Dell frequently discounts its range of laptops and desktop computers on its own store, and its latest round of price cuts offers up some fantastic deals. 

If you're chasing a new ultrabook, then the Dell XPS 13 has likely popped up in your searches, and while the models being discounted use the older '9360' chassis, that's actually a plus in one department, as it means that you still get a regular, full-sized USB port, rather than the newer model's USB-C only ports. These discounted models also still use Intel's latest 8th-generation mobile processors, so internally they're very much up to spec.

Dell's offering some great discounts on gaming devices as well, with both Dell's own gaming laptops (like the G5) seeing savings as well as models from its dedicated gaming brand, Alienware, having had their prices slashed as well.

You can check out the entire range of savings at Dell's online store, but we've hand-picked what we reckon are the choicest deals below.

Our picks: Discounted Dell laptops

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The rumors were true: Microsoft is indeed bringing Halo: The Master Chief Collection to PC, through both Steam and the company's online store. 

The news was announced via a post on the Xbox Wire, which included the news that Halo: Reach will also be joining the collection.

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Unfortunately, however, you won't be able to play all the games included in the collection all at once: each will be updated for modern graphics and re-released in chronological order over an unspecified span, so it's unclear when owners will play the final game in the bundle, Halo 4.

But we know what they'll play first – Halo: Reach, the prequel released in 2010 for the Xbox 360. And as a bonus, those who bought the collection on Xbox One will get the remastered multiplayer content (including Forge and Theater) at no additional cost. If they want to play Campaign and Firefight, though, they'll have to pay for a digital bundle that includes both. 

Xbox Game Pass holders, of course, get all of MCC content (including Reach) for free.

Halo, piece by piece

You won't have to buy the whole collection if you just want to play certain titles, as you'll be able to buy them individually as they become available, per Xbox's post. Best of all: "each game will evolve and grow over time with community input."

Who knows what that might end up meaning, but it suggests Microsoft's committed to sustaining the game's multiplayer scene and growing the PC community. Perhaps, just perhaps, that might include esports:

The Xbox team post promised more news to come, which is welcome for the fans who have been waiting to play the later Halo games every since Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2 came out on desktop years ago. You can almost hear the fans beckoning for 60FPS and 4K/HDR support, which the post promised for Halo: Reach on Xbox One.

• Check out our list of the best Xbox One games

Imagine a world where you don't need expensive gaming hardware to play the next big release - a world where all you have to do is open the Chrome browser, pick out a game you want to play and instantly have it start without any need for a lengthy download or surprisingly large patch. 

That’s the idea of Google’s Project Stream cloud gaming service. 

Rather than needing high-end hardware, Project Stream allows you to use whatever computer you have around to play video games. Google handles all the heavy lifting on its own servers, which can process the latest version of the game at high resolutions and frame rates, encode it into a stream, and deliver the stream to you over the internet.

We got our first taste of the service during an extended beta that ran back in 2018, and now we're set to see its evolution at GDC 2019 on March 19. Whether it remains in the browser or makes its way to a dedicated remains to be seen - but, based on what we played last year, Project Stream serves as an impressive showcase of what the future of cloud gaming could look like.

[Update: After a patent for a Google gaming controller went viral over the weekend, Google has opened up a teaser site for an unveiling event on March 19. Head over there now to sign up for alerts and more information about the service.]

How Project Stream works

It’s not clear how the final product will work, whether Google will maintain the Project Stream name, or even whether Google will continue the project after this beta. But, for the moment, as long as you’re connected to the internet with a fast and stable connection and you’re using a recent desktop version of the Chrome browser, you’ve got the setup needed to use Project Stream. 

Playing a video game on Project Stream is as simple as opening a new tab in Chrome and going to the Projectstream.google.com page.  

Google will prompt you to run a connection test that checks your internet bandwidth, the latency between your computer and the servers, and any data loss. Google requires a streaming rate of 15Mbps, latency below 40ms, and data loss below 5%. With these requirements met, you’ll be ready to dive into a game.

The beta of Project Stream is offering Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, which is nothing short of a demanding title. When you launch the game in your Chrome tab, it will go fullscreen, and run exactly as if it has been launched on a proper gaming computer (except without a deep graphics settings menu). You can play with a keyboard and mouse or connect a game controller and play that way.

All of your inputs on the computer get sent over to Google’s servers, processed in the game, and everything happening gets streamed right back to you. This is why that latency is so important, because you can’t have a good game experience if everything you do in the game shows up a second later.

The limits of Project Stream haven’t been detailed, but Google has shown off the service running at 1080p and 60fps, pretty much the bar for quality PC gaming. 

All of your inputs on the computer get sent over to Google’s servers, processed in the game, and everything happening gets streamed right back to you.

So, in effect, you’re opening a new tab that pipes all your inputs to a high-end gaming PC that streams back the visuals and audio to your computer screen. This system is simpler than some others, which set you up with a virtual desktop that then remotely runs Steam, Origin, Battle.net, or what have you.

In the case of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey on Project Stream, you are still required to log into a Ubisoft account to play, but beta testers aren’t required to own the game.

It’s unclear at this point whether Google will require players to buy games and pay for the streaming service in separate transactions, or whether access to select games will be bundled into the service.

What games will be available on Project Stream?

Through the Project Stream beta, the only available game was Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. While this didn’t give us much idea of what games Google will offer in the future, it did give us a good idea of what games Google could be capable of offering. 

For a 1080p 30fps game experience at High settings in Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, Ubisoft recommends a system with the following specs:

• OS: Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (64-bit versions only)
• Processor: AMD FX-8350 @ 4.0 GHz, Ryzen 5 - 1400, Intel Core i7-3770 @ 3.5 GHz
• Video: AMD Radeon R9 290 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 (4GB VRAM or more with Shader Model 5.0) or better
• Memory: 8GB RAM
• Video Preset: High
• Storage: 46GB available hard drive space
• DirectX: DirectX June 2010 Redistributable
• Sound: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card with latest drivers

For 4K at 30fps and high settings, the recommended specs bump up to include 16GB of RAM, a more powerful AMD Ryzen 1700X or Intel Core i7 7700 processor, and a beefier AMD Vega 64 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 graphics card. With Project Stream shooting for 1080p at 60fps, the type of system it’s offering would fall somewhere between Ubisoft’s recommended specs.

The truth is a computer that can handle Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at 1080p 60fps is going to be capable of playing a whole lot of games at these settings. Other major titles could easily see support on the service.

Games with a major online focus may have dicier prospects on Project Stream. Since competitive online games are often fast-paced and require split-second reaction times, the extra latency introduced by streaming will likely be an issue for serious competitors. That said, we don’t see these games being unplayable on the service.

What's Project Stream like to use?

At its best, Project Stream is good. At its worst, well, Google won’t let you play below a certain threshold of quality, and you wouldn’t want to anyway.

We tested Project Stream on varying setups. We played on an unstable 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection, a fast and nearby 5GHz Wi-Fi connection, and on an ethernet connection held steady and offered high bandwidth. 

The highly dated Chromebook hardware didn’t hold it back from playing.

We also played on a 5-year-old Chromebook, a 2-year-old Razer Blade, and a modern desktop gaming rig that would be happy to run Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at 1080p/60FPS on its own hardware. We even started one computer up while another was running the stream, and Google simply transferred control over to the second computer, with no stop in the stream.

Across the board, we’d describe the experience as at least playable. The highly dated Chromebook hardware didn’t hold it back from playing. The biggest issues come from a bad connection: if the connection speed drops, so does the game quality, with lower resolutions, latency, and far more noticeable compression. 

That said, in our experience, the visual degradation came before the latency, so we were able to continue battling enemies smoothly even if they started to look like ghostly swarms of pixels.

Overall, the graphics are fairly good throughout, especially when playing on a high-bandwidth connection using ethernet cables. Colors, shadows, and anti-aliasing look fine, and the frame-rate seems to vary between 30 and 60fps.

The low frame-rate was one of the two issues we noticed. The other was compression. Most of the time, it’s not super jarring, but when there’s a lot of detail in a scene and a lot of movement, the compression turns it all into a bit of slop. Character faces become a blur and hard edges (noticeably the character’s hair) go soft. 

It would seem to be a sign of the lower bitrate enabling this type of streaming, but the truth is that most of the time it’s unnoticeable, and would be even harder to spot if you weren’t looking for it (we were looking for it). Panning the camera and running through dense wooded areas in the game (and combining the two) were the only times we were turned off by the dips in visual quality.

The experience isn’t mind-blowing, at least until you remember that it’s using so little of your computers processing power that you’ve literally got a full-system virus scan going in the background and nothing changed. The visuals are comparable to what you’d get on a console, except with compression artifacts here and there. And, with a stable connection, it compares rather favorably to in-home streaming on a Steam Link.

While the price and service model Google adopts will go a long way in determining whether Project Stream is worthwhile, we can say right now that it works, and it looks good doing it. But, will Microsoft’s xCloud do it better?

• Looking for a fully baked game streaming service? PlayStation Now is available now

It appears as though Google is finally going to unveil its game-streaming service. 

The company has been ramping up for its Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2019 keynote on March 19, and has now released a teaser website that lets you sign up for more information.

• Google isn't alone - Amazon is also developing a game-streaming service
• We've already seen the patent for a new Google game controller
• Nvidia says streaming can't beat a gaming PC

What this tells us is that Google is putting a lot of effort behind its GDC presence. The company has 16 presentations at the conference on the first day alone and has confirmed that it will unveil more in a presentation on March 19. 

If you missed it while it was in beta last year, Project Stream allowed you to play Assassin’s Creed Odyssey through a Chrome browser before the game came out.

Project Stream is expected to reemerge at this year’s GDC to compete with services like PlayStation Now from Sony as well as Project XCloud, which is expected to be the marquee feature of the next Xbox.

• But is cloud game streaming too good to be true?

We might know a bit more about the potentially foldable Motorola Razr V4 phone, including its decent but not wildly impressive specs. The device will pack a Snapdragon 710 processor, very middling RAM and storage and have a sub-3,000mAh battery, a source told XDA Developers.

In other words, the Razr foldable’s performance may be mid-range when compared to the top-tier specs packed into the folding devices slated for this year, like the Samsung Fold and Huawei Mate X. 

Per XDA Developers’ source, the phone will have two RAM and two storage variants (it’s unclear which configurations will be offered): either 4 or 6GB of RAM, and either 64 or 128GB of storage. The phone is said to come with a 2,730mAh battery, which is far lower than those coming in the Samsung Fold and Huawei Mate X, though XDA admits this info might be out of date. 

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XDA Developers also snagged the supposed logo and placed it on a black background. Supposedly, this is how it will look:

Paving the way for a potentially cheaper folding option?

Up until now, foldable phones have been specced and priced above even top-tier flagships, and their emergence essentially introduced a new cost ceiling for mobile devices. 

Sadly, this phone is no exception. According to the Wall Street Journal’s report earlier in 2019 that kicked off the foldable Razr rumor mill, Motorola’s device was expected to have a starting price of roughly $1,500 (around £1,170, AU$2,010) – which, yes, is nominally cheaper than the Fold and significantly cheaper than the Mate X, but it’s still far beyond what even conventional flagships cost. 

Yet, there is a silver lining. If these specs are to be believed, then the Razr V4 foldable could be a proof-of-concept that you don’t need the best specs on the market to get a folding phone to market. There could be a legitimate mid-range folding phone that works with a mid-tier processor and average specs. 

This could drive down foldable prices from their astronomical heights, and eventually give consumers more opportunity to try the novel devices for themselves.

And they do, indeed, have cool stuff to offer: a previous XDA report suggested the Razr V4 could come with a second screen that would double as a trackpad when the phone is unfolded. It’s unclear how that would work, but the possibility is exciting.

• Foldables are coming, but here are the best Android phones on the market now

Getting the best laptop docking station for your needs is a great way to expand the functionality of your laptop, while making it easier and more comfortable to work on.

The best laptop docking stations can really help you work from home as well. These handy peripherals can effectively turn your laptop into a feature-packed desktop replacement. This is especially important if you've got a laptop with limited ports, such as a MacBook.

The docking stations in this list of the best laptop docking stations let you expand the connectivity options of your laptop, making it an even more versatile machine by adding ports such as additional USB ports, Ethernet LAN ports and video connections as well.

So, what do you need to look for when shopping for the best laptop docking stations? Well, you need to make sure that whatever solution you’re looking at will provide any features and ports you may need in your day-to-day workload. With the best laptop docking stations, you can have the best of both worlds: a portable laptop that has the connectivity of a bulkier desktop PC.

With this guide, we’ll dive into all the best laptop docking stations that’ll give you everything you need to stay productive and to turn your trusted laptop into a fully-featured work machine.

Make sure you check out our guide to the best laptops as well, where we highlight the top devices money can buy.

• You might also be interested in these 5 productivity gadgets that your laptop will love

StarTech claims its Thunderbolt 3 docking station is the most advanced dock ever. Often, docking stations require multiple leads, but StarTech’s latest offering avoids that. The device has been designed to work with thinner notebooks and uses only one cord. 

As the name suggests, it supports dual 4K displays (at 60Hz) and harnesses the raw power of Thunderbolt 3, offering 40Gbps bandwidth while keeping portability in mind. That’s not all, though. It can be used with up to three USB 3.0 devices and you also get Gigabit Ethernet capability. There’s also the ability to charge mobile devices, and you benefit from Direct DisplayPort integration. This accessory will set you back £312, which is a hefty whack, but not a bad investment if you’re in the market for a powerful dock.

Targus offers this Dual Video Docking Station which won’t break the bank, and comes with integrated laptop recharging facilities that are compatible with most 90W notebooks. So even if you’ve forgotten your charger, you’ll be good to go with this nifty device.

You can hook up two displays to this dock, and in terms of ports, you get a pair of USB 3.0 ports, alongside a pair of USB 2.0 connectors, plus two powered USB 2.0 ports, and Gigabit Ethernet. Targus also offers a Multiplexer Adaptor which makes this docking station USB-C compatible.

AmazonBasics is a great brand if you want simple and affordable peripherals, and its AmazonBasics USB 3.0 Universal Laptop Docking Station is a brilliant budget laptop docking station. You can connect up all your peripherals via six USB ports, and use two displays simultaneously. That’s certainly handy if you need multiple displays for work purposes. 

Four of the USB ports are version 2.0, while two are USB 3.0 – and they give you access to transfer speeds of 5Gbps. Despite its low price, this is a brilliant way of expanding your laptop's capabilities.

Kensington is a well-known and respected brand which has developed a reputation for its docking stations. Its latest USB 3.0 model can be used with MacBook or Windows laptops. 

This device will let you transform one USB port into six (it sports four USB 2.0 ports around the back, and a pair of USB 3.0 affairs on the front). You also get a DVI connector and adapters to use it with either HDMI or VGA leads, and there’s an optional multi-display adapter for hooking up more than one monitor. 

It sits nicely next to your laptop, and is affordably priced – it really is one of the best laptop docking stations around right now.

Toshiba is another big tech name that makes laptop docking stations. The Dynadock V3.0 is one of the firm’s most popular offerings, and is targeted at Windows laptop users who want to benefit from expanded capabilities.

Like most docking stations nowadays, the Dynadock offers USB 3.0 ports, although more than many as you get four of these here. There is also a DVI connector (with adapters for HDMI or VGA) along with an Ethernet port, and the dock uses one cable connection for ease-of-use and portability. And because the Dynadock sports an upright design, it’ll fit nicely on even the most cramped desk environment.

Microsoft is a company known primarily for its software prowess, but in recent years, it has been increasingly working on the hardware front. The Surface line-up of tablet hybrids demonstrates this perfectly. If you own one, you’ll be happy to learn that you can also reap the rewards offered by a docking station.

The Surface Dock will let you turn your Surface convertible into a fully-fledged desktop PC. It’s compatible with the Surface Pro 3, Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book. Connectivity-wise, there are two Mini DisplayPorts, one Gigabit Ethernet port, four USB 3.0 ports and an audio-out jack. This dock doesn’t come particularly cheap, though.

The J5Create Ultra Station is a neat and compact dock indeed, being a thin bar which you can attach to the back of your notebook. It provides a variety of connectivity options for Windows laptops and MacBooks: you get a pair of USB 3.0 ports (one of which has power for charging) and a USB 2.0 port, along with VGA and HDMI ports, Ethernet, plus speaker and mic jacks.

However, that’s not all. There’s also a nifty ‘wormhole’ USB connection that allows you to hook up another computer – as well as your initial laptop – and do things like share files by simply dragging and dropping them across from machine to machine. This can also be used to share your keyboard and mouse between devices, and works cross-platform (i.e. you can hook up and share things between a Windows notebook and MacBook).

Although there are universal laptop docking stations out there, of course, many models are built by manufacturers for their own notebooks. Dell’s USB 3.0 dock exemplifies this. It works with most of the company’s latest laptops in the Inspiron series and, like much of the competition, uses USB 3.0 as the prevalent port – it has three USB 3.0 connectors, along with two USB 2.0 ports.

As the name suggests, 4K screens are catered for, and you get a DisplayPort along with a pair of HDMI ports, meaning you can hook up a total of three external monitors (one of them 4K) if you wish. Dell bundles an HDMI to DVI adapter, to support older displays still using DVI, and this dock also boasts an Ethernet port along with audio/headphone jacks.

The Plugable USB 3.0 Universal Laptop Docking Station for Windows makes for a strong budget option for those who want extra connections. The specs include a SuperSpeed USB 3.0 (5Gbps) link from PC to dual video, as well as connections for Ethernet, audio input/output, and two USB 3.0 ports. The HDMI port can support a single display of up to 2560x1440, though if two displays are set up this reduces the maximum resolution to 1920x1200.

However, it is only compatible for Windows machines. Additional limitations are that it cannot be mixed with non-DisplayLink USB graphic adapters, such as MCT, j5, or SMSC. It also doesn't support DVI dual-link or Displayport connections, HDCP, or the playback of protected Blu-ray disks. Despite these limitations it's still a useful piece of budget hardware that's good for many uses.

The Wavlink Universal Docking Station is a very versatile piece of kit that is compatible not just with Windows machines but also Intel-based Macs. It includes dual display outputs for monitors, and it supports HMDI and DVI/VGA displays with resolutions of up to 2048 x 1152. In theory this means you can expand you laptop to have three display monitors.

There are also no less than six USB ports, two of which are Superspeed USB 3.0, with the other four being USB 2.0 for use with other hardware such as printers, keyword, scanner, or a digital camera. There's also an Ethernet port, as well as earphone and mic audio sockets. This is a strong and flexible piece of hardware that comes in at a surprisingly low price.

• Check out the best gaming laptops

Plenty of online tools will help you create a website in just a few minutes with just a few clicks, but they're not all geared towards helping photographers – those people who want to show off big, beautiful galleries of images online.

If you're looking for the best website builder that's going to help you showcase your work as stylishly as possible, we've picked out four of the best for you to consider. They all score highly for their pricing, features, ease of use, and the choice of templates they offer for getting a photo portfolio up on the web.

Once you've picked your favorite, you'll soon be getting your photos up in front of a potential audience of millions. Some sites even give you options for selling copies of your images via the web.

Find the best website builder for photographers

If you're after simplicity first and foremost in your website builder, then check out Format – it doesn't have as many advanced features or options as some of its competitors, but that means less hassle for you and a shorter time between signing up for the site and getting your photos online.

You've got over 60 different themes to pick from (plus additional premium ones if you go down that route), all of which can be customized in terms of pages, layouts and colors. Every theme adapts automatically to desktop or mobile, and you can preview all this in your browser.

As you would hope, getting images up on your site is simple, and once they're on the page they can be dragged and dropped into position as required. If you're happy with original design of the template you've picked – and the templates are all professional-looking and clean – then you really can be online within minutes.

We also like Format because of the extras it throws in. The platform lets you bring in your own domain name, set up an online store, and add a blog, with video tutorials generously spread around to help if you get stuck. If you do know a little bit of website coding, you can edit the CSS of your site too. There is a 14-day free trial available to test out the service.

• Sign up for Format from $6 (about £4.50) per month, free trial available

On the scale of basic to advanced, Carbonmade is somewhere towards the former, but its service is specifically for creatives – and that means getting your work up in a cool-looking theme is very straightforward, and actually a lot of fun too.

You only get a handful of templates to pick from, so if you'd rather spend time agonizing over a choice of hundreds, then Carbonmade perhaps isn't for you. Once you're in, the site builder has one of the best workflows we've seen, letting you easily create projects and pages, and get your pictures uploaded to the site. 

It's one of those interfaces that you really don't need an instruction manual to get around. Everything from the published/unpublished status of your pages, to the use of thumbnails for navigation, is simple to configure. The customization tweaks you've got, like the option to drop in a logo or a favicon, are all well chosen too. There are some neat extras like the Carbonmade Messages (which lets you interact with all the people interested in your work) or the ability to connect your custom domain. Additionally, If you have a Dropbox account, you can upload files directly from there. 

You don't get anything in the way of advanced features, like online sales or pages with password protection, but not everyone needs those anyway – if you'd rather get your site up, get it looking good, and then get on with your photography, Carbonmade is definitely worth a look.

• Sign up for Carbonmade from $6 (about £4.50) per month, free trial available

Squarespace is one of the biggest names in website building, and it offers dozens of top-notch templates for getting your portfolio of pictures up on the web. Whether you want your images to show up at full-screen size or you prefer the grid look, Squarespace should have something to suit.

All the image cropping and resizing is taken care of for you, so your site is going to look great on any kind of device, and there's actually quite a lot of flexibility when it comes to how your images are presented. You can use your own branding, fonts, and colors, or take the defaults that Squarespace gives you.

To protect your images, the platform lets you password-protect certain gallery pages, and if you need to have text flowing alongside your pictures then that's simple to do as well. Embedding a contact form only takes a few minutes if you want to give clients a way to get in touch.

Everything can be managed through an attractive web browser interface and you can also add and remove pictures from an iOS app if you need to. It's easy to see why Squarespace is one of the more popular website builders, and it's well suited to photographers.

• Sign up for Squarespace from £10/$12 per month, free trial available

Dunked doesn't have the same range of templates or the same depth of features as some of its rivals, but getting everything up and running is really simple and really fast. Take a look at the templates on the home page – if you like any of them, give Dunked a whirl.

As with most similar services, you've got a basic drag-and-drop interface for getting your pictures in the right place. If needed, images can be split up into pages and categories, so whether you want to stick your whole career online or just a few select snaps, Dunked makes it possible.

Even though the choice of templates isn't the widest, they're all designed to adapt to screens of any size, and if you know a bit of CSS then you can tweak various aspects of the site design – just don't expect a massive amount of help beyond the basics of colors and fonts. Changes can be applied at any time and only take seconds.

We like the balance Dunked hits in getting you started very quickly and then giving you a few customization options later on. It's going to be too basic for some, but if you don't want to spend hours pondering over layouts, it may well suit you perfectly. You can try out the service free for 10 days.

• Sign up for Dunked from $8 (about £6) a month, free trial available

• How to make a website GDPR compliant
• The best CMS you can get in 2020

• Editor's note: Wix has asked not be included in this article

• Check out the best website hosting services

Welcome to our pick of the best business security camera systems in 2019. Here, we offer you advice on finding the best security camera for your business, giving you security and peace of mind by keeping a watchful eye on your office.

The best business security camera systems can act as a deterrent to potential thieves, but if the worst does happen and your business is broken into, you will have evidence that will help you claim on your insurance, and even hopefully get your stolen items back.

The best business security cameras should also be easy enough to install and use that you don't need to fork out for expensive expert installation. Many of the  business security cameras are Wi-Fi enabled and come with their own apps, so you can view footage on your smartphone or tablet, no matter where you are in the world.

It means you don't need to pay for a security team to watch the footage at all times (though if you can afford it, that won't hurt), and you don't need a networked video recorder. Any motion-triggered recordings can be saved in the cloud, or locally on a microSD card.

By using a smartphone as your interface, many new features are made possible. For instance, you can draw areas of active motion sensitivity within the camera’s field of view to limit the number of alerts that arrive on your phone, and some of these cameras have object recognition and can tell the difference between a person and an animal, or a car. 

The most significant thing that these new IP cameras have in common is their accessibility. None of our top 10 selection require a professional installation and they all come with slick companion apps that make protecting your property easy and, if we’re honest, kind of fun.

• Here’s how you can turn an old laptop into a CCTV camera

Netatmo’s sophisticated outdoor camera cum security light is expensive, but it has a lot to offer. As well as carrying out 24-hour surveillance in Full HD, it also acts as a security light whenever motion is detected. What’s more, it can differentiate between the movement of a car, a person, or an animal, so that your alerts are more specific.

The distinctive design will either look stylish or incongruous depending on your property and exactly where it’s installed, but regardless of any issues with aesthetics, the Presence will certainly make itself felt, and hopefully make potential burglars think twice.

Read the full review: Netatmo Presence

Nest’s stylish camera is backed up by the slickest companion app we’ve come across, while its Nest Aware service, which stores up to 30-days of footage in the cloud, is the most reliable and accessible around. The only problem is that it’s also the most expensive and without paying for a subscription, you cannot access all of the camera’s features. 

The camera itself is very well specified, and for some folks, its integration with other Nest products, like the brand’s smart thermostat, is what will give this device an extra edge over the competition.

Read the full review: Nest Cam Outdoor

If you’re looking for a quick and easy option for surveying your office, then this all-seeing eyeball is an appealing solution. It’s not the cheapest option, especially as it works best with a paid monthly subscription, but Circle’s intuitive companion app makes it very simple to set up and stay secure. 

The compact, swivelling form factor makes sense, especially with its magnetic base and built-in battery for truly wireless installation. For larger businesses, however, we’d recommend a camera that can integrate more readily with existing systems like HomeKit, or SmartThings, or at least other Logitech cameras, as the Circle works best on its own.

Read the full review: Logi Circle

With its smart, solid and compact design, the Arlo Q has instant appeal as a discrete security camera. And it’s backed up by the user-friendly Arlo app that enables you to access key features, like the push notification settings, with a minimum of fuss. 

Our experience with getting the camera online didn’t go well and our Wi-Fi network struggled to stream its 1080p live view, but your mileage may well vary, and you might not find any such stumbling blocks. In which case, the overall usability of this product, combined with its relatively robust build quality and the generous seven-day free cloud storage plan, make this a good way to start protecting your property.

Read the full review: Netgear Arlo Q

The Ezviz Mini Plus is a discrete and diminutive IP camera that’s simple to install and easy-to-use. And while it looks like an entry-level model, it’s actually the model up from the Ezviz Mini and offers 1080p resolution, adjustable motion sensitivity and a microSD card slot. It’s really only missing motion zone adjustment and object recognition.

The picture quality has poor contrast, but high detail with reasonable night vision. However, it’s a pity there’s no internal battery and no integration with Nest, SmartThings, or HomeKit.

Read the full review: Hikvision Ezviz Mini Plus

For outdoor, around-the-clock sentry duty, a tough dome camera like this is a safe bet, especially when it’s supplied by one of the big hitters of the security industry.

You won’t find any of the fancy features you get with the new IP camera crowd – things like object recognition and motion zone detection – and the app looks downright basic compared to that of Nest or Netatmo. But this camera is built to last and it hits a remarkably competitive price point too.

Read the full review: Foscam F19853EP

• You can buy the Foscam F19853EP here

We found this logical fusion of smart light and IP camera to be an exceedingly convenient solution to a basic security problem. Simply screwing it in place of the pendant light in our reception area gave us not just a controllable energy-efficient smart light, but 24-hour surveillance with an all-around view. 

The price is realistic too, but we cannot fully recommend this version with so many obvious omissions and design flaws. The lack of an IFTTT channel is trivial, but the omission of motion activation for the LED is more serious, and will be a deal-breaker for many. We’ll be very surprised if there isn’t a revised model in the pipeline that addresses all of these issues.

Read the full review: Sengled Snap

• You can buy the Sengled Snap here

With its appealing design, microSD storage slot and the surprise bonus of an audio out jack, this little camera is a cut above the most basic IP cameras. The 1080p video quality is up to scratch too, capturing video clips that show fairly crisp images. 

While it is easy to set up, it’s not the most user-friendly design we’ve tested, but it does offer enough flexibility to suit many commercial and domestic situations. The fact that it’s backed by a major brand, and boasts good integration with products like SmartThings, Google alerts, and Picasa is also reassuring.

For a fairly modest outlay, this security camera delivers a reliable performance – provided you use the Ethernet cable, because Wi-Fi connectivity can be flaky – and a good set of features. 

Read the full review: Samsung SmartCam SNH-P6410NB

This little IP camera offers a simple and cost-effective springboard into the surveillance game, as it comes complete with local storage on a microSD card and a free app that makes it easy to monitor your property remotely. And by recording a wide 180-degree view whenever its motion sensor or mic are triggered, the DCS-2530L does its job quite well.

The plastic construction does feel a little vulnerable, however, and app support is decidedly less sophisticated than the competition, so we would advise spending just a little more if you’re serious about surveillance.

Read the full review: D-Link DCS-2530L

As a holistic smart home solution, Panasonic’s system has lots of appeal for homes and businesses. The far-reaching DECT system has advantages over less secure Wi-Fi IP cameras, and the growing family of sensors Panasonic is offering gives you some confidence about buying into its smart home dream.

However, the cameras themselves are too limited in their picture and sound quality to compare well with the current competition, while the app doesn’t offer the same slick features of the latest IP cameras from Nest, Netatmo and others towards the top of this list. We’d recommend waiting for the inevitable mark II models.

Read the full review: Panasonic KX-HN6002EW

Driven by unprecedented changes in technology, digitisation is pushing industries of all kinds to a tipping point. Automation and AI is a huge part of this change, and is the part of modern-day technological development that some fear.

According to a recent Brooking’s institute study, 25 percent of jobs in the US, particularly the ‘repetitive ones’, are under threat from automation. 

The jobs considered of highest risk are performed by low-skilled workers in the food service industry, and in this context the threat appears real: there are already robotic waiters in Japan for example. 

Yet the Washington think-tank’s study found the professions of least risk from automation are business occupations, ranked below arts and entertainment. This illustrates the versatile mindsets automation will encourage.

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Encouragingly though, the relationship between jobs and automation is nuanced.  A recent report from the World Economic Forum suggests 133 million new jobs could be created by the technology.  

According to the Brookings report, highly creative or technical positions are  likely to benefit, but the study notes that administrative and legal professions will be partially impacted by automation. But in what way, and how soon, will these changes take place?

In the UK,  the impact technology will have in shaping financial services will be felt as soon as the Spring. 

Starting in April, Making Tax Digital for VAT will require businesses to file their tax digitally using cloud accounting software. Part of the UK Government’s drive for a digital Britain, MTD or VAT will bring manual bookkeeping into the modern age, enabling HMRC to digitally track individual invoices. 

The legislation will remedy costly tax filing errors and change the way accountants work. Free from manual, repetitive booking tasks using paper or spreadsheets, accountants will work more collaboratively with clients in the cloud, and their value will be determined by their advisory skills. 

The evolution of the accountants’ role is articulated by our petitioning of the Oxford English Dictionary to change the definition of accountant to reflect the advisory services many accountants already supply.

Yet despite the business benefits of MTD for VAT, our research indicates a resistance to change. With just weeks to go to before the legislation is introduced, we found fewer than half of the UK’s accountants feel prepared for the digital switch, despite the fact that one third of those surveyed said they expect digital tax to increase their firm’s productivity.  

But whatever the reason for this reticence, everyone knows change can be a challenge, and helping an industry adapt to digital transformation requires empathy. 

Here are some tips to help your workforce embrace transformation in your industry:

1. Mind your language. We’ve a tendency to describe technology in its own terms, but not so long ago we thought cookies were biscuits. Many pretend they understand terms like ‘server’ and ‘cloud’, but don’t. Use plain English when talking to staff or customers. Use simple, functional terms wherever possible.

2. Make learning easier. Nobody wants to read a training manual. Make your communications accessible, from human customer service and personal interactions, to infographics. To help businesses get ready for MTD for VAT, we’ve created Dexter the Digital Tax Advisor an animated tax advisor to help businesses make the digital switch.

3. Encourage ownership. Give employees the confidence to experiment with the latest technology, and do not discourage mistakes. And for customers and business partners, encourage early adoption. The longer you leave a new technology adoption task, the scarier it can seem. Encourage stakeholders to become experts in the new technology by supplying online training courses and free trials.       

4. Expect fear and suspicion. The Victorians thought locomotion would cause madness and death, and Mark Twain didn’t invest in the telephone thinking the technology would fail. Factor in the natural reticence any audience will have when presented with new technology and build this reluctance into your implementation schedules. Beta testing is useful, but beware of beta testing with a captive or expert audience, try to test your product with the lay-person too.       

Technology moves faster than culture, and often informs it. By empathising with the wider community interacting with the new technology, and planning for resistance to change, you can help stakeholders adapt. For more information about Making Tax Digital for VAT and how it will affect small businesses and accountants from April, visit Xero’s hub here.   

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In an effort to help users share files securely and privately, Mozilla has launched a new free encrypted file transfer service called Firefox Send.

Firefox Send was actually created back in 2017 as one of the company's Test Pilot experiments and now it has decided to make it into a fully fledged service.

Send sets itself apart from other file sharing services by using end-to-end encryption to help keep the data you share secure from the moment you share to the moment your file is opened. 

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The service also offers customizable security controls that let you choose when your file link expires, the number of downloads and whether you want to protect your data further by adding a password.

Firefox Send

Send also makes it easy for users to share large files. The service allows you to send files up to 1GB quickly but for files up to 2.5GB, you'll need to sign up for a free Firefox account.

Recipients also benefit from Send's simplicity as they simply receive a link and can download a file right away. They don't need to have a Firefox account to access any files sent to them which makes the sharing experience seamless for both parties since the service works from any browser.

While you can use Send from any web browser, the service will also soon be available as an Android app in beta.

Sharing files with the wrong recipient can have huge consequences for organizations, as we recently saw with Box, which is why Mozilla's new solution is a welcome approach as it puts security and privacy first.

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