Best printer 2018: Top inkjet printers in the UAE

Update: We've checked and updated this guide to make sure it gives you the best possible advice. Only the very best printers are included in this guide. If you're looking for a new printer for the office, check out our best business printers guide.

Looking for the best inkjet printer money can buy in 2017? You've come to the right place, as we've listed the top printers for home and office use.

Because there are so many decent multi-purpose printers at very competitive prices, you're spoilt for choice when looking for a new printer. We're here to make thins easier, so here's our pick of the best printers on the market right now.

In choosing the best printer your first decision is whether to go for a standard printer, or a multi-function device which includes a scanner and which can also work as a standalone copier.

These aren't much larger than regular printers, but they're a whole lot more versatile, especially when you need to keep a copy of a letter, a bill or any other important document, so our first list includes the best inkjet printers and best multi-function devices.

We've listed the best inkjet printers in this guide, so no matter which type of printer you'd like, we have the best choice - with the best prices - for your needs.

• Check out what printers made it into our top 10 best business printer roundup

Best inkjet printers

The Deskjet 3630 is a decent printer for the price, offering reasonable print speeds and the ability to connect to mobile devices without breaking the bank. Just be wary as its ink cartridges can be priced when picked up from shops. It doesn't quite have the build quality of HP's more expensive Envy models, but if you're looking for an initially cheap model that catches the eye when sat on a shelf, the Deskjet 3630 is a great option.

Read the full review: HP Deskjet 3630

A very quick colour all-in-one bristling with print, copy, scan and mobile printing options the Officejet Pro 6830 is also very affordable, especially if you opt for the pay-per-page Instant Ink service.

Read the full review: HP OfficeJet Pro 6830 e-All-in-One

Great for the traveling professional or someone who needs a small printer for occasional use, printing photos or using the scanner function. It's a bit pricey to buy - and to run - but the flexibility and quality of the printouts is excellent.

Consumables are usually expensive when it comes to printers. So it is quite surprising that one vendor, Epson, single-handedly decided to challenge that status quo by allowing users to refill their printer using ink bottles. What's even more surprising is that Epson includes two years of ink with the package; no more expensive cartridges and instead, you have enough material to deliver 11,000 pages worth of black and colour inks (that's 700ml worth of liquid). Oh and there's even a three-year warranty making this a great choice for bean counters fixing the TCO of their printers. The  L655 lacks the features found on cheaper competitors – it is relatively slower (although it has a higher printing resolution) and has a small paper input tray.

If you're looking for a great all-round printer which doesn't skimp on print quality for your photographs, then I don't think you will be disappointed by what the MG7150 has to offer.

While it's certainly more expensive than some of the cheap two in one printers you can pick up, it's not a bad price for something which produces high quality prints, especially if you only need to print at A4 or below.

Read the full review: Canon Pixma MG7150

This is a big and bulky printer, that would look more at home in an office than a house - but it's a fantastic performer that can handle both A4 and the larger A3 sizes. It's cheap to run, and most importantly, the print quality is very good, making this a worthwhile investment if you're looking for a fast and flexible printer.

We've come to expect simple setup and operation from Envy printers, and this one is no exception. It's quiet, packs in a lot of features and delivers excellent print quality, especially on photo paper. We particularly like the ability to use smartphones as well as computers, and to connect wirelessly without a router.

Read the full review: HP Envy 5540 All-in-One printer

You won't get fancy features like wireless printing, duplexing or scanning, but if you don't need all the frills of an all-in-one printer, the HP DeskJet 1010 offers solid print performance and quality at an unbeatable price in a compact package.

Read the full review: HP DeskJet 1010 review

source http://www.techradar.com/news/best-printer-2017-top-inkjet-printers-in-the-uae

Future Publishing Australia acquires nextmedia tech and gaming titles

Future Publishing Australia (part of Future plc, the global specialist media group), today announces the acquisition of well-known technology brands PC PowerPlay, Hyper and PC & Tech Authority from nextmedia. The acquisition of these titles will include the magazine portfolios, digital editions, Upgrade events and Australian PC Awards.

This acquisition will further expand Future’s existing tech and gaming portfolio, which includes leading Australian print and online brands APC, TechLife, TechRadar and PC Gamer.

PC PowerPlay and Hyper are two of Australia’s longest-running gaming magazines. Both have passionate and loyal audiences that span all aspects of computer gaming from specialist components and hardware to mainstream console gaming.

Following the acquisition, Future intends to consolidate PC & Tech Authority’s editorial expertise into APC – Australia’s longest-running and biggest-selling technology magazine.

Neville Daniels, Managing Director of Future Publishing Australia, says:

“PC PowerPlay and Hyper are incredibly strong brands in the Australian gaming community. These titles engage large, loyal audiences who are the influencers in Australia’s fast growing gaming community. The titles perfectly complement our existing portfolio.

“We are thrilled that the team – including Ben Mansill, David Hollingworth and Cameron Ferris – which has run the portfolio so successfully will be joining Future Australia. This acquisition consolidates our position as Australia’s leading multi-platform gaming and technology publisher.”

source http://www.techradar.com/news/future-publishing-australia-acquires-nextmedia-tech-and-gaming-titles

10 weird and wonderful gadgets from IFA 2018

With the big brands unveiling mostly mid-range phones and laptops at IFA 2018 in Berlin, along with some 8K TVs that were eye-catching but which aren't yet widely available, and which will be extremely expensive when they do arrive, the really interesting products were being shown off by the army of engineers, designers and innovators in IFA’s NEXT halls. Here’s our pick of this year’s most interesting new tech and gadgets, from the inspired to the downright odd.

“It’s a life companion for dogs,” says Thomas Samtmann, Co-founder and CEO at French start-up CamToy of Laika, a smart toy named after the first dog in space. “It allows a dog owner to interact with their dog from anywhere, so when they’re at work and the dog is alone all day long they can take control of Laika with their smartphone.”

Using the app an owner can talk to their dog via Laika's built-in speaker, get some face-time via a webcam, and even release a treat from the device. It also has an autonomous mode, won't disturb the dog when it’s sleeping, and will send the owner a notification if the dog barks too much. There are plans for versions for cats, horses and even zoo animals. It’s on IndieGoGo now. 

This bean-shaped Somnox Sleep Robot is about the size of a small cushion, and pulses as it mimics soft breathing and emits soft music to help you get to sleep. “It’s a sleep robot that helps you get to sleep faster, but also sleep longer,” says Julian Jagtenburg, a robotics engineer and Founder of Somnox.

The sensation of feeling with one hand the falling and rising of a breathing robot is odd indeed, but the soft sounds of falling rain/ambient music/the purring of a cat give the robot an unquestionably calming influence, while its sensors enable it to switch off the moment you fall asleep. The battery lasts for just one night, so has to be recharged during the day. It goes on sale in October for £499, which is about $640 or AU$890.

As any parent of a young child knows, things can often get a little wiffy, but as well as overdue diaper changes there are just as many false alarms when clean diapers are wasted. Cue the SmartDiaper, a sensor on silicon tape that takes away the guesswork by measuring the humidity and temperature inside the nappy and, when the data (suddenly) changes, sends a notification to the parent's smartphone. The app can monitor up to five babies simultaneously (sorry, owners of sextuplets), and there's proximity alarm that notifies you if the OPro9 and its wearer move out of distance from your smartphone.

Why wear a Fitbit when you could sleep in some ridiculous-looking headgear? Designed partly in response to research showing that 40% of people between the ages of 25 and 54 have less than the recommended seven hours sleep per night, SmartSleep is a soft-touch, lightweight headband with two sensors. The sensors collect delta waves of the deep sleep phase, with Smart Sleep then amplifying them to intensify deep sleep, and also minutely recording sleep phases.

"Unlike other sleep trackers that only monitor a user's sleep pattern, SmartSleep can actively help people sleep more restoratively," said Clemens Drechsler, Marketing Manager for Healthy Sleep Solutions at Philips. The headgear is charged via USB, and links to a SleepMapper app via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It's on sale now in the US for $400 (about £310, AU$550).

Need some help with the heavy lifting? LG used IFA 2018 to show off its first wearable robot: the SuitBot, an Avatar-like exoskeleton concept designed with SG Robotics for the manufacturing and construction industries. It’s mostly about mobility rather than increased strength, although the CLOi SuitBot does increase lower limb strength. The feet contain sandal-like shoes, while the joints rotate naturally for easy walking and standing. SuitBot is one of eight devices in LG’s CLOi lineup, which also includes robots for cleaning, lawn-mowing and delivering room service in hotels.

Put graphene on your eyes? We know it’s a wonder material, but really? Sleepace, a ‘smart sleep solution provider’ from Shenzhen, China, has created a Lycra eye mask that uses a layer of highly conductive graphene to allow the material in the mask to heat up in three seconds, and reach 38°C in 10s. Sweaty eyes? Not a bit of it; it has three temperature modes, and the heating function pauses automatically every 60 minutes in case of ‘irregularities’ (cooked eyes, presumably).

You stare at a screen all day. We all do. So how do you rejuvenate your tired eyes? With six-minute eye baths, that’s how.

“It’s the world’s first water-propelled eye massager,” says Nicolas Lee, Sales Manager at Shenzhen, China-based In-Trust Technology of a contraption that looks like a pair of VR glasses with a tube attached to one side that leads to a small bottle. “You fill it up with tap water, turn it on, and set the temperature you want for a six minute cycle,” he said. “Generally when you’ve been staring at the screen for hours, we suggest a cool cycle to relieve ocular pressure, then a warm cycle to relax the tension in the muscles around your eyes.”

It’s available from Amazon.com for US$239, which is about £185 or AU$330.

Can you fold a shirt? You may never have to struggle with such demeaning domestic chores again if this folding machine comes to fruition. For now it’s just a prototype, and the product we played with at IFA 2018 didn’t actually do much aside from provide a glimpse into what it looks like. However, the premise is very simple: you put a shirt, a towel or any other garment on a tray, FoldiMate draws it in, uses sensors to decide what kind of garment it is, then folds it neatly.

It’s genius stuff, although it’s pretty big;– this could be one for American rather than European homes. It won’t be available until late 2019, but you can preorder it now for a target price of US$980 (about £760 or AU£1,360).

We’ve seen pillows with built-in speakers before, as we have gaming chairs that vibrate, but the HUMU from Finish startup Flexsound combines the two. A reasonably firm pillow-cum-neck support that contains two vibrating sound boards, it takes any source of audio and produces a rippling, resonating effect that accentuates bass and low frequencies.

Connecting to a tablet, laptop or phone via Bluetooth or a 3.5mm jack, HUMU is able to produce a wider range of frequencies than any speakers or headphones, although it nevertheless seems most likely to be destined for strapping to a gaming chair. It’s on sale now for US$229 / £269.

The smart fridge that can monitor your food to cut down on food waste has become a cliche of the smart home, but spending big on a smart fridge just seems counterproductive. So why not just retrofit a FridgeCam?

“Every time you close the fridge door it takes a picture and sends it to your phone,” says Sarah Pieters, Digital Marketing Manager at Smarter. As well as acting as a reminder of exactly what you have in your fridge, FridgeCam can monitor items as they move around your fridge, and send you a notification the day before an item is about to expire. It can then automatically add items to your shopping list. It’s just launched in the UK, where it connects to Tesco online, for £150.

source http://www.techradar.com/news/10-weird-and-wonderful-gadgets-from-ifa-2018

What is digital business automation?

While business has always innovated and embraced new technology for a competitive edge, these days, the pace of this has hastened to breakneck speed. Witness such innovations as mobile Gigabit connections, autonomously driven cars, and smart homes - all on the cutting edge, and the stuff of science fiction just a decade or so ago. An important trend for today’s businesses is digital business automation.

How does digital business automation differ from digital transformation?

This is distinct from digital transformation which refers to the implementation of digital processes across the business. Digital transformation is more of a cultural thing, with a rollout of digital technology, such as migration of data to the cloud, embracing the DevOps approach to software development, and use of business analytics tools to spot trends - and do all of this faster than the competition.

Digital business automation is a component of digital transformation. It focuses on incorporating the digital realm - in particular data, the software and hardware that works with it, and the infrastructure that supports it - and applying upgrades to efficiency to traditional business processes. This is all done to make the business more responsive to current market trends, interfacing with customers better, with the ultimate goal of improving revenue. In other words, digital business automation uses digital innovation to take a clunky business process, and streamline it for a competitive edge.

History of digital business automation

The origin of digital business automation can be traced back to IBM in 2005, and its creation of the BPMN standard (Business Process Model and Notation). IBM provided software to facilitate creating flowcharts and diagrams for business purposes.

The goal was to graphically describe complex business processes, with a standard notation, to make it more understandable in the organization. The software that IBM released for digital business automation was known as WPS (Websphere Process Server), and the files created were from a newly created open standard known as BPEL (Business Process Execution Language).

WPS failed to gain the needed popularity, and was more focused on the SOA (service-oriented architecture) than on traditional business aspects. This made it more focused on technical aspects, which made it more difficult for application to business processes. To focus more on these users, IBM then released their IBM WebSphere Business Modeller. However, it did not stand alone, and migration was required from the new software back to WPS for execution to occur.

In the meantime, while WPS struggled to gain traction in this emerging sector, a competitor emerged, Teamworks, a product of Lombardi. IBM’s solution to this worthy competition was to acquire the company outright. They also promptly in June 2010 renamed the Teamworks software to WebSphere Lombardi Edition (WLE).  

Having two products for digital business automation, WPS and WLE, under the IBM umbrella proved confusing. They subsequently combined them both into one product, the IBM Business Process Manager (IBPM), drawing on the best of these two platforms. The IBPM offered an intuitive way to capture business processes, and is approachable for less technical business types to turn the business process into an understandable diagram. Furthermore, diagrams can be adjusted easily.

State of digital business automation today

The current IBPM remains focused on improving business processes, and unlike earlier versions that favored the technical or the business aspects, this version attempted to strike a balance that can “improve collaboration between IT and business teams.” They also include built-in process accelerators, a self service portal, and a learning library.

IBM recently took a step forward this year to their next generation of digital business automation, and debuted their IBM Automation Platform for Digital Business, which promises “an integrated platform of five automation capabilities that help business people drive virtually all types of automation projects at speed and scale.” Their five pillars are:

• Tasks - automation of repetitive human work
• Content - collection and management of business data with connectivity to digital business applications
• Workflow - the ability to analyze and improve business processes for improvements
• Capture - digitization of business documents, with extraction and analysis of data while obviating a manual entry process
• Decisions - application of business rules to fuel on the fly change in processes, while being able to audit the process

With such a robust platform, all types of enterprise work can be automated including tasks, decisions and workflows, with the capability to grow, and add multiple pieces as needed.

Other implementations of digital business automation

Another less known company is offering a digital business automation tool. Much of digital business automation has focused on analyzing and streamlining a process at an organization. As the data is available, and stays within the confines of the organization, this is a less challenging scenario. Ultimus wants to take on a more complicated scenario, of transactions between organizations.

Here, things are more bumpy, with major trust issues between the parties involved in the transaction, including customers, suppliers and partners. These types of transactions, from a purchase order, to a loan, or an employment contract, are typically quite time consuming. Documents need to be completed, and they are usually paper based, with physical signatures, notaries, and the dreaded faxes back and forth- hardly the speed that a nimble business aspires to.  

The blockchain functions quite well as a distributed ledger, most commonly for cryptocurrency transactions these days, but it could also be applied to these types of business transactions as well.

In order to take the theoretical to the practical, Ultimus is moving towards applying blockchain technology to business transactions with their Composed Process Solutions (CPS). Some practical challenges that their solution addresses include the accuracy of timestamps (within two hours given current blockchain tech), scalability and keeping the cost of preserving the data at an affordable level.

A case scenario of Ultimus’ CPS is for a blockchain enabled car loan. Here a digital business automation approach gets applied to a streamlined user interface. Via a web portal, with data stored in their blockchain, the documents for the loan are tracked for uploading, verification, and review.

Gone are the pile of manila folders, as well as waiting for the notary public to return (who is invariably at lunch in our experience), as the documents are now ‘e-notarized’ via a highly secure login process. Along the way, an audit trail is created, and in another example of an automated business process, automated emails are generated to update the concerned parties on how this is proceeding.

• We also discuss digital transformation in greater detail here

source http://www.techradar.com/news/what-is-digital-business-automation

Compulsory encryption backdoors for US, UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand

In a Five Eyes ministerial meeting in late August, the governments of the US, UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand put forward a number of proposals that focus on national security, including a stronger stance on encrypted messaging.

Established some time during World War II, Five Eyes is an umbrella agreement between the five aforementioned countries that allows for the free sharing of intelligence and information for the sake of national security in each nation.

With the intention of countering terrorist threats and other high-level crime, the new proposals put forward at the meeting indicate a stronger stance on online security – specifically, the use of backdoors.

“The Governments of the Five Eyes encourage information and communications technology service providers to voluntarily establish lawful access solutions to their products and services that they create or operate in our countries”, the statement on encryption reads.

“Should governments continue to encounter impediments to lawful access to information necessary to aid the protection of the citizens of our countries, we may pursue technological, enforcement, legislative or other measures to achieve lawful access solutions.”

• Australian decryption laws expose users to cyberattack, says tech industry body

The complication

While the specific technicalities laid out in the Statement of Principles are somewhat vague, there’s no doubt that the message is outlining the forced implementation of backdoor access to encrypted messages.

Security and privacy experts have warned against the adoption of backdoors by tech companies, claiming that it undermines the entire principle of encryption, exposes users to cyberattacks, and is a violation of user privacy. 

Several of these nations already have legislation in place that addresses similar privacy concerns, such as the UK’s Investigatory Powers Bill, and recent proposals would have Australia go the same way, so it’s not surprising to see an attempt to unify these policies across the Five Eyes countries.

• Encrypted communications targeted by new Australian anti-crime laws

source http://www.techradar.com/news/compulsory-encryption-backdoors-for-us-uk-australia-canada-and-new-zealand

The 10 best 3D printers of 2018

Welcome to our list of the best 3D printers of 2018. In this guide we'll look at some of the best 3D printers money can buy for a variety of different uses.

So, we've included the best 3D printers for home use, where you want a small, affordable 3D printer that can produce good results for small projects, to large professional-grade 3D printers for heavy use.

Just because you want to buy a new 3D printer, it doesn't mean you have to spend ages researching and then spending huge amounts of money, so our list of the best 3D printers contains clear and concise information on a wide range of 3D printers, helping you to choose the best 3D printer for your needs.

Meanwhile, our price comparison tool searches the internet to find the very best deals on 3D printers, so when you've found the 3D printer that's right for you, you can buy confident in the knowledge that you're paying the best price.

• Check out what printers made it into our top 10 best business printer roundup

The MakerBot Replicator+ is the successor to the popular MakerBot Replicator 3D printer, and the new version has brought improvements to nearly every part of the Replicator. This means the Replicator+ is faster and quieter than the previous version, while maintaining its excellent design and safety features. This desktop 3D printer is expensive, but it offers excellent print quality, and uses 1.75mm polylactic acid (PLA) filament. It's also user-friendly enough for home users and hobbyists to use - as long as your budget can stretch to the high asking price. 

If you're looking for a budget 3D printer, then there really is no better option than the XYZprinting da Vinci Mini. It remains one of the most affordable ways to get into 3D printing, and also the easiest, thanks to an easy-to-use interface. Just because it's a budget model, doesn't mean it doesn't produce good results, and the 3D printed objects it creates are very impressive considering the price - and size - of this 3D printer. Speaking of size, the XYZprinting da Vinci Mini is an impressively compact printer that makes it easy to store in an office or on a desk.

The Ultimaker 2+ is a 3D printer that offers amazing print quality, making it one of the best 3D printers for professional use. It is incredibly reliable when it comes to producing 3D models, and the accuracy of the 3D replications is incredibly impressive. If you need a 3D printer that can reliably reproduce many 3D objects accurately, this is a fantastic choice. However, it is expensive, and the fact that it is aimed at professional environments means it's less beginner-friendly than some of the other 3D printers here. Home users are better off looking elsewhere.

The Formlabs Form 2 is an excellent 3D printer for enthusiasts who don't mind paying extra to get the very best print quality. It's a beautifully-designed 3D printer, and can be connected to PCs via USB, Wi-Fi and Ethernet. It doesn't quite have the print reliability of the Ultimaker 2+, but the print quality more than makes up for a few errors.

The M3D Micro 3D Printer is an excellent 3D printer for beginners. Its low price means you're not investing lots of money if you're not entirely sure 3D printing is for you, while the compact, cube, design means it can be easily placed within the home or office. It looks good, and is impressively quiet when in use. The print quality isn't the best, however, and it is only able to make small models (not too surprising, considering the diminutive size). However, if you're looking for your first 3D printer, this is an excellent choice.

The FlashForge Creator Pro 2017 is the best 3D printer that sits between budget 3D printers and expensive professional models. It's a lot cheaper than pro models, though it maintains the build quality and reliability that you'd come to expect from a professional 3D printer. It's not quite as cheap as the budget and beginner models in this list, but it offers greater accuracy when printing 3D models. It is a tad noisy in use, however.

If you're looking for a first 3D printer to learn the ropes with, then the LulzBot Mini is another excellent choice. It's got a decent price, and is easy to use, though the print speed is quite slow. The hardware is open source, which means it has a flexibility that propitiatory hardware lacks, as a committed community of makers can work together to create add-ons for the printer.  

The bulk of home 3D printers are limited to one- or two-colour printing, but the CubePro Trio has the capability to print three different materials in one session. This can be especially useful if you want to create an enclosed mechanism: nylon can be used for the gears, ABS for the surround and PLA for the support structure that can then be dissolved with caustic soda. The CubePro is an ideal solution for modellers and engineers who need to create 3D prints with moving parts.

In general terms 3D printers are designed as boxes with purpose, however BeeTheFirst has created a printer with both quality of print and actual design in mind – this is a machine that really wouldn't look out of place in a modern living room. BeeTheFirst has also thought about how and where people will be wanting to use their printers – at work, home or both – and has incorporated a thin design with a handle that enables the printer to be easily transported. 

Initially you might be hard pressed to see the differences between the Taz 5 and 6; both feature a solid open frame build, large print base and ease of use.

However take a closer look at the refinements in design and improvements in usability and the upgrades quickly stand out. Features such as the auto leveling base has evolved from the one featured on the Luzbot Mini and works just as well on this larger scale, and the slight changes to frame layout and control panel are all welcome.

The Taz 6 is a big machine with an impressive print area of 280mm x 280mm x 250mm, with a 0.5mm nozzle capable of a minimum layer height of 75 microns and takes 2.85mm filament.

• Here's our pick of the best traditional 2D printers

source http://www.techradar.com/news/best-3d-printer

LG's big 'bot plan: to create a network of working robots with 'wearable' SuitBot