Apple : New Mac Pro release date, news and rumors

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• New Mac Pro release date, news and rumors
• Best tax software for UK in 2019
• Bose speaker and soundbar sale at Amazon: save up to $150 during March Madness
• Best helpdesk software of 2019
• Best presentation software of 2019
• Best Microsoft Office alternatives in 2019
• The new AirPods aren't really the AirPods 2, are they?
• Best office suite for Android in 2019
• macOS 10.14 Mojave release date, news and features
• Google Fuchsia release date, news and rumors
• Best Mac apps: the best macOS apps for your Apple computer
• Best laptop for DJs 2019: The best laptops for music production
• The best student laptops: all the best options for school
• Best HP laptops 2019: the top HP laptops we’ve seen and tested
• The best gaming routers 2019
• The best 13-inch laptop 2019: the top 13-inch laptops we've reviewed
• Windows 10 October 2018 Update: release date, news and features
• New Volvos will be capped 180kph, and you can set a lower limit for your kids
• Windows 10 April 2019 Update release date, news and features
• Surface Studio 3: what we want to see

New Mac Pro release date, news and rumors Posted: 20 Mar 2019 01:50 PM PDT Beyond Apple declaring support of the new Mac Pro through a press release for the iMac Pro sale date nearly two years ago, we don’t know much about it. However, Apple has recognized the public outcry for a Mac Pro 2019 by hinting that it’s working on a ‘modular’ and ‘upgradeable’ Mac Pro – whatever that means. We do know that a new Mac Pro is coming, butt the trick is trying to figure out when it’ll come out. It could launch at any time, much like the iMac 2019, but we’d put our money on a WWDC 2019 reveal, and the rumors seem to back us up. However, this is Apple we’re talking about, so we could see it launch whenever the Cupertino giant feels like launching it. If the new Mac Pro 2019 is going to be modular like Apple suggests, what will that look like? What will be upgradeable? Will it look like a juiced up HomePod? Before we dive into all the boundless speculation, let’s lay out some basics. Cut to the chase What is it? Apple’s first dedicated desktop since 2013 When is it out? Early 2019 at the earliest most likely What will it cost? Likely as much as – if not more than – current models Mac Pro 2019 release date Now, while the new Mac Pro used to be the one Apple product we actually knew with absolute certainty could have been released in 2018, we were mistaken. It turns out the new Mac Pro has been confirmed for a 2019 release date. The current Mac Pro computer debuted at the June 2013 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), with a December 2013 final release date. Of course, many purchasers didn’t get their computers until April 2014 on account of backorders. Given how long its been since the previous update to the Mac Pro, it would be unwise for Apple to drive the asking price any higher. Before that, the original Mac Pro was revealed to the world during the August 2006 WWDC, getting into the public’s hands within the same month. Rumors point to a WWDC 2019 announcement, and that would make sense given its status as a professional device, but we’re still not sure exactly what to expect. Rumors or no rumors, Apple’s strategy throughout 2018 was basically ‘hold it back until it’s ready, then just put it out there’, which is what it did with the new MacBook Pro. So, we’d put our money on it showing up at WWDC 2019, but it’s just as possible that Apple may just throw it out there – which has been the company’s M.O. as of late between the sudden announcements of the new iPad Air 10.5 inch and Airpod 2.  If Apple is planning to reveal the new pro-level desktop ahead of its release, we could see a special Mac Pro event, like the October 30 Mac event back in October 2018. Or, we could see Apple repeat its approach with the new MacBook Pro, and release the new Mac Pro under the radar – as it is a professional product.   Mac Pro 2019 price We have absolutely no Mac Pro 2019 pricing information from neither leaks nor Apple’s own remarks on the device. So, once again we’re left to speculate based on the pricing of previous Mac Pro models. The current Mac Pro, largely unchanged since its 2013 release, calls for a whopping $2,999, £2,999 or AU$4,899 to start. The only other model available hikes the price up by $1,000, £900 and AU$1,600, respectively, for some beefy component upgrades. This Mac Pro could be one of the three Mac computers expected to launch this year with one of Apple's new T series co-processors inside. Given how long its been since the previous update to the Mac Pro, it would be unwise for Apple to drive the asking price any higher.  However, if the new Mac Pro’s ‘modular, upgradeable’ nature turns out to be true, that could lead the firm to price the device accordingly, knowing that end users would no longer have to turn to it for upgrades. Mac Pro 2019 specs What will be inside the computer is, sadly, another unknown regarding the Mac Pro for 2019, save for a scant few details. For starters, we know that Apple is focused on issuing a Mac Pro with a modular and upgradeable design. “In addition to the new iMac Pro, Apple is working on a completely redesigned, next-generation Mac Pro architected for pro customers who need the highest performance, high-throughput system in a modular, upgradeable design,” Apple wrote in a December 2017 press release announcing the new iMac Pro, “as well as a new high-end pro display.” So, we know that Apple is intending to make at least some of the Mac Pro design easy to manage, upgrade and set up in different configurations. If true, the Mac Pro 2019 will have to work with a large variety of off-the-shelf parts – at least ‘off the shelf’ for business pros or IT managers. Simply put, there wasn't enough room in the last Mac Pro for storage expansion, and that needs to change in the 2019 model. Simply put, there wasn’t enough room in the last Mac Pro for storage expansion, and that needs to change in the 2019 model. We also know that Apple has a display in the works, presumably one that was designed with the performance of the Mac Pro in mind.  As of last September, reports circulated that an 8K (7,680 x 4,320) resolution display was in development at Apple, and that it would compete with the 32-inch Dell UltraSharp monitor. It would come with either 10-bit dithering or native 10-bit colors as well. But, it reportedly won’t be a touchscreen, which isn’t surprising given Apple’s aversion to adding touch to the Mac. The other sliver of information that we have is that the Mac Pro 2019 may launch with a co-processor. We could see Apple going with something like the T1 (which manages the MacBook Pro Touch Bar and Touch ID) and T2 (which manages the iMac Pro hardware security and allows for the automatic ‘Hey Siri’ command). Whichever role it fills, it will offload critical tasks from the Intel processors that will likely be inside the Mac Pro 2019. How will this manifest inside the Mac Pro for 2019? The most likely scenario is the latter one: implementing the very same T2 chip inside the iMac Pro into this device. That would bring pro-grade security and on-demand Siri to the Mac Pro, the former of which is crucial for getting traction in office environments. However, the inclusion of the T2 chip might go against the Mac Pro’s ability to be serviced by users. It’s recently come out that Apple has locked out the iMac Pro and 2018 MacBook Pro, which both use the T2 chip, from being serviced by anyone other than Apple and its authorized service providers. AMD has announced its new Radeon VII graphics card, aimed at gamers, at CES 2019. And, while we doubt this specific card will make its way into the new Mac Pro, we wouldn’t be surprised if AMD supported the Mac Pro with a new 7nm Vega II GPU.  What we want to see in Mac Pro 2019 All of these rumors swirling around a potential Mac Pro 2019 release puts us in prime position for a well-crafted wishlist. So, here’s what we hope to see Apple upgrade within the Mac Pro for 2019. More internal expansion Simply put, there wasn’t enough room in the last Mac Pro for storage expansion, and that needs to change in the 2019 model. Good thing, then, that words like ‘modular’ make us confident that this will, indeed, be the case. Hot swappable storage bays, anyone? Dual-processor options Back in our Mac Pro review, we criticized Apple for not including a dual-processor option. And, while we’re sure that Apple will include its T2 chip for “Hey Siri” functionality, we’re sure there are a ton of video editors out there that could really use the speedy rendering and encoding power that dual processor options can afford. Short of including the Ryzen Threadripper 2990WX, a dual processor option would be the best way of getting 32-cores of processing power in the new Mac Pro. A keyboard and mouse included The 2013 Mac Pro shipped without any Magic Keyboard or Magic Mouse included. Simply put, we’d like to see this change with the 2019 version. Shipping an Apple computer without proper inputs is like trying to sell a car without the steering wheel. iOS apps on Mac Pro Now that it has been bandied about for so long, the idea of iOS apps on a Mac computer has grown on us. We’d love to see our favorite iPhone and iPad apps make their way to the desktop.  After WWDC 2018, though, we now know exactly how Apple is going to handle this. Instead of just opening the App Store on macOS, we’ll be getting a limited selection of key iOS apps ported over. MacOS 10.14 will have access to News, Stocks, Voice Memos and Home, with more eventually coming over in 2019. These apps will be redesigned to feel natural on macOS – so, no touchscreen necessary.  These are the best Macs that 2018 has to offer so far Gabe Carey has also contributed to this report Images Credit: Apple This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Best tax software for UK in 2019 Posted: 20 Mar 2019 12:57 PM PDT Taxes are said to be one of only two certainties in life, besides death, so if you're going to have to pay your dues then it's well worth getting a software program to help, especially with Brexit looming in 2019. Fortunately, there are now a number of top-quality packages out there ready to take the stress and confusion out of managing, calculating and filing your taxes – leaving you to get on with the more important job of maximising your profits (or enjoying spending your hard-earned cash rather than filing tax returns). These are the six programs we think impress the most in terms of UK-compatible tax management, but which one suits you best will vary depending on the size of your business, how much automation you want, and any other software you've got set up. Because this is such a broad area – you might want an app that takes care of your whole accounting process, in partnership with an accountant, or you might just want a program that simply organises and files the records you've already got – we've tried to pick a range of different options. We’ve also rounded up the best payroll software Want your company or services to be added to this buyer’s guide? Please email your request to desire.athow@futurenet.com with the URL of the buying guide in the subject line. Image Credit: Sage Unlike some of the other products featured here which are solely focused on tax, Sage offers a fully-fledged small business accounting package. This cloud-based platform is capable of handling a gamut of finance-related tasks, including tax returns, naturally. Sage Business Cloud Accounting fully integrates with a number of Sage’s tax solutions, depending on your exact needs, but whichever route you choose, the idea is to provide a seamless all-round solution that means much less monotonous and repetitive data entry for you. You might want Sage Personal Tax, which allows you to prepare compliant SA100 tax returns and file them with HMRC online. Or you could require Sage Business Tax, which can be used to work out the taxable profits of sole traders and partnerships, or Sage Corporation Tax for preparing compliant CT600 tax returns. Whatever particular tax solution you need, all of them fully integrate with Business Cloud Accounting and can allow you to swiftly file accurate and compliant accounts and tax returns with HMRC and Companies House. And of course the cloud-based platform takes care of all your bookkeeping and accounting needs besides, including calculating and submitting digital VAT returns to HMRC – so there’s a lot of power here for small businesses, particularly on the retail side. Sage’s entry-level accounting plan starts at £10 (plus VAT) per month – with 40% off for the first three months at the time of writing – but you’ll need to contact the company for pricing on the various mentioned tax solutions. While Business Cloud Accounting doesn’t have a free tier, as we noted in our full review, it does offer a 30-day trial to give it a spin. Sign up for Sage Business Cloud Accounting and Sage’s tax solutions Image Credit: Freeagent Freeagent is a fully featured accounting suite that covers tax records as well, and is a powerful, comprehensive option that suits small to medium businesses or individuals with a lot of records to keep. You can either opt to manage everything yourself or grant your accountant access to Freeagent as well, with the software able to make life easier for both of you along the way. It's certainly one of the most modern tools here, with a slick and stylish interface on the web and mobile, and a pile of useful features: automatic bank feeds, project time tracking, support for invoices and payroll, and so on. For tax management specifically, Freeagent keeps records of everything as you go, so you know exactly what you owe and why at the end of the year. You can submit your returns directly to HMRC through Freeagent with just a few clicks of the mouse, with tax forecasting and real-time updates included too. Sign up for Freeagent from $9.50 per month, with a free 30-day trial available Image Credit: GoSimpleTax Unlike Sage or Freeagent, GoSimpleTax isn't a complete accounting solution for freelancers and businesses – it focuses specifically on getting your taxes in order, and it does a very good job of this. Depending on your setup though, you'll have to do more work or get extra software to handle all the other components like invoicing and payroll. The software takes you step-by-step through the process of filing your taxes, making sure you're using the right terms and preparing the right forms, and looking out for any errors that might be creeping in (which could really cost you). You'll also get suggestions on where you could make some savings, which is always welcome. Everything slots in neatly with the online HMRC interface, so you don't have to waste time jumping from one app to another. As well as the web interface, you've got mobile apps you can use to input figures and get a handle on how your tax burden is looking (the mobile apps can even scan in receipts). What we like most about the software though is that you don't really need any expertise to complete a self-assessment of your tax responsibilities. As much as possible, the interface is written in jargon-free language, with clear indicators for where you need to input figures and how they get processed. Sign up for GoSimpleTax from £15 per year, with a free 14-day trial available Image Credit: TaxCalc TaxCalc is on a mission to make filing your taxes as simple as possible, and we'd say it's doing a pretty impressive job of it: the software is packed with useful features for getting your documentation in order, and the system is officially recognised by HMRC, so all submissions should go smoothly. Whether you're an individual, a limited company or an accountancy firm, TaxCalc has a software solution tailored specifically for you, and it can even plug straight into bigger accounting packages such as Xero. In some cases you can get your documentation in order in as little as 30 minutes, TaxCalc claims. The intuitive, step-by-step web interface guides you through the process of filing your taxes from start to finish – from picking the right form, through entering all the details about how much you've earned, to submitting the form and making sure there are no errors. The tax you owe is calculated in the background as you go. This isn't the most comprehensive or the most well-designed tax software we've ever come across, but it is friendly, functional and accessible, and comes with all the tools you're going to need to hit that tax deadline. Sign up for TaxCalc from £30 per year Image Credit: Nomisma No one wants to spend an age getting their tax affairs in order, and few products take you through the process of filing returns as quickly and as simply as Nomisma does. It also gives you a variety of basic bookkeeping tools, so if you're looking for something that does more than just taxes, Nomisma might be it. On the business management side, the software lets you track invoices and orders, keep on top of bills and contracts, and produce a variety of reports on the state of your financial affairs (including VAT comparisons where needed). Not only can it save you time, it can save you money by letting you know where everything is at any given point. In the tax filing and self-assessment components, you'll find the software is fully HMRC compliant and registered with the government, so you can submit your documents without leaving Nomisma. A lot of the data you're going to need can be auto-populated from the bookkeeping module, but you can buy the tax module separately if needed. Throughout, Nomisma gives you a clean and modern-looking interface to work with on the web, and if you've got a mobile phone there's an app available for keeping tabs on expenses while on the go. It can also help your accountant calculate the figures at the end of the year, if you've got one. Sign up for Nomisma from £17.50 a month, with a free trial available Image Credit: ABC Self-Assessment As we said at the outset, tax software packages come in all shapes and sizes, from very basic tools to get you over the line right at the end of the process, to fully fledged accounting suites that include everything you need to run a small business. If you just want some straightforward help as tax deadline day approaches, give ABC Self-Assessment a try. Whether you're submitting your self-assessment as an individual or a partnership, or you have some other complication to contend with – you're non-resident in the UK maybe – ABC Self-Assessment will point you towards the right form. While ABC Self-Assessment presents an interface that's not much different to the one you'll get if you log into the HMRC website and do your self-assessment there, it does streamline the process so you only see the questions and fields that are relevant to your circumstances. It's perfect if you don't want to spend much money but find the HMRC site a little overwhelming. What you don't get are any accountancy or bookkeeping features, so the onus is on you to have kept decent records up until this point. You might find that ABC Self-Assessment works well with your existing financial software (or just your existing Excel spreadsheet). Sign up for ABC Self-Assessment from £15+VAT per year, with a free demo available This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Bose speaker and soundbar sale at Amazon: save up to $150 during March Madness Posted: 20 Mar 2019 12:57 PM PDT March Madness has officially begun, and that means online retailers are slashing the prices on best-selling TVs and audio systems. Amazon is having a tournament time sound sale on speakers and soundbars from top brands such as Bose, Sony, and Vizio. The sale includes big discounts on wireless speakers, sound bars, receivers, subwoofers, and home theater systems. You can get the top-rated Bose 3.1 Home Theater Set on sale for $1,348. That's a $150 discount and the best price we've seen for this speaker bundle. The Bose home theater system includes the Bose Soundbar 700 and the Bose Bass Module 700. The Bose Soundbar 700 has Amazon Alexa built in so you can play music and control your other smart home devices with the command of your voice. You can also use the Bose Music App or the Universal remote to control the soundbar.  The Bose Bass Module 700 is designed to be paired with the Bose Soundbar to produce deep bass and full-on surround sound. The wireless, compact subwoofer features an elegant glass-top finish, so it doesn't look like your typical subwoofer. The Module 700 also packs a powerful driver and generously sized port to deliver deep bass and clean sound. Shop more of Amazon's big tournament sound deals below and make sure take advantage of this limited-time sale while you can. Read more about the Bose speaker with our Bose Home Speaker 500 review and shop more of the best cheap Bluetooth speaker deals and sales that are currently going on.  You can also shop the best cheap 4K TV deals and sale prices that are also going on.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Best helpdesk software of 2019 Posted: 20 Mar 2019 12:34 PM PDT Helpdesk software has become an important part of modern business platforms, not least for integrating with CRM solutions to ensure good productivity and efficiency within a business. This is especially as the larger the business and the larger the customer/client base, the more important it is to manage them effectively. Automation remains the key for business efficiency, especially for dealing with high volume communications, and helpdesk software aims to help manage the workload. Working with other product platforms, this means that helpdesk software isn't simply a way to receive and response to messages from customers, but can become part of a larger integrated management approach that connects support with sales to better track marketing effectiveness. However, finding the right helpdesk software for you can become a challenge when there are now so many different options available. Ultimately, your own business will have its own criteria, but no doubt issues such as features, volume handling, integration options, and-of course-cost will likely feature in there. Here at Techradar we'll try and make it easier for you by highlighting some of the major helpdesk software platforms of note, along with their features, pricing, and any other concerns to consider. We've also highlighted the best merchant services Image Credit: Zendesk Zendesk Support is a software package that provides organization to put a variety of customer support interactions in one accessible database. It has the features for an efficient workflow, including web widgets, the ability to search a customer’s history, and predefined ticket responses. Another standout feature is integrated surveys for customer satisfaction ratings, combined with analytics and performance dashboards to track ongoing performance. Zendesk support also works with other pieces of the Zendesk software family, such as Zendesk Talk, which is their call center offering.   There are five main paid tiers for Zendesk: Essential, Team, Professional, Enterprise, and Elite. As expected, this come with an increase in both pricing and features. However, there is a free trial to use Zendesk, so you can get an idea of what actual level you may need for you business. The basic Essential plan is charged at $5 per agent per month, which allows for email and social channels, pre-defined business rules, and interaction history. The mid-range Professional plan is charged at $49 per agent per month and allows for custom business rules, performance dashboards, integrations, multilingual content, and CSAT surveys. You can sign up for Zendesk Support here Image Credit: Freshdesk Freshdesk is helpdesk software that has a number of features to foster efficiency of workflow based around the tickets created. These include a team inbox to manage incoming tickets from several channels to one location, the ability to designate and create custom ticket statuses that work for your organization, canned responses to common trouble issues, and a team huddle to bring in expertise on more complicated challenges. This software can also integrate information from multiple channels including email, phone, social media and chat.   There are trials for each of the tiers, and the lowest tier, Sprout, is available for free. The next rung up is Blossom, which goes for $15 per agent per month billed annually, and adds satisfaction surveys, time tracking and an advanced social channel.  You can sign up for Freshdesk here Image Credit: Zoho Zoho Desk is the cloud-based, helpdesk software offering that focuses on being context aware. It includes features such as prioritization of higher importance or overdue tickets, dashboards to track quality metrics, and the support to create a Knowledge Base for simpler issues that can be self-serviced. Zoho Desk can be used by agents with mobile apps for iOS and Android. Support for using Zoho Desk is provided via a number of avenues, including active user forums, a webinar series, a self-service portal, a user guide, and blogs, but live chat requires the top plan, and no plan has direct phone support.   Unlike their competitors, a strong point of Zoho Desk is their simplified number of tiers which is only three, with the bottom being a free plan with a reasonable limit of three users, and the availability of free 15 day trials for the other tiers. Their most popular plan is the middle Professional Plan, which includes “Customer Happiness Ratings,” and cloud telephony for an affordable $12 per agent per month billed annually. Even their uppermost Enterprise Plan, which adds custom ticket templates, role based access control, cross department reports and the previously mentioned live chat support option goes for a competitive $25 per agent per month billed annually, less than most other top tier plans.  You can sign up for Zoho Desk here Image Credit: Kayako Kayako is a helpdesk software offering that focuses on ease to use, and fosters a personal conversation with the customer. It is used by household name companies such as FedEx, Toshiba, Peugeot and General Electric. Standout features include support for the creation of multiple help centers each with their own content (termed Multibrand), live chat support, canned responses for common questions, support for SLA’s, and the ability to automate the workflow with smart business rules. There is also dashboard to track quality metrics including customer satisfaction, and custom reports can also be created.   Pricing is based on a three tier model: Inbox, Growth, and Enterprise with free trials available. The lowest plan, Inbox, starts at $15 per agent per month, billed annually.  You can sign up for Kayako here Image Credit: Jira Jira Service Desk, from Atlassian, takes a ‘modern approach’ to helpdesk software, with an uncluttered, and simple to use interface. Standout features include integration with over 600 other platforms such as Slack via available Service Desk apps. The Jira Service Desk can be used via mobile platform apps, and notable customers include Twitter, Sotheby’s and Spotify.   On the one hand, Jira Service Desk has the shortest trial of our offerings here, only seven days, and no available free tier at the lowest end. However, their bottom tier offering starts at a monthly flat fee of $10 monthly, and covers up to three agents, and the next step up covers up to 15 agents for $20 per agent per month, with a custom discounted price for 16 agents or more - with the same feature set across all the plans. For those looking to commit to a year long subscription, they will get two months of service for free making this an even a better deal.  You can sign up for Jira Service Desk here Image Credit: NinjaRMM Other helpdesk software to consider NinjaRMM is a cloud-based helpdesk solution that allows you to monitor everything in real-time. The GUI is simple and easy to use, which can make the learning curve in setting up, using, and customizing short and sweet. The developers are also proactively adding additional features, not least to increase the number of available integrations and improving the available toolkit. AgilSoft is another helpdesk option that aims to streamline operations and efficiency, and make actionable insights more easily available. It's a very scalable solution but also offers some very good pricing options. AgilSoft have been a market leader since the 1990's, and the latest offering is slick and easy to both understand and use. Freshservice is another option worth considering, that offer's multi-channel support as part of an integration IT solution for communications. Incident management, asset management, release management, and service catalogue are all brought together in an easy-to-use interface which has plenty of automated features.  Samanage also aims to make it easier to manage customer communications and integrate IT operations to serve them, with a focus on automating basic tasks and simplifying complex ones. As a service desk it aims to make incident and IT asset management work seamlessly. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Best presentation software of 2019 Posted: 20 Mar 2019 12:15 PM PDT If there’s one type of software that’s been around for decades, it’s presentation packages. Systems for creating and displaying professional-grade slides have been available since the 1980s, and they’ve become a standard in the business world. Of course, presentation software has come a long way since then, and modern apps give users the ability to create, edit, format and present some pretty stunning slideshows capable of really wowing an audience, complete with animations and embedded videos. A good presentation program will provide you with all the tools you need to generate and manipulate graphics, and the main aim is that users are able to present their ideas effectively to other people – and do so with pizzazz. There’s nothing worse than having to sit through a mundane, or possibly even boring presentation. Fortunately, these apps generally include stock themes and easy ways of personalising slides to make them interesting and attractive. Microsoft PowerPoint is the most notable presentation software, of course, but it’s been covered to the nth degree (if you want to read up on it, check out our Office 365 review). You will, naturally, do fine with PowerPoint, but there are plenty of other great options out there – and here are five of the best. We’ve also rounded up the best project management solutions Image Credit: CustomShow Branding says a lot about a business, and it’s something firms need to get right from day one – from a good logo to a suitable font. CustomShow is business presentation software that puts all these elements of branding first. Using the system, you can design and present customised, branded presentations that reflect your company and the products you offer, featuring the aforementioned logo and custom fonts. As well as this, you get a slide library and analytics to ensure your presentations are a success. What’s more, you can import presentations into the software, and use it to tweak them further. There’s also integration with SalesForce, and because the platform is cloud-based, you can access your presentations on computers, tablets and smartphones. Considering the focus on branding, this offering could be good for marketing and sales teams, and it's used by major companies such as HBO and CBS Interactive. Sign up for CustomShow here Image Credit: Corel Just like CustomShow, ClearSlide has a niche focus for companies. The platform is targeted at firms looking to generate successful marketing campaigns, pushing sales via presentations (and more), not least through a range of analytics and metrics to work for sales and marketing. Late in 2017, ClearSlide joined the Corel Corporation. Previously, ClearSlide bought SlideRocket (a few years ago) and has integrated its presentation might into a wider sales engagement platform. With the product, you can upload a range of files, including PowerPoint, Keynote, PDF and Excel. ClearSlide is integrated with other platforms, including Google Drive, Dropbox and Salesforce. This system is pretty complex and may offer too many irrelevant features for some businesses, but you can create customised content that reflects your company and the message you’re trying to get out to customers. There are also some good metrics and analysis features, and you can sign up for a free trial before making any decisions. The real strength of ClearSlide comes from its focus on sales and marketing data, not least being able to track user engagement alongside other metrics. Pricing starts at $35 per user per month (when billed annually), but there are additional tiers that introduce more features and expanded limits for a higher cost. Sign up for ClearSlide here Image Credit: Haiku Deck Any presentation app will allow you to personalise your slides to at least some extent, but Haiku Deck goes one step further than the competition. It comes with a wide range of themes suited to different needs, and you also get access to 40 million free images from the Creative Commons collection. When it comes to creating a presentation, you have the option to do so on the web, which means your presentation is accessible across the range of mobile devices as well as desktops. Regardless of the device used, you’re able to select from a variety of different fonts, layouts and filters to make the perfect presentation. The great thing about these various customisation options is that they’re categorised into different industries and use-cases. For instance, you’ll find themes for teaching, cooking, real-estate and startups. Most of the features require you to be online, but hopefully you’ll have a sturdy net connection wherever you go. Pricing for a regular Pro account is $9.99 per month when billed annually. However, if you only need Haiku Deck for the short-term, then it costs $19.99 per month you use it. Sign up for Haiku Deck here Image Credit: SlideDog It’s all too easy to end up creating a presentation that’s unappealing, and the last thing you want to do is make the audience fall asleep. SlideDog lets you combine almost any type of media to create a rich presentation that’s sure to keep the viewers’ peepers open, avoiding the ‘cookie cutter’ look that makes presentations seem dull. Marketed as a web-based multimedia presentation tool, it gives you the ability to combine PowerPoint presentations, graphics, PDF files, Prezi presentations, web pages, pictures, videos and movie clips. You can drag these into custom playlists and display them to your audience with ease. You’re able to remotely control your presentations and playlists from your smartphone, the web or a secondary computer, and there’s also the option to share slides in real-time. Audience members can even view your slide from their own devices by clicking a link. That’s a handy feature if you’re looking to create an immersive presentation experience. SlideDog is probably the cheapest of the presentation software featured, with a free account that will cover the essential features. However, for live sharing and premium support you can upgrade to a SlideDog Pro account for $99 per year, which is still a discount on most similar platforms. Sign up for SlideDog here Image Credit: Prezi Prezi Business is one of the more unique presentation tools. Instead of presenting your graphics and text in a slide-to-slide format, you can create highly visual and interactive presentation canvases with the goal of “emphasizing the relationship between the ideas”. Presentations can also be tailored to the specific audience, as this is a flexible platform that’s capable of skipping ahead, or veering off into a side topic, without having to flip through all the slides to get to a particular bit. For business users, there are a variety of handy tools available. By downloading Prezi Business, you can build and edit presentations with your colleagues in real-time, which is perfect for companies with teams based around the globe. When you have created a presentation you’re happy with, you can present it live (in HD) and send a direct link to viewers. There are some analysis tools here, too – you can see who’s accessed your presentation, which parts of it, and for how long. The app is available for Mac and Windows devices. If you'd prefer the Prezi Business conversational approach to presentations, there are three tiers available. Standard, for personal use, is priced at $7 per month, whereas for more features you can go for the Plus package at $19 per month, or Premium for $59 per month. Sign up for Prezi Business here Other presentation software to consider Google Slides is part of the G Suite of office tools intended as an online alternative to Microsoft Office. It may seem a little limited by comparison to Powerpoint, but as it's browser-based that means cross-platform compatibility. Additionally, it allows for collaborative work, and Google Slides really works well here. On top of the fact that it integrates with the rest of the G Suite apps, not least G Drive, and you have a contender. Zoho Show is another of the many, many tools and apps that Zoho have made available for business use. It also operates in the cloud so it's accessible to any device with a browser, and it also allows for collaborative work. You can also easily share the link for users to download, or provide a live presentation online. The updated version has a simpler and easier to use interface, and comes with a free version and a paid-for one with expanded features. Slides comes with a lot of features in an easy to use interface, and involves setting up presentations using drag and drop into an existing grid. It's also internet-based so there's no software to download, and it only requires a browser to use and access. Pricing starts at $5 per user per month, and comes with 1GB of online backup storage and the ability to export to PDF. Collaborative options become available with the Pro plan at $10 per month, with unlimited available in the Team plan at $20 per month. Evernote is normally thought of as just note-taking software, but it does provide the option to create a presentation you can share online or with an audience. In that regard it's a little more limited than the other options in not being dedicated presentation software. However, as an easy and handy way to pull together a presentation quickly it could serve as a back-up or last-minute option, especially if Evernote is already being commonly used by you. LibreOffice Impress is part of the open-source suite offered as a free alternative to Microsoft Office, and comes with a powerful array of tool and editing options for your presentation, not least working with 3D images. It's supported by a large community, so its easy to find an array of additional templates. If there is a limitation it's that it's software you download and install rather than web-based, but any presentations created should be easily portable to the web if needed. Keynote by Apple is the proprietary alternative for Microsoft Office, provided free on the Mac and for iOS. It's a simple to use and as expected has some really neat design features, not least through its use of animations. You can also use your iPhone as a remote when making presentations in person. Adobe Spark does things a bit differently, as rather than just use images its geared toward video as well. This makes for potentially more powerful multimedia presentations, especially as Adobe also have a big selection of photos and images available for its users. There is a free tier for core features, but requires a subscription of $9.99 for custom branding, personalized themes, and support. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Best Microsoft Office alternatives in 2019 Posted: 20 Mar 2019 11:59 AM PDT While Microsoft Office dominates the productivity app sector there are many flexible alternatives. In this guide, you'll learn more about some of them. Many free and open source suites such as LibreOffice support the Open Document Format, which is used by the UK government. Open standards are useful as when developers discontinue software, users may not be able to access documents stored in a proprietary format. This has happened in the past to former users of Microsoft Works. If you manage an organisation, you may be unable to pay for MS Office software licenses for every machine. For this reason all the products discussed here are available free of charge, or offer a free tier such as WPS Office. Some of the tools in this guide also incorporate useful features not found in Microsoft Office, like converting PDFs to DOC format. All of the suites listed below can both open and save Microsoft Office documents such as DOCX, XLSX and PPTX. We've also highlighted the best free word processor Image Credit: SoftMaker If you are looking for a free and easy alternative to Microsoft Office, then FreeOffice is the suite for you. The company, SoftMaker, has been developing office software since 1987 and its office suite is their flagship product. FreeOffice is a complete office suite that is free to use for both home and in the workplace. It is developed for both Windows and Linux, and offers a basic version for Android users. The suite itself is fully compatible with all Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint formats. This means that you can not only view but save files in formats such as DOCX, XLSX and PPTX. It also supports older file types such as PPT and XLS. The new interface that was launched this year gives you the option of either working with modern or classic menus and toolbars. This makes switching from Microsoft Office easy to do as the interface is eerily similar. For those users who have the luxury of a touchscreen PC you can use touch mode with larger icons. This mode is available for both the newer version look and the classic menu-based interface. In order to download FreeOffice you must register an account via the website first. The download link will then become available. You can download FreeOffice here Image Credit: The Document Foundation LibreOffice is the offspring of The Document Foundation and split from OpenOffice in 2010. The suite itself is free and open source, and is made up of a word processor, spreadsheet and presentation software, and is available in 110 languages. While LibreOffice uses the ODF (OpenDocument) format it still supports a range of other format types such as those used in Microsoft Office. LibreOffice is the default suite for most Linux distros and it is also available for use on Windows and macOS. There's also a LibreOffice viewer for Android. As with most open source software all your technical support comes from online, but seeing how easy this is to use, support will be rarely needed. The platform also offers the option to export your files into PDF format amongst others. You can add extra features to LibreOffice via extensions from its website. These include extra templates for documents. While still a smaller download size than Microsoft Office, LibreOffice weighs in at 228MB so is still a fairly large suite to install. One of the criticisms that has been noted in relation to LibreOffice is that if you create a document within its word processor and then open it within a Word document, it may interfere with fonts and formatting. You can download LibreOffice here Image Credit: Kingsoft WPS Office was released in 2016 by Chinese software developer Kingsoft. It is an office suite that is available for Windows, Linux, Android and iOS. The suite is available in English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish and Russian. It offers a free and a premium tier. The free tier allows you to use Writer, Presentation and Spreadsheets, which are alternatives to the Microsoft Office suite which it also resembles closely. WPS offers a PDF to Word converter which is fast and easy to use. It supports bulk exportation and can also split-merge PDF files if needed. The suite offers 1GB of free cloud storage for iOS and PC users, but this service is not yet available for Android. The 'Premium' tier is $29.99 per year and allows the user to connect up 9 devices at once. It also gets rids of all those annoying adverts that are commonplace on the free tier. WPS has been criticised for not allowing collaboration beyond those that track changes and allow users to insert comments. Users have also said that the interface can be quite slow at times when it comes to loading documents. Linux users have mentioned that not all fonts are automatically included and that they have to be installed separately. For Android users installation is quite large and criticism has been levelled imploring the developer to make it more lightweight. You can download WPS Office here Image Credit: Apple iWork is Apple's alternative to Microsoft Office. It consists of Pages, Keynote and Numbers. These are broadly equivalent to Word, PowerPoint and Excel. It is exclusive to macOS for a local install, but there are versions on the cloud that can be enjoyed by users of other platforms. iWork is much more lightweight than MS Office and this would suit most users. There are a lot of features in MS Office that the majority of users do not even know exist nevermind actually use. That might be a pro for power users but many users may just want a straightforward interface with only a few tabs to choose features from. This is where iWork comes in. iWork is free and can be downloaded from the App Store on your Mac. There are three separate apps, each for word processing, preparing presentations and for creating spreadsheets. Numbers, Apple's spreadsheet alternative, offers a blank canvas for you to begin on rather than showing a daunting grid view on your spreadsheet. It takes away that feeling of it being a ledger and it is very easy to use and add images, tables and charts as you go. The word processor, Pages, is very simple and is perfect for straightforward documents, and it is not inundated with the layers of options that exist within MS Word. Pages also allows users to collaborate on their work and has now added a feature that supports EPUB, which can be created and shared to iBooks if you see fit to do so. The presentation app, Keynote, has been referred to as the better alternative to PowerPoint by online users as it is easy to use. It creates beautiful presentations without the hassle that can be associated with PowerPoint. MS Office may not be able to open documents created in iWork, but all iWork applications can export to other formats that are compatible with other suites. You can download iWork here Image Credit: KDE Calligra Office suite was initially released in October 2000 as part of KOffice. It is an office suite developed by KDE as well as being suitable to use for graphic art design. It is available on Linux, macOS, Windows and Android. Calligra is a free and open source software suite and can be downloaded directly from its own website or from KDE's downloads page. It is completely distinct from LibreOffice. While LibreOffice has the familiar look and feel of MS Office, Calligra does not. A lot of the useable features tabs are set on the right-hand side of the screen and not on the top like MS Office and other office suites. This means that the page you are currently editing does not take up the full screen. One of the extra features that makes Calligra stand out is that it offers a mind-mapping and project managing tool. Usually these cost extra. Calligra allows you to read DOCX and DOX formats but you cannot edit them. This can cause difficulties if your contacts send you Microsoft Office documents, so ask them to use a different format such as ODT (Open Document Text) instead. You can download Calligra here Image Credit: MobiSystems OfficeSuite is an application that was developed by MobiSystems and is available for Android, iOS and Windows. Devices that are made by Amazon, Toshiba, Sony and Alcatel come with OfficeSuite pre-installed. The Android app has been named amongst the top applications for business. You can synchronize between devices using your OfficeSuite account and only one license is needed for all your devices. It has several tiers to choose from. The 'Basic' tier is free and allows users to view and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents. The suite has full compatibility with most formats such as ODT, RTF, CSV, DOC, and ZIP. The free tier also enables users to view PDF documents and offers cloud support via services like Dropbox, OneDrive and Google Drive. The 'Personal' tier enables the suite on one desktop, one tablet and one phone. This tier costs $29.99. It has all the free tier has to offer along with the ability to track changes, export PDF's to other editable formats and advanced PDF features such as digital signatures and passwords. The 'Group' tier is $49.99 per year and allows you to use across five desktops, five tablets and 5 phones. The 'Business' tier offers up to 100 licenses for $3.99 per user per month. OfficeSuite has received much praise online but it has also been criticised for pushing users to purchase premium subscriptions. You can download OfficeSuite here Image Credit: Polaris Polaris Office is developed by Intraware and was initially released in March 2014. It is a free office suite that is available for Android, iOS, Windows and macOS. It appears to be a popular suite amongst businesses and is used by the likes of Amazon and Samsung. While the free version is very generous there is a business version to which you can upgrade. To enquire about the cost, you will need to send Polaris a 'Purchase Query form' which can be found on their website. With this powerful suite you can edit many different file formats including PPT, XLS, DOCX and HWP. As your account synchronizes amongst your devices you will be able to edit and create from wherever you are. All your data is secured by AWS (Amazon Web Services). With the latest edition of Polaris you can now convert and edit PDF documents. Users can also convert voice and image files to documents if the need arises. The suite supports several different languages such as French, German, Korean, English and Russian. The only real criticism there is of Polaris is that while the free edition offers a huge range of features the ads can be a little distracting at times. You can download Polaris Office here Image Credit: Ascensio Systems SIA  OnlyOffice is an open source office suite developed by Ascensio Systems SIA. It is available in over 22 languages and boasts of Oracle being one of their leading clients. The completely free version, known as the 'Community Edition' is most suited for small business and allows up to 20 connections at once. This suite does not just offer the usual features such as word processing or spreadsheets but is very useful in relation to order fulfilment and for documenting sales. The handy calendar feature allows user to keep up to date with personal and work-related tasks as well as keeping an eye on deadlines. Third party integration is also supported. You can create your own Mailboxes with the 'Mail' tool. As with other office suites there is the ability to create and edit documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Users can collaborate on projects and make comments in files where necessary. Users have reported that support can be hard to find and that the online chat forum community that is used to provide help can be a bit tricky to navigate. You can download OnlyOffice here Image Credit: Corel WordPerfect was developed by Corel nearly 40 years ago and is available on Windows only. It was most popular in the 80's where it was known for its DOS and Microsoft Windows versions. It was soon eclipsed by Microsoft Office upon its release. It is an all-in-one office suite. The standard edition costs $432 for the full version. It offers its own word processor, spreadsheet program and a slideshow creator.  The latest version now includes improved photo-editing and management. WordPerfect offer a free trial version which you can download from the main site. Like other suites it can save to many different formats such as DOCX, PDF and HTML. The common file extensions for WordPerfect files is WPD. It also offers ebooks publishing and macro management. The PDF feature gives users the ability to edit and fill in forms via PDF, as well as change the form's appearance e.g. font/color. WordPerfect supports opening multiple documents at one time. Online reviews have critiqued the UI saying that it is not user-friendly and it can cause problem with fonts. You also sometimes have to delve into the manual to fix problems which would not be an issue if using MS Word. You can download WordPerfect here Image Credit: Apache Apache OpenOffice (AOO) is an open source office suite that is available across all platforms. With over 20 years of development behind it, the suite is a consistent all-round performer. Like LibreOffice, OpenOffice uses the Open Document format (ODF). It can view and edit a large number of other file types, particularly MS Office files. OpenOffice cannot save or edit documents using the open XML format e.g. DOCX. You can however open these files and save them as a different format. As it is an open source suite anyone who has the know-how can suggest improvements or fix any bugs. As with other open source applications it has a great online community who are always willing to lend a hand to other users. While the formula tool, Math, has the basic features needed to calculate equations, it is not for advanced users. OpenOffice has the option to create basic presentations through Impress, but there are very few design templates compared to PowerPoint. You can download Apache OpenOffice here Image Credit: Pixabay Other Microsoft Office alternatives to consider While most people are used to paying for their office software, as above there are also a number of free alternatives to Microsoft Office. Below we'll continue this list with some more free office software applications for word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. G Suite aka Google Docs, Sheets and Slides is a free office software platform from Google. While the G Suite of office software applications don't yet have the reputation for user features that Microsoft Office enjoys, Google do throw in some nice additional ones. For example, Google Docs in G Suite allows for group collaboration on documents, a feature that normally comes with a premium price from Microsoft. Additionally, the G Suite apps save everything to the cloud using G Drive, so your documents can be easily synced between any device. Perhaps even better, as G Suite runs as a web application rather than downloaded software, it means it's accessible for any device giving it a cross-platform advantage. There are professional and business upgrade options from the basic platform, available from $5 per month for the Professional edition, and for business users it is priced at $10. Microsoft Teams is a free office suite from Microsoft, which offers basic versions of Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and OneNote from the Office 365 suite. Everything is run online from Microsoft's cloud, Sky Drive, with up to 2GB of storage per user. Surprisingly, there are also collaborative options available, so don't think you need the premium Office 365 suite for business use. Unsurprisingly, though, Microsoft is keen to push on Office 365 as an upgrade, available at $5 per user per month for the Business Essentials package, and $12.50 for the Business Premium package and features. Zoho Office is another office suite worth considering as an alternative to Microsoft Office. Although it gets less press, Zoho Office is a pretty competent software suite, and includes word processing as Zoho Writer, spreadsheets as Zoho Sheets, and presentations through Zoho Show. All of the applications are run online through the cloud, and there are also collaborative options. Pricing is free for individuals and small team of up to 25 people, though there are business Standard and Premium upgrades available starting from less than $5 per user per month. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The new AirPods aren't really the AirPods 2, are they? Posted: 20 Mar 2019 11:53 AM PDT I was 'lucky' enough to be one of those to get their hands on the first AirPods when they launched in 2016. I landed back in the UK from the Apple launch, and had to head straight to an event where there would be many music journalists present. I popped them in on the street, and was instantly embarrassed by what people would be thinking about me. That's because, from the second they were launched, the internet went bonkers, highlighting how stupid they thought the concept was. 'They look like toothbrush heads!' was the kindest comparison people were making. (One of my friends was less kind, suggesting something untoward was dribbling from me ear.) At the event, multiple members of the music press were intrigued, trying to work out whether these new headphones from a brand like Apple were any good.  Remember, true wireless headphones were in their infancy at this point, the Cupertino brand forced to bring out something flagship to offset the loss of the headphone jack on the iPhone 7. Fast forward a couple of years, and it seems like every third person is wearing them. The high-quality microphones are good enough to have a conversation on the phone with. The pillbox-like carry case is instantly recognizable.  Society has accepted people wearing AirPods readily - a complete change from the eyes I felt boring into me when I wore the wireless headphones outside for the first time. Enough of a change? So here we are, on March 20 2019, with new AirPods, two and a half years after the first iteration came out. We've been watching the interest in 'AirPods 2' steadily rise for the last year or so, as people wonder when Apple is going to bring out the new and improved versions of one of its most popular products. After all, this is a brand that's made its name on a phone that gets refreshed every year without fail - so while there's not been any real need to bring out new versions of the white headphones, people have been wondering when they'll be appearing, in line with their annual expectations for new hardware. Now that we've finally got new versions, there will be some who are disappointed in the lack of huge upgrade - it's iterative, rather than relaunching the concept with all new features. They're the AirPods S, rather than the AirPods 2. (At this point I just want to say yes, we are calling them AirPods 2 in our coverage - but that's how they're being spoke of colloquially, and it's the simplest way to differentiate at the moment). There's clearly a space that an 'enhanced' set of AirPods could move into. Apple's had over two years to noodle away at its wireless earbuds, and what it's brought is a more advanced chipset inside for better battery life and connectivity, a wireless case and a pervasive Siri assistant that can be chatted to without physical touch. That's not really a sequel, is it? It seems to be that this is a stopgap upgrade, something that keeps the headphones performing closer to the competition while doing enough to keep consumers interested. If we follow the model of the phone launches, it means that Apple is likely holding something back for the launch of the 'true' sequel, the real AirPods 2 that cost more but offer real material upgrades. When the iPhone 6S emerged looking similar to the iPhone 6, the world wondered what the iPhone 7 might bring in terms of big changes. If you look at the rest of the true wireless earbud market, you're seeing either a race to the bottom in terms of cost, or more features being thrust in: accelerometers, gyroscopes, heart rate monitors, longer battery life and enhanced sound quality to complement the innovative idea of no wires in sight. Apple is clearly aware of this if the patents it's filing are anything to go by: cancelling vibrations when talking on noise-cancelling headphones, and biometric / fitness monitoring added into the mix to really enhance what Apple's headphones can actually do.  There's the interest there, the desire to research making headphones that offer more than just the capability to listen to music and answer calls without needing to whip out the phone. Image credit: Apple That's where the feeling that Apple is holding back is coming from - you'd expect that if there were, truly, a sequel unleashed on the world that there would be a few more tweaks added in. The biometric tracking would make the AirPods great for fitness - they're already loved by many for running and workouts thanks to shedding the wires, but they're not the most snug of fits so an enhanced grip would be really beneficial. Like the Apple Watch 2, the desire to create something for the fitness fans can often come a bit later - there was no need to avoid GPS in the first iteration of the Watch, but it offered a timely and useful upgrade when it launched in later models. New colors would be a nice touch, and an improved audio experience seems a nailed-on upgrade that everyone would enjoy - the fact we haven't had any word from Apple about the improvements to the sound quality on the new AirPods speaks volumes. With two years to develop, as well as integrating the Beats team into its research and development team, you'd expect rapid audio improvements, but Apple is perfectly content with the output from its AirPod range - again, it would be something to add into the 'proper' AirPods 2 (or AirPods Series 2 as they could well be called). All that would just be Apple doing what the rest of the market is attempting to achieve - it doesn't even take into account the possibility of what one of the world's largest companies could do to push the envelope of the wireless earbud. A set of AirPods that connects via its own data connection to Apple Music, anyone? There's clearly a space that an 'enhanced' set of AirPods could move into - so the fact Apple hasn't done so means the AirPods 2 looks nailed on for the future. So when? Well, we've covered the various rumors surrounding the AirPods since before the first models were announced, and noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested that 'a major upgrade' is on the way in 2020. He predicted the latest upgrade would be minor with wireless charging, so it seems pretty likely that a larger change would be about a year away. If that's the case then that's when we'd expect the AirPods to be upgraded with biometric sensors and a better sound quality, along with a more robust fit. Given the AirPods are relatively crucial to many Apple products (the Apple Watch, the jack-less iPhones and even the MacBook range all use their seamless pairing to make the AirPods the easiest on-brand headphones for Apple lovers to use) it makes sense that Apple would keep plugging away at improving them. So if you were looking forward to the Apple AirPods 2, then the recent launch might not actually be for you. The new AirPods 2019 are certainly an upgrade, but if you're looking for a true, material upgrade for Apple's stem-toting headphones, then that could well be coming down the line. Original AirPods vs AirPods 2 - what's the difference? This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Best office suite for Android in 2019 Posted: 20 Mar 2019 11:51 AM PDT While Microsoft has released Android versions of its Office apps, there are plenty of other choices available for users who might prefer less space-hungry suites. Google's own productivity apps such as Sheets and Docs are built for Android and take up less space. However, they sometimes lack advanced functions, such as the ability to export documents in a specific format. Some users also have privacy concerns about storing personal files in the cloud. In this guide you will discover five excellent office suites for Android, which you can download today from the Google Play store. Some of these – such as SmartOffice – are designed to mimic Microsoft products as closely as possible. Others such as Quip are not concerned with imitation and use their own interface. Whichever office suite you choose, remember to make regular backups of any documents you create in case you lose your Android device. We’ve also picked out the best productivity apps Image Credit: Google Quip is an online collaborative software suite that is available on Android devices. The company was founded in 2012 by Bret Taylor, who was a former Facebook CTO, in conjunction with Kevin Gibbs, founder of the Google App Engine. The main features of Quip are the spreadsheet and word processing functions which allow online collaboration as well as alterations on the corresponding Android apps. All members of the group can view and edit documents at the same time and also have the ability to add comments if need be. Quip also has its own chat rooms and it is used by major players such as Amazon and Dell. Quip offers a free tier, although it’s based on the activity of the user, rather than on the number of days you use it for. So, the more you make use of it, the more free time you will receive. The paid tier is $30 per month based on a team of five and costs an extra $10 per month for each additional member you want to add. This enables you to use spreadsheets, chat and Live Apps such as a Calendar. If you need assistance there is also excellent support available. The app allows you to work offline and sync documents when you are next online. Some online reviews have criticized Quip's ability to load PDF documents saying that it is limited and sometimes can be time consuming. Further note that the app only supports a limited number of import/export formats. Download Quip here Image Credit: Google DataViz, the company that established Docs to Go, started off with a product that connected Macs and PCs together. Docs to Go was subsequently created for BlackBerry and is now a multi-platform app. The Android app allows users to view Adobe PDF and Microsoft Office files. From here you can edit and create Excel, PowerPoint and Word files, all in the palm of your hand. Docs to Go has many formatting tools, such as word count, tables, font color and the ability to track changes. There's a free and premium version of the app. Both support editing and formatting within the app, along with advanced Excel support. Some features such as cloud services, desktop sync, and password-protected file support require in-app purchases of between $5.99 and $14.99. Both the free and premium applications are optimized for use on a tablet with portrait and landscape views. Docs to Go has its own versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. These are known as Word to Go, Sheet to Go and Slideshow to Go. The only criticism the solution seems to receive is that PDF files tend to cause the app to crash, with folks being advised to stick with a separate PDF viewer for this purpose. Download Docs to Go here Image Credit: Google SmartOffice claims to offer the most accurate representation of Microsoft Office products that can be seen on a mobile app. It is one of the few free office suite solutions for Android out there. The company used to have a paid product, but in recent times has got rid of that to offer this free version, which comes with all the features needed to make a truly innovative app. As the official Microsoft Office apps can take up a lot of storage space, this app is perfect for space-constrained users, as it only utilizes 16MB. The user interface is straightforward and simple to use, too. The app offers password protection so that you have extra security when saving any documents you have been working on. Users can edit and share Microsoft documents easily and efficiently, plus all files can be converted to a PDF if needed. Documents can be opened and saved online with access to the likes of Dropbox and Google Drive. SmartOffice supports several image formats such as PNG, JPG, GIF, TIFF and BMP. Wireless printing is also supported. It is compatible with all versions of Word since 1997 and supports over 37 different languages. The only real criticism of this suite is that the copy and paste options appear to be needlessly complicated, and as such, can take a while to figure out. Download SmartOffice here Image Credit: Google WPS Office is an office suite developed by Chinese software outfit Kingsoft. The Android version was released in 2014 and weighs in at 38MB. The app is free to download but in-app purchases can be made and these range from $0.99 to $29.99. The suite comprises of WPS Writer, Presentation and Spreadsheet. The WPS PDF reader has the ability to convert PDF to WPS and is able to read Adobe PDF files. The app supports a number of file types such as DOC, RTF, DOT, PPTX, TXT and HTML amongst others. All documents are fully compatible with Microsoft Office and Google Docs. The app allows you to securely encrypt your files with passkeys, and you can edit your documents without fear of losing your work thanks to the auto-save option. Features include the ability to track changes, comments, and run spell checks. Another handy feature supported by the app is the ability to present documents straight from your smartphone (or tablet) to a compatible TV or projector. WPS for Android also supports 47 different languages. The downside here is that if you’re not a paid user, you get shown adverts, and they are seemingly quite intrusive. Download WPS Office here Image Credit: Google OfficeSuite was first released as a mobile app in 2004 on Palm OS, where it was mainly read-only until 2009. At this time Sony requested an Android version within a very short time span of 12 weeks. This was achieved and OfficeSuite for Android was born. The product is now a fully featured cross-platform productivity suite. Although OfficeSuite is free to download, there are in-app purchases from anywhere between $1.49 - $49.99 per item. A Personal use subscriptions costs $29.99 a year, with a Group option for work charged at $49.99 for up to five people. A Business tier charges $3.99 per user per month. If you purchase the Pro version you won't be forced to make certain in-app purchases (for example, paying for extra fonts), but you can still make purchases if you wish. This suite is also fully compatible with a large number of file formats such as ODT, PDF, RTF, TXT and CSV. However, the free app is inundated with ads. Further note that you will need to upgrade to the premium version if you want to open certain file types such as ODT. The OfficeSuite Drive allows you to store up to 5GB of files in the cloud. The new Chats feature helps co-workers to collaborate and swap documents online. The app is fully compatible with all Microsoft documents and boasts support for PDF files with features such as camera scanning and PDF exports. Download OfficeSuite here Image Credit: Pixabay Other Android office suites to consider We've covered just a few of the office apps for Android above, but there are plenty more to consider. Here we'll add a few more than are also worth thinking about: G Suite has already been briefly mentioned in the introduction, and while there are limitations to Google Docs and other apps in the G Suite compared to other offerings, it's still worth considering. This is not least because of the integration between the different Google apps and other Google services, not least GMail and G Drive (aka Google Drive) which means it provides a decent if sometimes basic all-in-one office software solution. Perhaps the bigger sell is the collaborative functions that are available to use across G Suite, which could make them ideal for small teams. Available as a web application via the G Suite website, or as an app for Android such as Google Docs the G Suite is worth considering as a personal or business solution. Polaris Office is another big office software suite, providing word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations in a single app for Android. Advertised as an All-in-One Complete Office Suite, it's compatible with Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat files. In fact, it has a decent list of file types it can work with, not least DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, PPT, PPTX, PPS, PPSX, TXT, HWP, ODT as well as PDF. Even better, it's free, though it is advertising-driven and in-app purchases are available to both remove the apps as well as expand the available feature list. Zoho Sheet is just one of a large number of apps from the Zoho Corporation for office and business use, all of which should integrate easily with one another. As with some of the above, collaborative working is available on shared documents. Not only is Zoho Sheet free, it also works easily with Excel files for creating, editing, and saving. AndrOpen Office works with the OpenDocument format and advertises itself as 'the world's first porting of OpenOffice for Android'. As with other office suites, it provides a platform for word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations, but also comes with a drawing feature as well as a math editor. AndrOpen Office certainly contains a lot of features and is compatible with a huge range of file types that most other applications can't touch, so for accessibility it's definitely a winner. Thinkfree Office viewer is another one worth mentioning, as it's built to work with a lot of different file types for viewing, editing, and saving. The main focus is on accessibility through cross platform use. At 26 MB it's also a small file to download, no doubt to the simplicity of interface to make editing documents easy. The app is free to download, though there are in-app purchases available for additional features. Microsoft Office remains the standard by which most other office software platforms compete against, and Microsoft Word is no different. While we've mainly focused on alternative's to Microsoft's flagship productivity software for office, some people will always find it difficult to transition to new and different software platforms. At least Microsoft provides free apps of its office software for Android, not least Word, Excel, and Powerpoint for those who would rather not change, at least yet. And if nothing else, you could always upgrade to Microsoft Office 365 if you'd prefer to pay for the full range of features. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

macOS 10.14 Mojave release date, news and features Posted: 20 Mar 2019 11:51 AM PDT Now that macOS Mojave has arrived on our Macs, bringing key iOS apps like News and Stocks to the fold, Apple’s OS is better than ever. This update also brings a system-wide Dark Mode and increased productivity through Finder. The company has suggested that more iOS apps are going to appear on the best Macs in the coming years, but there’s plenty to love today. Sure, macOS Mojave has its problems, like KeySteal – a flaw that makes your Keychain passwords vulnerable. However, we’ve had macOS Mojave on our Macs for months, and all the problems are getting patched out, and the ones that remain are outweighed by the benefits. So, now that we have macOS Mojave, we’ll dive into all the features the new OS offers, along with what’s coming, so you can decide whether it’s worth the upgrade in 2019. Make the most out of the new operating system with the best macOS 10.14 Mojave tips and tricks Installed Mojave and having issues? Check out our guide on macOS 10.14 Mojave problems: how to fix them Cut to the chase What is it? The 2018 edition of Apple’s Mac operating system, macOS When is it out? macOS Mojave is out right now What will it cost? macOS 10.14 is free macOS 10.14 Mojave release date Apple announced macOS Mojave back in June 2018 at WWDC 2018, where most of the features were detailed. This was followed by a public beta launch back in July, then finally the macOS Mojave launch on September 24 2018. Then, in late January 2019, Apple released macOS 10.14.3. And, while it doesn’t have any big-name features, it should help with stability and security. Then, Apple followed up with a patch that fixes the FaceTime bug that would allow people to access your camera without you answering their call. This is a minor update, but it’s a critical one. And, even earlier, a supplemental update launched that boosted MacBook Air reliability. Then, Apple seeded the fourth developers beta for macOS 10.14.4. And, while 10.14.3 was a glorified stability fix, this update brings Safari Auto-Fill, which will let you auto-fill web-forms, secured by Touch ID. And, if you have Dark Mode enabled, Safari will automatically enable it for any supported websites. Keep it tuned, because we will keep this section updated with all the newest updates as they release. macOS 10.14 Mojave features So, now that macOS Mojave has been out for a while, there are a ton of new features available to your Mac. And, we’re going to dive into a detailed overview of everything your Mac can do.  From Finder improvements to more rigid security, the best Macs are about to become a lot better. Read on to discover all the new features coming to your Mac when you update to macOS Mojave. Dark Mode Apple’s macOS Mojave introduces a system-wide dark mode, which will extend to every first-party program on your Mac. Even Xcode gets a full makeover, completely in black, making those extended programming sessions more comfortable for your eyes. Third party programs will also be adopting this new theme, with changes happening automatically for any app that uses standard colors through AppKit. Even developers that don’t use AppKit are working on bringing Dark Mode to their programs. For example, in a recent bug report, Google Chrome developers confirmed they’re working on a way to implement Dark Mode into the hugely popular web browser – they just have some issues to iron out first. Group FaceTime Initially shown as part of the initial release of MacOS Mojave, Group FaceTime has finally been released as part of macOS 10.14.1. This feature allows you to have FaceTime conversations with up to 32 people across iOS and macOS devices.  This feature is implemented in a way that makes it extremely intuitive in macOS Mojave. You can start a group FaceTime chat from any group iMessage thread, and invites will be sent via  a ringless notification, so you won’t be disruptive. Once you’re in a Group FaceTime Chat, it will automatically detect whoever’s speaking and bring them front and center, so that you’re always looking at the person actively speaking. Stacks If your desktop starts to look like a virtual hurricane blew through it after a full day of work like ours does, your days of cluttered desktops end with macOS Mojave.  With Stacks, macOS Mojave will sort similar files together so that you have a less cluttered desktop – photos with photos, pdfs with pdfs – it’s great. You’re even able to scrub through thumbnails with a two-finger scroll, so that you can make sure the file you’re looking for is actually in the stack. Gallery View In macOS 10.14 Mojave, Apple has added a new Gallery View to Finder. This will let you quickly browse through, annotate and edit files. No matter what kind of file you select, you'll be able to quickly and easily find exactly what you're looking for.  This is made even easier, thanks to Apple adding a very detailed metadata display to the Preview pane. This makes it easier than ever before to take note of all the information of any file on your Mac. And, thanks to the inclusion of Quick Actions in the Preview pane, you won’t even need to leave Finder to work on files. You should be able to edit images, add protection to files and more. You can even assign Automator tasks as Quick Actions to make browsing through files even easier. Continuity Camera Have you ever found yourself working on a project, and you needed to implement a document or a photo? Well, with Continuity Camera, it’s easier than ever to do just that.  Across a multitude of different apps, like Numbers and Pages, you’ll be able to simply Control + Click in the body of the document, and select “Take Photo” or “Scan Documents.” It’ll then open the camera on your iPhone or iPad, where you’ll be able to take a photo and instantly pop it right into what you’re working on.  It’s smooth, it’s convenient, and it’s going to be a boon for anyone that needs to save some time while doing schoolwork or that next big project.  Markup in Quick Look and Screenshots Quick Look is already an easy way to look at files quickly, and in macOS Mojave, you'll be able to quickly and efficiently use Markup to edit files you open in Quick Look.  Markup is also implemented into screenshots. You’ll be able to bring up any screenshot and instantly edit any content within. Being able to quickly crop screenshots in macOS Mojave without any third-party photo-editing software is going to be a huge time-saver.  Once you capture a screen, you’ll see a preview image open up, similar to iOS 12, which you can click to preview and edit your screenshot. That's not all though, Screenshots are still a simple shortcut away, but with macOS Mojave, a new easy-to-use menu includes screen-recording tools, so that you can capture animated content. And, perhaps most importantly, you can choose to save the screenshot to your clipboard, saving time if you just need to send someone a quick screenshot. Apps Apple News, Stocks, Voice Memos and Home are all brought over from iOS to macOS Mojave, with special care given to reformatting them to fit your computer. These apps leverage the power of the best Macs to deliver an awesome experience. Voice Memos, for instance, will automatically transfer any memos you take between your iOS and macOS devices – rewarding anyone who utilizes the ‘Apple Ecosystem’. This isn’t a full iOS app migration, however, but Apple did say it’d be bringing more iOS apps to the Mac in 2019, so we’ll just have to wait. Security Apple is concerned about your device security, and now macOS Mojave asks for permission with more features, now including the camera and microphone. Mojave’s security also provides more robust protection for your file system. Safari also has its own share of security enhancements, shutting down cookies that track you across websites, making sure Safari asks permission before it allows cookies of any kind to access your browsing data. This even includes those annoying social buttons that mysteriously appear on every page – Facebook and Twitter can’t track your activity outside of their own websites unless you grant them permission to. New Mac App Store The App store has been a macOS staple for years now, but it always seemed a little out of place. That all changes with macOS Mojave. Apple has completely refreshed the Mac App Store, and it’s now designed exclusively for the best Macs. Not only does it look great, but it also lets you browse through apps depending on what you’re trying to install. If you’re looking for an affordable alternative to Logic Pro X or Adobe Photoshop, it’s simple to find the best Mac apps for you. The new Mac App Store also adopts the iOS App Store’s approach to editorializing its content. It’ll now have a much more modern interface with featured apps getting tutorials, spotlights and other such content. It really does bring the Mac App Store into the modern age. And, perhaps more exciting is that a ton of third-party developers, like Adobe and Microsoft, are bringing their apps to the Mac App Store, so you don't’ have to go through dodgy websites to get the apps you need. macOS 10.14 Mojave specifications Unfortunately, with all these new features, some older Macs will have to go without updating to macOS Mojave. This is a departure from macOS High Sierra, which basically had the same requirements as macOS 10.12. First off, macOS 10.14  requires at least 14.3GB of hard drive space for the installation, as that’s what was required last year. To keep it on the safe side, make it 20GB. However, macOS Mojave requires more powerful hardware than High Sierra. macOS 10.13 required at least 2GB of RAM and OS X 10.8 or later – that’s not the case anymore. These are the Macs supported by macOS 10.14 Mojave.  MacBook (Early 2015 or newer)   MacBook Pro (Mid 2012 or newer)   MacBook Air (Late 2012 or newer)   Mac mini (Late 2012 or newer)   iMac (Late 2012 or newer)   Mac Pro (Late 2013 or newer, or older models with Metal-compatible GPU)   iMac Pro (2017)  Unfortunately, while the required models rarely change year over year, they have with macOS 10.14, so if you have an older MacBook, you might need to upgrade to enjoy this new version of the OS.  These are the best Macs we’ve tested within the past year Images Credit: Apple  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Google Fuchsia release date, news and rumors Posted: 20 Mar 2019 11:49 AM PDT We were expecting to see Google announce Google Fuchsia, or Google Andromeda – a fusion of its Chrome and Android operating systems (OS) – back in October 2017. That announcement never happened.  What will Google Fuchsia look like, though? Well, there have been some Chromebooks, along with the Google Pixelbook, which can run both Android apps from the Google Play Store and even an early build of Fuchsia itself – which is also rumored to run Android apps. We think google Fuchsia, if and when it finally sees the light of day, will be the penultimate Google operating system across all kinds of devices.  Basically, we have no idea what Google Fuchsia, in its final form, will look like. There’s little to no hard information out there, and what is there is very abstract. However, we do know that Google Fuchsia revolves around the idea of being able to do whatever you want from whatever device you have handy. We can even see traces of this approach in some of Google’s recent endeavors: like bringing Android Messages and a VR video editor to a broad range of hardware. Actually, the Google Pixel Slate may give us a look into the future of Google Fuchsia – even if it never runs the nascent OS, and doesn’t give a clue about the release date. With the new Chrome OS tablet, Google has changed the UI of the operating system to be more palatable on a tablet – bringing it closer to a unified OS across different families of devices. Whether it relates to Fuchsia remains to be seen, but we look at it like a step in the right direction. So, regardless of what the final product is, or whether or not Google Fuchsia ever makes it to the public, be sure to keep this page bookmarked, as we’ll update it with any new information comes our way. Cut to the chase What is it? An Android-meets-Chrome, multi-device operating system When is it out? An early form is available on the Google Pixelbook now What will it cost? Likely nothing, as is with Android and Chrome A Google Pixelbook running an early version of Fuchsia OS (Image Credit: Ars Technica) What is Google Fuchsia? Right now, there appears to be a divide within Google regarding what Fuchsia actually is. While the team working on it says they want Fuchsia to be the penultimate Google OS, running on all phones, tablets, laptops and smart home devices – Google’s leadership is still referring to it as an experiment. So, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens, and what materializes out of all this experimentation. Google Fuchsia, then, is a hybrid OS that is still very much in development. The entirety of Fuchsia OS is comprised of two distinct but connected user interfaces (UI): a phone-centric one codenamed ‘Armadillo’ and a traditional desktop UI known as ‘Capybara’ internally, according to 9to5Google. So far, more is known about the mobile version of Fuchsia than the laptop one, but ArsTechnica was recently able to get Fuchsia running on a Google Pixelbook in an awfully early state. And, it looks like both versions should be able to run Android apps, much like many Chromebooks in 2019. So, backwards compatibility looks to be something that early Fuchsia adopters can look forward to.  'Fuchsia is going to accomplish much of what Microsoft and Apple already have in Windows 10 and iOS-to-macOS Sierra Continuity, respectively, but in a very Google way.' Dividing the OS up into two separate UI based on the hardware it’s being used with is a classically Microsoft-inspired move. Windows 10 already scales depending on whether it’s being used with a desktop computer, phone, tablet or game console. In fact, Windows 10’s only unifier is its kernel, the root code that controls the bulk of the operating system. In the case of Fuchsia, that kernel is known as ‘Zircon’, and it’s designed to be consistently upgradeable in addition to being safe from applications accessing it constantly, adding an extra layer of security and eliminating situations in which apps are rendered incompatible with OS updates. Whether it’s in the mobile or desktop orientation, Fuchsia is laden with Google’s Material design found all over its Android and Chrome OS products. Shadows are a big focus on the design aesthetic, using a new Vulkan-based graphics renderer known as ‘Escher’ to do the job. The result is an interface with more depth to its look than traditionally flat OS products. Google Fuchsia as it appears on a smartphone device. Image Credit: Google Fuchsia is also heavily focused on a cards-based interface, in which every app you open appears inside one of these cards – plus, you can place multiple apps into a single card. This orients the user around tasks at hand rather than apps. Those apps are expected to look the same across different devices because of a new cross-platform mobile app development framework, developed by Google, known as Flutter. Beyond that, Google Fuchsia revolves around Google Assistant more deeply accessing and working with your apps and information to provide even more actions and insights. Google has referred to these apps and pieces of information as ‘entities’, according to a GitHub developer page, and they’re all accessible by Google Assistant on Fuchsia. We’ve even seen a recent demo that further illustrates how deeply ingrained Google Assistant is on Fuchsia. And, it looks like Google will also be changing how it collects analytic data within Fuchsia, according to a report from 9to5 Google.  Fuchsia will see the implementation of a new analytic program called ‘Cobalt’ which will collect information on how you use apps within the OS. Cobalt is supposedly a part of Google’s security-minded approach to the OS, but encryption hasn’t been worked in yet – but, we’re sure Google will work better security into Cobalt eventually. Google Chrome, or at least an early build of Chromium is up and running on early builds of Google Fuchsia, according to a report from 9to5 Google. And, while it’s not ready for the spotlight, this does mean that the fledgling OS is getting closer to being usable without days of preparation. Finally, Fuchsia wants to be the best cross-device OS to date. To achieve this, Fuchsia uses a new tool known as ‘Ledger’ by the GitHub community. Ledger, once you’re signed into a Google Account on a Fuchsia device, will automatically save your place in all installed apps across all Fuchsia devices. All in all, Fuchsia is Google’s attempt to get the best of Chrome and Android into a single operating system that’s more efficient both while you’re using it and when you’re away – not to mention in between those states or between devices. This is likely where Fuchsia will make its debut. Google Fuchsia release date Ever since August 2016, we’ve seen a ton of rumors about Google Fuchsia’s release date – and each turned out to be false. These rumors usually come up before Google’s big Google IO developer event in California, or when we know a big hardware release is around the corner. Back in February, it was revealed that Google’s former head of Android platform security, Nick Kralevich, had left the Android team to ‘define security’ over in the Fuchsia department. Describing it as a “new, experimental operating system,” Kralevich doesn’t hint at any specific launch window, however it does show where Google chooses to put its most crucial resources. Today, all the speculation points to Google Fuchsia running within the next three years just on smart home devices, with a full public release coming within the next five years. Still, that seems to be an extremely shaky rumor – we’d be surprised if we saw it release before 2024 (or actual androids), if it ever actually comes out. However, recent developer messages through the Android Open Source Project suggest some movement. One of the commits mentions two repos, that the folks at 9to5Google take to be the “incorporation of the official Fuchsia SDK”. Another commit mentions the Huawei Honor Play smartphone, so we could see Fuchsia tested on actual devices soon.  What might help point to some movement for the Google Fuchsia release date, though, is a new hire from Apple. Bill Stevenson, a senior macOS engineer for Apple, announced on LinkedIn that he is joining Google to bring Fuchsia to market. At any rate, keep it locked to this page as we draw closer to a possible release date and therefore might have some new information for you. Is Fuchsia the end of Android as we know it? Image Credit: TechRadar What could Fuchsia mean for Android and Chrome – and Windows and macOS? Word on the street is that Google Fuchsia is Google’s answer to Microsoft and Apple’s united platforms. In turning Android into one of the two biggest smartphone platforms and later popularizing Chrome OS – not to mention G-Suite, Google’s web-based productivity programs. Google has already kind of become a major player on all platforms. From the sound of it, Google is setting out to accomplish much of what Microsoft and Apple already have in place with Windows 10, iOS and macOS High Sierra. Continuity, respectively, but in a very Google way. It’s easy to expect access to Google’s inimitable search and data-tracking at your fingertips – Google Assistant and ‘entities’, anyone? – which it could boast as better than Microsoft and Apple’s, and an interface that evolves to meet the needs of the device from which it’s accessed. Will this eventually mean the end of Android and Chrome? In name, most likely, but their principles will almost certainly live on – there's too much solid foundation not to build on top of them. Just look at the Material design language found throughout these early builds of either version of Fuchsia. The end result, likely to be seen in a preview form later this year and in purchasable devices in 2019, will be just one platform for Google to worry about. With Fuchsia, Google will be able to push new updates and features to all versions at once, simplifying support as well as user understanding. With that, Google will become that much more formidable a foe to Microsoft and Apple, and that much appealing an option to Android and Chromebook users all over. Who knows, perhaps it will be enough to bring people over from the other side of Microsoft and Apple’s fences. These are the best Chromebooks we’ve tested to date Gabe Carey has also contributed to this report This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Best Mac apps: the best macOS apps for your Apple computer Posted: 20 Mar 2019 11:49 AM PDT Now that macOS Mojave is finally here, we have access to key iOS apps, like Stocks and News. However, macOS still has its own rich library of apps. Your Mac can do everything from playing games to getting all your work done. At the end of the day, it’s the software, more than anything, that keeps people coming back to the Jony Ive-designed hardware year after year. There are so many things you can do with the best Mac apps, so some might not be up your alley. Still, Mac apps, like Evernote, the best note-taking app around, should be useful for anyone. And, you won’t find all of these apps on the Mac App Store, but they’re still worth your consideration. With this guide, we found all the best apps, most of which we use every day. From free apps and utilities to professional music applications, these Mac apps will make even the best Mac better than ever. Bill Thomas and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article Check out our Linux vs Windows vs Mac - OS comparison video below. Protect yourself online with the best Mac VPN Get it from: App Store Price: Free A computer free of annoyances simply doesn’t exist – and Macs are no exception. For the longest time, it’s been impossible to use our MacBooks – unbound by the chains of a power adapter – while video outputs to an external monitor. As we all know here at TechRadar, Apple’s laptops will automatically enter sleep mode when the lid is closed. This can be a huge inconvenience should you prefer the sheer magnitude of one of the best monitors as opposed to a 12, 13 or 15-inch screen.  Fortunately, Amphetamine allows you to continue using your MacBook while closed. Before, you could do this by using a similar app called Caffeine, but we prefer the UI features you get with this freebie. Not only does it fit in naturally with the rest of your Menu Bar items, but Amphetamine also supports hotkey commands as well as deactivation reminders – not to mention there are no annoying ads in sight. Get it from: App Store Price: $9.99 (£7.99 or around AUS$14) While you’ve been able to snap programs to the edge of the screen in Windows since Windows 7, Apple didn’t have a solution until OS X El Capitan. What’s more, even then it lacked some of the comprehensiveness of Microsoft’s alternative. Luckily, HyperDock gives us that full-fledged functionality we so desperately crave, allowing anyone with a Mac to apply it to both the app Dock and windows. With Windows, you can just drag a window to the right or left edge of the display, and it’ll automatically snap to fill that portion of the screen. This can save an extraordinary amount of time over dragging windows from the corners. For the Dock, hovering over apps activates something close to Windows 7 thumbnail previews, giving an overview of a window that can be accessed by a click or closed directly from there. It’s extremely useful. Get it from: Parallels Price: $79.99/year (Home & Student) Around £60 or AUS$100) If you have recently picked up a Mac and miss some of your old Windows applications, don’t fret – Parallels Desktop 13 can bring them back. Instead of having to dual-boot your Mac into a Windows partition, Parallels Desktop 13 allows Windows and macOS Sierra to co-exist side by side, and you can even run Microsoft-only programs such as Visual Studio 2015, or the Windows versions of the company’s Office 365 apps, alongside your native macOS ones. All you need is a Windows 10 license – so prepare to buy one if you haven't already. Or, alternatively, you can use Parallels to try a handful of free operating systems including Chromium (a free distribution of Chrome OS) or Linux Debian. The latest version of Parallels in particular has seen improvements such as Touch Bar support, better resolution scaling for Retina displays and picture-in-picture for using other operating systems in conjunction with macOS.  Get it from: App Store Price: £14.99 (around $20 or AUS$25) If you’re anything like us, working on just one monitor or screen is just painful. Portable monitors are still fairly expensive (and bulky), luckily, though, you can use an iPad instead using a nifty app called Duet. Developed by ex-Apple engineers, it works by tethering your iPad to your Mac using one of Apple’s Lightning cables and firing up the app on both devices. You can then drag apps and windows onto your iPad’s screen just like you would with a second monitor, and if you have a more recent iPad with a Retina display, you’ll get the full benefit of all those beautiful pixels. Just realize that the bandwidth isn’t quite what you would get with one of the best monitors, so it can be a bit laggy when you bump the quality up. But it’s still better for watching videos, reading websites and typing up documents.  Get it from: Atom Price: Free Atom is a text editor that's primarily designed for coders, but its flexibility and customization options make it a viable option for many different types of users. That's because of two reasons: first, you can download a number of different Packages - effectively plug-ins - to make it bend to your will. It can be transformed into a Markdown editor for writing blog posts, for example, or you can hook it up to Evernote for storing notes in the cloud. There's at least 10 different word counters out there, and you can even add typewriter sound effects as you hammer out your delicious prose. Atom is also infinitely customizable on the visual side thanks to an editable back-end, allowing you to do anything from changing the font size, line height and colors to giving the caret Word 2016-like elasticity. Get it from: App Store Price: £149.99 (around $195 or AUS$255) Whether you’re a big time producer or you just like making some jams in your downtime, Macs are kind of known for being among the best laptops for music production – and Logic Pro X is a big part of that. Developed by Apple itself, its accessible interface hides a ton of advanced functionality. The latest version also comes with a svelte design, 64-bit architecture and a new session drummer that will save you from having to drop more cash on a drum machine (or a real drummer). It also works in natural harmony with iPads, providing a touch-based alternative method of creating song structures to dragging and dropping blocks in the main visual editor. Whether you're a seasoned producer already (Sia used the app to record her hit song 'Chandelier') or are looking to upgrade from Garageband, Logic Pro X likely has what you need. Get it from: App Store Price: Free An uncomplicated app, but a great one, to do app Wunderlist’s selling point is its cross device functionality. It’s available on Mac, PC, Android and iOS, allowing you to sync your to do list wherever you’re using macOS’ Handoff feature. Once you've started a list, you can schedule reminders, add notes and embed it into the macOS Notification Center using a widget. Team-based features are unlocked by signing up for Wunderlists’s pro subscription, and you can add files of any size without running into limits. Get it from: App Store Price: Free Evernote has morphed into a mighty note-taking app over the years. While some people will say that it's too bloated, the sheer number of things that you can do with it still makes it best-in-class. You can type up notes, obviously, organizing them using a combination of folders and tags. You can even embed Google Drive documents, which are accessible in a click. There's also the ability to set reminders, share notes with friends, find information related to notes using Evernote's 'Context' feature, create lists, and favorite notes that you frequently return to. Better yet, all of your notes are synchronized using the company's servers, making them accessible on nearly any PC (through a browser or the native Evernote app) or mobile device in the world. The paid version lets you use Evernote with more than two devices while upping the amount of data you can sync each month. Get it from: Website Price: Free GIMP or GNU Image Manipulation, is one of the best free image editing apps out there. It’s a great alternative to Adobe Photoshop and comes with a wide array of pro-level functions that let you tweak existing images in a range of formats or create fresh ones from scratch. Features include layers, highly customizable brushes, automatic image enhancing tools and filters. You can do even more with plugins, which are available to download from the GIMP Plugin Registry.  Get it from: App Store Price: £34.99 (around $45/AUS$60) These days, balancing features with simplicity and good design in the best Mac apps is critically important. However, unlike Word 2016, or even Apple’s own Pages, Ulysses has an extremely minimalistic interface. This allows you to get on with writing without being distracted by so many buttons and menus. The app uses its own version of Markdown – a type of text formatting engine – that allows users to focus on their writing in a way that not only makes organization easier but also makes exporting easier – Ulysses will format it in an attractive way, using one of many export styles, when you’re done writing. There's a handy attachments bar on the right-hand side that features an attractive word counter and lets you write notes to assist you in your writing. Notes can be accessed anywhere thanks to iCloud support, so you can pick up your iPad and carry on where you left off using macOS's Handoff feature. Get it from: Website Price: $20 Sometimes you want to play your Xbox One, but you can’t because your roommate has decided to use the living room TV for watching the whole run of Ugly Delicious in one sitting. Now, you could technically stream Halo 5 or Sea of Thieves if you had a Windows PC. However, you just have a Mac. That’s where OneCast comes in, a third-party work of reverse engineering performed by an independent developer to bring Xbox One game streaming to macOS. It works as easily as connecting both your Mac and Xbox One to the same network and subsequently logging in to Xbox Live. It works pretty well in our experience, though you should have both systems connected to your modem via ethernet if possible. Get it from: App Store Price: Free Nobody can deny that the best Macs are great for network admin uses, and if you need to manage a bunch of Windows devices, being able to remote into a PC to diagnose problems is critically important. Luckily, Microsoft has provided an app just for that. With Microsoft Remote Desktop 10, you get an officially-supported app that gives you remote access to any PCs on your network – as long as you’re a network admin or an authorized user. It can be a bit of a pain to set up, and the PC you’re trying to access will need to be running Windows 10 Pro. But once you get going, you can access files, copy/paste across desktops and even run games – though, we don’t recommend that last bit.  Microsoft Remote Desktop 10 is a godsend for network admins and IT professionals, and is easily one of the best Mac apps you can download right now.  Get it from: App Store   Price: Free  Microsoft Office has been available on Mac for years now, but you always had to go through a couple hoops to download it. We’ve been asking for a release on the Mac App Store for a while, and, well, it’s finally here.  We’re sure we don’t really need to go into too great of detail what Microsoft Office is, but it’s essentially Microsoft’s suite of office apps, from Word to PowerPoint to Excel. It’s absolutely an essential app to have, but you should keep in mind that you’ll have to get a subscription to Office 365 to use it.  It’s one of those Mac Apps that should be essential for any professional, and the fact that it’s finally on the Mac App Store means that you don’t have to worry about keeping it updated.  Get it from: App Store Price: Free The market for disk optimization apps is neither desolate nor particularly interesting, particularly on the Mac – where Apple usually does a good job of cleaning up its drives on its own. However, for a program that’s far more intuitive and user friendly than, say, the built-in Macintosh HD storage management software, your best bet is to turn your attention to Dr. Cleaner. This app splits  up all your data into easily digestible chunks that would otherwise be obtuse. Dr. Cleaner groups up all the trash on your Mac and labels them in groups like ‘Junk Files’ and ‘Big Files’ – rather than listing off 30GB of documents and 10GB of iOS files you can’t comprehend. Then, you can look at the file names themselves and decide whether or not you want to keep them on your PC. You can also use Dr. Cleaner to monitor CPU, network and RAM usage as well, for the sake of putting some pep in your aging Mac’s step. Get it from: Website Price: Free It might be kind of like three apps than just one, but SoftMaker Office 2018 takes all the key features of Microsoft Office and puts them into an interface that tailors to your needs. It comes with a group of programs called TextMaker, PlanMaker and Presentations 2018 that are similar enough to Office 365 without the rolling subscription. Regardless of whether you need an easy-to-use word processor or a spreadsheet or slideshow creator of equal accessibility, SoftMaker Office has what you’re looking for. And, because it’s still in beta, you can get a complimentary, albeit temporary, license over email if you want to give it a spin. Otherwise, there’s a permanent free version called SoftMaker FreeOffice, but it’s only available on Windows, Android and Linux. Get it from: App Store Price: $9.99 (about £7.19, AU$12.82) Since you’re obviously going to install all of the other apps we’ve mentioned, you’re going to need at least a utility that, well, declutters your desktop. And, while macOS Mojave brought Stacks to your Mac, making everything less cluttered, Unclutter goes even further. So, whether you’re a frivolous notetaker or a temporary file hoarder like we are, Unclutter will help keep everything in one place, rather than scattered across several folders. It’s a brilliant idea made even better by the fact that it can be configured for use with gesture controls. At any given point, you can swipe down from the top of the screen with two fingers on the trackpad (or one on the mouse) to reveal a trio of windows that can be concealed and re-summoned whenever you please. Get it from: Website Price: Free When you’re out there hustling every day, it’s easy to lose track of messages. With so many social media companies, SMS platforms and instant messaging services to choose from, most of us also have a number of different accounts used to administer to all of those messages. But what if you only had to log into one? That’s the central idea in Franz, a messaging app that allows you to view and send messages in WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Slack, HipChat and more. It lets you seamlessly switch between any of these apps as easily as you can toggle between Slack workspaces. Best of all, there’s no limit to the amount of services you can use at once. That way, even if you have 10 Facebook accounts for whatever reason, all of your messages will be visible in the same place. Get it from: App Store Price: $4.99 (£4.99, AU$7.99) If you’re anything like us, you have tons of packages coming in all the time – and it can get hard to keep track of everything. Luckily, there’s an app for that. With Deliveries, you can keep track of all your incoming deliveries in one place in an easy-to-read interface.  It will notify you whenever there’s a change in your delivery, syncing the information between macOS and iOS so you are on top of things, even on the go. All you have to do to track a package is hit Command + New and paste in the tracking number – that’s it. It really is one of the best Mac apps for anyone with a busy mailbox.  Get it from: App Store Price: $29.99 (£28.99, AU$46.99) If you do a lot of cooking, and you have a hard time keeping your recipes organized – especially on a digital platform – you’re going to love Paprika. With this app, you can download any recipe you find online, and it will automatically format it in a way that’s extremely easy to read.  What’s more, if you download the iOS app, you’ll be able to sync your recipes between all of your devices, so that you can keep tabs on the ingredients you need when you run to the store in a panic.  Get it from: App Store Price: $49.99 (£48.99, AU$79.99) Sometimes, life gets hectic, and you need some help getting everything organized. Luckily, there’s an app for that. Fantastical 2 is the most fully-featured calendar and reminder suite we’ve ever seen. You’re able to set events and reminders using natural language, and it’s fully compatible with your iCloud reminders. There’s also an iOS app for iPhone and iPad that will effortlessly sync with the Mac app, so that you can stay on top of your busy life no matter where you are. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Best laptop for DJs 2019: The best laptops for music production Posted: 20 Mar 2019 11:48 AM PDT If you’re a DJ, or even an aspiring music producer, you’re going to need more than just the best headphones, you’re going to need one of the best laptops for music production. If you’re a musician or DJ, you’re going to need a laptop that has one of the best processors and lots of RAM – this is because these components will empower your machine to handle multiple music tracks efficiently. You’ll also want to find the best hard drive or SSD, as you’ll be working with large file sizes. Finally, you’ll want amazing sound, obviously, whether it’s through outside speakers, or the ones built in. Plus, especially if you have to travel between gigs often, you want to find a laptop that can take a beating. You probably don’t want to go for something like the best rugged laptops, but you want something that’s not going to break because you dropped your backpack. While we’re on the subject of mobility, you’ll want to find a laptop that’s thin and light, so you may want to take a look at an Ultrabook. While the MacBook Pro may be the default for most musicians, plenty of the top laptops for music production will run Windows 10 instead. To make choosing a laptop easy, we’ve included our exclusive price comparison tool, so you know where to find the best deal. If you want to see a more comprehensive list of prices and retailers, just click the ‘view all prices’ link on each widget. The best laptops for music production and DJs: Image Credit: Apple The new Apple MacBook is the slimmest, slickest and best-looking Macbook the Cupertino company has ever created, and it’s one of the best selling laptops on the market. This, along with the excellent music production software available for Macs means it’s the best laptop for music production. It’s an extremely slim and light notebook that you can take anywhere without even noticing the weight, and gives you the same slick macOS performance.  Read the full review: Apple Macbook Image Credit: Apple The MacBook Pro has a reputation for being the go-to laptop for musicians all around the world, and the 2018 version is no different. As long as you can justify the expense, the MacBook Pro is one of the best laptops for musicians. With its Core i9 processor and up to 32GB of RAM, you’re going to be able to load up as many tracks as you need in Logic Pro X without having to worry about your laptop slowing down. It’s also incredibly sturdy – you don’t need to worry about things bumping into it in your tour bag, thanks to its robust aluminum unibody design. Read the full review: MacBook Pro (15-inch, mid-2018) See more like this: The best Macs Image Credit: Microsoft If you’re looking for the best laptop for music production that will double as a tablet for some downtime between extraneous recording and production sessions, you might want to look at the Surface Pro 6. Not only does it pack the powerful hardware you’ll need for efficiently handling multiple music tracks, but it has a gorgeous display, and plenty of legacy connections for connecting your equipment. It lacks USB-C and Thunderbolt 3, but if you’re just in it for music production, that doesn’t really matter much, does it? Read the full review: Surface Pro 6 Image Credit: Dell The Dell XPS 13 has been one of the best laptops you can buy for a few years running now, and the 2018 version is no different. For aspiring music producers, the XPS’ move to an 8th-generation Intel Kaby Lake R CPU should be appealing, as it will trim down the time it takes to process tracks, allowing you to minimize downtime. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to find a 1TB storage drive anymore, but when you get a laptop that looks this good and runs this fast – it’s a worthy tradeoff.  Read the full review: Dell XPS 13 (2018) Image Credit: Microsoft With all the 2-in-1 laptops that convert into a tablet, packed with unnecessary features, sometimes a straight Windows 10 laptop is just what you need. Luckily, Microsoft has released the Surface Laptop 2, one of the best laptops in its arsenal. Not only does this thing feature a quad-core processor and plenty of RAM, but it has a lovely touch display and all the ports you need – even if it’s lacking Thunderbolt 3. As long as you don’t need Logic Pro X, you really can’t go wrong with the Surface Laptop 2 – it’s one of the best laptops for music production. Read the full review: Surface Laptop 2 Image Credit: Apple We’ve been left wanting for a new MacBook Air for a few years now, and we finally got a new one. The new MacBook Air brings Apple’s thin and light mainstream laptop into the modern day with a sleek aluminum build, a Retina display and an actual modern processor. This all makes for one of the best laptops for musicians that want to stay with macOS – though you’ll want to invest in a couple of dongles, the two Thunderbolt 3 ports aren’t compatible with a lot of music equipment.  Read the full review: MacBook Air Image Credit: Dell If you're looking for a larger and more powerful laptop for running music production software on, then the Dell XPS 15 could be for you. Packing the same InfinityEdge technology as the smaller XPS 13, the screen extends right to the edge of the machine which means it's as small as it's possible to make a 15-inch laptop in 2017. It's quite pricey though, depending on which version you get. The very top end version has a 4K color-accurate display, which can give you an excellent overview of all the tracks you're working on. Read the full review: Dell XPS 15 Want more choices? Check out our list of the best laptops of 2018 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The best student laptops: all the best options for school Posted: 20 Mar 2019 11:47 AM PDT Education isn’t cheap. After all,, tuition, books, accommodation and food all add up.  However, it doesn’t mean you have to spend a fortune on buying the best laptops for students. Not only do these budget minded laptops have great style and plenty of power, but they’ll do it with an eye for value. However, when you’re buying textbooks and ramen, saving up for a shiny new laptop can be quite hard, so the best student laptops will put value above having the best processors and graphics cards. You won’t be limited to Windows 10, either – the best Chromebooks are some of the best laptops for college students, as you can get all your work done while saving hundreds of dollars. School can get stressful, trust us, we know – but that’s why you should make sure you only have the best student laptops. No one wants the added stress of running around campus with a dying laptop – especially when you’re in the middle of a project. So, we gathered up some of the best laptops for students, because no one should be limited to some old clunker just to get some work done. Here at TechRadar, we love it when a laptop can perfectly balance price and performance without any compromises, and the Huawei MateBook 13 comes closer to hitting that perfect balance than anything in 2019 so far. Thin, light, quick and affordable, this beautiful 13-inch Ultrabook will let you get all your work done in style, without dragging down on your wallet. The battery life is a little weak, but that’s a worthy sacrifice to make here – just carry the charger around with you. Read the full review: Huawei MateBook 13  Once in a while, we’ll get our hands on a laptop that completely flips the script – the Huawei Matebook X Pro is one such laptop. Not only does it feature powerful, modern components like 8th-generation Kaby Lake R processors and 16GB of RAM, it’s also beautiful – incorporating all the latest trends in Ultrabook design. What’s more impressive, it manages to do all this while being much more affordable than the competition. This is what makes it one of the best laptops for students – you’re not going to get a more powerful laptop for less cash than the MateBook X Pro – at least until the MateBook X Pro 2019 gets here.  Read the full review: Huawei Matebook X Pro  Australian readers, the Matebook X Pro has finally been officially released Down Under, but this Australian stock is only being sold via the Microsoft Store at present... and that limited availability means both models on offer (priced at $1,899 and $2,599) keep quickly selling out. If there's none available at the above link, we'd suggest checking back in one to two weeks. The Dell XPS 13 has always been among the best laptops – for college students, professionals and even everyday users. But, now that Dell has brought back the entry-level option, it’s affordable for college students once more. Dell has also fixed the biggest bugbear – the webcam. Dell found a way to move the webcam up to the top of the display, so that your friends won’t have to stare up your nose when you’re in a video call.  Read the full review: Dell XPS 13  While the first Surface Laptop was already one of the best student laptops, it was held back by sub-par performance, a lack of ports and Windows 10 in S Mode. With the Surface Laptop 2, however, everything is better – except for the ports. It’s packed with 8th-generation Kaby Lake Refresh processors, full-fat Windows 10 Home and a black color option. We wish it had even a single USB-C port, but that doesn’t change the fact that you’ll be able to get all your work done in style with this laptop. Read the full review: Surface Laptop 2 The way we look at it, the best laptop for college students will strive to hit a golden balance between price and performance, without looking like you pulled it out of your dad’s study. The Microsoft Surface Go, then, isn’t just one of the best Windows tablets, but it’s one of the best laptops for college students, period. Don't’ be fooled by the low power components, either – Microsoft has engineered this 2-in-1 to be able to keep up with your schoolwork without breaking a sweat. You can’t do much better than the Surface Go, especially if you’re on a budget. Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Go  Dell’s XPS lineup has been among the best laptops for college students for years now, and the new XPS 15 is no different. Taking the approach of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, not much has changed year over year – but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. What you’re getting here is a reliable Ultrabook with enough horsepower to carry you through all of your coursework without costing an arm and a leg. While the entry level is perfectly fine for most people, you can configure this thing with up to a Core i9 CPU and 32GB of RAM, transforming the Dell XPS 15 into a killer media editing workstation. We just wish Dell would move that webcam. Read the full review: Dell XPS 15  The Microsoft Surface lineup has built a reputation for itself for being among the best Windows devices out there – gorgeous touch screens, incredible performance and long battery life. The Surface Pro 6 continues this tradition, even if it doesn’t bring anything new to the table. What you’re getting here is a speedy Windows tablet that can effortlessly turn into a laptop through the Surface Type Cover. You can get your work done and then effortlessly transition into break time.   Read the full review: Surface Pro 6 College gets expensive – you can’t avoid it. That’s why the best laptops for college students will offer awesome performance at a decent price, much like the Lenovo Flex 14. At under a four-digit price, there’s something to be said about getting an Ultrabook that can handle anything the semester throws at you – and the Lenovo Flex 14 looks good to boot. You won’t find a better laptop at a lower price. Read the full review: Lenovo Flex 6 14  We were left waiting for Apple to renew the MacBook Air for years, as it languished with a 5th-generation Intel Core processor and an out of date, low-resolution display. Thankfully, those days are over. Apple has ushered the MacBook Air into the modern age, with 8th-generation fanless processors, a thinner and lighter design, and perhaps most importantly – a Retina display. No more do you have to compromise on modern features if you want an “affordable Mac”, and that makes the MacBook Air one of the best laptops for college students. Read the full review: MacBook Air  If you’re not too concerned with cash, and you’re a macOS addict (we get it), the 2018 MacBook Pro is the most powerful MacBook that’s ever existed. With its impressive hexa-core processors, and up to a whopping 32GB of memory, this cupertino workstation will get you through whatever you throw at it. It also includes the much-improved third generation Butterfly keyboard that will not only be less distracting to the students around you, but will be less prone to failure if some dust comes within 10 feet. Read the full review: MacBook Pro 15-inch (2018)  Want more choices? Check out our list of the best laptop 2019 Images Credit: TechRadar Bill Thomas and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Best HP laptops 2019: the top HP laptops we’ve seen and tested Posted: 20 Mar 2019 11:47 AM PDT HP has been hard at work over the last few years, rebuilding a reputation for high-end laptops. The best HP laptops have seen a renaissance through the magic of Ultrabooks running on Windows 10. The best HP laptops, then, have transformed into beautiful devices, focusing on design flair, instead of cheapness. This approach has resulted in some of the most beautiful devices in the laptop world right now, like the HP Spectre x360, with its gold trim and high-resolution displays. And, it doesn’t seem like HP will slow down in 2019, judging by its CES 2019 announcements. This resurgence has also brought about the popular ‘privacy filter,’ called Sure View to prominence. Plus, the best HP laptops are bedecked with a beautiful gold trim that we’re used to seeing in HP’s high-end Spectre 2-in-1s and Ultrabooks. Image Credit: HP In our mind, the best HP laptops balance design flair with raw power, and the HP Spectre x360 is a perfect example. The 2018 model features perfectly slim bezels and is light enough to use in tablet mode comfortably. As a regular laptop, you’ll have trouble finding a better keyboard, brighter display and more powerful components – especially considering its size. And, at CES 2019, HP revealed the 2019 model of the 15-inch version, with more angular chassis and updated internals. Read the full review: HP Spectre x360   Image Credit: HP  The HP Spectre 13 isn’t just one of the best HP laptops – it’s one of the most beautiful laptops period. The ceramic white finish is beautifully topped off by a two-prong hinge design that’s pure aesthetic. That’s not all – the HP Spectre 13 iis one of the most powerful HP laptops. It leverages the power of 8th-generation Intel Kaby Lake Refresh processors to a stunning degree. The HP Spectre 13 will get your work done – and look good while doing it. Read the full review: HP Spectre 13   Image Credit: HP  While it doesn’t redefine the PC like HP’s marketing claims, the HP Spectre Folio does enough right to be one of the best HP laptops you can buy. Covered front to back in leather, this 2-in-1 laptop is aimed directly at the luxury market, with a price tag to match. It’s not the fastest laptop out there, but the fanless chip on board has enough juice to get through most everyday tasks, just don’t expect to get any serious video editing done. This is more for the professional taking a device between meetings.  Read the full review: HP Spectre Folio   Image Credit: HP  The HP Pavilion 15 isn’t going to blow your mind with sheer power, but it will make up for it with finesse. It’s one of the few remaining AMD Ryzen-based laptops in HP’s stable – which could change – but the Ryzen chips here are worth paying attention to. This is the best HP laptop for anyone on a budget, it's a rare example of a laptop that can strike a golden balance between price and performance, making it one of the best laptops for college students.  Image Credit: HP  You shouldn’t have to break open your piggy bank to get one of the best HP laptops, which is why devices like the HP Chromebook 14 G5 exist. It’s an economical Chromebook that never feels cheap, which is a distinction that Chromebooks wear like a badge of honor. This Chromebook in particular boasts a sleek aesthetic and passable performance, especially when you spec it out. It’s easy to see why, for people on a budget, the HP Chromebook 14 G% is one of the best HP laptops.  Image Credit: HP  If you’ve been watching the laptop market as long as we have, you’ll have noticed that the best gaming laptops kind of get a bad rap, thanks to the lack of mobility. However, HP has addressed this issue by adding plenty of new features that gaming laptops tend to lack. First, you can overclock the Omen X, which just means free performance – which will keep it at the top of the stack longer than competitors. For gamers, the HP Omen X is a no-brainer.  Image Credit: HP  HP’s flagship Spectre line of Ultrabooks and 2-in-1s might get all the hype, but the manufacturer has a long-running tradition of crafting some of the best business laptops. The HP Elitebook continues this tradition by packing in powerful Ryzen processors, plenty of memory and speedy SSDs beneath a svelte all-metal chassis. It is a bit expensive, but if you’re looking for an office laptop, with all the requirements that business-grade products require, this is the best HP laptop for you. Read the full review: HP Elitebook 745 G5 Want more choices? Check out our list of the best laptops 2019 Bill Thomas has also contributed to this article This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The best gaming routers 2019 Posted: 20 Mar 2019 11:46 AM PDT If you spend a lot of time playing the best PC games online, you’ve probably run into a huge lag spike at some point, but what if we told you that the best gaming routers could ensure your online gaming is never interrupted? It’s absolutely true, and the best gaming routers can prioritize network traffic for your games, thanks to a neat little trick called Quality of Service (or QoS), which will help make sure your gaming session isn’t interrupted by your roommate downloading games or watching Netflix.You’ll also want to keep an eye out for MU-MIMO, so that everyone in your home can get their game on without interrupting each other. Now, typically wired connections are the best way to go about gaming, and we’d have to agree. So, the best gaming routers should have a ton of wired Ethernet ports. But, even if it would be ideal to have all of your devices hardwired to your router, you don’t want your entire apartment or home covered with a criss-cross of errant wires. That’s why the best gaming routers will also feature the latest Wifi standards – currently Wi-Fi 5. Having multiple external antennae which you can move to boost signal is a bonus, too. Taking into consideration the needs of gamers, we here at TechRadar have gathered up all the best gaming routers 2019 has to offer. If you’re looking for the latest router technology but you still love that old school aesthetic, the TP-Link Archer C5400 v2 is right up your alley. This is a gaming router that blends enthusiast grade features and accessible setup into a package that’s appealing to pretty much anyone. And, when you add in the Alexa support, you have a router that can adapt to any situation, whether you’re focusing on winning the latest match in Apex Legends, or you have guests all connecting to your network.  Read the full review: TP-Link Archer C5400 V2  The Asus RT-AC5300 is one of the best gaming routers – it comes with a variety of advanced features, making online and network gaming as lag and frustration free as possible. This includes an easy-to-use yet powerful interface, as well as comprehensive QoS settings. The spider-like design won’t be to everyone’s taste, but the eight antennae serve a purpose, as they can be used to direct your Wi-Fi signal throughout your home, giving this router an excellent range.  Read the full review: Asus RT-AC86U We already covered the TP-Link Archer C5400 v2 earlier, but the manufacturer slapped an ‘X’ at the end of this one, to signify the extreme boost in performance. It’s significantly more expensive, but this may be one of the highest-end gaming routers out there. With eight ethernet ports around the back, it’s perfect for hardwiring a wealth of gaming equipment. And, the MU-MIMO and Tri-band support mean that wireless connections are also top-notch. You’ll be able to top the leaderboards wherever you are in the house. Read the full review: TP-Link Archer C5400X If you’re a hardcore gamer that’s always fighting their roommates for bandwidth, you’re going to want to pick up something like the Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR500. Not only will this elite gaming router provide an insane 2.6Gbps speed, but with MU-MIMO support and unique gaming features, like location based connection filtering and QoS, you’ll be able to get your game on without lagging. Just prepare for the high price, and make sure you can handle such a gamer aesthetic. Read the full review: Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR500 The Asus RT-AC5300 is an excellent high-end gaming router that comes with a number of advanced features for making online and network gaming as lag and frustration free as possible. This includes an easy-to-use yet powerful interface, as well as comprehensive QoS settings. The spider-like design won't be to everyone's tastes, but the eight antennae serve a purpose, as they can be used to direct your Wi-Fi signal throughout your home, giving this router an excellent range.  Read the full review: Asus RT-AC5300 Tri-band Gigabit Router It might look like it’s getting ready to abduct a close friend or family member, but we promise the Zyxel Armor Z2 AC2600 isn’t as alien in function as in appearance. Rocking the latest MU-MIMO support, which improves speed when multiple devices are connected to the same network, this gaming router prides itself on its performance capabilities. Because it can handle a ton of devices, while prioritizing bandwidth depending on the needs of each device, it’s one of the best gaming routers you can buy today.   Read the full review: Zyxel Armor Z2 AC2600 The Asus RT-AC88U is an expensive gaming router, but it justifies the price with insane 802.11 wireless performance. Rocking four antennas and NitroQAM tech, which pushes speeds even further, this gaming router enables wireless performance that can break the 1GB/sec limit. But, there’s a catch – you’ll need to pick up a NitroQAM wireless adapter, like the Asus PCE AC88, to see these fast speeds. But, with speeds like this, it’s easy to see why this is one of the best gaming routers out there. It might look like something from Battlestar Galactica – the old Battlestar Galactica – but, the D-Link DIR 885L/R is a dependable mid-range gaming router with great range and speed. If you’re looking for the best gaming router, you may want to give this one a chance – it has a good variety of port, and a nicely designed UI. It also features DD-WRT open-source firmware, which makes this router as flexible as it is powerful.   We’ve also picked out the best best wifi extenders of 2018 Bill Thomas has also contributed to this article This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

The best 13-inch laptop 2019: the top 13-inch laptops we've reviewed Posted: 20 Mar 2019 11:46 AM PDT It’s hard to imagine a world without the best laptops – pretty much everyone needs one these days. However, for the best 13-inch laptops, there’s one core reason to choose them over any other – they’re the perfect size. 15-inch laptops are just too big, and if you get something less than 12-inches, you’ll be left squinting. The best 13-inch laptops, then, hit the sweet spot.-- they’re perfect for watching online videos, and even getting some work done. We still love the Dell XPS 13, but it’s not the only choice out there. We would totally understand if you prefer the new MacBook Air, or even the Huawei MateBook 13. Sure, the XPS is beautiful, but the other options are more than valid, too. The best 13-inch laptops all excel in different ways. At the end of the day, finding the best 13-inch laptop depends on what you need it for. Are you just looking for a traditional laptop, without any extra features? Or, are you looking at the best 2-in-1 laptops that can transform into one of the best Windows tablets? What about the best Macs, with macOS Mojave rather than Windows 10? The choice is yours – there’s a whole world of laptops out there.  Image Credit: TechRadar It’s not often that we run into a 13-inch laptops that hits all the right boxes, without having to compromise on anything. And, the Huawei MateBook 13 does exactly that. Packed with the latest Intel Whiskey Lake processors and Nvidia MX150 graphics in a chassis that really should be too small to handle them, the Huawei MateBook 13 is a powerhouse that will fit in any travel bag. And, it’s affordable – what more could you ask for? Read the full review: Huawei MateBook 13    Image Credit: TechRadar  The Dell XPS 13, while its changes over last year’s model are subtle, is still one of the best 13-inch laptops. On the high end, the 4K display offers a sharper picture across the board. But, even if you can’t afford the top end model, the gorgeous design, lengthy battery life and SD card slot aren’t going anywhere – plus, you’ve got a quad-core processor no matter what poison you pick. It’s going to be one of the best 13-inch laptops, no matter which configuration you go for.  Read the full review: Dell XPS 13  Image Credit: TechRadar  It’s not quite as powerful as the 15-inch version, but everything else about the Surface Book 2 13.5 inch makes for one of the best 13-inch laptops on the market. No matter if you’re a professional or a creative, the Surface Book 2 will dominate your workloads in style. What’s more, the dynamic fulcrum hinge is even better this time around, which only complements its robust quad-core processor. Plus, unlike many other 2-in-1 laptops, the keyboard is removable, which makes it a much more manageable tablet when the need arises.  Read the full review: Microsoft Surface Book 2  Image Credit: TechRadar  You may be expecting a gaming laptop, especially given Razer’s reputation, but the Razer Blade Stealth is one of the best 13-inch laptops you can buy today. It’s thin, light, and packed with the latest Ultrabook-class hardware – including dedicated MX150 graphics. The 8th-generation Intel Whiskey Lake Processor makes this laptop a force to be reckoned with. And, while it’s certainly expensive, the sheer style and build quality might be worth it. Read the full review: Razer Blade Stealth   Image Credit: TechRadar  For anyone who prefers premium build quality over everything, the HP Spectre x360 contains everything you could ever ask for in a 2-in-1 without compromise. Weighing in at just 2.78 pounds and measuring just over half an inch thick, it’s as thin as it is light. Plus, with up to a 4K display and 8th-generation Intel processors, it’s one of the best ways to experience high-quality video streaming as well as 720p gaming on a hybrid. We didn’t even mention the plentitude of ports. You’ll get two USB-C Thunderbolt 3 ports on top of a USB 3.1 Type-A – so you shouldn’t need a ton of adapters.  Read the full review: HP Spectre x360  Image Credit: TechRadar  If you’re looking for a thin, svelte and fast 13-inch laptop to haul around with you, and you don’t mind giving up some premium features, you’ll fall in love with the Asus ZenBook 13. Coming in at just half an inch thick and weighing just 2.5 pounds, this is the perfect laptop to carry when traveling. And, don’t think you have to give up on power with all this portability, either. The Asus ZenBook 13 features quad-core Intel processors, 8GB of RAM and a fast SSD. The only thing you’re missing here is USB-C, and while it’s a nice feature to have, it’s easy to look past in a laptop this stylish.  Read the full review: Asus Zenbook 13   Image Credit: TechRadar  No one likes change, we get it. Still, the 15.6-inch frame of the Samsung Notebook 7 Spin we once knew will soon be erased from our memories forever, but the new 13.3-inch model doesn’t seem like an awful upgrade. It’s bounced two generations into the future in terms of processing power, and even though there are no discrete graphics – we’re happy to see a keyboard that can compete with some of the heavy hitters. It’s not going to blow your mind, yet as far as hybrid notebooks go, this one ain’t too shabby (plus it’s cheaper than a weaker MacBook Pro).  Read the full review: Samsung Notebook 7 Spin This product is only available in the US and UK at the time of writing. Australian readers: check out a fine alternative in the HP Spectre x360  Image Credit: TechRadar  The original Surface Laptop was already one of the best 13-inch laptops – it had a gorgeous screen, competent internals and fantastic build quality. It shouldn’t be surprising, then, that its sequel, the Surface Laptop 2 takes everything the original did and does it better. You’re not going to find any radical changes here, but the speedy 8th-generation processors, 8GB of RAM at the base level and, most importantly, the removal of Windows 10 S, all add up to make one of the best laptops out there. Especially if you’re a student.  Read the full review: Surface Laptop 2  Image Credit: TechRadar  As time goes on, 2-in-1 laptops are becoming more popular, and their manufacturers are improving them at a rapid pace. This is especially true for Lenovo – it’s been creating drop-dead beautiful convertibles for years, much like the Lenovo Yoga 920. This 13-inch laptop brings Thunderbolt 3 to the table, an improved webcam – and most importantly – an 8th-generation Intel Kaby Lake Refresh processor with every configuration. The fans get loud, but the Lenovo Yoga 920 is certainly among the best 13-inch laptops on the market. Read the full review: Lenovo Yoga 920   Image Credit: TechRadar  The MacBook Pro 2018 feels like the final form of Apple’s pro series laptop since its 2016 redesign. It keeps the thin and light design, but brings a wealth of improvements, both to the hardware within and, more importantly, Apple has vastly improved the Butterfly keyboard – making it quieter and more reliable. So, you no longer have to worry about it breaking cause a piece of dust appeared under the spacebar. So, if you need an ultra-portable workhorse running macOS Mojave and you can justify the cost, the 2018 MacBook Pro won’t let you down. Keep in mind, though, the model without the Touch Bar is still running last year’s hardware.  Read the full review: MacBook Pro (13-inch Mid-2018)  Want more choices? Check out our list of the best laptop 2019 Bill Thomas, Joe Osborne and Gabe Carey have also contributed to this article This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Windows 10 October 2018 Update: release date, news and features Posted: 20 Mar 2019 11:45 AM PDT Microsoft, in its continuous mission to make Windows 10 better than ever, finally released the Windows 10 October 2018 Update at the end of last year. This update follows in the footsteps of the Windows 10 April 2018 Update. Just like earlier Windows 10 releases, the October 2018 Update brings a ton of new and exciting features to freshen up your PC experience. With new features like the Windows 10 News app and improved phone integration, the Windows 10 October 2018 Update revolutionizes our Windows 10 PCs. The Windows 10 October 2018 Update also brings some improvements to Windows Mixed Reality and even some Hololens improvements. If this sounds attractive, you’ll be happy to know that – after getting pushed back due to it deleting user data – the Windows 10 October 2018 Update is available now. However, the Windows 10 October 2018 Update is having problems convincing existing Windows 10 users to upgrade. So, now that you can download and install the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, we thought it was about time to jump into all the details. So, keep this page bookmarked and we’ll update it with any new information that comes our way.  Cut to the chase What is it? The next major update for Windows 10 When is it out? The Windows 10 October 2018 Update is available now What does it cost? As with previous major Windows 10 updates, it is free Windows 10 October 2018 Update release date The Windows 10 October 2018 Update is finally out now, even though there are plenty of problems.  It was initially launched back at the beginning of October, but it was pulled after bugs were discovered that were deleting user data. But, Microsoft has lifted that restriction, and it’s available to download once more. Then, earlier in March, Microsoft released a patch that fixed some performance issues related to the ‘Retpoline’ Spectre fix. But, this same patch broke some PC games.  Either way, if you haven’t updated yet, we’ll show you how to download and install the Windows 10 October 2018 Update. The Fall Creators Update came out in October Windows 10 October 2018 Update name While Redstone 5 is what it was called during development, the actual name is going to be the Windows 10 October 2018 Update. It’s not as catchy as past launches like the ‘Anniversary Update’, or the ‘Creators Update’, but at least it has a very clear title, we guess.  Windows 10 October 2018 Update confirmed features Now that the Windows 10 October 2018 Update is available, we know all of the features that made it into the final update. From the Cloud Clipboard that lets you copy and paste between devices to the new release of DirectX Raytracing, which takes advantage of the new Nvidia Turing cards, here are all the features that are included in the Windows 10 October 2018 Update. Improvements to Windows 10 Fluent Design Microsoft introduced elements of the Fluent Design user interface with the April 2018 Update, and at its Build 2018 event, it showed off more effects and features that will come in Redstone 5. So, expect more apps, including standard Windows programs, using the Fluent Design interface, and there will be some eye-catching 3D effects for Mixed Reality experiences. Improved Game Mode and Game Bar Windows 10 Game Mode was already a clear benefit to gamers – even if it’s barely noticeable. With Windows 10 Redstone 5, Microsoft has stated that it’s adding more options to game mode to further optimize gaming performance, but it didn’t really get into specifics. However, the improvements to Game Bar might be more noticeable, and even actually useful to PC enthusiasts and power users. Instead of having to run a third-party program like MSI Afterburner, users will be able to see visualizations of system utilization – think GPU, CPU and RAM usage, as well as frame rate. This will be an amazing addition, and will go a long way to informing users why their games start to run slow.  Intelligent multitasking with Sets While Sets is one of the more hotly-anticipated new features, Microsoft recently pulled it from Redstone 5's preview builds. According to Microsoft’s Dona Sarkar in a blog post announcing the 17704 preview build, “we’re taking Sets offline to continue making it great. Based on your feedback, some of the things we’re focusing on include improvements to the visual design and continuing to better integrate Office and Microsoft Edge into Sets to enhance workflow”.  So what is Sets, anyway? Well, the basic idea is to bring the concept of tabs from the web browser to the entire interface of the OS in general, so you can have windows with tabs that contain web pages, apps, folders – a mix of everything essentially. At Build, Microsoft showed off more about the potential of Sets in Windows 10, showing how you can have an open document, and clicking a web link will open the web page in a tab next to the document, with everything you open organized in that Set.  You’ll then be reminded with prompts while your working about the tabs, which should give you intelligent help when working across a variety of documents, apps and websites. It doesn’t look like Sets is going to make it into the final release of the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, but we might get it in the next major Windows 10 release. Storage Sense In the Windows 10 October 2018 Update, Microsoft implemented a new storage feature called Storage Sense. This will automatically free up storage space on your hard drive by getting rid of old files you don’t use anymore. It’ll take these files and back them up on OneDrive, so you’ll still have access to them – without clogging up your hard drive.  You’ll have to manually enable this feature in Redstone 5, but it could be a great option for anyone that doesn’t want to manually sort through hundreds of files to optimize storage performance. Better Progressive Web Apps Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are websites (or web apps) that are implemented as native apps and act just like a normal app would, giving users notifications, live tiles, and even working offline in Windows 10. At Build 2018, Microsoft showed how these web apps will integrate better with Windows 10 in Redstone 5. They will look and behave more like standard Windows 10 apps thanks to an improved interface, and Microsoft also revealed that you’ll be able to download the apps directly from its Edge web browser. Improved Your Phone app Microsoft is making a big deal of having Windows 10 work with all manner of devices, and with Redstone 5, we should see a radically improved Your Phone app that will allow you to easily interact with your smartphone through Windows 10. This is done by downloading the Your Phone Companion App (previously named Microsoft Apps) on Android. This app still has the ability to highlight other Microsoft Android apps, though will now allow you to interact with your PC through your phone. You’ll be able to read and reply to text messages from your Windows 10 device, as well as easily share files, photos and more between your PC and your phone. Windows 10 News App  With Windows 10 Redstone 5, we’re going to get a more refined News App, which will let users gather all the news relevant to them in one curated spot. Including hints of Microsoft’s fluent design, it’ll fit right in to all of the other recently revolutionized tools in Windows 10. Microsoft is hoping to use this news apps to take on services like Apple News or Google News, with a focus on an easy, intuitive news experience.  Cloud clipboard A new feature spotted by people using an early version of Redstone 5 is the cloud clipboard, which will allow users to copy and paste across different devices thanks to the new cloud-powered clipboard. User can trigger the new function by simply hitting Windows Key + C. The copied content will then be available in other Windows 10 devices, and in the future Android and iOS devices as well.  Microsoft Mixed Reality improvements  It wouldn’t be Windows 10 without improvements to Mixed Reality, and the October 2018 Update should have them in spades. In one of the most recent Windows 10 Redstone 5 builds, Microsoft included a variety of improvements to Mixed Reality quality of life, including the ability to seamlessly take screenshots and immediately import them into an email. And, if you’re using a backpack PC to fuel your Mixed Reality desires, you’re in luck. Microsoft has removed the requirement to connect a monitor to use a Mixed Reality headset. Improved search previews Another feature due to arrive with Windows 10 Redstone 5 is improved search previews. These now support apps, documents and other files, and should make searching Windows 10 even easier. Make sure you download and install the Windows 10 April 2018 Update if you haven't already This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

New Volvos will be capped 180kph, and you can set a lower limit for your kids Posted: 20 Mar 2019 11:44 AM PDT Volvo is capping the top speed of all its new cars at 180kph from 2020, and from 2021 you'll be able to set an even lower top speed for your own vehicle if you share it with other people. Care Key will let you set a custom maximum speed before lending your car to family and friends, and is intended to help young or inexperienced drivers who have only recently passed their driving tests. Driverless cars explained: everything you need to know Are autonomous cars safe, and how can they earn our trust? Debunking the myths of self-driving cars “We believe that a car maker has a responsibility to help improve traffic safety,” said Volvo Cars' chief executive Håkan Samuelsson. “Our recently announced speed limit fits that thinking and the Care Key is another example. Many want to be able to share their car with friends and family, but are unsure about how to make sure they are safe on the road. The Care Key provides one good solution and extra peace of mind.”  Hold it Volvo has set itself the goal of preventing deaths and serious injuries in its new cars by 2020, and the 180kph limit shows that it means business. Public reaction hasn't been entirely positive; some drivers have complained it will take away their personal freedom and make the German autobahn boring. However, the company notes that it received a similar response after its three-point safety belt became an industry-standard design 60 years ago (when motorists claimed being thrown from the car at speed would be safer than being strapped in). The speed limit is one part of a larger push towards safer driving on Volvo's part. The company has also announced plans to fit a cockpit system of cameras and sensors that will monitor drivers and take action if they seem to be distracted or intoxicated. It remains to be seen whether other automakers will follow its lead, or the industry will prefer to maintain a hands-off approach until cars become fully autonomous. Driverless cars need to get their maps in shape This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Windows 10 April 2019 Update release date, news and features Posted: 20 Mar 2019 11:44 AM PDT The Windows 10 April 2019 Update will be the first major update for Microsoft's constantly-evolving Windows 10 operating system this year. Also known as Windows 10 version 1903 or 19H1, the Windows 10 April 2019 Update is yet another part of Microsoft’s plan of releasing major free tentpole updates that bring new features, tools and apps to Windows 10. This update will follow in the footsteps of the Windows 10 October 2018 Update and the April 2018 Update. These both brought a number of new features (and bugs) to Windows 10 – even if the most recent of which is having trouble convincing users to update. These updates, along with others, aren’t strangers to controversy. Still, with the help of updates like this, Windows 10 has reached 800 million users. And, the Windows 10 April 2019 Update is starting to look like quite the upgrade. Not only is there a ton of new features coming like a system wide Light Mode and the ability to pause updates, but we’ve seen rumors that the new Windows 10 build should be able to play native Xbox One games.  We’re just hoping that the new update will arrive in April, as its name suggests, avoiding some of the problems that plagued earlier updates. The April 2018 Update is now infamous for missing its titular April launch date, as was the October 2018 Update, so we’re not holding our breath. With the launch of the Windows 10 April 2019 Update approaching, Microsoft has begun releasing early versions to Windows Insiders – who are customers who have signed up to try out the latest version of Windows 10. Because of this, we've got a good idea of what sort of new features are coming with the Windows 10 April 2019 Update. So, read on to find out all the latest news, rumors, features and release date details about the Windows 10 April 2019 Update. Cut to the chase What is it? The next major update for Windows 10 When is it out? The Windows 10 April 2019 Update should be released in April What does it cost? As with previous major Windows 10 updates, it is free Windows 10 April 2019 Update release date We don't have an official release date for the Windows 10 April 2019 Update, but going by the name, we can have a good guess. So, it's very likely that it will be ready to download at some point during April 2019. However, we won't say that's a complete certainty. That's because last year's April 2018 update only just released in April. After a few delays, it emerged on April 30, which is cutting it a bit fine. Meanwhile, the October 2018 Update was even more tardy, finally releasing on November 13 – and that's not counting the times the update rollout was paused while Microsoft fixed numerous Windows 10 October 2018 Update problems. With any major update to an operating system, delays and problems can arise, so the April 2019 release date isn't guaranteed. But, given that Microsoft has called given it the April 2019 Update title could mean that it’s finally confident that it will release the update during that month, as it won’t want the embarrassment of releasing a Windows 10 update with an outdated name again. Windows 10 April 2019 Update name We've known about the Windows 10 April 2019 Update for a while now, though it was mainly referred to as Windows 10 version 1903 and by its codename Windows 19H1. The 19H1 codename gave us a clue to the release date and possible name, as it suggests the update will be released in the first half of 2019. Rumours had been swirling that Microsoft would choose April 2019 Update as the name, following on from its April 2018 Update last year. Another recent rumor all-but confirms the name of the update as the Windows 10 April 2019 Update, as a reference to the April 2019 Update was spotted in the Windows Powershell tool when the "Get-VMHostSupportedVersion" command is run. This reference, which was found by Twitter user Tero Alhonen, is the strongest evidence so far that it will be called the Windows 10 April 2019 Update. Of course, Microsoft could always change the name of the update before it's released, especially if it looks like it will be delayed until later in the year.  However, considering the evidence, including Microsoft's past naming conventions and the fact it wants it out in the first half of 2019, we're pretty confident it will be called the Windows 10 April 2019 Update. Windows 10 April 2019 Update confirmed features Because an early version of Windows 10 April 2019 Update is available for Windows Insiders (like ourselves) to try, we've got a good idea of some of the new features that will be heading to Windows 10 with this update. As always with early versions of these Windows 10 updates, this list doesn't have every new feature, but we'll update it when major new features are announced. Also, bear in mind that some of these features may be removed from the final version of the Windows 10 April 2019 Update for various reasons. A new Light theme Image Credit: Microsoft The Windows 10 April 2019 Update will bring a new Light desktop theme, making a nice contrast to the Dark theme that we're used to with Windows 10. Not only does it make the taskbar and Start Menu lighter, but new icons have been created that better suits the new Light theme. Best of all, you can mix and match parts of the Light and Dark theme to get a look that best suits your tastes. A better Start menu Image Credit: Microsoft Microsoft has continued to tweak the Start Menu, and the changes it's made in the Windows 10 April 2019 are definitely welcome. First of all, the Start menu when you first use the update is much less cluttered, with tiles and shortcuts for pre-installed apps not taking up as much space. However, there are still a number of apps and games that come pre-installed, and there are probably some that you don't want to use. With the Windows 10 April 2019 Update, you can now uninstall more pre-installed apps that you used to. Another notable change comes in the form of switching the Start menu to have its own dedicated process – StartMenuExperienceHost.exe rather than it being hosted by ShellExperienceHost.exe. That might sound like a complex change under the bonnet, but the only noticeable ramification for the user will be that the Start menu runs more smoothly, and is protected from potential issues which might be caused by other areas of the OS. The end result is a more reliable Start menu, according to Microsoft, and a more responsive one too, because Start doesn’t suspend itself any longer, so that makes for a slightly quicker launch time. Cortana is no longer integrated into the search box Image Credit: Microsoft In the Windows 10 April 2019 Update, Cortana will be separated from the search box in the taskbar. As well as splitting search and Cortana on the taskbar, settings for these two have also been split up in Windows 10, along with group policies.  So now when you click search, you get a straightforward operating system search. And if you want to summon Cortana, you have to use her separate icon.  You can now pause updates Image Credit: Microsoft The Windows 10 April 2019 Update will allow people using Windows 10 Home edition to pause Windows updates for a set number of days. This is a very handy feature that allows you a bit of breathing room when an update is released. It gives you time to check out to make sure that the update is working correctly, and if there are issues, you can pause the update until they've been fixed. In a perfect world, a new Windows update would arrive without any problems, but as we've seen in the past, that rarely happens. This features has been available to Enterprise and professional Windows 10 users, so it's good to see it come to the Home version as well. Reserved space for updates Image Credit: Microsoft One of the more controversial features that the Windows 10 April 2019 Update brings is that it will now reserve 7GB of space on your hard drive which will be used to store temporary files. While some people may not like Windows 10 helping itself to yet more storage space on your hard drive, the idea is that this will make downloading Windows 10 updates easier in the future, and will prevent people experiencing an error where an update fails to install due to lack of space. Windows Sandbox lets you experiment If you're running Windows 10 Professional, then the new Windows Sandbox tool could be of interest. It allows you to easily run a virtualized version of Windows 10 in a window, allowing you to run software and test out settings and code without it affecting your main Windows 10 installation. This is only a taste of the new features that are coming to Windows 10 with the April 2019 Update. We'll continue to update this list as we discover more. Image Credit: TechRadar Helpful error messages  The Blue Screen of Death is infamous at this point, popping up whenever Windows runs into a critical error, but they’ve never been very useful to average users. But, it looks like that might be changing with the Windows 10 April 2019 Update. Microsoft is finally changing error messages to be more helpful – they’ll now tell you how to fix the problems. The error message will pop up when a problem is encountered, and users should see options to try and fix it. The error messages will also have a link to a knowledge base, rather than forcing users to rely on Google for answers.  How to use Windows 10 This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Surface Studio 3: what we want to see Posted: 20 Mar 2019 11:43 AM PDT The Surface Studio 2 recently launched at the tail end of 2018, packed with 7th-generation Kaby Lake laptop chips and high-end Nvidia Pascal graphics. It’s designed first and foremost for digital artists and illustrators, and its price tag reflects that.  But, this hardware is dated already, so we’ve been thinking: what will the Surface Studio 3 look like? Now, we’re not expecting any hard information to surface about the new Studio, especially since the Surface Studio 2 is still new. But, we can still craft a sort of wish list, right? So, be sure to keep this page bookmarked, and we’ll keep it updated with all the latest news and rumors as they arrive. Cut to the chase  What is it? The next Surface Studio PC  When is it out? TBD What will it cost? At least $3,499 (about £2,720, AU$4,850)  Surface Studio 3 release date We’re just going to come right out and say it: you probably shouldn’t expect to see the Surface Studio 2 any time soon.  The first Surface Studio launched more than two years ago in December 2016, with the Surface Studio 2 following in November 2018. Just based off of these two releases, we can assume we won’t see the Surface Studio 3 until the end of 2020.  Surface Studio 3 price Both the Surface Studio and its sequel are expensive computers. Both represent a massive expense for artists. And, it would be safe to expect the Surface Studio 3 to be at least as expensive.  The Surface Studio 2 already bumped the price up by $500 (AU$800, about £390) over the $2,999 (AU$4,699, about £2,390) original, setting users back $3,499 (AU$5,499, about £2,720).  If Microsoft does decide to hike the price further, we just hope it means that the Surface Studio 3 is packed with some more up to date hardware upon release.  What we want to see  The Surface Studio 3 is already an incredibly niche product, so it’s kind of hard to draw comparisons to existing devices to try and create a wish list. But, because we here at TechRadar don’t believe a perfect product exists, here’s what we want to see in the Surface Studio 3 if and when it comes to market.  Come on, Thunderbolt 3 We get it, Microsoft: you don’t want to pay Intel’s license to use the Thunderbolt 3 standard. It makes sense, but there’s only one problem: everyone else is doing it.  There are so many storage drives, monitors and other accessories that rely on Thunderbolt 3 to get the job done, and this is especially true for professional products. By 2020, when we’re likely going to see Thunderbolt 3 on flash drives, it will be all but essential.  The Surface Studio 2 already has the USB-C port – it just needs to go that step forward. For a device that wants to take center stage in the professional artist’s setup, the lack of Thunderbolt 3 – especially at this price point – is inexcusable. Hardware that’s actually up to date To put things into perspective real quick, the Surface Studio 2 launched in November 2018 with Nvidia 10-series graphics and Intel Kaby Lake processors. The Pascal graphics are understandable – Nvidia didn’t announce mobile-class RTX graphics until CES 2019. But, Intel launched Coffee Lake H-series mobile processors way back in April 2018 – more than six months before the Surface Studio 2 hit the streets. We’re not saying that the Kaby Lake chips aren’t going to get the job done, they will – but, Coffee Lake processors would get the job done faster. Is it too much to ask for an up-to-date processor, though? We aren’t sure which “Lake” Intel will be on in late 2020, but, Microsoft: please include the latest processor. Because, if you’re forking over thousands for a computer, you deserve up-to-date hardware. Up the screen resolution Not to say that the Surface Studio 2’s display isn’t high-resolution enough, but why stop at 4,500 x 3,000 pixels? We feel like monitors such as the Dell UltraSharp UP3218K are only going to become more common – especially among creatives. So, we’d like to see the Surface Studio 3 take screen resolution to a whole new level. We’re not saying go straight to 8K, but maybe we could see something in between – outclass that iMac Pro display to make it a better sell to would-be Apple converts. At the end of the day, no one knows what the Surface Studio 3 is going to look like. But, keep it locked to this page, and if we hear anything, we’ll update this article.  Check out the best all-in-one PCs This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

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