Trump will announce his Supreme Court nominee on Facebook Live tonight

President Donald Trump will announce his nominee to fill a vacant justice seat on the US Supreme Court via Facebook Live tonight.

The president revealed his streaming plans on - where else - Twitter earlier on Tuesday. The broadcast takes place at 5pm PT/8pm ET/1am GMT on the White House Facebook page. 

We asked Facebook for comment on Trump's stream, including how the social network views this as part of Live's role in the political process and whether it will offer any special support for the broadcast. A Facebook spokesperson got back to us with the following statement:

"We are available to provide advice and best practices to the White House, as we do for many elected officials. We are not providing any technical assistance or staff for tonight’s Facebook Live broadcast."

Trump's announcement is unusual for several reasons. For one, it takes place during primetime TV viewing hours, turning the monumental decision into something of a reality show. 

Trump has kept his list of candidates a secret, though the two front-runners are considered to be Neil Gorsuch and Thomas Hardiman. The judges are in Washington D.C. in anticipation of the announcement, according to Variety. One will leave with the nomination, the other with nothing.

Though the event will also air on traditional TV networks, with Facebook Live, Trump can still circumvent the media, delivering his message straight to viewers. The Trump administration's relationship with the media has only gotten more contentious during his first week-plus in office, so it's not surprising for him to use another platform to communicate the decision. 

Facebook has made a greater push into video in recent years, particularly when it comes to Live (you may have seen the commercials). 

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This Comcast app turns your Roku into a cable box

Comcast's Xfinity TV service has launched a beta for its upcoming Roku app, allowing Xfinity subscribers to watch their favorite cable shows on the set-top box.

The app is still undergoing testing with a complete launch planned for later this year, but interested users can give it a whirl for themselves by downloading it from the Roku Channel Store.

Through the Xfinity TV Roku app, users can stream live TV through their set-top, as well as access their On Demand library and watch cloud DVR recordings. 

The app does have limitations - such as being unable to rent or play back previously purchased programs - but Xfinity claims those features and more are to come as the beta progresses.

What else do I need?

In addition to a Roku system and an Xfinity TV & Internet/Stream TV subscription, users will also need a Comcast-provided TV box and a compatible IP gateway for their home.

Rokus models ranging from the Roku 4 to the Roku Express are supported, with Xfinity detailing the entire rundown of compatible products on the beta app's FAQ. Comcast also states that additional Roku devices will be added over the course of the beta leading up to the official launch.

Cable-cutters may disappointed that Xfinity TV on their Roku means signing up for Comcast's service, though alternatives like Sling TV, PlayStation Vue and AT&T's DirecTV Now provide the option to stream live television cable-free.

• Looking to ditch cable? Check out our guide to cord-cutting

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Social video app Beme shuts down today

 When CNN picked up Casey Neistat’s Beme back in November of last year, it announced that the social video sharing app would go the way of the dodo by the end of January 2017. Now here we sit, mere hours away from the second month of the year, and lo and behold, the app is shutting down today. Those who got in on the action during Beme’s relatively short run as a standalone will… Read More

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Snapchat now lets you make QR Snapcodes that open websites

 Facebook gave businesses the Like button connected to their Page, and now Snapchat is giving websites their own QR Snapcodes. With today’s iOS update and Android beta, users can create a unique Snapcode for a website, which will open inside Snapchat when they scan it with the app’s camera. This could create a powerful way for businesses and other sites to promote themselves… Read More

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Zoopla to buy house price valuer Hometrack for £120M to beef up its data services

 UK property listings site Zoopla is splashing out £120 million in cash (~$150M) on a big purchase of its own — announcing its intention today to acquire real estate analytics firm Hometrack as it looks to expand its data and analytics services. Read More http://ift.tt/2kOx54H

Download of the day: CyberGhost VPN

Cyberghost VPN

In these dark times of hackers intercepting data, governments spying on their citizens’ perfectly legal activities and YouTube geo-blocking videos in some countries because of record companies’ nastygrams a virtual private networking app, or VPN for short, is increasingly important.

There are many VPN apps out there, but very few that rhyme with toast. More importantly, CyberGhost VPN is really, really good.

Why you need it

The internet can be a dangerous place, and if you’re sharing data you don’t want to fall into the wrong hands then it’s a scary place too. Sadly we think the need for VPNs for everyday browsing is just going to keep on growing.  

VPNs are routinely used to protect companies’ important files and emails, and the same tech is just as effective in ensuring nobody hacks your laptop when you’re on a public Wi-Fi hotspot. In many cases you also get the happy bonus of bypassing geographical restrictions on things such as online video services, where a clip might be licensed for viewing in one country but not in another, and on websites that really, really, really don’t want you to see anything other than the one for the country you’re in. 

Download here: CyberGhost VPN

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French government to promote gender equality in the tech ecosystem

 The French government announced a new initiative today in order to promote gender equality in the tech ecosystem in France with the help of 15 organizations. Like in many other countries, there are less women working in French startups than men. This is a key issue when it comes to recruiting the best talent and addressing the right market. I’m glad to see that the French government… Read More http://ift.tt/2jrAnL1

Facebook launches a marketing mix modeling portal for comparing Facebook ads to TV, print & more

 Facebook today announced a laundry list of updates regarding its measurement partnership program, including expanded partnerships with Nielsen and comScore, and the addition of a new partner, DoubleVerify. The company also offered details on the status of current integrations, and the launch of a new online portal to help marketers see how their Facebook ads perform, in comparison with… Read More

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The best free Photoshop filters 2017

BT Sport kicks off 4K Dolby Atmos football with Chelsea vs Liverpool

BT is set for the world’s first live broadcast of Premier League football in Dolby Atmos and Ultra HD, kicking off proceedings with a game between Chelsea and Liverpool.

The game is being shown live on the BT Sport 4K UHD channel tonight (31 January), from 7pm, and will be the first time Dolby Atmos has been delivered live from a football pitch. 

Dolby Atmos has been something of a revelation for Dolby since its release, with the sound giants making sure that the audio codec isn't just limited to the cinema. 

It's also made its way into clubs, with a team-up with Ministry of Sound, and now it's tackling football, live and also in UHD.

Pitch perfect

There will be 12 microphones capturing the sound at the game - placed around the edge of the football pitch and near the crowd. It's hoped these mics will capture everything from the ref's whistle to the crowd's cheers, all in 3D, so that it will feel like you are actually in the stadium but without the smell of pies.

There will be two OB (outside broadcast) trucks taking in these audio feeds - equipped with overhead speakers so they can mix the sounds and hear the results live - and the UHD picture, all of which is then piped through BT's fibre broadband.

If you have yet to get Dolby Atmos installed in your home, then don't panic: BT will be broadcasting further Premier League and FA Cup matches both in 4K and Atmos further in the year.

• Behind the scenes of BT Sport's 4K Ultra HD revolution
• Samsung HW-K850 Soundbar with Dolby Atmos review

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LEGO Life is a new social network where kids can share their creations

 Club Penguin may be shutting down, but there’s a new social network for kids arriving today from LEGO. The company known for its physical blocks and building sets is launching LEGO Life, a safe, online space where kids can share their LEGO creations, and connect with a broader community. Available as an iOS and Android application, the social network is aimed at those under the age of… Read More

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You can get a 4K UHD Blu-ray player on Amazon right now for under £290

So you’ve dropped the money on a brand new 4K TV and although you’d quite like to go the whole nine yards and buy an Ultra HD Blu-ray player to sit alongside it, you just can’t quite justify the cost while native UHD content is so thin on the ground.

Fortunately, Amazon is making getting on the Ultra HD Blu-ray train early less of a financial pain by knocking £110 off the Panasonic DMP-UB700EBK, bringing its price down to a more palatable £289. 

We awarded it five stars in our review, calling it  'the best band for buck 4K UHD Blu-ray performance.'

At this price it’s actually more on a level with the Xbox One S, which is still currently the Ultra HD Blu-ray player to beat when it comes to price. 

If you’d rather have a dedicated system, though, the DMP-UB700EBK offers 4K playback from discs and full HD 3D blu-ray disc playback, as well as support for online content like 4K Netflix and 4K YouTube. 

• A deal that's come at the perfect time now that we know the Harry Potter collection is going 4K

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Lightweight Windows 10 Cloud OS appears to threaten Chromebooks’ throne

Windows 10 Cloud is an alleged fresh version of Microsoft’s latest operating system which could be arriving soon, although the new variant won’t actually be a cloud-powered OS as seen on Google’s Chromebooks. Rather, it will reportedly be a new take on Windows RT (kind of) which will still threaten the Chromebook.

The name Windows 10 Cloud was spotted by folks digging deep inside recent preview builds of Windows 10, including the infamous WalkingCat, a denizen of Twitter who is the source of many Microsoft rumors. 

And naturally it kicked off plenty of speculation about exactly what this spin on Windows 10 could be, with ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley tapping her inside sources at Microsoft to discover that this variant won’t actually be a cloud-driven OS (which makes the name a little bizarre, but hey).

Rather, the assertion from these sources is that this will simply be a cut-down version of Windows 10 that will only run universal apps from the Windows Store, so as mentioned, this is sort of the successor to Windows RT in that it’s aimed at budget machines.

In other words, a very basic version of Windows 10 which hardware manufacturers can deploy very cheaply – or maybe even free – to keep costs down, and push further and harder with lower-priced Windows devices. So in a roundabout way, it does have Chromebooks in its sights in terms of attacking this low-end of the notebook market, even if a ‘cloudy’ OS isn’t the goal.

Shifting apps

Before we get too carried away, though, bear in mind this is all speculation from, so don’t read too much into it. But this line of attack does make sense for Microsoft, and of course would also push the Windows Store harder, helping to shift more apps from there (which would be a major boon for the software giant, obviously).

There’s also chatter that this spin on Windows 10 will be aimed at the education sector – where Chromebooks are very strong, of course – and it could be a vehicle for pushing Office 365 and other Microsoft cloud services (that might be where the ‘Cloud’ moniker derives from).

Again, this is all guesswork, and Microsoft is officially saying absolutely nothing about this development (which is no great surprise).

When it comes to launch timing, given that references have popped up in Windows test builds now, Windows 10 Cloud could become a reality with the Creators Update due in April. Or possibly the following update later in the year, but it certainly seems likely that this is a project for 2017. Assuming anything comes of it at all, that is.

• Sticking with the Chromebook? These are the 7 best models you can buy

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Club Penguin is shutting down

 Club Penguin, the Disney-owned social network for kids, announced this morning it’s shutting down. In its place, the company will launch a new product for mobile, Club Penguin Island, which has been in development over the past several years. Club Penguin Island will launch in March, while the Club Penguin game on the desktop and mobile devices will shut down on March 29, 2017. The… Read More http://ift.tt/2kcyxuw

Around 5-percent of ‘Super Mario Run’ downloaders end up buying the game

 Some additional insight out of today’s Nintendo earnings. The gaming giant offered some key contextual information about Mario’s recent mobile debut. The title has racked up more than 78 million downloads globally, according to the company, pulling in a respectable $53 million or so since it hit iOS in December. The company puts Super Mario Run’s conversation rate at… Read More http://ift.tt/2jQcI5G

Twitter is bringing in ‘long overdue’ fixes to target harassment this week

In a recent string of tweets, Twitter’s vice president of engineering Ed Ho has acknowledged something we all know – Twitter has a harassment problem and it’s not handling it well. He also promised, however, that this is about to change. 

According to Ho, “in the days ahead” there will be a number of product tweaks that will include some “long overdue changes” to the site’s mute and block features, as well as new measures that will stop “repeat offenders from creating new accounts.”

It seems that making Twitter a safer place for users is a matter of primary importance for the company, with Ho saying that they are “moving with more urgency than ever”, thinking about progress in terms of “days and hours not weeks and months.”

More than empty gestures

Considering Twitter’s character limit, Ho obviously couldn’t go into great detail about what exactly the changes will be, but he did say that some would be more visible than others. He also added that Twitter wants to create a dialogue with its users about the changes; users will be updated when changes are made but any feedback they provide will be heard. 

Twitter’s CEO Jack Dorsey reinforced Ho’s promise by retweeting his comments, before adding himself that Twitter would be “taking a completely new approach to abuse.” 

Twitter has attracted a large amount of criticism for its lack of a cohesive approach to tackling harassment of its users, so this is something that really had to happen sooner rather than later. 

Though it’s attempted to make big public gestures in the past by banning controversial accounts, the overall impact of these gestures has been small and they feel empty. It’ll be interesting to see just what steps Twitter takes to protect its users in a more meaningful way and how quickly they’ll be implemented. 

• Twitter has changed up its Moments tab

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Best VPN for Mac: Our 5 top choices

Mac users can get somewhat complacent about security, but they shouldn’t – Apple’s desktop computers are being increasingly targeted by cybercriminals, and it never pays to let your guard down. Certainly, as well as competent antivirus, folks with a Mac need a quality Virtual Private Network just as much as anyone on Windows – although not every VPN service provides a client or satisfactory support for macOS users. However, if you’re stuck as to which provider to go with, help is at hand…

How to choose the best VPN for Mac

It’s not always easy to find a Mac-friendly VPN service. Obviously enough, it’s important to choose a provider that offers a pre-configured client for its service. Having a good Mac client is a huge boon in terms of simply making things as easy as possible. Solid iOS support is also a welcome feature if you’re heavily invested in the Apple ecosystem and have an iPhone as well as a Mac.

Next, you need powerful security with strong encryption, which goes without saying, and an easily understandable privacy policy that makes it perfectly clear what data is kept by the provider. Good performance levels obviously don’t hurt, either. Below are the five best VPN services for Mac that we've picked out for you.

• We’ve also highlighted the best antivirus software for your Mac

ExpressVPN is our top choice for the best all-round VPN service on the Mac. The dedicated app is intuitive and very user-friendly, featuring a one-click option for connecting, as well as some advanced options. It uses 256-bit OpenVPN encryption both over UDP and TCP protocols and comes with a kill switch.

There’s also a very good iOS app so you get a complete Apple VPN experience. Great speeds, a favourable privacy policy and 24/7 customer support rounds off an excellent Mac VPN experience.

Nevertheless, the pricing slightly tarnishes things. The service is a tad pricier than most other VPN providers, with no free trial – but there is a 30-day money-back guarantee. ExpressVPN offers three price plans, with the 12-month plan offering the best value. The packages available are:

• [$12.95 a month] 1-month
• [$9.99 a month] 6-months - $59.95
• [$8.32 a month] 12-months - $99.95
• Download ExpressVPN for Mac here

When it comes to security, NordVPN does it like no other. Its own ‘Double VPN’ technology encrypts data twice – in other words, it passes your data through two separate VPN servers to make things even more secure – while there are additional security extras such as encrypted chat, web proxy extensions and so on.

NordVPN’s clients for both macOS and iOS are rather basic compared to others, but keeping things simple can be advantageous for novices. This provider is also P2P-friendly and has a strict zero logs policy, which makes it perfect for those seeking an ultra-secure and private experience. The performance was slightly above average in our testing, too.

There is no free trial, but the good news is that NordVPN is a relatively affordable service. There are three plans available with a 30-day money-back guarantee. The 1-year plan is the most popular choice (although currently, there’s a limited time offer for a 2-year plan that boasts the best savings). The packages available are:

• [$11.95 a month] 1-month
• [$7.00 a month] 6-months - $42.00
• [$5.75 a month] 1-year - $69.00
• [$3.29 a month] 2-years - $79.00
• Download NordVPN for Mac here

IPVanish’s Mac app features a nifty design and a few welcome options like a kill switch and automatic IP switching. The service is blazingly fast, and it’ll automatically hook you up to the fastest server available, a nice touch on the convenience front. Not only are download speeds fast with this VPN, it allows P2P.

OpenVPN, PPTP and L2TP protocols are supported, and there’s also decent iOS support and a wide coverage of servers, with no logging of the user’s activities.

However, you pay for the performance you get here. IPVanish doesn’t have a free trial, although there is a 7-day money-back guarantee with all three available plans. The 1-year subscription is clearly the best choice. The packages available are:

• [$10.00 a month] 1-month
• [$8.99 a month] 3-months - $26.99
• [$6.49 a month] 1-year - $77.90
• Download IPVanish for Mac here

KeepSolid VPN Unlimited has all the right ingredients in optimal quantities. Its native Mac client is well-designed, and you can pick up nifty extras like a personal server or a personal static IP. The service also offers solid iOS support and doesn’t store any user information on the privacy front.

Performance varied a bit during testing, but overall it was solid enough, doing well on downloads but with things slowing up a bit more on uploads. And the choice of servers isn’t as extensive as some VPNs.

The pricing plans are a story of their own. There’s six of them and they all represent good value for money, ranging from a weekly plan to a permanent ‘forever’ subscription. The 3-year plan offers the best savings – and don’t forget you can avail yourself of a 7-day free trial to test the service out. The packages available are:

• [$1.99 a week] 1-week
• [$4.99 a month] 1-month
• [$3.00 a month] 3-months - $9
• [$2.08 a month] 1-year - $24.95
• [$1.94 a month] 3-years - $69.85
• Forever - $129.99
• Download KeepSolid VPN Unlimited for Mac here

Our best balanced option for the Mac is Hotspot Shield. First and foremost, it boasts speedy performance levels, actually increasing both our upload and download speeds once connected (although your mileage may vary). The client is pretty straightforward to use, although don’t expect much in the way of more advanced configuration options.

There aren’t a huge range of options in terms of server coverage, either, but the service comes with benefits like cloud-based malware protection, and a favourable privacy policy (any information which might be recorded is deleted when your VPN session closes).

Another strong point of Hotspot Shield is the pricing. It currently offers five subscription plans, including a ‘forever’ option. Unless you want to commit to the latter, the overall best bet is the 2-year plan which is extremely affordable. The packages available are:

• [$11.95 a month] 1-month
• [$3.33 a month] 6-months - $19.00
• [$2.50 a month] 1-year - $29.95
• [$2.08 a month] 2-years - $49.95
• Forever - $99.95
• Download Hotspot Shield here

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Eventbrite buys Ticketscript, a self-service ticket platform for music events

 Eventbrite, the billion-dollar event-management platform that some tip for an imminent IPO, has made another acquisition in Europe to build out its presence here, and to move deeper into ticketing services. It has acquired Ticketscript, a startup based out of Amsterdam that offers a popular platform for event organisers to set up and sell tickets online for live events like music… Read More http://ift.tt/2jyciNN

Seedcamp sells part of its stake in European unicorn TransferWise

 Seedcamp, an early backer of TransferWise, has sold part of its stake in the London-based money transfer startup, in a Secondary dealing that may well represent one of the best European seed exits in recent years that wasn’t an acquisition or IPO. Read More http://ift.tt/2kMPqiB

Razer acquires Nextbit, the startup behind the Robin smartphone

 Three months after acquiring iconic audio tech company THX, Razer is making another move to expand its business beyond hardware and software for the gaming community. The company has acquired Nextbit, the startup behind the Robin smartphone, founded by Android veterans who had set out with high hopes (and some decent funding) to rethink how to build a mobile phone that leant on cloud… Read More http://ift.tt/2kIdZdz

Trump’s immigration order send ripples of dismay through UK tech community

 Reactions to President Trump’s Executive Order placing a three-month ban on entry to the U.S. from seven majority Muslim countries have been rippling out across the Atlantic over the past 48 hours — with figures from the UK tech industry adding their voices to a general chorus of dismay. Read More http://ift.tt/2kkMnO9

Instagram Stories is stealing Snapchat’s users

 Good enough and convenient. That’s proved a winning strategy for Instagram’s clone, according to a dozen analytics providers, social media celebrities, and talent managers who told TechCrunch they’ve seen a decline in Snapchat Stories usage since Instagram Stories launched on August 2nd. Read More

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Berlin’s Jobspotting acquired by SF’s SmartRecruiters for undisclosed sun

A couple of years ago Jobspotting, out of Berlin, decided job sites were dull and pretty useless (right?) so they put a modern search interface on top of results from third-party recruitment sites, weaved in your social accounts and applied an algorithm to give users better results. But although they raised a $500k seed round, they entered a tough market where similar players like Adzuna in the… Read More http://ift.tt/2ka2fAv

Download of the day: qBittorrent

The best YouTube to MP3 converter 2017

Snap to list on New York Stock Exchange

 Snap, the parent of Snapchat, will be listing on the New York Stock Exchange, TechCrunch has confirmed. The news was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. This means that you can expect to see a big Snapchat banner on Wall Street and that executives will likely be ringing the opening bell when the company debuts, likely in March. The move sends the message that Snap wants its IPO to… Read More

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The best free music downloader

WhatsApp will soon let you track your friends

A number of interesting new features have been spotted in the WhatsApp beta for iOS and Android recently, one of which appears to be live location tracking.

It appears that the Live Location feature will display your real-time location to those you chat to in groups using WhatsApp. The feature was spotted by Twitter user WABetaInfo, although exactly where your location will be made visible isn’t clear.

Naturally, a feature like this has the potential to raise concerns with regards to privacy. To address these concerns, the Live Location feature will be disabled until the user manually opts in via the app’s settings menu. 

Just think of all the fibs and lame excuses that could be exposed if this wasn’t the case – all those people who tell you they’re five minutes away when they haven’t left the house yet would be rumbled.

In or out

Those who don’t want to have their location constantly on display (that’ll be the majority of users we imagine), but who would find the feature useful in certain scenarios, will have the option to enable the feature for a limited window of one, two or five minutes. 

This isn’t the only interesting feature that’s been spotted in the app’s Android beta. There are also reports that we could soon see the ability to edit messages we’ve sent, as well as recall messages you wish you hadn’t sent at all. 

It would only be possible to edit or recall messages that haven’t been read, though, so you’ll still have to live with those mid-conversation regrets – at least until WhatsApp develops a memory-wiping feature.

Although these features have been spotted in the beta it’s not clear when they’ll be rolled out, or whether they’ll be rolled out exactly as they appear in the beta. 

• 10 brilliant WhatsApp tips and tricks

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10 surprising trends in the IoT for 2017

What's new in the Internet of Things (IoT)? What isn't? The fast-growing IoT community obsesses over which platforms will dominate, worries about security and dark data, and ponders how blockchains are going to affect it, but there are many other trends that get overlooked.

From the possibilities of voice control in the IoT and printed nanotechnology to the realities of autonomous vehicles in smart cities, there's a lot more to the so-called 'trillion sensor network society' than big data. 

• We’ve also looked at 6 ways of protecting your IoT operations

The IoT community loves to fret about the lack of common connectivity standards, but the future is interoperability. The IoT’s confusing array of connectivity protocols – including cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Sigfox, Wirepas and dozens more – is causing a crisis of confidence in some, but in a software-driven world, there’s really no need to panic.

“We used to standardise connectivity and protocols because everything had to be hard-wired on the silicon side,” said Tappo Hemla, CEO, Wirepas, at the IoT Tech Expo in London earlier this month. “But aside from cellular, everything else now runs on software.” Each standard has advantages, whether that be data rates and battery life or range and outdoor coverage, and can survive quite easily alongside others.

One day it will be done using graphene inks, but printed electronics are nevertheless coming to the IoT. Oslo-based Thinfilm is producing printed tags, labels and NFC smart packaging that allows memory, sensing, display, and wireless communications which 'extend the traditional boundaries of the IoT'. Its SpeedTap tag, which links to the cloud, is being used on passports to prevent counterfeiting, and to track and secure parcels. 

Not having legacy infrastructure is, in the IoT era, a potential advantage. “Cities in emerging economies haven’t invested in legacy systems so they have an advantage,” says Tim Gammons, Director, Arup. “London's TfL has 6,000 connected signals, but in Cape Town, South Africa they have none, so they can leap-frog ahead.”

Emerging cities are by definition more open to IoT innovation, as long as it's cheap; it's far easier for an IoT developer to pitch a simple ‘sensors on buses’ IoT project to a city that doesn’t already collect data, than it is to convince TfL to implement something across its already vast legacy network. A great example is WhereIsMyTransport, an open data platform for emerging cities. 

Software, not hardware, dominates IoT development. “Hardware in the IoT is difficult,” said Mobeen Khan, associate VP for IoT solutions at January’s AT&T Expo. “You’re dealing with software developers who are used to coding in different environments, but they’re not used to collecting data or interfacing with devices.” Cue Arduino and Raspberry Pi.

“If you go to the maker community everybody uses Raspberry Pi,” said Khan, announcing that its IoT Starter Kit would now be compatible with the million-selling single-board computer, essentially adding cellular connectivity to it, and access to its IoT infrastructure and data storage services.

Not forgetting the release this month of the Raspberry Pi Compute Module 3 for designers of industrial machinery and robots, which shows that the humble single-board computer has a serious future in the IoT. 

Long-range wide area networks for IoT projects are what everyone's talking about, but don't underestimate the role of new broadband-capable satellites. The European Space Agency (ESA) is actively encouraging IoT developers to use its ARTES satellites. IoT projects include tracking a wearable device for offenders, a Bike Citizens app that rewards cyclists according to the distance they cycle (and helps smart city planners optimise cycling routes), and a project that measures the subsidence of buildings in earthquake zones.

Plus, SpaceX has just launched the first of 70 satellites for Iridium, which will add to its existing fleet of 66 satellites to create Iridium NEXT broadband by satellite services. Aircraft and ships will now get 1.4 Megabits per second speeds, which will enable global IoT projects that can track anything almost anywhere on the planet. 

IoT folks love to talk about 'urban mobility', but a report by MIT (New York), ITF (Lisbon) and the VDV (Stuttgart) has shown that it would be possible to take every citizen to their destination with at least 80% fewer cars. Great, but that means fleets of vehicles all accelerating and decelerating more quickly and safely. In reality, self-driving cars could increase congestion.

“Instead of leaving a self-driving car in a parking space all day people may think it should be making money for them,” said Jeremy Dalton, CTO at mobility-as-a-service company TravelSpirit. “Those cars that sit idle 90% of the time could suddenly be out there making money for their owners, picking up and dropping off.” 

Ultra-fast internet is moving up the agenda quickly. Speaking at CES, Glenn Laxdal, CTO and Head of Strategy at Ericsson North America, said that 5G would come to market in 2018, and other claims supported that extraordinary statement.

"We’re not waiting until the final standards are set to lay the foundation for our evolution to 5G – we’re executing now,” said John Donovan, chief strategy officer and group president, Technology and Operations, AT&T, earlier this month.

However, if 5G is to come sooner than anyone thought, it won't be quite as fast as it could be. Initial lab trials have achieved wireless speeds up to 14Gbps and 3ms of latency, though a 5G business customer trial in Austin, Texas by Intel, Ericsson and AT&T is using millimetre wave (mmWave) tech on unlicensed spectrum, which has so far hit 1Gbps. 

London is getting its own IoT network. Announced in December 2016, a total of 50 base stations will create the UK’s largest IoT low-power wide area network (LoRaWAN) for London’s digital startups to experiment with.

However, the goal is smart transport, using sensors around the city to collect data on traffic congestion and pedestrian footfall –  and even from bike-frame sensors – to help develop a ‘safer journey’ planner for cyclists in central London. Temperature, air quality and humidity will also be collected to work on environmental quality analysis to help asthma sufferers, while wind speed will be measured to help calculate the most efficient routes around the capital for… delivery drones.

Voice is poised to make a significant impact on how humans interface with electronics generally, and that applies in spades to the IoT. In the home, it's all about Amazon's Alexa, but in the wider IoT, expect Google Assistant and Microsoft’s Cortana to have a big impact when it comes to ushering in a hands-free era.

"The majority of vendors of Alexa-compatible major appliances and smart home devices express a strong interest in making their products compatible with Google Assistant," said Guy Hammett, an analyst at Futuresource Consulting, after CES 2017. As well as wearables for staff, expect voice control interfaces for machine operators and maintenance engineers out in the field. Cortana's future could be in vehicles – it was demoed by Nissan and BMW at CES 2017.

The IoT is growing fast, but a limitlessly connected, wireless, 5G future with billions of interconnected wireless devices will mean finding new ways to share spectrum, not fight for it. "Every conversation about spectrum today begins and ends with the question of limits, but the spectrum revolution can end this," said Kalpak Gude, President of the Dynamic Spectrum Alliance, over at the Pacific Telecommunications Council (PTC) conference earlier this month in Hawaii.

"With the technological advances that have occurred, spectrum scarcity is not a necessary law of nature – dynamic spectrum sharing is a solution to overcome, and ultimately end, the focus on limits and it will be at the heart of the future 5G world.” Dynamic spectrum management (DSM) is crucial if low-band, mid-band, and high-band spectrum is to be available and abundant, added Gude.

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Apple TV is continuing to decline but what’s going wrong?

Despite its recent revamp, Apple’s attempt at a video streaming box isn’t having the best time. Not only was it roundly criticized in reviews, recent data from eMarketer shows that its sales aren’t picking up either.

According to eMarketer Apple TV "is at the bottom of the U.S. connected TV market, behind Google Chromecast and Roku, with its share shrinking.” That’s got to hurt for a company that’s not exactly known for releasing unpopular products.

The company reports that in the US Apple TV is used by just 11.9 percent of connected TV customers, marking a steady decline from 12.5 percent in September and 12.6 percent in 2015. 

Shrinking share

So what could Apple be doing wrong with its offering?

When the fourth generation Apple TV launched in late 2015 it was a significant improvement on the previous generations of Apple TVs with its 1080p output, third party apps, and speedy hardware. However, in the context of the wider streaming device market it just wasn’t good enough and unfortunately that’s still the case. 

The problem is that though Apple TV does the basics fairly well, the devices Google and Roku are offering do the same and more for less money. You can expect to pay around $149/£139 for a 1080p 32GB Apple TV which is a significant sum when you consider the fact that you can pick up a 4K Amazon Fire TV set-top box, or the 4K Chromecast Ultra for almost half that. 

Keeping up with the competition

If you’re entrenched in the Apple ecosystem, own several iOS devices and you buy all of your films and music from iTunes the Apple TV is likely to hold some attraction for you. Otherwise, the other streaming devices out there are likely to draw you in first as they’re more affordable and offer more content. 

Though Apple began working on introducing third party apps to its device and it continues to add more over time it feels rather like a too little too late situation. 

It’s also worth noting that Apple’s relationship with some of the most popular streaming services like Amazon and Spotify means it’s unlikely we’ll see them bring apps to the device any time soon which puts Apple TV at a disadvantage when devices like Roku are able to offer more. 

Not only that, Apple still isn’t able to offer the live TV subscription service it had originally hoped to launch. Increasingly we don't want to have to access apps to watch our shows, we want everything in one large diverse streaming ecosystem.

That market is now increasingly dominated by companies like Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu to the point where even if Apple does manage to pull together its own service, it may struggle to compete unless it’s able to offer something extremely attractive these other services can’t. 

Apple recently announced that it would up the maximum allotted size for apps on the Apple TV from 200MB to 4GB which should make the device more appealing to game designers but improved gaming options isn’t likely to make the Apple TV more appealing to those looking for a TV streaming device.

Besides this, the Apple TV’s internal memory hasn’t increased beyond 64GB so despite being able to hold bigger apps, it won’t be able to hold many of them in its current form.

Is there hope?

This could, however, point towards a new generation of Apple TVs with larger hard drives on the horizon.  

Though Apple clearly isn’t giving up on the Apple TV, it's highly unlikely that improving it is at the top of the company’s priority list. 

Apple had a great vision for the Apple TV, going as far as calling it the “future of television.”

Unfortunately, though the Apple TV is undoubtedly a solid device in its own right, we haven’t really seen any sign of it being “the future of television” just yet. 

Apple is making improvements but its competitors – who were already offering more – are too which could make it hard for Apple to catch up enough to be considered serious competition. Until it's able to offer a service that justifies its higher price point, Apple don't give consumers much reason to choose AppleTV over any other streaming box. 

• These are our picks of the best set-top boxes

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Your Sky subscription is about to reduce by 13 channels - here's why

Bad news Sky subscribers, you’re about to lose 13 channels after January 31 from your subscription whether you like it or not. 

The channels in question are those owned by Discovery, and include Eurosport, Discovery History and Discovery Science. 

Now TV (Sky’s streaming service) does not currently allow live streaming of any Discovery-owned channels, and so its subscribers will feel less of an impact. 

What's causing this?

The situation has come about due to a price dispute, although it’s not clear exactly how the dispute started.

Reuters reports that Sky is unhappy with the price Discovery is asking for its channels and quotes a representative as saying, "We have been overpaying Discovery for years and are not going to anymore."

In a statement on its website, Sky has said that Discovery asked for close to £1bn for the right to broadcast its channels, when Sky claims many are in decline.

It sounds as though with fewer people watching linear channels in favour of on-demand content, Sky is looking to spend less on the former while it shifts its focus to the latter with products such as Sky Q.

Both companies appear to be running PR campaigns to get the public onside. Discovery has set up a countdown on its website to drum up support the channels on Sky’s service with instructions for its fans to contact Sky to petition for a deal to be made.

Meanwhile Sky has set up a ‘We Love Discovery Too’ page to put across its side of the argument.

With both companies sticking to their guns it’s hard to see the situation resolving itself any time soon, but we’ve got our fingers crossed that Discovery fans won’t have to search too far to get their fix.

Which channels are affected?

Here is a complete list of the Discovery channels that will be leaving Sky’s service:

• Discovery Channel
• Discovery Channel HD
• Discovery Channel +1
• Animal Planet
• Animal Planet HD
• Animal Planet +1
• Discovery Science
• Discovery Science +1
• Investigation Discovery
• Investigation Discovery+1
• Discovery History
• Discovery History+1
• Discovery Turbo
• Quest
• Quest+1
• DMAX
• DMAX+1
• TLC
• TLC HD
• TLC+1
• TLC+2
• Home & Health
• Home & Health +1
• Discovery Shed
• Eurosport 1
• Eurosport 1 HD
• Eurosport 2
• Eurosport 2 HD

• Check out our full Sky Q and Now TV reviews.

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The best free PDF reader 2017

Netflix spent the most on a single movie at this year's Sundance film festival

We’ve already seen that Netflix is spending more than many traditional TV broadcasters on its shows, but this year at Sundance it also took the title for the most money spent on a single film. 

The film in question was Mudbound, a film about post-WWII racial segregation in America which Netflix paid $12.5m for the rights to distribute. 

The streaming company will follow a similar format to its past film releases by releasing the film simultaneously across cinemas and its core streaming service. 

Oscar ambitions

After investing heavily in television shows, Netflix and Amazon now appear to be getting into movies.

Last year Amazon paid $10m for the rights to Manchester by the Sea, which has gone on to secure a nomination for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars as well as netting a healthy $40m in revenue.

It certainly seems as though the worlds of both TV and cinema are getting more diverse than ever before, with new streaming providers making some pretty intelligent bets about what will resonate with viewers.

It’s also a positive move that these providers are providing these films through their streaming platforms at the same time as their cinematic releases, especially for those of us that prefer to do our movie watching in the comfort of our own homes. 

• Check out our guide to the best films on Netflix.

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Sky Q to include high-end 3D surround sound Dolby Atmos by end of 2017

Fans of high-end audio rejoice, according to an infographic produced by Sky, the company is planning on bringing Dolby Atmos to Sky Q in 2017. 

Additionally the infographic, which was included in a presentation to investors and later spotted by WhatHiFi, mentions voice search and voice control, following in the footsteps of Amazon Fire TV’s Alexa integration and should make it quicker than ever to find the content you want to watch without having to input text using the system’s remote. 

Unfortunately beyond ‘2017’ no extra information about when we could expect the features was forthcoming. The graphic appears to suggest that voice search would be the first feature to make its way, with voice control and Atmos support coming later in the year.

Cinematic ambitions

Sky is not the first company to be experimenting with the technologies.
Late last year BT announced that it would be bringing Dolby Atmos support to select football matches, but Sky’s extensive film catalogue makes its integration of the technology a much more interesting proposition.

Future cinematic Atmos releases include Spider-Man: Homecoming, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Wonder Woman, and last year Dr. Strange was a high profile movie to make use of the 3D surround sound technology.

With features like this and the Ultra HD support, Sky Q is fast becoming one of the most feature-complete ways of watching TV.

Now if it could only get Netflix and Amazon Prime into the box we’d stop needing to have anything else plugged into our televisions…

• Here's everything you need to know about Dolby Atmos.

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Could Windows Defender be the last antivirus you will ever need?

Do you use third-party antivirus software? Well you shouldn’t if you’re running one of Microsoft’s newer operating systems, at least according to a developer who used to work on Firefox (but has since left Mozilla).

Those who are running Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, Microsoft’s two most recent versions of its desktop OS, should simply stick to the built-in protection of Windows Defender, according to Robert O’Callahan.

He argues that in actual fact there isn’t any compelling evidence at all to indicate that going with a third-party antivirus solution will actually make your PC any more secure (unless you’re running an older operating system – Windows 7 or further back – in which case it may help a little).

Otherwise, O’Callahan says that Windows Defender is good enough for basic security needs – but the real point he’s making is that it doesn’t introduce bugs and problems that third-party efforts suffer from, which can actually make the machine they’re installed on more vulnerable to attackers. And that Microsoft follows standard security practices, whereas third-party security vendors don’t.

At any rate, we don’t have to look back very far for an example of the aforementioned bugs, as it was reported last week that Trend Micro, a big-name security firm, had over 200 flaws present across its range of products (which white-hat hackers uncovered over the second half of 2016). The vast majority of those vulnerabilities could be exploited remotely, as well.

The ex-Mozilla employee also warned that the various makers of antivirus software often managed to break the code included in browsers designed to keep users safe from certain exploits, again making them more vulnerable rather than secure. And critical browser updates can also be blocked by third-party security software, he further noted.

Antivirus vendors = terrible

O’Callahan wrote: “Antivirus software vendors are terrible; don't buy antivirus software, and uninstall it if you already have it (except, on Windows, for Microsoft's [Defender]).”

He explained that it’s difficult for browser makers to air these sort of issues because they need the cooperation of antivirus companies when it comes to fixing any problems that crop up – and a bad relationship could make this more difficult, obviously enough.

He further observed: “Users have been fooled into associating AV vendors with security and you don't want AV vendors bad-mouthing your product.”

As mentioned, he does advise that those on older operating systems may feel more benefit, although his phrasing isn’t exactly positive even then: “If you're on Windows 7 or, God forbid, Windows XP, third-party AV software might make you slightly less doomed.”

Incidentally, Windows Defender is slowly gaining a better reputation for security, as we saw this time last year.

Via: ZDNet

• If you don’t agree, we’ve picked out the best antivirus software

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Top 5 best presentation software of 2017

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.

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

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.

• Sign up for CustomShow here

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).

The firm 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. 

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.

• Sign up for ClearSlide here

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.

When it comes to creating a presentation, you have the option to do so on the web, iPad or iPhone. 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.

• Sign up for Haiku Deck here

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.

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.

• Sign up for SlideDog here

Prezi 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.

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.

• Sign up for Prezi Business here

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