November, 2020 - Organizer

QuickBooks Online accounting software review

1:59 am | November 29, 2020

QuickBooks has one of the most prominent profiles when it comes to accounting software and continues to have regular updates, which boosts its appeal. for example, users in the UK now benefit from an income tax estimator tool to help with self-assessment deadlines. There's a Live Assisted Bookkeeping option for people in the US too.

Elsewhere, other updates include automated bookkeeping, banking, improved personalised cashflow insights plus an expanded QuickBooks Employee Portal. QuickBooks also has an edition that will suit just about any kind of user too, from individuals through to businesses and all points in-between. However, having so much choice can make deciding on the right edition a little bit of a challenge.

Adding to the decision-making process is if you want to use QuickBooks Online, which can be done from a web browser, or if you prefer you can download a Windows or Mac app to run QuickBooks Simple Start, Essentials or Plus editions, only rather quicker. For a full-on QuickBooks experience then Live Bookkeeping is a complete solution whereby you get the benefit of hands-on professional help from the QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping team.

You can even bolster your arsenal of QuickBooks tools with its Payroll option too. In addition, QuickBooks offers mobile payment services with its GoPayment product and point of sale packages too, both of which are also useful for business users.

However, currently there are a few versions of QuickBooks that should be able to help with most accounting and financial management needs. So, depending on your requirements, you can choose from QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Self-Employed, QuickBooks Online Advanced, QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping, QuickBooks Desktop for Mac, QuickBooks Desktop Pro, QuickBooks Premier and QuickBooks Enterprise. However, it is possible to create a custom package using the help of the QuickBooks team if you need a more bespoke accounts option.

You can sign up for QuickBooks Online here

We've also highlighted the best accounting software

QuickBooks: Pricing

With such a wide variety of QuickBooks options you’ll find that pricing is similarly expansive and there are often deals to be had too. At the time of writing QuickBooks Online, for example, has money off and prices are tweaked all the time.

Currently then, QuickBooks Online Simple Start is $15.00 a month, Essentials is $30 a month, Plus is $45.00 a month and Advanced $100. If you’re a freelancer then the Self-Employed package costs $15. There are custom options too, so for example it is possible to purchase QuickBooks Online, Payroll and Setup together.

For the UK, QuickBooks has business accounting options that include Simple Start, Essentials and Plus. Deals are often available on these too however, usually with a free trial for good measure. Freelancers with self-assessment needs can plump for the self-employed package. Accountants and bookkeepers can also talk to QuickBooks about getting a package tailored to suit their needs.

QuickBooks: Features

Even in its simplest guise QuickBooks comes with lots of features and functions, which should meet all of your accountancy needs. Usefully, these have been tailored to suit different locations around the globe. QuickBooks users in the UK have been given new UK tax software tools that help them with the changing face of tax when dealing with HMRC, along with other UK-centric features. Meanwhile, in the US, the Simple Start package lets you tracks income and expenses, capture and organize receipts, maximize tax deductions, invoice and accept payments, run general reports, send estimates, track sales and sales tax along with manage 1099 contractors.

QuickBooks has even added a neat new feature in Track Miles that lets you monitor and categorize business and personal trips that can then be used to produce shareable reports. It’s great for working out potential deductions.

Move on up the package options and you get more features. Essentials adds on the ability to manage bills, track time more efficiently and also lets three users have use of the service. The Plus bundle adds on a 5 user option, lets you track profitability and inventory too.

Advanced, meanwhile, features lots of beefier features, such as offering business analytics and insights, the ability to customize access by role and sophisticated extras such as a new restore company data function and the option for automating workflows. You get a dedicated account manager plus on-demand online training. It’s comprehensive to say the least.

QuickBooks: Setup and interface

Once you start your free trial for a paid tier, QuickBooks walks you through the setup process. You can setup your own business or experiment with a demo company. If you choose to use your own company, you will be asked to fill in some details. These include the business name and how long you have been in business. You can also choose the features you’re most likely to use. These can be changed at any stage through the settings tab.

The dashboard displays any information you’ve entered. From here you can connect your bank to your QuickBooks account. At this stage you can upload your company logo and fill in more information about your business. If you’ve been using another online solution which supports CSV/Excel format export, you can import this data into QuickBooks. The main screen displays your company name, logo, invoices, expenses, bank accounts, sales, profit and loss.

You can choose to hide any financial information displayed. QuickBooks also has a handy tip feature which nudges you to start invoicing, pay employees, track time, connect with an accountant and view your profits. This can also be hidden. Setup can be resumed at a time of your choosing. You can select banking, sales, expenses, workers, reports, taxes, accounting and my accountant from the left-hand side of the dashboard.

There are several language options available depending on your location. English is available for users in the UK, US, India, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa, UAE and Ireland. English and traditional Chinese are available in Hong Kong. Other languages supported are Italian and Spanish.

Reports — Producing detailed reports is another practical feature of QuickBooks Online

QuickBooks: Performance

You’ll get good performance from any of the QuickBooks range of products and services, with the cloud-based online options being as good as anything out there on the market. QuickBooks has also done a fine job with its app-based products, so if you’re keen to keep your finances and accounting duties up to date then this is another route that performs well.

Not everyone wants to reply on being connected all of the time, however, so the downloadable software option is always good for being able to work on a computer or laptop in an office, home or on-the-road environment. Again, QuickBooks has had a long time to get its performance characteristics honed nicely, and it is therefore a great all-round contender.

QuickBooks: Ease of use

Getting to grips with QuickBooks is not quite as daunting as it might seem. While making the initial choice on which package to use might seem something of an uphill struggle, once you’re inside the software then it’s all pretty intuitive. QuickBooks has been around for a long time, so it’s been nicely honed over the years. Meanwhile, new features are added in to the existing working area without too much in the way of fuss.

QuickBooks: Support

QuickBooks has all bases covered when it comes to support, with a dedicated website area to get started. This features a host of articles, video tutorials and much more besides, if your query is more obvious or if you’re learning the ropes.

Of course, there is also the capacity for getting in touch with QuickBooks personnel too, most notably so if you have the high-end package that gives you the added benefit of a dedicated account manager.

QuickBooks also has a very vibrant community, which is a great place to head for if you want to see what others are talking about, or ask a real time user how to do something. The QuickBooks Live Bookkeeping option is another angle worth looking at if you’re going to need more help as this will keep you connected with an accountancy expert.

There’s QuickBooks Pro Advisor too, which can also hook you up with an independent accountant, bookkeeping expert or tax specialist if you need it. If anything, the supply of potential help can be a little bewildering if you’re only just getting acquainted with QuickBooks.

QuickBooks: Final verdict

There is certainly plenty to recommend when it comes to QuickBooks dazzling array of products and services, with the Online aspect of the range being the most obvious to pick from.

However, Intuit is a big and powerful concern that now owns this and other accountancy and bookkeeping options including TurboTax and Mint, so it might have other products that take your fancy too. As it stands though, whichever QuickBooks product you choose, be it Online or Desktop Pro to name but two of the variants, you’ll be sure of a solid user experience that comes packed with features, even at the most basic level.

If you’re prepared to spend some money then you get much more too, including comprehensive levels of support and lots of product updates as times and the economic landscape changes.

Take a look at the best personal finance software

Nikon Z6 II review

1:03 am | November 19, 2020

Author: admin | Category: Cameras Computers Gadgets Mirrorless Cameras | Tags: AF | Comments: Off

Editor's Note

• Original review date: November 2020
• Successor rumored for later in 2024
• Launch price: $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,499 (body only)
• Official price now: $1,599 / £1,859 / AU$2,699 (body only)

Update: February 2024. The Nikon Z6 II was first pitched in 2020 around the $2,000 mark and a highly capable all-rounder at that price point, delivering a faster processor and longer burst rates than the first-gen model it replaced, while offering the same 24.5MP stills from its full-frame sensor. It's also a capable filmmaking tool, especially when paired with an external monitor through which you can get 4K recording in raw format. In short, image quality in any light is excellent in what is a speedy operator for action photography. The Z6 II's subject detection autofocus performance lags behind today's rivals and it's not as capable as the camera's own human detection AF. And now there are rumors of a long awaited replacement on the way – the possible Z6 III – that could become the best mirrorless camera for most people. Until then, there are few better full-frame mirrorless cameras at what is now a reduced price point. The rest of this review remains as previously published.

Nikon Z6 II: Two-minute review

The Nikon Z6 II is the follow-up to the company’s first full-frame mirrorless camera, the Z6. Now over three years old, the Nikon Z6 is the former holder of our best mirrorless camera crown. But there's still room for improvement, and with the Z6 II Nikon has opted to retain the core spec and design of the Z6, while addressing its weaknesses.

To that end, pretty much all the main features of the Z6 II are inherited from the Z6. This includes the excellent full-frame 24.5MP BSI CMOS sensor, which delivers images with excellent levels of detail, plenty of dynamic range and a very good high-ISO noise performance.

Compared to one of the Z6 II’s closest rivals, the 20.1MP Canon EOS R6, the extra pixels here give you that bit more flexibility when it comes to framing and cropping, whereas the EOS R6 has a slight edge at higher sensitivities. Comparing the Z6 II to its other close rival, the Sony Alpha A7 III, there’s really not much between them when it comes to results.

While the sensor remains the same, Nikon has equipped the Z6 II with a second EXPEED 6 image processor. This brings a number of performance improvements, most notably an increase in burst shooting speed, from a maximum of 12fps to 14fps. That’s faster than the Alpha A7 III, and a match for the EOS R6 (although the R6 can shoot at 20fps using its electronic shutter).

The extra processor has also allowed Nikon to improve on the 273-point AF system that’s in the Z6. As well as general performance improvements and the ability to focus in darker conditions, human and animal eye/face detection are now available in Wide area AF mode. It’s a solid system that’s great for general photography, although if you’re going to be shooting lots of action (or portraits), then the focusing systems in both the EOS R6 and A7 III have the edge here.

The Z6 had a strong set of video specs, including the ability to shoot oversampled 4K for footage with plenty of detail. For the Z6 II, Nikon has tweaked the video capabilities to enable 4K capture up to 60p, although this won’t be available until around February 2021 via a firmware update. The Z6 II also gains a number of output options that include the capture of 10-bit HLG HDR footage to an external recorder. For these reasons, we think the Z6 II is one of the best video cameras you can buy right now.

With the Z6 II using the same design as the Z6, there are few surprises when it comes to build quality and handling. The magnesium alloy body parts, weather sealing and comfy grip make the Z6 II feel more durable than rivals, while Nikon has managed to squeeze in a UHS-II SD card slot alongside the XQD/CFexpress card slot, resolving one of the key weaknesses of the Z6.

There’s no getting around the fact that the updates found in the Z6 II are modest at best; however, while existing Z6 owners shouldn’t be tempted to upgrade, if you’re looking for a quality full-frame mirrorless camera you’re not going to go far wrong with the Nikon Z6 II. It's undoubtedly one of the best cameras for photography.

While rivals might outclass it in some areas, the Z6 II has consistency on its side, performing strongly across the board. If you can live without the upgrades though, do check out the Z6 – it’s still on sale for now, and the money you’ll save over a Z6 II will go a long way towards a new lens.

Nikon Z6 II: Release date and price

The Nikon Z6 II launched on October 14, 2020
It costs $2,600 / £2,549 / AU$4,399 with the 24-70mm f/4 lens
You can also buy the Nikon Z6 II body-only

The Nikon Z6 II was announced in October alongside the Z7 II, and is available to buy now.

Like the Z6, the Z6 II can be purchased with the excellent Nikon 24-70mm f/4 S standard zoom for $2,600 / £2,549 / AU$4,399. If you’re looking to upgrade or invest in a second body you can buy the Z6 II body-only for $2,000 / £1,999 / AU$3,399, while those looking to pair the Z6 II with their F-mount DSLR lenses can add the FTZ lens adapter for around $150 / £150 / AU$250.

The Nikon Z6 II will naturally be compared to Sony’s Alpha A7 III, while the arrival of the Canon EOS R6 means many will also see that camera as a key rival. The A7 III is almost three years old now, but it still packs a serious punch and will cost you in the region of $2,880 / £2,650 / AU$4,640 with Sony’s 24-105mm f/4 G, which is a little more versatile than Nikon’s kit lens.

The EOS R6 is also priced a bit higher than the Z6 II at $2,799.99 / £2,849 / AU$4,799, although this comes bundled with the relatively slow and variable-aperture 24-105mm f/4-7.1 lens, which isn’t quite a match for the lenses paired with the Z6 II or A7 III.

Nikon Z6 II: Design

Design is virtually identical to the Z6
Now features a second card slot
Tilt-angle display not perfect for video

The Nikon Z6 II arrives just over two years since the Z6 launched, and Nikon has opted to keep the new camera’s design virtually identical to that of its predecessor.

While this might seem unimaginative on Nikon’s part (and also a way to save some R&D costs), the decision to use the same body is no bad thing – the Z6 is one of the best-handling mirrorless cameras out there, with controls falling easily to hand and key settings quick to access. The joystick (officially known as the sub-selector) is also weighted nicely, while all this is complemented by a large and comfy hand grip and well-defined thumb rest.

Simply put, the Z6 II is one of the most pleasant mirrorless cameras to shoot with.

Sticking with the same design does, however, mean the Z6 II uses the same tilt-angle display as the Z6. This shouldn’t be too much of an issue if you’re predominantly shooting stills, but those shooting video (and self-shooters in particular) might be disappointed not to see a fully articulating vari-angle display worked into the design of the Z6 II.

That gripe aside, the Z6 II feels really durable, with magnesium alloy top, front and back covers, and the same excellent level of weather sealing as Nikon’s pro-spec DSLR, the D850.

Not everything has stayed the same though. One thing that compromised the Z6 was its single XQD card slot. While this is a media format that can be incredibly reliable, XQD cards are significantly more expensive than even the best SD cards.

Nikon listened to complaints about this, and on the Z6 II it’s managed to squeeze in a second UHS-II SD card slot to accompany the XQD/CFexpress slot. The addition of the SD slot makes the camera more accessible to more users, while those upgrading from the Z6, or who already use the XQD format, will be able to use their existing cards.

There are benefits when it comes to shooting too, with the extra slot providing options for simultaneous backup, overflow storage or recording JPEGs while the XQD/CFexpress slot takes care of raw files.

Nikon Z6 II: Features

Full-frame 24MP BSI CMOS sensor
3.69 million-dot electronic viewfinder
4K video recording up to 60p

For the Z6 II, Nikon has opted to stick with the same full-frame 24.5MP BSI CMOS sensor that’s in the Nikon Z6. This enables a native ISO range that runs from ISO100 to 51,200, and which can be expanded to ISO50-204,800.

While the Z6 II keeps the same sensor, Nikon has managed to squeeze in a second EXPEED 6 processor. This delivers a number of improvements, the most notable of which is an increase in burst shooting speed to an impressive 14fps, up from an already quick 12fps on the Z6.

The Z6 II also uses the same 273-point AF system as the Z6, though there have been some improvements here too. Overall performance has been improved, while human or animal eye/face detection is now available in the Wide-Area AF modes, rather than just the Auto-Area mode. Focusing in low light should also be better, as the Z6 II can focus in light levels as low as -4.5EV (improving on -3.5EV of the Z6), while a low-light AF mode sees the Z6 II able to achieve focus at an incredible -6EV.

The Z6 already had some impressive video credentials, and the Z6 II improves on these further. As well as using the full width of the sensor to capture 4K footage at up to 30p, the Z6 II is also able to shoot 4K60p.

A little caveat here though: there will be a 1.5x crop when shooting at this rate, and the upgrade won’t be available until around February 2021 via a firmware update. The Z6 II will also be able to continue shooting when connected via USB-C for recharging, which wasn’t possible with the original Z6.

Other key features remain the same though, including the excellent 3.69 million-dot electronic viewfinder (EVF) and 5-stop in-body image stabilization (IBIS) system.

Nikon Z6 II: Performance

Fast burst shooting speed
Very capable AF performance
Better battery life than the Z6

While the Nikon Z6 II can shoot at 14fps, the details are in the small print – at this maximum rate, you’re limited to 12-bit raw files and a single AF-point.

If you want a little more dynamic range in your files, and want to take advantage of the Z6 II’s tracking AF, this drops to a still very good 12fps – that’s faster than the Alpha A7 III’s 10fps, and a match for the EOS R6’s 12fps (though the R6 can shoot at up to 20fps using its electronic shutter). The buffer should be more than enough for most scenarios as well, with the Z6 II able to handle 124 12-bit raw files or 200 JPEGs at its highest frame rate.

The Z6 II’s 273-point AF system has 90% coverage across the frame, which is good in isolation, although it’s left trailing the 693-point system in the Alpha A7 III and the class-leading 6,072-point AF system in the EOS R6.

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Those predominantly shooting people (or pets) might favor the systems in the Z6 II’s rivals, as they’re a bit more sophisticated when it comes to eye and face tracking, but the Z6 II still does a very good job here, locking quickly and accurately on to the subjects we tested it on.

It’s a similar story if you’re tracking subjects – use the Z6 II in isolation and you’ll be very impressed with the speed of acquisition, but it’s not quite a match for the EOS R6 (which uses pretty much the same AF system as the flagship Canon EOS-1D X Mark III).

The built-in 5-stop image stabilization system in the Z6 II is a consistent performer. Again, it’s not quite as impressive as the EOS R6’s 8-stop system (which is lens-dependent), but you can happily shoot at super-slow shutter speeds and come away with sharp, shake-free images.

Another key area Nikon has addressed with the Z6 II is the battery. The Z6 could only achieve an official figure of 310 shots (though it performs better in real-world scenarios), and the Z6 II gets an improved EN-EL15c battery that’s rated for 410 shots using the LCD and 340 with the viewfinder. This is a welcome improvement, although here again the Z6 II still lags behind rivals like the EOS R6 and Alpha A7 III.

Nikon Z6 II: Image and video quality

Same image quality as Z6
Excellent sharpness and detail
Good high-ISO performance

As we’ve mentioned, the Z6 II uses exactly the same sensor as the Z6 – and that’s good news, as results from the Z6 were pretty much class-leading.

The full-frame 24.5MP BSI sensor in the Z6 II delivers excellent levels of detail. If you need to regularly print above A3 you might be swayed by the 45.7MP sensor in the Z7 II (or the D850), but the resolution on offer here should satisfy most shooters.

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Thanks in part to the back-illuminated technology in the Z6 II’s sensor (which is missing from the lower-priced Z5), it performs well across the sensitivity range, delivering great results at higher ISOs, although if you’re shooting JPEGs it’s worth bearing in mind that the default noise reduction can be a bit heavy at higher ISOs, which can result in the unnecessary loss of detail.

Dynamic range is also very good if you’re shooting in raw, with plenty of flexibility in post to recover detail in the shadows and pull back highlights.

A quick note on lenses to conclude – the 24-70mm f/4 is a solid choice that performs very well, but since its launch more than two years ago Nikon’s S-series lens range has expanded significantly, and includes some excellent f/1.8 primes and f/2.8 zooms.

Should I buy the Nikon Z6 II?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

These are the best cameras for photography you can buy right now

HostPapa review

6:25 am | November 17, 2020

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro Website Hosting | Comments: Off

If you've ever searched for cheap website hosting, then HostPapa is likely one of the brands you'll have come across. Based in Ontario, Canada, the company has been around for close to two decades.

After a series of aggressive acquisitions, HostPapa today has become one of the bigger hosting brands around. It's what I like to call a one-stop shop, offering everything website owners need, from hosting to security and more.

Overall, HostPapa is a brand that is worth a try if you're in the market for cheap hosting. You''ll just need to be careful at checkout not to select add-ons and be patient with the onboarding process.

HostPapa hosting plans and prices

HostPapa hosting plan prices — (Image credit: Future)

HostPapa offers shared, VPS, dedicated, and reseller hosting. Because of its popularity, several WordPress plans are also available. These are built on different platforms, from shared to VPS. Additionally, you can get email hosting, Microsoft 365, premium SSL certificates, and more.

Shared Hosting

Shared hosting plans range between $2.95/mo and $9.95/mo. These are the rates for 3-year terms. Following that, renewals cost from $8.99/mo to $27.99/mo, depending on your subscribed plan.

The lowest shared hosting plan (Essentials) offers decent specifications for a single website: 1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, and 25GB of NVMe storage. However, remember that this is shared hosting, so hosting resources aren't yours alone.

There's also what HostPapa calls Optimized WordPress hosting, which simply means they pre-install WordPress on your shared hosting account. The prices are identical, as are the specifications.

VPS and Managed WordPress Hosting

HostPapa unmanaged VPS plans — (Image credit: Future)

HostPapa offers managed and unmanaged VPS hosting. These plans are a step up from shared hosting. You'll find performance on VPS more consistent, since all the specified resources are yours alone.

The unmanaged VPS plans at HostPapa are, honestly, very cheap. Prices range from $5.95/mo to $59.95/mo, depending on resources provided. The cheapest plan (Start) offers 2 vCPUs, 2GB RAM, and 50GB of storage.

Managed VPS plans are meant for those who don't have the skills (or time) to manage a barebones virtual server. For this, you pay premium rates at HostPapa, ranging from $36.95/mo to $86.95/mo.

The last offering in the VPS segment is HostPapa's Managed WordPress plans. Think of this as Managed VPS plans, which are restricted to WordPress only. As such, prices fall between $19.95/mo to $114.95/mo.

Dedicated Servers and Reseller Hosting

HostPapa dedicated server plans — (Image credit: Future)

If you're one of those with much higher hosting requirements, then HostPapa's dedicated servers are what you'll need. These plans offer you a custom-configured server, with specifications that would make boyish hearts go "Whopee!"

Prices on these range from $59.95/mo to $219.95/mo for unmanaged servers. If you want a managed dedicated server, be prepared to fork out the big bucks. Prices in this category range between $109.95/mo to $269.95/mo. The most interesting part here is that there is no price hike on renewal for dedicated server plans.

Reseller hosting ranges between $14.95/mo to $57.95/mo. The specifications for these plans are rather modest since the focus is on white-label services and the number of cPanel accounts assigned to you.

Note: HostPapa does not offer a temporary domain name, so you must either have a domain name already registered or buy one from them to get started.

Getting started at HostPapa

Onboarding process at HostPapa — Be careful of what add-ons you select when choosing your HostPapa plan. (Image credit: Future)

Once you've decided which hosting plan you want, click the "Buy Now" button below that plan. You'll then head to a screen where you fill in your billing details and finalize the configuration for your hosting plan.

There are two key things you have to note here:

Only those opting for shared hosting can choose their data center location. There are three locations available: The United States, Canada, and Europe.
Pay attention to the optional add-ons. PapaCare Lite is selected by default. If you don't unselect that option, you'll find a significant amount getting billed monthly after the first month.

Onboarding process

cPanel screenshot on HostPapa — HostPapa uses cPanel, making it easy for you to manage your hosting account. (Image credit: Future)

Unfortunately, things don't start moving quickly once you've made your payment. With most other hosts, I've gotten onboarding emails almost immediately. HostPapa made me wait 5 minutes before emailing me an identity verification request.

This means you'll have to scan an ID document and scan your face, either on your phone or via webcam. If you wear glasses and can't see without them, things can get problematic since the facial scan requires you to remove them.

When all of this is done, you can finally access your user dashboard. This is where the magic happens. To get started with your website, click "My cPanel." I used it to install WordPress, which completed in a few minutes.

Speed and reliability

When testing web hosts, we typically sign up for the cheapest plan available. For HostPapa, that was the Essential shared hosting plan. We then upload a pre-built WooCommerce website to standardize our tests.

WordPress benchmark testing
CPU & Memory	Operations with large text data	9.07
	Random binary data operations	7.3
	Recursive mathematical calculations	4.83
	Iterative mathematical calculations	7.86
	Floating point operations	5.64
Filesystem	Filesystem write ability	0
	Local file copy and access speed	0
	Small file IO test	0
Database	Importing large amount of data to database	7.75
	Simple queries on single table	8.56
	Complex database queries on multiple tables	4.52
Object cache	Persistent object cache enabled	0
Wordpress core	Shortcode processing	4.91
	Wordpress Hooks	7.69
	Wordpress option manipulation	7.9
	REGEX string processing	0
	Taxonomy benchmark	7.33
	Object capability benchmark	6.74
	Content filtering	2.09
	JSON manipulations	7.92
Network	Network download speed test	0
Overall	Your server score	5.3

Typically, when an entire test category fails, it indicates that the host may have disabled certain operations. In this case, HostPapa seems to disallow filesystem operation and network speed tests. This has somewhat skewed our HostPapa system benchmark.

However, given the other parameters indicate healthy server operations. HostPapa's shared hosting performed well on CPU and memory operations and showcased impressive database times. All in, that's great news for WordPress fans.

Siege test
Concurrent users	5	9	15
Transactions	1542	2562	4210
Availability	100.00	100.00	95.64
Elapsed time	299.01	299.99	299.93
Data transferred	64.77	112.61	181.76
Response time	0.97	1.05	1.07
Transaction rate	5.16	8.64	14.04
Throughput	0.22	0.38	0.61
Concurrency	4.99	8.98	14.97
Successful transactions	1542	2562	4225
Failed transactions	0	0	192
Longest transaction	4.56	8.11	11.05
Shortest transaction	0.72	0.72	0.36

Siege is our benchmark of choice for load testing. It sends multiple requests according to our parameters to test the server's ability to handle simultaneous transactions. Impressively, HostPapa's cheapest shared hosting account performed quite well.

It handled up to 9 concurrent users easily, with 100% successful transactions. However, this came at a small sacrifice in performance as increased loads resulted in some transactions being somewhat delayed beyond the norm.

Once we hit the server with 15 concurrent users, HostPapa began to struggle. There was a slight uptick in failed transactions and longer completion times for some transactions. Still, a 95% success rate for shared hosting is good.

Customer support and knowledge base

Screenshot of HostPapa knowledge base index page — You'll find lots of useful info in HostPapa's knowlege base, (Image credit: Future)

HostPapa has one of the most extensive knowledge bases I've come across. Much of the content is helpful, especially the short guides that teach novices simple things like DNS pointing and basic WordPress tutorials. For those more visual, there are also various video tutorials.

It also offers great customer support via live chat, email, phone, or a ticketing system. If you need more assistance, sign up for one of their short one-to-one training sessions (for free!).

Who should consider using HostPapa?

Let me be honest. HostPapa is cheap and offers decent performance. However, once the cheap introductory pricing wears off, you'll be better off elsewhere. Given the cost of their VPS plans, it would be far more cost-effective to sign on with Cloudways.

Or, if you prefer, consider a WordPress-only expert like WP Engine or Kinsta. They might be more expensive, but you'll get the powerful hosting that you'll need to squeeze every bit of performance out of your WordPress website.

I'd recommend HostPapa only if you're:

Brand new to web hosting.
Have price as one of your key considerations.
Require lots of help getting started with hosting.

Final verdict

While writing this review, I had to remind myself that I was on a web hosting plan that costs $2.95/mo. For that price, HostPapa demonstrated performance that, to me, felt good. However, the onboarding process did turn me off because of the email delays, and the emails didn't come in a logical order which may leave some new users slightly confused.

There are many more pros than cons to this web host, and unless you're playing in the big leagues, the plans here are worth a go. Give it a shot for yourself and see what I mean.

HostPapa FAQs

Who owns HostPapa?

HostPapa is owned by Jamie Opalchuk, the guy who started the company back in 2006. He's the CEO of the company and has overseen all stages of its growth, from initial teething to several mergers and acquisitions.

What is HostPapa used for?

HostPapa is a web hosting company. It offers a full range of hosting plans, from cheap web hosting to powerful dedicated servers. The company also offers several associated services, such as Google Workspace, AI-based marketing, and more.

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Samsung Premiere LSP9T projector review

8:00 pm | November 12, 2020

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Home Theater Projectors Televisions | Tags: HDR | Comments: Off

Editor's note

• Original review date: November 2020
• New Premiere 9 model coming out in 2024
• Launch price: US$6,499 / £6,999 / AU$10,999
• Target price now: $4,499 / £3,118 / AU$5,995

The Samsung Premiere LSP9T was the company’s first ultra short throw projector and it remains in the lineup, now at a discounted price. That’s because the LSP9T is due to be replaced in 2024 by the Premiere 9, another 4K UST that Samsung says will have improved brightness and better sound with the addition of Dolby Atmos processing. Nonetheless, the Premiere LSP9T is an impressive projector, and at $4,499 / £3,118 / AU$5,995 it’s now a much better value. The rest of this review remains as previously published.

One-minute review

Samsung is back in the home cinema projector market, after more than a decade away – and its Samsung Premiere flagship beamer is certain to impress.

The Premiere LSP9T’s ultra short throw design, 2800 lumens of laser-driven brightness, support for the latest 4K and HDR picture quality standards, powerful built-in audio system, and built-in tuner and smart system make it a true rival for a king-sized TV – especially as it produces mostly outstanding pictures.

Brightness and color volume are both exceptional for a projector, getting maximum value from an innovative new laser light source design. Here, for once, is a projector that actually handles HDR content well – despite that content being designed for TV rather than projection technologies.

The Premiere LSP9T’s pictures genuinely look 4K too, delivering a dense, cinematic image free of visible image structure even at its 130-inch maximum image size.

It’s not quite as ready for next-gen gaming as we’d have liked, and some fleeting color striping noise and occasional black level shortcomings sometimes reminds you a bit too obviously of the mechanics of its laser DLP optical system. But as an ultra short-throw projector, this may be the best example we’ve seen so far.

Price and availability

The Samsung Premiere LSP9T is available across the world
£6,999 / US$6,499 / AU$10,999 price tag
A cheaper single-laser Premiere model, the LSP7T, is also available

Considering the two Premiere models are the first home entertainment projectors Samsung has released for over a decade, it’s impressive to see how widely Samsung is distributing them across the world. It’s a clear sign of Samsung’s manufacturing and distribution might – and, perhaps, its confidence in its new creation.

The flagship LSP9T’s £6,999 / $6,499 / AU$10,999 price looks high at first glance. LG’s similar Cinebeam HU85LS only costs £4,999, for instance, and the recently launched Optoma CinemaX P2 ultra short throw (UST) laser projector costs just £2,999. However, the Samsung model boasts an innovative triple laser design to boost color range and brightness, carries an unusually powerful audio system, and sports the most TV-like features and smart operating system of any projector to date.

Don’t forget, either, that Sony’s trailblazing VZ1000ES UST laser projector still costs £10,999, despite being available for around three years now.

Samsung Premiere projector — (Image credit: John Archer)

Design

Ultra short throw design lets you place it right up to your wall
Crisp, gloss white finish
Powerful speakers are built into its rear side

The optical requirements of an ultra short-throw projector limit what the LSP9T can do in design terms. Within those limitations, though, the LSP9T actually looks pretty nice.

Its gloss white finish looks and feels premium, and is offset nicely by the grey fabric that sits over the speakers. Its rounded corners are a welcome domesticated touch too, and build quality is impressive.

The Premiere is slightly smaller than many ultra short-throw laser rivals, making it easier to fit on a sideboard. Another nice touch is the way its ergonomic, button-lite ‘smart’ remote control continues the crisp white finish theme.

Connections are all tucked away on the projector’s wall-facing side, making it easier to hide potential cable spaghetti. The only catch is that, due to the projector’s ultra short-throw design, thick cables can be a bit of struggle to squeeze in.

Connections are eye-catchingly numerous, too. It’s particularly good to see there are three HDMIs rather than the normal two, and an RF input that – unlike most UST projectors, including LG’s HU85LS – the Premiere LSP9T carries a fully functioning digital TV tuner. This underlines just how much Samsung sees its new Premiere projectors as alternatives to huge and prohibitively expensive LCD TVs.

Samsung Premiere — (Image credit: Samsung)

One of the HDMIs supports eARC functionality for passing lossless Dolby Atmos soundtracks out to compatible soundbars or AV receivers, and you’ll get a digital optical audio output thrown in too. For many people, though, the 40W 4.2-channel speaker system built into the Premiere LSP9T may well be good enough – at least in the short term.

An Ethernet port, meanwhile, lets you hardwire the projector into your network if you don’t want to use the projector’s Wi-Fi capability. You will definitely want to get the Premiere LSP9T on your network one way or the other, though, because unlike most projectors, this one carries the same full online smart TV system you get with Samsung 2020 TVs – the Tizen OS.

The last connection of note is a powered (5v 0.5A) USB port for accessing AV files from USB storage devices, or letting you attach something like an Amazon Fire TV stick (assuming you can squeeze one between the projector’s connections and the wall, that is).

I guess it would have been nice if the LSP9T’s HDMIs supported next-gen gaming features such as 4K/120Hz, variable refresh rates, and automatic game mode switching. But no other projector currently offers such functionality either.

The Premiere LSP9T’s design contains a couple of cool hidden features. You can, for instance, connect recent Galaxy phones to the projector for streaming just by tapping the phone against the projector’s bodywork. There’s also built-in Bluetooth headphone support, and 4.2 channels of sound – but more on that latter point in our audio section below.

Smart TV

Straightforward TV-like interface
Comprehensive collection of content
Includes voice control and Android/Apple Airplay wireless support

Samsung Premiere specs

The Premiere LSP9T fully implements Samsung’s excellent Tizen smart TV interface – the one used on most new Samsung TVs these days. That means you get the same economically-presented menus at the bottom of the screen, complete with pop-up content views above selected apps.

You can even issue verbal instructions to the TV via Samsung’s built-in Bixby system (with Alexa and Google Assistant supported via external listening devices if you have them).

Samsung’s smart system covers all the key video streaming apps, from Netflix and Amazon Prime Video to Apple TV and Disney Plus, with impressively comprehensive catch-up services for whichever region you’re in (you get all the key terrestrial broadcasters in the UK, for instance).

HDR and 4K are well supported across the provided apps, too – and as noted earlier, there’s excellent support for using the projector as a wireless display or speaker for files on your smartphones. The LSP9T is basically a fully functioning smart TV in a projector’s body.

Picture quality

Exceptionally bright, colorful pictures
Impressive 4K sharpness
Some unexpected rainbow effect

The Premiere LSP9T has a number of unique picture quality features to its name that we’ll cover in the course of this part of the review – kicking off with its use of a triple laser system, where separate red, green and blue lasers create the picture without having to pass light through a color wheels as most DLP projectors do.

It’s this purity of the laser delivery, in fact, that makes the LSP9T’s pictures look even brighter in a dark room than the claimed 2,800 lumens would lead you to expect. This brightness is particularly helpful with high dynamic range sources, creating dazzling HDR images we simply haven’t seen on a projector of this price before. This holds true even with some ambient light in the room – a key achievement for a projector designed for the living room rather than a dedicated home cinema environment.

The direct RGB laser system ensures, too, that the projector’s extreme brightness is partnered by equally extreme color volume. Samsung claims that the Premiere LSP9T can cover 106% of the BT2020 HDR color range, and a massive 147% of the DCI-P3 color gamut used in digital cinemas – all powered by 16-bit 3D color mapping. With bright and mid-bright wide color gamut HDR movies, colors enjoy an intensity and range of tones beyond what we’d expect from a projector.

Normally, consumer projectors have to introduce a color filter to offer a wide color gamut, and these filters invariably lead to a much dimmer picture. Getting so much color with no loss of brightness on the LSP9T is therefore a sight for sore eyes. That’s especially true with the projector’s Dynamic mode, though saturation drops a little more than is necessary with the Standard setting.

Another exclusive picture feature of the LSP9T is its HDR10+ support. This means it can work with the extra scene-by-scene metadata the HDR10+ format provides, rather than merely the ‘static’ data you get with the industry standard HDR10 format. The result when playing HDR10+ sources is enhanced contrast (more distance between the darkest and brightest parts of the picture) and more detail refinement. As well as, more unexpectedly, reduced video noise in dark picture areas.

The LSP9T excels with native 4K sources. As usual with DLP projectors, it doesn’t carry a truly native 4K resolution in the way that Sony’s SXRD projectors do. Instead it uses Texas Instruments’ ultra-fast double flashing technology to get the mirrors on its DLP chip to deliver more than a single pixel of picture for each image frame.

This system is considered effective enough by the US’s Consumer Technology Association, though, to qualify as true 4K. And certainly 4K pictures look beautifully detailed, sharp and textured with the LSP9T. Not quite as pristine as the best Sony 4K models, perhaps, but a cut above most other ‘pseudo’ 4K DLP projectors.

It can retain that sharpness when there’s motion, too, thanks to the LSP9T carrying a projector-optimised version of the motion processing systems Samsung has been refining on its TVs for years now. You need to handle the motion processing with care, as the higher powered settings can cause distracting processing side effects. But the lowest setting does a good job of reducing judder without causing too many unpleasant trade offs.

Being able to take advantage of Samsung’s processing know-how also helps the LSP9T handle sub-4K content superbly well, too, adding density and genuine detail – to, say, HD sources – without the results looking forced or fake.

As spectacular as the LSP9T’s pictures are most of the time, though, they don’t completely escape the issues associated with the still relatively new world of laser projection.

For instance, very dark scenes can take on a rather grey appearance, especially if they’re in HDR and a bright highlight or two has to share screen space with darker patches of an image. This is especially true if you’re using the projector’s Movie or Filmmaker Mode picture preset, so much so that I don’t think many users will particularly enjoy either mode. Despite the UHD Alliance-approved Filmmaker Mode – the LSP9T being the first projector to be certified to use this – being designed to deliver a more accurate picture based on typical mastering standards.

Fortunately, contrast is better in the projector’s Bright or Standard modes. That’s probably because they make more aggressive use of a unique DynamicBlack feature that apparently amplifies dark video signals to boost bright areas before closing down the light source aperture to enhance the blackness of dark areas. The results still don’t deliver brilliant black levels, but they are good enough not to be a substantial distraction from all the (literally) brilliant stuff the projector is doing elsewhere.

Another issue that impacts the Dynamic and Standard presets is the loss of color finesse in very dark scenes. Skin tones and color blends can lose some of their subtle shading, looking a little rough and unnatural. However, content dark enough to really exacerbate this problem is pretty rare.

The projector’s input lag isn’t incredible, either, reaching a fairly average 56ms in its Game mode – but perhaps the most notable flaw is with the DLP rainbow effect.

This phenomenon sees stripes of color flitting over small, bright picture highlights, and is quite common to see on DLP projectors that use a color wheel. But of course, the LSP9T doesn’t use a color wheel! Whatever its cause, the rainbow effect is undoubtedly there – so if you know yourself to be particularly susceptible to seeing it (sensitivity varies from person to person) it’s definitely something to think about.

The key point to remember about the LSP9T’s picture niggles, though, is that they’re arguably a necessity with current affordable laser technologies, and a side effect of the explosive strengths of the projector’s impactful and remarkably TV-like pictures.

Audio performance

Audio beam technology for greater precision and a larger soundstage
40W of power in a 4.2-channel configuration
Sounds better than many TVs

The Premiere LSP9T’s built-in sound system impresses in a number of ways. First, the distance the beam-based speaker system casts the sound away from the projector’s chassis is remarkable. As a result, the sound never seems to actually be coming from the physical location of the speakers on the LSP9T’s rear. The effect is closer to a wall of sound, complete with significant height and width, that seems to elevate everything to match the position of the onscreen pictures.

Dialogue remains correctly placed at the heart of this elevated soundstage, while specific effects are accurately positioned in the audio wall to tally up with the onscreen action. Detailing in even very complex movie mixes is good, and treble effects are delivered without harshness or clipping.

Bass is a little limited. There’s still enough of it, though, to ensure that even action movie soundtracks don’t end up sounding thin or flat. The projector never tries to push bass deeper than its speakers can sensibly go, either, meaning there’s no buzzing interference, crackling or drop outs. The speakers built into the LSP9T class would be good by TV standards, but are truly excellent by projector standards.

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Runbox secure email review

2:35 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro Software & Services | Comments: Off

Norway-based Runbox is one of the leading lights for secure email, with over twenty years of experience in the industry.

And it’s not just about secure email with Runbox, either: this provider also commits to sustainability, with 100% renewable energy from hydroelectric sources powering the business.

You can sign up for Runbox here.

Runbox: Plans and pricing

Runbox has one of the more complicated pricing structures you’ll find when you search for a secure email provider, with six pricing tiers and further customizations beyond that. Pleasingly, it’s possible to pay with Bitcoin and even cash sent via postal or courier services.

The Micro plan costs $19.95/£15.98 per year and comes with one email domain, 2GB of email storage and 200MB of secure file storage. The $34.95/£27.99 Mini plan upgrades to 10GB of email storage and 1GB of file storage – and five email domains.

The Medium plan costs $49.95/£40 and upgrades to ten domains, 25GB of email storage and 2GB of file storage, and the Max plan costs $79.95/£64.04 and boosts email and file storage to 50GB and 5GB respectively. It’s possible to upgrade the Max plan to versions with even more storage, too: 100GB for $119.95/£96.08 annually or 250GB for $179.95/£144.14.

These main accounts include encryption, 100 email aliases, the ability to send and receive 500 and 5000 messages daily, and 100MB email message sizes.

Once you’ve purchased that main account, you can add subaccounts with their own email and file storage space, with prices ranging between $7.95/£6.37 and $99.95/£80.06 per year.

You can add extra email or file storage to any plan for $9.95/£7.97 per gigabyte, extra email hosting for $4.95/£3.96 per domain per year, and additional email aliases for $4.75/£3.80 for five addresses annually.

It’s a complicated system, especially if you’re buying for an organization and want to add domains, users, and more storage. If you start doing that, it may get expensive, too. And there are no industry-specific products and no division between personal and business plans. Instead, if you want something specific, it’s best to contact Runbox and work with their specialists to create a bespoke plan.

If you’re sticking with those base plans and not going further than that, though, Runbox has reasonable pricing – it usually works out cheaper than many rivals, especially before you get to the Max tier. And if you’re unsure, there’s a thirty-day free trial and 60-day money-back guarantee.

Runbox: Features

Runbox settings — (Image credit: Runbox)

Currently, Runbox doesn’t have end-to-end encryption, so you’ll need to use a third-party PGP-based extension like Mailvelope if this is something you’d like to deploy. Happily, though, Runbox plans to introduce native PGP in its Runbox 7 client in the future, and the organization currently recommends deploying PGP to deliver the strongest possible encryption for your entire email process.

At the moment it’s possible to use the beta version of Runbox 7, too – when you sign in, you can choose between the stable Runbox 6 release and the beta version of Runbox 7.

Right now, Runbox fully encrypts emails with TLS/SSL security, and removes IP addresses from outgoing emails. You have to provide your name and an alternative email address, but you can easily avoid your real name and use a burner email address. Phone number provision is optional, too.

When you use Runbox webmail, every email you send or receive is encrypted during its journey between your device and Runbox’s services, and emails are encrypted during transfer if you use third-party clients.

Emails sent using third-party clients are not encrypted while stored on Runbox’s servers. However, those servers are housed in a secure facility in Oslo and protected by some of Europe’s strictest privacy laws. Runbox is also GDPR compliant.

IP address safelisting and two-factor authentication limit who can access your account, and Runbox has excellent spam and virus filters.

If you want to use Runbox with third-party email clients like Outlook, Apple Mail or Thunderbird, it uses S/MIME encryption, which relies heavily on security certificates to provide its independent security verification. And if you want to set up a third-party client, Runbox works flawlessly with POP, IMAP and SMTP.

Elsewhere, it’s worth noting that some of your data will be held for up to five years if you pay for a Runbox subscription – this is to comply with Norweigan privacy laws. And much of Runbox is open source, too, with commitments from the organization to be even more open source in the future.

Beyond email, Runbox offers a secure calendar and cloud storage system, a complete contacts system, and easy ways to import contacts and emails to your account. But you don’t get any other extra features using Runbox – and if that’s something you need, then you can look at rivals like Proton or Mailbox.org, which offer VPNs, password managers and word processors.

And while it’s very easy to use Runbox using mobile browsers or in mobile email clients, there is no native Android or iOS app.

Runbox: Interface and in use

Indeed, the entire Runbox interface feels a little archaic, with underwhelming fonts and visuals. But that’s a surface-level criticism, and the interface layout is tidy and intuitive. It uses two- and three-pane layouts with customization available, and icons deliver easy access to your calendar, contacts and account settings.

Runbox secure email interface — The Runbox interface is beginner-friendly and intuitive (Image credit: Runbox)

Runbox: Support

Runbox’s support system is limited. Users can submit a ticket or email Runbox directly to receive technical support, and there’s an extensive knowledge base and a handy page that displays service status.

That’s it, though – there’s no sign of the live chat or phone support you’ll often find provided by larger organizations. That’s disappointing for businesses or anyone paying for one of the more expensive accounts.

The competition

That lack of support sees Runbox fall behind rivals like Mailbox.org or Hushmail, which offer varying phone and live chat support levels, especially at higher tiers. And if you want extra features, like a VPN and password management, check out Proton instead.

Runbox comes into its own when it comes to pure security, however. The service uses effective layers of protection, great security for its servers and an eco-friendly approach. Runbox is also refreshingly honest about its end-to-end encryption situation, providing straightforward advice if you want to deploy PGP, too.

Final verdict

That level-headed, eco-friendly approach to security is refreshing and trustworthy, and Runbox offers an excellent level of protection for virtually every user from its base in Norway. Thanks to its straightforward design, it’s easy to use and integrates with loads of third-party email clients.

The pricing can get confusing and expensive, though, and the support options are lacking. So while Runbox may be effective for individuals or smaller organizations, it’s tricky to recommend for any enterprise needing more robust support.

You can sign up for Runbox here.

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Mailfence secure email review

12:17 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Pro Software & Services | Comments: Off

Mailfence is based in Belgium, which is a good start for any secure email provider – the country is famed for its strict data protection legislation.

And if you opt for Mailfence, you don’t just get secure email – there’s a messaging tool, cloud storage module and calendar, too.

That marks this product out as a great alternative to conventional email providers like Gmail and Outlook, and places Mailfence in competition with keen rivals like Proton and Mailbox.org, which also offer extra tools and abilities alongside their core email offering.

You can sign up for Maifence here.

Mailfence: Plans and pricing

Mailfence immediately outpaces Mailbox.org and squares up to Proton by offering a free product – something that Mailbox.org does not provide.

The free tier on Mailfence delivers end-to-end encryption, access to Mailfence’s Android and iOS apps and web client, and one email address with 500MB of email space and 500MB of cloud document storage. That’s great, but with Proton your free account includes 1GB of email storage and 5GB of cloud storage capacity.

Mailfence’s base package costs €2.50/$2.75/£2.10 per month and provides 5GB of email space, 6GB of cloud storage and 10 aliases, and the entry-level product costs €3.50/$3.85/£2.95 and provides 10GB of email space and 30GB of storage.

At this level, you also unluck POP, IMAP, SMTP and ActiveSync compatibility, so you can use Mailfence with your favored email client, and you can get user management and custom email domains – ideal for smaller organizations.

Those prices are excellent: Proton’s Mail Plus and Proton Unlimited packages provide more storage but they’re more expensive, and Mailbox.org is a little more costly, too.

Mailfence’s business tiers are designated as Entry, Pro and Ultra. The Entry product is the same as the €3.50/$3.85/£2.95 product from the personal plans.

The Pro product costs €9.50/$10.45/£7.99 and upgrades the storage and allows 100 aliases. It also adds telephone support. And the Ultra plan, which costs €29/$31.90/£24.40 monthly, adds loads of additional storage and 200 aliases.

Custom business plans can be built on request, too, with personalized logos, domain names, tools, integrations and security requirements, and Mailfence supports cryptocurrency payments.

Mailfence pricing — (Image credit: Mailfence)

Mailfence: Features

Mailfence email dashboard — (Image credit: Mailfence)

Mailfence uses end-to-end encryption with OpenPGP, with keys stored on Mailfence servers protected by AES-256 encryption. The service includes an integrated keystore. All connections to Mailfence servers are encrypted with SSL/TLS for both web services and IMAP/POP/SMTP access, and different third-party clients can use different passwords. TLS is used for outgoing SMTP messages.

Elsewhere, there’s digital signature support, you can send password-encrypted messages and emails to non-Mailfence users with symmetric encryption – which means the unlocking key is never shared on Mailfence’s back-end systems

Reliance on PFS means no previous communications can be accessed if there’s a breach, and the MTA-STS and DANE encryption methods ensure that incoming mail is encrypted, too. The service supports two-factor authentication.

And, finally, Mailfence also deploys IP stripping to ensure that your IP address is never attached to your messages.

When it comes to security that’s a strong start, but Mailfence isn’t without its flaws in this area. The service may strip your IP address from outgoing messages, but Mailfence does collect and store IP addresses, sender and recipient addresses, timestamps, countries and some other small pieces of information.

This is done to ensure that Mailfence complies with Belgian law and Mailfence can inform users if its services are legally compromised. And while Mailfence maintains a “warrant canary” system and publishes transparency reports, this data storage could raise eyebrows for users who are particularly cautious about privacy.

Additionally, while Mailfence uses lots of open-source encryption and cryptographic methods in its systems, the system’s software and apps are not open-source. Mailfence has said they intend to open source their code in the future, but it’s not happened yet.

Elsewhere, Mailfence deploys a useful calendar that you can share securely with others, password-protected document storage with basic editing abilities, and the contact module allows you to build secure groups for sharing sensitive information between particular people.

Mailfence: Interface and in use

Mailfence interface and use — (Image credit: Mailfence)

Mailfence might have a reasonable set of features, but its interface is a little outdated and clunky – even if it is reasonably functional.

On the main screen you’ll find a calendar on the left, your account information on the right and access to your inbox, documents, contacts and other modules at the top. Head to the inbox, and you’ll find a conventional three-pane display. You can use light or dark modes, but that’s it for customization.

Thankfully there are straightforward Android and iOS apps, and a reasonable mobile interface, but no desktop client.

Mailfence: Support

Every Mailfence user gets access to email support, including those on the free plan, but people on pricier plans – like the Pro and Ultra plans – are prioritized. All paid plans get access to phone support, and the business is active on Reddit and has an extensive knowledge base on its website.

Mailfence’s usual response time is within 24 hours, and there’s plenty of documentation online too. Aside from live chat, it’s a very comprehensive offering.

The competition

Proton and Mailbox.org are two of Mailfence’s biggest competitors. And while both are more expensive than Mailfence, the difference isn’t that big. They are arguably more reliable in terms of security due to Mailfence’s information retention and open-source situation.

Elsewhere, Proton goes further with its VPN and password manager feature, while Mailbox.org offers more office abilities.

Mailfence does fight back with its business options – get in touch with them, and they’ll build you a complete, customized solution.

Final verdict

That’s a boon, Mailfence is affordable, and despite our queries, it still offers good email security. So if you’re budget-conscious and you’re happy with the security compromises involved, then Mailfence is a good option.

That said, its rivals have more robust security and more features, so it’s worth investigating those if you’ve got some extra money to spend.

You can sign up for Maifence here.

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Posteo secure email review

10:51 am |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Comments: Off

The most popular email clients, such as Gmail and Yahoo Mail, are free. But, nothing is really free. In exchange for using a free email client, you give them permission to harvest your data for advertising purposes, and this data can be abused. As the popular saying goes, “If you’re not paying, then you’re the product.”

Many people aren’t comfortable with handing over their data to boost massive advertising operations, so they seek secure email alternatives. Posteo is regarded as one of the best secure email providers. It was founded in 2009 and gained prominence in 2013 following global surveillance disclosures. The platform claims to have over 500,000 active email accounts currently. Posteo is a German company based in the capital of Berlin.

Posteo: Plans and pricing

Posteo has very simple pricing. It costs just $1 per month to get access to a secure email account. This low price makes it one of the most affordable yet robust secure email platforms you can choose.

There’s no free version of Posteo, but that’s excusable given the low price for the premium subscription. Note that there’s no free trial and you must pay for 12 months of subscription at a time.

If you're not satisfied with the service, you can request a refund within 14 days of opening your account.

Posteo in use 1 — (Image credit: Posteo)

Posteo: Features

Posteo offers many helpful features, including

End-to-end email encryption

End-to-end encryption refers to a secure method of communication that prevents any third party from accessing data while it’s in transit from one server to another. Posteo’s connection is always encrypted; there’s no room for any unencrypted connection.

End-to-end encryption prevents any third parties, including hackers or advertisers, from accessing your data. Even Posteo can not look at the email contents because of the end-to-end encryption.

A good thing about Posteo is that you don't need to provide any personal information during the signup process. The platform also has an anonymized payment system. You don't use your card or bank transfer to pay directly. Instead, you buy anonymized account credits that you then use to fund your account.

Posteo says all its servers' hard disks are encrypted to prevent unauthorized access. It also backs up content daily, so you can be sure of not losing any important message.

Two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication is a security feature that requires at least two modes of identification before granting access to your account. You can enable this on your Posteo account using authenticator apps or special hardware keys such as YubiKey.

Posteo in use 2 — Posteo is backed by a range of impressive features (Image credit: Posteo)

Alias email addresses

Alias addresses are additional email addresses routed to your own account. You can create multiple alias addresses on Posteo, and any message sent to them will be forwarded to your main email address. The first two alias addresses are free but any additional one costs $0.10 per month.

Calendar

Posteo offers a calendar app that you can use to plan your schedule. You can create multiple calendars, e.g., a different one for your work schedule and another for your weekend schedule. If you already have a calendar on another platform, you can download it as an ICS file and export the data to Posteo to continue.

You can share your Posteo calendar with other people. You can also receive reminders for appointments you place on this calendar. The calendar is encrypted like your emails, so you’re sure unauthorized parties won’t get hold of your schedule.

Storage

A Posteo subscription comes with 2 GB of storage. You can increase it to a maximum of 20 GB, and each extra gigabyte costs $0.25 per month. A maximum of 20 GB is pretty low when you compare Posteo to other platforms. For instance, Proton Mail offers 500 GB of storage on every paid plan. Yet, Posteo’s relatively low storage is understandable given its low price.

Spam filter

You can filter your messages rigorously. You can create different filter addresses for different services, e.g., example+amazon@posteo.net for Amazon messages and example+Facebook@posteo.net for emails related to Facebook.

Posteo also has built-in filters to detect spam and malware and block them before they cause harm.

Posteo in use 3 — (Image credit: Posteo)

Posteo: Interface and in use

Posteo is a very simple product. Its interface is minimal and uncluttered, which makes it easy to understand. Customers often praise Posteo for its simplicity, making it an ideal secure email solution for non-technical users.

The drawback is that Posteo does not have any native mobile or desktop app, unlike its competitors; it’s primarily web-based. You can still log into your Posteo address on a third-party email client app, but that’s a complicated process that non-technical users may have issues with.

Posteo is a multi-lingual tool, supporting over 60 languages.

Posteo: Support

Posteo offers email support to subscribers. The company's support team is active on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (GMT) and usually responds within 48 hours. You also have access to a collection of user guides and help pages to rectify your issues.

True to its privacy roots, Posteo has no ticketing system, so it doesn't log support requests to create a customer profile.

Posteo: The competition

Proton Mail is the main competitor to Posteo we’d like to highlight. This service offers much more features than Posteo; a Proton Mail subscription also gives you access to a calendar tool, a virtual private network (VPN) service, and 500 GB of cloud storage for your files. Expectedly, it’s a more expensive tool, with pricing starting from $11.99 per month for the premium plan

Posteo: Final verdict

Posteo is a simple, secure email provider. It’s ideal to choose if you want access to a basic secure email and protect your privacy. The platform is very affordable compared to the competition. Yet, you won’t have access to as many features as you’d find on rival email services.

We feature the best email hosting providers.

Mailbox.org secure email review

2:50 pm | November 11, 2020

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Comments: Off

Mailbox.org is rated as one of the best secure email providers in the world.

Many email providers offer their services for free. But you’ll be right to wonder while someone is offering something for free. In exchange for using these free services, you give the owner access to your data, which they can use for advertising or sell it directly to earn revenue. Many people are not convenient with this arrangement and seek secure email providers that don’t harvest their data. Mailbox.org is one such provider.

Mailbox.org was launched in 2014 in the wake of global surveillance revelations spearheaded by whistleblower Edward Snowden. It was a rework of JPBerlin, a German email hosting service. JPBerlin began over two decades ago and has enough experience in providing email services; Mailbox.org built on this experience to offer an email platform focused on security and privacy.

Many individuals and businesses around the globe now use Mailbox.org as their email provider.

Mailbox.org: Plans and pricing

Mailbox.org doesn’t offer a free plan, which is a disadvantage. But its most basic plan costs just $1 per user per month, which is very affordable. This Light plan gives you access to 2 GB of email storage and 3 alias addresses.

The next plan, Standard, costs $3 per user per month. It gives you access to 10 GB of email storage, 5 GB of extra cloud storage, and up to 50 alias addresses.

The most expensive plan, Premium, costs $9 per user per month. It gives you 25 GB of mail storage, 50 GB of extra cloud storage, and up to 250 aliases on a custom domain. It also includes priority email and telephone support.

You can take advantage of the 30-day free trial period to test your plan before making a payment. You’re free to upgrade or downgrade your plan at any time.

Mailbox.org in use 1 — (Image credit: Mailbox.org)

Mailbox.org: Features

Mailbox.org offers many valuable features, including

End-to-End Email Encryption

End-to-end encryption is a security protocol preventing any unauthorized party from accessing data while it’s being transmitted. When you hit the send button, your email is encrypted on Mailbox.org’s mail servers and can only be decrypted on the recipient’s servers using a secret key. Without that key, no one can decrypt your email contents.

End-to-end encryption implies that Mailbox.org’s administrators can not even read the contents of your emails. Neither can they provide the contents to any legal body that requests it.

Cloud storage

Mailbox.org offers extra cloud storage for your files. You can keep photos, videos, audio, documents, etc., securely on Mailbox.org’s servers. The Standard plan offers 5 GB of cloud storage and the Premium plan offers 50 GB of cloud storage, which is enough for most people. Unfortunately, the Light plan offers no extra cloud storage apart from the 2 GB allocation for emails.

Alias address

An alias is an extra email address that forwards to your main address. It allows you to interact with people or applications without giving out your main address. For example, if your main address is Joe@mailbox.org, you can create an alias of joe+edu@mailbox.org for educational emails, john+work@mailbox.org for work emails, and joe+shopping@mailbox.org for online shopping emails. The key is the “+” symbol followed by anything you want.

Users on the Light plan can create just 3 email aliases. Users on the Standard plan can create 25 aliases on a Mailbox.org domain and up to 50 on a custom domain. Users on the Premium plan can create 25 aliases on the mailbox.org domain and up to 250 aliases on a custom domain.

Mailbox.org in use 2 — (Image credit: Mailbox.org)

Custom domain

Many individuals and businesses need emails with a custom domain name because it makes them look more professional. Mailbox.org allows you to use a custom domain; you just need to change the MX records on your domain registrar to forward to Mailbox.org’s mail servers.

Calendar

Mailbox.org offers a calendar tool that you can use to plan your schedule. You can create and monitor your schedule meticulously with this tool. You can create multiple calendars for different purposes, e.g., one for holidays and another for school time. You can also share your calendars with other Mailbox.org users.

Contacts

Mailbox.org offers a tool to help users store and manage their contacts. You can create a contact at any time and retrieve their information whenever needed. You can share your contacts with other Mailbox.org users and import existing contacts from other email platforms.

Video conferencing

Mailbox.org offers a secure video conferencing tool as one of its complementary features. You can make video calls with other Mailbox.org users and be sure no third party is prying on the conversation.

Mailbox.org in use 3 — (Image credit: Mailbox.org)

Mailbox.org: Interface and in use

Mailbox.org has a simple interface that you’ll likely find easy to navigate. The interface is minimal and uncluttered, and you can switch between different features easily. The drawback is that Mailbox.org does not have a mobile or desktop app, unlike some competitors.

Mailbox.org: Support

Mailbox.org provides direct support to customers via email. You can open a ticket on the website or message the company’s support email directly. Typical users should expect a response within 48 hours while users on the Premium plan should expect a response within 24 hours. Premium plan subscribers can also access telephone support.

Mailbox.org: The competition

Proton Mail is one of the main competitors to Mailbox.org. It offers a broad range of features; a subscription gives you access to encrypted email, a calendar tool, cloud storage, and a virtual private network (VPN) service. It has a mobile app, unlike Mailbox.org. The drawback is that Proton Mail is a more expensive tool.

Mailbox.org: Final verdict

Mailbox.org is a good secure email service to use. It offers broad features, an intuitive interface, and is relatively affordable. The main drawback is that there’s no mobile app, unlike most popular email tools.

We've featured the best email hosting.

SecureMyEmail secure email review

2:32 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Comments: Off

Most email platforms that we use are free. But, you’ll be right to suspect that nothing is really free. In exchange for using these free services, you give the providers access to your data, which they can use to build sophisticated advertising algorithms or sell the data directly to third parties to earn revenue. “If you’re not paying, you’re the product” is a quote to note.

Many people aren’t convenient with giving a third party access to their email data, so they seek the best secure email service alternatives. SecureMyEmail is a platform that provides such a secure alternative.

SecureMyEmail is not a standalone email service. Instead, it is an encryption tool that works with your existing email provider. For instance, you can download the app on your mobile phone and encrypt your Gmail or Yahoo Mail messages. You can start for free and upgrade later if you need to encrypt multiple email addresses.

SecureMyEmail was developed by Witopia, an American software company.

SecureMyEmail dashboard. — (Image credit: SecureMyEmail)

SecureMyEmail: Plans and pricing

SecureMyEmail offers a free plan, which is a notable advantage. The free plan allows you to encrypt just one email address. You can download the encrypted email software and connect your existing email address, e.g., Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook. This plan is limited to just one address, so it’s suitable for testing the features to see if you’ll like to be a long-term user.

You need to pay for a premium plan if you want to encrypt more than one address. You can encrypt up to 8 addresses on a single paid plan. This plan costs $3.99 monthly or a discounted rate of $29.99 annually. When we checked the website, SecureMyEmail was also offering a lifetime subscription for $100, but this plan was time-limited.

If you represent a business or any organization that wants to use SecureMyEmail to encrypt a lot of emails, you can contact the company’s sales team for a quote.

SecureMyEmail offers a 30-day free trial to test the premium features before making your final decision.

SecureMyEmail in action. — (Image credit: SecureMyEmail)

SecureMyEmail: Features

SecureMyEmail offers many helpful features including:

End-to-End Email Encryption

End-to-end encryption is a security protocol preventing any third party from accessing data while it’s being transmitted from one server to another. SecureMyEmail adds an end-to-end encryption layer atop your email client. Your mail will be encrypted on SecureMyEmail’s servers and can only be decrypted on the recipient’s servers using a private key. If anyone intercepts the information in transit, it’ll be useless to them because they don’t possess the private keys to decrypt it.

End-to-end encryption means that even SecureMyEmail’s administrators can not access your email contents, and they can neither provide it in response to a legal request.

This platform uses the Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption protocol to protect user emails. This protocol is what encrypts and decrypts email contents, including text, photos, attached documents, etc., and facilitates private conversations.

Digital Signature

You can add digital signatures to your email to protect your identity and prevent impersonation. It’s akin to signing a hardcopy letter with your unique signature so that the recipient is sure that it’s from you.

SecureMyEmail lets you cryptographically "sign" an email with unique security keys. This way, the recipient's server can always verify that it comes from your address and not an impersonator. This feature is very helpful for business and legal communications, e.g., sending instructions for a wire transfer.

Mobile and Desktop Apps

SecureMyEmail offers mobile and desktop apps to make things easier for users. You can download the iOS app from the Apple App Store or Android app from the Google Play Store. You can also download the Windows or macOS app directly on the website.

After downloading the app, you can use your existing email address to sign in and start sending encrypted emails. You can keep your existing email client’s interface or use a custom one that SecureMyEmail provides. The platform’s interface is simple to use and understand, so you shouldn’t have a problem navigating it.

You can manage up to eight personal or work email addresses on a single account. Anything above that figure needs another subscription to cover the next eight accounts.

SecureMyEmail’s servers are based in Switzerland, a country with strict privacy laws.

SecureMyEmail 2FA — (Image credit: SecureMyEmail)

SecureMyEmail: Interface and in use

SecureMyEmail has a simple interface that you’ll likely find easy to navigate. The interface is uncluttered, which makes it easy to switch between different features. However, you may face some difficulties trying to connect to your email client for the first time; you can consult the Knowledge Base for help here.

SecureMyEmail offers mobile and desktop apps that you can easily download and use.

SecureMyEmail: Support

SecureMyEmail offers direct support through email. You can fill out a contact form on the official website, and the company’s support team will respond via email. Before that, you can consult the Knowledge Base, which contains extensive information about SecureMyEmail, and the FAQ section that provides answers to commonly asked questions.

SecureMyEmail: The competition

Proton Mail is a major competitor to SecureMyEmail and is one of the most popular secure email services out there. Proton Mail is a standalone email client that is easy to sign up and use - you don’t need to stress yourself integrating it with your existing email client at the beginning. This platform offers broad features and a better user interface but is more expensive than SecureMyEmail.

SecureMyEmail: Final verdict

SecureMyEmail is a great tool to use because you can integrate it with your existing email client. You can still keep the email interface you’re used to while adding an encryption layer via SecureMyEmail.

This platform offers a free plan that you can use to protect a single email address. You’ll need to pay to protect extra emails but that’s fair given the features SecureMyEmail provides, and the price is relatively affordable at $3.99 monthly.

We've featured the best email hosting providers.

Proton Mail review

12:39 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets | Comments: Off

The most popular email platforms are free to use, such as Gmail and Yahoo Mail. However, there’s a popular saying that “if something is free, you’re the product.” In exchange for free email, you allow the provider to harvest your data for advertising purposes to earn revenue, and many people are not comfortable with this arrangement.

The best secure email providers offer an alternative for privacy-minded users, and Proton Mail is one of the best examples. Founded in 2013 and based in Geneva, Switzerland, Proton Mail uses end-to-end encryption for email content. It encrypts your data before they get sent to its mail servers, unlike other common email services.

Proton Mail can not access the content of emails by design. However, your email’s subject lines are not encrypted because of the protocol Proton Mail uses. The platform offers a free account with limited messaging and storage, and you can pay to upgrade your features.

Proton Mail: Plans and pricing

Proton Mail offers a free account that gives access to 1 email address, 1 GB of storage, and a maximum of 150 messages daily. You need to subscribe to the Unlimited plan to upgrade to 15 email addresses, unlimited messages, support for 3 custom email domains, and 500 GB of storage.

The Unlimited plan has different pricing for individuals, families, and businesses. The Individual plan costs $11.99 per month, the Family plan costs $29.99 per month for up to 6 users and 3 TB of storage, and the business plan costs $11 per user per month. You’ll get significant discounts on the unit price if you pay for 12 or 24 months in one go.

You can pay using a credit card, cryptocurrency, or wire transfer. If you’re not satisfied with the service, you can ask for a full refund within 30 days of your payment.

Proton Mail dashboard. — (Image credit: Proton Mail)

Proton Mail: Features

Proton Mail offers many useful features, including:

End-to-End Email Encryption

End-to-end encryption is a private communication protocol that prevents any third party from accessing data while it’s in transit from one server to another. The data is encrypted on the sender’s server and only the recipient’s server can decrypt it. This feature means that even Proton Mail can’t access your email content. If anyone asks for it, the company is unable to provide it.

However, subject lines are not encrypted in Proton Mail because the platform adheres to the OpenPGP standard. In PGP, the subject line is part of the header packet and can not be end-to-end encrypted.

Cloud Storage

A Proton Mail subscription includes access to ProtonDrive, the platform’s cloud storage solution. The Unlimited plan gives users access to up to 500 GB of storage for their emails and other types of files. For instance, you can store your images and videos on ProtonDrive and access them from any device as long as you have the correct login details.

ProtonDrive is also encrypted, so you can share files securely. You can view the version history of your files; ProtonDrive stores up to 200 versions of each file for up to 10 years.

Proton Mail features. — (Image credit: Proton Mail)

ProtonVPN

A Proton Mail subscription also includes access to the platform’s virtual private network (VPN) service. To the uninitiated, VPN software protects your browsing information by masking your IP address. It allows you to browse the internet anonymously and access content that may be blocked in your region via the IP address system.

For instance, you can be in Romania and choose an IP address hosted on a server in the United States. This way, you can access subscription services and content exclusive to U.S.-based people.

ProtonCalendar

A Proton Mail subscription includes access to the company’s online calendar tool. You can use this tool to plan your schedule rigorously and share it with family, friends, colleagues, etc. You can host multiple calendars for different purposes. For example, you can have a distinct one for your work schedule and another for your weekends.

A good thing about a Proton Mail subscription is that it unlocks access to a broad suite of services. You can not only send encrypted emails but you also have access to broad cloud storage, a VPN service, and a calendar to plan your schedule.

Proton Mail encryption. — (Image credit: Proton Mail )

Proton Mail: Interface and in use

One of the things that Proton Mail is famous for is offering a good user experience. The platform has a very intuitive interface that you’ll likely find easy to use. You can switch between different features without hassles, with a visually appealing interface that’s pleasing to work with.

You can access Proton Mail from the web or download the app on your smartphone (iOS and Android) or desktop. The desktop solution is a "bridge" app that lets you access Proton Mail from your existing email client such as Microsoft Outlook for Windows and Apple Mail for macOS.

Proton Mail: Support

Proton Mail offers direct customer support through email. You can fill out a contact form on the official website and wait for an email response or message its support email directly. You also have access to complimentary support resources including user guides, manuals, and FAQs.

Proton Mail: The competition

There’s no shortage of secure email solutions competing with Proton Mail. Two notable competitors are Tutanota and Hushmail. Tutanota is a German email platform that uses its own end-to-end encryption standards, unlike Proton Mail which uses open-source standards to foster trust.

Hushmail is a Canadian email service offering end-to-end encryption for your messages. Pricing starts from $50 per year for personal use, making it a more affordable solution than Proton Mail but with fewer features.

Proton Mail: Final verdict

Proton Mail is one of the best secure email platforms you can choose. Its encryption has been tested several times by law enforcement and found secure. For instance, Proton Mail won a 2021 Swiss court victory ruling that secure email services aren't subject to data retention requirements imposed on telecoms services.

A slight drawback is that Proton Mail is not built for high-volume messaging. Many popular websites also block people from using a Proton Mail address to sign up for their services.

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QuickBooks: Features

QuickBooks: Setup and interface

QuickBooks: Performance

QuickBooks: Ease of use

QuickBooks: Support

QuickBooks: Final verdict

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