees who will be let go are expected to hear from Microsoft within the next six months, Nadella said in his memo. As a result of the layoffs, Microsoft will have to pay $1.1 billion (about £640 million, au$1.17 billion) to $1.6 billion (about £940 million, au$1.71 billion) in severance and related benefits costs and related charges over the next four quarters. Rumors of the impending layoffs began circulating earlier this week, shortly after Nadella outlined Microsoft's trajectory in an email to staff. In the email, Nadella said he is focused on driving Internet of Things, mobility and cloud innovation. What does TechRadar think of the Nokia X?http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3c98ff82/sc/21/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120496209/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c98ff82/sc/21/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120496209/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c98ff82/sc/21/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120496209/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c98ff82/sc/21/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120496209/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c98ff82/sc/21/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/199120496209/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c98ff82/sc/21/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/GtdztaXBmnU

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/internet/Deezer_Abbey_Road-470-75.jpgLife must be tough for a music streaming company like Deezer, facing the unenviable task of prizing listeners away from their comfort zone on Spotify. Nevertheless, the Paris-based start-up continues to plug away and has today announced plans to follow Spotify's lead and do away with its middle-of-the-road £5 Premium tier. The fiver a month option had given users the opportunity to access unlimited, ad-free music over the web, but Deezer told The Next Web "our listeners needs have changed." In its absence, Deezer fans can choose between the Free tier with adds and usage caps or the tenner-a-month for Premium+ access with unlimited, ad-free tunes through the web and mobile apps. Lessons from Netflix and Spotify on perfecting streaminghttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3c978393/sc/5/mf.gifhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/YMigGhXH43o

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/broadcast/DirecTV/NFL_Sunday_Ticket_DirecTV-470-75.jpgAttention cord cutters who also happen to be football fans: Your dream of a satellite-free existence appears to be inching that much closer to reality thanks to a new streaming package quietly being offered by DirecTV. DirecTV appears to answering the prayers of NFL fans across the US with the introduction of a streaming-only package tailored to computers, smartphones, tablets and gaming consoles. After putting the kibosh on streaming last season's Super Bowl, this NFL Sunday Ticket deal requires no satellite subscription, instead serving up all out-of-market games each Sunday, streamed live to connected devices over an internet connection. Available on a wide range of iOS, Android and Kindle devices with certain packages also streaming to Xbox or PlayStation consoles, the satellite-free offering can also be viewed on Windows or Mac computers running Adobe Flash. Sunday, game dayAccording to the NFLSundayTicket.TV website, live streaming football kicks off September 7. A trio of packages are available now starting with a one-time payment $199.99 for streaming from computers and mobile devices only. Also available is a $239.99 Console package, perfect for cable and satellite-free homes who just want to be able to watch NFL games from their favorite game console. For the football lover who has it all, a $329.99 Max package allows streaming from every compatible device, adding an exclusive Red Zone Channel for close-up action on every touchdown, as well as the new DirecTV Fantasy Zone designed for "the most avid fantasy fans." NFL Sunday Ticket packages are available to order for the 2014-2015 football season, but the fine print specifically states the deal is "only available in limited areas to non-DirecTV customers located in eligible ZIP codes/select properties." We've reached out to DirecTV for further details. You may be able to watch football on your console, but should you get the Xbox One or PS4?http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3c925517/sc/28/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120788752/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c925517/sc/28/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120788752/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c925517/sc/28/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120788752/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c925517/sc/28/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120788752/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c925517/sc/28/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/199120788752/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c925517/sc/28/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/X6eQ9vYwmL8

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/mobile_phones/iPhone/iPhone%205S/Press/iPhone5S-Camera-470-75.jpgApple and IBM have announced that they will team up in what they call an "exclusive partnership" that marries the best of Apple's hardware with IBM's software and services expertise. The move was welcomed by the stock markets with IBM's shares up by nearly 2% and Apple's gaining 1.72%. It also bears some similarities with a deal struck 33 years ago that saw Microsoft piggyback on IBM's PC platform to become the giant it is today. Clearly, though, the two companies complement rather than compete with each other with very little, if any overlap. Broadly simplifying, Apple will use IBM as a medium to crack the elusive enterprise market while Big Blue will get privileged (but not exclusive) access to the iOS ecosystem. Apple, for all its consumer clout, is still a minor player in the enterprise market where BlackBerry's domination is already ebbing away. With slowing growth, growing pressures on margins and increasing competition, it was only a matter of time before it looked elsewhere. Add the slew of announcements by Google and Samsung for the enterprise stack and it is clear that something had to be done to prevent Android from owning that lucrative segment. http://mos.futurenet.com/techradar/art/people/IBM%20and%20Apple%20CEO-460-100.jpglike its entry-level server range sold to Lenovo), it has embarked on a number of bold moves, with a clear focus on big data, business analytics, cloud computing and mobility. Its current CEO, Virginia Rometty, is tied to the financial roadmap set out by her predecessor, Sam Palmisano. He said that by 2015, IBM would deliver at least $20 a share with $70 billion returned to shareholders - and not reaching these expectations could have dire consequences. Human touchThe company will commit human and financial resources to deliver iOS-specific cloud services as well as create more than 100 industry-specific enterprise solutions exclusively for Apple's iOS devices (Big Blue usually supports Nokia Symbian, BlackBerry, Android and Windows Phone as well). This will be done via its MobileFirst platform, one of what IBM calls one of a quarter of building bricks of enterprise mobile solutions, the other three being the apps themselves. They're made up of mobile service and support and are handled jointly by IBM and Apple as part of a packaged service offerings offered by IBM. That said, Apple is unlikely to prevent IBM rivals, such as Oracle, Microsoft or SAP from developing similar solutions on iOS for the enterprise market. In fact, it is likely to encourage them to come up with their own versions of MobileFirst as soon as possible to profit from the rise in interest in mobile enterprise solution generated by the announcement. The winner? Apple.Apple, it seems, will be the one benefitting the most from the partnership as it doesn't have to do much with IBM having most of the weight-lifting to do. The deal gives it access to an enterprise expertise that's second to none, and 100,000 IBM-backed industry and domain consultants and software developers will act as salespersons for its iPhones and iPads. Setting something similar would have cost Apple billions in terms of investment and taken years, not to mention the risks involved and a potential shareholder revolt. A partnership with IBM is therefore safer, cheaper, faster and will allow Apple to learn more about businesses. Who knows, both may even merge to create the world's first trillion dollar company. We wouldn't be surprised if, despite recently published comments, BlackBerry decided to side with the lesser of two evils and embrace Android, something it has already been doing by supporting native Android apps (or Oracle could buy it). Apple and IBM will be holding their respective earnings calls over the next few days and it is likely that they will elaborate more on yesteday's announcement. Rometty also said that the alliance wants to bring the same level of transformation to the way people work as Apple did in the consumer market. For all the excitement that the partnership has generated, one would dread to fathom the disappointment it would cause if both do not deliver on their promises. http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3c8d6fdf/sc/5/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108085460/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c8d6fdf/sc/5/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108085460/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c8d6fdf/sc/5/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108085460/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c8d6fdf/sc/5/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108085460/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c8d6fdf/sc/5/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/199108085460/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c8d6fdf/sc/5/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/9YEi3VzXIMs

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/internet/hearbleedkeyboard-470-75.jpgGoogle has a number of going pet projects from internet-providing hot air balloons to driverless cars, and now the next thing on its agenda is net security. The search company announced it has put together a crack team of security engineers to help secure the web in a mission it has called Project Zero. On the company's online security blog, Google explained the team will crackdown on "zero day" vulnerabilities, otherwise known as security loopholes inside services and software that hackers can easily exploit. One the of the world's most famous and relatively recent zero day vulnerabilities was the Heartbleed bug. Ultimately Google does not want another leave another widespread vulnerability unchecked to affect the entire web world. Worldwide web watchdogs Project Zero won't just look out for flaws in Google's websites, services, or Android but the entire web. If the Project Zero crew discovers a vulnerability it promises to contact outside companies and organizations as well as working with them to get fixes to users quickly. "We're not placing any particular bounds on this project and will work to improve the security of any software depended upon by large numbers of people," Chris Evans, head of Chrome security at Google, said in a release. For an extra element of transparency, Google also plans to document every bug it discovers in a public database once it's fixed. Concerned web browsers can view this bug report to see how long it took programmers to correct the exploit, discussions on the problem, and other information making it essentially the Wikipedia of web vulnerabilities. Google is also looking to hire security researchers who want to join the fight. It's a headstrong effort by Google to take on the role of web security watchdog that should benefit everyone in the end. Now the question is how many companies will be comfortable working with internet giant prodding around with their security protocols. The hacking utopia of Watch Dogs is realhttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3c882504/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120648024/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c882504/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120648024/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c882504/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120648024/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c882504/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120648024/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c882504/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/199120648024/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c882504/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/NQOxLocs0yM

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/TRBC/Abstract/Keyhole%20binary%20code/Keyhole%20binary%20code%20abstract-470-75.jpgLithium Technologies has made its social analytics tool (LSW Analytics) generally available as part of its social media management tool. The addition will enable organizations to track a variety of metrics in real time across social media. LSW Analytics features include a balance agent workload that helps social media managers identify activity spikes, and an address priority tool that shows administrators if and when high priority issues are addressed. With LSW Analytics, Lithium is hoping to help businesses gather data on how fast customer service, sales and marketing are responding to customer inquiries. Organizations will be able to follow trending topics to determine if new strategies and products are receiving mentions. Lithium expandsEarlier this year, Lithium acquired social influence company Klout. At the time Lithium said the acquisition would create one of the biggest datasets of consumer attitudes, preferences, and activities on digital channels. It also said the added capabilities that Klout brings to the company will help Lithium to deliver more services built around advocacy, loyalty, and enhanced profiles. Lithium software has more than 300 clients, including Best Buy, Sephora and Skype. 10 social analytics companies you need to knowhttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3c857ccf/sc/46/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108054053/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c857ccf/sc/46/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108054053/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c857ccf/sc/46/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108054053/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c857ccf/sc/46/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108054053/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c857ccf/sc/46/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/199108054053/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c857ccf/sc/46/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/TEPwwHb9Z7I

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/Microsoft/Windows%20Phone%2081%20hands%20on/Review/wp8-2-470-75.jpgMicrosoft Devices has announced that it's starting the rollout of the Lumia Cyan update to all Nokia Lumia devices running Windows Phone 8 from today. Included in the upgrade is the Windows Phone 8.1 OS update which launched on the Lumia 630, 635 and 930, bringing with it a raft of new features including a pull-down notification bar with quick settings, word flow keyboard and an optional extra column of live tiles on your homescreen. If you're lucky enough to be in the US you'll also get Microsoft's new personal virtual assistant - Cortana - who will be going head to head with Siri and Google Now. It will be heading to other countries later this year. Cortana vs Siri vs Google NowNokia-specificAs well as Microsoft features, the Cyan update is Nokia-specific with enhancements to the camera and camera roll, the option to record in surround sound (on the Lumia 1520 and Lumia Icon), the ability to install apps on a microSD card and more. Full details of what the Cyan update entails can be found on the Nokia Conversations blog, although Microsoft does highlight that it will take a few weeks to reach every handset. So if you're rocking a Nokia Lumia 925, the budget-focussed Lumia 520 or any Lumia in between head over to Settings -> Phone Update to see if Lumia Cyan is waiting for you. Read our in depth Windows Phone 8.1 reviewhttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3c857cd0/sc/28/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108054052/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c857cd0/sc/28/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108054052/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c857cd0/sc/28/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108054052/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c857cd0/sc/28/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199108054052/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c857cd0/sc/28/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/199108054052/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c857cd0/sc/28/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/hk5jdTvQzH4

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/other/best_tech_v3-470-75.jpg Cool Gadgets 2014: the best tech money can buyIt's our mission at TechRadar to help you find the tech products that are best for you. That's why we review the specific products we do, while offering a veritable smorgasbord of helpful buying guides and product round-ups to help you find the perfect play things and workplace wonders. Whether it be an ideal camera phone for your mum or a kick-ass Blu-ray player to pair with your new TV, we've got the experts on hand to offer the very best buying advice on the internet. Here you'll find a comprehensive repository of all that expert knowledge. With buying advice and specific product recommendations, look no further for your best chance of finding all the cool gadgets available today. Phones and tabletshttp://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/mobile_phones/iPhone/iPhone%205S/Press/iPhone5s%20front-200-100.jpg Best mobile phonesWhich one should you buy? We've played with nearly every device on the market and have found the ten best you can spend your money on. It needs to be good, after all, given it will reside in your pocket for the next two years. Our ranking of the best mobile phones available in the UK today celebrates the brilliance of the smartphone: we love handsets that add in functionality to enrich our lives in so many different ways. We also partially take into account the price of the phone too - meaning a low-price handset doesn't always need to have high-spec functions to be in our top 10. Read: 10 best phones in the world today http://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/mobile_phones/Google/nexus5/Press/Nexus5-Press-05-200-100.jpg Best Android phonesComparing the best Google phones There's one key way in which Android is massively different from its Apple-branded smartphone competition - the number of phones out there running Google's hot mobile OS. So here they are - the best Android phones money can buy today. For many, many different reasons. Read: Best Android phone 2014 - which one should you buy? http://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/mobile_phones/Nokia/Lumia920/Press/Lumia920-Press-08-200-100.jpg Best Windows PhonesWhich Windows Phone 8 handset is for you? The recently launched Windows Phone 8.1 replicates the popular features of Android and iOS whilst combining the comfort of home computing with the convenience of mobile. We've looked at the Windows Phone devices on offer and picked out the best ones around to guarantee you get the best bang for your buck. Nokia still dominates the list but as a Microsoft entity, that's no surprise. Read: Best Windows Phone 2014 http://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/mobile_phones/HTC/HTCOneSV/Press/OneSV-Press-05-200-100.jpg Best cheap phonesTesting all the best budget blowers! With the mobile marketplace teeming with a multitude of highly priced smartphones, one might wonder whether cheap phones still have a place in the mobile infrastructure. With massive innovation in both hardware and operating systems, phones now do a lot more than just let you talk and text, with handsets like the Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One and iPhone 5S stealing headlines around the world these days. Sadly all this innovation isn't cheap – and most of it is reserved for high-end contract handsets. So, is there such a thing as the 'best phone on a budget'? Read: Best cheap smartphones 2014 http://cdn2.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/mobile_phones/Samsung/GalaxyNote3/press/Note3-Press-13-200-100.jpg Best phabletsThey're big, bad mobile machines Our hands might not be getting any bigger but our phones certainly are. As flagships like the LG G3 andOnePlus One creep up to 5.5 inches, phablets are starting to resemble small tablets, arguably filling the roles of both a smartphone and a slate. If you think that one device is better than two, or just have really big hands, then there is a growing selection of phones to suit and these are the ten best. Read: 10 best phablets in the world http://cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/tablets/iPad/iPadMini/Press/iPadMini-Press-02-200-100.jpg Best tabletsAll the top tablets compared Tablets are taking the world by storm. Just a few years ago they were an unknown for many people, but nowadays you've got more choice than you can shake a mildly agitated badger at. And with choice comes decisions - difficult decisions. Do you eschew Apple's high prices, join the Android brigade and find the best iPad alternative? Or jump on board Cupertino's lovetrain, and use one of the most popular tablets on the planet? We've made it easy for you and pulled together the top 10 tablets of the moment available. Read: 10 Best tablets 2014 http://cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/tablets/Tesco/hudl/Press/hudl-Press-02-200-100.jpg Best cheap tabletsSpend a little, don't spend a lot Tablets are fast replacing laptops as the must-have computing item, and the good news is that you don't have to spend a lot of money to get one. While the iPads of this world will always be out of many people's budgets, there are plenty of tablets out there available at much lower prices. We wouldn't recommend spending less than £100 on one - you'd regret it - but here's a round-up of our favourite tablets under £250! Best cheap tablets: top budget options Home Entertainmenthttp://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/televisions/Best%20TV%20main/tv_best-200-100.jpg TV Buying Guide 2014Choose the right size, screen tech and price There has never been a better time to buy a new TV. Gone are the days when 32-inch TVs weighed 16 tonnes and cost £1,500. These days you can pick up a 50-inch LCD TV for closer to £300. LCD panel technology has well and truly matured, and while brands like Sony and Panasonic push the boundaries of performance, you'll also find names like Toshiba doing very exciting things in the budget TV sector. The practical upshot of this is that no matter what you're after, how big you want to go or how large your budget is, there's a perfect TV out there for you. So which one is right for you, your family and your living space? In this buying guide, we will walk you through everything you need to know about being a new TV. Read: Buying Guide: best TVs 2014 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. Read: 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. Read: 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. Read: 10 best 46 and 47-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. Read: 10 best 50-inch TVs http://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/televisions/Best%20TV%20main/tv_60_65-200-100.jpg Best 60-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, withUltra HD-toting 84-inch screens such as the LG 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. So what's the best 60-65-inch TV for you? Read: 10 best 60-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. Read: 10 best 4K TVs in the world today http://cdn2.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/blu-ray_players/best%20BDP-200-100.png Best Blu-ray playersFrom cheap BDPs to UHD players When big and bulky Blu-ray players first appeared on the shelves nearly 10 years ago they were all about high definition. Back then, simply getting HD content into your HD-ready TV was the hottest ticket in town - and it came at a high price. Those first-gen players are buried in the distant past now, leaving us with super-slim machines with loading times in single figure seconds, 3D Blu-ray playback, 2D-to-3D conversion, apps, streaming to and from smartphones and tablets, home networking, and upscaling to Ultra HD 4K resolutions even before Ultra HD TVs are common. Here are 12 of the best Blu-ray players to help you make your buying decision! Read: 12 best Blu-ray players 2014 http://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net///art/av_accessories/amazon_vs_netflix-200-100.jpg Netflix vs AmazonWhich movie streamer is best for you and yours? The battle of the big American movie streaming services is getting serious: the Amazon-owned LoveFilm is no more, replaced by the new and heavily-promoted Amazon Prime Instant Video. Is Amazon UK finally taking streaming seriously? CanNetflix hold on to its crown as our favourite streaming service? Let's find out. Read: Netflix vs Amazon Prime Instant Video: which is best for you? Netflix 1-month free trialAmazon Prime 1-month free trialhttp://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/games_consoles/xbox-one-vs-ps4-200-100.jpg PS4 vs Xbox OneWhich next-gen console is best? It's a little more even in the PS4 vs Xbox One debate now that E3 2014 has come and gone and we're seven months into the next-generation of video games. Sure, Sony's new console is ahead, pushing toward 8 million systems sold compared to Microsoft's 5 million "shipped to stores" number. But those are sales statistics. Read: PS4 vs Xbox One: which is best? Cameras and photographyhttp://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/cameras/Nikon/V3/nikon_1_v3_HERO-200-100.JPG Camera Buying Guide 2014The camera buying advice you need When it comes to buying a camera, you're really spoiled for choice. The range is massive, stretching from cheap and cheerful compact models competing with your smartphone, right through to professional-spec SLRs that cost as much as a decent used car. In this jargon-free overview, we'll discuss the main types of camera out there, to help you make a wise buying decision. You don't want to pay top dollar for features you won't need, but you also don't want to be stuck with a frustratingly basic camera you'll soon outgrow. We're going to concentrate on three main types of camera in this overview – compact, compact system (or mirrorless) camera and SLR. Read: Buying Guide: Best camera 2014 http://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/cameras/Nikon/D4S/Product%20Shots/Nikon-D4S_hero-200-100.jpg SLR Buying GuideChoose the best type of DSLR for your skills and needs Ever since the arrival of the first commercially viable digital SLRs in the 1990s, there's been a steady stream of technological breakthroughs and new releases. Sales of digital SLRs remain robust, as it's this 'quality' end of the market that is most immune from the threat of ever-improving smartphones; however good smartphones are, if a pro wedding or sports photographer turned up wielding one, they'd get shown the door. There are SLR cameras suitable for every type of photographer, from novices to professionals, but which one is right for you? Read: Best SLR 2014 http://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/cameras/Pentax/Pentax%20K-50/Product%20Shots/Press%20Images/K-50_colorsinclose-200-100.jpg SLRs for beginnersLost of options for the wannabe photographer If you're a beginner or less experienced photographer who's keen to develop your skills, it's a great time to be buying an SLR – there's a wide choice of keenly priced cameras competing for your custom. Makers are eager to attract beginners in the hope of building loyalty, particularly as SLR users tend to upgrade their lenses eventually, or buy flashguns and other extras. Ideally, you want an SLR that is easy to use, but one that you won't quickly outgrow as your skills and confidence develop. Read: 10 best SLRs for beginners http://cdn2.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/cameras/Panasonic/Panasonic%20FZ1000/Product_Shots/PanasonicFZ1000Hero2-200-100.jpg SLRs for enthusiastsYou're not a pro but you still want a nice camera While compact system (mirrorless) cameras have eaten into their market share to an extent, SLRs remain the weapon of choice for many enthusiast photographers. It's not hard to understand why; enthusiast-level SLRs offer near pro-levels of performance at an affordable price, are relatively to easy to use, and give access to a massive range of lenses and accessories. Indeed, some enthusiast SLRs rival pro-spec models, blurring the boundary between the two. Read: 10 best SLRs for enthusiasts http://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//Review%20images/PhotoRadar/Canon/5D%20Mark%20III/Handson/Canon_5D_MKIII_5-200-100.jpg SLRs for professionalsThe best photographers have the best cameras As you'd expect from a camera costing the same as a decent used car, higher-end SLRs have myriad autofocus options, impressive ISO performance and often (but not always) fast continuous shooting. They tend to be built like tanks too, since they have to meet the demands of professional press, sports and adventure photographers, who are often working in demanding, deadline-driven environments. When it comes to choosing a top-end SLR, the biggest decision is whether to go for a full-blown pro model, such as theNikon D4S, or to save money by opting for a camera that also appeals to advanced enthusiasts and semi pros. Read: 10 best top-end SLR http://cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/cameras/Canon/G1X%20II/canon_g1x_II_hero-200-100.JPG Best compact camerasGet the best mini snapper for your needs There are hundreds of digital compact cameras on the market, with advanced, superzoom and rugged camera options all being available, which makes finding the right one quite tricky. The right choice, of course, depends on what you want from your compact digital camera. Maybe you're looking for a high-end compact camera to take the place of your SLR, or perhaps you want something more basic to get a few snaps on holiday. Whichever type you are looking for, we've pulled together a selection of what we believe are the best compact cameras on the market now. Read: 38 best compact cameras 2014 http://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net///art/features/Best%20high%20end%20cameras/DCM139.kit_group.DSC8484-200-100.jpg Best high-end compact camerasThe best back-ups to an SLR The downside of even the latest and greatest DSLR bodies and weighty collections of top-quality glass is that, when a fantastic photo opportunity presents itself, your kit is fast asleep in its gadget bag back at home. In contrast, compact cameras are small and slimline enough to fit into a spare pocket, the glove box of the car, or just about anywhere else. Weighing in at 200-400g (0.4-0.9lbs), these cameras are lighter than most DSLR lenses without a camera attached, but can they really deliver in terms of image quality and creativity? Read: 10 best high-end compact cameras http://cdn2.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/cameras/Olympus/OM-D%20E-M10/OlympusOMDEM10Coffee-200-100.jpg Best compact system camerasGet the best CSC for your budget DSLRs have long-held the title as the most versatile cameras on the market, capable of delivering the highest quality images, robust build quality and advanced functionality, not to mention speed. With compacts and bridge models providing a set of stepping stones up to the traditional DSLR, manufacturers noticed a gap in between that was waiting to be filled: the CSC (Compact System Camera) was born. Fast forward to today and we have an ever-increasing array of CSCs available with varying levels of functionality. Read: 28 best compact system cameras 2014 Gadgets and computinghttp://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/car%20tech/best_sat_nav-200-100.png Best sat navsFind your way from A to B with minimum fuss Could the car sat nav boast the shortest lifespan of any technology yet? Surely our GPS-supporting phones are more than capable of handling our daily car sat nav needs? Not so fast - there's still plenty of life left in dedicated devices. Apart from offering the kind of focus that is only available from a dedicated device, true sat navs offer proper mounting systems that aren't fiddly plastic nightmares and also pack voice options that entertain and inform. That's not to say that you should leave your phone at home. Phone apps are catching up quickly, and they don't cost the earth either. In fact, some of the most interesting projects are only on phones right now. Read: Best sat navs 2014 http://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/laptops/Acer/Acer-v5-2013/Acer%20Aspire%20V5-122P%206-200-100.jpg Best laptopsThe best mobile computers in all shapes and sizes Choosing the right laptop is even more confusing than ever - so we're here to help with our regularly updated guide to the best laptops. The release of Windows 8.1 and its subsequent update has pulled the OS further towards the touch and tablet future. This, along with the performance boost the OS offers, is a boon for the vast array of laptop-tablet hybrids now flooding the market. Here's some expert buying advice and 30 product recommendations from Ultrabooks to gaming laptops. Read: Best Laptops 2014 http://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/laptops/Lenovo/Lenovo%20Yoga%2011S/laptops-2952a-200-100.jpg Best laptops for studentsBudget laptops for college or uni Becoming a full-time student is expensive - all those student loans, tuition fees, and flights to Thailand to discover who you are don't come cheap. Regardless of the money you'll save in haircuts, times are tough, indeed. But choosing a decent portable PC to lug from lecture - to pub - to lecture halls and, hopefully, last the duration of your course is something we can help you with. So we've scoured our peerless laptop reviews to find 10 of the best laptops for students. Read: Best laptops for students http://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//Review%20images/TechRadar/Computing/ESP_9250-200-100.jpg Best printersTop inkjet and laser printers compared In choosing the best printer your first decision is whether to go for a standard printer, or a multi-function device which includes a scanner and which can also work as a standalone copier. These aren't much larger than regular printers, but they're a whole lot more versatile, especially when you need to keep a copy of a letter, a bill or any other important document, so our first list includes the best inkjet printers and best multi-function devices. You should also think carefully about whether to invest in an inkjet or a laser. Lasers are usually associated with office environments, where they produce sharp, smudge-free printouts quickly, quietly and economically, but this can be just as useful at home or in a home office. Read: 16 best printers 2014 http://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/features/spotifyconnect/spotifyconnect1-200-100.jpg Best Spotify Connect systemsControl your music wirelessly with Spotify Connect Spotify is gradually supplanting digital downloads as the dominant way that we listen to music, with 10 million subscribers and 40 million active users across 56 countries listening to its 30 million tracks. With Spotify adding more than 20,000 new songs daily, it's definitely time for Spotify Connect, a new badge for hi-fi gear that enables effortless control of music across a phone, tablet and speakers. Allowing music to be sent direct from the Spotify app to any of these systems, Spotify Connect is a streamer's dream. Read: Best Spotify Connect systems Anything we've missed that you'd like to see? Let us know!

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/techradar/BOT/BOT0-470-75.jpgBest of TechRadar14 features the Xbox One needs to be a kick-ass consolehttp://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/games_consoles/Xbox%20One/xbox_game_pad_for_James-200-100.png Come on, Microsoft! The Xbox One has radically changed since its launch in November last year. Microsoft has, to its credit, listened to fan feedback and rolled out a wealth of system updates almost every single month - refining certain features, adding completely new ones, and even ditching the bundled Kinect, something the company once claimed it would never do. But though the Xbox One is undoubtedly improved from its initial incarnation, there are still a few improvements to be made here and there before we consider Microsoft's work well and truly done. Here are fourteen changes we want to see in future updates. Everything you know about 4K is wrong...http://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/televisions/May%20on%204K/4k_tv_week1_v3-200-100.jpg ...thanks to HDCP 2.2 The reality is that Ultra HD, at least in the UK and Europe, will initially remain the preserve of Pay TV operators like Sky, who'll be looking to unlock new revenue streams to justify any investment in channel infrastructure and set top box hardware costs. What should be of more immediate concern to Ultra HD watchers is the altogether thornier issue of HDCP 2.2 copy protection which is a complete mess. http://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/mobile_phones/LG/LG%20G2%20Mini/review/LGg2minihero-200-100.jpg LG G2 MiniThe LG G2's little sibling The LG G2 Mini is a fine example of a mid or low-end smartphone and shows just how far we have come in the last year. All manufacturers have benefited from having much better components available to them this year but LG has done a fine job packaging them up into the G2 Mini. The size and shape of the phone, along with LG's generally helpful software enhancements make the G2 Mini a genuinely pleasant phone to use. Only the lack of auto brightness really detracts from the experience. Superb battery life and a usable camera are welcome additions as is the excellent build quality, but the price you pay for these is a relatively higher purchase cost than some competitors. LG G2 Mini review Beyond Oculus: The future of Virtual Reality gaminghttp://cdn2.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/gaming_accessories/Oculus%20Rift/Dev%20Kit%202/Alex%20Rift%20hand-200-100.jpg VR is the most exciting and innovative arena in gaming There are few tech sectors prompting as much excitement and intense chatter as the dawn of virtual reality gaming. The Kickstarter-funded Oculus Rift headset gets most of the credit for the groundswell of interest, but the company Facebook recently purchased for over $2 billion, has become the poster child for a much larger movement. A movement that promises to inflict the single most important shift in the way we experience videogames, since they moved from the arcade to the home. Read all about it http://cdn3.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/Watches/LG%20G%20Watch/HandsOn/GWatch-HandsOn-06-200-100.JPG LG G WatchA cool gadget that fails to really impress The jury is still out on whether the world needs, wants and is desperate for a slew of smartwatches, but manufacturers appeared convinced they are required so here we are. Android Wear brings some significant advancements over previous smartwatch offerings such as the Sony SmartWatch 2, Pebble and Samsung Gear 2, so the LG G Watch is already in a good position - the thing is the smartwatch still hasn't been perfected. LG G Watch review The house that Google builthttp://cdn2.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/features/nest/nest_lifestyle_photo_living_room-200-100.jpg What the Nest API means for you We've been promised smart automated homes for decades, but at long last it seems that they're finally on the horizon thanks to Apple and Google. The former's HomeKit was announced at last month's WWDC, and Google has just released its own API (Application Programming Interface) for its Nest devices. Of the two, Google's offering is currently the most interesting. An API for a thermostat hardly sets the pulse racing, but the Nest is no ordinary thermostat: it knows when you're home and when you're out, and that opens up some interesting possibilities. It isn't the only Nest product, either: there's the smart smoke alarm, and now that Google's acquired security camera firm Dropcam, Nest cameras can't be far off. Continue reading... Social network's emotional lab rats turn against their keepershttp://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/internet/Facebook/Facebook_DoNotLike-200-100.jpg The week in flame Last week people across the world were outraged by Facebook's latest timeline test, an experiment that saw it populating people's feeds with overly negative or positive responses and seeing how this affected an individual's mood. Rather unsurprisingly, it turned out that having an algorithm throw endless status updates about bereavement, sick children and car insurance meltdowns into our faces made us sadder. Meanwhile populating our timelines with only Good News and pretty sunset photos made us more likely post cheery messages ourselves. This sort of experimenting with our minds without explicit consent was instantly declared disgraceful by observers. Facebook's chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg explained the company's actions and intentions in a pretty terrible and vague half-apology, saying the tests were "poorly communicated". That was one of the mildest ways it was put. Netflix wants to pay you to watch showshttp://cdn1.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/internet/Netflix/Netflix_post_play_OITNB-200-100.jpg Here's why Someone somewhere in the world right now is currently getting paid by Netflix to watch TV and movies. Yes, you read that right. Netflix has created one of the best jobs in the world and it is all to do with making its recommendation algorithm the best it can be. Netflix currently has around 40 taggers but this number is about to rise, with news that the company is recruiting 'taggers' for the first time in the UK and Ireland. iOS 9: what we want to seehttp://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/mobile_phones/iPhone/iOS%208/ios-8-release-date-200-100.jpg Our wish list for Apple's next OS Apple has only just taken the wrapper off iOS 8, it's so new in fact that you can't even get it yet, but with the revelations of what will and more importantly what won't be included, we can't help but dream of iOS 9. Nothing's yet known about it at all, but we're sure Apple is already beavering away on the next iteration and we've got a wish list of our own. iOS 9: what we want to see Intel Broadwell vs Haswellhttp://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/features/broadwell-haswell/haswell-vpu-grad-200-100.jpg What's new in Intel CPUs? Broadwell is the next generation of Intel Core CPUs. It will power most of the laptops and desktops we'll see over the next 18 months, among other kinds of gadget. It's not here yet, but many, many people are eager for its arrival. Including us. Broadwell is Intel's fifth generation of Core-series processor, and will define the sort of power we'll be able to get from our computers of the future. It's pretty important, but what's new? We're going to have a peek into Broadwell to see whether it's worth holding off for, as the first Broadwell computers will start flying of shelves towards the end of the year. Intel Broadwell vs Haswell 13 web villains and how they tried to go legithttp://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/people/friis_janus-200-100.jpg Going straight The world of tech can be a strange place. It's a place where zeroes become heroes, where public enemies become pillars of society and where tabloid villains turn out to be perfectly legitimate after all. Come with us as we discover the sites, services and (ahem) personalities who became notorious on the net and then tried to come back. From villainy to virtue From programmes to programminghttp://cdn0.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/internet/Netflix/NetflixPRESSIMAGE1-200-100.jpg Why are tech firms making TV shows? TV used to be simple. Broadcasters would make programmes, and if those programmes didn't deliver stellar ratings they would be canned. If they survived they'd be sold on every conceivable format from DVD box set to printed tea towels, and after every other avenue had been exhausted the shows might be sold to one or more streaming services. That wasn't ideal for fans of show streaming. Some good shows took so long to appear that by the time they were available for streaming, half the internet had already torrented them - and some of the programmes canned for poor ratings really deserved to be given a second chance. For the streaming services, the answer was simple: pay the programme makers to work for them, not for the networks. So they did. The Moto 360 isn't the smartwatch you've been waiting forhttp://cdn4.mos.techradar.futurecdn.net//art/Watches/Motorola/Moto%20360/moto-360-waterproof-200-100.jpg It's pretty, yes, but it's still just a faster horse It's 2005. Apple is working on what will turn out to be the iPhone, but Motorola has beaten Apple to the punch with the ROKR iTunes Phone, a phone so unpleasant that when Steve Jobs demos it on stage, he can barely conceal his contempt. It's 2014. Apple is working on what will turn out to be the iWatch, but Motorola has beaten Apple to the punch with the Moto 360 smartwatch. You can see where I'm going here. This is not the prophesied smart watch you're waiting for.

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/broadcast/Movies/starwars-bluray-scene2-470-75.jpgFacebook isn't the only big company that's getting excited about virtual reality; Disney is now coming out in support of the immersive medium. Disney CEO Bob Iger shared his vision for the modern entertainment world with the Wall Street Journal. In the interview, Iger describes a future filled with customized experiences and what he calls technology-enabled leisure: "Mobile storytelling, and mobile entertainment, will dominate our lives, and offer rich, compelling experiences well beyond what is available today," Iger said. "[When] [w]here [...] will no longer be a barrier to being entertained; the geography of leisure will be limitless." The Disney CEO went on saying both virtual-reality and augmented-reality experiences will transport users immerse entertainment worlds. Although Iger did not name any headset technology we've seen a few pop up in the last few years including the Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus and more recently, Google's Cardboard. Future of mediaWhile there are fears that VR technology will throw entertainment mediums into a new generation of storytelling. "Bringing us into created worlds and bringing created worlds into our world will fundamentally explode the boundaries of storytelling, unburdening the storyteller in ways we can't yet imagine," he continued. Disney owns many properties from its historic background in animation and theme parks around the world. Not to mention studios Disney owns including Pixar, Marvel, plus the Star Wars universe it recently acquired. It could be very interesting to see where the Mickey Mouse company takes VR and augmented reality technology with both its media storehouse and revamped Star Wars series. Virtual reality could be the third wrinkle to the future of TV

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/televisions/May%20on%204K/4k_tv_week1_v3-470-75.jpgMay on 4KSadly I doubt news that the DVB Steering committee has finally rubber stamped the Phase I DVB-UHD 4K TV spec will herald any great rush (or even a stumble) to mainstream 4K TV broadcasting any time soon. My last chat with Ilse Howling, Freeview MD in the UK, was unambiguous on the subject. "It's not in our plans," I was told. "Here at Freeview we want to just keep pace with the needs of our customers. I really don't think Freeview is about being cutting edge; what we tend to do is look at innovation and then follow it. Digital was pretty much established before Freeview launched, and so it was with Freeview HD." The biggest sales hook for Freeview viewers remains HD. So there's probably no point postponing your 4K TV purchase waiting for DVB-UHD tuners to turn up - because by then the DVB Steering committee will only just be thinking about ratifying the Ultra HD Phase 2 specification, which adds go-faster stripes and fins. The reality is that Ultra HD, at least in the UK and Europe, will likely remain the preserve of Pay TV operators like Sky, who'll be looking to unlock new revenue streams to justify any investment in channel infrastructure and set top box hardware costs. What should be of more immediate concern to Ultra HD watchers is the altogether thornier issue of HDCP 2.2 copy protection… High-bandwidth Digital Content Protection can be used to secure the transmission of digital assets, be they broadcast or media. Without a device-to-device handshake, HDCP 2.2 delivered content isn't going to make it onto any screen. Unfortunately HDCP 2.2 chip availability is trailing behind 4K product roll-outs. Manufacturers rush inHome cinema manufacturers have been rushing to release new AV receivers with 4K capable HDMIs, yet only one AVR brand has implemented HDCP 2.2 and that's Onkyo. Five of its new receivers, plus one processor, offer the copy protection, albeit on a single HDMI (STB/DVR). The chipset used is the Silicon Image SiL9679, currently the only solution available to any equipment manufacturer. The catch is that the SiL9679 doesn't support the full 4K 4:4:4: colour space; it's a compromise 4:2:0 solution, created for deployment in UHD displays. This, I was told by representatives of both Yamaha and Denon is why their AV receivers don't implement the SI solution: 'We want to offer our customers the ultimate 4K experience," they told me as if one "and that means ensuring our 4K HDMI products support the full 4:4:4 colourspace." The message to buyers is that they can be future-proofed with Onkyo, but possibly sacrifice some colour fidelity - or gamble with its rivals and potentially revel in all the colours that technology allows (just for fun let's assume that we'll be able to tell the difference between 4:4:4 and 4:2:0). Of course the usual 4K caveats apply. There is no 4:4:4: UHD content available (maybe Blu-ray 4K discs will offer it, if studios ever agree to launch them). Panasonic's DMC-GH4 system camera shoots 4:2:2. Regardless if Sky adopts 4:2:0 or 4:4:4, any HDCP 2.2 set top box implementation could render swathes of currently available 4K kit incompatible. Trouble aheadChris Pinder heads up HDConnectivity, video distribution specialists for the custom install industry. "Yes I see trouble ahead," he confided to me. One complication is backwards compatibility, he says. "An HDCP 2.2 device would not work in the mix with any (currently available) HDCP 2.1 (and below) TV or sources. Everything has to be 2.2." Pointedly Pinder points out that the likes of Sky may actually have no intention of implementing HDCP 2.2, simply because the chipset would not only drive up the cost of any new HEVC Sky box but limit compatibility with available 4K displays. Conversely, a 4K Blu-ray player could circumnavigate the HDCP 2.2 headache by offering two HDMI outputs, with one going directly to the screen (which would then also need to be HDCP 2.2 compliant). But we could speculate until we go 4:4:4 blue in the face. If all this is all beginning to sound like a hideous mess, that's because 4K UHD's standards are a hideous mess. 4K TV channels on the way as DVB-UHDTV standard is approved

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/other/apps-world-470-75.jpgAll too often, startups try to execute on go to market strategies strictly focused on finding traction in the United States or EU and then hoping that success in these markets translates into direct success globally. While some companies do achieve success in both developed and developing markets this is the exception: not the rule. For every Facebook and Twitter to hit the market, thousands of startups hang their 'open for business' shingle in N. America and hear nothing but crickets. Effectively, startups following that strategy are making success in the hardest markets a prerequisite for rolling out into more accessible markets. Following the "if you make it here, you can make it anywhere" mantra isolates the company from the majority of its user base, which ever more everyday resides globally. Analyst Mary Meeker's most recent 'State of the Internet: 2014" report points out that 9 out of 10 internet properties are made in the United States but 79% of their users are outside the U.S. That data point says it all. Global markets matterStart-ups need to bake this into their go to market strategy from day one. And conditions have never been more favorable for small startups to do so for 3 reasons: Cost of localizationGlobal rise of social media usageEasier access to major distribution channelsMost immediately, the cost to localize an app or web product has dropped at least tenfold in the past four years. Companies like CrowdIn and freelance markets like Elance now mean you can access quality translators and add a new language for an app for less than $1000. International social mediaSocial media penetration –particularly Twitter – is saturated enough to make viral discovery and distribution a reality when it wasn't four years ago. Meaning, you can build your brand without having to navigate less accessible in-country advertising scenes. And finally, forging partnerships with consumer cellular telcos and OEMs for device preloading are more accessible than in North America and Europe. Simply put, it's easier to get a meeting with Brazil's 'Oi' (formerly Telemar) than Verizon. If you can't staff to do direct deals with carriers and OEMs, companies like App Attach can give you direct access to carriers and OEMs through their closed app market. This approach works. Examples are out there. Quixey, which has built a ground-breaking way of marrying deep search around apps and app data, saw the opportunity of prioritizing expansion at a pretty early point developmentally, partnering with one of Singapore's main info-communication companies, StarHub. Zomato – a restaurant discovery platform, owns its space in 12 and counting countries. This list is growing by the minute. To put it another way, if you're launched a startup and aren't happy with your growth in the US market, stop waiting for the hockey stick and go global. Karl Mattson, VP of International at Maxthonhttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3c52e6b0/sc/46/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120430387/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c52e6b0/sc/46/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120430387/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c52e6b0/sc/46/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120430387/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c52e6b0/sc/46/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120430387/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c52e6b0/sc/46/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/199120430387/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c52e6b0/sc/46/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/UMXheYv2RVk

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/TRBC/emc%20xtremio-470-75.jpgShares of EMC fell heavily yesterday as the company made a slew of announcements including the acquisition of cloud storage startup, TwinStrata. EMC stock fell by 1.6% on the day that saw the value of the infrastructure giant fall to just over $54 billion (around £31.6 billion, AU$58 billion). TwinStrata is platform-agnostic, supporting Amazon S3, Rackspace Cloud, Google, HP and many other cloud storage providers and its CloudArray technology is probably what sealed the deal. The purchase of TwinStrata will allow EMC to bundle services such as disaster recovery, offline backup, tape replacement and multi-site file storage to its VMAX^3 enterprise clients in a transparent manner to cloud repositories. Speaking of the VMAX^3, three new models (100K, 200K and 400K) will replace the existing tiered models (10K, 20K and 40K) with its Dynamic Virtual Matrix architecture supporting up to 384 Intel Xeon, Ivy Bridge-based CPUs. It's all about flash storages and lakesIn other news, EMC upgraded the software for its all-flash array, XtremIO. Version 3.0 - which will be available as a software update later this quarter - allows bigger, faster clusters (up to 120TB X-Bricks with 12 active controllers, 50% higher IOPS performance) and offers inline compression and deduplication which offers up to 6X storage capacity boost (although your mileage will vary depending on the data). EMC has also unveiled a cheaper X-Brick, aptly named the Starter X-Brick that offers the same features as its bigger brother but with half the capacity (5TB). It also added an "Xpect More" programme for its customers with 7-year maintenance price protection, 3-year money back warranty and flash endurance protection. Last on the list is a major upgrade to EMC's Isilon OneFS (including native support for Hadoop Distributed File System) plus new Isilon products (S210 and X410) as well as solutions that target Big Data analytics clients and improve their capacities to handle mammoth amounts of unstructured data (i.e. data lake). How universal memory will replace DRAM, flash and SSDshttp://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3c521c7d/sc/46/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199107849286/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c521c7d/sc/46/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199107849286/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c521c7d/sc/46/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199107849286/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c521c7d/sc/46/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199107849286/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c521c7d/sc/46/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/199107849286/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c521c7d/sc/46/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/97et5ZmqlTw

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/logos/flash-adobe-rightsize-470-75.jpgA Swiss Google engineer, Michele Spagnuolo, has managed to come up with a tool that exploits three characteristics of Adobe's Flash and JSONP (JavaScript Onject Notation with padding). In a blog post, he wrote: "I present Rosetta Flash, a tool for converting any SWF file to one composed of only alphanumeric characters in order to abuse JSONP endpoints, making a victim perform arbitrary requests to the domain with the vulnerable endpoint and exfiltrate potentially sensitive data, not limited to JSONP responses, to an attacker-controlled site". Best free antivirus software 2014Sites affected by the flaw that have been known to be impacted by the flaw include Google itself, Youtube, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and Ebay. It is likely that they will have all, by now, fixed the flaw and everyone is urged to download updates for their respective browsers. Spagnuolo has uploaded Rosetta Flash to Gitbub while Adobe has issued an official statement saying that "These [...] vulnerabilities [...] could potentially allow an attacker to take control of the affected system" http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3c517455/sc/4/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120423369/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c517455/sc/4/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120423369/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c517455/sc/4/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120423369/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c517455/sc/4/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120423369/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c517455/sc/4/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/199120423369/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c517455/sc/4/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/z8RuqE9pQlo

http://cdn.mos.techradar.com/art/software/IE/ie10-desktop-470-75.jpgMicrosoft has issued a list of products that will reach end of support in the second half of 2014 and in the two weeks of January 2015 as part of its routine support lifecycle product database. The most important product included on the list is Windows 7. Mainstream support for its 10 flavours will end on January 13 2015 at which date it will transition to Extended Support (which will end in 2020) and will include security updates and paid hotfix support. Windows XP end-of-life: Thanks for all the fish!While this is not as business-critical as the Windows XP deadline in April, it is likely to get companies starting to plan their next upgrade cycle either around Windows 8.1 (or any subsequent minor upgrades) or Windows 9. Other notable products on that list include Windows Server 2008, Windows Phone 7.8, Windows Storage Server 2008, Exchange Server 2010 and Dynamics. As for the list of products hitting End of Support, these include a number of niche software package such as Host Integration Server 2004, Internet Security and Acceleration Server 2004, Systems Management Server 2003, Virtual Server 2005, Visual FoxPro 9.0 and Windows CE 5.0. http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/669/f/415085/s/3c517456/sc/46/mf.gif http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120423368/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c517456/sc/46/rc/1/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120423368/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c517456/sc/46/rc/2/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120423368/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c517456/sc/46/rc/3/rc.img http://da.feedsportal.com/r/199120423368/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c517456/sc/46/a2.imghttp://pi.feedsportal.com/r/199120423368/u/49/f/415085/c/669/s/3c517456/sc/46/a2t.imghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/software-news/~4/1RjNVI2YTLs