What will Google do with self-driving cars? Compete with Uber, report says
Google has been working hard on its self-driving cars for years now, although its endgame has never been clear.
Will Google sell driverless cars directly to the public? Will it license the technology for use in existing car makers' vehicles? Or will it launch an Uber competitor that lets users hire self-driving cars to take them to their destinations?
- The Galaxy S5 is an evolution, not a revolution
Imagine: pull out your pocket computer (aka smartphone), tap a few buttons and within minutes a fully automated vehicle shows up at the curb and takes you where you want to go. Neato!
Past mistakes
Keep in mind that Google Ventures invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Uber less than two years ago, which would make this rivalry all the more personal.In fact, a source close to Uber's board of directors says that's how the plan came to light: Google Chief Legal Officer and Senior Vice President of Corporate Development David Drummond, who joined Uber's board in 2013, reportedly told them it's a possibility.
As a result Drummond may be asked to resign from the board, though that won't stop Google from moving forward.
Interestingly, while Google is working on cutting into Uber's business, Uber may cut into Google's, with its own research into self-driving cars with Carnegie Mellon University (hinted at last year and officially announced this week).
Given all the well-publicized trouble Uber has had with its drivers lately that shouldn't come as a surprise. Now if only the company could automate its executive positions as well.
- Apple laid down the gauntlet with the 2014 iPad Air
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In Depth: Mac email shortcuts: how to create simple email timesavers
Automator is one of those apps that, for most Mac users, lurks in the Applications folder and never gets used. It has a cool robot icon, but as soon as you launch the app, it immediately asks which type of document you want to start with (from a selection of eight). Whatever you click, you're then faced with a column featuring dozens of actions, from a variety of categories. It doesn't have the intuitive, welcoming feel of Apple's more popular apps.
The thing is, Automator is as cool as its icon promises it to be. Once you get the hang of it, you can use the app for creating workflows and miniature apps, which can save you time when performing repetitive tasks.
In this walkthrough I'll show you how to use Automator to quickly create an app that sets up a new email to a friend, which can be stashed in your Dock, ready for clicking at a moment's notice. I'll also show how to use Apple's Preview to create an icon from a photo that will fit right in with your other icons.
Start small, build confidence, and the sky's the limit - as is the amount of time you'll save in the long run!
1. Get started
Launch Automator and select New Document from the initial window. Automator's main window appears; select Application, then Choose. This means that whatever you now create in Automator will be saved as a standalone application.
2. Add an action
The Automator sidebar contains a number of predefined actions, organized into categories. On selecting one, the available actions are filtered. Click the Actions button, then Mail from the Library. Drag New Mail Message to the workflow pane on the right.
3. Create an app
Decide on whatever defaults you'd like for your message and add them. To just create an app that will start a message to someone, type their email address in the To field. Go to File > Save, name your app, and save it to /Applications, giving it the file format Application.
4. Test your app
Drag your app to the Dock and then click it. It opens a New Message window, populated with the details you entered. However, the app's icon is a generic Automator one. We want to make something more personalized, but which still fits with OS X Yosemite.
5. Get some images
In your Applications folder, select an app with a circular icon and go to Edit > Copy. Launch Preview, go to File > New from Clipboard. Go to File > Export, and save as a PNG. Close the original icon and open your saved PNG. Find a personal image and open in Preview.
6. Crop your portrait
Open Preview's Markup Toolbar (using the relevant button), and select the Elliptical Selection tool. Hold ß and drag a circle. Fine-tune its position; always hold ß when resizing, to retain its proportions. When satisfied, click Crop (and Convert if asked to do so).
7. Resize and paste
Go to Tools > Adjust Size. For Yosemite, make the width 830 pixels (for Mavericks icons, 870 is better), and click OK. Select all, then Edit > Copy; then paste the portrait onto your icon doc. Drag it into the center and position with cursor keys.
8. Use your new icon
Select your app in Finder, and go to File > Get Info, to bring up its info window. Deselect everything in Preview and then select all and copy. Back in the Get Info window, select the generic icon and paste your replacement. The icon and preview will update.
- Thinking about buying an iPad Air 2? You should read our review!
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The FCC reportedly wants to treat internet as a public utility
Many internet users want the Federal Communications Commission to reclassify the internet as a public utility, and word is it might grant our wish.
Doing so would make it easier for the FCC to make rules governing the internet and internet service providers, perhaps staving off the "internet fast lane" we all fear so much.
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A victory for net neutrality
The newspaper based its report on conversations with analysts, lobbyists, and former FCC staffers.It would be a major victory for net neutrality, and one its proponents have been hoping for for a long time.
However FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler reportedly won't be heavy-handed in his regulations - if the proposal even passes the approval of his fellow commissioners.
- Google's Nexus 5 is a steal
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Updated: GDC 2015: what we want to see
Update: We're expecting to hear more about Microsoft's HoloLens ever since GDC 2015 was name dropped during the Windows 10 conference earlier this year.
GDC 2014 was full of surprises and we're hoping GDC 2015 will be too. It's still early but the panel schedule is filling up fast and it'll be March before you know it.
To recap, the Game Developer's Conference takes place during March 2 - 6 and features over 400 lectures, panels, tutorials and round-table discussions with speakers from all over the gaming space.
The GDC Expo is part of the conference and simultaneously highlights tools, platforms and services used by game devs. The conference also is filled with indie hopefuls and occasionally, major breaking news.
Read on for what we want to see at the next GDC.
What's cooking, Microsoft?
The time for augmented reality is now! At least that's what it seems like thanks to Microsoft's new "holographic," untethered head mounted display. We were able to go hands on with the device during the Windows 10 event in Redmond, Washington but we're hoping for a longer demo session on the GDC expo floor.With a session like "The Future of Gaming Across the Microsoft Ecosystem" from Microsoft, we think it's safe to assume the HoloLens will make an appearance.
We didn't see new hardware from Microsoft at last year's GDC, but it didn't leave without presenting something exciting. DirectX 12 - a new API that will allow full use of most modern graphics cards - was announced prior to the conference and then discussed in detail during Microsoft's panel.
"Developing Games for Windows 10" is another panel the company will be hosting which should provide some insight into what kind of games we can expect to see later this year.
Project Morpheus part two
Speaking of surprises and breaking news, Sony unveiled Project Morpheus, last year. Its virtual reality headset has stayed under the radar lately despite making demo appearances here and there.We haven't heard a lot from the Morpheus development front though there's still a couple of months before GDC. It's possible Sony will bring something to the VR table at CES 2015, but if not, expect to see something new in March. Perhaps the next build or enhanced latency experience.
Check out the video below to see our last Morpheus demo.
Will the Steam Machines come out of hiding?
Update: Apparently Valve will not be at CES 2015 - but they definitely will be on the GDC show floor.The company told TechRadar: "We will not be attending CES, but we do have a large Steam Machine presence planned for GDC." Exciting!
Last we heard, there were quite a few Steam Machines in the running, plus more recently announced Asus machines … but so far Alienware has been the most vocal about its Alpha - which will start shipping pretty soon in November.
Valve also promised the Steam Controller and SteamOS in 2015 after announcing a delay.
Again, we're hoping more machines (and Steam parts) will be ready come CES time, but if not, GDC should be a guarantee for a spotting.
Oculus to debut final build?
It seems pretty obvious that VR will yet again dominate the gaming hardware scene. This means we're expecting something big from the biggest face of virtual reality: the Oculus Rift.Mountains of rumors have been circulating that the Rift will finally hit consumer stands in 2015. This makes GDC the perfect stage to show off the latest iteration of the VR headset. We saw Crescent Bay debut last year during Oculus Connect and we tried it again during CES 2015 where we found the HMD to be just as exciting the first time around.
We're hoping Oculus will tell us when we can see a consumer device soon.
PC isn't dead - it never was
The age old debate of consoles versus PCs is a silly one, and getting staler every year. The GDC blog basically puts this argument to rest with data its culled from a poll of over 2,000 game devs."PC and mobile still reign in terms of platform popularity; 56% of survey respondents said their current game will be released on PC and 50% said their current project will release on smartphones or tablets, as compared to 53 and 52% (respectively) a year prior."
It seems like the PC - which a lot of people kept moaning about last year and how it was a dying breed - is scheduled to make a comeback, or at least show that it never left the scene. The development for the Xbox One and PS4 are behind but edging ever closer to the PC and mobile numbers.
Essentially there are a bunch of factors to consider when developing for different platforms, like where you'll be getting the most money from, who you're catering to and so forth but neither the PC or console are dying at all ... each set have enough devs for both gaming variations to last until the next PS5 or Xbox Two, and beyond.
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LG is preparing for a lot more G phones
We're still waiting for LG to announce the LG G4, but the Korean company is about five steps ahead of us.
LG was just granted trademarks for a wide range of future G-branded flagships, including the LG G3, LG G4, LG G5, LG G6, LG G7, LG G8, and LG G9.
- Don't count the iPhone 5S out just yet
Trademark registrations are not necessarily an indication of things to come, and LG may well abandon this naming convention at any time. Maybe the G4 won't even be called the G4 - stranger things have happened, after all.
Either way we're looking forward to seeing what LG does produce this year - and for many years to come.
- Apple's iPhone 6 Plus is big, bold and beautiful
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This is how many Android devices are running Lollipop
Google's monthly statistics regarding Android usage aren't usually very interesting, but the February numbers are notable for one reason: they mark the first time Android 5.0 Lollipop has made a blip large enough to be counted.
That's the conclusion we have to draw, at least, though it also suggests that Lollipop adoption jumped a full 1.5% during the last month, which seems unlikely.
- The Samsung Galaxy S5 is getting its Lollipop update
That's what implies the big jump, although it's also possible that Google chose not to disclose the numbers before now for other reasons.
Lollipop rollouts have increased lately, and maybe it's really as simple as that. In any case it's great to see the newest Android version finally registering a blip on the radar.
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Samsung sends out invites for Galaxy S6 launch
Samsung has joined HTC by essentially confirming the launch of its flagship - the Galaxy S6 looks all set for an MWC announcement, according to the invite sent to TechRadar.
The launch will take place 18.30 CET on March 1 at the large Centre de Convencions Internacional de Barcelona, so clearly the South Korean brand is set to announce something big.
That means the Galaxy S6 is ready to make its debut, and it's almost certain it will be joined by the Galaxy S Edge - a similarly specified device with a next-generation double curved screen on either side of the display.
Costly duo
According to an earlier tip to Android Pit, the new phones won't be cheap but will start at 32GB in capacity, with the Galaxy S6 likely to cost even more than previous flagships as Samsung looks to pack in more power.The price of the S Edge will be higher still as Samsung looks to claw back the higher cost of producing the phone; its predecessor in the bendy screen stakes, the Galaxy Note Edge, is one of the most expensive on the market right now, so we can't see the double curve helping with the price.
It won't be long now until we get the full and complete shakedown of either phone - stay tuned to TechRadar where you'll be able to find all the information on what could be your next smartphone.
- Wonder how the Galaxy S5 is faring?
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In Depth: How to record your iPhone or iPad screen on a Mac
Recording footage from iOS devices has previously been something of a kludge, requiring bespoke (and quite expensive) hardware, jailbreaking or the help of a third-party utility that enables you to AirPlay to your Mac. No longer. If you're running the latest operating systems - iOS 8 for your iPhone or iPad and OS X Yosemite on your Mac - you can now record directly from your device to your Mac using QuickTime Player.
You might especially want to do this if you're a developer. If you're about to release an app or game, it pays to take advantage of the App Store's video previews, and also to put gameplay footage/app walkthroughs on your own website and YouTube, of course.
Usefully, Apple helps you by adding a touch of extra polish: the QuickTime Player recordings strip any personalized data from your status bar, replacing them with "generic" details; so rather than your carrier and clock settings, you get a status bar with full cellular reception and a full battery, showing the "Apple standard" 9:41 a.m. on the clock.
But you don't have to be a developer to want to do this - you might just want to grab some video of you playing a game to share on YouTube in a Let's Play, or maybe you want to share a cool how-to guide online.
Here's how to do it:
1. Plug everything in
Plug your iOS device into your Mac using a Lightning cable. Hide or quit apps that automatically launch. Tap "Trust" if you haven't plugged it into this particular Mac before. Next, launch QuickTime Player and go to File > New Movie Recording. In the Movie Recording screen, click the downward-facing arrow next to the record button; you should see your device listed.
2. Start recording
When it appears, select it in the Camera section of the aforementioned menu and also Microphone if you want to record sound. You'll then see a preview of your iOS device's screen on your Mac. The audio meter under the record button will denote whether sound is being routed to your Mac. When you're happy with everything, click the record button to start.
3. Record, edit, share
Use your device's display during recording, not the preview (this will likely be laggy). When done, hover the cursor over the preview screen and click "Stop." Use Edit > Trim and resize the yellow area to enclose the footage you want keep, and then click Trim. You can then use File > Save or File > Export to save your clip locally, or the share button to upload it.
- Check out our full iPhone 6 review!
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GE might let you hook your dumb fridge up to your smart home
Currently a lot of people - one might even guess most people - are stuck with plain old dumb fridges that can't even connect to their smart home systems.
GE will begin to remedy that with a test program that will see it sending 20,000 Wi-Fi modules to connect customers' existing refrigerators to their Wink smart home networks, reports GigaOM.
- TechRadar's iPhone 6 review leaves no stone unturned
The modules GE plans to send out will let owners of ethernet-equipped fridges built after 2009 connect them to the Wink networks in their homes.
The companies reportedly have some ideas as to what these fridges might then be capable of, including notifying users if the door is ajar or the ice maker is full, keeping track of grocery lists, and telling family members what's OK or not OK to eat in the fridge.
This is only a test program, but it sounds like it could lead to a wider rollout in the future, depending on users' feedback.
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IN DEPTH: Best Super Bowl commercials featuring tech
Best tech-filled Super Bowl commercials
Super Bowl XLIX just became the most-watched in history, and not only because Katy Perry performed the halftime show. It was actually a good game.However, while NBC decided to live stream the Super Bowl for free, online watchers didn't get to see all of those pricey Super Bowl commercials.
Watching these big-budget ads has become as much a tradition as hot wings and flatscreens, and tech companies are no stranger to spending $4.5 million for the valuable air time .
Here's how Microsoft, Mophie, Coke, BMW and more got creative with technology 30 seconds at a time.
Mophie 'All-Powerless' commercial
Mophie called upon the big guy upstairs for its 30-second Super Bowl commercial in which the entire world is on the fritz... more so than normal.
It featured snow in Africa, fish raining down from a city sky, penguins flying and, yes, even dogs walking people.
The problem? Apparently even God's smartphone runs out of battery, leaving Mophie to ask "When your phone dies, God knows what can happen."
BMW i3 'Newfangled Idea' commercial
Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel have zero clue about BMW's first zero emissions car, and this isn't the first time they've been confused about new tech.
The former Today Show duo was asking similar questions back in 1994 when the Internet was still a fresh concept, including the strange @ symbol.
It's funny to think that just two decades ago, Couric, now Yahoo's Global News Anchor, and her co-host were asking "What is the internet, anyway?"
Coke 'Show Me Love' commercial
Internet trolls beware. Coca-Cola has discovered the antidote to your hateful behavior, and it's simply a splash of its flagship soft drink.
In its Super Bowl commercial, spilled Coke goes out over data lines and infects (or disinfects) bullying commenters that, these days, are all too common.
You'd think that people sitting in their parents basement writing such diatribe already horded a sugar-filled drink like Coke, but maybe they've since switched over to the seriously-evil-inflicting Mountain Dew.
Oh, and you can stop searching for it. The song used in Coke's Super Bowl commercial is called "Show Me Love" by Hundred Waters.
Microsoft 'Braylon O'Neill' prosthetics commercial
Who says that cutting-edge technology can't be touching? Certainly not Braylon O'Neill, who was born missing the tibia and fibula bones in both of his legs.
Now six years old, O'Neill is playing sports with the help of Microsoft technology. His mother says that the company's software analyze his gait mechanics.
It just goes to show you that for every HoloLens idea that Microsoft shows us, it's working on much more useful tech that consumers don't often hear about.
Microsoft 'Estella's Brilliant Bus' ad
Microsoft's second Super Bowl commercial stuck to that common theme of empowerment, this time spotlighting Estella Pyfrom and her Brilliant Bus.
This former teacher for 50 years selflessly spent her money from retirement and sold property to create this technology-filled bus that visits children in low income communities.
Microsoft is doing its part to help power the computers on board so that Estella can reach her goal of educating one million kids on her Brilliant Bus by the end of 2016.
Super Bowl commercials: best of the rest
T-Mobile 'Data Vulture' ad
Like Microsoft, T-Mobile had more than one Super Bowl commercial, but it went with a funny, celebrity-filled approach to its 30-second spots.
The first ad from the self-proclaimed Un-carrier stars former Daily Show correspondent Rob Riegel walking around with a vulture on his shoulder.
He explains it swoops down and steals his data back at the end of the month. The woman he's talking to touts T-Mobile's Data Stash feature that lets her keep the data she pays for.
T-Mobile Kim Kardashian 'Save the Data' ad
Data Stash was also front-and-center in the T-Mobile Super Bowl commercial featuring the selfie-obsessed "celebrity" Kim Kardashian.
The joke here is that you can use this precious rollover data to view even more selfie and wardrobe pics that she takes of herself.
The Rob Riegel commercial is funnier, and yet this one has more views on YouTube. Go figure.
T-Mobile Sarah Silverman, Chelsea Handler ad
Comedians Sarah Silverman and Chelsea Handler introduce Wi-Fi calling to millions of Super Bowl viewers who probably don't know about the awesome feature.
T-Mobile is one of the first major networks to employ the use of your router to strengthen the signal of calls, perfect for the sometimes weak reception in peoples' homes.
Sprint 'Super Apology' commercial
Sprint didn't spend much time talking during its 30-second Super Bowl commercial. Instead, it used the screaming goat video meme to get its point across.
Yes, it's the same well-worn screaming goat that, with the help of the internet meme machine, sings Taylor Swift songs more entertainingly than Taylor Swift.
Sprint framed the ad as an apology to Verizon and AT&T for previously comparing the rivals to a goat. But it said it refused to say sorry for halving their customers plans.
Clash of Clans 'Angry Neeson' ad
Liam channels his vengeful Taken character in this funny Super Bowl commercial in which he plays the mobile game Clash of Clans.
He's playing the Supercell-developed real-time strategy addiction while waiting for another one of our favorite obsessions: coffee.
In typical Taken fashion, as he loses one of his defenses, he calls out his opponent - in this case BigBuffetBoy85 - muttering that he'll track him down. Neeson is officially now the new Charles Bronson.
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TechRadar Deals: Valentine's Day Gift Ideas: the ultimate guide
Valentine's Day Gift Ideas
Valentine's Day sneaks up on us every year, but don't worry - we've got a whole raft of Valentine's Day gift ideas and deals to help you find the perfect present for your perfect person.As we all know by now, Valentine's Day was invented by the Flemish in 1872 as a way of marketing Belgian chocolate. In the local dialect, it means "national eat chocolate day" but has in more modern times been appropriated by companies like Clinton cards as a vehicle for selling folded cardboard to the helplessly lovestruck.
This year, TechRadar is an official media partner to Saint Valentine himself and we understand that buying Valentine's day gifts can actually be pretty difficult!
So we've created the ultimate Valentine's Day gift ideas hub. From cards to gadgets, chocolates, flowers, jewellery, weekend breaks and more - it's all available online!
Valentine's Day: quick links
- Amazon: Valentine's Day Deals
- Very: Valentine's Day Deals
- John Lewis: Valentine's Day Deals
- Tesco Direct: Valentine's Day Deals
- Argos: Valentine's Day Deals
Valentine's Day Ideas
Below you'll find separate sections on where to order specific product types online, but first here's a rundown of some item suggestions to kick us off...Very's gifts for Her: Save up to 50% on gifts for your special lady
Very's gifts for Him: Save up to 50% on gifts for your special man
London theatre tickets: Buy your loved one two tickets to see a show! There's some great deals online
Activities and experiences: Buy a track day, go rock climbing, fly a plane! Great deals on Amazon
50% off experience days: Very has a good deal on some great days out | Adventure days | Driving Days | Flying and Adrenaline | Food and drink
Health and beauty: Buy a spa day, a make-over, yoga lessons, massages, and all sorts of other pampering!
Champagne: The world's most romantic drink! The best deals are online
Perfume and fragrance: Amazon has up to 60% off for Valentine's Day
Lingerie and underwear: Buy something sexy for after dinner
Valentine's Day Deals
Foot massager: HoMedics FM-TS9-GB Deluxe Shiatsu Foot Massager - £48.42Foot spa: Beurer FB20 Footspa with Pedicure - £25.99
Hair straighteners: ghd V Gold Classic Styler - Now just £105
Rollers: Remington AS7055 Big Style Roller Set - Reduced to £30
Fancy bedroom lighting: Philips hue Personal Wireless Lighting Starter Kit - £179.95
Games console: Nintendo 3DS Coral Pink - Now only £79
Handy gadget: Wacom Bamboo Solo Stylus - Pink - £6.39
Sleep smarter: Withings Aura Smart Sleep System - £249.95
Digital Radio: Pure Evoke Mio Orla Kiely DAB/FM Radio (Buttercup) - £133.47
Chocolate: Valentines Day Goody Bag - Super yummy for £18
Chocolate: Continental Tasting Heart - Chocolate love for £25
Camera: Nikon Coolpix L29 ( 16.44 MP,5 x Optical Zoom,2.7 -inch LCD ) - £39.99
Camera: Sony Cybershot W830 20.1MP Compact Digital Camera - Now just £69.99
iPod: Apple iPod nano 16GB, 7th Generation - Purple - £104
iPod: Apple iPod shuffle 2GB - Pink - £36.99
Headphones: Beats by Dr. Dre urBeats In-Ear Headphones - Monochromatic - £74.99
Headphones: Beats by Dr. Dre Solo2 On-Ear Headphones - Pink - £149
Personalised Phone Cases: ASDA Photo
Personalised Phone Cases: Photobox
Personalised Phone Cases: Vista Print
Valentine's Day Cards
LoveRadar says: Clearly a Valentine's Day card is the bare minimum for anyone in a relationship who still wants to be in it on the 15th February. And it's even more fun to send a card to someone you're not in a relationship with - you know, that person you've fancied for ages. And while you could look to the highstreet to supply your card, there are actually some pretty great online options too. Online you get more selection and total control over appearance, images and words.Moonpig: Buy cards, flowers and gifts
Not On The Highstreet: Buy your cards and a whole range of gifts
Scribbler: Specialises in online card creation and delivery
Flowers for Valentine's Day
LoveRadar says: Probably one for guys to buy rather than the ladies, this one. And you might think it's cheesy as all hell to send flowers on Valentine's Day, but the ladies love a beautiful bouquet and for good reason - it really shows how special you think she is to buy her flowers. But don't be lazy and pick some up from the petrol station on the way home! Plan ahead, order online and get them delivered to her as a special surprise!Flying Flowers: Flowers for all occasions with plenty of delivery options
Amazon: Yep, you can even buy flowers on Amazon and there's some great deals too
Interflora: Possibly the best known flower brand, get any flower any time!
Serenata Flowers: All sorts of flowers and bouquets
Chocolates for Valentine's Day
LoveRadar says: Everyone loves chocolates. Whoever you're buying for this year, you could do a lot worse than a really nice box of chocolates. And we don't mean a tin of Quality Street - proper, quality, delicious, amazing chocolates. There are plenty of brands that you can buy from online as well - here are the four key chocolate shops to order from:Amazon: Not the most obvious chocolate retailer, but there are some brilliant deals on all sorts of top brands
Thorntons: The highstreet chocolate chain has a lot of options for online chocolate purchasing
Hotel Chocolat: Everyone loves Hotel Chocolat!
Cadbury: Britain's favourite chocolate brand has an online store too
Green & Black's: Organic Valentine's Day chocolate is the best Valentine's Day chocolate
Jewellery for Valentine's Day
LoveRadar says: Jewellery is super hard to buy for someone else, or it is for some people anyway. Others find it very easy, and to make things even easier - you can buy online! Amazon actually has a great jewellery section on its website, and there are plenty of other buying options as well. So whether you're looking for earrings, necklaces, bracelets, bangles, rings or whatever - consider the internet your buying companion:Amazon: Amazon is actually a great place to search and find jewellery
The Jewel Hut: Lots of great options for Valentine's Day
Goldsmiths: One of the biest known highstreet brands also has a website
Holidays for Valentine's Day
LoveRadar says: OK, so not all of us can afford to buy a holiday for Valentine's Day. But if you CAN afford it, there is surely no better gift. And the great thing is that the internet makes finding the right choice - whether it's a quick city break or a trip to a tropical paradise - extremely easy. And there are always some interesting last minute deals to be had.Thomas Cook: Find a cheap holiday for you and your loved one
Lastminute.com: Great for finding a last minute surprise weekend away
Restaurants for Valentine's Day
LoveRadar says: If you work long hours and don't get out much, it can be hard to work out where to take your loved one for that special Valentine's Meal you promised you'd book. Luckily there are some online services that make such things very easy indeed, and you don't have to be living in a big city to do it, either...Amazon: Use Amazon Local to find a great deal on a meal for you and your special one
BookATable.co.uk: Lots of good deals at lots of great UK restaurants
Lastminute.com: Yep, this site even does table bookings
Single? Online Dating!
LoveRadar says: If you're single and resenting all the happy people who're planning a fun Valentine's Day treat, it could be the perfect time to get on the internet dating. Everyone's doing it these days!Match.com: The world's number one dating website
eHarmony: Another popular option - it's now free to communicate with your matches
Plenty of Fish: Plenty of Fish is 100% free and very popular with the under-40s
OK Cupid: Another free option for online dating in the UK
Tinder: For Android | For iPhone - finding a date is as easy as swiping a screen, and it's free
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Big companies may be paying to bypass Adblock Plus
Adblock Plus users expect to see zero ads when surfing the web, but there are always some that slip through - including ads from big companies like Google, Microsoft and Amazon.
And that's because these companies are paying Adblock Plus to be whitelisted and ensure their ads still appear, reports Financial Times.
- Smart TV in a stick, Chromecast is brilliant
The list is meant to let "non-intrusive" ads slip through the Adblock Plus filter, and it's reportedly free for small businesses, while larger companies like the aforementioned have to pay to get through.
According to the latest report, that practice is ongoing, and if anything more big businesses have jumped on board.
It's unclear how much they're paying, but it sounds like a significant amount. Now the adholes who use Adblock Plus have to ask themselves: is this the type of advertising you want to support?
- The best laptops aren't hard to find on TechRadar
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Sony's Online Entertainment sale will mean more games on Xbox
Sony Online Entertainment has been sold to investment firm Columbus Nova and renamed Daybreak Game Company, employees have revealed.
Verified SOE - now Daybreak - employee SOE_Legion announced the news in a Reddit post, which is surely a sign of the times.
- Choose from among the best gaming laptops
Daybreak President John Smedley said it most poignantly on Twitter: "Can't wait to make Xbox One games!"
A bit more subtly, the Reddit post notes that "we can now fully embrace the multi-platform world we are living in."
Exit The Matrix
Daybreak has made games with licenses like DC Universe and The Matrix, and could potentially bring a lot of value to Xbox, mobile and other platforms, although it's unclear how much (if any) of the studio's IP it will actually retain after the sale.Columbus Nova Senior Partner Jason Epstein said a separate statement quoted on Reddit that the studio will continue to work on just-released and upcoming games including H1Z1 and Everquest Next.
- TechRadar's PS4 review tells it like it is
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Review: Asus ZenWatch
Introduction and display
More and more smartwatches are cropping up every month, making it harder for new ones to stand out from the increasingly crowded space.The Asus ZenWatch was a surprise when it was first announced, considering Asus wasn't a company expected to enter the wearables world.
But it was promising from start. The first teased images of the ZenWatch were enough to intrigue the wariest wearable-fatigued fan (me), because of its surprisingly attractive design.
Once released, the price of $199 (£199, about AU$252) added to the appeal, though it hasn't caused a huge stir in the wearables world, primarily because it lacks a wow factor that would make it memorable. It's also only compatible with smartphones running Android 4.3 and up, which means iPhone users are out of luck.
Display
A sharp-edged, rectangular screen within a round-edged rectangular face is not going to win any plaudits from the high-end design community, but it's functional.The problem is more that, at 1.63 inches and 320 x 320 (278 ppi), the Corning Gorilla Glass 3 OLED screen can appear rather pixelated, if you look at it for more than a glance. It's still a slightly higher density than the LG G Watch R and the Sony Smartwatch 3, and even the Moto 360.
The tiny panel is reasonably bright, but again, I've seen better in this department too. That said, it's perfectly serviceable, and it would be a stretch to say the screen is out-and-out bad. There's sadly no ambient light sensor so you're stuck with manually turning up or down the brightness in the settings.
Design and comfort
Design is everything when it comes to smartwatches, and Asus did not disappoint. The ZenWatch is undeniably an attractive smartwatch. With the Moto 360 catching eyes for its classic circular style, and the Samsung Gear S for being curvy and rectangular, Asus chose a slightly different path. Rather than choosing round or square, Asus opted for both by rounding out the square's edges.It's closer in looks to the Apple Watch piece than the current wearable breeds. That is to say, the ticker is kind of blandly handsome, in a reasonably premium way, with a bezel in brushed steel - an Asus hallmark - and an attractive, comfy leather strap.
The bezel, in all honesty, is the only big issue about the design of the ZenWatch, and utterly detracts from how lovely it looks. Instead of so much distracting bezel, it would have been nice if the screen were larger.
With the exception of the clasp, which feels a little wobbly, the ZenWatch is a solid, smart timepiece. The 22mm strap reminds me of the Gear S in terms of functionality, but feels much easier to put on because of the leather material. The Zenwatch's strap is also on par with the Moto 360's Horween leather, but seems more likely to scratch and crack over time from usage.
Though, you can switch out the leather for a metal band or any other type of 22mm strap, as Asus has made it extremely customizable. A swap is also extremely simple, thanks to the quick release pins attached to the lugs.
There's a power button on the back of the ZenWatch, which is an interesting but perhaps useless addition, since you can just swipe the screen for options. Fortunately, it's set in a way in which you can't accidentally press down on it. However, that means you have to jam your finger underneath to reach the switch, hence its triviality.
You'll also spot the gold charging connectors on the back of the watch, but there's no heart rate monitor. Rather it's been placed on the front, where you can touch any part of the metal frame to get a reading. It's an odd choice opposed to the usual green lights on the back of other smarwatches, but is easy enough to use. Both processes take just as long anyway, and the accuracy still remains a little questionable, but more on that later.
Comfort
For those with smaller wrists, the Asus smartwatch is probably the best you're going to get for now, in terms of comfort. It still snags on certain coat sleeves, but for the most part, remains unobtrusive and fairly weightless throughout the day.The metallic back - stainless steel again - is smooth and comfortable against the skin. And because the watch is only 9.5mm thick, it doesn't feel too bulky on your wrist, like some smartwatches – that's a failing of the Moto 360, for me - and only weighs 75 grams.
Specs, interface and performance
A Qualcomm processor, the APQ8026, otherwise known as the Snapdragon 400, lies at the heart of Asus ZenWatch. It's a surprisingly powerful dual-core chip, clocked at up to 1.7GHz, although I suspect it is significantly downclocked.The rest of the spec sheet is not too shabby as well, with 512MB of RAM and 4GB on-board storage, we're looking at the same base components we'd see in an entry-level tablet. But of course, squeezed into a product a fraction of its volume.
As for that gorgeous, curved rectangular AMOLED, its 320 x 320-pixel panel is not quite as sharp as the Samsung Gear S's360 x 480 resolution (albeit on a much bigger display).
The rest of the spec sheet includes Bluetooth, a 369mAh battery, 9-axis sensors, plus the heart rate monitor and IP55 water resistant capabilities.
Interface and performance
First things first: the Asus ZenWatch runs Android Wear, and that comes with its own fair share of trials and tribulations. We've gone over the pros and cons of Android Wear ad nauseum in other smartwatch reviews, but the basic idea is, if you've used one Android Wear smartwatch, you've used them all.You don't get an especially unique interface experience from the Moto 360 or LG G Watch R - though it is different from the Gear S's Tizen OS.
Your basic information cards pop up from vertically from the bottom of the screen to flick through the available cards, a swipe from left to right will remove a card from the list while moving your finger in the opposite direction will take you to more options. Tapping the home watch face screen will take you to the apps where you can choose to look at settings, heart rate, steps, agenda, alarms and more. Your most recent app will be at the top of a scrolling list.
Still, the voice-recognition works surprisingly well, especially in louder environments and music controls are useful too if you don't want to take your phone out of your pocket.
Notifications are handy, if limited. You can answer with templates (yes, no, I'm busy and that sort of thing). But realistically, if you want to reply, you're getting your phone out.
Apps and fitness
There is an accompanying Asus ZenWatch Manager app, which lets you set your watch as an unlock key for your phone, so whenever you're nearby (and wearing your watch, obviously), you can dispense with your unlock code and get straight into your phone, without any fumbling. It can also make your ZenWatch vibrate in case you've left it on the dining room table opposed to its usual nightstand spot.And similar to other smartwatches out there, you can cover to mute incoming calls and alarms by placing your hand over the watch face.
The variety of 18 watch faces is nice; you can even customize watch face colors plus the advent of Lollipop has added even more designs.
Other apps found on the watch range from a music app, which just provides the controls to your connected phone, compass and flashlight. The latter displays a customizable solid color (which can "twinkle" to create a weird strobe light effect if you tap on it).
Fitness
You wouldn't expect a watch with a stainless steel body and leather strap to be much use for fitness - it certainly doesn't look like your regular sports watch - but the ZenWatch has a stab at this lucrative market.As you'd expect from the name, the ZenWatch is more concerned with your general well-being, rather than how far you've run today, so there's no GPS tracking or heart-rate tracking, though a built-in "Biosensor" on the front will give you one-off heart-rate readings.
Alas, both this and the step counting seemed more than averagely inaccurate. I saw very different step estimates for the exact same 10-minute walk done several times, and some heart-rate readings so outrageously high, they would normally suggest I needed to go to hospital.
Please note that Google Now did not direct me automatically to the nearest hospital.
The Sony Smartwatch 3 is a much better fitness option, or you could go for one of the growing army of running watches, such as the Garmin Forerunner range and Polar M400, or cheaper fitness bands such as the Jawbone UP or Fitbit Charge.
There are a couple of nice features here though. You can ask your ZenWatch to buzz you every couple of hours or so to get up and walk around, or just to remind you if you've been inactive for a bit. And despite the inaccuracy of some of the fitness readings, the display that shows you all of your information is very pretty, with leafy autumnal graphics showing you just how slovenly you are.
Battery life
The ZenWatch sports a 369mAh battery, which is bigger than the 320mAh power pack stuffed into the Moto 360, but less than the LG G Watch R's 410mAh battery. It sits squarely within the battery life range of other smartwatches though that isn't necessarily a good thing.Basically, you will need to charge your ZenWatch every night. It can last more than a day, but it is categorically not going to make it through two days, even if you're incredibly sparing in your usage.
I connected my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 up, meaning I was receiving alerts from three email accounts, agenda pop ups and occasional phone call notifications over the the course of a day. It used up the battery pretty quickly; specifically, in the course of a week, I typically was able to go about 14 hours before needing to juice up the watch again.
Like all the other smartwatches out there, the ZenWatch comes with its own proprietary charger. It's no Qi charging dock like the Moto 360, rather you'll get a charging cradle that pops onto the back of the smartwatch - which comes on and off easily enough - plus a micro USB cord to plug into.
A minor concern would be losing the cradle, considering it's pretty light and small. Though, unlike the Samsung Gear S's cradle, it can't charge the ZenWatch on the go, so you'll probably just leave it attached to the cord.
Verdict
What we have here is a very solid Android Wear smartwatch, comparable to the "big three" from Motorola, Sony and LG in terms of price and features. It's similar to the Sony in terms of looks as well, standing in the "hip to be square" camp, staring down the round-faced Moto and LG G Watch R.
We like
As ever with smartwatches, the notifications you want are very handy, letting you keep up to date with your mobile life in a more discreet way.The ZenWatch is also well designed, thanks to its premium-looking metal and leather combination. It's even reminiscent of the Apple Watch shape-wise and can even stake a claim to being the first to offer the rounded square. Every time I wore it out, there were a lot of oohs and ahhs from people curious to know what kind of smartwatch it was simply based on how it looked.
We dislike
Having more control over what Google Now notifies you about would be very useful, and the fitness features seem a tad half-baked to me. However, I can't claim the classy look and feel exactly scream, "workout time!" So, perhaps that's no surprise.Additionally, though the overall design is definitely something I liked, the bezel is simply too excessive. This isin comparison again to the Apple Watch, which uses up the majority of the watch face's real estate to provide a larger display.
Final verdict
If you want a nice-looking Android Wear smartwatch for around $199 (£199, about AU$252 ), the ZenWatch is another very solid option. There's nothing here that could be described as a killer selling point, and it doesn't quite stand up to the Sony Smartwatch 3 in terms of battery life or general ruggedness. Regardless, this timepiece is certainly in the top tier of rectangular Android Wear watches on the design front.If you're sold on Google's wearable OS, our best advice would be to find a shop where you can compare this in terms of look and feel against the Moto, LG and Sony watches, then buy the one that suits. For my money, though, a Pebble Steel, or maybe waiting to see how the Apple Watch shapes up, seems like better options right now. You can even try waiting on Asus with the hopes it will have a better successor, since we'll probably see ZenWatch 2 announced later this year.
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The Galaxy S5's Lollipop update is arriving on Verizon
The Samsung Galaxy S5 was already updated to Android 5.0 Lollipop in some places, and now Verizon users in the US are next to receive it.
Verizon is the first US carrier to offer Lollipop for the S5, putting Big Red in a position it's not used to: the lead, as 9to5Google points out.
- What's going on at GDC 2015?
The Lollipop update for the Galaxy S5 is rolling out now, so keep checking your phone if you haven't received it yet.
- The OnePlus One is a 4.5
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TechShop Inside is a DIY innovation workshop on wheels
In an effort to get students and the community interested in science and technology, Fujitsu has partnered with TechShop to create a mobile makerspace. Housed in a moving 24-foot trailer, "TechShop Inside -- Powered by Fujitsu" is equipped with building and prototyping technologies to teach students 3D printing, laser cutting, CAD design on Fujitsu laptops and tablets, welding, and more.
Located in the San Francisco Bay Area, TechShop and Fujitsu have launched a single TechShop Inside vehicle. The trailers will travel to community centers, schools, libraries, and other venues.
Andrea Cisneros of Fujitsu Laboratories say that there are plans for more technology-equipped trailers in the future. Both companies are taking in the feedback of the 90 or so students who have already gone through the TechShop Inside experience to learn to scale the project and expand.
Education
For schools that don't offer a prototyping or building course, TechShop Inside essentially takes workshop to the school, bringing the equipment to the students. The trailer is designed for expansion with modular components and shelving units so the equipment can be swapped out depending on the project.The beauty of TechShop Inside is courses don't require prior knowledge or skills. Through the program, whether it's a day-long workshop or repeat visits as part of a school's curriculum, students will get certified in equipment safety and learn how to use computers to design their projects. After the design process is completed, students will have access to the machinery needed to build their projects.
So far, TechShop says that they have received interest from Mulberry School, Brentwood Academy, Design Tech High School, Los Altos School District, SIATech, San Jose libraries, Santa Clara County Libraries in the Bay Area.
Costs
There will be a small charge to participate in TechShop Inside though the TechShop would not disclose the fees at this time. Participation fees will be reinvested and applied towards the purchase of new or additional equipment so TechShop Inside could be a self-sustaining operation.Program director Cody McCabe says that it's simpler and cheaper to take the makerspace to students than transport students to a workshop to have access to these tools. McCabe adds that TechShop Inside could be used as part of an educator's existing curriculum, to supplement a curriculum, or as an extracurricular offering at schools and libraries.
To manage costs if TechShop Inside is used for a single project, the design and prototyping components could be split into two.
"In one scenario, TechShop can meet with students on one day and teach them how to use computers to design a project," TechShop Dream Consultant Mel Olivares says. "In a few weeks, the TechShop would return with the TechShop Inside vehicle and the equipment to let students build and prototype their designs using machines like 3D printers."
- Take a look at these ten great apps that every educator should know about.
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Industry Voice: Why enterprises are switching from to cloud UC
Remote office, outside collaboration
Where is your office? Does it have a specific address? I'm writing this piece at 35,000 feet on a flight from Washington to Los Angeles. Right now my office is a 737. Yesterday it was my home office. I also frequently work at my desk in our corporate headquarters in suburban Washington, DC. So, where is my office, really?The answer is everywhere, and nowhere, and this redefinition of where we work also redefines how we work. Remote working is outpacing job growth in the United States by more than tenfold.
Global Workplace Analytics found that, "For the period from 2005 to 2012, the telecommuter population grew by 79.7% while the non-self-employed workforce grew by only 7.1%."
The need to support a mobile enterprise workforce is increasingly being met by shifting from premise- to cloud-based unified communications (UC). Deploying UC services via the cloud to tens or tens of thousands of employees offers a number of advantages to businesses over premise-based UC solutions.
This article evaluates four enterprise benefits of shifting from premise to cloud-based unified communications, and how this shift can spur broader user enthusiasm and adoption of UC services.
Enabling the remote office
The first, and most obvious benefit of a cloud UC solution is the ability to work from anywhere. Today's workforce demands the flexibility to work remotely – and it isn't just millennials or part time workers. According to the 2014 Census Bureau annual American Community Survey, the "typical" telecommuter is a 49 year-old college graduate who earns approximately $58,000 and is part of a company with more than 100 employees.Cloud UC is more practical than a premise-based alternative for meeting these communications requirements and enabling mobile workers to instant message, check presence status, and easily initiate and/or participate in video meetings from any location at any time. These capabilities are possible with a premise-based system, but at a cost to IT.
The IT department faces a number of challenges in supporting remote workers when the UC platform sits behind an enterprise firewall. VPNs, servers in the so-called DMZ (the demilitarized zone between a company's private network and the outside public network), and the associated management are real, tangible costs to the business that can often be avoided or significantly reduced with a cloud solution.
Enabling outside collaboration
As important as it is for the team to connect internally with colleagues, it may be even more important to extend these capabilities for communication with partners, vendors, and customers.The goal of UC is to bring collaboration without boundaries to the enterprise. Exchanging IMs with partners, vendors, and customers, speeds up business. Video provides an emotional connection that builds bonds between team members inside and outside of the business.
Cloud UC enhances business-to-business and business-to-consumer communications by making it cost feasible and as easy as, for example, sharing a URL to connect external parties directly into a video conference, or even a connect to a telepresence room.
Contrast that with a premise-based UC solution that requires special security requests and permissions. Cloud UC works with a browser and a click. It frees up the IT Department from handling these mundane tasks, and it exposes rich, real-time communications to participants outside of the enterprise.
Business continuity, Adoption
Improving business continuity
Business continuity may be the single biggest advantage of Cloud UC over premise-based systems because it ensures that the business and its services are accessible under all conditions. By choosing a geographically redundant Cloud UC solution, a business is automatically protected against a network outage at any specific location.
In early 2014 the Global Workplace Analytics and Telework Research Network estimated federal government agencies saved $32 million in productivity during just four snow days in the Greater Washington area between December 2013 and March 2014. These savings exceed the entire estimated cost of implementing telework across the government over five years – which the Congressional Budget Office pegged at $30 million.
A premise-based system places several additional upfront and ongoing cost burdens on IT decision-makers, including the need to set up geographically distributed systems, ensure connectivity and failover procedures are in place, address monitoring of the systems, and provide a full service through the VPN/Firewall. These steps are cost prohibitive for most organizations.
Accelerating adoption
There are several aspects of the cloud model that improve UC adoption at the business and user level that make it optimal for agile CIOs.Cloud UC has the potential to accelerate time-to-market due to the fact that once the purchase decision is made, the business can effectively start deploying the service to employees immediately. Second, cloud UC delivers reduced infrastructure and on-going support costs. There are no new servers to buy and no software to install. Most business will do a controlled rollout of the service, and that too is more easily managed from the Cloud.
The third adoption benefit can be seen as the business grows or contracts. When another site comes on line, the IT department merely needs to address the network and connectivity, allowing for ease of scalability.
Unified communications empowers businesses to stay connected both internally and externally. However, implementing UC inside the data center comes with additional expense and management overhead. Cloud UC makes that experience truly feasible by providing what teams are looking for at a cost and complexity level that make it manageable for IT departments.
Offices have the flexibility to move anywhere, and be anywhere, to keep businesses running efficiently.
- Joseph Harsch is Senior Director, Market Offers at BroadSoft.
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In Depth: Amazon solidifies its reputation as a dominant force in enterprise tech
Although news that Amazon is now producing and distributing original TV shows and movies is hogging all the headlines, cloud computing news from the Amazon Web Services re:Invent conference in Las Vegas is certainly as momentous, especially if your interest lies in enterprise technology areas such as database, networking, virtualization, storage and development tools.
AWS has been the clear market leader in public cloud computing since it began operations in 2006. In the early days, AWS attracted a slew of startups and open source developers looking for a cheap and flexible development environment that could be readily scaled up depending on resource demand. Now it's becoming the platform of choice for enterprise developers looking for a place to create and deploy state-of-the-art web-scale applications.
In the last two months, AWS has begun shipping a number of new products and services targeted at the enterprise segment of the market. These include three new Application Lifecycle Management tools, CodeDeploy, CodeCommit and CodePipeline, that make it easier for developers to build, test, and deploy their applications on the AWS Cloud by automating AWS software release and deployment processes.
The new AWS Service Catalog allows IT administrators to set up and configure a portfolio of services (such as SharePoint or Office 365), which end users can access and deploy via a portal without IT help. The Service Catalog allows IT to maintain control - by individual, group, department, or cost center - over who is allowed to use which products in the catalog as well as limiting how many times an application can be used each month in order to comply with licensing or for other reasons.
AWS cloud security
One of the major concerns regarding cloud computing has always been security.AWS's new Key Management Service (KMS) is a managed service that makes it easier for enterprises to create and control the encryption keys used to encrypt their data. The KMS dashboard offers a single place to create, store, view, and disable keys, and provides an audit trail of any activity involving encryption keys. KMS can be used for managing encryption keys for Amazon resources such as Elastic Block Store, Redshift, or Relational Database Service, as well as an enterprise's on-premises resources.
Powerful new database
Perhaps the biggest recent AWS news is the announcement of AWS Aurora, a new enterprise-scale RDBMS. AWS has numerous database related services (both SQL and noSQL-based), including ones that can be used for petabyte scale data warehouses for big data and analytics.AWS's Relational Database Service (RDS) is a suite of relational database types, instances and services that includes SimpleDB, MySQL, Postgres, Oracle, SQL Server and the new AWS Aurora offering. According to Andy Jassy, Senior AWS Vice President, Aurora is "a fully MySQL-compatible, relational database with 5X the performance of MySQL and 1/10th the cost. It's also as durable, available, and fault tolerant as a proprietary database system." AWS has been working on Aurora for three years and Jassy says it will be available in early 2015.
AWS is the big kahuna
Not all the newly announced products and services are available in all the 11 regions, 28 availability zones and 52 edge locations that currently make up the AWS infrastructure, which has data center locations in the US, Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, Ireland, Japan, and Singapore.Gartner Research last year estimated Amazon had five times the cloud capacity of its nearest 14 competitors combined. And its growth rate isn’t slowing. As AWS chief Jassy pointed out at the re:Invent conference, AWS has more than a million active customers using AWS at this point, with a revenue growth rate of more than 40% year over year. Although retail remains Amazon's primary revenue source, Jassy said he expects "in the fullness of time" that AWS revenues will exceed those of retail.
AWS competitors
Despite strong efforts by cloud infrastructure competitors like Google Compute Engine and Microsoft Azure, Amazon has retained its strong lead in cloud IaaS. One of the many factoids that came out of the recent AWS conference is that each day AWS adds the equivalent server capacity to power Amazon when it was a global, $7B (£4.67B or AU$8.86B) enterprise (circa 2004).While still a long way from offering AWS’s product breadth and scale, Microsoft Azure has made strides to improve its cloud infrastructure and build on its position as the top alternative to AWS. As part of that effort, Microsoft recently announced three new Azure features, including support for massive virtual machines, Docker container support and a cloud-based encryption key system similar to AWS's KMS.
Amazon, Google and Microsoft continue to leapfrog each other with new IaaS features. Last week, just days after Microsoft introduced its G series that it claimed was bigger than any virtual machine size currently available in the public cloud, AWS introduced its new C4 Series instances designed for the largest data-processing and e-commerce workloads sent to the cloud, which was even larger.
An enterprise cloud in your future
Over the past few years, cloud computing has seen explosive growth with no signs of slowing down. According to a report from Gartner, cloud computing is expected to comprise the bulk of IT spending by 2016 with the majority of large enterprises adopting hybrid cloud systems by 2017.Because it continues to grow and innovate, it's likely AWS will maintain its lead in the public cloud space where it's generally accepted as the number one vendor. But the maturing and diversification of the cloud market, the rise of hybrid cloud infrastructure and increased competition from Microsoft and Google, should keep AWS from resting on its laurels anytime soon.
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Interview: Is crowdsourcing the future of tech customer support?
Last September, Vodafone Germany, Germany's second largest network operator, inspired by the sharing economy, launched a new service with online platform Mila.com, in which customers could turn to other customers to get tech support.
As tech has grown more complex, Vodafone Service Friends lets customers go online to browse, find and book the "techie next door" to help with issues that aren't covered by the company's usual support network, for example, installing child-safe filters, setting up WLANs, or extending TV boxes from room to room.
We spoke to Mila.com CEO Manuel Grenacher to discover more details about the service, and the trend of enterprises turning to P2P networks to let customers solve issues faster and at their convenience.
TechRadar Pro: Can you tell us what Vodafone Service Friends is, and what it is offering customers?
Manuel Grenacher: The platform we built for Vodafone Germany Service Friends is a peer-to-peer (P2P) marketplace site, where Vodafone customers can get additional help with non-Vodafone products. It's easy for users to go online, browse the service, and book a local tech support person – what I like to call "the techie next door" – to help them solve tech issues or help them get the most out of their devices.
The new service gives customers a very easy, flexible way to get local help, fast. They can see who in their neighbourhood is offering help, the prices for the help, what their specialties are, and once they've chosen a techie, they can book a time that best fits their schedule.
TRP: Why is there even a need for such a platform? Isn't this just admitting that operators aren't putting enough resources into customer support?
MG: Last year at Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA), the consumer trade show, Vodafone launched a test pilot in Berlin, the first in the German market. The initial goal was to identify whether the service benefits customers or not. Vodafone Service Friends doesn't replace any other support service. Instead, it completes and extends the operator's customer service that exists in their shops, on the phone or on the internet.
We know tech products are getting more complex and feature-rich, and customers often feel they don't make the most of their products, or they feel they don't have the time to set things up themselves. There are lots of situations in customer support that aren't really the responsibility of the company, but are frustrating for customers all the same and can certainly impact how a brand is perceived.
For example, it's often suggested that parents install child safety filters on their internet connection, but not everyone has the time or knowledge of how to do this. Or, you might want to extend your digital box beyond more than one room – you have the directions on how to do it, bought all the appropriate tech products, but still don't know how to do it.
Whilst you may buy these products from a provider, it's not necessarily their responsibility to put it together or set it up for you, but often any negativity that consumers feel toward setting it up gets blamed on the brand.
Vodafone Service Friends is a way to take care of these problems quickly and conveniently. We also feel that given the range of providers, the prices are very competitive.
TRP: It seems a very incongruous idea that a business would even want to use "sharing economy" tactics. Do you think consumers are really ready to manage their support themselves?
MG: Yes, definitely. With Vodafone Germany, just as with other big companies such as Apple, Sony, or Samsung, where the products quickly evolve and can be quite complex, there is an online forum where customers help each other resolve tech questions. You can post your problem online, and usually there are answers within hours if not minutes of you posting.
The idea of customers helping customers is really the future of customer support. We are taking this idea to the physical world. We have also seen from other sharing economy companies that people are quite happy to crowdsource help or assets, whether it's a ride in someone's car (Blablacar.com or Uber), finding a place to stay (Airbnb), finding a dogsitter (DogVacay in the US), or someone to collect their packages (Myways in Sweden).
And, of course, people are happy to offer their services or assets in return for money. The platforms that connect consumers to make these transactions are also very good for helping customers see exactly who the providers are, what their qualifications are, how much they charge, and most importantly what sort of feedback they are getting from past customers.
We've noticed with our main platform, Mila, that individual providers are very conscious that they will be rated for their job, and so they have an extra incentive to do it well, courteously, and at a price that's fair.
TRP: How does Vodafone ensure that its brand credibility doesn't get damaged?
MG: Again, we believe it starts with the individual providers. In the first instance, providers are vetted by Vodafone. In the second instance, anyone who uses them can leave feedback, whether good or bad. We have really seen that most of our providers take their work through our platform seriously and want to do a good job. Last but not least, additional qualification measures are in the works.
TRP: Where did the idea for Vodafone Service Friends come from?
MG: The idea of Vodafone Service Friends comes out of the success of its online forums where customers already help one another. The idea was to extend this ability to the physical world where a customer who is a tech enthusiast could help others complete simple jobs or tasks they didn't have the time or knowledge to do.
Vodafone Service Friends is an extension of the customer support the company already offers. It's certainly not meant to replace the regular customer support you get when, say, your digibox doesn't receive a signal, rather it offers another channel of help for those jobs that you might not want to do but are not necessarily Vodafone's job either.
TRP: Can you tell us more about early numbers and customer reception?
MG: It's still very early days for Vodafone Service Friends, but upon launching we were able to sign up 60 Service Friends. In Zurich, where we have a similar partnership with Swisscom, we now have 1,000 providers signed on, and the most popular services are helping install additional software (antivirus, for example), TV installation (usually extending a digibox beyond the main TV room), and finally WLAN installation.
TRP: How do you find the Vodafone Service Friends? How are they screened (or not)?
MG: Vodafone Service Friends were invited through Vodafone. Vodafone wanted the Service Friends to be Vodafone customers as the reasoning was that they would be more familiar with the products. Those who want to join are asked a series of questions with regards to Vodafone and their technical knowledge. In addition Vodafone, in cooperation with Mila, undertakes a background check to make sure that the person is identifiable under their real name and has a personal profile picture.
Once you offer services in your own name, with your own picture and the full knowledge you will be rated, the stakes are higher to do a great job in order to get further bookings.
TRP: Do you see other operators doing this? Are other brands using crowdsourced customer support?
MG: We think it will take off. This is our second partnership with an operator. Our first was with Swisscom in Switzerland. It makes sense. Tech products are getting increasingly complex and even the tech-savviest of us might just want to hand the job off to someone else to get it done.
This is not meant as a replacement to the core support that operators offer, but as an extension of customer support to help consumers get more out of their products. Or, for those short on time, to get the tech tasks they need done, quickly.
And the idea that customers can help customers is also growing, and not just in tech. Myways, the delivery service we mentioned earlier, is actually an initiative of DHL. We've also seen B&Q in the UK and its highly successful Streetclub program where local people share tools and DIY know-how.
Earlier this year, Kingfisher, which owns B&Q, revealed that the program resulted in more sales, not less, as you'd assume might happen as people can share tools. But then, more people were motivated by their wider access to tools to do more DIY.
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Microsoft's mid-range Lumia 535 goes on sale in the UK
Microsoft unveiled the Lumia 535 - its first Lumia device without the Nokia branding - back in November without confirming release dates for the US and the UK. Now we know when British buyers can get their hands on the smartphone: today.
The headline features of the affordable handset are a quad-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon 200 processor, 1GB of RAM and 5-megapixel cameras on the front and the back of the device. The 5-inch display runs at a qHD (960 x 540) resolution and Windows Phone 8.1 is pre-installed.
Microsoft doesn't name a retail price but it's up for £89.95 (roughly $135, AU$173) on Amazon. You can also pick up the handset from Tesco, O2, Carphone Warehouse or Virgin, with Microsoft promising to add "additional sales channels" in the weeks ahead.
Denim Windows
If you're eager to taste the latest that Windows Phone 8.1 can offer (complete with the most recent Denim update) and you don't have a lot to spend then the Lumia 535 fits the bill perfectly. All the usual WP goodies are included, such as Office, Skype and OneDrive.The handset maker says that the new phone is going to be available in a range of Lumia-esque colours, including green, orange, white, dark grey, cyan and black, so you'll be able to shop around to find something that suits your tastes.
Like the rest of us, Microsoft is gearing up for the full launch of Windows 10 (rumoured to be scheduled for late 2015) but the Redmond company has said that all WP 8.1 handsets will get the Windows 10 upgrade when the time comes.
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