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In an exclusive chat with TechRadar at MWC 2019, Huawei’s CMO, Herman Zhu confirmed that there was a ‘secret’ camera underneath the foldable Mate X’s current array. We noted that the Mate X changed the side of the phone that had a screen turned on, flipping automatically when taking a picture. When quizzed, Mr. Zhu said that this was Huaweil’s technology, and said there was a hidden fourth camera that nobody knows about. We went hands on with the Huawei Mate XCould this be one of the top foldable phones this year?We've rounded up all the 5G phones to be launched in 2019He wouldn’t elaborate beyond that, apart from gesturing below the current three camera array on the rear. If we were to speculate, we’d guess that there’s an additional sensor below there that’s capable of working out what’s in front of it - and a closer look at the images we have, using some contrast enhancements, does seem to indicate another sensor there. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vmRj4GFo5SXkrymaeYpxxA.jpg We’ll find out more in the future about whether the Mate X is hiding some extra technology, which wouldn’t be surprising given how far off availability of the foldable phone is, but we’ll wait and see precisely what it features when we get more time with a final version. The third placeThere was one other surprise from Mr. Zhu - according to the CMO, Huawei’s ambition is to add another screen to the Mate X. Not an actual physical screen (like the LG DualScreen accessory), but a tweak to the Mate X’s user interface that would see the ‘spine’ of the device - when folded - displaying other information. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/4b62f6180c098bc3a9968d1a775e9753.jpg The separate screen of the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge It would be similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, which used the curved side to pack icons and novel things like rulers or a news ticker - but we’ll have to wait and see if it actually appears, and how Huawei might make it work. MWC (Mobile World Congress) is the world's largest showcase for the mobile industry, stuffed full of the newest phones, tablets, wearables and more. TechRadar is reporting live from Barcelona all week to bring you the very latest from the show floor. Head to our dedicated MWC 2019 hub to see all the new releases, along with TechRadar's world-class analysis and buying advice about your next phone. All images credit: TechRadar http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/DepewMTKL4A

Google Fi customers will get 5G, too – and unsurprisingly, they’ll get it through the service’s existing partnership with Sprint and use the latter’s 5G infrastructure once it’s rolled out, the companies announced in a press release. As a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO), Google Fi already leases telecom networks from Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular and Three to provide service to its customers. So it’s not much of a surprise that Fi picked one of those to secure 5G functionality for its customer base. But it is interesting that an MVNO has struck a deal that presumably gets them 5G at the same time as a telecom’s primary customers. Per the press release, Sprint’s 5G network is launching in the first half of 2019 and “when this rolls out, Google Fi customers with Sprint 5G compatible 'Designed for Fi' phones in a 5G coverage area will be automatically connected to the network.” Here are all the 5G phones we know aboutWhat is 5G anyway – and how much faster is it?Check out all the news from MWC 2019That restricts Google Fi 5G hopefuls a bit, unfortunately. Despite opening Fi up to phones from Apple, Samsung and OnePlus, this means only Designed for Fi phones (seen here) work with Sprint's network. They'll need to be Sprint 5G compatible, too, though it’s unclear what that includes. MVNO 5G with caveats, coming to cities firstSprint’s 5G network will start in nine cities in the first half of the year, covering downtown metropolitan areas in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, New York City, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. Google Fi users will get 5G in these areas and automatically switch to Wi-Fi or LTE networks when moving between them, as the service works now. Of course, they need the right phone to use 5G at all, and they’ll need to be in a 5G coverage zone, naturally. These zones might be smaller than you’re used to with LTE. Sprint isn’t launching its 5G service on millimeter wave as it lacks licenses to broadcast on the airwaves, instead opting for the 2.5GHz mid-band spectrum, which is faster than LTE but doesn’t reach as far, per The Verge. To augment coverage, Sprint will rely on its Massive MIMO radio tech, which it started rolling out last year to enable the company to offer both LTE and 5G on the same radio. Check out our list of the best Android phonesVia Android Policehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/-37l1dXq3bE

This year, Lenovo will release two new noise-cancelling headphones that will carry its Yoga moniker into the audio realm. The new headphones — the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 ANC and Lenovo Yoga ANC — are expected to go on sale around June and July, respectively, and compete with the Microsoft Surface Headphones. According to Lenovo, the on-ear headphones are intended to be companions for the company’s laptop series for which they’re named after, but they should still work with any device, be it Windows, Android, iOS or otherwise. Here's our current line-up of the best noise-cancelling headphonesWant more audio innovation news? We're at the Bristol Hi-Fi Show!Got money to burn? Check out the $3,000 Focal StelliaIn terms of technical details, Lenovo claims the headphones will use both traditional active noise-cancellation (ANC) and something called electronic noise-cancellation (ENC) that’s used on the microphone to block out noise while you’re making calls. That being said, while other headphones are more focused on blocking out commuting or traveling noise (the sound of a jet engine or drone of a bus, for example), Lenovo’s headphones are intended mostly for office use. That fact will help separate the Lenovo Yoga and ThinkPad X1 ANC from other similar style headphones like the Sony WH-1000XM3 and Bose QuietComfort 35 II, and puts them closer in line with the Microsoft Surface Headphones. In terms of battery life, Digital Trends reports that they'll boast around 15 hours with noise-cancellation turned on, and around 20 hours with noise-cancellation off. The Lenovo Yoga ANC will go on sale in July for $170 (around £129, AU$235), while the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 ANC will go live in Europe in June for around $150 (£115, AU$200) with release in other territories to be determined. These are the best headphones in 2019http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/fS4QJ22WzLs

Android users looking for improved security are in luck as the FIDO Alliance has announced that Google's mobile OS is now FIDO2 Certified. Users with smartphones running Android 7.0 or higher can now take full advantage of their device's built-in fingerprint sensor for secure passwordless access to websites and native apps that support the FIDO2 protocols. Developers will also be able to add FIDO strong authentication to their Android apps and websites through a simple API call. Google reveals its super-secure Security KeyApple now offers USB security key support for SafariYubico launches Security Key NFC and previews Yubikey for LightningGoogle's Product Manager Christiaan Brand praised the announcement, saying: “Google has long worked with the FIDO Alliance and W3C to standardize FIDO2 protocols, which give any application the ability to move beyond password authentication while offering protection against phishing attacks. Today’s announcement of FIDO2 certification for Android helps move this initiative forward, giving our partners and developers a standardized way to access secure keystores across devices, both in market already as well as forthcoming models, in order to build convenient biometric controls for users.” FIDO2FIDO2 is already supported by the world's leading web browsers including Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox with preview support available on Apple's Safari. FIDO2 is comprised of the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Authentication specification and FIDO Alliance's corresponding Client to Authenticator Protocol (CTAP). Together, these standard allow users to more easily and securely login to online services with FIDO2-compliant devices such as fingerprint readers, cameras and FIDO security Keys. Executive Director at the FIDO Alliance, Brett McDowell explained how greater availability of FIDO2 would encourage developers to make their sites passwordless, saying: “FIDO2 was designed from day-one to be implemented by platforms, with the ultimate goal of ubiquity across all the web browsers, devices and services we use every day. With this news from Google, the number of users with FIDO Authentication capabilities has grown dramatically and decisively. Together with the leading web browsers that are already FIDO2 compliant, now is the time for website developers to free their users from the risk and hassle of passwords and integrate FIDO Authentication today.” Protect all of your devices from the latest threats with the best antivirushttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/d4KjjhmaLUk

Nubia has bridged the gap between wearable and smartphone with the Nubia Alpha, a device with all the features and functionality of a phone but which wraps around the wrist like a fitness band. Unveiled by Nubia at their press conference at MWC 2019 the Nubia Alpha is a strange hybrid device – and a rather fascinating one. This is what we thought about the Samsung Galaxy Watch ActiveThese are the best fitness trackers aroundHere's the best cheap smartwatch list Nubia has bridged the gap between wearable and smartphone with the Nubia Alpha, a device with all the features and functionality of a phone but which wraps around the wrist like a fitness tracker. Its 4-inch 960x192 OLED screen follows the strap of the watch around the wrist, covering roughly half the wrist. The Nubia Alpha doesn’t exactly have smartphone specs, with 1GB RAM and 8GB internal memory, and only 500mAh battery power, but with a 4-inch flexible OLED screen it doesn’t really need it. The device is even kitted out with a 5MP front-facing camera, so it truly does come with all the functions of your phone. Nubia suggests the device will last 1-2 days of regular use, or a week on standby, which we’ll test when we get our hands on it for a review. You can use the Alpha to call and text, and use a variety of apps and the internet, without a connection to a smartphone, which sets it apart from many other fitness trackers which connect via Bluetooth to your smartphone. Instead it uses eSIM technology, so it won't necessarily replace your phone. The Nubia Alpha is running Nubia's own operating system, designed more as a wearable OS than a smartphone one. One interesting feature of this is air controls, which let you scroll through, or backtrack out of, a menu just through hand gestures. If you use wearables for their fitness tracker possibilities you’ll find the Alpha sporting all the necessary functions like heart rate monitoring and sleep tracking. It can also store and play music, using the Nubia Pods. These wireless earphones are launching along with the Nubia Alpha, and link with the device. There are two versions of the device launching – Bluetooth and eSIM models, with the latter available in a gold variety. The Bluetooth model will launch for €449 (roughly $510, £390, AU$710) in Europe, North America and China, sometime in the second quarter of the year. The eSIM versions will be available a little later, releasing in April in China followed by a crypic "Q3" for Europe and "Q4" for North America. The black version will cost €549 (around $620, £475, AU$870), and for the 18K gold finish you'll be paying €649 (about $740, £560, AU$1,030). MWC (Mobile World Congress) is the world's largest showcase for the mobile industry, stuffed full of the newest phones, tablets, wearables and more. TechRadar is reporting live from Barcelona all week to bring you the very latest from the show floor. Head to our dedicated MWC 2019 hub to see all the new releases, along with TechRadar's world-class analysis and buying advice about your next phone. This is what we thought about the Nubia Red Magic Marshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/-oM2qum5D-U

A group of academics have discovered three new security flaws in 4G and 5G networks which they say could be used by attackers to intercept phone calls and track the locations of smartphone users. This is the first time that vulnerabilities have been found that affect both 4G and the upcoming 5G standard in relation to law enforcement's use of cell site simulators often referred to as “stingrays”. Syed Raiful Hussain, Ninghui Li, Elisa Bertino, Mitziu Echeverria and Omar Chowdhury all contributed to a research paper titled “Privacy Attacks to the 4G and 5G Cellular Paging Protocols Using Side Channel Information" which details how these new vulnerabilities can defeat even the latest protections in 5G designed to make it more difficult to spy on mobile users. The coming 5G revolution5G could solve major 4G congestionGSMA: One in seven connections will be 5G by 2025The researchers are set to reveal their findings at the Network and Distributed System Security Symposium in San Diego this week. Torpedo, Piercer and IMSI-Cracking attacksThe first of the attacks the group discovered is called Torpedo which exploits a weakness in the paging protocol used by carriers to notify a phone before a call or text message comes through. The researchers found that several phone calls made and canceled within a short time period can trigger a paging message without alerting the target device to an incoming call and this can be exploited by an attacker to track a victim's location. Once a victim's paging location is known, an attacker can then hijack the paging channel to inject or deny paging messages. Once the Torpedo attack has been carried out, attackers can then launch a Piercer attack which allows them to determine an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) on a 4G network. The IMSI-Cracking attack can then be used to force an IMSI number on both 4G and 5G networks where IMSI numbers are protected with encryption. These attacks put even the newest 5G-capable devices at risk from stingrays and Hussain points out that all four major US carriers are affected by Torpedo. Attackers can carry out these attacks with just $200 worth of radio equipment. Outside of the US, almost all cell networks are vulnerable to these attacks including several networks in Europe and Asia. Hussain and the other researchers have reported these flaws to the GSMA and the industry body representing mobile operators will likely fix the Torpedo and IMSI-Cracking flaws first. Fixing the Piercer vulnerability will be up to carriers though Torpedo remains the priority as all of the other flaws depend on it to work. Via TechCrunch This is everything you need to know about 5Ghttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/IC-qD4qCorM

AHA! He's back. The king of the Norfolk radio waves has managed to land another TV gig at none other than the BBC itself. Alan will no doubt be happy to share his presenting skills with the nation, along with lots of digs at those who thought he was all washed up after his book was pulped. The seri should be a night of belly laughing with quotes we'll be using for years to come – and you can watch it all online from anywhere you happen to be. Following on from Steve Coogan's Mid Morning Matters, Alpha Papa and Alan Partridge's autobiography – the same writing team are back, including Neil and Rob Gibbons, to open this new special. So hopes are definitely high for side–splitting fun. That's right Partridge naysayers - smell my cheese, you mothers! Alan last presented live television in the nineties, but that was axed after he accidentally shot and killed a guest live on air (oh Alan!). So expect there to be a few teething problems for this comeback. But, no doubt, it will end up being as hot as the innards of an apple turnover. The mock–live show, which sounds similar to The One Show and expect to see familiar faces like Alan's assistant Lynn – whose life is"technically not worth insuring" according to Alan – played by Felicity Montagu and the more recently added Sidekick Simon played by comedian Tim Key. Watching in the UK is easy enough thanks to BBC television and the BBC iPlayer, but for those outside the country you can still watch Alan Partridge online by using a VPN service. How to get one of those, and which is best for you, can be found out below. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/B9XNGCRYNHKJzN5zVfTMje.jpg How to watch This Time with Alan Partridge online for free in the UK:To watch This Time with Alan Partridge in the UK, you simply need to have paid your TV licence and have a connection to a BBC One broadcast. It's also possible to watch the show via the internet live using BBC iPlayer or TVPlayer.com. You can also watch the show after it has aired using BBC iPlayer which is on a host of devices including smartphones, tablets and smart TVs. And if you're outside of the UK but still want to watch This Time with Alan Partridge online as it goes out, then there's an easy way to get around any geographical restrictions. Read on to take advantage of our nifty little VPN workaround. Stream This Time with Alan Partridge from outside your countryIf you're out of the country but still want to watch This Time with Alan Partridge live, it's still possible - and without too much faff. You can get around geo-blocks and watch via a dedicated TV streaming website as long as you appear to be in the UK. This is possible using the combination of a VPN and TVPlayer.com. Which VPN is best for you? Our tip-top fave is ExpressVPN . Read on to find out all you need to know about how to use that to watch This Time with Alan Partridge in three simple steps: Watch Knowing Me, Knowing You, I'm Alan Partridge and Alpha Papa onlineAlan has had a glittering career before this BBC appearance, of course. And you can enjoy every hilarious minute by watching old episodes of Knowing Me, Knowing You, I'm Alan Partridge and the feature film Alpha Papa – all online right now. Here's how. Watch Knowing Me, Knowing You online Lots of classic episodes of Alan in his prime are available in the form of his hit interview show Knowing Me, Knowing You. You can watch this online in a number of ways. There are plenty of clips and guest interviews on YouTube for quick and easily digestible tidbits. For full episodes head over to either Netflix, Google Play or TalkTalk TV. Watch I'm Alan Partridge online Thanks to the massive popularity of I'm Alan Partridge you watch the old episodes back online now – and yes, they're still funny. Your options include: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, PlayStation, Google Play or Microsoft. Watch Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa online This feature film was massive and, as a result, is available to watch nearly everywhere online. Deep breath now, here's the list: Amazon Prime Video – Subscribe BFI Player - Subscribe Rakuten – £1.99 Amazon – £2.49 Google Play – £2.49 YouTube – £2.49 PlayStation – £2.49 Microsoft – £2.49 BFI Player – £3.50 Apple – £3.49 Sky Store – £3.49 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/RetRmSSuO7U

Think that Sony isn't interested in 5G just because the Sony Xperia 1 doesn't support it? Think again. Sony is showing off a new prototype 5G device at MWC 2019, and the company has confirmed to TechRadar it won't be pursuing 5G in the consumer space until 5G is fully offered by mobile networks. Instead of packing it inside a commercially available phone - think LG V50, Huawei Mate X or Samsung Galaxy S10 5G - the company is showing off a prototype that's never intended to come to market. Patience at SonyThe device is being shown on both Sony and Qualcomm's booths at the show. The prototype is sporting Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855, which is the same chipset as inside the Xperia 1. The Snapdragon 855 is capable of supporting 5G - that's the chipset inside the LG V50 - so why won't Sony's latest flagship support 5G? Mitsuya Kishida, President of Sony Mobile told TechRadar, "Obviously, we are heavily cooperating with our partners to develop for 5G, and depending on the country and the customers need we will introduce the 5G model accordingly. "It will be a separate model and depend on the country, again. How to introduce the solution is going to be different for our customers." However, he did confirm that Sony was intending to have a device on the market when the 5G wave of phones fully begins. Whether that means we'll see a variant of the Xperia 1 - much like how Xiaomi has plans to rereleased the Mi Mix 3 with a new 5G version - or a completely new phone remains to be seen. It's also a benefit of Sony's schedule of releasing a new flagship phone every six months too. "Being the first in 5G... that’s not what we’re trying to achieve."Mitsuya Kishida, President Sony Mobile By the time 5G begins its rollout later this year, Sony may be ready to introduce the Xperia 2 that is likely to still sport the Snapdragon 855 but may be ready with 5G compatibility. Kishida continued, "Being the first in 5G... that’s not what we’re trying to achieve. I’m really happy that our engineering skill and the speed of development towards 5G, I’m very comfortable with that." One of the other reasons for Sony avoiding 5G at this stage is also down to the effect it can have on the design of the phone too. Silke Schild, head of external communications at Sony Mobile told TechRadar, "We don’t want to compromise on the design [of the Xperia 1] either, integrating additional antennas etcetera." That may mean the next phone from Sony is set to be thicker and heavier so it can support 5G, but we likely won't know that for quite a while now and it may be IFA 2019 at the earliest for us to next hear about a flagship Sony handset. MWC (Mobile World Congress) is the world's largest showcase for the mobile industry, stuffed full of the newest phones, tablets, wearables and more. TechRadar is reporting live from Barcelona all week to bring you the very latest from the show floor. Head to our dedicated MWC 2019 hub to see all the new releases, along with TechRadar's world-class analysis and buying advice about your next phone. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/3G72LkU9SuM

New research has highlighted the fact that businesses in Europe are spending more than ever on mobile phones for their employees as increased costs and loss of productivity from phones being too fragile for the work environment helps make the case for rugged devices. Cat phones and the Bullitt Group conducted a survey of mobile phone buyers at 497 European Businesses to reveal that 69 percent are spending more on company phones than ever before with more than half of respondents saying repair and replacement of broken devices is a growing problem for their business. In the last three years, 99 per cent of business phone buyers have had to deal with damage to company phones and 86 percent say that there has been damage significant enough to require repair or replacement to an employee's device. DOOGEE's S90 rugged modular smartphone has reached its Kickstarter goalSamsung has made a super-secure, super-rugged phone we can't tell you aboutDell refreshes its rugged Latitude laptopsAccording to the survey, the most common causes for device repair are broken screens (69%), physical breakage (47%), water damage (44%) and faults caused by dust or sand getting into the device (21%). Impact on productivityProductivity also goes down significantly when employees are forced to go without a mobile phone while it's being repaired or replaced. Of those surveyed, 31 percent of businesses reported a major impact on productivity while a further 40 percent reported a notable impact on their productivity. Long repair times exacerbate this issue with just 21 percent saying repairs take up to one working day while the majority (63%) said repairs can take from two days up to a working week. Additionally, 16 percent of respondents have seen some repairs take even longer. According to research from CCS Insight, one in three European consumers have experienced a broken smartphone screen in the last three years. Without insurance, replacing a broken smartphone screen is not cheap and can cost anywhere between $170 to $400. These costs can escalate even further in a business setting where buyers procure multiple devices for their workforce. CCS Insight's Chief of Research, Ben Wood provided further insight on the findings of the survey, saying: “The fragility of modern smartphones has become a real issue. It is little surprise that business are looking for more rugged devices given the costs associated with repairing smartphones and negative impact on productivity when a device breaks.” Worried about your employees breaking their devices? These are the best rugged smartphones and best rugged tabletshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/OFGkbeOdbX4

Techradar, one of the largest technology websites in the world, is visited by millions of users each month, the majority of them coming through Google and other search engines. The web is awash with SEO tools and resources, but it pays to do your homework first and pick your kit carefully. Just like the practitioners within the search marketing industry itself, there's the good the bad and, well, the ugly. Here is our list of six of the best free tools around today. Check out the best website hosting services1. Google Search ConsoleEven if you're not headstrong on SEO, whatever the size of your site or blog, Google's laudable Search Console (formerly Webmaster Central) and the myriad user-friendly tools under its bonnet should be your first port of call. The suite of tools gives you valuable information about your site at a glance: it can assess your site's performance and observe potential problems to troubleshoot (like negative spammy links), help you ensure your site is Google-friendly and monitor Google's indexing of your site. You can even report spam and request reconsideration if your site has incurred a penalty. Plus, if you don't refer to their Webmaster Guidelines now and again, well, you've only yourself to blame if you go wrong. Search Console is constantly updated, and new features are on the way, such as new URL inspection tool or the new sitemaps report. 2. SEOQuake SEMRush’s SEOQuake is one of the most popular toolbar extension adored by millions. It allows you to view multiple search engine parameters on the fly and save and compare them with the results obtained for other projects. Although the icons and numbers that SeoQuake yields might be unintelligible to the uninformed user, skilled optimisers will appreciate the wealth of detail this add-on provides. Gauge details about number of visitors and their country, get a site's traffic history trended on a graph, and more. The toolbar includes buttons for a site's Google index update, backlinks, SEMRush ranking, Facebook likes, Bing index, Alexa ranks, web archive age and a link to the Whois page. There’s also a useful cheat sheet and diagnostics page to have a bird’s view of potential issues (or opportunities) affecting a particular page or site. 3. Google AdWords keyword planner Knowing the right keywords to target is all-important when priming your web copy. Google's free keyword tool, part of Adwords, couldn't be easier to use. Plug your website URL into the box, start reviewing the suggested keywords and off you go. Jill Whalen, CEO of HighRankings.com is a fan and offers advice to those new to keyword optimisation: "make sure you use those keywords within the content of your website. It's really a question of being descriptive as keyword phrases typically describe what you offer. Think about the fact that you're trying to answer someone's question at the other end of the search engine. They're typically searching Google because they have a question or a problem to solve. Make your website answer those questions and solve those problems and it will be the one to show in the search results." 4. Google OptimiseYet another Google tool on that list (not a surprise isn’t it). Optimise is not for the faint hearted and will make even seasoned SEO experts uncomfortable. SEO isn't all about rankings and without the right balance of content that engages with your visitors and drives conversions, you're earnest optimisation could be wasted. Google’s free service helps take the guesswork out of the game, allowing you to test your site's content: from simple A/B testing of two different pages to comparing a whole combination of elements on any given page. Personalization features are also available to spice things up a bit. Note that in order to run some of the more complicated multivariate testing, you will need adequate traffic and time to make the results actionable, just as you do with Analytics. 5. Live Keyword AnalysisAny seasoned search engine optimisation specialist will tell you keywords matter, and while simply clawing keywords into your text arbitrarily can do more harm than good, it's worth ensuring you have the right balance. Live Keyword Analysis is a breeze to use: simply type in your keywords and then paste in your text and your keyword density analysis will be done on the fly. Don't forget to proof and edit your text accordingly for optimum readability. A must for website copywriters especially as you don’t need to register or pay for anything. 6. AhrefsGoogle's Pagerank algorithm underpins most of what makes the current world wide web work the way it does. Understanding backlinks (sites linking to you) allows website owners and publishers to understand what link opportunities they might be missing out on. Enter Ahrefs, arguably one of the most powerful players out there. They maintain one of the largest live backlink indexes currently available with 16 trillion known links, covering 200 million root domains. While Ahrefs isn't free, the backlink checker feature is, which provides a useful snapshot that includes your domain rating, the top 100 backlinks, top 5 anchors and top 5 pages, the strict minimum to provide with a feel of what Ahrefs has to offer. Check out the best free website hosting serviceshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/Mw1pDnk5D38

Hotly following the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti that just launched days prior, apparently we can expect a laptop version of the graphics card to come out soon. A new mobile Nvidia GPU codenamed 'N18E-G0' popped up in Notebook Check’s database, and the outlet strongly suspects this could the GTX 1660 Ti-class GPU meant for laptops. The codename lines up with those for existing notebook-based graphics processors, including the RTX 2060 (N18E-G1), RTX 2070 (N18E-G2) and RTX 2080 (N18E-G3). Unfortunately, Notebook Check doesn’t list any specific specs for this rumored GTX 1660 Ti for notebooks. However, we can make some assumptions based the original desktop version. The chip is almost guaranteed to be built upon a 12nm Turing architecture and feature GDDR6 memory – but, it probably lack any ray tracing or tensor processing cores. Looking for the best graphics cards for desktop PCs?For when you’re not gaming, the best laptops to workWhen will we see AMD Radeon VII come to gaming laptops?Currently, one of the most inexpensive gaming laptops featuring RTX graphics is the $1,499 MSI GL63 in the US, and that’s on a model with only an Intel Core i5-8300H CPU, 16GB of memory and a 256GB drive. Internationally, the most-basic MSI GL63 runs for a little more at £1,649 in the UK and AU$2,499 in Australia, thanks to having a higher-tier Intel Core i7-8750H CPU inside. Comparatively, a laptop featuring a mid-range Nvidia GTX 1060 from the Pascal line of mobile GPUs could be had for as little as $1,099 (about £820, AU$1,450), as with the Acer Predator Helios 300. Although it's far from confirmed, we hope a mobile version of the GTX 1660 Ti will help bring down the price of Turing-powered gaming laptops to more approachable levels. Why the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti is the best budget graphics cardhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/bJs47BaVjYI

Lenovo may very well be the first out of the gate with a laptop using Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8cx processor, the company teased during an MWC 2019 press conference. The company kept mum about the product in the works beyond the fact that it will use Qualcomm’s new 5G connectivity modem for the 8cx platform, Anandtech reports. Given how premium (and pricey) the projected slate of 5G-supporting phones and other products have been, expect Lenovo's device to be expensive. And yet, ever since the Snapdragon 8cx's debut in December 2018 during Qualcomm’s Tech Day event in Hawaii, and even following CES 2019, we haven't heard of any Snapdragon 8cx products in the works until this Lenovo device. Which is very, very strange. Here’s our MacBook Air 2019 wish listWhat is 5G? Here’s all we knowDon’t buy a 5G phone until 2020Given that following the initial announcement of Snapdragon on Windows 10 laptops – way back in late 2017 – was paired with not one but three devices using the technology, this is rather disconcerting. Why so slow to start?As to why we’ve not seen a single Snapdragon 8cx laptop on the market yet is anyone’s guess, but there are some likely causes. One, laptop makers are likely reticent to pick up on Snapdragon 8cx given the poor performance of the previous platform (Snapdragon 850) and the speed at which Qualcomm moved on from it to this version. Two, many laptop makers likely were – and still are – waiting for 5G to truly take off before investing into Qualcomm’s latest PC platform. And, three, it’s likely that some laptop makers are waiting to see how competitors use Qualcomm’s processor before making a move. Regardless, adoption of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx might be an uphill battle, especially if Lenovo’s first laptop to use the processor isn’t a slam dunk. These are the best laptops we’ve tested so far this yearhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/DN-boY-zp1E

Lenovo has announced a number of new additions to its ThinkPad line at MWC 2019 alongside a new portable monitor and a pair of headphones designed for today's mobile workers. The latest line of premium ThinkPad T and X laptops, which includes the T490s, T490, T590, X390 and X390 Yoga, continue the firm's efforts to drive innovation that matters to end users. Today's mobile workers want truly connected devices and the latest ThinkPad laptops deliver with high performance Wi-Fi and optional LTE-A global WWAN capability. For users who need even greater roaming connectivity, the ThinkPad T490 includes Cat16 LTE-A support with 4X4 Ultra Connect antenna configuration for up to Gigabit speeds and maximum signal strength. Get more done on the go with the best business laptopsAlso check out the best business monitorsSecure your devices from the latest cyber threats with the best antivirusThe ThinkPad T490S, X390 and x390 Yoga also feature Intel's new Wi-Fi 6 Gig+ technology with Bluetooth 5.1 for premium Gigabit wireless connectivity. Added security with ThinkShieldTo help its users stay protected wherever they are and to secure its devices throughout their entire lifecycle, Lenovo has included its end-to-end security solution ThinkShield. The Match-on-Chip fingerprint reader on all of its latest ThinkPad laptops enhances the privacy of fingerprint information by ensuring the biometric image never leaves the chip which allows it to deliver a more secure identification for both login and online transactions. The company's new devices also include a physical camera cover called ThinkShutter that is available on both RGB and IR webcams to protect users from malicious webcam hackers while ThinkPad PrivacyGuard activates screen privacy at the touch of a button and can PrivacyAlert can even warn you if someone is snooping over your shoulder. Lenovo has also made significant improvements to the ThinkPad BIOS by updating it with a new modern GUI and implementing new manageability enhancements. Administrators can now set remote supervisor or privileged access passwords for better BIOS-level security and they can also restrict port access, delete all data from the hard drive suing Secure Wipe or remotely manage system deployment with WiFi PXE Boot or HTTPs Boot. However, the new BIOS' most impressive ability is its new self-healing feature that will revert to a known good backup copy in the event of BIOS corruption or a malicious attack. MWC (Mobile World Congress) is the world's largest showcase for the mobile industry, stuffed full of the newest phones, tablets, wearables and more. TechRadar is reporting live from Barcelona all week to bring you the very latest from the show floor. Head to our dedicated MWC 2019 hub to see all the new releases, along with TechRadar's world-class analysis and buying advice about your next phone. We've also highlighted the best business computers to help you stay productive while you're at your deskhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/n1-WDFb0OP0

The iPhone SE may have been officially removed from the Apple Store, but the budget Apple smartphone continues to sell at some seriously rapid speeds. That's largely because the cheapest iPhone on the market recently had yet another price drop and heading into 2019 it is still beautifully cheap - and on this page you'll find the best iPhone SE deals in the UK. Following Apple's product launch back in September, it feels like the iPhone SE 2 is still no closer to being released. But that hasn't stopped tariffs falling and you can now get iPhone SE deals on contract for a mere £15 per month - that means around £400 over the course of the contract! The tech world rejoiced when the iPhone SE was released. Finally, a new Apple phone that doesn't require you to remortgage your house and take on a second job - unlike iPhone XS Max deals! It looks and feels exactly the same as the iPhone 5S. But instead of sporting two-year-old hardware it's fully up to date, with a super-fast CPU and graphics, and the 12MP iSight camera straight out of the iPhone 6S. If cheap iPhone SE deals are what you seek, then you've definitely come to the right place. Use TechRadar's comparison chart to easily find the ideal plan, or scroll down further to find our pick of the best SE deals on the market. More options: iPhone 8 deals | iPhone 7 deals | iPhone 6S deals | iPhone deals | Best mobile phone deals Lower down the page you'll be able to read about all of the best iPhone SE deals on a model-by-model and network-by-network basis. But first of all here are the best deals so you can instantly see what the best offers are from EE, O2, Three and Vodafone. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/c487e65e0dfdd433bf2d663b8bca6eef.jpg Launched back in March 2016, the 'Special Edition' iPhone SE was a rare example of Apple dropping its entry-level price to allow bargain-hunters a piece of the iPhone pie. It reduced the screen size from the iPhone 6, but kitted it out with the same camera as the iPhone 6S. In short, it's a premium smartphone with a lower price tag – and we like that! Read TechRadar's full iPhone SE review Now let's break down the best iPhone SE deals by network... Best iPhone SE deals on EEBest iPhone SE deals on O2Best iPhone SE deals on VodafoneBest iPhone SE deals on Threehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/whg7ZRCdtAo

It may now be in its terrible twos, but Apple's iPhone 7 remains one of the best mobiles we've ever used and the price of iPhone 7 deals is way less than its successors. So forget those iPhone 8 deals. Laugh in the face of iPhone XS deals and move on from those iPhone XR deals If you like the idea of buying an iPhone but aren't that enthusiastic amount the kinds of costs attached to them, then the iPhone 7 could be an ideal middle ground. That said, other than the fantastic 20GB+ tariffs knocking around on EE and O2 and a few standout three deals however if you were hoping for Vodafone deals you will be sad to hear that they're just not so competitive right now. On this page you'll find all of the best iPhone 7 deals you can get right now. Whether you're looking for unlimited data, a free phone or any other type of tariff, you can use our comparison chart below to choose the cheapest option out there. Scroll down to find the best deal for you. And don't forget that you'll get £10 off the handset cost if you get your iPhone 7 from Mobiles.co.uk - you just need to enter our exclusive 10OFF discount code when you get to the checkout. See also: iPhone 8 deals | iPhone 7 Plus deals | iPhone 7 SIM-free | Samsung Galaxy S8 deals | Best mobile phone deals | iPhone deals http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gxUi9xvGgrfJ2TvK8DnXzk.jpg Top 5 best iPhone 7 deals in the UK todayAt the top of our guide you'll see what we've chosen as this month's best value iPhone 7 deals in the UK. These are chosen purely on the basis of value - unlike some other sites we don't manipulate the order of these deals for commercial gain! And if you're loyal to a particular network, we've picked out the best deals on the four major networks - those being EE, O2, Three and Vodafone. Vodafone has a habit of having great iPhone 7 deals one day and then removing them all in a instant so if you don't see any Vodafone deals then it is likely they are in one of those times. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VgyagGS9HpAEPUQtUJBfrg.jpg http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/w8K-MV4stE4

The popularity of blogging (which originally derives from ‘personal web log’) continues, whether for profit, or just to have a voice on the web, since over a decade ago when it first captured the internet as the ‘next big thing’. Some blogs are standalone sites, but others are a more personal section that fits into a larger, corporate web site. In order to blog, a blogging platform is required, which takes care of formatting the content in the form of text and images, and provides a framework for getting it onto a website. The blogging platform also makes it easier for a search engine to categorize the blog entries, and to be able to take advantage of marketing and advertising opportunities. So before you start cranking out posts, and welcoming your virtual visitors from around the world, you need to choose the best blogging platform to suit your needs. Check out these great options. We've also highlighted the best website hosting serviceshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EozjSsTXWhwi2edbZVnhjd.jpg Blogger Ask any old-time blogger about what platform they started their blog with, and chances are they'll answer that it was Blogger. To this day, Google’s offering in the blogging space still retains several advantages, including that your existing Google account already means you have a Blogger account. A broke startup blog will appreciate that it is free to use, and it will even provide the blogspot.com domain name, as well as the option for a custom domain name. It is also one of the easier platforms to use, and provides a choice of templates that can be flexibly modified. As it is a Google offering, it easily integrates with other Google products, including Google Analytics that can provide information about your website’s visitors that should be used to help grow traffic. Also, your blog can be integrated with Google’s Adsense, that will analyze your content, and display relevant ads to monetize your blog, so you can pay for the coffee as you sit in Starbucks and blog into the night. With all that going for it, is there any reason not to use Blogger? Well, the problem is that as your blog grows, its simplicity means that you may outgrow Blogger at some point. In addition, it can be difficult to transition from Blogger to another platform. You can sign up for Blogger herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5hXDwk7ZXJs4rRSzBEng8A.jpg WordPress WordPress is a popular blogging platform which is used on a claimed 30% of web sites, that offers an excellent balance between ease of use, and more powerful options. They can handle all the details, and take care of the domain name, the security and the hosting for a one stop shopping option. WordPress offers hundreds of themes, with flexibility in fonts and options for a custom look. They also offer expert support, and credit card payments can be accepted via an available plugin. Pricing starts at the Personal plan for $5 (€4, £4) monthly billed annually, which removes all WordPress advertising. There is also a free tier available, which is suitable for a noncommercial blog as there is WordPress advertising, and no way you can monetize it. You can sign up for WordPress herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vDhPtraJQBxScBTUNsb4AT.jpg Jekyll The latest version of Jekyll (3.8.5) is a “simple, blog-aware, static site generator.” Content gets created in TXT files, which get placed into folders. Then you build your site via Liquid language templates. Jekyll then merges the content and the template together, and voila, a website is generated that can be uploaded to a server. For those that need a host, there is integration with Jekyll to host the website for free on GitHub. While there is a comprehensive ‘quick-start guide’ on the Jekyll website, it hardly offers the simplicity of some competing blogging platforms that can do this all from a web interface. However, the benefits that Jekyll offers are the advanced features, which include options for paginating posts, available plugins, templates, and community maintained themes. It also supports blog migration from other platforms. The plus here is that there is no cost to the platform, but the downside is that there is only community support, and the work takes place in the Ruby development environment, so many newbies will be put off. You can sign up for Jekyll herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/gF8GDK2NqJXrWqXpbD6C4f.jpg Tumblr While some blogs are well developed, and blur the line between a blog, and a full fledged website, at the other end of things we have Tumblr. It seems to be doing something right as it claims a staggering 450+ million different blogs. It focuses on the more concise end of the spectrum, with an emphasis on shorter content, like just an image, or link, that can appear as more of an alternate social media platform. Content is definitely more short-form, with posts consisting of a variety of material, for example, pics, jokes, quips, Spotify tracks, and video (just remember that adult content is no longer welcome). Like a social media platform, you can also follow other blogs, and republish posts you like to your own blog. The pro is that Tumblr is quite simple to use, costs nothing, and is ideal for use on a mobile device. However, this is not ideal for a more developed blog, as the content remains in the Tumblr ecosystem, and there is no way to monetize it. You can sign up for Tumblr herehttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/AjGQp8KxrkpN7MzXQ4EuF6.jpg Typepad Typepad is a fully developed blogging platform, designed for the professional blogger. It offers a ton of flexibility, including the ability to publish from email, a web browser, or mobile. It also easily integrates with Google Analytics, and has its own affiliate plan. Typepad supports design customization with a Theme Builder for a custom look, and the option for creating your own custom template or modifying a theme with custom CSS. Typepad is also fully hosted, and has support available. After the initial 14-day trial, plans start at $8.95 (£8) per month for up to four blogs with unlimited storage. You can sign up for Typepad hereCheck out the best website hosting serviceshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/Jz0V2UWqJLg

The same flashgun won’t suit everybody. Some of us want something small, lightweight and simple to use, others might want a high-end model that’s really power-packed and full of advanced features. It’s equally true that some flashguns are vastly more expensive than others and, if you’ve got an entry-level DSLR, it doesn’t make sense to spend more on your flashgun than your camera. Whatever level of sophistication and price point you decide on, a flashgun is an amazingly versatile accessory. It’s supremely portable and can make a huge difference to the quality of lighting in almost any scenario, from night-time shots and gloomy interiors, to portraits on a bright sunny day. With TTL (Through The Lens) flash metering, dedicated flashguns can team up with your camera to enable automatic exposures in all sorts of shooting conditions. It’s generally easy to apply flash exposure bias if necessary, to fine-tune the power setting, or to use fully manual flash power if you prefer to be in control. Mid-range and high-end flashguns tend to have motorized zoom heads. These can automatically track the focal length or zoom setting of the lens you’re using, narrowing the beam of light for telephoto shots to make more flash power available. For extra wide-angle coverage, a flip-down reflector is usually included in the head of the flashgun. Most flashguns also have bounce and swivel heads. These enable you to bounce the light output off walls and ceilings, instead of firing it directly at the subject Most flashguns also have bounce and swivel heads. These enable you to bounce the light output off walls and ceilings, instead of firing it directly at the subject. This can give a much softer quality of light that’s vastly more flattering for portraits. The softness of the light increases with the size of the light source so, if you bounce the light from a small flashgun off a large surface like a white wall or ceiling, it effectively becomes much bigger. The trade-off is that the intensity of the light reaching the target is reduced, so a flashgun with a larger maximum power rating or ‘Guide number’ become preferable. Another option is to use the flashgun off-camera. This enables the creation of ‘modelling’ with shadows, which gives images a much more three-dimensional look, rather than typical ‘flashgun’ lighting which can appear very flat. Many modern flashguns feature wireless master/slave connectivity for off-camera flash. This enables you to trigger the flashgun via an infrared link from a compatible DSLR, or in some cases from an RF (Radio Frequency) wireless trigger, as well as using multiple wirelessly connected flashguns to create more exotic lighting effects. Let’s take a closer look at the top 10 flashguns for both Canon and Nikon DSLRs. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg Best Speedlites for Canon DSLRs in 2018Canon makes a range of Speedlite flashguns to suit a range of price points and requirements, ranging from small and simple models to fully pro-grade options. We’ll look at all of those first, in price-ascending order, and then move on to the most appealing Canon-dedicated flashguns from independent manufacturers, including Hahnel, Metz, Nissin and Phottix. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RQnNKxYaiJzoBfXm7sQt6U.jpg Small enough to slip into a spare pocket, this is a seriously downsized flashgun, running on two AA batteries instead of the usual four. It also lacks an LCD screen and onboard controls, so you need to make all adjustments from the host camera’s flash control menu. Even so, it’s compatible with high-speed sync and rear-curtain modes, and enables TTL flash exposure compensation and the use of manual power settings. There’s a manual push-pull mechanism for selecting either 28mm or 50mm zoom settings but no swivel facility, so you can’t bounce the flash off the ceiling if you’re shooting in portrait (upright) orientation, at least when the flashgun is mounted in the camera’s hotshoe. On the plus side, wireless slave mode is featured for off-camera flash. Performance is good overall and, in our tests, maximum output power isn’t much less than from the bigger Canon 430EX III-RT at corresponding zoom settings. One drawback, however, is that recycling after a full-power flash takes more than twice as long, at just over five seconds. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7heh3VDat3uDeJHpYeQ47C.jpg A sizeable step up from the Canon 270EX II, this flashgun has a full set of onboard controls and an LCD screen, enabling intuitive and versatile operation without resorting to in-camera menus. It also adds a motorized zoom head with a 24-105mm range, and complements the 0-90 degree bounce facility with 150/180 degrees of swivel to the left and right respectively. Useful supplied accessories include a carrying pouch and stand, diffusion dome and colour-matching filter for balancing flash output with tungsten lighting. Flash modes include high-speed sync and rear-curtain options, but there’s no programmable repeat mode. The biggest update over the Mk II is the addition of RF (Radio Frequency) communication, while the previous infrared slave mode is also retained. However, if you want to use the new flashgun as a wireless master, you can only do so in RF mode, which rules out pairing it with most Canon flashguns, as they only support optical transmission. There’s a little more power on tap than from the 270EX II and recycling after a full-power flash is more than twice as fast, at 2.2 seconds when using NiMH batteries. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vtzW4ebsLCBGxMpdLC6joW.jpg In fully automatic ‘AI Bounce’ mode the 470EX-AI utilizes artificial intelligence to move its motorized head through 120 degrees of vertical rotation and a full 180 degrees to the left or right. It’s compatible with cameras launched in or after the second half of 2014, and works by firing a pre-flash pulse directly at the subject, then tilting vertically upwards and firing a second pre-flash pulse at the ceiling. The flashgun then calculates the optimum bounce angle and moves the head correspondingly. There’s also a semi-automatic AI Bounce mode, in which you can manually point the flash head in your desired direction. In other respects, the 470EX-AI is quite conventional. It lacks the RF (Radio Frequency) communication of the 430EX III-RT and both editions of the 600EX-RT. For wireless off-camera flash, it can therefore only operate via an optical link, and only as a slave, not a master. It also lacks a programmable repeat flash mode and a pull-out reflector card. Maximum output is slightly higher than that of the Canon 430EX III-RT and recycling is similarly swift, but batteries only last about two-thirds as long. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XrVYuPQ6GQtjZApjEpKMvM.jpg Built to satisfy the demands of busy professional photographers, the 600EX II-RT has a robust, weather-sealed construction. Upgrades over the 430EX III-RT include a power rating of Gn 60, a bounce range that dips to -7 degrees as well as covering the more usual 0-90 degree range, extended swivel to 180 degrees in both left and right directions, and a bigger zoom range of 20-200mm. A crucial addition is that the 600EX II-RT can work in master as well as slave wireless modes, with both infrared and RF options. RF linking increases the range from around 10m to 30m, with the extra benefit of being able to work around corners or through obstacles, as well as being more reliable than infrared in bright, outdoor conditions. The Mk II is cooler-running than the original edition, boosting continuous shooting stamina by as much as 50 per cent. As with most pro-grade flashguns, you can also connect an external power pack to keep the flashgun going for longer. A programmable repeat mode enables stroboscopic output, unavailable Canon’s lower-grade flashguns. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/f59C8TjG3cPbVmDYUYLTwd.jpg This Hahnel flashgun is available on its own or as part of two optional kits. The ‘Wireless Kit’ adds a hotshoe-mounting Viper RF trigger, and the ‘Wireless Pro Kit’ comprises two flashguns plus the RF trigger. The flashgun itself has a built-in RF transceiver enabling it to work in wireless RF mode as both a master and slave, over an impressive range of up to 100m. The addition of the Viper hotshoe-mounted trigger, with its on-board controls and LCD display, enables you to use one or more flashguns off-camera in RF wireless mode. A big difference compared with most flashguns is that the Hahnel is powered by a rechargeable Li-ion battery pack, instead of the usual four AA batteries. This enables a whopping 550 full-power flashes between recharging, and very rapid recycling speeds of just 0.7 and 1.5 seconds after a half-power or full-power flash respectively. Useful features include a 20-200mm motorized zoom head, a flip-down 14mm wide-angle diffuser and a pull-out catchlight/reflector card. There’s a full set of advanced flash modes, including high-speed sync, rear curtain and programmable repeat (multi-flash during a single exposure). http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mccVHtyuKZtzkVEaibvtpn.jpg At first glance, this Metz flashgun looks a bit basic without any onboard controls. The reason for this is the inclusion of an intuitive touchscreen interface, which reduces button clutter around the back. The motorized zoom head has a 24-105mm range, with the usual reflector card and wide-angle diffuser built in, although swivel movement in the right-hand direction is limited to 120 degrees. For off-camera and multi-flashgun setups, the Metz includes both master and slave wireless modes. Typical of flashguns at this price point, there’s no programmable repeat flash mode. During our tests, maximum output was noticeably down on the specified Gn 52 rating, more similar to that of the Canon 430EX III-RT. Recycling speeds are a little pedestrian too, taking just over four seconds after a full-power flash when using NiMH batteries. Overall, however, it’s an attractive flashgun at the price. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pbcbTMyftJf3Kb22Z9Q57C.jpg This is Metz’s most sophisticated dedicated flashgun, with a host of up-market features and a powerful Gn 64 output rating. Highlights include a 24-200mm zoom range, a -9 to 90-degree bounce facility, and the availability of both master and slave wireless operation. There’s also an unusual secondary sub-flash module, which is great for adding fill-in lighting when you’re using the main head in bounce or swivel mode. Like the Metz 52 AF-1, intuitive on-board control is based on a touchscreen but, this time, it’s a colour rather than mono screen. Pro-grade enhancements include a programmable repeat flash mode and a socket for an optional external power pack. When using NiMH batteries, recycling speed is pretty quick after a full-power flash, at 3.4 seconds, but recycling takes more than twice as long with alkaline cells. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mjBcxQHKpcTcKf8nNS2Ce4.jpg On the face of it, this Nissin flashgun looks pretty basic, with on-board controls that boil down to a single Set button and control wheel. Rudimentary adjustments can be carried out, like TTL flash exposure compensation but, for almost everything else, you’ll need to resort to the host camera’s menu system. A big attraction of this kit is that it comes complete with Nissin’s sophisticated ‘Air 1 Commander’ RF transmitter that slots into your camera’s hotshoe. The flashgun itself works in both infrared and RF slave modes. Additional, optical slave modes include ‘digital’ and ‘film’ options, both with manual power settings. The digital option disregards pre-flash pulses when triggering, whereas the film mode triggers on the first pulse of light, more useful when slaving from studio flash heads. High-speed sync and rear curtain sync are available, but there’s no repeating flash mode for sequential bursts within a single exposure. There’s plenty of power on tap, with a generous Gn 60 rating and a lengthy zoom of up to 200mm. Recycling speeds are super-fast, at around two or three seconds when using NiMH or alkaline batteries respectively. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2raX2EakespfVmEaxe8sX9.jpg The price might be budget, but the spec of the Pixel X900 certainly isn't. Featuring an impressive Gn 60 rating at its longest zoom setting of 200mm, the head also has -7 to 90-degree vertical bounce and full 180-degree swivel in both lateral directions as well. Like the Hahnel Modus 600RT, the Pixel X900 sports a rechargeable Li-ion battery instead of the more typical four AA batteries. This sees the Pixel X900 able to fire a staggering 700 flashes at full-power before needing to be recharged. Recycle times are quick as well at just under 1.5 seconds for a full-power flash. Another useful feature is the built-in 4W LED light on the front of the flashgun should you want to illuminate your subject with constant light. The X900 can be used as a master flashgun for wireless shooting, it's also compatible with Pixel's KingPro transceiver. As you'd expect, there's a full set of advanced flash modes on tap, including high-speed sync, rear curtain and programmable repeat (multi-flash during a single exposure). http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jGUSEF2TnS8mAJwZaVW8DX.jpg This high-end flashgun from Phottix boasts a Gn 58 rating at its longest zoom setting, although that only stretches to 105mm rather than the now often-featured 200mm. The head also has -7 to 90-degree vertical bounce and full 180-degree swivel in both lateral directions. Competing with own-brand, pro-spec flashguns, a programmable repeat flash mode is available, and the robust build features a weather-sealed mounting foot. There’s RF wireless connectivity with both master and slave modes. This is thanks to a built-in radio frequency transceiver, rather than a more simple receiver. The RF working range is 30m, and linking is compatible with Phottix Odin and Stratos radio triggers, as well as other Mitros+ flashguns. Recycling speed after a full-power flash with NiMH batteries is 3.5 seconds but recycling takes twice as long when using alkaline batteries. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg Best Canon lensesBest camera accessoriesBest wide-angle lenses for Canon DSLRsBest telephoto lenses for Canon DSLRsBest macro lenses for Canon DSLRsBest portrait lenses for Canon DSLRsBest Speedlights for Nikon DSLRs in 2018Nikon markets its own range of Speedlight flashguns, ranging from small and simple models to fully pro-grade options. We’ll look at all of those first, in price-ascending order, and then move on to the most appealing Nikon-dedicated flashguns from independent manufacturers, including Hahnel, Metz, Nissin and Phottix. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/wQZqE299ukMnusKXycyR7n.jpeg If you like travelling light, you’ll love the SB-300. It’s only about half the size of most flashguns and less than a third of the weight. Even the power source is downsized, as it runs from two AAA cells instead of the usual four AA batteries. It’s not all good news, however, as the baby Nikon is also a lightweight when it comes to maximum power output, with a lowly Gn 18 rating. And while there’s a generous 120 degrees of bounce angle, so the flash can literally bend over backwards, there’s no manual or motorized zoom facility, and no lateral swivel. The latter means that you can’t bounce the flash off a ceiling if you’re shooting in portrait (upright) orientation, when the flashgun is mounted in your camera’s hotshoe. There’s no wireless slave mode either, so off-camera operation relies on a cable connection or separate wireless triggering system. As is often the case with super-small flashguns, there’s no LCD screen nor onboard control buttons, so all adjustments need to be made from the host camera’s menu system. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/2mSGDTwq3uAV9wnm4oJaSA.jpg Although bigger than the SB-300, this Nikon flashgun is still smaller and lighter than most, and runs from two rather than four AA batteries. Drawbacks of the reduced size include the lack an LCD screen, which is substituted with basic status LEDs. There’s also no zoom head and no built-in wide-angle diffuser panel, nor a pull-out reflector card. On the plus side, the SB-500 does feature an additional LED ‘constant’ lamp, which is handy for shooting video and close-up stills. The wireless slave mode is a bonus (channel 3 only), but the commander mode only works with recent mid-range and up-market cameras from the D5500, D7200, D750 and D810 onwards. Maximum output is pretty respectable, representing a sizeable step up from the SB-300, although recycle speed is still sluggish, at nearly five seconds after a full-power flash when using NiMH batteries. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yA8DD7Y44qwup8uc8p5NML.jpg There are plenty of high-end features packed into the SB-700, including a switchable range of illumination patterns, a powerful 24-120mm motorized zoom range and a full set of wireless commander and slave modes. That said, wireless connectivity is limited to infrared and lacks the radio frequency option of the SB-5000. The control panel is wonderfully intuitive, except for the fact that you can only switch from TTL-BL (Balanced Light) mode to standard TTL flash by changing the metering mode on the host camera body. Maximum output isn’t quite as powerful as in some independent flashguns at similar prices, but should prove sufficient for most shooting scenarios, even in bounce/swivel mode. Recycling speed is nearly twice as fast as in the SB-500, at 2.7 seconds after a full-power flash when using NiMH batteries. However, recycling takes twice as long with alkaline cells. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xBG2ruiH9YH5YU3Z9zyzvT.jpg Easily beating the SB-700 for maximum output, the SB-5000 has a powerful Gn 55 rating. It also boasts a bigger 24-200mm zoom range, adds a programmable repeat mode, and has a more comprehensive set of on-board controls. For rapid-fire operation, there’s a new integral cooling system that enables more than 100 continuous shots even at the full-power setting. Wireless connectivity gets a boost from the addition of RF as well as the more usual infrared linking. However, you can’t use the flashgun as a commander in RF mode, as it’s only fitted with a built-in receiver rather than a transceiver. Despite the generous maximum power output, recycling speeds are very fast at 2.3 seconds with NiMH batteries and just under three seconds with alkaline cells. If you want the best own-brand Nikon flashgun on the market, then look no further. However, there’s fierce competition from the likes of the Hahnel Modus 600RT, Metz Mecablitz 64 AF-1 and Phottix Mitros+ TTL Transceiver flashguns. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/f59C8TjG3cPbVmDYUYLTwd.jpg This Hahnel flashgun is available on its own or as part of two optional kits. The ‘Wireless Kit’ adds a hotshoe-mounting Viper RF trigger, and the ‘Wireless Pro Kit’ comprises two flashguns plus the RF trigger. The flashgun itself has a built-in RF transceiver enabling it to work in wireless RF mode as both a master and slave, over an impressive range of up to 100m. The addition of the Viper hotshoe-mounted trigger, with its on-board controls and LCD display, enables you to use one or more flashguns off-camera in RF wireless mode. A big difference compared with most flashguns is that the Hahnel is powered by a rechargeable Li-ion battery pack, instead of the usual four AA batteries. This enables a whopping 550 full-power flashes between recharging, and very rapid recycling speeds of just 0.7 and 1.5 seconds after a half-power or full-power flash respectively. Useful features include a 20-200mm motorized zoom head, a flip-down 14mm wide-angle diffuser and a pull-out catchlight/reflector card. There’s a full set of advanced flash modes, including high-speed sync, rear curtain and programmable repeat (multi-flash during a single exposure). http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mccVHtyuKZtzkVEaibvtpn.jpg At first glance, this Metz flashgun looks a bit basic without any onboard controls. The reason for this is the inclusion of an intuitive touchscreen interface, which reduces button clutter around the back. The motorized zoom head has a 24-105mm range, with the usual reflector card and wide-angle diffuser built in, although swivel movement in the right-hand direction is limited to 120 degrees. For off-camera and multi-flashgun setups, the Metz includes both master and slave wireless modes. Typical of flashguns at this price point, there’s no programmable repeat flash mode. During our tests, maximum output was noticeably down on the specified Gn 52 rating, more similar to that of the Nikon SB-700. Recycling speeds are a little pedestrian too, taking just over four seconds after a full-power flash when using NiMH batteries. Overall, however, it’s an attractive flashgun at the price. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pbcbTMyftJf3Kb22Z9Q57C.jpg This is Metz’s most sophisticated dedicated flashgun, with a host of up-market features and a powerful Gn 64 output rating. Highlights include a 24-200mm zoom range, a -9 to 90-degree bounce facility, and the availability of both master and slave wireless operation. There’s also an unusual secondary sub-flash module, which is great for adding fill-in lighting when you’re using the main head in bounce or swivel mode. Like the Metz 52 AF-1, intuitive on-board control is based on a touchscreen but, this time, it’s a colour rather than mono screen. Pro-grade enhancements include a programmable repeat flash mode and a socket for an optional external power pack. When using NiMH batteries, recycling speed is pretty quick after a full-power flash, at 3.4 seconds, but recycling takes more than twice as long with alkaline cells. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/mjBcxQHKpcTcKf8nNS2Ce4.jpg On the face of it, this Nissin flashgun looks pretty basic, with on-board controls that boil down to a single Set button and control wheel. Rudimentary adjustments can be carried out, like TTL flash exposure compensation but, for almost everything else, you’ll need to resort to the host camera’s menu system. A big attraction of this kit is that it comes complete with Nissin’s sophisticated ‘Air 1 Commander’ RF transmitter that slots into your camera’s hotshoe. The flashgun itself works in both infrared and RF slave modes. Additional, optical slave modes include ‘digital’ and ‘film’ options, both with manual power settings. The digital option disregards pre-flash pulses when triggering, whereas the film mode triggers on the first pulse of light, more useful when slaving from studio flash heads. High-speed sync and rear curtain sync are available, but there’s no repeating flash mode for sequential bursts within a single exposure. There’s plenty of power on tap, with a generous Gn 60 rating and a lengthy zoom of up to 200mm. Recycling speeds are super-fast, at around two or three seconds when using NiMH or alkaline batteries respectively. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XDhsjM8dkN8T7WtmMGkhVE.jpg Despite having a relatively small and lightweight build, this Nissin packs a real punch with a Gn 60 power rating. There’s a particularly smart colour display around the back, with an intuitive pictorial interface. Further attractions include a 24-200mm motorized zoom head, full 180-degree swivel in both left and right directions, and a neat range of supplied accessories including a pouch, stand and diffusion dome. Nissin has also squeezed in a secondary, constant LED light for video capture or close-up stills. Infrared and RF wireless slave connectivity are built-in but, to make the most of the latter, you’d need to buy the ‘Air 1 Commander’ RF transmitter which is sold separately. The maximum power output through the zoom range matches that of Nissin’s bigger Di700A flashgun, although recycling speed after a full power flash is just over a second slower. Overall, it’s a very versatile and powerful flashgun, with a refreshingly compact build. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/jGUSEF2TnS8mAJwZaVW8DX.jpg This high-end flashgun from Phottix boasts a Gn 58 rating at its longest zoom setting, although that only stretches to 105mm rather than the now often-featured 200mm. The head also has -7 to 90-degree vertical bounce and full 180-degree swivel in both lateral directions. Competing with own-brand, pro-spec flashguns, a programmable repeat flash mode is available, and the robust build features a weather-sealed mounting foot. There’s RF wireless connectivity with both master and slave modes. This is thanks to a built-in radio frequency transceiver, rather than a more simple receiver. The RF working range is 30m, and linking is compatible with Phottix Odin and Stratos radio triggers, as well as other Mitros+ flashguns. Recycling speed after a full-power flash with NiMH batteries is 3.5 seconds but recycling takes twice as long when using alkaline batteries. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/oyYK5qmxghsTkZPPmJ3DbK.jpg Best Nikon lensesBest camera accessoriesBest wide-angle lenses for Nikon DSLRsBest telephoto lenses for Nikon DSLRsBest macro lenses for Nikon DSLRsBest portrait lenses for Nikon DSLRshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/H0InoGQCrDU

If you're looking to upgrade to a smart TV, then look no further than this fantastic deal from Amazon. Right now you can get the TLC 65-inch 4K Smart TV on sale for $829.99. That's a $470 discount and the best price we've seen for this Amazon's Choice Roku smart TV. The TLC 65R617 offers smart capabilities and has the Roku TV built-in. This allows you to stream thousands of movies and TV shows from the home screen of your TV. You can access Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video and even your gaming console without having to switch inputs on the TV. The Roku also features an enhanced remote that allows you to use your voice to find movie titles, change channels, and even switch inputs. The 4K UHD TV features Dolby Vision HDR which delivers accurate colors and sharp contrasts for a powerful life-like picture. This is a fantastic price for a 4K 65-inch TV with smart capabilities, and the lowest price we've seen from this TLC 6-series TV. We don't know how long Amazon will have the TLC Roku TV discounted, so you might want to grab this deal while you can. If you're looking for smaller screen size or a lower price tag, Amazon also has the TCL 55-Inch 4K Roku Smart TV on sale for $579.99. While that's not the lowest price we've seen for this TV, it's still an excellent deal for a 55-inch 4K smart TV and only $30 more than the Black Friday price. Shop more of best cheap TV deals and sale prices that are currently going on and read our review on the TCL 6-Series Roku TV http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/70bnkeHe4mM

Tokina has confirmed full details of its latest wide-angle zoom lens, the opera 16-28mm f/2.8 FF. The lens bears the same basic specifications as the company's existing AT-X 16-28mm f/2.8 PRO FX, although it arrives with a smarter design and additional internal technologies. Like that lens, however, it covers the dimensions of a full-frame sensor and is set to be available in Canon EF and Nikon F fittings, making it compatible with the likes of the Nikon D850 and Canon EOS 6D Mark II. Built around 15 elements arranged over 13 groups, the lens features three aspherical elements that include a large P-MO element towards the front of the optic. Three glass molded Low-Dispersion (SD) elements have also been included here, as are Multi Coatings on the elements to help improve light transmission. Like the previous AT-X 16-28mm F2.8 PRO FX, the new lens has an integrated petal-shaped hood at its front, partly to block extraneous rays of light from causing aberrations such as ghosting and flare but also to protect the bulbous front element from any damage. On the inside, nine blades make up the diaphragm to help keep bokeh round and natural, while the focusing motor makes use of a Silent Drive module for fast and quiet focus, something that works with a new GMR magnetic AF sensor to boost speed and accuracy. Focusing itself is internal, with the familiar One-Touch Focus Clutch mechanism also allowing the user to quickly switch between autofocus and manual focus by snapping the focusing ring back and forth. The lens is capable of focusing 28cm away from the subject, and has a focus distance window with markings in both feet and meters designed into its casing. Tokina also states that the direction of the manual focusing ring's travel has been designed to match that of Canon and Nikon lenses. The Tokina opera 16-28mm f/2.8 FF will be available in Canon EF and Nikon F mounts from March. The lens is already available to pre-order, priced at $699 in the US and £699 in the UK; pricing for Australia has not yet been confirmed. Best wide-angle lens 2018: ultra-wide lenses for Canon and Nikon DSLRshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/9tT0IzDH_IU

Update: MWC 2019 is in full swing and a number of 5G phones have been announced, including the Huawei Mate X, LG V50 ThinQ and more. In much of the world – including the US and UK - we will see 5G networks launch in 2019. They'll be faster than 4G, but you won't be able to utilize the new speeds with your current handset. You'll need a 5G phone. However, the majority of phones launching in the near future won't support the fifth generation network. That's not a huge problem because 5G coverage won't be widespread for a while, but if you want your next phone to be future-proofed then you'll want it to work with 5G. During CES 2019 at the start of the year, smartphone chip-maker Qualcomm said it expects to see over 30 5G devices launched in 2019, with most of those being smartphones. While the rollout of 5G networks may take some time, you should at least have a choice of 5G phones to whet your appetite. With that in mind we've created this guide to the various confirmed and rumored 5G handsets. You'll find everything we know about these phones below, including when and where they’re likely to launch, and we'll be constantly updating our 5G phones list with all the latest information. What is 5G? Everything you need to knowSamsung Galaxy S10 5Ghttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ByEHvhxmZhiSswHKpHxCw7.jpg Image Credit: TechRadar Samsung has announced it first 5G phone and it's a top-end flagship dubbed the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G. As well as 5G, the phone has a 6.7-inch QHD+ screen, a 4,500mAh battery, a top-end chipset, 8GB of RAM, and four rear cameras, consisting of a 16MP ultra-wide lens, a 12MP variable aperture lens, a 12MP telephoto lens and a 3D depth-sensing camera. The Galaxy S10 5G also has a dual-lens front-facing camera (cut into the screen, so there's no notch and minimal bezel), and 256GB of storage. It sounds exciting but it won't come cheap, as while the price hasn't yet been confirmed it's sure to cost more than the $999 / £899 (about AU$1,400) Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus when it goes on sale this summer. Huawei Mate Xhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RuL5VpCmoZCZWUsNtFheqn.jpg Image Credit: TechRadar Huawei announced the Huawei Mate X at MWC 2019 - a phone that not only supports 5G, but also folds. It essentially has three screens, with one big 8-inch OLED display that can be folded in half, leaving you with a smaller screen on each side of the handset, one of which is 6.6 inches and the other 6.4. The phone also has a triple-lens camera, a 4,500mAh battery with fast charging, a high-end Kirin 980 chipset, 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. All in all the Huawei Mate X could be the most exciting of the early 5G phones, but it also might be the most expensive, as it's set to cost €2,299 (around $2,600 / £2,000 / AU$4,770). OnePlushttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qWfciJdcVQf2kERPXwiyNY.jpg Image Credit: TechRadar OnePlus has spoken numerous times about a 5G handset, and it could be one of the first to launch one, as the company wants to be the first to launch a 5G phone in Europe. Though we've since heard more specifically that it will go on sale in Q2, so presumably between April and June 2019. We also know that it will be coming to the UK, as OnePlus has confirmed that UK network EE will stock it. However, it doesn't appear to be coming to the US and might not be officially launched in Australia either. OnePlus has now shown off a prototype of its 5G handset at MWC. The prototype has a top-end Snapdragon 855 chipset, a 21:9 screen and no notch. It also seems the phone might have a QHD+ screen, which would be a higher resolution than OnePlus has used before. However, the company hasn't yet confirmed the resolution and as this was a prototype the final specs might differ anyway. What's still not clear is whether this is the OnePlus 7 or whether - as some rumors say - it will be the start of a new line. Either way, it's going to cost more than you might expect a OnePlus handset to. The company's CEO has confirmed that it will be around $200 (roughly £155/AU$275) to $300 (approximately £235/AU$415) more than a typical OnePlus handset. LG V50 ThinQhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/bcuNnegTc3fWyjrzRefn6X.jpg Image Credit: TechRadar LG is another company that has announced a 5G handset, namely the LG V50 ThinQ. Launched at MWC 2019, this phone has a 6.4-inch 1440 x 3120 AMOLED screen, a Snapdragon 855 chipset, 6GB of RAM, and a triple-lens rear camera, with a 12MP standard lens, a 12MP telephoto one and a 16MP ultra-wide one. There's also both an 8MP standard lens and a 5MP wide-angle one on the front of the phone. The LG V50 ThinQ also has a 4,000mAh battery, and it should be built to last, as it's both IP68-certified (for dust and water-resistance) and sports military-grade drop protection. There's also an optional second screen attachment in the form of the LG DualScreen. We're not sure exactly when the phone will land or how much it will cost, but expect it sometime in the first half of 2019, and expect to pay a high price. Honorhttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EbTujEcBHFDJaTaS4fwB8G.jpg Image Credit: TechRadar Given that Huawei has launched a 5G phone it's not overly surprising to hear that Honor is working on one too, given that this is a sub-brand of the company. Honor's president said – according to Android Authority – that not only will Honor launch a 5G phone in 2019, but that it will be the first to market with a 5G handset. Given all the 5G phone announcements recently that now seems unlikely, but it certainly sounds like the phone will be coming soon then, though we have no idea which countries it will be sold in. iPhone 12http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/B8UuQnfqmePnLgRkn3UEkj.jpg Image Credit: TechRadar Apple will of course eventually launch a 5G phone, but it's not likely to be one of the first companies to do so. Rumors suggest that Apple won't put 5G support in the iPhone 11 and that instead we'll have to wait until 2020 and the iPhone 12 for 5G. As of February 2019, the latest news on that front is that Apple is currently deciding which company's 5G modem chips to use, which further suggests a 5G handset is a way out, as that's a decision we'd expect to be made way before launch. The good news though is that whenever Apple launches its 5G iPhone it's likely to be globally available, since iPhones are sold in most countries. Motorolahttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tBNpSpXRtVH44vgYGuyrR6.jpg Image Credit: TechRadar Motorola has taken an odd approach to 5G, as initially rather than a 5G phone from the Lenovo-owned company we're going to see a 5G Moto Mod, one which would be compatible with the already-available Moto Z3. We don't know exactly when the 5G Moto Mod will land, but the vague window of early 2019 has been put forward, which could in a sense make the Moto Z3 one of the first 5G phones once the Mod does launch. Note however that the Moto Z3 is a US and Verizon exclusive, so even once the 5G Moto Mod lands there won’t initially be a widely available 5G Motorola handset. Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5Ghttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/aXcrAromYJBWcXtoT7eKtW.jpg Image Credit: TechRadar The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 was launched a while ago, and while the standard version doesn't support 5G, a 5G model has now been announced. This model has a Snapdragon 855 chipset, a 6.39-inch 1080 x 2340 AMOLED screen, 256GB of storage, a dual-lens 12MP rear camera and a dual-lens front camera which slides out of the top of the phone, so there's no need for big bezels or a notch. A big highlight though could be the price, as at €599 (around £520 / $680 / AU$950) it could undercut most of the first wave of 5G handsets. It's set to land in Europe from May and expected to land in the UK, but it's not clear whether there will be US or Australian availability. Oppohttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/8dEaPYWYUpEmBAye2jHeKa.jpg Image Credit: TechRadar Oppo is yet another company that claims to be aiming to launch the first 5G handset, though more specifically the company has now said that the phone will start becoming available during Q2 2019. That announcement came during its MWC 2019 press conference, as did a confirmation that it will use a Snapdragon 855 chipset. Back in December the company even showed off a 5G prototype, one which also used the high-end Snapdragon 855 chipset. However, we don't know much else about the phone, or how much it will cost. We also wouldn't expect it to be as widely available as some phones on this list. ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5Ghttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fEyyAAf5TdYuCuhdMRRiUW.jpg Image Credit: ZTE ZTE has also used MWC 2019 to announce a 5G phone, specifically the ZTE Axon 10 Pro 5G. Set to land in Europe and China during the first half of 2019, this has a Snapdragon 855 chipset, an in-screen fingerprint scanner, and a trio of rear cameras, namely a 48MP standard lens, a 20MP wide-angle lens and an 8MP telephoto lens. There's also a 20MP front camera, a 6.47-inch FHD+ AMOLED screen with a notch, 6GB of RAM, a 4,000mAh battery and 128GB of storage. Pricing and exact availability is still to be confirmed. Vivohttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cxu9ii68EmHUEjebtnFBW6.jpg Image Credit: TechRadar Vivo is also known to be working on a 5G phone, but as yet we don't know much about it and it won't be one of the very first, with the company aiming for a commercial launch in 2020, according to GadgetsNow. We also wouldn't count on the phone being widely available, since most Vivo handsets aren't. Royole FlexPaihttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/dfnd3WrkYzDBa8ACXan46k.jpg Image Credit: Royole The foldable Royole FlexPai launched globally during CES 2019 at the start of 2019, and while it's not 5G enabled right now, a software update later in the year will unlock support for the fifth generation of network. You can buy the FlexPai now, however it's expensive and we found during our hands on time with the phone that the software needs some serious polish before we'd be able to think about recommending it as a viable everyday device. 10 ways 5G will change daily lifehttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/E7BxHj9r-Po

The rise of the web has allowed countless businesses to reach a wider market. Not only that, it has given rise to countless new online-only businesses, fueled by the exponential rise of mobile connections. It's not surprising, then, that one analyst claims that the SMB e-commerce platform market will break the billion dollar barrier. There's no doubt that the web provides a huge opportunity for companies, but it’s important for organizations to make the most of that opportunity. In order to sell your products or services online, your website has to be appropriately equipped. Building an online store from scratch is a mammoth task, and fortunately, an unnecessary one. Today, there is a huge variety of e-commerce platform packages from which to choose. Most e-commerce platforms will provide businesses with standard functionality such as the ability to showcase products in an online catalog, take payments online, manage customers and provide with after-sales. Others will provide more sophisticated functionality, such as online marketing features, the ability to manage or integrate with in-store systems and the provision of APIs. Which e-commerce software is best for your business depends entirely on your specific requirements. If you're an online-only outfit, then POS integration won't be necessary, but you may get a lot of business from overseas, in which case foreign currency support would be a requirement. In this article, we’re going to highlight some of the best e-commerce platforms available right now, before moving on to consider other options you might want to explore in terms of creating your own e-commerce solution. The best e-commerce platform packageshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/23fe1cc3192747aa832bc74e133549ae.jpg Shopify is perhaps the most well known e-commerce platform available. It was set up in 2006 by founders Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand and Scott Lake who, as the story goes, felt that there wasn't a simple-to-use e-commerce platform available and so built their own. The company claims that: "You don't need to have any technical or design experience to easily create a beautiful online store." According to Shopify, it's possible to get one of its online stores up-and-running within minutes. Users can choose from a wide range of templates, or they can design the look and feel of their store themselves. It accepts a comprehensive range of credit cards, has Level 1 PCI compliance and 256-bit SSL encryption for security, and it offers 24/7 support via phone, instant messaging or email. The platform provides a full CMS with which users can manage the functionality and layout of their online store. Users can manage their store on-the-go using Shopify's mobile apps, and the platform itself is fully responsive, meaning the store will be optimized for visitors regardless of whether they access it from a desktop computer or a mobile device. Shopify also offers users unlimited hosting for their stores, in-depth analytics of how visitors are using the store, and functionality for marketing such as SEO optimization, a discount and coupon engine, gift cards and email marketing tools. You can test out Shopify with a 14-day free trial. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/166450a10e33a8757c109894dc74726b.jpg Bigcommerce was established in 2009 and promises to "support your business, not just your store." In addition to offering support via phone, instant chat and email, it also offers articles and videos to help with e-commerce, and access to a team of e-commerce experts who can provide advice and guidance about online selling. Their experts are qualified in both Google Analytics and Adwords. Like Shopify, Bigcommerce provides a variety of templates and themes to help stores look their best and get up-and-running quickly. Alternatively, users can design their own store or use Bigcommerce designers to do so. The platform incorporates a full-featured CMS that allows users to run an entire website, rather than just a store. Users can benefit from detailed and flexible product management, optimized search engine rankings, along with a variety of integrated marketing tools and analytics. Payments can be accepted via 40+ pre-integrated gateways and shipping details can be customized as per the business's requirements. As of late, some new features have been added like support for Amazon Import and Link and Shopping in Instagram Stories. The platform offers automated order processing, flexible tax rules depending on where orders are made and shipped, and support for multiple currencies. You can test out Bigcommerce with a 15-day free trial. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/f05c9c115660f0cb82d077496c62bda0.jpg Volusion has been around for almost two decades, having been set up in Texas over in the US in 1999. The company touts its platform as being an "all-in-one e-commerce solution", and offers a free 14-day trial (no credit card required). As with other e-commerce platforms, users are offered a variety of templates from which to choose, and can also customize templates if they so wish. Should a more complex design be required, Volusion offers a custom design service that can incorporate branding and a firm's social media presence. The platform provides the site and product management tools you'd expect, marketing functionality for SEO, social media, and affiliate outlets, along with emails and order management functionality for fast order processing, accepting payments, tax calculations and POS integration. In addition to its platform and associated services, Volusion offers apps from its partners, support for users and a knowledge-base for help with e-commerce. Users can draw upon blog posts, guides and webinars. As of October 8th 2018, there are no more transaction fees. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/85a4f592af3d959296adc61ee2ec41df.jpg CoreCommerce was set up in 2001 and focuses on providing e-commerce services to small and medium-sized businesses. The company places an emphasis on simplicity and transparency, promising that its platform is easy-to-use and that customers will not fall foul of any hidden charges. Perhaps CoreCommerce's most unique aspect is that all of its features are offered to all customers regardless of what plan they are on. Price plans are determined by the number of products, the number of email addresses, the amount of bandwidth and the amount of storage required by the user (and higher-end plans also benefit from additional support). As with other e-commerce providers, CoreCommerce offers functionality for store design, product management, order processing and marketing. Of its headline features, the platform offers unlimited product customization options, a built-in blogging engine, and secure hosting that is provided by Rackspace and comes with a 99.9% uptime guarantee. You can try CoreCommerce out with a 15-day free trial. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/e4ae0b3600126e418ae6aa56891e4689.jpg Having been founded in 1997, 3dcart is the oldest of our featured providers here. It was set up with a view to incorporating as many of the most requested e-commerce features into one platform as possible. The company says it has six core values by which it operates: ongoing innovation, good service, simple solutions, fostering trust, keeping employees and customers happy, and stimulating prosperity amongst employees and customers. Some of the platform's innovative features include a module that users can install to offer gift-wrapping, a purchase order system, the option of running a loyalty program and the ability to offer recurring orders. Many of these features are very specific, meaning that stores can be highly tailored to the needs of each business. Stores can be designed using one of the many templates offered by 3dcart, or users can design their own store. A quick edit bar means that making changes to the design of a store is simple. Product images are fore-fronted with 3dcart's auto-zoom feature and products can be sold via Facebook with its store integration. As with some other platforms, users can blog directly from 3dcart and tools are provided for setting up coupons, sending newsletters and affiliate marketing. In addition to its platform, 3dcart offers a number of professional services. Users can request help with SEO, PPC, shopping feed management, social media, Facebook ads and conversion consulting. Help can also be provided to ensure that a user's store is set up to the highest standard. Services such as site cloning, setting up custom tracking, data migration and training are offered. In addition, 3dcart can provide SSL certification. Hosting is guaranteed at 99.9% uptime and 24/7 support is provided via phone, email or online chat. You can test out the service with a 15-day free trial. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/684e36528eca45e1971880b3630342db.jpg Also consider: ActinicShopFactoryekmPowershopAlternative meansIf you don’t want to go the route of using an off-the-shelf package, what other options are available for you to explore? That’s what we’re going to look at in the second half of this piece… http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JY5B6jkQofxGVXACYxNdLX.jpg Is eBay right for your business?Opening its doors in 1999, eBay UK now has over 14 million users, with over 10,000 people using the site for a business that is their primary means of income. It's not just about people selling unwanted goods - businesses have used the simplicity that eBay offers to set up lucrative operations. Even the larger brands such as Argos, Debenhams and House of Fraser are using eBay to sell online. With sophisticated tools now available you can be up and running with your store in just a few hours. The eBay Seller Centre has all the information you need. Each store is managed via eBay's familiar user interface, and there are a number of eBay-provided tools to help manage, track and promote your shop once it's established. Using eBay as the platform for your business could be ideal if your business wants to sell goods on a fixed price basis. The complete integration of the PayPal e-payments system into eBay takes care of this essential component of your store. The key with eBay is to look closely at the costs involved and also the transaction fees that PayPal charge before moving forward and setting up your own store. How to create your own e-commerce solutionOf course if you want complete control over every aspect of your new online store, building each page yourself will be the best course of action. Hiring someone to code your website is one option. If you decide to do this follow these steps: Ask the company for live examples of their work to look atWrite a detailed brief of the site you want created. The more detail the better to avoid confusionEnsure you understand the price you are being charged and how many revisions this price includesAlways have a signed agreement or contract before work commencesAsk whether the designers will host your site and if you will be able to make updates yourself or if all updates must go through the design agency at an additional costAsk for the copyright of your design to be assigned to your company, as your website is an important part of your business' intellectual propertyPut into your contract, details of how the agreement can be amicably dissolved if things go wronghttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HmwhHPg5WxUDjCbmTNHbHo.jpg You also don't have to build your site completely from scratch. Buying a template can give you all the basic pages your site needs. You can then either modify them yourself using an application like Dreamweaver, or hire a coding expert to make the changes. Website templates are available from a number of vendors including Template Monster. If you already have a website and want to add e-commerce functionality, this can be easily achieved with a number of applications including: XCartClickCartProCubeCartFinal adviceWhichever route you decide to take when building your website always remember: You need to ensure your store can be easily updated and managed.Good professional web hosting is vital to ensure your site is always available.Look for payment and shopping carts that are intuitive and efficient to use.Customer service is king these days. Businesses shouldn't just efficiently take customers' money, but should also properly support them.Make sure that your store is fully integrated with all the leading social media sites.Put security first – shoppers are now more comfortable buying online, but always ensure your site uses SSL (Secure Socket Layer) which is now the industry standard for online payments.Above every other consideration should be your site's visitor experience. Don't forget your competitors are just a mouse click away in the world of e-commerce. Setting up your online store should be approached carefully and diligently to ensure you put a professional and efficient site live. Internet shopping continues to expand. Make sure your business doesn't miss out on a sales channel that shows no signs of slowing down. We’ve also picked out the best website builders of 2019 and the best website hosting serviceshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/o2-ciFBUUD4

In car connectivity is set to take another leap forward with the introduction of the Qualcomm QCA6696 automotive chip at MWC 2019. It may not sound that appealing, but this chip provides new functionality which could change what's possible within your car. The chip brings the next generation of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity to the automotive industry, including support for Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1. Movies and moreThe introduction of a Wi-Fi 6 connection in the car means you'll have access to even faster internet speeds, allowing you to stream 4K movies on multiple screens at the same time. Meanwhile the Bluetooth 5.1 support brings with it Qualcomm aptX Adaptive audio which delivers high fidelity voice and streaming audio support. What's more, the new chip will improve signal in built up and busy areas, which means you should be able to maintain a constant connection when you're in the middle of the city or sitting in a traffic jam. Qualcomm claims the QCA6696 chip is capable of achieving download speeds of up to 1.Gbps, which is currently faster than many home broadband connections. There is a little bit of a wait until we see the benefits of this new chip in action though, with the first vehicles to pack it expected to roll off production lines in 2021. At least by then 5G networks will be far more established, which means you should be able to get excellent performance pretty much anywhere you go. MWC (Mobile World Congress) is the world's largest showcase for the mobile industry, stuffed full of the newest phones, tablets, wearables and more. TechRadar is reporting live from Barcelona all week to bring you the very latest from the show floor. Head to our dedicated MWC 2019 hub to see all the new releases, along with TechRadar's world-class analysis and buying advice about your next phone. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/gyLOtuiFxW8

The collective rise of the tech giants and challenger banks is placing significant pressure on traditional financial institutions. Disruptive digital savvy ‘newbies’ are designing their entire ethos around simplifying and enriching the customer experience, and anyone slow to respond could find themselves serving as another stark reminder of the pace at which customer loyalties can change. Essentially, the customer experience (CX) in financial services has reached an impasse. While a whopping 94% of financial services professionals see CX as a key differentiator in their crowded and competitive market1, only 30% of respondents see it as a business challenge that’s prioritised by the board – signalling a worrying disconnect between recognising the importance of CX and bringing it into the spotlight as a critical business imperative. What’s more, only 13% of professionals indicate that their company takes an integrated, organisational-wide approach to CX. Failure to collectively prioritise customer experience, involve the entire business in its application, and give it a seat on the board is a false economy and represents an unnecessary additional risk during a time of considerable competitive market change. Protect your systems from the latest threats with the best antivirusBrowse the web securely with the best VPNThis is how SMBs can gain a competitive edge with customer experienceBut encouragingly, many banks and financial institutions are now recognising the need to react in order to fend off the threats of digital disruption posed by fintech start-ups such as Ant Financial, Atom and Monzo, along with large, established businesses like Alibaba, Google and Amazon branching out into financial services. Industry and regulatory experience, together with a history of innovation and deep pockets to invest, will allow many institutions to catch up and leverage the rapidly increasing data-driven interactions with customers to bring new ideas and services to the table. From top to bottom, and from the outside inWhile financial services incumbents still have the majority of customers on their side, many have been slow to transform. Complex and costly legacy IT systems are difficult to adapt and change, and with millions of customers calling or logging-in to access a wide array of services daily, incumbents need to walk a fine balance between change and stability. Our research shows that around 70% of organisations rely on either non-board level or divisional managers to own separate and disparate customer contact channels. Even more concerning is that nearly 10% of financial services professionals indicate there’s no ownership structure at all for customer experience. And with only 28% of financial services professionals saying that all employees take accountability for delivering against CX guidelines, there clearly needs to be an improved ownership model of CX in order to ensure everyone is reading from the same book. For example, best practice shows that appointing a single person accountable for the customer experience across the organisation ensures the right structure and processes for delivery are in place across every customer touchpoint, which contributes towards an organisation-wide view of CX and a coherent CX strategy. What’s more, we believe that CX can only work if it’s constructed from the outside in. A customer experience strategy has to be designed around the customer first, and distributed for organisation-wide buy-in second. This approach is proving the catalyst for disruptive financial services businesses looking to completely revolutionise customer engagement. They’re doing far more than merely revising processes and points of contact – they’re transforming their thinking and entire culture. http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/qp7d8gyrnDch5whjxvENhK.jpg Image Credit: Pexels Automation, analytics and self-service mean technology is the differentiatorThe explosion of automation, data analytics, and self-service solutions is allowing many forward-thinking financial services organisations to build next generations platforms to ensure rich and rewarding digital experiences for their customers. When asked to identify the top three trends being prioritised by their CX team, analytics (44%), digital business transformation (39%), and self-service solutions (36%) were the most common technology changes underway. Automation, particularly in terms of operational efficiency, is critical for financial services companies looking to not only improve costs, but also to drive increased customer analytics and business intelligence. It’s cyclical; using automation to improve one area will invariably have a positive impact on another. Whether that’s by reducing queues and waiting times in call centres through enhanced interactivity and service accessibility, or providing live-servicing video banking platforms – there’s no doubt the application of automation and advanced analytics is unlocking some real transformative potential. Nonetheless, research indicates there’s still significant value in traditional face-to-face customer interactions, so companies must be careful of not tipping the balance too far in favour of technology and putting themselves at risk of becoming a faceless and untrusted corporate machine. Strategy first, technology secondTechnological advantage is nothing without the right customer-centric business strategies and attitudes. With almost one in five companies operating without a formal CX strategy, it comes as no surprise that so many organisations are seeing low net-promotor scores and little commercial improvement, despite investing heavily in new digital channels. It's equally clear that far too few financial services organisations are engaging directly with their customers or using data analytics to transform customer data into market intelligence. While bringing all areas of the business into the same conversation should be seen as the starting point, the lack of a coherent CX strategy that’s fully focused on the customer will leave many organisations struggling to remain relevant as the financial services world continues to undergo such rapid and dramatic change. Steve van den Heever, Group Sales Director of Financial Services at Dimension Data We've also highlighted the best cloud analyticshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/ABxtgpSyG_8

HTC is helping users get ready for 5G with the launch of a new smart home hub that could take the hassle out of getting connected. The HTC 5G Hub, revealed today at MWC 2019 in Barcelona, does pretty much what it says on the tin, acting as a central portal for all your devices to hook up to the superfast next-generation 5G networks. Built with both work and play in mind, the hub looks to cut down on the hassle of getting all your devices online, meaning you can say goodbye to unnecessary wires and extension leads cluttering up your home or office. What is 5G? Everything you need to knowHTC Vive reviewThese could be the first 5G phoneshttp://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Ai4ngP3nx3uwQVBHTQwBte.jpg (Image credit: HTC) Designed to replace existing home routers, users can monitor their data usage and speed of their connections via a 5in HD screen, and the hub can even be disconnected to keep you connected on the go. Thanks to its high-speed connectivity, the hub is able to stream 4K videos to a second screen with no drop-off in quality. It can also act as a mobile hotspot for up to 20 users, meaning multiple devices can get in on the action, making it the perfect gaming companion - particularly if you got your hands on HTC's Vive VR headset. HTC has already signed up a number of major operators around the world to support the new hub, including Three UK and Deutsche Telekom, with more hopefully on the way soon. The HTC 5G Hub will go on sale in the next few months through selected retailers, however there's no news on price just yet. “HTC is proud to bring to market the world’s first 5G mobile smart hub,” said Cher Wang, Chairwoman and CEO of HTC. “5G will be the game-changer for VR and AR, and the new HTC 5G Hub will seamlessly deliver the great bandwidth of 5G to our devices, driving our vision of Vive Reality—a boundless, immersive environment where human experiences will come to the forefront.” MWC (Mobile World Congress) is the world's largest showcase for the mobile industry, stuffed full of the newest phones, tablets, wearables and more. TechRadar is reporting live from Barcelona all week to bring you the very latest from the show floor. Head to our dedicated MWC 2019 hub to see all the new releases, along with TechRadar's world-class analysis and buying advice about your next phone. Best wireless routers of 2019: the best routers for your home networkhttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/o7kUvKTbQjs

Mobile operators and train companies have been urged to improve the state of railway connectivity after nine in ten passengers reported difficulties in accessing voice, text and data services. Research from uSwitch found that 88 per cent of people had issues connecting the Internet, with 56 poor cent struggling to maintain a 4G or 4G signal. More than half said they had experienced dropped calls, while 38 per cent had been unable to send a text message. There have been moves by operators to improve coverage along major rail routes, while the government has also sought to identify ways to improve the situation – including 5G. There has also been a suggestion that Network Rail’s fibre network could be used to provide the necessary backhaul. What is 5G? Everything you need to knowGovernment to test 5G on UK railwaysPoor mobile coverage ruining rural lifeMobile railwaysHowever, improving cellular connectivity is challenging because signals tend to bounce off train carriages rather than penetrate them. Most train operators have therefore turned to Wi-Fi to alleviate the issue, but this has proved an unsatisfactory solution. Two thirds of passengers say they find train Wi-Fi difficult to connect to. One of the other intriguing findings from uSwitch’s report is that the most popular applications are social media and music streaming. This shows that it isn’t just commuters frustrated by the lack of coverage. “[Train] Wi-Fi connections are rarely as fast or reliable as the broadband people enjoy at home, which limits the performance of data-demanding apps and services people have become accustomed to using all the time,” said Ru Bhikha, mobile expert at uSwitch. “On top of that, free networks which aren’t password protected are increasingly susceptible to fraud - it doesn’t take much for a potential hacker to mimic the name of a train network, encouraging the user to route all their unencrypted and sensitive data through this phony hotspot. “Combined with the fact that many rail operators have introduced time limits caps - some of which are as little as 15 minutes - means that these WI-FI networks are often both unfit for purpose and a possible security hazard. “This, coupled with patchy 3G or 4G reception en-route, can make for frustratingly intermittent connectivity during the morning commute. “Both network providers and rail operators should work together to deliver the infrastructure needed to serve the vital arteries carrying Britain’s workforce.” Here are the best Samsung phone dealshttp://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/techradar/digital-home/~4/JE-KUwAKP8o