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GHD Flight review
1:00 pm | August 31, 2021

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Hair Care Home Small Appliances | Comments: Off

• Original review date: September 2021
• Replaced by the slightly upgraded GHD Flight+
• Launch price: $99 / £59 / AU$99
• Official price now: $119 / £99 / AU$160

Updated: February 2024. The GHD Flight has now been replaced with the GHD Flight+, which as of writing we've yet to get our hands on. It's more expensive than its predecessor; significantly so in the UK and Australia, but does now exclusively come as part of a gift set which includes a pretty chic protective travel case, so that's a benefit if you like keeping your kit in a good state. Its specs are slightly better compared to those listed in our original review; the Flight+ is now 49% lighter (vs. 50% previously) and 25% smaller than the GHD Air, but offers 78% of the power (vs. 70% previously). The rest of the review remains unchanged.

One-minute review

GHD is most well known for its hair straighteners. The company has spent the past two decades offering ceramic-plated flat irons, taking over from steam-powered straighteners as the must-have tool for hair styling. 

However, more than nine years ago, GHD also dipped its toe in the world of hair dryers, and now offers three different models, the smallest and most compact of which is the GHD Flight. Designed to be packed in your suitcase, the GHD Flight is 50% lighter than the GHD Air, but offers 70% of the power, at 1400W, allowing you to dry your hair in a relatively short frame of time. 

The GHD Flight comes with a folding handle, which ensures the hair dryer takes up as little space in your suitcase as possible. It operates on both 120V and 240V electrical supplies, so it really can be used anywhere in the world.

It has two temperature settings, along with a slower, cool-shot option for setting styles, and the hair dryer will automatically switch off if held too close to the hair when blow-drying to prevent overheating, too. In the box you’ll find a concentrator nozzle and a carry pouch.

At $99 / £59 / AU$99, the GHD Flight is the most affordable hair dryer GHD offers, and is ideal for those on a budget. It also makes a great additional hair dryer for those who travel, easily slipping into a bag or suitcase, safe in the knowledge that it won’t send luggage over a weight limit. However, those looking for a hair dryer with a plethora of attachments to create a wide array of hair styles might be better looking elsewhere.

The GHD Flight being held in a hand

(Image credit: TechRadar)

GHD Flight price and availability

  •  List price: $99 / £59 / AU$99

The GHD Flight is the brand’s entry-level hair dryer and is priced at $99 / £59 / AU$99. It’s available from GHD or Amazon worldwide. 

GHD also offers a mid-range hair dryer, the GHD Air, which will set you back $199 / £99 / AU$220, while it’s top-of-the-range model, the GHD Helios, costs $249 / £159 / AU$295.

The GHD Flight folded up ready for travel

(Image credit: TechRadar)

Design

  • Foldable design
  • Two temperature settings
  • Comes with one attachment

The GHD Flight is the most compact hair dryer we’ve tested to date, measuring 9.6 x 5.2 x 2.7 inches / 24.4 x 13.3 x 6.8cm (h x w x d). It’s folding handle means its dimensions come down further still to 7.9 x 4.1 x 2.7 inches / 20 x 10.5 x 6.8cm. It’s lightweight, too, coming in at just 0.9lb / 422g.

The hair dryer features a stylish matt black design, with a gold slider that lets you select one of the two temperature settings, or the cool-shot function for setting your hair after styling – a look that apes the GHD Air, although the gold band around the barrel of the Air hair dryer has been dropped in favor of a glossy black accent. 

As already mentioned, the 1400W hair dryer is dual voltage, so it can be used anywhere in the world. Simply use a coin to turn to the dial to select the correct voltage (either 120V or 240V) for the country in which you’re using it. The hair dryer has a 6ft / 1.8m cable and comes with a concentrator nozzle and a soft carry pouch in the box.

The hanging loop is also a nice touch, and is usually a feature on hair dryers used in salons. 

The GHD Flight hair dryer being held in a hand

(Image credit: TechRadar)

Performance

  • Fast drying times
  • Balanced in use
  • Automatically switches off when too close to hair

Even though the GHD Flight offers less power than some of the brand's other hair dryers, it certainly isn’t sluggish when it comes to drying times. On the lowest temperature setting, it took 5 minutes and 52 seconds to take below-shoulder-length fine hair from damp to completely dry. Using the hottest settings shaved 1 minute and 51 seconds off this time. On both settings, locks were left smooth – although they lacked the shine we’ve achieved with other hair dryers, plus there were more fly-away strands than usual.

We put this down to the lack of technology that uses negative ions to speed up evaporation and reduce flyaway strands. 

The GHD Flight felt balanced in the hand when blow-drying hair, and was comfortable to hold, both in the left and right hands (we switched hands, depending upon the side of the head being styled). The hair dryer was easy to fold into its more compact form, while the hinge felt durable and offered a reassuring click as the handle was moved. 

Also notable is the fact that the GHD Flight will automatically switch off if held too close to the hair, to stop the hair dryer from overheating. However, we were disappointed to find that the filter isn’t removable, which can make cleaning the hair dryer more difficult. 

For noise, the GHD Flight registered 77.8db on our decibel meter on its fastest setting. This puts it middle-of-the-range when it comes to noisy hair-care appliances, and is equivalent to the level of noise made by a vacuum cleaner. However, since it is likely to be on for only a few minutes at a time, it’s unlikely to bother too much.

The GHD Flight resting on the glass top of a dressing table

(Image credit: TechRadar)

Should I buy the GHD Flight?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

First reviewed: August 2021

• Original review date: October 2022
• Still Laifen's flagship, but the new Swift SE provides a more affordable alternative
• Launch price: $199.99 / £175.11 / AU$297.83
• Official price now: The same

Updated: February 2024. The Laifen Swift remains to be a great Dyson Supersonic alternative, though it's far from the only one at this point. Still, it's a fraction of the price, and nearly as affordable as some of the most high-performing standard hair dryers in this list. Since our original review, Laifen has released a more affordable sister product, the Laifen Swift SE ($149.99 / £128.01 / AU$228.02), which is marginally less powerful and more cheaply made, but comes in some adorable pastel hues.

• Original review date: October 2022
• Still Laifen's flagship, but the new Swift SE provides a more affordable alternative
• Launch price: $199.99 / £175.11 / AU$297.83
• Official price now: The same

Updated: February 2024. The Laifen Swift remains to be a great Dyson Supersonic alternative, though it's far from the only one at this point. Still, it's a fraction of the price, and nearly as affordable as some of the most high-performing standard hair dryers in this list. Since our original review, Laifen has released a more affordable sister product, the Laifen Swift SE ($149.99 / £128.01 / AU$228.02), which is marginally less powerful and more cheaply made, but comes in some adorable pastel hues.

Vivaldi browser review
3:14 am | August 29, 2021

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

Need a browser to handle sensitive information? A secure and encrypted browser like Vivaldi might just be what you’re looking for.

Vivaldi might not be one of the most popular browsers, but if you’re after a feature-loaded option, it's a must-try. It's a leading Chromium-based browser, meaning privacy and user security are its top priorities. 

It's also fast, responsive, and incredibly light on your system. Read till the end to find out more about Vivaldi and see if it's the best browser for you.

Vivaldi browser: Features

The best thing about Vivaldi is its tag management features. For starters, you can put inactive tabs on hibernation mode to save battery and free up more space. For managing multiple tabs, Vivaldi offers a separate set of features. You can open them in a split-screen view to see multiple pages at once. Or, you can also group similar tabs together in a two-way stack, keeping your workspace clean and clutter-free.

Say you want to access all the tabs you opened in one particular session — Vivaldi allows that by giving you the option to name each session. Once done, all you have to do later is type in a particular session’s name, and the tabs will be in front of you. It's the perfect feature for both students and working professionals who work on the same topic on a long-term basis.

Vivaldi comes with a built-in ad blocker, so it offers a calm and peaceful “Reader View.” This basically means that you can cut through all the unnecessary notifications, ads, and floating windows to concentrate on your work and enjoy nothing but the content you’re looking for online.

If you want to watch a video as you work or browse the internet, Vivaldi will put that on a floating window. Of course, you’ll be able to adjust the position of this small window so that you can look at it and still see what’s playing on the screen behind it. This facilitates multi-tasking too.

Vivaldi’s installation sharing is another benefit of using this browser. No need for multiple installations for different users — after you create a user profile, you can share the installation with other users simply by sharing your profile.

If you want to check social media feeds or chat with someone as you work, you can add additional panels on the side of the screen. If not, this space will be occupied by the default menu that lets you manage your browser theme, keyboard shortcuts, mouse settings, bookmarks, downloads, and more.

Vivaldi browser: Privacy

Vivaldi does pretty well in terms of privacy and security. Unlike Chrome, it doesn't track your browsing history, and according to its privacy policy, it doesn't collect user data in any form either. 

Instead of keeping your web history on the cloud, Vivaldi stores that plus your downloads locally on your device in an encrypted folder such that even its own team can't access it. 

As already mentioned, there’s also a built-in tracker and ad blocker, plus the ability to disable all cookies from third-party sites. 

Together, these features protect you from trackers and potential hackers who might want to break into your system.

Vivaldi browser privacy in action

(Image credit: Vivaldi)

Vivaldi browser: Ease of use

Vivaldi is quite easy to use. It’s Chromium-based and made using the latest algorithms, so the user interface won't take too long for you to master. The same goes for the Vivaldi mobile app, which is quite similar to the web version in terms of aesthetics and appeal and is just as easy to use.

The best thing about the browser is its fully functional sidebar. The menu on it covers tab management, panels, quick commands, downloads, updates, etc. You can also manage your keyboard and mouse settings from here.

We particularly like how the browser’s design is customizable, and you can experiment with multiple themes of your choice.

Vivaldi browser: Competitors

Vivaldi faces tough competition from Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari, and Opera, to name a few. 

The biggest drawback of Vivaldi is that it's relatively new to the market. The browser was founded in 2016 — it hasn't even been a decade yet. On the other hand, browsers like Opera and Chrome have been around for a long, long time. They have a strong hold over the market, making it difficult for new browsers like Vivaldi to break in. 

Another disadvantage of Vivaldi is its design and approach are not for everyone. Its main search page has way too many options. A huge menu runs on the left sidebar, and the tabs run horizontally on the top. 

If you compare it with Chrome’s interface, you’ll notice that the latter is more simple and minimal — only featuring the most important options in the front. It can be a turn-off for users who aren't geeky about features and are just looking for a simple and easy-to-use browser.

However, on the flip side, Vivaldi is one of the few browsers that provides a commendable environment to foster work and efficiency — it offers a separate set of task management tools that helps you manage your tabs and keep your workspace clutter-free.

Also, Opera provides a free VPN, whereas Vivaldi and most other browsers do not.

Vivaldi browser: Final verdict

People who enjoy feature-rich browsers will certainly enjoy Vivalidi. After all, there’s just so much to do. 

For example, it makes browsing multiple tabs more efficient through the Tab Stacking feature — group two or more tabs of the same subject together. You can also send the inactive ones into hibernation mode to save battery and CPU power.

On top of all this, Vivaldi also comes with a built-in tracker and ad blocker, which, to be fair, are available on most browsers. That said, their presence is certainly appreciated. One protects you from malicious websites that collect user data, while the latter blocks annoying pop-ups and ads that might otherwise disrupt your experience.

Also check out our roundup of the best anonymous browsers.

DreamHost Website Builder review
6:28 am | August 26, 2021

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

Our DreamHost review dives into the features, tools, and usability of this popular website builder from one of the top web hosting companies. Offering everything you need to know to decide whether DreamHost is the best website builder for you. 

The DreamHost website builder is widely considered as one of the best WordPress website builders, offering you all the tools you need to build a powerful website, whilst benefiting from the user-friendly WordPress CMS. 

If you are looking for an affordable, easy-to-use website builder DreamHost might just be the one for you. Simply read on to find all the insight and information you need to make an informed decision. 

Website Builder Pricing

DreamHost offers three different plans for its website builder (Image credit: DreamHost)

Dreamhost website builder plans and pricing

Decoding DreamHost pricing

As you can see from the table above DreamHost offers an introductory offer on each of its plans. This offer lasts for as long as the initial term of the plan, such as 1 month on the monthly plan or 12 months on the annual plan. Once this initial term is over your plan will automatically renew at the standard rate. 

We recommend carefully considering which plan is right for you, as simply going for the ‘best deal’ may see you needlessly out of pocket in the future. 

For example, when paid annually the introductory rate for the Shared Starter and Shared Unlimited plans are the same price ($2.95/mo). In this case, the Shared Unlimited plan may seem more appealing, giving you more for the same price. However, if you don’t need the additional tools and functionality, after the introductory rate you will be paying $72 more a year for the extras that you don’t need. 

DreamHost plans explained 

DreamHost’s website builder services come in three flavors. The first one is Shared Starter. It offers DreamHost’s building tools to ease the creation process and will host your site for you. Like the other two options, if you go for one of the yearly plans, DreamHost will give you a domain name of your choice free for the first year.

Shared Unlimited, the next plan up,  allows you to run an unlimited number of websites, as opposed to only one. This is a great deal if you’re planning on creating more than a single site obviously. It also includes an email address. Similar to other plans, the longer you sign up for, the more you save.

Finally, there’s Managed WordPress - which is advertised as offering a “high-performance and hassle-free” service. This is only valid for a single website and offers you unlimited email addresses, making it ideal for large and growing businesses that want a hassle-free website. 

Plus, as long as you pay by card, you will also benefit from a money-back guarantee.

Setting Up

Setting up can take a few minutes to complete, but patience is a virtue… (Image credit: DreamHost)

Getting started with DreamHost website builder

Once you’ve chosen your preferred plan, and after having made your first payment, you’ll be taken to your account’s dashboard (you don’t need to choose a domain name right away if you’re not sure what to get - DreamHost will give you a temporary one until you’re ready). It will take a few minutes for everything to be finalised (way longer than some other competing services, but any excuse to walk away from your computer and take a break, eh?).

When you’re ready to carry on, you’ll start the creation process by clicking on ‘Open Website Editor’ from the Home page. This is where you’ll get to select a template you’d like to work with. There are hundreds available, broken down by category such as General, Photography, or Real Estate.  Clicking on one brings up a bigger thumbnail image to give you a rough idea of what to expect. If you’re happy with the style, click on ‘Select’.

In an unusual step, you’re then asked to further define what you’d like to create: either a ‘Base’ template, ‘Five Page’, or ‘Kitchen Sink’. The more you add, the more complex your template becomes, but it also makes it easier for you to replace the placeholder text and images with your own content without you having to do anything else. If you want a blog, don’t forget to tick its box.

This section offers you greater preview options. You can click on links, and check how the site would look like on various devices.

Blocks

This website service is block-based: drag them around, add new ones, delete ones, it’s all pretty straightforward (Image credit: DreamHost)

DreamHost website builder WordPress alterations

The next step takes you to the traditional WordPress interface, and if you have experience with it, then you’ll absolutely feel right at home. Hit the customiser though, and that’s where DreamHost’s own interface kicks in. It’s based around blocks, which you can drag to reorder them on the page, remove them, and insert new ones.

You can’t drag any objects anywhere on the page though, but you have some control over the layout, like moving columns around, and increasing the border between specific blocks, for instance.

Text Editing

You have a vast number of options when it comes to text editing (Image credit: DreamHost)

When it comes to text editing, the options are quite extensive and go beyond what you’d expect from the traditional WordPress interface, with all controls easily accessible from a floating window.

Blogging

Blogging is as easy as in WordPress, and as customisable as Dreamhost’s blocks editor (Image credit: DreamHost)

DreamHost website builder blogging

As DreamHost piggybacks off of WordPress, you gain access to that platform’s excellent blogging experience, which includes comments, categories, tags, scheduling, video embedding, you name it, it’s got it. But as a big plus if you’re into layout customisation, all the options offered to you in the page layout can be used just as well when blogging. There’s even an ‘easy SEO’ section to help you get used to creating search engine-friendly posts.

Support

Support is quite comprehensive, with an option to contact someone directly via on online text chat (Image credit: DreamHost)

DreamHost website builder support

If you get lost, getting help is always top right of DreamHost’s Web Panel. The knowledge base is filled with well written and clearly illustrated articles which makes it a cinch to find a solution to most tasks. However, if you need more in-depth advice, there’s a ‘contact support’ at the bottom of each of these pages. The system will insist on finding an answer in the knowledge base, but after a couple of tries you can chat to a technical adviser, or submit a ticket for someone to get back to you at a later date.

The refunding side of things is pretty much as effortless as you’d wish it to be. No need to contact anyone by email or via an online text-based chat, or worse still by forcing you to talk to someone by phone to beg to have your money back. DreamHost does it all via their account closure system. After just a few clicks, you account is closed and any refund is automatically processed. Can’t really do better to be frank.

DreamHost website builder review: Summary

DreamHost offers an excellent website building service. Built on top of WordPress, which is one of the most popular platforms out there, their block-based system makes creating and customising a site quick and easy. Shame about the lack of image editing tools.

DocuWare review
7:39 pm | August 25, 2021

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

DocuWare is one of the best document management platforms, ideal for both large companies, as well as SMBs. The system can integrate with more than 500 commonly used software applications, including Microsoft, Oracle, and Salesforce.   

Syncing DocuWare with your existing programs offers an efficient solution to eliminate inconsistencies and save time within your company. With user-friendly features like drag-and-drop functionality and automation, DocuWare caters to the needs of SMBs with varying workflows, and promises a transition to paperless offices in less than 90 days. 

The smart search function enables quick document retrieval, while OCR automates document indexing. Version history ensures comprehensive change tracking. Windows users can utilize the dedicated application, while Mac and Linux users can access the program through their browser. Additionally, mobile applications are available for iOS and Android, enabling convenient file access for employees.

DocuWare: Plans and pricing

DocuWare offers four cloud-based plans for its document management software, each providing a full-featured program with varying storage space and user support. Upgrading plans is flexible and can be done anytime. The plans are as follows:

1. DocuWare Cloud 4: Includes 20GB of storage and licenses for four users.

2. DocuWare Cloud 15: Provides storage space for up to 50GB and supports 15 users.

3. DocuWare Cloud 40: Offers 100GB of storage and allows up to 40 users.

4. DocuWare Cloud 100: Provides up to 250GB of storage space and supports 100 users.

While specific pricing is not publicly available, contacting the company will provide a quote tailored to your business needs. The typical price range for the fully-featured cloud system is $25 to $100 per user per month.

DocuWare: Setup

Install DocuWare Desktop Apps effortlessly through the DocuWare Client:

1. Open the DocuWare Client and navigate to the main menu. Choose "Install Desktop Apps."

2. The setup for DocuWare Desktop Apps will be downloaded. Run it as an administrator.

3. Select the desired desktop components during the installation process.

4. Once the installation completes successfully, click "Close" when prompted.

5. Switch back to the DocuWare Client and establish a connection to the Desktop Apps by selecting "Connect to Desktop Apps" in the pop-up menu.

6. Grant access to your local DocuWare services by answering "Yes" to the prompt.

DocuWare: Features

DocuWare offers an array of features designed to streamline tasks and maximize productivity through automation and eliminate repetitive steps. Its intelligent search function, equipped with full-text indexing, provides users with multiple options for quickly locating documents. Utilizing AI, DocuWare classifies each document based on key terms found within, and users can further enhance precision by adding advanced metadata through file naming fields.

To help your workflow automation, DocuWare enables the creation of customized tasks, triggers, and conditional statements. Users are notified when documents require attention, and the system seamlessly progresses to the next step until the workflow is successfully completed.

With the version history feature, DocuWare acts as a control tool, saving edits as new document versions, granting users convenient access to the complete document history. Its user-friendly interface features drag-and-drop functionality and provides multiple methods for adding documents. Upon adding a document, the software automatically classifies and indexes it, ensuring efficient organization.

To simplify the process of metadata addition, DocuWare has incorporated OCR software into its imaging process. This automatically generates metadata for scanned documents, complete with a confidence rating to indicate the success of the indexing process. If required, users have the flexibility to manually supplement the metadata. 

DocuWare integrates with popular customer relationship management and enterprise resource planning tools, facilitating effortless document sharing across the entire organization. Furthermore, it supports integration with a wide range of scanners and all-in-one printers, ensuring compatibility with existing hardware setups.

For those seeking guidance on integrating DocuWare with other systems, the official DocuWare website provides comprehensive instructions, enabling smooth integration with existing infrastructure. Moreover, DocuWare's implementation timeframe for transitioning to a "paperless" office environment is estimated to be approximately 90 days, and even shorter for companies already familiar with digital file management practices.

These features make Docuware a versatile and efficient solution for optimizing document management processes across diverse organizations.

DocuWare: Interface and in use

DocuWare has a user-friendly design, ensuring a smooth learning curve and immediate productivity. Its clean and intuitive interface enables users to effortlessly familiarize themselves with its features and start working right away. The system provides extensive customization options, allowing its users to tailor it to their specific requirements and preferences. The standout feature of DocuWare is its seamless document upload, indexing, and search capabilities, which require minimal effort from users. This exceptional ease of use sets DocuWare apart as a highly efficient and effective solution for managing documents, supporting you in various tasks and workflows.

DocuWare: Security and privacy

DocuWare, as a document management system software, prioritizes privacy and security with features such as access control, encryption, audit trails, and secure cloud infrastructure. It offers data backup and disaster recovery options, along with compliance support for regulations like GDPR and HIPAA. 

DocuWare: Support

DocuWare provides excellent user support, comprehensive documentation, and extensive training resources. They offer various channels for users to seek assistance. Users can rely on informative community forums and the Support Portal, available 24/7 from Monday to Friday, where they can easily submit a form to receive timely support. 

DocuWare: Competitors

Microsoft SharePoint is gaining popularity as an alternative to DocuWare, thanks to its comprehensive document control features and seamless integration with other Microsoft apps. However, SharePoint may pose a learning curve for non-technical users and lacks certain functionalities like archiving, retention, asset lifecycle management, audit trails, and CRM.

Laserfiche provides enterprise content management services that streamline processes, offer secure document storage, and seamlessly integrate with other applications. However, it has limitations such as the absence of an API, tracking options, commenting and notes, compliance management, a content library, and content publishing options.

Revver's eFileCabinet enables users to create, transfer, store, and search digital files securely. However, it lacks support for data capture and transfer, content publishing options, and customizable forms.

DocuWare: Final verdict

With its user-friendly interface, intuitive features, and extensive automation capabilities, such as OCR and AI-based document scanning, DocuWare sets itself apart as a leading solution in the market. Although the desktop app is only available on Windows, the convenience of its drag-and-drop functionality further enhances the user experience, allowing for effortless document management. 

These attributes make DocuWare a preferred choice for large companies, but also for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), cementing its reputation as one of the top options available. 

Whether users are looking to streamline their workflows, improve productivity, or enhance document organization, DocuWare delivers the necessary tools and functionality to meet their needs efficiently and effectively.

We've listed the best scanning software.

M-Files review
7:38 pm |

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

M-Files is one of the best document management platforms and is known for its user-friendly features. It allows easy drag-and-drop upload and quick dashboard functions. Users can effortlessly search and categorize files using metatags and document text. It offers essential tools like OCR, e-signing,offline access, along with workflow automation to enhance efficiency and reduce errors. 

The standout feature is its document organization system using metadata for keywords, tags, categories, making document management effortless. Apps available for iOS and Android enable on-the-go document management. M-Files prioritizes security with privacy and data protection tools, ensuring the safety of information and compliance with regulations. 

M-Files: Plans and pricing

Unfortunately, M-Files doesn’t provide any information about its plans, prices, or purchase options. Although this isn’t unusual in the world of document management software, it would still be nice if an indication of the cost were provided. 

However, we can only assume that M-Files does this because it specializes in custom document management solutions tailored to an individual business’s needs. Because of this, the price you pay will likely depend on the level of service and features you require, as well as the scale of your requirements. 

Fortunately, there is both a free trial and an in-depth demo available to help you decide whether this program brings what you need to the table. To download the 30-day trial, simply fill in the online form. For a demo, however, you will have to reach out to the M-Files team and arrange an appointment.

M-Files: Features

With its user-friendly features and intuitive interface, M-Files stands out as one of the best document management software for companies seeking ease of use and seamless functionality.

Gone are the days of complex uploading processes. With M-Files, you can simply drag and drop your documents into the system, saving you time and effort. Most of the software's functions can be accomplished with just a few clicks on the dashboard, streamlining your workflow and eliminating unnecessary steps.

M-Files' document organization system uses metadata to categorize your content by keywords, tags, categories, and more, ensuring easy access and efficient management of documents of all types. This means you can effortlessly locate the documents you need, even in a vast repository. No more digging through folders or wasting time on manual searches. 

For the busy professional on the go, M-Files offers a mobile app compatible with both iOS and Android devices. Whether you're attending a meeting or traveling, you can manage your documents anytime, anywhere, and stay productive even when you're away from your desk.

M-Files offers a range of essential tools designed to enhance your productivity. Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software makes your documents fully searchable by scanning and extracting text, taking searchability to a whole new level. Additionally, M-Files' workflow automation features streamline processes, increasing efficiency and improving collaboration within your team. 

M-Files also allows you to designate files for offline use on your laptop or mobile device. Any changes you make offline will be automatically synced with the system once you regain internet connectivity.

M-Files: Interface and in use

To get started with M-Files, you will need to download the program and log in to your account. Follow the instructions provided by the onboarding team at the time of purchase and configure your account as required. 

M-Files is available via both desktop and mobile devices. The desktop application is very tidy, with a clear document hierarchy, useful search panels, and various tools to help you manage your content. There is also a great filter system to help you find and manage specific groups of documents. 

The mobile app is available across both iOS and Android devices. Simply log in to your vault with your server address, username, and password and manage your documents on the go. Although the apps aren’t quite as powerful as the desktop version, they are still very useful.

M-Files: Security and privacy

M-Files provides robust measures to safeguard information. The software incorporates comprehensive privacy and data protection tools to ensure confidentiality. It also works towards compliance with regulatory and legal requirements specific to your industry. 

M-Files: Support

Depending on your plan, you can reach out to their team via phone, email, or web chat. While phone assistance may not be available for M-Files Base clients, you can still submit tickets through their portal. M-Files also offers 24/7 phone support for M-Business users, a perk that sets them apart from the competition. 

Additionally, M-Files provides a range of online resources, including webinars, video guides, news, and forums.

M-Files: Competitors

Microsoft SharePoint offers several advantages, including robust access management, easy customization options, and versatile functionalities for various purposes. Its user interface is user-friendly, and it seamlessly integrates with non-Microsoft tools. However, while SharePoint is highly customizable, the customization process can be complex and challenging for some users.

Another attractive option is DocuWare, which provides SMBs with a user-friendly document management solution. Its features, such as drag-and-drop functionality, automation, and smart search, streamline workflows and enhance efficiency. It offers dedicated applications for Windows users and browser access for Mac and Linux users, with mobile apps for iOS and Android for convenient file access.

M-Files: Final verdict

All things considered, M-Files is one of the best document management platforms we’ve used. It’s backed by a wide range of advanced features and powerful security integrations.

It's an excellent tool with user-friendly features, including easy uploading, powerful search capabilities, innovative document organization, mobile app support, robust security measures, OCR technology, workflow automation, and flexible access control, which make it an attractive choice for businesses of all sizes.

And although the lack of transparency surrounding the company’s price structures is a little frustrating, there’s little else to fault. Ultimately, we’d recommend having a chat with the M-Files team if you’re looking for an advanced document management solution you can rely on.

We've listed the best cloud document storage.

Safari browser review
7:30 pm |

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

Safari is a popular web browser launched by Apple in 2003. In the past few years and through multiple upgrades, Safari has transformed into a power-packed, privacy-centric browser that aims to give you the best web experience in every session.

It's faster compared to many popular browsers such as Firefox and Chrome, is highly reliable, and comes with a million customization options that make you feel a little at home every time you log in. It might not be the top leader of the browser industry, but it surely has a massive user base of more than 1 billion people.

So if you’re planning to set Safari as your next default browser, read our guide till the end and find out what you can expect.

Safari browser: Features

Safari’s best-known feature is “Intelligent Tracking Prevention,” which protects you from online trackers. Such malicious software have countless ways to keep following you across the web. Thankfully, Safari’s dynamic system is not only capable of tackling their current tricks, but it can also adapt and counter any hack they might develop to steal your data.

If you’re working on multiple projects at the same time, grouping the tabs together might be an efficient way to work faster and reduce the clutter. You can also label these tab groups, with each category leading you to a certain set of sites. To take it a step further, you can also add Focus Modes to these Tab Groups. This way, when a user opens the Safari browser with a certain Focus active, only those tab groups that are attached to it will show up.

Safari’s intuitive auto-fill feature will save you tons of time. For starters, it connects to your passwords saved on iCloud or other third-party password managers and auto-fills while logging. It also extracts information from your Contacts, Calendars, Credit Card, and other saved documents to auto-fill empty fields of forms and registration pages on your behalf. For sensitive information such as credit card details and passwords, Safari uses a special 256-bit AES encryption.

Safari also helps you create stronger passwords the first time you’re signing up for an account. You can either opt for traditional passcodes with a combination of numbers, letters, and symbols or go for advanced face ID or touch ID for better security. 

To minimize spamming from websites, Safari provides a unique feature called “Hide My Email” in collaboration with iCloud. Under this, instead of suggesting your actual email, it’ll suggest an alias to the website you’re signing into. This will help you recognize the spammers, and you can cut them off by simply deleting the alias email address.

Safari claims that it takes minimal battery power. Compared to Firefox and Chrome, Safari offers up to 3 hours of additional browsing and 4 hours of additional video streaming.

Safari browser: Privacy

Safari offers a decent level of privacy. It may not completely stop data collection from third parties, but it minimizes the transfer of user data to a great extent. On top of that, users get access to all its privacy settings by default, ensuring they’re protected from the get-go.

You can also modify the privacy settings if you want. For example, you can adjust how often you want your web history deleted or tell websites not to track your information, such as location or contact details.

We recommend adding a VPN to your arsenal, which, along with Safari, will prove to be the security you’ve always wanted on your device. 

Safari browser customizations.

(Image credit: Apple)

Safari browser: Ease of use

Safari is pretty easy to use. The address bar is at the top of the screen, and you’ll find the open tabs stacked right below it — much like Google Chrome.

What sets apart Safari’s user interface is options such as Bookmarks, History, and Edits are placed above the address bar. 

Our favorite thing about its user settings is that it lets you get the complete overview of your tabs on a much higher level. If you have multiple tabs open at once, this feature lets you zoom out and check them all at once.

The only thing we didn't like about Safari was some of the features, such as Tab Grouping, were slightly hidden on its Mac Version. You’ll have to click on the Page Icon for a panel to appear before you can use the grouping feature. 

Safari browser: Competitors

Safari’s biggest competitors are Chrome, Edge, and Firefox. But thanks to its features and outstanding performance, it’s not too far behind them in the race. 

For starters, a speedometer test by Safari revealed that it's almost 1.4 times more responsive than Chrome and Firefox. 

Another series of tests found that when the macOS is used for animation rendering and Javascript, Safari is 2 times and 1.4 times faster than Chrome and Firefox, respectively. 

With such outstanding performance, it's no wonder that millions of users are flocking to Safari every year.

Another benefit of Safari is that it's lightweight and doesn't take up too much battery power. In fact, compared to other browsers, Safari gives you at least 3 to 4 hours of additional battery life.

Also, unlike Edge, Safari lets you pick and put any picture you want as the browser's background. While Edge and Chrome let you experiment with multiple themes, Safari goes a step ahead and lets you personalize it.

Managing tabs with Safari is easier than most browsers. You can group them together, label them for quick searches and attach them to a particular Focus Mode to reduce the crowd of tab groups. No other renowned browser offers this feature.

Safari browser: Final verdict

After our careful evaluation, we found Safari to be one of the best products Apple has ever launched. It's fast, responsive, and comes with tons of tab management features that make it easy for users to maintain an online workspace.

Compared to Chrome and Edge, Safari is much more serious about user privacy and data leaks. After all, it has developed a whole new technology (Intelligent Tracking Prevention) just to combat that. 

It also comes pre-installed on every Apple device, be it an iPhone or Mac. If you’re a proud Apple device owner, there’s no reason you shouldn’t try Safari since there’s no trouble downloading and setting it up.

Also check out our roundup of the best anonymous browsers.

Microsoft Teams Phone review
7:22 pm |

Author: admin | Category: Computers Gadgets Phone & Communications Pro | Comments: Off

If your business relies on receiving incoming customer phone calls or maintaining team communication between different locations, then ensuring that you have a reliable phone infrastructure in place is imperative. 

As many businesses make the switchover from private branch exchange (PBX) to voice over internet protocol (VoIP), it can often seem like a daunting prospect to migrate an entire business’s telephony system.

Right now, there are a huge array of VoIP services for businesses of all sizes, from sole traders to multi-hundred-employee operations. 

Today, we're looking at Microsoft Teams Phone, taking you through the functionality and features of Microsoft’s IP telephony offering to see if it is one of the best VoIP services for your business. 

This isn’t a review of the entire Teams platform – we have a dedicated Teams review for the video conferencing side of things, as well as reviews of Microsoft 365, Microsoft Word, and its other apps. 

One thing we need to stress before we begin: the VoIP market has a lot of different options, from the likes of GoTo Connect to RingCentral to Zoom, and we recommend taking the time to check out each one, their pros and cons, before making a choice. 

Let's dive in. 

Microsoft Teams Phone

(Image credit: Microsoft Teams Phone)

Microsoft Teams Phone: Plans and pricing

To use Microsoft Teams as a phone system, your business needs to have one of the three Office 365 enterprise plans (named E1, E3, and E5)

With E1 ($10/month per user) and E3 ($23/month per user), businesses will need to purchase additional licenses to use Teams as a phone system, however for users of the E5 plan, this is all included in the cost of $38/month per user. 

Microsoft Teams Phone pricing October 2022

(Image credit: Microsoft)

While these prices seem pretty high (after all, they have increased by $2-3 in the past few months), all users get access to Office apps in the browser and on mobile, with E3 and E5 plans bringing desktop apps to the party, too. 

Then there’s the access to Outlook, the Teams video conferencing suite, at least 1TB of OneDrive storage, and a lot more that would take an entire dedicated webpage to explain. Ultimately, this means that if you’re prepared to rely on the entire Microsoft ecosystem, there are huge savings to be had,

A domestic calling plan consisting of 3,000 domestic minutes is $12/month per user. Meanwhile, a combined calling plan of 3,000 domestic minutes and 600 international minutes costs $24/month per user. Each user must have a call plan, although unused minutes can be pooled if there are differing levels of usage between colleagues.

If your business has several meeting rooms with conference phones, then these will require a separate license of $15/month per device.

Microsoft Teams Phone System review

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft Teams Phone: Features

Microsoft Teams Phone enables businesses to access features such as call queues, call forwarding, voicemail, transferring, auto attendants that can be configured for office hours, out of office hours and holidays, call parking, call blocking, group call pickups, and call delegation.

One of Microsoft Teams’ core features is Presence, which shows an individual user’s real-time availability, letting coworkers have a quick visual indicator before parking and transferring calls through to colleagues. 

One feature that the system is lacking is functionality for complex calling requirements, such as those that may be required by a call center. It's not possible to set up more complex hunter groups or ring settings further than the three default call distribution configurations. 

There is no native call recording functionality, and while there are workarounds available, there are no third-party apps currently available to do this. 

For businesses that use a customer relationship management (CRM) system, there is currently no integration between the phone system and any CRM platforms. This means that it is unable to automatically log incoming or outgoing calls on any platform, including Microsoft’s own CRM software, Dynamics. 

While there is reporting available within Microsoft 365, this is mostly focused on call quality and allowing businesses to troubleshoot any issues with devices on the system. Users are unable to drill down into many granular details that are used as key performance indicators, for example, ring times.

Microsoft Teams Phone System review

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft Teams Phone: User interface

The Microsoft Teams interface is available on all platforms and is incredibly easy to navigate, particularly for businesses that already use Teams as standard. 

For those who are new to Teams, a degree of planning is required to ensure that new users can get off to a good start. Auditing your company’s staff and the various departments, roles, and teams before installation will allow for ease when setting up user groups. (For example, by sorting individual sales employees into a group, an administrator will be able to set up a telephone hunter group to ring all sales lines if a sales agent’s phone isn’t picked up within a certain amount of rings.)

While there are apps for Microsoft Teams on iOS and Android, if call forwarding is enabled on the system there are no requirements for users to download the Microsoft Teams app to their phone. If you prefer to work from a mobile phone, you’ll be pleased to know that the company is committed to making this easier. 

As well as the ability to transfer calls between devices (the same principle as Handoff for macOS and iOS), there’s a CarPlay app for Teams which extends to the VoIP offering.

The system uses Microsoft’s Global Delivery Network, allowing for it to be rolled out to a business of any size, with the ability to scale up to with minimal disruption. Additionally, as Microsoft updates its features regularly, users will always have access to the latest version and releases without any additional upgrade costs.

Microsoft Teams Phone System review

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft Teams Phone: Support

The Microsoft 365 website has a feature-rich help and support section that contains videos, blogs, and documents to help users make the most of the platform.

Unfortunately, Microsoft does not have 24/7 live support. For any problems that arise, a ticket needs to be logged, and contact times can take up to a few hours. 

The quality of the support can vary as well, with some issues being fixed quickly, while others may take multiple tickets to be resolved.

Given that Microsoft is such a large company in most aspects of home and business technology today, we would like to see some class-leading support on offer here.

Microsoft Teams Phone System review

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft Teams Phone: Security

If your business uses the E3 and E5 plans, additional security features come as a standard, including Microsoft Advanced Threat Analytics, which incorporates advanced security, compliance, and analytical capabilities.

All data that is stored by Microsoft is SSL encrypted both at rest and in transit, and any audio and video that operates through Teams are run through SRTP. 

There have been concerns over the security of Microsoft Teams after a number of vulnerabilities were discovered during 2020, however Microsoft does release fixes regularly and it’s not alone in facing security mishaps – this is fairly common as technology advances. 

What’s important is that there have been no major disasters. Also, Microsoft security can be complicated, with many different licenses and add-ons required to ensure compliance in some industries.

Microsoft Teams Phone: The competition

There are many alternatives to Microsoft Teams Phone on the market, offering cloud-based VoIP systems that are worth considering. 

RingCentral MVP is equal in price per user and has much stronger call center features: automatic call recording, CRM integration for major platforms such as Zendesk and Salesforce, and 24/7 live support. In addition, RingCentral can integrate with Microsoft Teams. 

Another option is GoTo Connect, which offers similar features to Microsoft Teams Phone but has a much more simplified, per user pricing structure. Along with cost, Connect has much of the same functionality as Microsoft Teams, but includes SMS services and geolocation forwarding, and can also be integrated with Teams. 

We'd also recommend checking out 8x8, Zoom, Aircall, Vonage, and our other picks for the best VoIP services

Microsoft Teams Phone

(Image credit: Microsoft Teams Phone)

Microsoft Teams Phone: Final verdict

For those who already use Microsoft Teams, the ease of moving over to the VoIP offering is a big plus, and it’s also ideal for businesses that are looking to scale up in the future, as purchasing additional user licenses can be completed in minutes.  

The system does come with its flaws, though, and is not a good fit for businesses that require more complex phone configurations. In addition, the cost of purchasing the licenses and call plans can quickly add up if your business has heavy telephone usage, or if you want to use different solutions for other aspects of your business operations which means paying for multiple subscriptions. 

The lack of 24/7 support from Microsoft is also a concern when it comes to troubleshooting and potential downtime. Businesses that want 24/7 support with the system can however get this through a third-party supplier.

Finally, unlike some of its rivals, Microsoft is an incredibly well-established company, and so if you go to the effort of setting up Teams Phone – and buying into the Microsoft ecosystem more generally – the service won't disappear one fine day. 

Udemy learning platform review
3:30 pm | August 23, 2021

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

Online courses have been a game changer for me since my University days. In this day and age, we have the advantage of numerous platforms to choose from, and Udemy is one of them. Udemy is one of the best online learning platform that offers various courses to develop new skills or enhance existing ones. Udemy’s founder Eren Bali grew up in a small village in Turkey with little opportunity to learn. In his quest to find learning opportunities online and make knowledge accessible to all, Udemy was founded.  

To put it in a simple way, imagine Udemy as a virtual school where instructors from around the world create and offer video lessons, quizzes, and assignments. You can choose topics from its vast course catalog ranging from programming and business to photography and personal development. And to top it all off, you can learn at your own pace, anytime and anywhere. We’ve also tested the best online courses and online class sites. 

Udemy: Plans and pricing

Udemy pricing

(Image credit: Udemy)

Udemy offers three distinct plans to cater to various needs. If you’re looking to develop a new hobby, learn a new skill, or simply want to try something new, then the Personal plan is an ideal choice. The Personal plan is $19 per month and you gain access to over 11,000 courses across a wide range of topics. 

Next up is the Team plan which is designed for groups of 5 to 20 people and costs $360 per user annually. This plan is ideal for organizations aiming to enhance team skills and efficiency through structured learning and development. While it includes the same course access as the Personal plan, it also offers additional features such as analytics and adoption reports. However, the price difference between these two options is quite big so if you’re not looking for analytical reports, you are better off with the Personal plan since both these options provide the same number of courses. Both plans offer a 7-day free trial.

The third plan is targeted towards smaller organizations. This plan grants access to over 25,000 top-rated courses and includes dedicated customer support, customizable content, and hands-on tech training as add-ons. It encompasses all the features of the Personal and Team plans but adds more tailored support and resources to meet the needs of a larger workforce. The pricing for this plan is not available on the website so you will have to enquire with the sales team.

Even though Udemy offers well-structured plans, if you’re hesitant about long-term commitment Udemy also allows you to purchase individual courses with lifetime access. This option lets you explore specific subjects at your own pace and you can decide if the platform suits your learning needs.

Udemy: Features

Udemy features

(Image credit: Udemy)

Creating an account on Udemy is straightforward and free. Once your account is all setup you answer a few questions to receive personalized course recommendations based on your interests, desired skills, and preferred certificates. When I specified my job as a writer the dashboard promptly suggested popular writing courses tailored to my profession. 

For Learners

Udemy course catalog

(Image credit: Udemy)

Once you find a course of interest, you have the option to either purchase it individually or you can opt for a monthly subscription. The only difference between these options is that the subscription would give you access to multiple courses without the need to pay for each one separately. Each course listing includes a ‘what you’ll learn’ section and a detailed breakdown of the content. A notable feature here is the ability to preview some video lectures before purchasing, so you can assess if the course is a right fit for you. All the courses are also accessible via the mobile app and can be downloaded for offline viewing. Learners have a personal dashboard where they can manage courses, add items to their wishlist, and even set reminders for their learning goals.

For Instructors

Udemy instructor challenge

(Image credit: Udemy)

Now let's take a look at Udemy from an instructor’s perspective. As an instructor, you can utilize resources provided by Udemy to design engaging courses. And to top it all off, Udemy has introduced a new instructor challenge. This initiative incentivizes timely course publication by promoting your course on Udemy’s social media if published within 45 days. Instructors also benefit from being part of an instructor community where they can network, share insights, and learn from peers. Marketing insights are available to help instructors choose relevant topics for their courses. 

Udemy instructor feature

(Image credit: Udemy)

Even though we found the course catalog to be diverse, it is worth noting that anyone can become an instructor on Udemy so the quality of courses varies significantly. Some courses may lack depth or professional quality. Upon completion of the course, the learner receives a certificate of completion. Unlike some other platforms like Coursera, Udemy’s certificates are not accredited by universities or institutions, which might reduce their value for some learners seeking formal recognition. This also means that Udemy does not offer any structured degree programs.

Udemy’s content is meticulously organized into categories. Each course is categorized by subject such as business, technology, arts, and more. Within these broad categories, there are sub-categories and specific topics. Each course features user reviews and ratings so learners can access the relevance of the courses. The course length is also varied. Some courses we looked at were 3 hours long, while others were more comprehensive lasting 11 hours. Overall, we found the interface easy to navigate, allowing seamless switching between learner and instructor dashboards.

These are the best laptops for students on the market.

Udemy: Support

Udemy support

(Image credit: Udemy)

Udemy’s support options are quite limited. They don’t offer email or phone support, instead, users have to rely on the Help Center. The Help Center is accessible to both learners and instructors. While there is a chatbot option, it is somewhat hidden. You need to click on a few links to access it. Despite these limitations, we found the Help Center to be quite useful for immediate support. The FAQ section is quite comprehensive and there is a separate section for searchable topics like account profiles, refunds, and more, providing users with detailed information and assistance. 

Udemy: Final verdict

As someone who enjoys enrolling in online courses, I found Udemy to be an accessible learning platform. The extensive course catalog can be overwhelming with so many options to choose from. But if you’re looking for a very specific type of course, rest assured you will find it on Udemy. Pro tip: once you have decided on the topic, check out the popular courses for that category. For those seeking formal academic recognition or degree programs, alternatives like Coursera may be more suitable.  

Udemy: Also consider

Coursera is the closest competitor to Udemy which also provides buying individual courses. However, what sets Coursera apart from Udemy is its partnership with top universities, providing certified courses from these prestigious institutions. You can also apply to get an online degree from Coursera. Read our full Coursera review.

Skillshare only works on a subscription model, where users get unlimited access to courses. It mainly focuses on creative skills and project-based learning. Read our full SkillShare review.

LinkedIn Learning is integrated within LinkedIn and is mainly targeted toward professionals looking to enhance their interview skills, find new jobs, and develop career skills. Read our full LinkedIn Learning review.

Network Solutions website builder review
8:40 am |

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

In our Network Solutions website builder review, we give you all the information, insight, pros, and cons you need to understand whether this is the best website builder for you.

With Network Solutions you can easily build a website on your own, with any knowledge of coding. Alternatively, if you want a professional at hand you can sign up for the professional website design service. This is a great option if you don’t feel ready to build a website by yourself. Using such assistance will save you time and energy. 

If you already have a registered domain somewhere else, Network Solutions includes options for domain transfer. All you need to do is enter your domain name on the main website, complete your purchase, then authorise the transfer.Or if you’re trying to transfer your domain to a new registrar to save money, then Network Solutions likely has a more affordable option. 

Our experts have put the Network Solutions website builder through its paces. Read on to discover what this website builder has to offer. 

Screenshot of network solutions pricing

Network Solutions pricing isn't the most transparent/easy to understand. (Image credit: Network Solutions)

Network Solutions website builder pricing and plans

When it comes to website builder services, Network Solutions offers you three plans. They all come with an introductory price for the first month. But if you want to find out how much you will be paying after this period, you have to add the plan to your cart. This isn’t the most transparent approach, and price increases are significant.

The first plan, just called ‘Website’ will cost you $2.95 for the first month, jumping up to $11.94/mo if you pay annually. This comes with a free domain name for the first year (you’re also able to use one you already own), and access to over 150 templates so you don’t have to start creating a site from scratch.

The next plan, ‘Marketing’ offers the same as the ‘Website’ plan, but also adds ‘Local Search’ that submits your business listing to over 100 local online directories and search engines. It costs $3.95 for the first month, but will cost you $19.63/mo after that if you pay annually. 

The third plan ‘Ecommerce’ costs $4.95 (although it is also confusingly advertised at $74.80) for the first month and is a little tricky to understand. 

It appears to come with the same website features as the ‘Website’ package, but this will cost you more ($28.53/mo, when paid annually). You may assume that it costs more because it allows you to sell online. But you actually need to pay extra ($16.58/mo paid annually) in order to sell up to 25 products, get 1GB disk space, and 5GB data transfer. This package also adds the ‘Local Search’ extra on top ($7.68/mo when paid annually). Plus, a set-up fee of $49 is added, although it isn’t clear what this covers. All in, you will pay a total of $682.59 ($56.88/mo) for your first year when paid annually. 

Considering that the ecommerce plan only allows you to sell a measly 25 products (although also advertised elsewhere at 500 products) and costs a significant amount, you would likely be better off going with a cheaper and more powerful alternative such as Shopify that starts at $29/mo, BigCommerce that starts at $39/mo, or Square Online that offers a free plan.

This is the user interface of Network Solutions' website builder

This is the user interface of Network Solutions' website builder (Image credit: Network Solutions)

Network Solutions website builder interface

The interface is one of the drawbacks to Network Solutions. Unlike other website builders, like Yahoo, GoDaddy, or Zyro, the interface looks more outdated which might make someone question their templates and services.

Templates

Network Solutions claims to offer over 150 templates, but only a handful are previewed (Image credit: Network Solutions)

Unfortunately, it’s difficult to find out how you can view the templates available on their website. You have to go to “renew services” in order to even see what the template packages are. There also isn’t an obvious list of features on their main website which makes them harder to find. 

Features

The frugal list of features appears to cover the basics, but not much else (Image credit: Network Solutions)

Network Solutions website builder features

The best feature about Network Solutions is how it gets the job done. You can build your own website easily once you get started and there are plenty of drag-and-drop options to help you save time. Everything is straightforward in terms of actually creating your website. However, when it comes to viewing the features, Network Solutions could make some improvements. The design of the interface is the hardest part to navigate. There’s not a clear list of features that’s easy to access. Similar to how templates are hidden, you need to go to the “renew services” tab in order to find a list of service features. 

Enhance your website with a number of add-ons

Enhance your website with a number of add-ons (Image credit: Network Solutions)

Network Solutions website builder alternatives

Network Solutions offers add-ons like CodeGuard and SiteLock that not all competitors provide. GoDaddy, Bluehost, and SiteGround are slightly different from Network Solutions. If you want to build an affordable website and get it up and running quickly, then Network Solutions is a good option. However, if you’re more concerned with how your website looks, then you might want to choose something with a more updated interface.

Network Solutions website builder review: Summary

Network Solutions is a more affordable website builder designed to get the job done quickly. If you’d rather not build everything by yourself, you can always use their professional website design service.

Overall, Network Solutions is a great place to save money on web hosting, especially if you’re looking to transfer your domain name. They provide a variety of services and make building your website simple. You can easily host your website on the cloud or on WordPress. Since you can easily change plans, you can always start with something smaller and build your way up as your website grows.

Our main concern though lies with their terms of services, their lack of transparency about their non-introductory prices, and a deliberately complex way of requesting a refund. All this leads us to wonder just how easy it would actually be for you to cancel your agreement with them, while retaining your data and domain name.

SOTI MobiControl MDM review
5:30 pm | August 19, 2021

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

Mobile Device Management (MDM) systems are at their best when they cover the complete range of mobile hardware. While compatible with a wide range of devices, MDM software must also be easy to configure and enroll devices on.

SOTI MobiControl is one of several mobility and IoT solutions from SOTI. It aims to provide a simple user interface for managing multiple form factor device types from various vendors running most operating systems.

It simplifies the security and management of multi-vendor, multi-form-factor, and multi-operating devices in your multi-purpose business mobility deployment – all through a single, easy-to-use interface.

In this review, we'll look at what SOTI MobiControl offers to manage multiple mobile devices.


Features

SOTI MobiControl aims to make it easier for organizations to manage their mobile workforces (Image credit: SOTI)

Features

SOTI MobiControl offers an extensive range of features that can effectively manage a fleet of devices across different users, operating systems, and locations. The software supports several operating systems, including Google Android, Apple iOS and macOS, Microsoft Windows, and Linux, and is compatible with Zebra mobile computer enterprise devices.

This software simplifies securing and managing mobile hardware throughout its lifecycle with multiple enrollment methods such as SOTI Stage, Apple DEP, Android Zero-Touch, and Samsung KME. SOTI MobiControl's advanced IoT management feature is particularly noteworthy as it supports Linux, making it the first solution for managing Linux-based mobile devices and endpoints. With the increasing use of IoT devices in various industries, this feature is a valuable addition to the software.

Features 2

SOTI integrates with other products from the company as well as many third-party solutions (Image credit: SOTI)

SOTI MobiControl offers seamless integration with SOTI Hub and SOTI Surf, giving you access to essential documents and files from anywhere on your mobile device. With mobile app management, you can quickly deploy applications across a multi-OS environment, whether using your device, a company-owned device, or a device of your choice.

Android 11's COPE implementation is fully supported, and with SOTI MobiControl, Premium Plus, and Enterprise Plus Service, customers can keep track of system health with the System Health Dashboard. This dashboard provides a real-time view of the past 48 hours of activity, including critical operational stats on queue lengths, processing time, mobile CPU and database health, and server health.

Installation and setup

SOTI MobiControl offers on-premises and remote cloud hosting options, depending on your needs. If you have the required expertise and resources, on-premises installation may be a viable choice. However, it can bring about complications when adding new services. 

Depending on your setup, scale, and budget, you'll need to consider whether a dedicated or virtual server is required. In such cases, cloud hosting may be a more practical solution for using SOTI MobiControl. Furthermore, enrollment is quick and supported across various device types, generations, and platforms.

Resources

SOTI has numerous guides available on its site to help you get MobiControl working on a variety of operating systems (Image credit: SOTI)

Compatibility

SOTI MobiControl is a highly versatile and powerful device management solution that can be used with a wide range of hardware. One of the critical benefits of SOTI MobiControl is that it is compatible with various devices, including the latest smartphones, tablets, laptops, and even older devices like PDAs. This makes it an excellent choice for businesses that want a comprehensive device management solution capable of managing all their different devices.

Unlike other MDM solutions, such as Jamf, which primarily cater to Apple devices, SOTI MobiControl is compatible with a wide range of different devices and operating systems, including Android, iOS, and Windows tablets, Android devices used by couriers, and even legacy Windows PDAs. This means businesses that use SOTI MobiControl can manage all of their devices from a single platform, saving them time and money.

Overall, SOTI MobiControl is an excellent choice for businesses that want a comprehensive device management solution compatible with various devices and operating systems. Whether you are managing a fleet of smartphones and tablets or older devices like PDAs, SOTI MobiControl can help you keep your devices secure and up-to-date while providing you with a wide range of powerful management tools and features.

Usability

Regarding SOTI MobiControl, its presence is mainly inconspicuous from the endpoint's point of view. However, this can vary depending on the provisioning type in use.

On the administrative end, SOTI MobiControl offers a simple browser-based user interface. This makes selecting the relevant devices, gathering information, and creating groups easy. It also allows for specific permissions, applications, patches, and updates to be rolled out based on device role, user location, and other considerations.

Endpoints can be located according to various criteria, such as device name, manufacturer, model, operating system, remaining battery life, memory, and standard identifiers like phone number, owner's username, and MAC address.

Free Trial

SOTI offers a free trial of MobiControl for evaluation purposes (Image credit: SOTI)

Plans and pricing

If you're interested in SOTI MobiControl, a free trial is available for evaluation purposes. This lasts 28 days but freezes after seven days of inactivity and is closed after a further seven. Strict pricing is on a business-by-business case, with scalable options, but based around a $4.00 per device per month license for the cloud system and $3.25 per device per month for on-premises hosting.

A $90 per device per month option is also available, with $18 per year for maintenance. 

With such flexible pricing available to suit any business dynamic, SOTI MobiControl is a smart choice. However, beware of the hard sell. I was contacted several times during the evaluation despite informing the sales team early on that I would email them when I had questions. If you're not keen on being rushed into deciding on software procurement, this may understandably put you off.

Final verdict

SOTI MobiControl is a device management solution that offers extensive support for various devices without overwhelming you with unnecessary features. It caters to multiple device management scenarios, including BYOD, CYOD, COBO, and COPE, ensuring your devices remain up-to-date, error-free, and secure from misuse.

The evaluation period for SOTI MobiControl is very generous. Still, it's important to note that the sales team may contact you frequently to schedule a demo, as they're eager to close the deal quickly.

Whether you prefer on-premises or cloud hosting, setting up and implementing SOTI MobiControl should be a breeze. Additionally, Premium and Enterprise Plus subscriptions offer a System Health Dashboard that provides a useful 48-hour overview of various operational stats, highlighting the full potential of SOTI MobiControl.

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