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Best TV shows on Now in December 2023

Whilst Netflix may be the number one choice for streaming, Now is still a great option as it offers the premium shows of Sky without tying you into an annual contract. From intense dramas to comforting comedies, there’s likely to be something on this service for you.

For those of you who haven’t subscribed already, you can access all the television shows on Now by purchasing the Entertainment Membership, which is usually priced at £9.99 a month. See some of the films available through Now’s Cinema Membership in our top picks for movies on Now.

If you’re searching for your next Now fix, then look no further than here. We’ve listed some of our top programmes available right now for your viewing pleasure. For further picks of some of our favourite shows, check out our best of Netflix roundup for this month. You won’t be disappointed.

As always, all information is correct at the current time of writing, but the availability of some shows may change at Now’s discretion.

The Last of Us

HBO

Watch The Last of Us on Now

The Last of Us is one of the most popular shows on Now at the moment. Adapted from the Naughty Dog game, it follows Joel and Ellie – two survivors of a devastating pandemic who are forced to travel across the USA together in search of hope.

With a stellar cast line-up including Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsay and Nick Offerman, plus a tragic yet action-filled plot, this zombie apocalypse series will keep you coming back for more.

The White Lotus

Warner Bros. Discovery

Watch The White Lotus on Now

Black comedy-drama The White Lotus follows the guests and employees of a resort. The visitors come to relax and let their hair down. However, they are all effected by their own dysfunctions.

Every day, the paradise is unravelled as darker situations begin to emerge. With an all-star cast including Jennifer Coolidge, Aubrey Plaza and Sydney Sweeney, this is an unmissable drama.

The Fresh Prince of Bel Air

Now

Watch The Fresh Prince of Bel Air on Now

Fresh Prince is nineties comedy at its finest. Starring Will Smith in his early days, the show follows Philadelphia-born Will who goes to live with his wealthy relatives in Bel Air, California, to help set his life back on track.

The show explores race and class within America, and has both poignant moments and laugh-out-loud scenes. Plus, Now also features a reunion episode with the cast that was filmed in 2020.

Inside No 9

Watch Inside No 9 on Now

This anthology comedy brings new stories and characters every episode – with each dark comedy narrative taking place behind a door labelled as ‘number 9’.

You don’t have to watch these in order due to their nature; so we recommend ‘A Quiet Night in’ which features no dialogue whilst still managing to tell a hilarious story, and ‘Zanzibar’, which takes inspiration from Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors with it’s ensemble cast in the setting of a luxury hotel.

Only Fools and Horses

Watch Only Fools and Horses on Now

It’s an oldie, but a goodie. Only Fools and Horses follows a group of cockney geezers, headed up by Del Boy Trotter (played by the renowned David Jason) who try to get rich quick by dealing in the black market trade, which often leads to many sticky situations.

Some of our favourite episodes include ‘A Touch of Glass’ and ‘Heroes and Villains’. Plus, it’s also fun to watch out for every time Del Boy calls his brother Rodney a plonker or a wally. However, a warning from us – you’ll never see a Reliant Regal three-wheeler van without thinking of this show.

Euphoria

Watch Euphoria on Now

Zendaya stars in Euphoria, a grim take on the high school experience, and the Generation Z answer to Skins. Filled with drugs, violence and sex, the show is narrated by Rue, an addict who is struggling to find her place in the world.

Having clocked up numerous awards, this is one of the most popular things on Now – but it is certainly not an easy watch.

Blackadder The Third

Watch Blackadder The Third on Now

We love all the Blackadder series for various reasons, but Blackadder the Third has a particular place in our hearts. This iteration takes place during the Regency period, in which E. Blackadder Esquire (Rowan Atkinson) is the head butler to the selfish buffoon, The Prince of Wales (Hugh Laurie).

Short but sweet – with just six episodes – you’ll see famous historical figures like Samuel Johnson and events like the French Revolution. Though of course, not in the fashion that you may be expecting.

The Third Day

Watch The Third Day on Now

Starring Jude Law and Naomie Harris, The Third Day is another mind-bending thriller, semmingly influenced by the likes of The Wicker Man and and Midsommar.

It tells the story of two different people who find themselves journeying to a mysterious British island at different points in time. Both the travellers begin to discover the strange rituals and secrets about the inhabitants of the island.

Red Dwarf

Watch Red Dwarf on Now

Red Dwarf is a space show like no other, following a rag-tag bunch of misfits who are muddling their way through the galaxy.

Dave Lister is Liverpudlian caretaker onboard the Red Dwarf – a gigantic spaceship – who wakes up from a high-tech stasis chamber to discover that he is one of the last remaining people alive. His only company includes a holographic projection of his dead bunkmate, a humanoid version of his cat, the ship’s senile computer and a neurotic android.

Gavin & Stacey

Watch Gavin & Stacey on Now

Oh, what’s occurring?! This legendary British sitcom (also returning for a Christmas special this year) is a must-see, following the coming together of one family from Essex and another from Wales when a young couple fall in love. This is also the breakout show for James Corden, who plays the lovable lad Smithy.

Some of the most memorable episodes include ‘Boys’ Night Out’, ‘The Big Day’ and ‘House Hunting’ – which includes a segment that any person searching for a place to live in London can relate to.

Succession

HBO

Watch Succession on Now

Succession takes family drama to a whole new level, as each member of the Roy family takes a swipe at power and wealth, no matter how much it may damage the relationships between them.

Logan Roy is a media tycoon in charge of one of the most powerful entertainment companies in the world. When he suffers from a stroke, his children struggle to choose who will run the company in his absence.

Friends: The Reunion

Watch Friends: The Reunion on Now

It may not be a full TV series, but the Friends reunion special is a must-watch for any die-hard fans of the sitcom. Filled with a mix of iconic clips, set visits from the cast, table reads and guest cameos, it’s the perfect look back at all ten seasons of Friends.

There’s also some exclusive titbits of information from all six main cast members, and information on how the show came to be from the series creators.

Yellowjackets

Watch Yellowjackets on Now

If you love Lord of the Flies, then you’re certain to love Yellowjackets. When a girls high school football team is involved in a plane crash, the group find themselves stranded in the wilderness. However, the horrors that unfold in the forest slowly turn them into something much darker.

The show switches back-and-forth between the nineties and the present day, in which the survivors try to cope with the horrors of their past.

Game of Thrones

Watch Game of Thrones on Now

Despite its shortcomings (namely the final two seasons), Game of Thrones is still one of the biggest series to have ever aired, and if you missed out on the hype train, it’s absolutely worth checking out.

Based off of the Song of Ice and Fire series by George RR Martin, Game of Thrones is set in the fantasy world of Westeros, and tells the story of several houses as they battle for control over the continent. There’s twists that will leave you stunned, battles that will keep you tense and of course MASSIVE dragons to marvel at.

The prequel series – House of the Dragon – is also certainly worth a watch.

The Office (US)

Watch The Office (US) on Now

The Office (US) kicked off the mockumentary trend in America, and with nine seasons and over 200 episodes, this is a long-term investment comedy to stick on that is certain to bring a smile to your face (though it is not without its many cringe-inducing moments).

Steve Carell stars as Michael Scott, a manager at the paper company Dunder Mifflin in Scranton, Pennsylvania. All he wants is to be respected and adored by his colleagues, but with antics happening nearly every day, the office doesn’t get that much work done.

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts

Watch Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts on Now

Now has done a few reunion specials, and the Harry Potter one is a standout. With plenty of cast members – including the Golden Trio (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson), there’s plenty of reminiscing on all eight films, and the rollercoaster ride of the Wizarding World fandom.

There’s also plenty of behind-the-scenes action on some of the most iconic moments, and insider information from the directors, writers and more. If you’re a big fan, bring tissues – it gets emotional.

The Flash

Watch The Flash on Now

Now currently boasts a few shows from the ‘Arrowverse’ of superhero adaptations, but The Flash is one of our favourites. This gloriously camp comic book adaptation revels in the absurdity of its roots – super-strong telepathic gorilla supervillain, anyone? – and never takes itself too seriously.

Yes, it’s soapy and it’s schlocky and it’s very very silly, but it’s tremendously fun and really feels like it’s own thing. The Flash does its best to adapt every comic book arc anyone’s ever called ‘unfilmable’, and we love it all the more for it.

Streaming Media

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Signal rejects “dangerously misleading” security flaw allegations

France has recently banned its ministers and their teams from using popular communication software WhatsApp, Telegram and even what’s perhaps known as the most private encrypted messaging app out there, Signal, due to claimed security vulnerabilities.

This is something that has rather angered the outspoken president of Signal, Meredith Whittaker, who dismissed the allegations as “dangerously misleading.”

As Politico reported, a memo dated November 22 described these digital tools “not devoid of security flaws.” Hence, the Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne ordered ministers to switch to alternative French apps which are thought to be more secure.

No evidence of security flaws

“The French PM is mandating ministers use a small French messaging app. OK. But, I’m alarmed that she’s claiming ‘security flaws’ in Signal (et al) to justify the move,” Whittaker tweeted on November 30.

“This claim is not backed by any evidence, and is dangerously misleading, especially coming from governments.”

Signal indeed prides itself for taking great care of its users privacy. Independently audited and open-source, the company was the first app of its kind to add quantum-level encryption protection into its code. The service is also a step closer to ditching phone numbers in the name of privacy.

Whittaker herself is also known for taking strong stances against Big Tech’s surveillance model, while speaking out on governments’ attempts to clamp down on encryption to better control citizens. The company has repeatedly claimed to be ready to quit the UK rather than undermine or weaken its privacy policies under the Online Safety Bill (now law).

“We are serious about responsible disclosure and we prioritize all reports to security@signal.org,” she added.

The French PM is mandating ministers use a small French messaging app. OK.But I’m alarmed that she’s claiming “security flaws” in Signal (et al) to justify the move. This claim is not backed by any evidence, and is dangerously misleading esp. coming from gov. https://t.co/DWxilDiLWENovember 30, 2023

French ministers and other governmental employees have until December 8, 2023, to delete these popular apps from their work devices and start using the authorized French applications instead.

Olvid is an encrypted instant messaging app which encrypts both messages and metadata, certified by France’s cybersecurity agency ANSSI. French digital minister Jean-Noël Barrot confirmed that he and his team have been using it since July 2022, and deemed the application as “the world’s most secure instant messaging system.”

The other alternative is Tchap, another French-made secure messaging and collaboration app that the government developed and launched in 2019.

Whether or not security has been used as a scapegoat to increase the adoption of made in France applications is something that will never be able to confirm. However, according to Whittaker, that’s not the problem here.

“If you want to use a French product go for it! But don’t spread misinformation in the process.”

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Pick up an Asus ROG Ally for under $400 at Best Buy

There have been a lot of would-be competitors to the Steam Deck that have popped up since its arrival, even a few from major PC vendors like Asus and Lenovo. But none of them, indie or big time, have managed to beat Valve on value. The Deck’s $400 starting price remains unbeaten for an x86-based gaming handheld. Until today. The entry-level version of the Asus ROG Ally, a more powerful handheld running an optimized version of Windows, is on sale for just $399.99 at Best Buy.

There’s just one potential fly in the soup. This version of the ROG Ally is running the AMD Ryzen Z1 processor, not the faster, flagship Ryzen Z1 Extreme APU that made the Ally such a splash when it launched earlier this year. So, while the hardware is still newer and faster than the Steam Deck, it’s to a lesser degree than you might think and running Windows instead of the Linux-based Steam OS creates a lot of operating overhead. If you want the full-fat Extreme version of the Ally, it’s also on sale for $599.99 ($100 off the original price instead of $200).

That being said, even the base model of the ROG Ally is impressive. The 1080p IPS screen is a big step up over the base model Steam Deck and with 120Hz capability, it’s arguably better than the new OLED version, too. Both versions of the Ally get 512GB of speedy PCIe 4th-gen storage out of the box, plus whatever you can fit in the microSD card reader. And the Ally can be docked to Asus’s proprietary ROG XG Mobile series of external GPUs, if you want to turn it into a full-fledged gaming desktop or entertainment center.

At the time of writing, Best Buy seems to be the only retailer running such a dramatic discount on the Ally — competitors like Amazon and Newegg have declined to match the price drop. That being the case, you might want to get an order in quickly if you’re ready to buy.

Get the ROG Ally handheld gaming PC for $399.99

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Worried your inactive Google Account might get deleted? Log in now

Google’s graveyard is famed, but the final month of 2023 has ushered in a different kind of reaping. For now (ahem), the company’s services are safe. Instead, inactive personal accounts are getting swept from the servers.

As reported earlier this year, dormant Google accounts and their Gmail, Drive, YouTube, and Photos content start getting the axe on December 1. So, if you haven’t used any Google services in the past two years, your account could fall victim to Google’s new inactivity policy. The policy does not apply to accounts set up through your work, school, or another organization. Several exceptions also apply to personal accounts like if you have an ongoing subscription, have purchased digital items like books, or have an associated gift card balance.

Not all inactive accounts will get nuked immediately. Instead, the first to be wiped are ones that were created and then never used again, as outlined by Google in its May announcement of its plans. All affected accounts should have received email notifications leading up to the Dec 1st start date for deletions, to both the account and its recovery email address (as applicable), but if you never use the account, you may not have seen them.

To evade the scythe, you can simply log into your account or use a service if you’re already logged in through a device like your computer or your phone. Small behaviors like watching a YouTube video, using Google Search, or reading an email is enough to reset the timer.

Google says it’s purging unused accounts for security reasons, as most affected accounts are barely protected by weak or compromised passwords. These kind of accounts usually also don’t have two-factor authentication enabled, either. Hackers can use a breached account to perpetrate identity theft or send out spam. So, if you find yourself reviving an old Google account, it’s a good time to consider strengthening your password (and adding it to your password manager) as well as enabling 2FA.

On the flip side, should you be truly done with an account, you can safely let it be purged. Account names will not be recycled and no one else will be able to use them.

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Score this RTX 4060-loaded HP gaming laptop for just $699

My jaw hit the floor when I stumbled across this gaming laptop deal. You just don’t see many sub-$800 gaming laptops with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU and yet here we are! Walmart’s selling HP’s powerful Victus laptop for just $699, which is a massive savings of $400. This is an incredible price for the hardware. This machine also has a high refresh rate display as well as cool backlit keyboard. Let’s get into it.

The HP Victus comes equipped with an Intel Core i5-12500H CPU, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 GPU, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and 512GB of SSD storage. Given the specs, you should be able to blitz through most games on higher graphics presets. The 15.6-inch display has a resolution of 1920×1080 and a refresh rate of 144Hz. 1080p isn’t the highest resolution we’ve seen on a gaming laptop, but it’s perfectly fine for day-to-day productivity and gaming.

This is an absolutely stellar deal, so don’t miss out.

Get the HP Victus for $699 at Walmart

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The best smart Christmas lights of 2023

Christmas is fast approaching and if you’re planning on updating your decorations, some new Christmas lights may be in order.

Smart lights can give you more colour options and more control (no more crawling around under the tree to find the switch). You can set up schedules, choose patterns and change colours at the touch of a (virtual) button.

One of the best things is, if you get a multicolour set by the likes of Twinkly, you can change the colour of your tree or decorative lights as often as you like, whenever you want.

Following, we share our pick of the best smart Christmas lights available (sadly, none of them are able to detangle themselves – yet).

Twinkly String Lights Generation II

Pros

Preset patterns
Different designs
Placement scan via the app
High quality

Cons

Expensive

Best Prices Today:

$121.13 at Amazon

See Twinkly lights in real life and you’ll understand how far Christmas lights have come from the dusty, tangled ball of wires and bulbs you used to drag out every year. Yes, Twinkly products are expensive, but they’re also the best Christmas lights you’ll find.

They connect via Wi-Fi to the free Twinkly app, which you can use to control them and play effects – either of your own design or pre-set. Once wrapped around the tree, you can scan the set-up of the lights which gives you more accurate pattern control. You can set a timer, group them in sets with other Twinkly lights and control them together – or make them sync with music if you buy the Twinkly Music dongle. If you use a voice assistant, you can even switch them on and off using voice commands.

There’s also a button on the power cord so family members without an app can switch the lights on and off and change the pattern.

But it’s not just what you can do with them that’s a big step up. They’re a significant leap in quality from standard lights, with rich colours (16 million of them, in fact) and opalescent whites.

There are numerous lengths available, so choose wisely depending on the size of your tree – or, get a longer string to decorate an entire room. We’ve tested the 400 LED set but Twinkly offers several smart light designs for Christmas, including an icicle design (get it in the US or the UK).

Ollny 800 LED Christmas Lights

Pros

Budget-friendly
Comes with remote control
Timer and pattern options at the touch of a button

Cons

No app control

Best Prices Today:

$45.99 ($0.14 / Foot) at Amazon

Ollny lights aren’t connected, but they are smarter than your average string of lights. They are also absolutely great value and a beautiful crisp white light (not as yellow as shown in the picture). The set here has 80 LEDs over 80m/ 262ft.

As well as your lights, you’ll get a remote control (with a battery included). There’s no messing around: from the moment you plug them in, they’ll start working. Using the remote, you can set them to play one of eight patterns: steady, in waves, sequential, slow glow and more. You can also choose their brightness level from one of four settings. Best of all, you can set a timer for six or eight hours, so they’ll be illuminated throughout the evening and switch off when you go to bed – without you needing to remember. They are also completely waterproof.

Ollny also makes indoor Christmas lights that connect via USB, which gives you another option if your plug sockets get busy around Christmas. You can opt for coloured or white and curtain or string lights. You can browse all the Ollny lights by visiting the Ollny Amazon Store in the US or the UK. Prices start from around $8.99/ £7.99.

Brizled Christmas lights

Pros

Budget-friendly
Wi-Fi connection

Cons

App functionality a bit limited

Best Prices Today:

$49.99 at Amazon

Brizled Christmas lights are also smart, but they work in a slightly different way to Twinkly’s. You can choose between cool white, warm white or multi coloured LEDs, and the connected app controls the brightness rather than the patterns or colours.

Things get more interesting when you discover the pulse and disco function of the app, which can coordinate the lights with the music you’re playing.

You can also connect the lights with up to five devices, meaning the whole group can control them, although we imagine this could become quite chaotic. But what’s more Christmassy than that?

Additionally, there’s a timer and schedule feature that means you can make sure your lights are already on when you arrive home and off when you go to sleep, for example.

The app isn’t quite as polished as Twinkly’s and the usage is a little more limited, but they are much cheaper. Sadly, the Wi-Fi lights are only available in the US right now, but if you’re after remote control lights there’s a big selection on Amazon in both the UK and the US.

Nanoleaf Shapes

Pros

Touch sensors
Screen Mirror
Smart home integration

Cons

Light doesn’t reach to the edge of the panels
App unhelpful in explaining features

Best Prices Today:

$249.00 at Amazon

Nanoleaf Shapes aren’t typically used for Christmas, but they are smart and they can be used to make your home feel festive if you select particularly warm and cosy colours, or create a pattern such as the one shown here.

The Wi-Fi enabled wall-mounted lights can be used to create different patterns and sequences using the accompanying app. They’re easy to set up and use, although we’ve found that the app isn’t great at explaining all the features.

Nanoleaf Shapes are expensive but you can use them year-round and change their pattern for Christmas. You can combine panels of different shapes (there are two sizes of triangles, plus the hexagonal panels we reviewed, all of which can be used together) to create your own interlocking designs.

Shapes can be set up to mirror your TV or monitor and have touch sensors so that they can be used for games. You can could create a star or a tree design that lights up in complementary colours to your favourite Christmas movie.

If you like this option, there are plenty of Nanoleaf sets to choose from. Browse them all in our dedicated Nanoleaf round-up.

Read our full

Nanoleaf Shapes Hexagons review

Lighting, Smart Home

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FBackup 9 review: Back up your local and online files for free

At a glance

Expert’s Rating

Pros

Easy, friendly interface
Backs up local files as well as files on Dropbox and Google Drive
Rock solid performance
Supports versioning

Cons

Some advertising nags
Doesn’t support other online destinations.
Backs up to, but not from network locations

Our Verdict

For free, the surprisingly capable FBackup 9 will back up files to or from any local storage including optical discs, to network locations, as well as to and from Google Drive and Dropbox.

Best Prices Today: Softland FBackup 9

Softland

FBackup 9 is a surprisingly capable backup client given that it doesn’t cost you a dime. It backs up to and from local storage including old-school optical discs — a real rarity these days. It even backs up to Google Drive and Dropbox and will back up to network locations, though not from them.

While FBackup 9 is free, it’s also meant as a calling card for its paid-for sibling Backup4All, which supports a host of other online storage services and will also back up from network locations.

Not surprisingly, there are some ads in FBackup 9, though they’re generally kept well out of the way. Hey, we all have to eat, right?

Further reading: See our roundup of the best free backup software and services to learn about competing products.

What are FBackup’s features?

FBackup 9 will perform full backups and file mirroring to zip files, but omits Backup4All’s Smart (culled incremental/differential), Incremental (all changes since last backup), and Differential (all changes since the initial backup) backups.

Note that FBackup 9 keeps all versions of files in its full backups, which ameliorates to a great degree the absence of those other options.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is FBackup-9-16.png

Those dollar signs mean you’ll have to pony up for Backup4All to get the Smart, Differential, and Incremental options.

The program automatically selects the most common file types, but you’re free to make your own selections, or create your own filters to select other file types. Jobs can be scheduled from monthly to daily, at any time of the day under defined circumstances (at power-on, etc.), but there’s nothing more granular than that, and no real-time (as files change) backup.

As noted, other salient differences between the free FBackup 9 and Backup4All are the latter’s ability to back up data from remote network locations as well as far broader support for online storage services. Google Cloud, Amazon S3 and S3-compatible services just to name a couple. See below.

Yup, more dollar signs, but this screen cap gives you an idea of what Backup4All offers. It also backs up from network locations.

Encryption is also supported if you need to secure your data. Note that FBackup employs its own scheduler and two services — however, the system footprint is fairly small as far as backup programs go.

How is the FBackup interface?

While I wouldn’t nominate FBackup 9 and it’s Microsoft Office-style, ribboned interface up for “most modern” GUI experience, it’s one of the better I’ve tested. There are no abstracted concepts or arcane language, and it’s very well organized and laid out. I find it relatively easy on the eyes and had no difficulty getting up to speed.

Wizards step you through most tasks, so you don’t have to be an old-hand at backup to get things done. But if you are an old-hand, there’s an advanced mode that will get you there quicker.

The initial FBackup 9 screen, post splash that is.

How does FBackup perform?

My testing of backup software these days is primarily focused on reliability and smoothness of operation. Given the speed of modern computers, storage, and even online storage these days, you will rarely find that a backup program has a negative impact on system performance.

So it was no surprise that FBackup 9 turned in on-par completion times when performing backups to/from internal and external SSDs, a NAS box, a CD-RW, as well as Dropbox and Google Drive. Restores were equally facile.

If you’re a Google Drive or Dropbox user, FBackup is a no-brainer freebie–far more versatile than Windows File History.

FBackup 9 supports backing up to and from both Google Drive and Dropbox.

FBackup 9 was generally stable and I only encountered a single, circumnavigable glitch with CD-RW. I had to erase the disc manually to avoid an “incompatible disc” warning despite selecting the “Erase before writing” option for the job. Ultimately, the job succeeded, which is the most important point.

Though I had to erase the disc manually, FBackup 9 backed up to CD-RW just fine.

Jon L. Jacobi / Foundry

There’s more than adequate feedback on the progress of the jobs, and you can fire off multiple jobs simultaneously. The program also backs up locked files.

Overall, I was more than satisfied with the program’s workflow and reliability, a trait that’s paramount in the backup world. Sweet stuff.

Should you download FBackup?

If you’re a Google Drive or Dropbox user, FBackup is a no-brainer freebie — far more versatile than Windows File History. It’s also one of the few games in town if you’re still rocking optical discs. That it’s equally effective at backing up to local and network destinations is icing on the cake.

You do have to put up with a dose of up-selling, but hey, it’s free! And to be honest, Backup4All is a worthy up-sell. There are a few versions from the $30 Lite to the $50 Professional, but if you’re going the upgrade path, I recommend the full-on Pro version. In for a penny, in for a pound.

Look for an upcoming review of big sibling later this year.

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