NBN Co hopes to reduce network congestion with new lower supplier costs

If you’re one of the thousands of Australian NBN customers who’ve suffered from slower-than-expected internet speeds, help might finally be on the way.

Back in February, NBN Co announced a new discount scheme for its capacity-based Connectivity Virtual Circuit (CVC) charges, but it’s only today that those reductions actually go into effect.

CVC pricing has to do with how the national broadband service sells wholesale access to retail service providers (RSPs), like your ISP. Historically, these charges have been high: $20 per Mbps per month when the service began, then was brought down to $17.50 in November 2014. Last year, the price fell to $15.25.

Starting today, the discounts will increase based on how many end-users the RSP has connected. In theory, that means ISPs are incentivised to add more overall bandwidth as their customer base grows.

For the end user

NBN Co’s latest weekly update boasted that the broadband service was now available to over 5 million premises, but less than half of those have signed up for the service. NBN Co is hoping this new discount scheme should also help boost those numbers.

The lower supplier cost should especially benefit major resellers like Telstra, Optus and TPG, as they can buy more CVC and provide high-speed internet to more customers, thus reducing the congestion that’s been plaguing some parts of the network, particularly during peak times.

• Looking for a better broadband connection? These are the best broadband deals in Australia at the moment.

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Microsoft will now pay you to use Bing over Google

Microsoft Rewards launches in the UK today, allowing you to earn points for making purchases online and by simply just searching the web. The catch? You have to use Microsoft’s Bing search engine.

This isn’t new, as the loyalty program has been available in the US for a while, but now Microsoft is rolling it out to Britain in an attempt to court people away from market-leader Google (other search engines are available).

However, is the offer of 'free' Xbox Live membership, a Groove Music Pass or the chance to win an Xbox One S - if you use Bing an awful lot - really enough to tempt people to use the service?

We're not sure, but if you like the sound of it, here's what you need to know about Microsoft Rewards.

How to earn Microsoft Reward points

So how does the point system work? Allow Microsoft to explain: “The more searches you do through Bing, the more points you will earn. 

“On Bing, Level 1 members can earn points for up to 10 searches a day and Level 2 members can earn points for up to 50 searches a day (30 PC, 20 mobile). The search limit resets every day, so you can start earning again tomorrow.” 

One search on Bing equals three points. You can also earn points by purchasing products through the Windows, Xbox and Microsoft stores, and you’ll get one point for every £1 spent.

If you fancy earning extra points, there will be daily quizzes and challenges on the Microsoft Rewards dashboard - you'll need to sign up first though at Rewards.Microsoft.co.uk.

How to redeem Microsoft Reward points

It’s all very well earning a load of lovely points, but what are they good for? Well for 200 points you can enter sweepstakes to win items such as a Microsoft Surface Pro or Xbox One S. 

If you want to exchange your points for something tangible, an Xbox Live Gold Membership will set you back a whopping 6,000 points, while a 1 month Groove Music Pass is a staggering 9,500 – that’s a lot of searches. 

A 12 month Groove Music Pass meanwhile is 110,000 points (or 99,900 if you’re at Level 2). Points can also be used at the Microsoft Store on a range of products - but the tariffs are likely to be just as steep.

• Facebook's rewards scheme will keep you in Zuckerberg's social bubble forever

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Revenue, I choose you! The Pokémon Company’s profits jump by 2,500 percent

 It’s been a banner year for The Pokémon Company: Pokémon GO was a global phenomenon and the latest full-on Pokégame for the 3DS sold very well indeed. One would expect the company to be doing well financially — perhaps even doubling or tripling last year’s profits. Well, apparently it quinvigintupled them, which is to say multiplied by 25 times. (I had to look it up.) Read More http://ift.tt/2rFMpnP

The best Meeker 2017 Internet Trends slides and what they mean

 Here are the must-read stats about what’s happening with Internet adoption, smartphones, ads, ecommerce, entertainment, gaming, enterprise healthcare, China, India, and startups. We’ve picked the most important slides from legendary Kleiner Perkins partner Mary Meeker’s massive 355-page 2017 Internet Trends report, deciphered the complex data, and explained why… Read More

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The best Meeker 2017 Internet Trends slides and what they mean

 Here are the must-read stats about what’s happening with Internet adoption, smartphones, ads, ecommerce, entertainment, gaming, enterprise healthcare, China, India, and startups. We’ve picked the most important slides from legendary Kleiner Perkins partner Mary Meeker’s massive 355-page 2017 Internet Trends report, deciphered the complex data, and explained why… Read More http://ift.tt/2qBTX71

Microsoft Planner iOS and Android apps allow for task management on-the-go

If you are keenly waiting for the arrival of the mobile apps for Office 365's Microsoft Planner, then we have some good news: they’ve now gone live for iOS and Android.

That means folks who use Planner can install the companion apps on their smartphones or tablets to update plans while they’re on the go.

This has, unsurprisingly, been a much requested move by Office 365 customers who use Microsoft’s planning utility, which allows you to break a project down into tasks, and keep track of the progress of those tasks.

Microsoft stated: “For people who are new to Planner, you can first get started by visiting tasks.office.com. Once you’ve created your plans in the web app, you can view and update those plans in the mobile experience.”

Future features

So you can’t actually create plans within the mobile app yet – but that feature is coming in the future, and there are plans to add push notifications, plus full Intune integration is also on the cards.

Microsoft Planner is available to Office 365 Business Essentials and Business Premium users, as well as those on Enterprise E1-E5 subscriptions, and education plans.

The software giant said it welcomed feedback from users who want to help further shape the iOS and Android apps.

• Maybe you’ll use Planner on one of our top 7 business smartphones

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Samsung’s elusive Bixby voice assistant is reportedly still weeks away from launching

 In the battle of the voice assistants, one entrant still appears to be staying rather quiet. Samsung’s Bixby voice assistant was initially supposed to launch alongside the company’s Galaxy S8 smartphone, but after a series of delays the English language version may not be reaching U.S. customers until late June, the WSJ reports. Sources tell WSJ that Bixby isn’t quite ready… Read More http://ift.tt/2rFhvfs

Download of the day: XnRetro

Read Mary Meeker’s essential 2017 Internet Trends report

 This is the best way to get up to speed on everything going on in tech. Kleiner Perkins venture partner Mary Meeker’s annual Internet Trends report is essentially the state of the union for the technology industry. The widely anticipated slide deck compiles the most informative research on what’s getting funded, how Internet adoption is progressing, which interfaces are resonating,… Read More

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The best free Photoshop Actions 2017

Plusnet launches UK's cheapest fibre broadband deal

The best portable apps 2017

Portable apps are programs that don't have to be installed, and don't change your PC's settings. Provided there’s enough space available, you can store portable apps anywhere – an internal drive, an external storage device like a USB stick or SD card, on a networked drive, or a cloud storage service like OneDrive or DropBox. 

Portable apps have several advantages: they make it easy to switch between different computers because you can take your software with you; they don't interfere with any other programs installed on your PC; and they can be used on PCs with restricted user permissions (at work or school, for example).

Some portable apps have an ‘installer’, but don't worry – this just unzips a compressed file archive and saves the extracted files to a location of your choice; it doesn’t make any changes to your system files. Other portable apps are provided as a regular ZIP file for you to extract yourself. 

The program itself is an EXE file, but the extracted folder will also contain associated files including fonts and settings, which are essential for it to run. Some portable apps have optional language files, which will add to the size considerably, so consider opting out of these unless you need a language other than English.

These are the best portable apps for Windows. Keep them close to hand and never be without your favorite programs again.

Office software: LibreOffice Portable

Size on disk: 578MB (without language packs) 

LibreOffice Portable is the largest of the portable apps here, but it's still amazingly compact considering it's a full Microsoft Office substitute. You’ll need an external hard drive if you want to carry it, but you can easily keep it in the cloud (the free version of OneDrive gives you 5GB to play with, and DropBox gives you 2GB). 

LibreOffice Portable includes almost all the programs from the installable version of LibreOffice: Writer (word processing), Calc (spreadsheets), Impress (presentations), Draw (vector drawing), Math (formulae), and Base (databases). The only thing missing is Charts – though you can create graphs and other visualizations using Calc.

Like many portable apps, LibreOffice Portable is made using open source code. This takes some time, so it's a few versions behind the installable version of LibreOffice. However, that time has been well spent and it's well optimized for use on the move, with easy access to documents stored on a networked drive, an FTP server, or Google Drive.

Download here: LibreOffice Portable

Photo editor: GIMP Portable

Size on disk: 209MB (without language packs) 

The portable edition of GIMP – the finest photo editor money can't buy – is too large for all but the most expensive USB sticks (particularly if you want to change settings or download extensions) but is ideal for other storage media.

It’s a hefty folder thanks to all the necessary resources, including brushes, plugins and fonts. The need to access all of these means GIMP Portable takes a little while to launch, but once it does you've got the perfect tool for advanced photo editing, wherever you are.

It's easy to open files from a local drive, networked storage, or a URL, making GIMP Portable brilliant for editing pictures remotely.

The portable edition is based on the full version's current stable release, so you'll get all the latest features and built-in extensions.

Download here: GIMP Portable

Media player: VLC Media Player Portable

Size on disk: 85MB (without language packs)

VLC is one of the most capable and widely-supported media players around. Its main appeal is its ability to play pretty much any audio or video file or stream, without the need to download additional codecs.

That flexibility makes VLC Media Player Portable extremely handy. Keep it in reserve and if you come across an awkward file that won't play nicely with your regular music or video software, you've got the perfect tool for the job.

VLC Media Player Portable can handle files from any location, including local drives, network storage, and streams. You can even supplement it with extensions to integrate it with specific services - though bear in mind that this will add to its size considerably. 

Download here: VLC Media Player Portable

System cleaner: CCleaner Portable

Size on disk: 19MB

CCleaner is the biggest name in system maintenance. It makes it easy to clear out clutter like temporary files and cookies that not only takes up valuable space, but can also put your privacy at risk.

CCleaner Portable is a handy toolkit that you can run on any PC in need of a good spring clean. The download includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the program, so you can pick the right one for the OS running on the afflicted machine. 

CCleaner Portable is ideal for helping out friends and family members whose PCs have started to slow down (though always check before deleting their cached logins)

Oh yes, and if you’re running it from your Downloads folder, don’t worry – it won’t try to delete itself. 

Download here: CCleaner Portable

Uninstaller: GeekUninstaller

Size on disk: 7MB

Installing a huge program to clear out unwanted software is pretty counterintuitive, which is why we love portable software-remover GeekUninstaller. It isn’t as flashy as many uninstallers – it doesn’t include tools for cleaning up your temporary files or optimizing your system preferences, but that’s what CCleaner Portable is for.

GeekUninstaller is essentially a more capable version of Windows’ own Add/Remove Programs dialog, which saves you the trouble of hunting down each program’s uninstaller individually.

GeekUninstaller also has a ‘Force removal’ option for troublesome programs, which purges all system files and registry entries. There's even a tool that only displays Windows Store apps, which is extremely handy. Best of all, because it's portable, it won't add further clutter to your PC.

Download here: GeekUninstaller

Torrent client: uTorrent Portable

Size on disk: 5GB

uTorrent (also known as µTorrent) is the most popular torrent client outside China, so it's no surprise that there's an excellent portable version available to carry on your person. It's particularly particularly useful if you find yourself using a PC with nanny software that prevents you installing a torrent client, even if your intentions are noble.

Like the full free version, uTorrent Portable is supported by ads (the ad-free version costs US$5 per year – a tiny expense if you decide you like it), and isn’t as fast as the full version.

Because uTorrent Portable is maintained by the good people at BitTorrent, it's incredibly easy to find great content that's free to download, including music and movies. With BitTorrent rapidly becoming a legitimate platform for artists to release their work, having a great client app that you can rely on will become ever more important.

Download here: uTorrent Portable

Security software: Emsisoft Emergency Kit

Size on disk: 591MB

Most of the portable software here is nice to have to hand, but Emsisoft Emergency Kit is essential – particularly if you’ve been lumbered with the role of unofficial tech support for your friends and relations. 

Emsisoft Emergency Kit isn't a replacement for a good antivirus program; instead, it's designed to save your bacon if your PC has already become infected with something unpleasant. If your machine is acting strangely, just run the program, update its database of threats, and scan for nasties.

If anything suspicious is found, Emsisoft Emergency Kit quarantines it to preventing it from affecting system files, then gives you the option to delete it, or release it back into the wild.

Review and where to download: Emsisoft Emergency Kit

Browser: Google Chrome Portable

Size on disk: 178MB

All the popular browsers have portable editions, but for sheer convenience we've opted for Chrome. Because it's linked to your Google account, all your bookmarks and preferences are automatically synced, making it the best choice for working on the move.

Chrome also supports hundreds of extensions, though you might want to be a bit picky about which you install – they can bump up the disk space requirements considerably.

Download here: Google Chrome Portable

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Miso Happy is a 3D selfie app that rocks the uncanny valley

 Move over duckface. Shove off rainbow spew. There’s a new selfie game in town and it wants to turn your 2D visage into uncannily accurate 3D — then splice that axiomatic piece of you into animated cartoon suits that rock out, strut their disco stuff, skateboard, look coy, relaxed or laugh manically. Read More

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Miso Happy is a 3D selfie app that rocks the uncanny valley

 Move over duckface. Shove off rainbow spew. There’s a new selfie game in town and it wants to turn your 2D visage into uncannily accurate 3D — then splice that axiomatic piece of you into animated cartoon suits that rock out, strut their disco stuff, skateboard, look coy, relaxed or laugh manically. Read More http://ift.tt/2roevTA

Get ready for a new Pokémon game for smartphones

 The Pokémon Company just launched a new website introducing a brand new Pokémon game for your iPhone and Android phone, as Kotaku spotted. The game is called Pokéland and is currently only available as a limited beta in Japan. If you think this is a sequel to Pokémon Go, you’ll be disappointed as it looks like a brand new game. According to the website, Pokéland is all about… Read More http://ift.tt/2sdKm7l

Reddit’s new location tagging feature continues its push to become a social network

 Reddit is continuing its march towards becoming a social network after it added location tagging to its mobile app. The service is famously known as “the front page of the internet,” but this year it has rolled out features that make it much more like Twitter or Facebook. Back in March, Reddit introduced user profile pages and the option to follow others, so location tagging… Read More

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How to hide your identity from snooping ISPs

 This feature has been brought to you by Hotspot Shield

Online Intrusion

More than ever, companies can track your browsing history, and your Internet Service Provider can now sell data on your online habits—without you ever knowing.

ISP's will now be tracking users’ activities beyond merely what websites they’re visiting. So if you want to, say, get driving directions for a faraway town, you’ll end up getting relevant ads.

This may seem innocuous (big deal, an ad about a hotel in the area), but what if you were researching treatment options for your newly diagnosed medical condition? This, too, would get picked up by your ISP and sold to marketing firms.

Is there a way around this intrusion?

You just might be able to opt out of some data collection by your ISP. “Might” is the key word. There’s no law requiring ISPs to offer an opt-out. With privacy laws now lax, ISPs may just ignore government recommendations to offer opt-outs.

Enter the VPN: virtual private network—your protection against intrusion.

A VPN will encrypt your online activities, making them look random to your ISP. Your ISP won’t have any interest in tracking encrypted usage.

Why get a VPN?

• Creates a barrier between you and hackers, snoopers and your ISP who wants to sell your browsing habits.
• Gives peace of mind when you use Wi-Fi at airports, hotels, coffee shops etc as well as at home (you are not protected just because it is your own private home connection).
• Allows you to access restricted content by changing your IP address and making you appear to be somewhere you're not.

Guidelines for choosing a VPN service provider

• Consider a VPN that charges a fee. Free is nice but paid is faster with no ads.
• Look for a VPN that offers a client for each of the devices and platforms you use at home and work- iOS, Android, Mac, Windows, etc.
• The service should be able to support your data load. You don't want restrictions shutting you down. Read the terms of service to find out more about this.
• Choose a reputable VPN that discloses its management team and investors. Like any internet-based service, scammers can set up fake VPN services designed to steal your data. Do your homework.

Click here to learn more about how Hotspot Shield can help you take back your online privacy and access a secure, unrestricted internet.

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There’s a fix in the works for a frustrating new Microsoft Office bug

A frustrating Microsoft Office bug which briefly flashes a pop-up window is annoying some users of the productivity suite, although the software giant already has a fix in the pipeline.

A recent Office update apparently caused the problem, which involves a background task that opens up a window on the screen briefly, on the hour, every hour.

While it doesn’t require any interaction and simply goes away by itself, the flashing window is still an annoyance many folks could well live without. Particularly if they’re trying to play a game, for example, or some other full-screen app, when the user could end up being turfed back to the desktop.

Obviously something like this shouldn’t be getting through to full release software, which is probably why Microsoft has already sent a patch through to cure the issue, now available to Office Insiders on the slow ring.

Quick fix for slow ring

As linked in a reply to a tweet from the MalwareTech blog, a Microsoft representative stated that: “This issue is fixed starting with build 16.0.8201.2025 which is now available as the latest update for those participating in the Office Insiders Slow program. It will be included in a future update for those not participating in Insiders.”

So, the good news is that the fix shouldn’t take long to arrive. Meantime, if you’re one of those users affected, there’s not a lot you can do right now, except wait patiently and endure the monotonous regularity of the pop-up for the time being.

At least it isn’t a critical bug in Office by any means, but as mentioned, it’s certainly something that shouldn’t have slipped through the net.

In other recent news, Microsoft discussed how it’s substantially improving the inking features in Office 365.

Via: Engadget

• Stay productive with one of the 10 best business laptops of 2017

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NBN rollout reaches 5 million premises milestone

Australia’s NBN Co announced today that 5,035,072 premises are now able to connect to the National Broadband Network service, with an average of about 250,000 homes and business having been connected each month over the past year.

The aim is to hook up 8 million premises by 2020, covering over 60% of the country.

Despite this significant milestone, the latest report from NBN Co pointed out that only about half the number of available premises are actually paying customers.

In its weekly update, NBN Co announced that there are currently 2,245,550 NBN customers – making for a current average of about 130,000 sign-ups per month.

A lack of NBN knowledge

The low subscriber numbers could be an indication of the Australian public’s general lack of knowledge around switching to the NBN. 

What Australians may not understand is that if the NBN is available in an area, the switch from traditional broadband services is mandatory. 

Once a property has been set up with an NBN connection, the older phone and internet connections will both be switched off and customers will be required to make the necessary arrangements with a telco of their choice to keep an active internet and phone services going.

If you’d like more information on the NBN service or need to find out if your home or business can access it, head to http://www.nbnco.com.au and enter your address.

• These are the best broadband deals in Australia.

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Peer-to-peer travel agency TRVL raises $2.7m to crowd-ify travel planning

 Through Lyft and Uber, the sharing economy has taken a charge at cabs. Airbnb is making hotels palpitate in their pants. If TRVL has its way, it’s the travel agencies’ turn to tremble. Armed with 2.7 million freshly minted dollars from a conglomerate of angel investors, the company is hoping to augment services like Booking.com, Hotels.com and Tripadvisor by adding a soupçon of… Read More

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Peer-to-peer travel agency TRVL raises $2.7m to crowd-ify travel planning

 Through Lyft and Uber, the sharing economy has taken a charge at cabs. Airbnb is making hotels palpitate in their pants. If TRVL has its way, it’s the travel agencies’ turn to tremble. Armed with 2.7 million freshly minted dollars from a conglomerate of angel investors, the company is hoping to augment services like Booking.com, Hotels.com and Tripadvisor by adding a soupçon of… Read More http://ift.tt/2rlXGJ3

Ballmer explains why he invested in Twitter

 Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took the stage at Code Conference on Tuesday and talked about why he took a large position in Twitter. “There’s a real opportunity to make that a valuable economic asset,” said Ballmer, defending his decision to invest in what has been a volatile ride for the social media company. He believes in its potential because it “gives people… Read More

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Twitter tests rounded buttons and thumbnails…because that’s the problem?

 Twitter is testing a new interface for its mobile applications on iOS and Android, which involves rounded profile images, buttons and other features. It’s unclear what advantage going “round” would bring. Read More

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Download of the day: Tracks

Twitter just changed the way you can receive Direct Messages

Twitter is changing up the way you can receive Direct Messages, those private missives sent to you buy people you may or may not follow on the service. 

From now on, if you've opted to receive DMs from anyone, messages from people you don't follow will be filtered into Requests in the Messages tab. The same goes for group conversations you've been added to with users you don't follow.

Within Requests, you'll have the option to either Delete or Accept the message. No matter what, the person who sent you the message won't know you've seen it until you select Accept. 

Accepting a Direct Message will move it to your Inbox, while Deleting the message, well, deletes it. Deleting does not mean someone can't ever send you a DM again, but you still have the option to block accounts or report the conversation.

Any media contained in a message won't be visible until you Accept it or select View media.

Offering a DM filter option appears directly aimed at preventing trolls and other abusive users from filling your Inbox with messages you don't want to see. 

Of course, if you receive lots of DMs from users you don't know, you'll have to monitor Requests to make sure message you do want to see are received, but otherwise this could be an effective method at cutting down unsavory (and worse) interactions on the service.

The new filter options are available on iOS and Android as well as the desktop version of Twitter and appear to be rolling out now.

• Catch up on all the news from Computex 2017!

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Twitter adds Direct Message request review feature

 Twitter will now allow you to review Direct Messages received from people who you don’t follow before responding to them, adopting a feature that Facebook has long used for its own messaging feature and app. The new DM function works for anyone who’s turned on the setting that allows receipt of messages from people they don’t follow, and will let you choose to either… Read More

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