Matter has officially launched, with smart home brands announcing their first Matter-certified devices at a launch event in Amsterdam. The new IoT (internet of things) protocol is the culmination of years of collaborative work to allow developers around the world to create smart home devices that will work seamlessly together. Among the first certified devices are products from Nanoleaf, Eve and Schneider Electric. But what does it all mean for you?...

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict The Lumia 950 XL is an attractive phone for those looking for Windows productivity thanks to features like Continuum and Universal Apps. It’s a good deal at the moment with the free Display Dock but he phone itself has nothing major going for it on the design front and simply offers a bigger screen and slightly better processor than the regular model. Overall, we’re not blown away with Windows 10 on phones with its bugs and lack of apps but it will be a solid choice for some....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict The e6s redefines how good £100 phones can be, with solid performance, decent battery life and a design that could easily pass for a handset twice the price. Inevitable compromises come in the form of a hit-and-miss camera and lack of USB-C, but it’s easy to look beyond these when you see everything you get for your money. Best Prices Today: Moto e6s With the exception of the nostalgic Razr refresh, Motorola has almost exclusively focused on budget phones since being taken over by Lenovo in 2014....

At a Glance Our Verdict It’s unsurprising that the Moto G2 is a better phone than the Moto E and we recommend spending the extra if you can afford it for the better screen, camera, processor, storage, battery life and stereo speakers. The one caveat is that neither phone supports 4G so look elsewhere (Moto G 4G, for example) if this is a must. Best Prices Today: Motorola Moto G 2014 (second generation) Ok, the new 2014 Moto G isn’t actually called the Moto G2 but it’s easy to get confused so in this article we’re going to call it by that name....

At a Glance Our Verdict With only a small difference in its overall size the more powerful Moto G5s Plus with dual-cameras is likely to be the better buy here. However, when you’re buying in the budget market price is everything, and the £40 difference could be enough to tip the balance in the favour of the Moto G5s. The smaller model also has the potential to offer longer battery life, but we’ll have to wait and see when we get them into our Test Centre....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict The MSI GS60 2PE Ghost Pro has enough power to handle current games, and it’s got the screen quality to match – and all while costing less than the Gigabyte P35W v2, which has a poorer screen but a tad more gaming power. The storage, keyboard and speakers all impress, but this slimline gaming laptop struggles for longevity and has poor thermal performance. It’s thin and impressive, but be aware about the MSI’s limitations before spending any cash....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict The Nanoleaf Canvas is a brilliant piece of interactive wall art that doubles as mood lighting. The rhythm support is fun but flawed, and the whole thing is expensive, especially if you have ambitions to build a sprawling design with tens of panels. But with great smart support and an easy app, this is a great piece of kit. Best Prices Today: Nanoleaf Canvas When most people think of smart lights they think of replacing their existing bulbs with new ones that can connect to Wi-Fi or change colour....

Almost every day there’s some Android malware on the scene, but EventBot is well worth being aware of. This Trojan targets European and US mobile banking apps with the aim of stealing login details – including the unique one-time passcodes sent as SMS. When you log into your banking app, you’ll use various methods that identify you such as a username, password or code. These days, most banks require you to enter a separate code which is different each time: it’s called two-factor authentication and helps to prevent anyone accessing your account if they manage to get hold of your usual login details....

Nintendo has officially released the Nintendo Switch Lite, a cheaper handheld-only device that allows you to enjoy the library of Switch titles on the go. It offers improved battery life and a more portable form-factor compared to the standard Nintendo Switch, although at the cost of screen size and fan-favourite Rumble HD motors. Here’s all you need to know about the Switch Lite, including release date and pricing details alongside the key features of Nintendo’s latest handheld console....

Nintendo released its new Nintendo Switch console on 3 March 2017 and it flew off the shelves. Its biggest launch game, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild , has been so highly praised that it is deemed to be one of the best games of all time, but the Switch itself isn’t without its faults. Read on to find out everything you need to know about the Nintendo Switch as well as where to buy it....

In September we finally got to see the long-anticipated Nokia 8, though sadly it wasn’t announced alongside the Nokia 9 which is expected to be the more exciting of the two with an 18:9 screen. We say “see”, but actually the live stream of the launch event was a disaster, and the two YouTubers Nokia hired to present its fancy new phone for content creators never actually published anything online. Awkward....

There have long been rumours about links between NordVPN and Surfshark, and it’s no wonder: both companies were founded by Lithuanians in the same city. However, both are separate companies using their own infrastructure, even if the servers they use are mostly rented rather than owned and operated. Now, a deal has been finalised which will see Nord Security – which runs NordVPN – merge with Surfshark. It’s a “strategic partnership” that both companies say will allow them to share technical knowledge and “enable more focused market diversification”....

From the beginning, Nothing has made it clear that it won’t start releasing lots of phones every year, as is the case with some brands. Instead, it will launch handsets occasionally, but make sure each is the best it can possibly be. However, that doesn’t mean the upcoming Phone (3) is the only Nothing phone in 2024. The brand-new Phone (2a) is technically a successor to the original Phone (1) , but it also manages to be more affordable....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict Adobe’s Acrobat Pro still has an edge in some areas, such as its more sophisticated batch conversion features, and Adobe’s background in print and publishing means that Acrobat will probably always be the first choice proofing tool for designers. But Power PDF 3.0 will be a strong alternative for many business users who do most of their work in Microsoft Office, and with no need for annual subscriptions it can work out a lot cheaper in the long run too....

At CES 2021, Nvidia announced a new, cheaper graphics cards in its RTX 3000 series, and after a lengthy wait, it’s due to be released later today. The RTX 3060 is positioned as the ideal upgrade for the GTX 1060, which could play AAA titles (at the time) at 60fps. That’s what the RTX 3060 is designed to do in 2021, except of course it’s said to do it with RTX turned on....

At Microsoft’s software-themed event on 30 March, the company announced the rebranding of its Office 365 subscription service. It will now be known simply as ‘Microsoft 365’, reflecting the fact the subscription service now goes far beyond the standard Office apps where it made its name. When did Office 365 become Microsoft 365? Following an official announcement in March 2020, t he rebranding was made official on 21 April 2020....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict The Olixar enCharge KP-8000 is a very cool solar-powered portable USB charger for your phone and possibly tablet, depending on the model. It’s big and heavy, and more expensive than chargers without the solar component, but this charger offers the luxury of never needing to be plugged into the mains again, which could save you on your electricity bills. In comparison to other solar chargers it’s cheap, but we’d like to see more information in the way of how much capacity remains and how quickly is the Olixar charging given the weather conditions at the time....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Our Verdict The OneBot T4 is a folding electric bike which is one of the cheapest you’ll find. As it doesn’t have gears, it’s relatively limited in speed, but the motor is powerful enough to take you 20 or 30km even if there are a few 15 degree hills. Best Prices Today: OneBot T4 It’s easy to spend a lot of money on an electric bike....

At a Glance Expert’s Rating Pros Comfortable fit Decent battery Excellent value Cons Weak bass Limited touch controls Our Verdict The OnePlus Buds Z are a solid budget option that improve on the original OnePlus Buds despite the lower price. Audio is average, but a comfortable fit and solid battery life mostly make up for it. Limited touch controls are a bigger problem though, especially since if you don’t own a OnePlus phone you can’t change them at all – so if you’re not already in the ecosystem these definitely aren’t the best budget buds for you....

Today Oppo unveiled its latest flagship Android phones, the Find X5 series. The range includes the Find X5 Pro, the regular Find X5 and the Find X5 Lite – with Oppo skipping the upper mid-range Neo model this time around. The top model – the Find X5 Pro – uses Qualcomm’s latest chip, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 . It joins the likes of the Samsung S22 series (in the US, at least) and the newly announced Vivo iQoo 9 Pro gaming phone in being one of the first handsets to feature the processor....