Friday, June 29, 2018
Thursday, June 28, 2018
Does Facebook know when you'll die?
Facebook holds a huge amount of your personal data - perhaps even enough to tell when you'll get married, have children and die.
To find out how much the site can extrapolate about its users' lives, the New York Times plunged into the hundreds of patent applications Facebook has filed since it went public in 2012.
One of its most alarming - and fascinating - discoveries was the patent Predicting Life Changes of Members of a Social Networking System, which would use your recent online activity to forecast major personal events.
According to the patent, "A life change event, for example, may be a change in marital status, a birthday, a new job, a birth of a child, a graduation, or a death of a person associated with the user, just to name a few."
The patent refers to communication data, including wall posts, instant messages and text messages, which could be scanned for key words indicating that something big is about to happen in your life.
The circle of ads
This information could then be used to target advertising more effectively. For example, if the algorithm determined that you were about to become a parent, it could shower you with ads for nurseries and diapers.
Although Facebook users update their profile when something important happens, like an engagement or a marriage, it's not very helpful to advertisers if that happens after the event has taken place. There's no point trying to sell a wedding dress to a woman who's already on her honeymoon.
Although the potential might be there, a patent isn't the same as a plan, and few of the documents the NYT pored over have borne fruit.
“Most of the technology outlined in these patents has not been included in any of our products, and never will be,” Allen Lo, a Facebook vice president and deputy general counsel, and the company’s head of intellectual property, told the newspaper.
Still, it's a poignant reminder to take a look at your privacy settings if you haven't done so recently, and make sure you aren't sharing any more data than you want to with the site and its advertisers.
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Wednesday, June 27, 2018
10 free online cybersecurity courses you should take
Knowledge is power, but it’s also expensive. In a day and age where it’s essentially required that everyone have a college education, you have to be able to either afford the experience or the coursework.
Of course, time is money and if you have any to spare, it’s oftentimes just as valuable to certain course administrators.
A quick Google search will tell you that there are thousands of cybersecurity classes that you can take online for free. While that may be the case, however, there are only a handful that you should take, and we’ve picked out 10 resources that provide complimentary education to all the aspiring Kasperskys out there.
- Check out our list of the best VPN services in the world
These lessons vary in their levels of formality and professionalism. The US Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity official training and exercises, for instance, are bound to be rather more dense than, say, Udemy’s level-one cybersecurity course for beginners (see slide 5).
Nevertheless, the end goal remains the same: learning more about the digital defense protocols of the modern era in an attempt to surpass college students shelling out more than they need to for their academic redundancies.
Some of the options you’ll find here can lead to paid formal education opportunities, whereas others are completely free introductions to the world of cybersecurity. Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at some of the choices.
It’s undeniably basic, and yet Sans Cyber Aces isn't far off the mark when it says that it offers the best free online cybersecurity classes on the web.
After reading through a series of comprehensive entries about operating systems, networking and system administration, you can register for a quiz that puts your expertise to the test. Should highlighted talking points such as installing Linux virtual machine software or basic PHP, Bash and PowerShell web scripting pique your interest, you’ll be in for an engaging lecture.
As the name suggests, Cybrary is an online library for cybersecurity, IT and other InfoSec-related study materials. After creating a free account, you get access to almost 500 courses, each ranked by their difficulty and all of them free.
You can filter classes by level – Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced – or by vendors like Cisco, (ISC)2 and Microsoft. Whether you want to learn the fundamentals of malware or the art of the Jedi mind trick, both of those curriculums are given equal prominence in Cybrary’s extensive course catalog.
The US Department of Homeland Security is an obvious source of cybersecurity expertise, but you may not have been aware that you don’t have to travel all the way to the United States to benefit from the vast experience of US government security experts, or that you can do so for free.
The DHS has a calendar full of training events you can attend in Idaho Falls, but for everyone who doesn’t live in the midwestern US there’s an entire portal of online courses available to those involved in the security of industrial control systems.
Its website looks like what you'd get if you took all the slideshows and teaching materials from a university cybersecurity department and uploaded them to a domain sporting the most minimalist user interface of all time, but Open Security Training is host to a range of intermediate and advanced classes, along with a swath of beginner lessons that any newbie would be a fool to pass up.
There’s a whole rundown on the x86 and x64 architectures wielded by Intel processors, along with introductions to topics along the lines of cellular security, network forensics and vulnerability assessment.
Typically, courses on Udemy cost money, but we’ve found a few worth checking out that won’t put a dent in your bank account. There’s a Cybersecurity law primer, for example, that we think could be beneficial to anyone wanting to know the ins and outs of cybersecurity ethics. The Cybersecurity course for beginners – level one could also be advantageous to take, not only for cybersecurity enthusiasts but for anyone who want to learn more about the subject.
The Introduction to Cyber Security course from Future Learn, owned by the UK-based Open University, is available to take at any time on any schedule, and is accredited by UK Government intelligence organization GCHQ, global accreditation and examination institute APMG International, and The Institute of Information Security Professionals.
Future Learn also offers a free three-week online course called Cyber Security: Safety at Home, Online, in Life, designed to teach the essentials of maintaining security and privacy online and at home.
It’s not exactly a class or an educational institute, at least by conventional standards. What The Daily Security Tip is, though, is an email-based learning tool produced by Heimdal Security that sends you a nugget of cybersecurity-related advice every day, with the ultimate goal of making you safer both online and off.
It’s completely free to sign up, and the creators of The Daily Security Tip claim that “there’s a 96% chance you’ll enjoy it”.
From the same firm that brought you The Daily Security tip comes Heimdal Security’s Cyber Security Course for Beginners. Although this, too, is email-based, its syllabus is significantly more extensive than that of The Daily Security Tip.
The Cyber Security Course for Beginners delivers a new lesson every two days for five weeks, and all without the need to pay back any tuition loans. In terms of content, it aims to give you step-by-step advice for keeping your personal data out of nefarious hands.
More of a free trial than a free class, Coursera’s cybersecurity specialization was created by the University of Maryland to bring the underlying concepts of the construction of secure systems directly to your web browser.
It consists of five courses in total, each of which can take several weeks to complete. These range from Usable Security to a Cybersecurity Capstone Project, so it’s safe to say that they'll require you to already have some intermediate cybersecurity know-how under your belt.
Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is a hot buzzword these days. A MOOC is a university-taught class that's completely free of charge to anyone with the free time to spare, and there are a lot of cybersecurity MOOCs to choose from, from a wide variety of schools.
Notably, Excelsior College has an introduction to cybersecurity class that lasts eight weeks and is suitable for both educators and professionals. Elsewhere, Cornell University has a MOOC called Privacy and Surveillance In the Age of Interconnection, studies the evolution of privacy concerns and user rights.
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Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Monday, June 25, 2018
Why big data could mean you never miss a train again
What projects are you and Trainline’s data science team currently working on?
We work with vast quantities of travel data (127,000 journeys are taken by our customers every day) to enhance the travel experience with new, smart innovations. These innovations are designed to help customers in many ways, from saving them money to helping them find the best ticket for their journey in a quick and easy way.
One of the projects my team has been working on recently is enhanced disruption notifications for our customers. Soon to launch in beta in our voice app, enhanced disruption notifications use machine learning and natural language processing to ‘read’ the rail operators’ Twitter feeds, analyse them and share relevant contextual journey updates matched to the individual traveller. It’s a first for the rail industry in the UK and we’re really excited to launch it.
'Big Data’ has become a buzzword, but what does it mean to you?
The tech industry is no stranger to buzzwords, but it sometimes needs to do a better job of explaining them. I think when we talk of ‘big data’ a lot of people simply imagine huge spreadsheets, a lot of numbers, or simply don’t know what it refers to at all.
‘Big data’ is slightly misleading in that it suggests only volume is involved. Early definitions suggested big data refers to three Vs: ‘Volume, Velocity and Variety’. That definition is over a decade old but it remains useful in some respects. The speed at which data is gathered, where it’s being stored and for how long, as well as the variety of the data – the different sources it comes from, its uniformity or lack of - these traits and facets all play a part in ‘big’ data.
Ultimately, as data science becomes ingrained in every industry, we need to keep people educated on what it is, rather than use it as a catch-all phrase that does little to explain the work behind it.
How does big-data or artificial intelligence apply to the travel industry?
The rail and coach industry is a very interesting space to be working in data science. With rail, we have a centuries-old system, fundamental to our daily lives, that we are working to modernise. Recent innovations, such as the introduction of mobile tickets, which we’re working closely with the rail industry to roll out nationwide, have revolutionised the travel experience.
Now we’re focused on enhancing the customer experience even more through cutting-edge tech. For example, we recently launched a voice app, built for the Google Assistant, which operates at 12+ levels of conversation depth. It’s designed to make journeys even smarter and easier, helping customers enquire about their journey hands-free, whether at home or on the go.
What distinguishes the work you are doing at Trainline from other travel apps?
We are Europe’s leading rail and coach app. We work with 181 rail and coach companies and we sell tickets to customers in 173 countries. We’re completely committed to using our tech expertise to create an experience that hugely benefits every customer. For example, we recently launched the UK’s first predictive pricing AI for rail tickets, which predicts when Advance fares are likely to increase. Since launching Price Prediction, over 2 million customers have engaged with the AI, resulting in a total saving of nearly £9 million.
What has gone well over the last year, and what has proved challenging?
We’ve continued to grow our team – it’s now made up of almost 50 people with incredible talent. This means we have enhanced capabilities to work on even more exciting projects in the coming weeks and months.
As with any team that’s moving at pace and growing rapidly, there has been a learning curve - for me in particular. I’ve had to adapt how I work with the team to keep the pace while making sure everyone’s talents are being used effectively and that each member of the team is given the space to grow.
- It's not just trains - big data has also predicted who will win the World Cup 2018!
How do you think the travel industry could improve its relationship with technology?
Every industry is becoming inseparable from tech and travel is no exception. Travel operators and tech companies, such as Trainline, need to work closely with one another to set industry standards that can future-proof the needs of our customers. A big part of this, especially in rail, is implementing international data standards to ensure that as more and more geographies are brought together by tech platforms, one seamless, global experience is offered to the customer.
In your opinion, what will be the next big breakthrough for data science?
It’s likely we’ll see a series of smaller steps, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, rather than a giant leap when it comes to data science. It will result in apps that can analyse even greater amounts of data and present them in a straightforward way at increasing speed.
A little further down the line we could see a tipping point, when machine learning and AI advances to a level at which it is learning of its own accord with minimal human management – but it’s still uncertain just when such an advance will take place.
For now, I see data science’s role as answering the little, but important every day questions - those that require a tremendous amount of data to answer but have a big impact on the quality of our daily life – questions like, “Which train should I take?”.
Fergus Weldon is director of data science at Trainline
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Get giga-fast WiFi speeds with the devolo GigaGate network booster
There are few things as vital as air to breathe, water to drink and food to eat. But, today, if you want to enjoy the groundbreaking benefits of the hyperconnected world we now live in, you can count a reliable, high-speed internet connection alongside those everyday necessities.
But too often something gets in the way. How many times have you sat down to enjoy an episode of your favourite show, only to find your broadband isn’t fast enough to pull down the frames, or moved to work in a quiet corner of the house to be thwarted by a signal that just can’t penetrate the walls of your home?
Devolo’s GigaGate kit aims to fix that. Whether you’re downloading the latest battle royale video game or simply surfing the web, the GigaGate with its WiFi bridging tech ensure you get the fastest speeds and most reliable connection wherever you are in the house.
Plug-and-play mesh comfort
It’s as easy to set up as it is to enjoy. A base unit plugs into the wall and hooks up to your regular router. This then connects wirelessly to a satellite unit which plugs into the wall in the room where your connectivity is proving problematic, boosting the signal so that you’re getting exactly the speeds you deserve.
With five multimedia ports per satellite for plugging in games consoles, streaming devices and Hi-Fi kit, and with the WiFi bridge supporting eight simultaneous satellite units to run alongside the GigaGate base station, you’ll be looking at maximum speeds of 2Gbps in every room of the house. With plug and play simplicity, you’ll have a high-speed WiFi mesh network wherever and whenever you need it most.
Click here for more on the devolo GigaGate starter kit, and head over to Amazon to pick one up for yourself and unleash super-fast broadband around your home.
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Saturday, June 23, 2018
Facebook wants to tell you how much time you're wasting on Facebook
Tech companies are apparently a lot more interested in our digital well-being these days, with both Android P and iOS 12 showing off features that tell you how much time you're spending glued to your smartphone's screen. Now it would appear that Facebook is getting in on the act too.
TechCrunch discovered a page hidden away in the Facebook app for Android called "Your Time on Facebook" – as the name suggests, it tells you how much time you're spending each day scrolling through updates from your friends.
There's also the option to set daily usage reminders, so if you don't want to use up too many hours liking and commenting, Facebook will step in with an alert. Again, this is similar to the app time limit features that Apple and Google are readying for the updates to their mobile OSes later in the year.
There's an app for that
Facebook confirmed to TechCrunch that it is working on the feature, but there's no guarantee it will ever appear to users – Facebook likes to experiment with changes and tweaks to its apps, but if they don't sit well with the people testing them out, they can quickly get removed from the roadmap.
The timing would certainly be right if Facebook did introduce something like this. Instagram, which is of course owned by Facebook, is also busy working on a similar feature to highlight just how much scrolling and liking you're doing.
Ultimately the likes of Apple, Google and Facebook want you using their products as much as possible – but they also want that time to be enjoyable and positive. If you're not getting anything good back from your apps, that's a problem for everyone.
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Friday, June 22, 2018
Best cloud mining providers of 2018
Cloud mining is the process of buying CPU power from dedicated data centers who use their own equipment to mine cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin (BTC) on your behalf.
The main advantage of this approach is that you don't need to have in-depth knowledge of mining hardware, nor buy expensive and hard-to-obtain devices. Renting 'hash power' (usually measured in Gigahertz per second or GH/s) also means you don't have to deal with the heat and noise that comes with a DIY mining project.
Many of these companies either source their own equipment or build it cheaply and have placed their data centers in countries like Iceland and China where electricity is cheap, passing the savings on to you.
In this guide, we will explore five of the most reputable cloud mining companies. As there are many scam outfits posing as miners, where possible we've chosen cloud miners who can prove that their data centers exist or are endorsed by a reputable firm. Take some time to do your own research before investing at your own risk, of course – ultimately this is your money.
If you are interested in cryptocurrencies but don't feel happy with the idea of mining, you can also simply purchase Bitcoin as an investment (see our guide on how to buy Bitcoins with Bitstamp). Without further ado, let’s move on to our selections for the best cloud mining providers.
- We also show you how to mine Bitcoins
As one of the oldest (it dates back to 2013) and largest cloud mining centers, there seems to be no better place to begin than with Genesis.
Its website offers a live feed of some of the data centers which are based in Iceland, a country where cheap geothermal electricity is readily available.
Mining contracts are technically available for all major cryptocurrencies and you can visit your online dashboard at any time to reallocate your purchased 'hash power' (so, for example, you could go 60% Bitcoin and 40% Litecoin).
In terms of fees, Genesis currently charges $0.14 per TH/s per day for mining Bitcoin. The price of other cryptocurrencies may vary so we encourage you to make your own enquiries. The website has a Payouts section which you can use to monitor how much you've mined. Due to high transaction fees on the network, your mined coins may need to meet a minimum threshold before the funds are actually transferred to your wallet.
The simple interface combined with Genesis Mining's solid reputation has meant that at times the company cannot keep up with demand for mining contracts (which tells a story of its own). At the time of writing only Bitcoin mining contracts were available for purchase, although this will likely change later in the year.
Hashnest was launched in 2014 by Bitmain, which is a world-renowned manufacturer of ASIC mining hardware. Bitmain also operates one of the largest mining pools in existence: Antpool. Combined with the photos of a handful of data centers on the Hashnest website, this is persuasive proof that the company is legitimate.
While Bitmain is based primarily in China, Hashnest has mining farms around the world, which benefit from low cost electricity.
The website currently offers a Payout Accelerated Cloud Mining Contract or PACMiC for short. The PACMiC is a type of electronic contract structured in such a way that Bitmain pays the maintenance costs of mining rigs (such as electricity), and all the mining revenue will be used to pay back the owner of the PACMiC. When the principal is not fully paid back, it will share profit with buyers.
This loosely translates as 6.0TH/s of hash power in exchange for 1 BTC. Hashnest claims this results in rolling profit pay-outs for each block found with an annualized ROI of over 14%.
Alternatively you can purchase hash power directly from Antminer devices such as the S9 which has a rate of around 12,5TH/s. You then pay a fixed maintenance fee depending on the efficiency of the device – for instance, the fee for the S9 is currently $0.19/TH/day.
Contracts for the Antminer devices are currently sold out but you can still buy a PACMiC contract if you have the funds.
Hashflare is a subsidiary of Hashcoins, another manufacturer of Bitcoin mining equipment which has been around since 2013. Its website gives a detailed rundown of the firm’s data center including pictures.
Hashflare offers you the chance to purchase hashpower for a variety of SHA-256 and Scrypt coins such as Bitcoin and Litecoin as well as Ethereum and ZCash. You're also free to choose your own mining pool.
Hashflare is open about its maintenance fees: they are $0.0035 for every 10 GH/s of SHA-256 coins and $0.005 for every 1 MH/s of Scrypt coins a day. Ethereum contracts are not subject to any maintenance fees. Your total pay-out will depend on the mining pool you've chosen and how much hash power you've allocated to it.
At the time of writing, only Ethereum mining contract was available, all others were out of stock.
As of January 2018, Hashflare has also temporarily suspended new Bitcoin withdrawals due to a large number of unconfirmed transactions. The company plans to resume withdrawals once this is resolved.
The Hashing24 team claims to have been involved in Bitcoin mining since 2012, although the website itself has only been around since 2016. The company appears to have no data centers of its own, rather, it has partnered with big name providers such as BitFury to lease hashpower to customers. Note that Hashing24 is mentioned on Bitfury's website, which may reassure customers that the operation is real.
If you're new to cloud mining, you can also use Hashing24's demo mode to simulate a Bitcoin mining contract to see how much you might earn. This is a good way to help you understand some of the concepts behind cloud mining, but won't necessarily let you project future profits, as mining difficulty and BTC price will vary over time (naturally).
After registering you can currently sign up for Bitcoin mining contracts only, for a period of 36 months. If these are sold out (as they were at the time of writing) you can also try out Hashing24's auction feature which allows you to bid on hashpower from existing customers.
Regardless of how you purchase your mining contract, Hashing24 charges a flat fee of $0.00033 per GH/s per day. There's also a one-time fee for purchasing hashing power with a particular host.
Eobot has been around since 2013 and is registered in California. Its owners have decided to remain anonymous, so there are no photos or office addresses on the main website.
Eobot's site did not play nicely with our ad-blocker on registration, forcing us to use another browser. However, once sign up was complete, we saw that the website notifies users when someone logs into their account from a new IP address. Two-factor authentication is also enabled by default, meaning that in order to access your account, you need to provide a code sent by email as well as your password.
Eobot offers mining contracts either for 24 hours or five years. The website is neatly laid out and also offers a fee estimator to allow you to calculate daily profits in exchange for the hashpower you purchase. Its main page is very clear that most investments will take around 52 months to break even.
Maintenance fees are currently set at $0.00021/GH/s/day. Unlike other cloud mining websites we've reviewed, Eobot also offers an easy to understand explanation of how maintenance fees work. Contracts are available for a wide range of cryptocurrencies.
Due to the owner's desire for anonymity and in order to stay within the law, direct deposit of funds by bank transfer isn't supported. You can, however, buy contracts with Bitcoin and via a USD credit card using Epay.
Top image credit: Hashing24
- We’ve also picked out the best graphics cards for mining Bitcoin, Ethereum and more
- These are the best VPN services we've identified
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YouTube creators can now jazz up live streams with pre-recorded video snippets
YouTube has announced a bundle of new tools for creators, including the ability to combine live streaming with pre-recorded video.
The new tool, called Premieres, means creators can multitask during broadcasts – answering live questions while playing a recorded clip, for example. Premieres will roll out over the next two weeks, starting with users in its beta testing program.
The site is also launching channel memberships as a way for creators to earn extra cash from their clips. Viewers can sponsor their favorite channels for a monthly fee of US$4.99 (about £4, AU$7). In return, they'll receive custom emoji and badges, plus the warm, fuzzy feeling that comes from supporting the content they enjoy.
There are new merchandise opportunities as well. Creators with over 100,000 subscribers can design goodies like T-shirts and mugs on Teespring and have them advertized on a virtual shelf under their videos. Many YouTube stars already supplement their income with merch sales, but until now they've had to direct their fans to a storefront on a different site.
Premium plans
YouTube announced the new tools at its annual VidCon event in Anaheim, California, which kicked off yesterday shortly after the global launch of YouTube Premium and YouTube Music.
The site is clearly keen to show that it's taking content seriously – and for good reason. The site has faced fierce criticism this year for unsavory videos appearing on YouTube Kids, and its slow response when star vlogger Logan Paul shared footage of a suicide victim with his millions of (mostly young) subscribers.
YouTube's competitors are also nipping at its heels. Instagram's move into long-form video, IGTV, lets regular users share videos up to 10 minutes in length, while social media celebrities can keep their cameras rolling for up to an hour.
- Get your clips looking great with the best free video editing software
Via The Verge
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Thursday, June 21, 2018
Best free image hosting websites 2018 for photos and videos
Ubiquitous cloud computing and the advent of smartphones with superb connectivity and compact-beating cameras have turned us into trigger-happy snappers and eager uploaders.
While Facebook remains the top destination for pictures, other image hosting websites (free or paid) have mushroomed in popularity as folks look for a safe abode for photos that have a serious propensity to be shared and potentially go viral.
When it comes to sussing out the best online home for your pics and vids, you will want to check out where these services are based, and whether or not they require registration. You’ll also need to consider other features: storage space, file size limits, file support, how easy it is to upload pictures, platforms supported, and whether there’s capacity for direct linking, image galleries, editing capabilities and more.
Note that image hosting websites are fundamentally different from online photo printing or backup services – the latter are used primarily to keep a copy of pictures online, with sharing being a minor consideration. At any rate, let’s take a look at some of our favorite free image hosting websites.
Best free image hosting websites in 2018
Imgur is by far the biggest image hosting website in the world (and one of the top 50 online properties). You don’t have to register to use it and everything is pretty much unlimited with three exceptions: you’re limited to uploading up to 50 pictures per IP address per hour, the maximum file size for non-animated images is 20MB, and 200MB for GIFs.
Files are kept online forever but just be aware that the service does apply lossy compression to non-animated images over 1MB (for anonymous uploads) and 5MB (for account holders). So don’t use this as an online backup service for your pictures. There are also a plethora of tools available either produced by Imgur or members of the very active user community.
It’s difficult to mention free image hosting and not bring Flickr into the conversation. The site experienced a meteoric rise under the ownership of Yahoo and Oath/Verizon since 2017, and targets the prosumer audience rather than casual happy GIFer users. Flickr’s base offering remains free with 1TB of storage, powerful photo editing tools and smart photo management, while its paid-for Pro Plus boasts advanced stats, ad-free browsing and a desktop auto-uploader.
With tens of millions of subscribers, Flickr has managed to build one of the biggest photo communities on the web. Also note that if you are in the market for an Adobe Creative Cloud subscription, you can get a 15% discount, which should be more than enough to buy the paid-for Flickr account.
This little-known image hosting website has a unique feature which makes it massively useful for those looking to create thumbnail galleries very quickly. You can upload compressed ZIP files (up to 250MB in size), ideal for archives without index. There is a 10MB file size download limit for pictures, with no limits on the number of uploads/downloads, or how long a file is hosted – only JPG, GIF and PNG files are supported, though.
Unlike others, Imagebam’s focus is entirely on hosting pictures rather than fostering a community and encouraging discoverability. While registration is optional, it provides you with photo management tools, and the ability to organize your images and galleries.
It’s near impossible to go more minimalist than Imgbb and that’s probably why it’s one of the more popular image hosting websites around. Simply drag-and-drop your files on the homepage and you’re ready to go. There’s a 16MB limit (all major image file formats are supported), but no limit to the number of files you can upload, or restrictions on how long they can remain online. Imgbb doesn’t require the user to register – just be aware that all the pictures you upload will be reviewed by human editors.
Like Imagebam, Imagetitan doesn’t operate an entire community, instead simply providing a straightforward browser-based interface. There are no mobile apps here – you can only upload files smaller Than 1.5MB, and only the three major image file types are accepted (JPG, GIF and PNG). There’s no limit to the number of files you can upload, and no bandwidth restrictions, plus the pictures will remain online for as long as you want.
You are provided with a deletion code to remove pictures at a later date. You don’t need to register and you can upload pictures via FTP (up to 100 of them). Hot-linking is not prohibited but Imagetitan doesn’t provide direct links.
At the other end of the spectrum is Pixabay, a popular upmarket image hosting service that pegs itself as an online community of people who publish high quality copyright-free images and videos. To be part of this exclusive club, however, you must stick to the site’s stringent image quality guidelines, which means that all the photos are vetted by humans.
Login is compulsory and the mobile apps do not currently support direct image uploads. Pictures need to be at least 3,000 pixels wide, up to 40MB in size, and you can upload up to 10 pictures in 10 days. High quality images won't effect the upload limit and the more high quality images you submit, the more your daily granted number of uploads will increase.
Other popular image hosting sites include…
Tinypic: A fast, simple and reliable free video and image hosting site owned by Photobucket. There is no registration or login required, simply submit your picture or video.
Use.com: Another well-loved free image hosting website that offers unlimited uploads, perpetual online storage and unlimited bandwidth. Use.com boasts an extra level of privacy by allowing you to share photos and videos with just your friends and family – or with the whole world if you prefer.
Pexels: One of the growing rivals to Pixabay, Pexel wants to help designers and bloggers – and indeed everyone who is looking for an image – to find great photos that they can use everywhere for free. All photos submitted are therefore released under the CC0 license which means pictures can be used for free without attribution.
Deviantart: By far the biggest community of image sharers in the world is Deviantart. An “online social network for artists and enthusiasts” is how the service describes itself, and 45 million or so registered members have uploaded millions of pieces of art online. This is probably as far away as you can get from the likes of Imgur and traditional image hosting websites.
- We’ve also rounded up the best web hosting services for 2018
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Firefox beats Edge with swift response to massive browser security hole
The existence of a nasty bug that affected the Firefox and Edge browsers has been revealed, and although the flaw has now been patched in both cases, Mozilla’s response to the issue was a far more efficient affair than Microsoft’s.
Jake Archibald, a developer advocate for Google’s Chrome browser – which wasn't impacted by the flaw – discovered the bug, which he dubbed ‘Wavethrough’, because it involves exploiting WAV audio in the browser to allow data through which shouldn't be viewable by the attacker.
And it could potentially be used to spill some alarming personal data, if the user is persuaded to visit a malicious site primed to take advantage of the vulnerability. Archibald notes that: “It means you could visit my site in Edge, and I could read your emails, I could read your Facebook feed, all without you knowing.”
Nasty indeed. The good news, as we noted at the outset, is that this has been patched in both the affected browsers – but what’s almost as interesting as the bug itself is how Mozilla and Microsoft reacted to the report of the problem.
Archibald observed that “Firefox handled this brilliantly,” – within three hours the bug had been confirmed, and Mozilla had looked into other potential similar leaks.
“I was able to engage with engineers directly on how the issue should be fixed,” Archibald added, and as the vulnerability was caught in a beta version, Mozilla patched things up before it ever made the release version of Firefox. That happened back in March.
Jumping through hoops
As for Microsoft, however, Archibald tells a very different story. He reported the bug to the firm’s security team on March 1, then had to jump through several hoops to actually get them to look at the issue, and he subsequently waited 20 days without any response.
Eventually, after some chasing, Microsoft’s security team informed Archibald that they were indeed developing a fix, but gave no further details. More waiting, and further chasing on the bug bounty – which Archibald wanted to donate to charity – ensued.
Archibald essentially observes that the whole process felt like something of a trial, and noted: “I really want Microsoft to look at the experience I had with Firefox and learn from it. Security issues like this put their users at huge risk, and they need to ensure reporting these things isn't more effort than it's worth.”
Microsoft fixed the issue in Edge in its latest round of patches earlier this month, with the severity of the update labelled as ‘important’. Indeed, Archibald provides a link in his blog post to test if the attack works on your version of Edge, and advises that you should (obviously) immediately update your browser if it does.
Microsoft has always been big on emphasizing the security of Windows 10 in general, as well as Edge, which it’s pushing hard as the operating system’s go-to browser, but as we’ve seen in the past it hasn’t always come up trumps in terms of defeating vulnerabilities or hackers.
If Archibald’s experience is anything to go by, there’s certainly some work to be done in terms of organization and communication for Microsoft’s security team.
This isn’t the first time Edge has been criticized this year in terms of a sluggish response to fixing a vulnerability, either, as we saw back in February.
- Do your web surfing in style on one of our best laptops
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Wednesday, June 20, 2018
The best mining pools of 2018 for cryptocurrency
If you're serious about cryptocurrency mining, then before you begin mining right away, you should first look at the best mining pools of 2018 for cryptocurrency.
This is because the most popular currencies such as Bitcoin and Litecoin can take centuries to generate a valid 'block' on your own and make money.
With Mining pools, you can work with other miners and devices across the internet to pool your resources in performing complex calculations to generate blocks of data. The mining 'reward', as it's known, is then split proportionally amongst each participant.
This makes mining much faster, but don't just join the first mining pool you see. This is because the method used to allocate rewards and the final amount you'll receive will depend on the mining pool in question.
So, in this guide we've listed five of the best known pools online today, to help you decide which is right for you.
Where possible we've found pools with multiple servers around the world, allowing you to connect easily. If these pique your interest and you want more information, head over to the Bitcoin Wiki to see a detailed comparison of all the top pools.
- We also show you how to mine Bitcoins
Slush Pool started out in 2010 when it was known as Bitcoin Pooled Mining Server before rebranding itself. It's the oldest currently active mining pool and has an excellent reputation for stability and accuracy. Currently Slush Pool is the fourth largest mining pool representing around 11.4% of hash power overall.
The sign-up process is very simple and you can create a demo miner in order to familiarize yourself with the dashboard. The website itself offers both a simple and a more advanced interface for experienced miners.
You can also set your minimum pay-out threshold to as little as 0.001 BTC, but there are additional fees for any pay-outs under 0.01BTC.
Slush Pool is democratic in that you can register your preferences about the kind of mining you want your devices to perform, for instance: Bitcoin Core strict rules only.
The website also has some very useful sections for those who are new to mining. This section on mining rewards is particularly helpful as it contains a detailed explanation of how pay-outs are measured by each user's scoring hash rate. If you switch from Slush Pool to another, then try to return, your score will drop significantly.
Pool fees stand at 2% which is a little higher than some of the other pools out there. Slush Pool has servers in the US, Europe, Singapore, Japan and China.
AntPool is currently the largest mining pool operating today, representing just over a quarter of hash power worldwide. It's owned and operated by Bitmain, a China-based firm which also manufactures the Antminer series of ASIC mining devices (you can check out our guide to the best ASIC devices here).
AntPool has servers all around the world and makes use of an innovative peer-to-peer mining protocol to link your device to the one nearest to you during setup, for a faster and more reliable connection.
Once you've set up your account and entered your wallet address, payments are sent every day between 08:00-10:00 AM Beijing time (which is eight hours ahead of the UK), provided that the amount you've mined is at least 0.001 BTC.
Being the largest pool allows users some perks in that they can choose how they want to be rewarded. One method is PPS (Payment Per Share) which means you're charged 4% on pay-outs plus 2% of any transaction fees earned. You can also choose PPLNS (Payment Per Last N Shares) which is free but AntPool will keep all transaction fees. Currently, there is a new feature - from June 18th to September 18th there is no pool fee.
You can mine solo if you wish but it's very unlikely you'll make a profit doing so unless you have a colossal amount of hash power. Whichever method you choose, remember that individual pay-outs are generally smaller for larger mining pools.
This outfit is one of the most well-known brands in the world of cryptocurrency, and owns the domain Bitcoin.com as well as BTC.com. Prior to starting a mining pool in 2016, BTC.com was already famous for creating a powerful Bitcoin wallet as well as its own blockchain explorer.
BTC.com operates one of the most popular mining pools, vying with AntPool for the top spot. It currently represents over 20% of overall global hash power. Mining servers are located in both the EU (Germany) and China. BTC.com currently supports mining only Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash.
Ever innovative, BTC.com has its own method of rewarding miners known as FPPS (Full Pay Per Share). FPPS calculates a standard transaction fee within a given period,adds it to the block reward (currently 12.5 BTC) and then distributes the whole to miners as with traditional PPS (Payment Per Share). Sharing transaction fees, especially when they are high, makes mining much more lucrative which may explain BTC.com's popularity.
The only small criticism we can level at BTC.com is that we found the website to be rather flaky. For example, the page explaining how FPPS works failed to load, and while the help section of the website is useful, there's no specific ‘getting started’ guide as with Slush Pool. We were nevertheless able to find all the information needed to configure a miner. Windows users can also add and configure miners easily using BTC tool and BTC Smart Agent.
KanoPool has been around since 2014. Despite being one of the smaller pools out there (currently representing only 0.3% of global hash power), it has become popular due to its low mining fees and easy setup.
Registration with KanoPool is optional: when configuring your miner, you only need to enter your BTC wallet address as the username to begin mining right away. However, users who do choose to register can view more detailed statistics about the mining pool.
The payment method used by KanoPool is PPLNS (Payment Per Last N Shares). 'N' in this case is five times the network difficulty, immediately after a block is found.
The pool fee itself is 0.9% and transaction fees are included in the block reward, meaning pay-outs are quite generous relative to rival larger mining pools, although payment may take some time. You can find a more detailed explanation of how pay-outs are managed on KanoPool's website.
If you do choose to visit the KanoPool web page, you'll see that the layout is extremely simplistic, and there are no detailed tutorials as all the information you need to get started is on the help page. Nevertheless Kano himself is an active participant in the BitcoinTalk forum and is very prompt to respond to questions about the pool.
F2Pool (also known as DiscusFish) is a Chinese-based mining pool and has been operating since 2013. It has several servers on the Chinese mainland as well as in Hong Kong and the US.
F2Pool is relatively large, representing around 5.5% of the hash power for the most popular Bitcoin mining pools. It’s also one of the most diverse pools in that while you can mine BTC, F2Pool also supports Litecoin, Zerocoin, Ethereum, Siacoin, DASH and Monero to name just a few.
Pay-outs are made at midnight UTC each day on a PPS (Payment Per Share) basis of negative 3%. The pool keeps all transaction fees. Right now, the threshold for Bitcoin payments is 0.005 BTC.
The website is also currently offering a little extra incentive to miners. If you mine 1 LTC, you'll get 1000 DOGE free.
The website itself is well laid out and contains useful information, but non-Chinese users who need support are encouraged to use the official F2Pool English language thread in the BitcoinTalk forums.
The sign-up process for the pool can be a little tricky as you need to fill out a Captcha and also verify your identity via text message, meaning you must have access to a mobile phone to start mining.
- We’ve also picked out the best graphics cards for mining Bitcoin, Ethereum and more
- Check out also the best VPN services of 2018 that we've nailed down.
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Instagram's new long-form video hub, IGTV, expected to launch today
Instagram's long-form video hub is expected to launch today, and will be named IGTV. According to TechCrunch, the new channel will launch with clips from independent creators who have a sizeable following on Instagram, as well as professional "content houses".
Videos are currently limited to 30 seconds for Instagram Stories, and one minute for users' main feeds. IGTV will reportedly support videos up to an hour in length, though the site is encouraging creators to aim for a more manageable 10 minutes.
Two weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal reported that Instagram was planning a new feature with support for much longer clips and a "focus on vertical video", but this is the first time we've heard details of how the new hub might work.
We'll update this article once we know more.
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Everything your business needs to know about VPS
Most of us have heard of shared hosting, for personal use, and dedicated servers, which power large company infrastructures. However, if your business sits in between personal use and such enterprise giants, there is a third alternative, VPS.
- These are the best VPS hosting providers of 2018
What is a VPS?
VPS (virtual private servers) are isolated virtual environments created from a physical server through a process called “virtualisation”. This means that in effect you can have your own customised server solution at a fraction of the cost of an entire dedicated server. One bare metal server came home several VPS’s at once. The other massive advantage of VPS hosting is scalability: depending on your needs at any given time, you can easily add or remove resources and only pay for what you are actually using.
Flexibility as the end game
While hardware resources are shared, each client on a VPS still gets its own software environment (operating system) and therefore more flexibility to play around and for all purposes, a VPS is almost equivalent to a fully kitted computer. Virtual Private Servers can be managed or unmanaged with the client taking full responsibility of software updates and patches. Being isolated means that VPS are great for running SaaS projects (like a personal cloud or a VPN server) or websites that have a reasonable amount of concurrent users.
VPS vs Shared Hosting
The very reason why VPS came on the market in the first place was to fulfil a gap between dedicated servers and shared web hosting offers. For small and medium businesses as well as IT managers, it represents the “Goldilocks” of web hosting; not too complex, not too expensive, not too slow, just the right balance.
Shared web hosting may be very cheap and great for novices but ultimately, you get what you paid for which is the lack of flexibility especially when it comes to handling traffic spikes (e.g. Christmas sales or a popular page) or when a website has simply outgrown its original bedding.
The ability to scale rapidly without additional complexity or overhead and with at least one order of magnitude, sets VPS apart from other types of hosting.
VPS vs dedicated server
VPS cost a fraction of a dedicated server and are far more flexible as you do not need to pay for extra capacity or resources that will be unused. Instead, most providers allow customers to transition without friction between different tiers depending on demand.
Traditional VPS vs Cloud VPS vs SSD VPS
Traditional VPS tend to use hard disk drives for storage; However, some vendors, like VPS.net, have eschewed HDD completely, not only because of performance but also because of reliability and kitted their servers with SSD (solid state drives) only, hence the moniker SSD VPS. SSD are great for serving concurrent users as they can handle a high number of input/output operations simultaneously.
Cloud VPS extends the virtualisation paradigm across multiple servers rather than one making it more redundant but also more expensive.
In traditional and SSD VPS, a hardware failure will affect all VPS hosted on that particular machine, cloud VPS adds a layer of reliability, allowing websites and services to run without significant downtime even if a server is physically removed from the server cluster.
Businesses opting for Cloud VPS are likely to seek stringent SLA as downtime would be very costly; some providers, for example, offer a 1,000% SLA; that’s 10 times the pro-rated rental for the downtime of the affected services.
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Tuesday, June 19, 2018
The best cloud storage of 2018
It's pretty clear that people and businesses will continue the trend of reducing their need to rely on costly hardware and infrastructure by placing files and applications in the cloud.
Given the multitude of cloud storage providers out there, you must take care in choosing a provider who will offer the maximum amount of low-cost storage and bandwidth, while still keeping your data safe.
This list represents our top 10 picks for cloud storage. All offer a free tier allowing you to see if they're right for you before handing over any hard-earned cash.
The Granddaddy of cloud storage, Dropbox offers a rather measly 2GB of free storage, but this can be increased up to 16GB free of charge by linking your Dropbox to social media and referring friends to join the service.
Dropbox Business subscriptions allow users to collaborate on work as well as giving each person unlimited space in a personal Dropbox account. There are also enhanced features for file recovery and versioning. Business pricing starts from around $12.50 per user per month (£10, around AU$16.50), or you can give it a go for free with a 30-day trial.
Price: 2GB free. 1TB for $10 a month (£6.58, around AU$11) with Dropbox Plus or 1TB for $19.99 a month (£15, around AU$27) with Dropbox Professional, which has some added extras.
Google Drive is a natural choice for owners of Android devices as it's already integrated, but users of other platforms may appreciate the generous free storage too. You can also store high definition photos on your mobile phone with companion app Google Photos, and make use of Google's own office suite (now known as G Suite).
Downsides include the fact that the web interface isn't very easy-to-use, although Windows and Mac users can download a desktop app to drag-and-drop files easily.
Price: 15GB free. 100GB for $1.99 a month (£1.59, around AU$2.50). 1TB for $9.99 a month (£8, around AU$13). 10TB for $99.99 a month (£74, around AU$130).
With an insanely generous free tier and a simple drag-and-drop interface, New Zealand-based Mega is one of the cloud storage heavyweights. There's a handy mobile app to allow you to upload files and photos, as well as sync clients with desktop machines.
Mega claims that all data stored in its cloud is encrypted on your device before it reaches the firm’s servers. As the company has released the source code to its sync client, experts can check that there are no vulnerabilities.
Price: 50GB free. 200GB for $6 a month (£4.50, €4.99, around AU$7.50). 1TB for $12 a month (£9, €9.99, around AU$16). 4TB for $23 a month (£17, €19.99, around AU$30). 8TB for $35 a month (£26, €29.99, around AU$46).
OneDrive (formerly SkyDrive) is integrated into Windows 10's file explorer. You don't have to download an additional app – it's there to use out of the box, which is obviously very convenient for those who have made the jump to Microsoft’s newest operating system.
Microsoft's Photos app can also use OneDrive to sync pictures across all your devices. There's an app for Android and iOS devices, and there's even one in the App Store for Mac users (although it has received mixed reviews).
Price: 5GB free. 50GB for $3 a month (£1.99, around AU$4). 1TB for $8 a month (£5.99, around AU$11). 5TB for $11 a month (£7.99, around AU$14)
If you want to back up your iPhone to iCloud, you'll need more than the free 5GB allowance Apple gives you, but compared to rivals iCloud prices are very reasonable.
The Mac Finder app integrates iCloud Drive, where you can store any files you wish. Documents created in the iWork office suite are also saved to iCloud and can sync across your devices. Windows users can also sync their files with iCloud Drive using the official client, and access the iWork apps on the iCloud website.
Price: 5GB free. 50GB for $0.99 a month (£0.79, AU$1.49). 200GB for $2.99 (£2.24, AU$4). 2TB for $9.99 (£8, AU$13)
Box's website currently seems to be pushing its Business plans as clicking ‘sign up’ takes you to the pricing page where for $15 per user (£11, around AU$19) you can benefit from advanced collaboration options and unlimited storage. But there is a 10GB free option, too.
As Box has been around for a while, it is supported by a number of mainstream apps such as Google Docs and Office 365. The Box Sync client is available from the Downloads page for Mac and Windows, plus there's also an official Android client.
Price: 10GB free. 100GB for around $10 a month (£7.50, around AU$13)
NextCloud isn’t an online cloud storage provider itself, but offers free software to download and install a cloud storage service on your own server. Using a server on your home network for cloud storage is much faster. You can also enable encryption and make sure the information never leaves your home network, which is far safer.
If you've no server or IT experience, you can even purchase a preconfigured NextCloud Box from the website which comes with a 1TB hard drive and will work with an inexpensive Raspberry Pi board to keep your data synced.
Price: Free to install and use. Self-hosting so storage costs vary. NextCloud Box is $79.99 (around £60, around AU$100), although it sold out in most locations, but you might find some on their site.
SpiderOak is part of a new trend of zero knowledge cloud storage providers. The website claims that after installing the client your data is encrypted before syncing. Unfortunately since SpiderOak hasn’t made the client source code public, there's no way to confirm this.
The SpiderOakOne client is available for Windows, Mac and Linux as well as Android and iOS (although, both Android and iOS are read-only apps, meaning you can only view files, and can't upload or sync anything). You can also log in via the web interface but privacy lovers may prefer not to as it exposes your password to SpiderOak employees.
Price: 21-day free trial. 150GB for $5 a month (around £3.75, AU$7). 400GB for $9 a month (around £7, AU$11.50). 2TB for $12 a month (around £9, AU$15). 5TB for $25 a month (around £19, AU$33)
IDrive offers continuous syncing of your files, even those on network drives. The web interface supports sharing files by email, Facebook and Twitter. Cautious or click-happy users will be pleased to hear that files deleted from your computer are not automatically deleted from the server, so there's less danger of removing something important accidentally.
IDrive also offers IDrive Express – a service whereby if you lose all your data they will ship a physical hard drive out to you, allowing for the swift restoration of all your backed up files.
Price: 5GB free. Personal: 2TB for $52 a year (around £40, AU$66). Business: 250GB for $74.62 a year (around £56, AU$98)
While some bandwidth limits apply, there seems to be no limit to the size of files you can upload, so feel free to sync large media files with pCloud.
The service is available for all desktop and mobile platforms – users can also log in via the website. The company itself is registered in Switzerland which has strong privacy laws, and you can also pay a premium of $4.99 a month (around £3.75, AU$7) for pCloud Crypto to lock (and unlock) individual files with passwords.
Price: Up to 20GB free (You start with 10GB and can increase that by referring people). 500GB for $3.99 a month (around £3, AU$5). 2TB for $7.99 a month (around £6, AU$10). Lifetime plans are also available: 500GB for 175$ (around £131, AU$230). 2TB for 350$ (around £262, AU$460).
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Android users can now limit how much data their friends use
Google has updated its data-saving app Datally with several new features, including the ability to limit how much data your friends and family can use when they borrow your phone. No more sneaky streaming sessions gobbling up your allowance without your permission.
You can also set daily usage limits, helping you portion out your data throughout the month so you don't run out partway through, and Google will soon add warnings so you know when it's time to start cutting back on the video calls.
Datally now shows nearby Wi-Fi networks too, helping you find an alternative way to get online, and highlights any installed apps that you don't use, but are sucking up your data regardless.
Slash data use
Datally is a handy app for anyone without an unlimited data plan, and Google claims it can help cut your data use by up to 30%. It's also ideal for Android users in countries where mobile data connectivity is patchy and expensive, though it's different to the data management app supplied with Android Go – the mobile operating system designed for low-powered, affordable smartphones.
Android Go comes with streamlined versions of all Google's key apps (including Gmail, YouTube and Chrome) that are designed to make frugal use of mobile data and use minimal system resources. For example, YouTube Go lets users cache videos for offline watching, and share clips wirelessly using Wi-Fi Direct and Bluetooth.
Android Go's data saver takes a more active approach than Datally, removing unnecessary images in apps, switching to low-bitrate video, and preventing updates downloading automatically.
- Check out our guide to the best free Android apps
Via The Verge
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Monday, June 18, 2018
Saturday, June 16, 2018
Best dash cam 2018: the 10 best dash cams you can buy right now
It's never a bad idea to have a dash cam mounted in your car - you never know when you'll need footage from your windshield.
Finding the best dash cam in 2018 can feel overwhelming; there are so many models out there, and many companies make more than one.
But, once you find the best dash cam for you, it can be one of the most crucial bits of tech you own, coming in handy in the event of an accident, or in case something really amazing happens on the road that helps you become YouTube famous.
We've sifted through some of the top dash cams to nail down the very best dash cameras for 2018. It's important to point out that dash cams are much more than GoPros mounted on your car's dashboard; these are car-ready cameras that perform some critical functions and can even help you save time and money that would be better spent going back into your vehicle.
Whether used to provide evidence to your insurance company or help you avoid paying for a crash-for-cash scheme, dash cams provide some peace of mind wherever your journey takes you.
- Don't get lost with the best sat navs of 2018
Best dash cam: what to look for
Generally the best dash cams have similar technology to one another, and for the most part mount somewhere along a car's front windscreen, or windshield. Of course, wherever you place your dash cam must not block your view of the road.
Dash cams record smaller snippets of footage, usually in increments of one to two minutes at a time. The cameras continually record over the oldest clip in order to keep the memory card from filling up as well.
And while older models typically required the user to manually save or tag the appropriate clip in the event of an accident, new G-Sensor-based incident detection technology has taken over, and now takes care of this automatically.
There are also dash cams that boast additional features that, just like any other technology, see the price increase.
These extra features can include multiple lenses for front- and rear-facing coverage, improved sensor and image quality (HD recording, for example), night vision, built-in Wi-Fi for easy file transfer and numerous parking modes.
These modes use a time-lapse feature as a surveillance function to capture details of those irksome car park prangs when you're off running errands.
Whenever we get a new dash cam review in, we'll update this list with more of the best we've tested. Keep reading to find out which rank among the best dash cams 2018!
Nextbase has long been a leading name on the dashcam market, and this dual camera unit offers both front- and rear-facing coverage in one simple unit, as opposed to running unsightly wires to a separate unit in the rear windscreen.
The Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) image processor makes low light and night time recording possible, while the crystal clear two-inch display makes it simple to interact with menus and change settings before setting off.
At 720p resolution, the footage isn't the sharpest on the market, but the unit cleverly stitches both front and rear imagery together into one handy, side-by-side film for easier reviewing.
Naturally, the Nextbase features a loop recording function, which will automatically delete older files as required. But it will also automatically detect and incident and save important clips to the on-board microSD card.
It also features a built-in GPS module, which allows for the vehicle's exact route, speed and position to be recorded, while a date and time stamp embedded on to the recorded footage provide further additional evidence.
Unfortunately, there isn't any Wi-Fi or Bluetooth compatibility, so retrieving footage will require extraction of the memory card and synching up with a laptop or PC.
The super 2.19MP Sony Exmor CMOS sensor provides excellent quality from this sleek and diminutive package, while the additional extra flourishes are an added bonus.
Designed to be mounted just beneath the rear-view mirror, the TW-F770 features just a few small buttons and no external screen – this is because it can be linked to a smartphone via its on-board Wi-Fi.
This enables clips to be quickly and easily sent to a smart device, should you need to access them quickly, for example, but it does add an additional step to any settings and menu changes.
A Super Night Vision feature boosts low-light settings for improved image quality at night, while a neat Time Lapse feature acts as a CCTV camera when the vehicle is parked.
Bear in mind, though, that this mode will require hard-wiring the unit into the vehicle's power supply, as is the case with most cameras featured on this list, rather than simply using a standard 12V lighter adaptor.
An on-board GPS tracker, as well as speed and upcoming red traffic signal warnings make this a very accomplished piece of kit.
Often cited as one of the best solutions for regular or professional drivers, the dual-camera BlackVue covers many bases and boasts numerous additional features that go some way to justifying the lofty price tag.
To get the most out of its features, including a detailed parking surveillance mode, the cameras require hard-wiring to the car's power supply, but BlackVue makes this easier with an OBD II port converter, which plugs into most vehicle on-board diagnostics ports with ease.
The 2MP CMOS sensor and 129-degree lens capture excellent-quality HD video footage from the front camera, while a smaller unit at the rear records in 720p, with incident detection technology automatically flagging the appropriate video footage.
The BlackVue's clear advantage over some of the rivals listed here is its Over-the-Cloud abilities, which mean drivers can check live footage from the car via a smartphone, laptop or PC, even when it's parked.
The small, sleek unit is also neat and doesn't look out of place on modern vehicles, although the lack of screen and limited buttons mean it does require smartphone tethering to adjust settings.
Although the Mio MiVue 698 has been on the market for a year or so, it still remains one of the best packages around, offering superb image quality, front and rear coverage and a clear touchscreen for simple control.
The screen automatically blacks out when it detects movement, to abide with some country's road laws and avoid unwanted distractions, but clear audio prompts take over to warn of upcoming speed traps once the screen is dimmed.
Built-in GPS takes care of speed and location video overlays, while built-in Wi-Fi makes video and image transfer to smartphones and other devices simple.
Above all else, the extra-wide 150-degree lens does an excellent job of capturing the action, while a high-performing sensor ensures the resulting video footage is some of the best around.
With its sharp 'Ultra 2K HD’ image quality, broad 145-degree field of view and super-simple user interface, the Z-Edge Z3 has regularly been voted one of the best devices in its class.
The CMOS sensor and advanced image processor ensure the resulting footage is razor sharp, making it easier to read licence plates and capture incidents with superb clarity.
A 3-inch touchscreen display makes interacting with the camera extremely easy, although you'll likely just set the camera up and let it do its thing, as most of the functionality has been automated for ease of use.
Like most cameras on the list, the unit will power up and instantly start recording when the ignition is switched on (so long as it's plugged into a power source), and turn off when power is cut.
Memory is managed via a loop recording function, and incident detection ensures vital clips aren't erased.
In short, it's a great package for those who simply want a fuss-free camera that delivers quality images without the hassle.
Considering the price point, it's very difficult to fault this TaoTronics model, even if it doesn't boast GPS for speed and location recording or some of the added niceties of more expensive rivals.
That said, there's plenty in the box to get excited about, chiefly the various well-made suction or adhesive mounts, the extra-long power cable and a 12V lighter socket adapter that features two ports, meaning you can still charge your phone with the dashcam running.
The unit itself boasts a G-sensor, for automatic saving of important incident footage, as well as a super-wide 160-degree field of view that's able to capture five lanes of traffic.
Low-light video footage is very good, and the audio quality is surprisingly good at this price.
Minor foibles include the small and fiddly buttons, while the lack of speed and positioning information might be a deal-breaker for some.
Garmin has applied its knowledge of action cameras and fitness trackers to the world of dashcams, and its mid-range 35 model offers sharp imagery and enough additional features to make it well worthy of consideration.
The field of view might be narrower than that of some of the rival cameras featured here, but the video and audio quality captured are excellent, while the GPS positioning technology enables you to record speed, location, time and date information.
Again, vital clips are automatically stored via the built-in G-Sensor technology, and the camera requires little additional fiddling after the initial set-up is complete.
Plus, Garmin's clever Dash Cam Player software (available free for most laptops and PCs) makes reviewing, organizing and saving important files easy, with the addition of a digital map helping you to pinpoint where an incident occurred.
There's also a speed trap warning system that uses audible bleeps to capture the driver's attention, which can get rather annoying after a while, but this can be turned off in the settings menus.
A dashcam isn't exactly the sort of thing you purchase for its smouldering looks, but the Cobra CDR 840 is one of the very few units on this list that seems to have been designed with aesthetics in mind.
The rear touchscreen may be small, but it's sharp and very easy to navigate thanks to a simple joypad-style switch interface, with a clearly labelled, bright red button for manually saving important clips.
Built-in GPS will take care of speed and location, while the G-Sensor tech will automatically save clips should the device detect an accident.
The GPS system can prove a little touch-and-go if satellites are difficult to reach or if adverse weather is playing havoc with the signal, but this is another unit that's very quick and easy to set up, with minimal on-going attention required.
Yi is a recent entrant into the action camera arena, and is also busy plying its trade in the world of dashcams with some neat units that cram a large amount of technology into their small forms.
The huge field of view on its Smart Dash Camera model means it can monitor the surrounding area and even warn the driver if the vehicle is straying out of its lane. Plus, a forward collision warning sounds if the device senses an impending impact with the vehicle ahead.
This is all part of the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) package, which works in conjunction with G-Sensor technology and sees the camera automatically record and save clips in an emergency situation.
An impressive all-glass, high-resolution lens and f/1.8 aperture means that video recorded in low-light situations is crisp and clear.
Simplicity is the name of the game here, and what the RoadHawk DC-2 lacks in exterior looks and additional features it more than makes up for with great image and audio quality.
Gyro-balanced image stabilization and a high-quality sensor team up to create excellent footage, even in low-light scenarios, while an audio-in connection allows additional microphones to be added.
GPS technology is included to take care of speed and location data, although an external GPS antenna connection is also offered should you require a more powerful and reliable signal.
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