Author: Danielle

Plenty of online tools will help you create a website in just a few minutes with just a few clicks, but they’re not all geared towards helping photographers – those people who want to show off big, beautiful galleries of images online.

If you’re looking for the best website builder that’s going to help you showcase your work as stylishly as possible, we’ve picked out four of the best for you to consider. They all score highly for their pricing, features, ease of use, and the choice of templates they offer for getting a photo portfolio up on the web.

Once you’ve picked your favorite, you’ll soon be getting your photos up in front of a potential audience of millions. Some sites even give you options for selling copies of your images via the web.

1. Format

If you’re after simplicity first and foremost in your website builder, then check out Format – it doesn’t have as many advanced features or options as some of its competitors, but that means less hassle for you and a shorter time between signing up for the site and getting your photos online.

You’ve got 23 different templates to pick from (plus additional premium ones if you go down that route), all of which can be customized in terms of pages, layouts and colors. Every theme adapts automatically to desktop or mobile, and you can preview all this in your browser.

As you would hope, getting images up on your site is simple, and once they’re on the page they can be dragged and dropped into position as required. If you’re happy with original design of the template you’ve picked – and the templates are all professional-looking and clean – then you really can be online within minutes.

We also like Format because of the extras it throws in. The platform lets you bring in your own domain name, set up an online store, and add a blog, with video tutorials generously spread around to help if you get stuck. If you do know a little bit of website coding, you can edit the CSS of your site too. There is a 14-day free trial available to test out the service.

2. Carbonmade

On the scale of basic to advanced, Carbonmade is somewhere towards the former, but its service is specifically for creatives – and that means getting your work up in a cool-looking theme is very straightforward, and actually a lot of fun too.

You only get a handful of templates to pick from, so if you’d rather spend time agonizing over a choice of hundreds, then Carbonmade perhaps isn’t for you. Once you’re in, the site builder has one of the best workflows we’ve seen, letting you easily create projects and pages, and get your pictures uploaded to the site.

It’s one of those interfaces that you really don’t need an instruction manual to get around. Everything from the published/unpublished status of your pages, to the use of thumbnails for navigation, is simple to configure. The customization tweaks you’ve got, like the option to drop in a logo or a favicon, are all well chosen too. There is also a neat communication tool called Carbonmade Messages, that lets you interact with all the people interested in your work.

You don’t get anything in the way of advanced features, like online sales or pages with password protection, but not everyone needs those anyway – if you’d rather get your site up, get it looking good, and then get on with your photography, Carbonmade is definitely worth a look.

3. Squarespace

Squarespace is one of the biggest names in website building, and it offers dozens of top-notch templates for getting your portfolio of pictures up on the web. Whether you want your images to show up at full-screen size or you prefer the grid look, Squarespace should have something to suit.

All the image cropping and resizing is taken care of for you, so your site is going to look great on any kind of device, and there’s actually quite a lot of flexibility when it comes to how your images are presented. You can use your own branding, fonts, and colors, or take the defaults that Squarespace gives you.

To protect your images, the platform lets you password-protect certain gallery pages, and if you need to have text flowing alongside your pictures then that’s simple to do as well. Embedding a contact form only takes a few minutes if you want to give clients a way to get in touch.

Everything can be managed through an attractive web browser interface and you can also add and remove pictures from an iOS app if you need to. It’s easy to see why Squarespace is one of the more popular website builders, and it’s well suited to photographers.

4. Dunked

Dunked doesn’t have the same range of templates or the same depth of features as some of its rivals, but getting everything up and running is really simple and really fast. Take a look at the templates on the home page – if you like any of them, give Dunked a whirl.

As with most similar services, you’ve got a basic drag-and-drop interface for getting your pictures in the right place. If needed, images can be split up into pages and categories, so whether you want to stick your whole career online or just a few select snaps, Dunked makes it possible.

Even though the choice of templates isn’t the widest, they’re all designed to adapt to screens of any size, and if you know a bit of CSS then you can tweak various aspects of the site design – just don’t expect a massive amount of help beyond the basics of colors and fonts. Changes can be applied at any time and only take seconds.

We like the balance Dunked hits in getting you started very quickly and then giving you a few customization options later on. It’s going to be too basic for some, but if you don’t want to spend hours pondering over layouts, it may well suit you perfectly. You can try out the service free for 10 days.

• Editor’s note: Wix has asked not be included in this article

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Finding the best UPS, or uninterruptible power supply, for your business is one of the most important decisions you can make if you rely on PCs, servers and other electronics being on 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

This is because the best UPS will keep supplying power to devices that are plugged into it, even if there’s a power cut. This is because while the power is on, the UPS will keep a battery charged. If, for any reason, the power si cut, the UPS will seamlessly switch to battery power, and continue to power the devices until either the main power is restored, or you’re able to safely shut down your device.

A sudden loss of power can cause problems for a ton of different devices, like data corruption, and if a server loses power, it means you lose access to its resources. This can prove disastrous for many companies.

That’s why you need to consider certain things when you’re looking for the best UPS. For one, you’ll want something that can provide enough power for you to get to your devices. To make things easier, we’ve picked the best UPS for your consideration.

The UPS devices we include in this guide cover a wide range of use cases, from small UPS devices for homes that can keep a router and PC running, to large and powerful UPS devices for enterprise uses. Because of this, we have listed these best UPS devices in no particular order.

CyberPower CP1500EPFCLCD

Input voltage: 230 Vac | Output capacity: 900 (watts) | Outlets: 6 | Battery runtime: 10 mins (half load), 3 mins (full load) | Recharge time: 8 hours

The CyberPower CP1500EPFCLCD is an excellent UPS for home and small business use. It comes with a decent amount of ports, as well as USB, for plugging in your devices. RJ11/RJ45 ports keep your phone, fax and modem lines protected from power surges, and it comes with a number of energy-saving features to prevent it from wasting energy when in use. It also comes with a clear LCD display that gives you information about the UPS.

APC Back-UPS ES – BE700G

Input voltage: 230V | Output capacity: 405 (watts) | Outlets: 8 | Battery runtime: 13 mins (half load), 4 mins (full load) | Recharge time: 16 hours

If you’re after a cheaper, and more simple, UPS device, then the APC Back-UPS ES – BE700G is a great choice. We wouldn’t recommend it for large businesses with lots of mission-critical computers and servers, but it offers plenty of power for homes and small businesses to keep their devices going when the power fails. If you’re looking for something more feature-rich, however, you may want to consider a different UPS.

APC BE600M1 Back-UPS 600VA

Input voltage: 120V | Output capacity: 330 (watts) | Outlets: 7 (plus one USB port) | Battery runtime: 10 mins (half load), 3.2 mins (full load) | Recharge time: 10 hours

Welcome to our list of the best Bluetooth headsets in 2019. If you need to make and receive phone calls without using your hands – because you’re in a car or at your desk – then the best Bluetooth headsets in this list will prove to be essential bits of kit.

When compiling this list of the best Bluetooth headsets, we made sure we picked the top devices that make taking calls easy and convenient, whether you’re driving, using equipment or typing on a keyboard.

The best Bluetooth headsets are perfect for people who rely on their phone and make lots of calls each and everyday, either on the road, or at the office.

The headsets on this page also offer excellent audio quality, so you can hear your contacts loud and clear. The best Bluetooth headsets should also offer excellent noise cancellation, which means no matter how loud the environment you’re in, the people you’re talking to should be able to hear your voice without any issues.

We’ve collected together the best hands-free Bluetooth headsets that are comfortable to be worn for most of the day, are convenient to be used in a hurry and serve up good audio quality throughout. 

But although a good Bluetooth headset can make your constant calling life infinitely easier, once you go out searching for a great headset you’ll find that choosing the best Bluetooth headsets among the myriad knockoffs and imitations can be a pain. And even if there are some devices that look similar, the actual features and functionality can vary wildly.

But don’t worry, below you’ll find the very best Bluetooth headsets currently available, and we’ve used our price comparison tool to help you find the top deals as well.

1. Plantronics Voyager 5200

Great for work and play

Weight: 2kg | Battery life: 7 hours | NFC: No | Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 4.1

The Plantronics Voyager 5200 is one of the very best Bluetooth headsets around, from a brand name that is well respected when it comes to headsets. It’s designed with comfort in mind, so you can wear it for extended periods without it bothering you and it sits securely in place too, so it won’t fall off. It’s also completely hands free, as caller ID will announce the name of whoever is calling you and you can simply say “answer” to take the call. Its noise-cancelling is effective even in busy environments and multiple microphones ensure strong voice quality, for a great all-round Bluetooth headset. Its also coated in sweat proof material which gives it a robustness that other Bluetooth headsets lack.

(Image: © Sony)

2. Sony MBH22

Weight: 9.3g | Battery life: 6 hours talk time / 8 days standby | Bluetooth version: Bluetooth 4.2

Windows 7 support ends about nine months from now, on January 14, 2020—and if you’re a Windows 7 user, you’ll see more than this story reminding you of that date. In fact, according to Microsoft, you could see several pop-up reminders warning you to upgrade to Windows 10 before the year is out.

Microsoft says that Windows 7 users will see a notification appear on their PC “a handful of times” before the year is out. The company didn’t say what message it would contain, though, or when or where it would appear.

“By starting the reminders now, our hope is that you have time to plan and prepare for this transition,” Microsoft said in a blog post. “These notifications are designed to help provide information only and if you would prefer not to receive them again, you’ll be able to select an option for ‘do not notify me again,’ and we will not send you any further reminders.”

Microsoft has previously experimented with pop-up notifications across Windows 10—tips to push users to OneDrive, for example. But nothing was worse than the infamous “click the X” pop-up that encouraged users to upgrade to Windows 10, and essentially tricked users into doing so. Users were outraged. (Microsoft later eliminated the pop-up, but the damage had already been done.)

By now, Microsoft’s position should be clear: when Windows 7 officially exits support on Jan. 14, 2020, that PC will be at a greater risk of viruses and malware. (End of support means that Microsoft will no longer provide technical support for any issues at all, software updates, or security updates.) Microsoft’s attitude toward the transition has ranged from gentle reminders to starker, more fearsome warnings, and it’s not clear what language Microsoft will use in its popup reminders.

It’s a major concern (and opportunity) for Microsoft and the PC industry in general, as an estimated 40 percent of all PCs run Windows 7, according to NetMarketshare. If all of those PCs converted to a paid copy of Windows 10—or bought a new PC—it would have a profound impact on the health of the PC market, and Microsoft’s bottom line. 

Microsoft may be finally taking a kinder, gentler attitude toward the transition, though. What almost looks like a Microsoft ad is embedded on a dedicated Microsoft Windows 7 site that attempts to help educate Windows 7 users on what they need to be concerned about. The video characterizes the transition from Windows 7 to Windows 10 like replacing a wallet, or upgrading from a beloved old clunker to a more modern SUV. In both cases, the owner is shown taking some personal (a picture, or a necklace) from one device to the other—just as files can be migrated from one PC to the next.

The story behind the story: Since the free transition from Windows 7 to Windows 10 has long since expired, Microsoft’s job now is to convince its most reluctant users to open their wallets for either a new OS or an entirely new PC. To date, that hasn’t happened, at least where Windows 7 is concerned. As the deadline approaches, though, it will be critical to see how Microsoft responds: increasingly apocalyptic warnings? A gentle shrug? 

The iPhone SE may have been officially removed from the Apple Store, but the budget Apple smartphone continues to sell at some seriously rapid speeds. That’s largely because the cheapest iPhone on the market recently had yet another price drop and heading into 2019 it is still beautifully cheap – and on this page you’ll find the best iPhone SE deals in the UK.

Following Apple’s product launch back in September, it feels like the iPhone SE 2 is still no closer to being released. But that hasn’t stopped tariffs falling and you can now get iPhone SE deals on contract for a mere £15 per month – that means around £400 over the course of the contract!

The tech world rejoiced when the iPhone SE was released. Finally, a new Apple phone that doesn’t require you to remortgage your house and take on a second job – unlike iPhone XS Max deals! It looks and feels exactly the same as the iPhone 5S. But instead of sporting two-year-old hardware it’s fully up to date, with a super-fast CPU and graphics, and the 12MP iSight camera straight out of the iPhone 6S.

If cheap iPhone SE deals are what you seek, then you’ve definitely come to the right place. Use TechRadar’s comparison chart to easily find the ideal plan, or scroll down further to find our pick of the best SE deals on the market.

More options: iPhone 8 deals | iPhone 7 deals | iPhone 6S deals | iPhone deals | Best mobile phone deals 

Price comparison chart

Top five iPhone SE deals

Lower down the page you’ll be able to read about all of the best iPhone SE deals on a model-by-model and network-by-network basis. But first of all here are the best deals so you can instantly see what the best offers are from EE, O2, Three and Vodafone.

iPhone SE review in summary

Launched back in March 2016, the ‘Special Edition’ iPhone SE was a rare example of Apple dropping its entry-level price to allow bargain-hunters a piece of the iPhone pie. It reduced the screen size from the iPhone 6, but kitted it out with the same camera as the iPhone 6S. In short, it’s a premium smartphone with a lower price tag – and we like that!

Read TechRadar’s full iPhone SE review

Now let’s break down the best iPhone SE deals by network…

Best iPhone SE deals on EE

Best iPhone SE deals on EE

Best iPhone SE deals on O2

Best iPhone SE deals on O2

Best iPhone SE deals on Vodafone

Best iPhone SE deals on Vodafone

Best iPhone SE deals on Three

Best iPhone SE deals on Three

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Driven by unprecedented changes in technology, digitisation is pushing industries of all kinds to a tipping point. Automation and AI is a huge part of this change, and is the part of modern-day technological development that some fear.

According to a recent Brooking’s institute study, 25 percent of jobs in the US, particularly the ‘repetitive ones’, are under threat from automation. 

The jobs considered of highest risk are performed by low-skilled workers in the food service industry, and in this context the threat appears real: there are already robotic waiters in Japan for example. 

Yet the Washington think-tank’s study found the professions of least risk from automation are business occupations, ranked below arts and entertainment. This illustrates the versatile mindsets automation will encourage.

Encouragingly though, the relationship between jobs and automation is nuanced.  A recent report from the World Economic Forum suggests 133 million new jobs could be created by the technology.  

According to the Brookings report, highly creative or technical positions are  likely to benefit, but the study notes that administrative and legal professions will be partially impacted by automation. But in what way, and how soon, will these changes take place?

In the UK,  the impact technology will have in shaping financial services will be felt as soon as the Spring. 

Starting in April, Making Tax Digital for VAT will require businesses to file their tax digitally using cloud accounting software. Part of the UK Government’s drive for a digital Britain, MTD or VAT will bring manual bookkeeping into the modern age, enabling HMRC to digitally track individual invoices. 

The legislation will remedy costly tax filing errors and change the way accountants work. Free from manual, repetitive booking tasks using paper or spreadsheets, accountants will work more collaboratively with clients in the cloud, and their value will be determined by their advisory skills. 

The evolution of the accountants’ role is articulated by our petitioning of the Oxford English Dictionary to change the definition of accountant to reflect the advisory services many accountants already supply.

Yet despite the business benefits of MTD for VAT, our research indicates a resistance to change. With just weeks to go to before the legislation is introduced, we found fewer than half of the UK’s accountants feel prepared for the digital switch, despite the fact that one third of those surveyed said they expect digital tax to increase their firm’s productivity.  

But whatever the reason for this reticence, everyone knows change can be a challenge, and helping an industry adapt to digital transformation requires empathy. 

Here are some tips to help your workforce embrace transformation in your industry:

1. Mind your language. We’ve a tendency to describe technology in its own terms, but not so long ago we thought cookies were biscuits. Many pretend they understand terms like ‘server’ and ‘cloud’, but don’t. Use plain English when talking to staff or customers. Use simple, functional terms wherever possible.

2. Make learning easier. Nobody wants to read a training manual. Make your communications accessible, from human customer service and personal interactions, to infographics. To help businesses get ready for MTD for VAT, we’ve created Dexter the Digital Tax Advisor an animated tax advisor to help businesses make the digital switch.

3. Encourage ownership. Give employees the confidence to experiment with the latest technology, and do not discourage mistakes. And for customers and business partners, encourage early adoption. The longer you leave a new technology adoption task, the scarier it can seem. Encourage stakeholders to become experts in the new technology by supplying online training courses and free trials.       

4. Expect fear and suspicion. The Victorians thought locomotion would cause madness and death, and Mark Twain didn’t invest in the telephone thinking the technology would fail. Factor in the natural reticence any audience will have when presented with new technology and build this reluctance into your implementation schedules. Beta testing is useful, but beware of beta testing with a captive or expert audience, try to test your product with the lay-person too.       

Technology moves faster than culture, and often informs it. By empathising with the wider community interacting with the new technology, and planning for resistance to change, you can help stakeholders adapt. For more information about Making Tax Digital for VAT and how it will affect small businesses and accountants from April, visit Xero’s hub here.   

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It may now be in its terrible twos, but Apple’s iPhone 7 remains one of the best mobiles we’ve ever used and the price of iPhone 7 deals is way less than its successors.

So forget those iPhone 8 deals. Laugh in the face of iPhone XS deals and move on from those iPhone XR deals If you like the idea of buying an iPhone but aren’t that enthusiastic amount the kinds of costs attached to them, then the iPhone 7 could be an ideal middle ground.

That said, other than the fantastic 20GB+ tariffs knocking around on EE and O2 and a few standout three deals however if you were hoping for Vodafone deals you will be sad to hear that they’re just not so competitive right now.

On this page you’ll find all of the best iPhone 7 deals you can get right now. Whether you’re looking for unlimited data, a free phone or any other type of tariff, you can use our comparison chart below to choose the cheapest option out there. Scroll down to find the best deal for you.

And don’t forget that you’ll get £10 off the handset cost if you get your iPhone 7 from Mobiles.co.uk – you just need to enter our exclusive 10OFF discount code when you get to the checkout.

See also: iPhone 8 deals | iPhone 7 Plus deals | iPhone 7 SIM-free | Samsung Galaxy S8 deals | Best mobile phone deals | iPhone deals 

Top 5 best iPhone 7 deals in the UK today

At the top of our guide you’ll see what we’ve chosen as this month’s best value iPhone 7 deals in the UK. These are chosen purely on the basis of value – unlike some other sites we don’t manipulate the order of these deals for commercial gain! And if you’re loyal to a particular network, we’ve picked out the best deals on the four major networks – those being EE, O2, Three and Vodafone. 

Vodafone has a habit of having great iPhone 7 deals one day and then removing them all in a instant so if you don’t see any Vodafone deals then it is likely they are in one of those times.

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