Toymakers are the early adopters pushing AR into the mainstream

 One indicator of how the market is apparently more comfortable with AR than it is with its immersive sibling, VR, is that one of its earliest adopters are toymakers. Read More http://ift.tt/2iiSwsU

Download of the day: FotoSketcher

Samsung plans to add Chromecast-style streaming to its smart TVs

There's no doubt that the Chromecast (in its various incarnations) has proved a bit hit for Google, giving users one of the simplest and cheapest ways to get videos and other content up on a big screen. The functionality is now built into many a smart TV too.

Now it looks like Samsung wants a piece of that casting action - the most recent update to its Smart View app for iOS appears to add some Chromecast-style options for the likes of YouTube, Hulu and Amazon Video.

It's part of a revamped user interface for edition 2.0.1 of the app, though so far Samsung hasn't introduced the feature officially, so we're not sure if it's functional. There's no update yet for the Android app either.

CESing is believing

Up until now, you could only stream content stored locally on a smartphone or tablet to a Samsung Smart TV, but this update should fix that. No doubt we'll hear much more about it, as well as get treated to a new TV or two, next week at CES.

Notably absent from the app carousel in these screenshots is Netflix, though whether it's still to be added or just not available we don't know.

It's also not clear just how this works - the beauty of the Chromecast is it pulls content straight from the web, rather than your mobile device, once you've pointed it towards the movie you want to watch or the music you want to listen to.

• Here's what's changed in the latest 4K Chromecast

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Iran has banned Clash of Clans for promoting violence and tribal conflict

 Earlier this week The Ministry of Justice in Iran blocked Clash of Clans because psychologists in the country believe the game promotes violence and what they are describing as ‘tribal conflict’. They also state that, among other findings, that the game negatively affects family life for youth, who psychologists believe are addicted to playing. I reported earlier this year that… Read More http://ift.tt/2hCq328

12 Deals of Christmas: Save £15 on the 4K Amazon Fire TV

Picked up a cheap 4K TV deal recently? If it doesn't have built-in Smart TV capabilities, then you'll need something like Amazon's Fire TV box to get the best movie streaming experience. Today's a great day to do it too as Amazon has knocked £15 off the regular price, meaning it's only £64.99.

• Amazon Fire TV £64.99 @ Amazon

The Amazon Fire TV box may be more expensive than the Fire TV Stick (£33.20 today), but comes with 4K capabilities and a voice activated remote control. So you'll be able to enjoy select Amazon Prime Video content in 4K if you've signed up. If not, why not try a free Amazon Prime 30-day trial? Netflix has a lot of 4K content available too, although you might need to upgrade your membership.

Fancy some free 4K content,? Then just fire up the YouTube app on the Amazon Fire TV and you'll have plenty of 4K content to show off your TV's potential. This flagship Fire TV also comes with a voice activated remote, so you don't have to mess around typing entries in with the d-pad on Amazon Prime Video - just ask for it!

This is the cheapest Amazon Fire TV deal we're likely to see for a while as we're nearing the end of discount season. So if you're wanting to see the best shows and movies in 4K, now's the time to strike.

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Download of the day: Lightworks

Windows 10 gets a new colour scheme for when it crashes

You’re doubtless familiar with the ‘blue screen of death’, which pops up when Windows totally hangs with a fatal error, but things with the BSOD are changing, as Microsoft has turned the famous blue colour a different shade – at least for those testing Windows 10.

Going forward, with preview builds of Windows 10, the crash screen will be green rather than blue, as spotted by one enterprising Twitter user in a leaked preview version of the OS (build 14997 – which has seen several revelations, including a new ‘Game Mode’ and the ability to delay Windows updates).

Chris123NT discovered the green screen of death, as it has now become for Windows testers, and Matthijs Hoekstra, Senior Program Manager for Windows Enterprise Developer Platform, confirmed that it was only for test builds of the OS.

In other words, it’s so Microsoft can easily see whether a crash is from a preview build – crashes in released versions of Windows still remain blue. And are likely to remain leaving you feeling blue, as well.

Colour us puzzled

Which brings us to the talking point that seems to have caused most of the chatter across the net regarding this change – why green? Typically, green is regarded as a ‘positive’ colour in that it means go ahead (with traffic lights), or that things are safe. Surely Microsoft should have gone with red if they were picking an alternative colour?

Although perhaps red is simply regarded as too overly alarming in nature to be used.

Hoekstra said that he had no idea why green was chosen. And he also hinted he’d received a slapped wrist due to his tweets on this matter…

This isn’t the only change Microsoft has made to its crash screen this year. Back in the spring, we first saw the introduction of QR codes to the blue screen of death, which you can scan with your phone to swiftly get more in-depth troubleshooting details on the problem at hand.

Image Credit: Chris123NT

Via: Betanews

• These are the best deals on Windows 10 right now

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Facebook stalls in lawsuit alleging its facial recognition tech violates Illinois law

 An Illinois law is proving a thorn in Facebook’s side as a class action lawsuit, alleging mishandling of biometric information, moves towards trial. The latest developments in the case have the social network objecting against releasing or even admitting the existence of all manner of data, but the plaintiffs aren’t taking “objection” for an answer. Read More

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NFL games are now live streaming on China’s Sina Weibo network

 The NFL is hoping to expand its presence in China with a new deal that gives social media platform, Sina Weibo – often called China’s Twitter –  the rights to live stream select games on its network, including the Super Bowl. The deal marks the first time a sports league will live stream games on the service, the NFL says. Additionally, Sina will gain the rights to… Read More

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You can now register to find out when Super Mario Run hits Android

 Nintendo gave Apple a timed exclusive with Super Mario Run, but ‘timed’ means that it was bound to arrive on Android sooner or later. Now, Android users can register in the Google Play Store to get notified when it is actually available, much like iOS users could prior to the game’s launch on Apple’s mobile devices. The Play Store entry for Super Mario Run features a… Read More http://ift.tt/2hwdmE4

Download of the day: Wondershare Filmora

Fed up with automatic updates on Windows 10? We’ve got some good news…

Windows 10’s automatic updates, and the lack of control over when they’re installed (at least in the consumer flavours of the OS) has been a major bugbear for many users, although it seems that Microsoft has finally decided to give folks the option to at least delay updates.

At the moment, it’s possible to do some basic scheduling of update times with Windows 10 Home, but your hand is forced to install these things more or less straightaway – immediate updates being Microsoft’s idea of helping to keep the operating system as secure as possible.

However, sometimes you just don’t want to install updates right away for whatever reason – particularly if you’ve read reports of them breaking things such as webcams, to give a recent-ish example – and according to Winaero, fortunately Microsoft is introducing the option to delay updates by just over a month.

This feature has been spotted in a leaked preview version of Windows 10 (build 14997 – in which the new ‘Game Mode’ was also discovered), under the advanced options section for update settings.

Pause for thought

In advanced options, there’s a new slider entitled Pause Updates, and when it’s turned on, updates can be temporarily put on ice for up to 35 days – although some critical security updates, such as Windows Defender definitions, will still be installed straightaway.

With this new system, at least if you find out about an update which could potentially cause some trouble with hardware on your system, you can wait a while and hope that Microsoft manages to push out a fix before you must install said update.

This feature should be arriving with the Creators Update in the spring of next year, although there’s no guarantee that it won’t be considerably altered (or indeed cut completely) before the final incarnation of the update turns up.

We can’t really see this one being dropped, though, as it would certainly be a popular addition to give back at least some measure of control to users when it comes to updates.

As we saw last month, Microsoft is also improving updates by streamlining them and making the big downloads much more compact.

Via: Ubergizmo

• Never mind Windows Defender, check out the best antivirus software of 2016

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New Windows 10 ‘Game Mode’ will squeeze even more performance out of your PC

Windows 10 already offers major perks for gamers such as DirectX 12, but Microsoft is planning to bolster the OS further with the introduction of a ‘Game Mode’ that prioritizes system resources for games to enable them to run more smoothly.

First of all, we should note that this isn’t a confirmed feature yet, but rather the mode was spotted by well-known Microsoft tipster WalkingCat who discovered a new DLL file (gamemode.dll) in a leaked preview of Windows 10 (build 14997). He’d previously made noises about the existence of a gaming mode a couple of weeks back.

According to WalkingCat, it appears as if the mode will allow Windows to adjust resources allocated to the processor, graphics card and so forth to prioritize games, giving them better performance.

Again, note that this is the source’s opinion as opposed to any hard-and-fast info, but Windows Central’s sources have also said that the feature will work much like the Xbox One’s handling of running a game – whereby the console rejigs resources to make sure the title works as smoothly as possible.

And obviously it makes sense that a Game Mode would do this. After all, what else would flipping such a switch do, save for ensuring that games run better.

Next major update

The word on the grapevine is that this mode is set to arrive with the Creators Update for Windows 10 next spring, so hopefully it should turn up in the preview versions of the OS soon enough.

That’s not guaranteed either, though, and we could be waiting longer – the timeframe is looking a little tight now, considering this isn’t even in testing yet. Fingers crossed that it arrives sooner rather than later for gamers, of course.

Windows 10 is already far more popular with gamers in comparison to the general computing population, as those monthly Steam surveys show – over twice as popular in fact. And the introduction of a tailored mode to prioritize resources for gaming is certainly not going to hurt the adoption of Microsoft’s latest OS.

• Want really smooth frame rates? Check out our best gaming PCs of 2016

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Twitter introduces 360-degree video live streaming

 Twitter is taking another step into getting into live video by introducing 360-degree live streams through Periscope. Anyone on Twitter and Periscope can watch 360-degree live video, though currently only select partners can go live in 360 via Periscope, the company announced in a blog post. While it’s only available for a limited number of partners for now, it makes sense that Twitter… Read More

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Oculus acquires eye-tracking startup The Eye Tribe

 The direction you look could one day control your VR or mobile experience thanks to Facebook and Oculus’ latest buy, The Eye Tribe. Oculus confirms to me that this is an official acquisition.The startup has developed a $99 eye tracking device developer kits for computers, and software that can bring gaze-based interfaces to smartphones and potentially virtual reality headsets. Basic… Read More

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Download of the day: PhraseExpress

Top 5 best identity management and authentication services

Businesses rely heavily on technology. Employees use computers, smartphones, tablets and other gadgets on a daily basis to streamline processes, stay productive and communicate with colleagues, while databases store important information about customers and products.

Because of this, effective security is paramount. It’s no longer good enough to put physical security first. Although CCTV cameras and sophisticated door locks will stop intruders from entering your office, a hack into your computer system could spell total disaster and bring your whole firm down.

Managing user identity is one of the most important steps in implementing a cybersecurity strategy. You need to be able to trust the people who have access to valuable business and customer data, all of which would be lucrative to hackers if they were able to gain access.

Identity management systems are a great way to stay ahead of the curve with respect to digital security. They’re not new but they certainly are highly effective. Using these systems, you can see who is accessing content in your system and get information on their motives. You can also set user rights and restrictions. 

But which are the best identity management and authentication solutions out there? We’ve picked out five top-notch affairs that you can’t go wrong with.

• We’ve also rounded up the best project management services

If you run a large-scale enterprise with a ton of digital assets, then you ought to check out DigitalPersona. Used widely across the globe and adopted by companies like RBS, this system lets you set smart authentication procedures for users. 

The software analyses risks posed to your company and aims to give you a tailored approach to cybersecurity. There are multiple authentication methods to choose from, such as biometrics, tokens, pins, SAML and phones. It’s easy to set these up, and you should have a more secure system in place within no time.

What’s also nifty is the fact that you can add more applications and changes over time, so you don’t have to worry about finding the perfect method straight away. As well as this, the software offers added protection for privileged and important users. This is sophisticated technology and is targeted at firms with significant security budgets.

• You can sign up for DigitalPersona here

AuthAnvil is available on the web, Mac, Windows, iOS and Android applications, but whatever platform you’re looking at, the basic aim is the same – to protect your precious data. The company recognises that password-related breaches are the biggest cause of data loss and has come up with a solution.

The system lets you protect company data by restricting content employees can access and ensuring that only trusted parties can use sensitive apps. For instance, you could use AuthAnvil to give managers direct control of internal company and customer data, as opposed to general employees.

As well as boasting integrated identity and access management solutions, the software also provides multi-factor authentication, single sign-on, password automation, identity-as-a-service and credentials management. These are all highly effective features.

• You can sign up for AuthAnvil here

OneLogin is a cloud-based authentication system that makes it easier for firms to secure their digital assets and users. It can handle multiple applications at once and has single sign-on capabilities. 

The system is perfect for all businesses, regardless of industry sector, and it can work with both internal and public applications. Features include access request management, account management, compliance regulation, password management, user monitoring and role management. 

Once you purchase the software, the support doesn’t stop. You can access documentation, webinars and online chats to better understand and get the most out of OneLogin. There’s also 24/7 tech support through the company website, so you can always ask a question if you get stuck.

• You can sign up for OneLogin here

Dodgy password management is often the culprit when it comes to data breaches, although Dashlane is looking to solve this. It’s a password vaulting service that will protect your company’s data and ensure your cybersecurity habits are always kept on the straight and narrow.

The system prides itself on simplicity. You aren’t expected to know every single thing about technology and security to be able to use it. It’s been built with AES 256-bit encryption, and semantic technology also plays a big role in the mechanics system. There’s a dedicated engine for this, which works towards fast login speeds and auto-fill forms across a variety of web applications. It’s a unified platform, meaning it can work across Windows, Mac, iOS and Android – all the platforms you likely use.

• Get hold of Dashlane here

PortalGuard combines important authentication procedures and password management capabilities within one convenient portal. 

The software is compatible with Mac, Windows, iOS, cloud tools and web browsers, and it places a premium on ease-of-use. While it’s not the most powerful system out there by any means, many users will appreciate having things kept simple, and benefiting from their own custom-branded login portal.

What’s also neat is that when it comes to trying out the service before you commit to purchasing, you can avail yourself of a free interactive trial, or alternatively request a live demo from the company.

• You can sign up for PortalGuard here

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No Signal: Egypt blocks the encrypted messaging app as it continues its cyber crackdown

 Egypt has intensified its cyber crackdown under president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. In recent years authorities have blocked Facebook’s controversial Free Basics program for not allowing it to spy on users, imprisoned citizens for satirical Facebook posts and reportedly used Deep Packet Inspection technology allowing for extensive surveillance of Egyptians’ online activities. Read More

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Your smart Samsung TV is about to get a lot more personalized

If you've got a Samsung smart TV at home - maybe you've just unwrapped one for Christmas - then you're in line for a software upgrade that'll make it smarter than ever, with the emphasis on personalization.

Three new features will be added from the start of 2017, covering sports, music and a new "TV Plus" upgrade for the EPG guide. The idea is that your TV gets you know you better and saves you valuable time you would otherwise spend scrolling through menus.

"At Samsung, one of our top priorities is ensuring that we are closely in tune with what consumers want and need from their smart devices and electronics," gushed the company's Won Jin Lee. Parts of the new-look system will be shown off at CES 2017, which starts next week.

Sports, music and more

The Sports part of the upgrade gives you instant access to news and results from your favorite teams, while the Music section will bring up personalized recommendations across apps like Spotify, Deezer and Vevo. You'll also be able to quickly identify any song playing in a movie or TV show.

It's not clear when or where the Sports functionality will appear, but it sounds distinctly US-based. The Music component is set to arrive in France, Germany, Italy, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom and the US at some undefined point in the future.

Then there's the TV Plus bit, which means more TV-on-demand from a variety of video streaming sources. It's already up and running in parts of Asia and the US, and is going to be coming to Europe in April 2017.

• The 5 best Smart TV platforms in the world 2016

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Download of the day: Eraser

12 Deals of Christmas: Kindle Paperwhite only £89.99 in Boxing Day sales

The Amazon Boxing Day sales went live today, and we were delighted to see the Kindle Paperwhite take another spin in the discount dance. Usually £109.99, this boxing day deal sees it discounted down to just £89.99.

With the basic entry level Kindle priced at £56.99, the far superior Kindle Paperwhite is just £33 more. This is excellent value considering you get almost double the PPI resolution, making for much clearer text on the screen.

Better yet, this is the cheapest of the Kindle range with a built-in light. The light shines onto the screen from the edge, rather than through it into your face, so it's much easier on the eye than reading a tablet at night.

Kindling for your reading habits

This excellent Kindle deal is available for both the black and white models of the Paperwhite. 

While scouring the net to make sure this is the best offer around, we found some handy alternatives from those price matchers over at John Lewis and Tesco, but only in black. 

John Lewis is only 4p cheaper, but you get a tempting two year warranty. Tesco has tried to outdo both by selling the Paperwhite for £89. Act fast as we imagine once Amazon puts the price back up, the others will promptly follow suit. Take your pic below.

• Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (black or white) £89.99 @ Amazon
• Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (black) £89.95 @ John Lewis
• Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (black) @ £89 @ Tesco

What do Special Offers mean for Amazon Kindles?

If you've clicked through and are wondering what the 'with or without Special Offers' means on Amazon's listing, they're essentially screensaver-based ads, that you can pay £10 extra to remove. They disappear instantly though, with no need to wait for them to time-out (unlike those annoying ads on mobile games).

For a more complete description, and to see why we don't think they're worth paying extra to remove, have a look at the Best Kindle deals page, where we go into more detail.

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Snapchat has quietly acquired an Israeli startup for a reported $30 million to $40 million

 Snapchat sewed up its first acquisition in Israel this week, according to the outlet Calcalist News. It acquired four-year-old Cimagine, whose augmented reality platform lets consumers instantly visualize products they want to buy in their intended location, paying what Calcalist says was between $30 million and $40 million. According to its LinkedIn page, Cimagine currently works with brands… Read More

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Italian incubator H-Farm prepares for a new crop with a campus slated to open in 2018

 There’s a farm outside of Venice, Italy, that cultivates tech talent the way other farms grow crops. Read More http://ift.tt/2hdg0eK

Download of the day: Paragon Rescue Kit Free

Shop till you drop? Sell till you drop, more like, as online retail grows across UK

More folks in the UK are selling goods or skills online to make some extra cash, according to a new piece of research.

The survey of 1,000 adults in the UK commissioned by ePages showed that no less than 44% said they’ve earned extra money by selling goods or skills online – 54% if you look at the 25 to 34-years-old bracket – and 30% said they expect to do this on a regular basis going forward.

Furthermore, 36% said they would ‘consider trying’ online retail as an activity, and one in five felt that selling online was a way to achieve a better work/life balance (presumably the extra cash helps in terms of ensuring a bit more life, and a little less work).

When asked about running an online shop and/or a bricks-and-mortar store, 50% said they’d prefer to run just an online outfit, and only 10% wanted to run solely a high street shop. 27% said they’d do both (and presumably the remaining percentage didn’t commit).

Path to retail success

Most felt that an online store was the best way to sell the most goods – 43% of those surveyed in fact, compared to 39% who viewed both an online and physical shop as the best option to generate the most sales.

And when asked whether they felt that setting up an online store was a possibility within their reach, 54% of respondents said they believed this was ‘achievable’, and 16% even felt it would be easy.

Wilfried Beeck, CEO of ePages, commented: “The survey suggests a high participation level – today a large proportion of Britons are both keen and confident to become online merchants whenever the need arises.

“Affordable cloud-driven software, popular online marketplaces and easy payment methods have done a remarkable job of democratising retail – enabling any level of computer user to advertise, communicate and transact online”.

• We’ve rounded up the best business broadband deals out there

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The best Boxing Day sales deals 2016

The best Australia Boxing Day sales and deals 2016

Christmas has come and gone, and that means the biggest shopping period of the year is here — the Boxing Day sales have launched online!

On this page we're listing all the best Boxing Day (and Week) deals on all the best products at all the most reliable retailers, so that you can easily find your way to the best prices for all the best tech and gear.

So if you want to pick up a bargain stick with us!

Below is a list of all known retailers participating in the Boxing Week sales in Australia, followed by the best deals for each major tech product category in case you're looking for something specific.

Boxing Day Sales: Store links

Just straight to the deals at Australia’s biggest retailers. Links will open in new windows:

• Microsoft Boxing Day deals: The Microsoft Store’s serving up discounts and special offers across a wide variety of categories, with some deals ending as late as 3 January 2017.
• Kogan Boxing Day sales: The already-cheap online store is offering further discounts on a large variety of tech products ranging from TVs, smartphones and much more, with no end date specified.
• JB Hi-Fi End of Year Madness: JB's celebrating the season with an end-of-year sale that finishes on 1 January 2017. There’s heaps of discounts across a range of products, including TVs and home audio, computing products, cameras and much, much more.
• Myer’s Biggest Stocktake Sale: This store-wide sale offers 15% off the original price of a great range of headphones, portable audio and home theatre systems. The sale is on for a limited time and subject to availability.
• Lenovo Boxing Day sale: This year, Lenovo is hosting a Boxing Week Sale with offers of up to 50% off site wide, ending 30 December 2016, 9pm AEDST.
• EB Games: There’s currently a number of bestselling games and accessories on sale at EB Games, with the store not specifying an end date for the sale.
• The Gamesmen: You’ll find a huge variety of games, consoles and accessories (both old and new) on sale at this popular Australian retailer until 3 January 2017.
• Dell Boxing Day sale: There’s some huge savings to be had on Dell’s laptops, desktops, 2-in-1s, gaming systems and monitors. Sale ends 29 December 2016.
• The Good Guys: This is a great time to grab some hot offers from The Good Guys while stocks last, and not just on home appliances, but on laptops, cameras and smartphones as well.
• Harvey Norman Half-Yearly Clearance: There’s plenty to chose from in the Harvey Norman sale, albeit for a limited time only, from MacBook Airs to HP’s range of laptops and desktops, from GoPros to Google Chromecasts.

Deal highlights

TV and home entertainment deals:

• Samsung KU6000 70" 4K UHD HDR Smart LED LCD TV - This massive Ultra HD TV with a small price tag is 4K streaming compatible and is now on sale at JB Hi-Fi for $2,496 until 1 January 2017, which is $1,000 off the regular price.
• Sony HTCT790 2.1-channel soundbar - With $400 off at JB Hi-Fi on this Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-enabled soundbar, setting up a home entertainment system is easy. It’s now available for $399, down from $799. This offer, too, is until 1 January 2017.
• Samsung HW-K550 340W soundbar - Save over $200 with this powerful three-channel soundbar from Samsung at The Good Guys, now only $379, down from $596. Sale till stocks last.
• Sony X7500D 65" 4K UHD HDR Android Smart LCD LED TV - If you're looking for big TV at a small price, this 65-incher from Sony is an absolute steal. This 4K HDR TV runs on Android and is on sale at The Good Guys for $1,788, a saving of over $700. (End date not specified)

Gaming deals:

• Sony PlayStation 4 Slim - Target seems to have to the best current price going for a PS4, with this 500GB Slim version selling for just $319 — around $30 less than the next-nearest we found and $120 off the RRP. The sale is on until Wednesday, 4 January 2017.
• Xbox One S 1TB Limited Edition Battlefield package - Bundled with four games including Battlefield 1, plus a 4K UHD Blu-ray movie this is one of the best Xbox deals around — it’s on offer from EB Games for $419. (Sale end date not specified)
• Xbox One S 500GB and 1TB bundles - The official Microsoft Store has a selection of four different Xbox One S bundles available (each with a different game) for $349 for the 500GB and $399 for the 1TB versions — a decent saving of $50 and $100 respectively. Buy a 1TB bundle and you’ll also nab a free copy of Forza Motorsport 6 valued at $79.95. This offer ends 3 January 2017.
• HTC Vive Virtual Reality Headset Kit - Explore virtual reality worlds with this $100 saving on the HTC Vive from Mwave. It’s available for $1,299, but only until 27 December or while stocks last. So hurry or you’ll miss out.
• Watch Dogs 2 (Xbox One/PS4) - Ubisoft’s brand new open-world action/hacking game is discounted down to $45, or less than half the RRP of $99.95. Sale ends 4 January 2017.
• Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (Xbox One/PS4) - If you haven’t picked up the latest CoD yet, Target is offering up the standard console version for just $45, around half price compared to the RRP of $89.95.
• Titanfall 2 (Xbox One/PS4) - Another popular new release on sale at Target for a deep discount at just $45, or half the RRP.
• Battlefield 1 (Xbox One/PS4) - It’s previously been available for lower, but you can pick up the WWI shooter for a reasonable $62 at Target until 4 January 2017.
• Uncharted 4 (PS4) - The fourth installment in Naughty Dog’s gorgeous adventure-action series is also down to just $49 at Target.
• Major release PS4 and Xbox One games - Alongside those highlighted titles above, Target has a ton of other big-name 2016 games heavily discounted for Sony and Microsoft’s consoles. Highlights include Dishonored 2 for $45, FIFA 17 for $52, No Man’s Sky for $39, Final Fantasy XV for $64, Steep for $55 and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided for $39. And they're all on sale until 4 January 2017.

Tablet and 2-in-1 deals:

• Lenovo ThinkPad Yoga 460 (Core i7) - Lenovo is offering 50% off on the higher-specced model of this 14-inch laptop-cum-tablet — this one runs an Intel Core i7 processor, with 8GB memory and 256GB SSD. This means you pay only $1,324. This offer ends 9pm AEDST on Friday, 30 December 2016.
• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga (Core i7) - There’s a 36% saving to be had with this ultralight, versatile machine running an Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB RAM and 256GB hard drive. Lenovo is now offering this model for $1,999, down from $3,149. This deal also ends at 9pm AEDST on Friday, 30 December.
• Microsoft Surface Pro 4 range - If you’ve been looking to pick up a Surface Pro, there’s 15% off almost the entire range of devices at Harvey Norman, with prices starting at just $888 for the Core m3 model. (End date unspecified)
• Microsoft Surface Pro 4 (Intel Core m3) - This 12.3-inch 2-in-1 is on sale at the Microsoft Store with a 15% saving, with a free Kate Spade or Jack Spade sleeve (up to $169 value) thrown in with purchase as well. This offer ends 3 January 2017.

Laptop, MacBook and PC deals:

• Apple MacBook Air 13-inch (Core i5/128GB) - Harvey Norman has a variety of Macs on special, but the highlight is this entry-level Core i5/128GB that’s selling for $150 off its usual price of $1,447 at just $1,297. That’s $252 less than the Apple Store price of $1,549. (Sale till stocks last)
• Dell XPS 13 Ultrabook - Probably the closest equivalent to a MacBook you’ll find in PC form, for this 13.3-inch Ultrabook makes a great little workhorse and is actually TechRadar’s own top pick out of all the Windows laptops currently on the market. Dell’s offering 15-20% off all current models, with prices starting at $1,614. Sale ends 29 December 2016.
• Alienware 15-inch gaming laptop - The newly-updated Alienware 15 gaming laptop is $480 off the regular price of $2,399 and comes with a speedy Nvidia graphics chip (the GeForce GTX 1060), Core i5 CPU, 8GB of RAM and 128GB SSD+1TB HDD for storage. Grab it for a decent 20% discount at just $1,919. Offer ends 29 December 2016.
• Alienware VR-ready desktop gaming PC - If you want to get into VR gaming on PC this desktop makes a good entry-level option with a Core i7 CPU and GTX 1060 graphics card. Normally selling for $2,199, it’s discounted by $550 until this Thursday (December 29th), so you can grab it for $1,649.
• 11-inch Dell laptop for $349 - It’s not something we’d want to be doing serious work on, but if you need a laptop for the kids or other undemanding tasks then Dell’s Inspiron 11 3000 is currently discounted by $150, down from the RRP of $499. The specs aren’t too bad either, considering the price, with a Pentium CPU, 128GB SSD and 4GB of RAM. (Offer ends 29 December)
• All-rounder 15-inch Dell laptop - Down from the usual price of $1,899 this all-rounder can handle a bit of everything (including gaming) thanks to a Core i7 CPU, AMD Radeon R7 M445 graphics chip and 16GB of memory plus a 1TB HDD. You can pick up the Inspiron 15 5000 for $1,139. (Offer ends 29 December 2016)
• HP Spectre 13-V001TU Ultrabook - This ultrathin 13.3-inch Windows 10 laptop includes a Core i5 CPU, 8GB RAM and 256GB SSD and is $500 off the RRP at $1,699 from Harvey Norman - that’s at least $200 cheaper than the next-nearest retailer we could find. (End date unspecified)
• Acer Aspire Swift 7 Ultrabook - It’s been out less than a month, but Acer’s entry into the ultrathin laptop category is already discounted by $300 at Harvey Norman, where you can find this 13.3-inch Ultrabook for just $1,698. (End date unspecified)

Camera and accessories deals:

• Georges Camera is having a three-day sale on a selected range of cameras, lenses and accessories.
• JB Hi-Fi has some great camera deals, including DLSRs, the GoPro Hero+ and the 360fly 360-degree camera. Sale ends on 1 January 2017.

Smartphone deals:

• Apple iPhone 7 and 7 Plus: Kogan has significant discounts on iPhone 7s (up to 20% off in some cases). Sale end date has not been specified.
• Motorola Moto G4 Plus - This water-resistant, dual-SIM Android phone is on sale on Kogan for $299, down from its usual price of $489. (End date not specified)
• LG Google Nexus 5X (32GB) - If you want to shoot Ultra HD photos and 4K resolution videos, then Kogan has the LG’s Nexus for $429, down from $695.

Headphone and portable audio deals:

• Bose headphones and speakers - Microsoft is offering a savings of up to 20% on Bose audio with prices starting at just $111.20, including the Soundlink cans and the QC35s and QC25s. Sale ends 3 January 2017.
• Onkyo On-Ear Headphones - This is the best time to grab one of these as Kogan has the white model for just $49, down from its original $229. (No end date specified)
• Sennheiser Urbanite On-Ear Headphones - Kogan is also offering savings on the Sennheiser Urbanite headphones, now just $139 instead of their regular price of $299. (No end date specified)
• Sony Extra Bass Home Audio System - Light up your party with these Bluetooth speakers for just $369 from Kogan, that’s a saving of $180. (No end date specified)

Other deals:

• KitchenAid KSM156 Platinum Stand Mixer - We found a great deal on this KitchenAid stand mixer on Catch of the Day. It can be yours for $649 instead of its original price of $899. (End date not specified)
• DéLonghi Nespresso Gran Maestria Coffee Machine - Coffee lovers, this one’s for you — Catch of the Day has a massive $267 saving on this coffee machine. It’s now on sale for $399, down from $666.
• Hover Blade - This revolutionary way to ride is now on offer for just $249 at Target, saving you $150. Sale ends 4 January 2017.
• Parrot Disco Drone with FPV Pack - Fly free with this excellent deal from Harvey Norman — not only do you get to have fun with the drone, you even get the Cockpitglasses and a Skycontroller 2 to enjoy the view, and it’s neatly packaged at $1,897. That’s a $456 saving. (End date not specified)

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Top 5 best infrastructure management services

If you run your own business, you no doubt use a ton of IT equipment and software on a daily basis, covering a range of purposes. And it’s too easy for all this stuff to pile up and become overwhelming. 

This is where infrastructure management software comes in handy. It provides you with the ability to manage company processes and policies, computing equipment, data, contacts, human resources and security systems. 

Normally, IM can be sorted into different use categories, such as storage management, network management, system management, server management, workstation management, IT security management and application support.

The ultimate aim of this technology is to help you streamline your internal IT processes – but you’ll also get a plethora of other benefits, too. For instance, you can ensure you conform to internal and external regulations, enhance data flows, run an efficient IT operation and avoid wasting time duplicating efforts.

There are plenty of IM software packages out there, and they’re suitable for a variety of different businesses and sectors. Large vendors such as HP, IBM and Microsoft all offer IM software. In this article, we’re going to highlight five of the best.

• We’ve also highlighted the 5 best expenses tracking services

When it comes to software, it’s hard to beat American tech giant Microsoft, and the company has a great tool for infrastructure management. Configuration Manager is a suite of IM tools developed for IT managers and experts.

This solution deals primarily with operating systems, malware protection, power consumption and IT hardware. It can work on a variety of devices and across different work applications.

In terms of core features, the software offers device management, power management, update management, endpoint protection and inventory reporting. You can also use it to deploy Windows 10 quickly and efficiently on new devices.

• Sign up for Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager here

PagerDuty is another excellent infrastructure management solution. It offers incident and dispatch features for multiple services and applications, and has been tailored for a plethora of businesses and industries.

This is primarily a system monitoring and alert platform, providing incident management through a web or mobile application. What’s great is that it can send crucial infrastructure alerts through phone, SMS and push notifications. It can even send them to specific people or groups via email.

Feature-wise, the software offers team scheduling management, real-time collaboration information through different devices and platforms, system and user reporting, always-on delivery and business-grade security. There are also integrations with apps and services such as Slack, AppDynamics, Desk.com, Watcher and ZenDesk.

• Sign up for PagerDuty here

If you’re after a cloud-based IM platform, you should check out DataDog. The system offers monitoring and analytics management for businesses of all sizes and sectors, as well as maintaining a rich and yet simple interface.

The software can work with a wide selection of systems, apps and devices, and there are integrations which cover the likes of Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, Slack, SQL Server, Docker, Apache and Campfire.

You can create your own IM dashboards, too. They offer high-resolution metrics and graphs covering data such as hosts, devices, tags, rates, ratios and averages. There’s also the ability to search for different metrics and events. Like PagerDuty, you have the option to receive alerts – in this case, the software will alert you to performance problems via email.

• Sign up for DataDog here

LabTech is a remote monitoring and management platform designed by IT service providers for technology companies, and it provides automated IT service. The software is capable of running straight out of the box.

With a focus on network management, this solution offers powerful cloud-based reporting and visibility into your IT capabilities, allowing you to perform almost any IT management task remotely and efficiently.

Meanwhile, on the automation front, LabTech will analyse all your systems, solve problems and reduce time spent visiting on-site assets. As well as being able to access the software from a PC, there’s also an app for iOS and Android devices. 

Automation isn’t for everyone, but it’s certainly handy if you want to speed up internal processes. There’s a free trial available, so you don’t have to rush into making a final decision as to whether you want to adopt LabTech.

• Sign up for LabTech here

Pulseway is one of the most popular and highly commended remote monitoring and infrastructure management platforms. It lets you monitor Windows, Mac and Linux computers, and provides you with real-time status on network performance, system resources and logged in users.

There’s a mobile app for iOS and Android devices, meaning you can track and manage all your IT resources remotely. You also get access to advanced IT automation so you don’t have to spend time on mundane tasks, such as maintenance, backup and security checks.

You can set up alerts, too. Like some of the other systems mentioned here, they’ll flag any system issues that could potentially lead to damage or failure, and you can tailor them based on your IT devices. Pulseway is suitable for smaller firms and businesses all the way up to large enterprises.

• Sign up for Pulseway here

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Download of the day: Slack

Downloads advent calendar: get Ski Challenge free today

The best Boxing Day sales deals 2016

John Lewis Boxing Day sales are now live online

The John Lewis Boxing Day sales are now live. It's your chance to pick up a good deal on all that Christmas stock that didn't sell.

John Lewis is a popular retailer for big electronics items like TVs as well as white goods and laptops, due to the customer service and five-year guarantees.

• John Lewis Quick links:
• John Lewis Boxing Day sales
• Television deals
• Laptop and tablet deals
• Headphone and speakers deals
• Gaming deals
• Smartphone and telephone deals
• See all John Lewis deals

John Lewis is also, of course, famous for price matching its highstreet+online rivals like Currys and PC World. So if you spot anything from highstreet brands online, you should be able to get John Lewis to price match if you'd prefer to buy there.

Boxing Day sales at John Lewis might even be better than the deals we saw on Black Friday. The retail chain didn't actually do much on Black Friday, instead choosing to promote a small number of deals while price matching popular TVs.

It was probably a good strategy as it limited the number of products it was selling for below the usual amount. But the Boxing Day sales are a different animal - they're all about shifting stock that has built up over the Christmas period so it's possible that John Lewis will be the place to be on Monday.

We'll be rounding up all of the best Boxing Day sales deals right here on TechRadar so keep coming back for the latest updates.

Boxing Day Sales: Quick links

Just straight to the deals at the UK's biggest retailers. Links will open in new tab:

• Amazon.co.uk - end of year sale
• John Lewis clearance sale now on
• Currys - save up to 50% across all categories
• Argos - deals launching Christmas Day
• Tesco Direct Boxing Day sales
• GAME - January Sale now on!
• Zavvi - daily deals on games consoles
• AO.com - sale on TVs and home appliances

• The best Boxing Day sales deals 2016

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It's Christmas so watch this 8-bit version of Home Alone

In some households, Home Alone is as much a part of Christmas as presents under the tree and charades after dinner, so this new video from CineFix is perfectly timed.

It gives an authentic-looking 8-bit feel to the legendary battle between 8-year-old Kevin McCallister - abandoned by his family - and the Wet Bandits, intent on robbing Kevin's house while his parents are away.

The retro video stays pretty faithful to the film and covers all of the major scenes, complete with 90s-style audio effects.

Our only complaint is that it's only a video and not a fully playable game - there were actually some real Home Alone games released at the start of the 90s, but none of them looked as good as this does.

Perhaps the success of the Nintendo Mini Classic this holiday season might persuade someone to have a try at producing a new Home Alone game - with a suitably retro feel, of course.

In the meantime we can hope that we see more Christmas movies given the 8-bit graphics treatment - Die Hard or Jingle All The Way, anyone?

• These are the best Christmas movies you can stream right now

Via BGR

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The John Lewis Boxing Day sales begin at 5pm today

The John Lewis Boxing Day sales are scheduled to go live online at 5pm today. It's your chance to pick up a good deal on all that Christmas stock that didn't sell.

John Lewis is a popular retailer for big electronics items like TVs as well as white goods and laptops, due to the customer service and five-year guarantees.

• Jump straight there: John Lewis Boxing Day sales

John Lewis is also, of course, famous for price matching its highstreet+online rivals like Currys and PC World. So if you spot anything from highstreet brands online, you should be able to get John Lewis to price match if you'd prefer to buy there.

Boxing Day sales at John Lewis might even be better than the deals we saw on Black Friday. The retail chain didn't actually do much on Black Friday, instead choosing to promote a small number of deals while price matching popular TVs.

It was probably a good strategy as it limited the number of products it was selling for below the usual amount. But the Boxing Day sales are a different animal - they're all about shifting stock that has built up over the Christmas period so it's possible that John Lewis will be the place to be on Monday.

We'll be rounding up all of the best Boxing Day sales deals right here on TechRadar so keep coming back for the latest updates.

• The best Boxing Day sales deals 2016

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Download of the day: Handbrake

Downloads advent calendar: get Video Booth free today

Google's Santa Tracker is up and running

If you've been wondering about the strange familiarity of music when you are doing your weekly shop, and an unusually heavy amount of people wearing red and white hats then we're happy to reveal that this is because it's nearly Christmas - and that means the annual Google Santa Tracker is here.

Yep, every year we bring you the news that Google is allowing you to keep an eye on just where Father Christmas' sleigh is parked up, and keep tabs on how many presents he has delivered.

And even better you can follow all of this on the internet at http://ift.tt/1rOCEcm.

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Now Snapchat has “Filter Games”

 Snapchat wants you to play with your face, not just take pictures of it. New Selfie Lens filter games are starting to appear to users, creating an addicting new Snapchat feature that also inspires competition between friends and could become a powerful ad revenue driver. Snapchat confirms this is the launch of a new, native games feature. Back in March, Snapchat tested a limited run of a… Read More

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After Super Mario Run, Nintendo plans 2 or 3 new mobile games per year

 Super Mario Run may have its detractors, but it’s also managed to rack up nearly 10 million downloads per day in its App Store debut, officially topping 50 million downloads as of Friday. Those numbers, combined with its early revenue generating power, have Nintendo still keen on exploring more in mobile, with plans to release around two or three new mobile games per year beyond… Read More http://ift.tt/2hzr46P

Now Snapchat has “Filter Games”

 Snapchat wants you to play with your face, not just take pictures of it. New Selfie Lens filter games are starting to appear to users, creating an addicting new Snapchat feature that also inspires competition between friends and could become a powerful ad revenue driver. Snapchat confirms this is the launch of a new, native games feature. Back in March, Snapchat tested a limited run of a… Read More http://ift.tt/2i2Xwly