Latest Tech News

A repeat of the 2019 Western Conference Semifinals sees No. 3 seed Denver and MVP favorite Nikola Jokic face off with No. 6 seed Portland and the twin threat of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, with the Nuggets hoping to get one over the Trail Blazers, albeit without playoff specialist Jamal Murray, out with a torn ACL. Read on as we explain how to get a Nuggets vs Trail Blazers live stream and watch the NBA playoffs series online from anywhere.

Nuggets vs Trail Blazers live stream 2021

Dates: May 22-29 (first four games)

Venue: Ball Arena, Denver, Colorado / Moda Center, Portland, Oregon

TV channel: TNT, NBA TV

US live stream: stream NBA TV and TNT live with Sling TV discount or a FREE FuboTV trial 

Global live stream: Sky Sports (UK) | TSN / Sportsnet (CAN) | Kayo Sports FREE trial (AUS)

Watch anywhere: try the world's best VPN 100% risk-free 

There are reunions all over the court, as Jusuf Nurkić and Carmelo Anthony look to down their former team, Melo making a massive impact from the bench to lead the Trail Blazers to victory in the opening game of the series.

The Nuggets hit back instantly, deploying Aaron Gordon to slow down Damian Lillard, in a move that proved devastatingly successful, allowing Jokic to take the floor in an entertainingly physical second game, and put the Nuggets on level terms ahead of the Moda Center leg of the series.

It's shaping up to be an intriguing tactical battle, with Dame and Terry Stotts surely cooking up their own counter attack, but with the best will in the world Jokic and Michael Porter Jr. are going to take some stopping.

Read on for how to watch the Nuggets vs Trail Blazers series online and get an NBA playoffs live stream from anywhere.

Stream NBA playoff games without cable with Sling TV
Get your first month for only $10 now With NBA playoff games split between ESPN, ESPN3 and TNT, cord cutters can watch with a Sling TV subscription. Sign up to Sling Orange now and shave a mighty $25 off the usual monthly price, while also scoring access to AMC, CNN and 20+ more channels.

Nuggets vs Trail Blazers: schedule and TV channels

Here's how this first round NBA playoff series between Denver and Portland looks:

• Game 1: Won by Trail Blazers 123-109
• Game 2: Won by Nuggets 128-109
• Game 3: Thursday, May 27 at 10.30pm ET / 7.30pm PT on NBA TV
• Game 4: Saturday, May 29 at 4pm ET / 1pm PT on TNT
• Game 5: Tuesday, June 1 at TBD on TBD (if required)
• Game 6: Thursday, June 3 at TBD on TBD (if required)
• Game 7: Saturday, June 5 at TBD on TBD (if required)

• Watch more basketball with our full NBA live stream guide

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How to watch NBA playoffs from outside your country

Scroll down for all the ways you can watch the Nuggets vs Trail Blazers series online in a number of countries around the world. But first, you should know that if you're abroad at any point during the postseason, you probably won't be able to watch the NBA playoffs like you normally would at home.

This is because of geo-blocking, a digital restriction that means certain streaming services are only accessible in the region they're based in. 

The simplest and most reliable solution is to use a VPN service to change your IP address to a different location. This will generally let you tune in to your local coverage, just as you would from home, and means you don't have to trawl the sketchier corners of the web for an illegal stream.

Use a VPN to watch NBA playoffs online from anywhere

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Nuggets vs Trail Blazers live stream 2021: how to watch the NBA playoffs online

Coverage of the Nuggets vs Trail Blazers series is split between NBA TV and TNT - see above for the schedule and channel info.

If you have TNT as part of a cable package, you can also stream the action directly through the TNT website.

How to watch Nuggets vs Trail Blazers without cable

Cord-cutters are in luck, too, as you can get NBA TV and TNT - as well as ESPN and ABC, which are also showing NBA playoffs action - without having an expensive cable package. 

Great value OTT streaming service Sling TV's Orange package costs just $35 a month and gets you ESPN and TNT, while an $11 p/m Sports Extra add-on nets you NBA TV.

This combo will give you an NBA live stream for not only the entire Nuggets vs Trail Blazers series but most of the playoffs, since ABC-covered matches are being simulcast on ESPN3, which is also part of this plan.

Better still, Sling is offering new subscribers a fantastic bargain - right now you can save big bucks with this Sling TV deal, which lets you get a whole month of Sling Orange for a mere $10. And unlike cable, you can cancel your subscription at any time.

More ways to watch NBA basketball online

Another quality option is fuboTV, which offers ESPN, TNT, NBA TV and ABC in most major markets - all the channels you need to watch the playoffs. Packages start from $64.99 a month for the cable replacement service and there's even a FREE fuboTV trial you can try to see if it's right for you.

Out of the US and want to watch your home coverage? No worries - just use a VPN as described above.

How to watch Nuggets vs Trail Blazers: live stream NBA playoffs in Canada

Canadian basketball fans can watch the entire Nuggets vs Trail Blazers series on TSN and Sportsnet. 

TSN is showing Games 1, 2, 3, 5* and 7*, while Sportsnet is showing Game 4.

If you get TSN as part of your cable deal, then you'll just be able to log in with the details of your provider and get access to an NBA playoffs live stream. 

If you don't have cable, then you can subscribe to TSN on a streaming-only basis from just CA$4.99 a day or (much better value) $19.99 a month.

Similarly, you can watch Sportsnet online at no extra charge if you already subscribe to the channel as part of your TV package - or access it on a streaming-only basis, with plans starting from just CA$9.99 a month.

If you decide to subscribe or already have, remember you can take your favorite sports streaming service with you wherever you go - just try our No. 1 overall rated VPN 100% risk-free for 30-days and follow the instructions above.

How to watch Denver Nuggets vs Portland Trail Blazers: live stream NBA playoff basketball in the UK

Basketball fans based in the UK can tune into the NBA playoffs on Sky Sports. It hasn't released its full schedule yet, but Game 4 of the Nuggets vs Trail Blazers series is listed.

Start times vary but are between 9pm and 3.30am BST for the confirmed games.

Subscribers also get to watch on the move using the Sky Go app, which is available on nearly all modern phones, tablets, laptops, PCs and consoles.

For those without Sky, the best option is a Now Sky Sports membership, which includes all 11 channels.

The NBA League Pass, which is available for £24.99 and covers the entirety of the playoffs, is a great option for die-hard fans who want to watch as much of the postseason action as possible.

To access your usual streaming service from outside the UK, you'll need to download a good VPN as detailed above. 

Trail Blazers vs Nuggets live stream 2021: how to watch NBA playoffs online in Australia

The best option for for die-hard basketball fans Down Under is the NBA League Pass, which costs $39.99 per month after a 7-day FREE trial, and gets you coverage of every game of the playoffs, including the Trail Blazers vs Nuggets series.

Start times vary but are between 6am and 12.30pm AEST for the confirmed games.

You can also tune into NBA playoffs action on ESPN, which is available through Foxtel. That means you can also live stream the basketball through slick streaming platform Kayo.

Newbies can take advantage of a FREE 2-week Kayo trial to see if the service is right for them. For those who decide to keep it, Kayo price plans start from a super affordable AUD$25 a month - really good value considering how much premium live sports action it hosts. 

In addition to being where to watch NBA basketball online in Australia this year, it's also your home for the F1, AFL, NRL, Super Rugby AOT, cricket and way more. Handy if you don't want to go all out on Fox.

Not in Australia? Aussies abroad looking to watch an NBA playoffs live stream should find that a good VPN helps them access their home streaming services wherever they are.

• More sports: how to watch an NFL live stream

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Should you still buy an iPhone 12 or wait for the iPhone 13? - CNET

Splurging on an iPhone 12 right now isn't a bad choice. But then again, the iPhone 13 should be here before you know it.

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The Target restock finally happened. Who's next?

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At least 24 states ending bonus unemployment benefits early. Here's what's happening now - CNET

Nearly half of US states plan to halt federal enhanced jobless benefits as soon as June. We'll tell you what you need to know about $300 weekly bonus checks, unemployment tax refunds and more.

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Watch 15 minutes of Horizon Forbidden West gameplay on PS5 - CNET

The sequel to Horizon Zero Dawn is looking phenomenal.

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This weekend John Krasinski and Emily Blunt return for a sequel so tense you don't notice sound isn't the only thing missing.

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Latest Tech News

Best free blogging site

1. Wix

2. WordPress

3. Blogger

4. Weebly

5. Penzu

Read on for our detailed analysis of each service

Free blogging sites have come a long way in recent years, and it’s now easier than ever to create a professional-looking blog to share a hobby with like-minded people, express your opinions, and establish an online presence.

These free blogging sites are aimed at hobbyist bloggers – blogs are created and managed online, and hosted on the blogging platform’s own servers. If you want to create a self-hosted blog, the downloadable version of WordPress is an excellent option, with total flexibility, support for third-party plugins, and as much storage as your hosting plan allows.

If you're interested in making a static website rather than an online journal, take a look at our guide to the best free website builders.

Take your blog to the next level with Bluehost

 Free blogging sites have their limitations which is why you should consider hosting your blog with Bluehost instead. If you sign up for the company’s Shared Plan for $2.95 per month for the first term only, you’ll get $175 in offers, 24/7 support, as well as a free domain and site builder. 

Wix makes it dead easy to design and realize your blog, and you can do a lot more besides (Image credit: Wix)

1. Wix

Get powerful blog building functionality, and much more to boot

Highly intuitive editor

Flexibility in spades

You get lots more than blog building

Wix has a range of paid-for subscription plans, but also a free offering, although it’s best to note upfront that this has some caveats. With the free product, your site will have Wix branding, and you’ll be limited to 500MB of data transfer per month, so it’s not for heavily-trafficked sites. You also only get 500MB storage, too, so bear that in mind.

Those limits aside, you are free to build a blog with an unlimited number of pages, and where Wix really distinguishes itself is with its powerful blog functionality. The editor may be simple, but you get access to all the stuff you need – from image galleries through to videos and music – and there are a ton of ways to customize a post.

There’s also a lot of flexibility in the way you can schedule posts, and neat touches like being able to set up things so that posts are automatically pushed to Facebook when they’re published. For instance, there's a feature called Wix Bookings that allows customers to schedule appointments and classes right on your website.

And what makes Wix truly compelling is that on top of this, you get the run of the rest of what this website builder offers aside from blog support. That includes using Wix’s ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) editor, which will ask for some basic info regarding the kind of site you wish to create, and features you want, and will swiftly produce something along those lines for you. That’s an impressive feature for novices, of course.

There’s also commendably diverse support for various different types of media, and quality customer support to boot (yes, even on the free plan). The Wix Turbo feature is also on hand, and this increases the speed and performance of websites considerably.

When you consider what you’re getting for nothing, the bandwidth and data limits don’t seem like such a heavy set of shackles. And you can always upgrade at a later date if you want to break free of them in the longer run.

Try it online: Wix

You can host a WordPress blog yourself, or create one online and have it hosted at WordPress.com (Image credit: WordPress)

2. WordPress

Advanced features, plugins and a generous storage allowance

Powerful customization options

Useful analytics

Active support community

Powerful and highly customizable, WordPress is a brilliant platform for blogs of any size, and bloggers of all levels of experience.

Creating your first blog is very straightforward, with a simple wizard that guides you through the process of choosing a name and suitable theme. You can leave it there and begin writing posts immediately, but the real fun lies in the more advanced editor, which lets you customize virtually every aspect of your blog’s appearance.

Unlike some blogging sites, WordPress isn’t a drag-and-drop affair, and you’ll have to familiarize yourself with its system of menus. Doing so is well worth the effort, though, and enables you to create something truly personal. The editor also allows you to create static pages – like a writer’s biography, for example.

The post-writing interface is much like an ordinary desktop word processor (though some options are presented in a toolbar at the top, while others are in a menu at the side, which can be a little confusing at first). Again, time spent getting to know the interface is rewarded with advanced features like customizable social media sharing buttons, geotagging, and the ability to pick a custom style for individual posts.

Sometimes you might want to create a photo gallery, for example, and other times a more text-focused style would be more appropriate. You can also view and edit the HTML source.

As your blog grows, WordPress lets you track its stats, including page views, visitors, likes and comments over time. You can also see how readers reach your site, which content they viewed, and where they are in the world, all of which is very useful in terms of being able to tailor your content accordingly.

Your site is hosted on WordPress servers, with an address in the format yoursite.wordpress.com. Users of the free service don’t get email or live chat support, but the WordPress community forums are very active and questions are usually answered within a few minutes. Additionally, privacy protection for domains that are registered at WordPress.com is free.

WordPress displays ads on free blogs, but provided you can live with that, it’s a top-notch solution for a free blogging site.

Try it online: WordPress

Blogger has been around for many years, but has kept up with current trends and technology, including responsive blog templates (Image credit: Blogger)

3. Blogger

Boasts mobile-friendly features and Google app integration

Very accessible for newbies

Impressive selection of templates

Not as powerful as WordPress

Blogger is another superb blogging platform. It’s not quite as powerful as WordPress, but on the other hand, it is more accessible for new users, which comes as no surprise when you learn that it’s owned by Google.

Blogger offers an excellent selection of templates, all of which include mobile versions optimized for smaller screens – a very sensible addition with so many people accessing online content through smartphones these days. Blogger is also web responsive.

Blogger’s post-editing tool is much like WordPress, but offers fewer options. As a result, its toolbars are less confusing – a trade-off between power and usability.

One of Blogger’s best features is its integration with other Google apps and services. For example, it uses your Google Drive account to store images and other files for your blog. Google Drive gives you 15GB of space free, so Blogger is a good choice if you’re planning to share a lot of high-res photos.

Spam comments are a big problem on blogs, so Blogger’s automatic spam filter can help save your sanity. You can monitor comments via Blogger’s dashboard, which also lets you see visitor stats. There are some handy visualizations here, including a world map to show the global distribution of your readers.

Your blog will have an address in the format yoursite.blogger.com, and, like all Google services, will include ads. Support is available through the Blogger user forum, which is very active but has a strange layout that can be a little off-putting.

In all other respects, Blogger is brilliant – in short, it is one of the best free blogging sites if you prioritize ease of use over flexibility, particularly if you are a fan of the Google ecosystem too.

Try it online: Blogger

Blogs on Weebly are built from a combination of content blocks (Image credit: Weebly)

4. Weebly

Drag-and-drop your way to a smart looking blog

Simple but powerful blog building

Neat extras like post previewing

Limited to 500MB of storage

Weebly takes a modular approach to blog building, with a drag-and-drop editor that lets you choose which elements to add to your site, and where. 

Pick a basic template, then plonk various types of content onto the page, including social media links, text, images, maps, and sections of code. It’s a refreshingly simple way to build a blog that feels unique to you, but doesn’t require any messing about with menus.

It’s worth noting, however, that certain content blocks can only be positioned in certain areas; it isn’t a total free-for-all. This makes sense – forcing you to stick within the confines of your chosen template stops the page looking messy – but you might find it limiting. 

Blog posts are made in the same way: drag text boxes, picture frames, buttons and page breaks into position, then click to edit them. One particularly nice feature is the ‘secret draft link’, which lets you preview your unpublished post, and even share it with others via email before releasing it into the wild. 

Weebly has some other interesting tricks up its sleeve, including an area for pasting in Google Analytics tracking code (though it doesn’t offer analytics itself).

You’re only given 500MB for uploaded content, so photographers might want to look elsewhere. Weebly puts an ad in your site’s footer, but it doesn’t obscure any of your content.

Try it online: Weebly

Penzu is a personal blogging tool that lets you create your own private diary (Image credit: Penzu)

5. Penzu

A secure journal for your private thoughts

Emphasis on privacy and security

Free mobile apps

Some pressure to upgrade to paid version

Whereas the other free blogging sites we've looked at here are designed to get as many eyeballs on your posts as possible, Penzu takes the opposite philosophy, and is the equivalent of a locked diary stashed in a safe.

Penzu is a journal platform that makes your posts private by default and locks them down with at least one password (even after you’re logged in, you need a second one to read or edit your posts). That’s because it’s designed for private thoughts and personal reflection. There are free apps for iOS and Android that enable you to update your Penzu diary anywhere, but the contents are for your eyes only.

Penzu isn’t a tool for self-promotion, so although it’s far from ugly, it understandably focuses on function rather than looks. Custom colors and backgrounds come at a price – currently $20 per year.

It’s a shame that 128-bit AES encryption is also limited to the paid-for version, and there’s a fair amount of pressure to upgrade applied by Penzu. Extra options are often dangled under your nose then yanked away, but the core offering is a good one, and if you simply want a place to record your thoughts and practice writing, Penzu could be just the ticket.

Try it online: Penzu

• Check out the best website hosting services
• Stay safer online with one of these free VPN options

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Latest Tech News

Looking for the best cloud storage provider around right now? Well, we've got you covered with the most extensive, thoroughly-researched and complete buyers guide with as little jargon as possible. 

Most importantly, nobody has tested and reviewed more of the best cloud storage services online than us in 2021. We have researched nearly 50 services, from personal cloud storage to enterprise grade cloud storage, that store files in the cloud - and so much more - in a bid to provide you with our curated list, ranking on aspects such as capacity, price, file size, security and ease of use.

What is a cloud storage service?

To understand what cloud storage means, you need to grasp what the cloud is. In one line, that's a resource (usually computing power or storage) that you can access remotely online either for free or for a fee. 

Think of it as the self-storage services  - cherished by home movers and renters - but instead of filling them up with boxes, you fill cloud storage accounts with your own files.

There are dozens of services that fall under that umbrella term (cloud storage) and many users interchangeably call them cloud backup, online storage, online drives, online backup, file hosting, file storage and so on.

At its simplest, it is a secure virtual space that you will usually access via your browser or a desktop application (or mobile app). The actual location of your files is usually in a data center somewhere, in a server, on a hard drive or solid-state drive.

Our experts have worked on a list that represents our top picks for the best cloud storage: most offer a free tier allowing you to see if they're right for you before handing over any hard-earned cash. Just make sure you read the terms and conditions. 

Whether you need to store a couple of files, an operating system, or entire collections of pictures, images or videos, we have something for everyone. 

And if you can't find what you're after, check out some of our other guides, including the best free cloud storage, best photo storage and best business cloud storage roundups.

Best cloud storage services in 2021

1. IDrive is the best cloud storage provider
IDrive, the cloud storage veteran, delivers tons of storage online for an incredibly small outlay. 5TB for $3.48 for the first year is unmatched, and so is the support for unlimited devices and the extensive file versioning system available.

2. Get free unlimited cloud storage service with an award winning VPN
Backblaze offers unlimited cloud storage with a rock solid reputation across the industry and an unmatched set of features. Get it for free for a year when you sign up for an annual subscription with TechRadar's #1 VPN provider ExpressVPN. 

3. pCloud provides a lifetime cloud storage subscription
The Swiss-based company is more expensive than the competition, but the one-off payment means that you won't have to worry about renewal fees which can be horrendously expensive. $350 for 10 years is less than $3 per month.

IDrive provides cloud storage for PCs, Macs, iPhones, Android devices, servers and other mobile devices all in one account for one low fee (Image credit: idrive)

1. IDrive cloud storage

Best overall choice thanks to a rock-bottom price

Free tier: 5GB | Storage size: 5TB | Number of devices: Unlimited

Fast and capacious

Easy to use

Good Security

No two-factor authentication

IDrive offers continuous syncing of your files, even those on network drives. The web interface supports sharing files by email, Facebook and Twitter. Cautious or click-happy users will be pleased to hear that files deleted from your computer are not automatically deleted from the server, so there's less danger of removing something important by accident. 

Up to 30 previous versions of all files backed to your account are retained. Another thing to note is that IT admins have access to the IDrive Thin Client application, which allows them to backup/restore, manage settings, and more for all their connected computers via a centralized dashboard.

For photos, you have a neat facial recognition feature that helps you to automatically organize them, as well as syncing them across all your linked devices. IDrive also offers IDrive Express which sends you a physical hard disk drive if you lose all your data, allowing for the swift restoration of all your backed up files. 

An enhanced version - aptly named IDrive Business - exists and offers priority support, single sign-on, as well as unlimited users and server backup. While IDrive Personal offers 5TB or 10TB per user, the professional counterparts get between 250GB and 12.5TB of online storage.

EXCLUSIVE IDrive 5TB plan | $69.50 $34.75 for 1 year
$69.50 may seem a bit expensive for a year's worth of cloud storage, but $34.75 for a whole 12 months is ridiculously cheap. Not to mention 5TB should go a very long way in covering even the most demanding storage needs.

Backblaze is an excellent option for those who need backups, and no other trimmings, in terms of their cloud storage (Image credit: BackBlaze)

2. Backblaze cloud storage

A superb storage service, made better with our exclusive deal

Free tier: N/A | Storage size: Unlimited | Number of devices: 1 (Personal Plan)

Unlimited storage

Fantastic value when purchased with ExpressVPN

Dead easy to use

No features beyond backups

One PC per account only

Backblaze is a cloud storage giant, an industry veteran that caters for personal and large-scale business backup needs. The key word is ‘backup’ here, because there are no file syncing or fancy collaboration features here – as the name suggests, Backblaze backs things up, and that’s it. It is the only one in this list that offers true unlimited cloud storage, no strings attached.

The subscription price for personal backups – which can be paid monthly, yearly, or on a 2-year deal – is good value ($60 for a year), particularly considering that you’re getting unrestricted storage. 

But that gets only better still when you know that you can currently get Backblaze completely free for a year when you sign up to award-winning VPN provider ExpressVPN. Not only is Express our #1 favorite service out there for protecting your privacy online, reinforcing your anonymity and letting you geo-spoof your location, you also get 15 months for the price of 12 - and now that free year of Backblaze, too!

But if all you need is a backup system, then Backblaze is a seriously tempting proposition on a number of fronts. For starters, Backblaze makes the whole process of keeping your files backed up and safe extremely easy; trivial, even. 

Simply install the app, and it continuously backs up all important data (basically grabbing everything that isn’t a system file or similar), with no need for any intervention from the user. You can forget it’s installed and simply not worry about your files.

The caveat is that one account only covers one computer, so while there are no data allowance worries, you’ll have to pay for a fresh account for each PC you want backing up.

Backup speeds are fast, your data is encrypted for security, and you have the option – for a fee – of having a physical hard drive or flash drive sent over in the event that a restoration process is required.

Whether or not you go for Backblaze will depend on your exact needs when it comes to cloud storage, but those who just need a pure backup system, with no extra features or trimmings, will find it a great service for sure – and an impressive value proposition given the unlimited data support. Also of note is a 15-day free trial (no credit card details required) to try before you buy.

EXCLUSIVE Backblaze + ExpressVPN | $159.99 $99.99 for 1 year
Looking for a great VPN and in need of cloud storage space? then this is the perfect deal. Those who want a VPN, too, will certainly be interested to get on board with our #1 rated VPN provider, ExpressVPN, while benefiting from a free year of Backblaze with unlimited cloud storage.

pCloud is a European-based cloud storage provider which is one of the few to sell on-off subscriptions

3. pCloud cloud storage

Best for those who want to pay a one-off fee

Free tier: 10GB | Storage size: 2TB | Number of devices: 5

Affordable

Elegant, intuitive interface

Simple to use

No collaboration tools

pCloud is one of the very few cloud services that offer lifetime subscriptions; you essentially get a virtual, permanent cloud drive. It describes itself as a "personal cloud space where you can store all your files and folders [with] a user-friendly interface that clearly shows where everything is located and what it does."

pCloud comes with a 30-day trash history and unlimited remote upload traffic (you only need the URL of the file); you are - as expected - limited on the download link traffic: 500GB for the Premium package and 2TB for the Premium Plus package every month.

While some bandwidth limits apply, there seems to be no limit to the size of files you can upload, so feel free to sync large media files. The service is available for all desktop and mobile platforms – users can also log in via the website.

Note that as of August 2020, pCloud now allows its users to choose where they want their data to be stored, either in the EU or US. The company itself is registered in Switzerland which has strong privacy laws, and you can also pay a premium of $4.99 a month for pCloud Crypto to lock (and unlock) individual files with passwords.

There's also a family option that allows you to share your space with up to four other family members and a superior option - pCloud Business - that offers 1TB per user with pCloud Crypto included.

pCloud 2TB lifetime cloud storage - $350
At face value, you might think pCloud's offering is a little on the expensive side. However, a one-off payment will be cheaper in the long run, because you won't have to worry about outrageous renewal fees. Plus, you can rest easy in the knowledge your data is secured by strong encryption and extensive redundancies.

IceDrive may be a relative newcomer, but it’s already a strong player in the cloud storage industry (Image credit: IceDrive)

4. IceDrive cloud storage

Cleverly implemented cloud storage locker which is great value

Free tier: 10GB | Storage capacity: 5TB | Number of devices: Unlimited

Top-notch security

Easy-to-use interface

Impressive value, particularly lifetime options

Lacks any collaboration features

IceDrive may only have been in the cloud storage business for a couple of years, but the firm offers a compelling solution, and one that’s rather different to the traditional cloud locker.

The key difference is that IceDrive’s online storage can be presented as a standard drive on your (Windows) system, just like your hard drive, with the idea being that it makes this storage easier and more intuitive to use. It’s just the same as accessing a local drive, and you can use functions like opening or editing files with close to the same speed you’d get with a local operation – as we observed in our review, there’s almost no slowdown evident.

That’s a Windows-only feature, although there is a nifty app for other platforms – Windows, Mac or Linux, and a web app for that matter – with a streamlined and well thought out interface.

Security is also a strong suit here, with IceDrive employing super-safe twofish encryption on its servers, with the data leaving your machine encrypted client-side as well, to keep things even safer. The major weak point with IceDrive is the lack of any of the collaboration features and tricks you can pull off with the likes of OneDrive, for example.

IceDrive subscription plans are nicely priced, and you can get the Lite tier which offers 150GB of storage for as little as $20 for a year ($1.67 per month). A Pro+ plan with 5TB capacity comes out at $15 per month, and lifetime plan options could work out as superb value, running from $59 to $499.

IceDrive 1TB lifetime cloud storage - $149
One of the top options from IceDrive is the lifetime Pro deal, which gets you 1TB of storage – and 2TB of monthly bandwidth – on a permanent basis. Normally, it runs to $224, but you can pick up this plan for $149 now, which is a third off. If you prefer an annual Pro subscription, it’ll set you back $4.17 per month (meaning that in three years, you’ll pay the same as the lifetime cost).

NordLocker gives you plenty of options when it comes to secure file storage, and it’s supremely easy to get to grips with (Image credit: NordVPN)

Encrypted cloud storage and collaboration for the enterprise
Tresorit is the ultra-secure cloud for businesses with full GDPR and HIPAA compliance, a privacy-first philosophy to enable secure cloud collaboration. Store, sync and share files with your team with complete data migration support. Get secure cloud storage and collaboration for your teams for as little as $14.50 per month per user.

5. NordLocker cloud storage

Cloud storage that majors in security and ease of use

Free tier: 3GB | Storage capacity: 500GB | Number of devices: Unlimited

Slick and user-friendly app

Good on the security front

‘Zero knowledge’ policy

You only get 3GB with free product

NordLocker app required for file sharing participants

NordLocker might sound familiar, mainly because it’s from the makers of NordVPN, one of our best VPN services. It’s a relatively simple but effective service which gives you a cloud storage locker, or alternatively can be used to create a local file vault on your device for secure storage, protecting your data with encryption in both cases.

To use on your own machine locally, NordLocker is free, and with that free version you also get a small amount of online storage – 3GB to be precise. If you want a workable amount of cloud storage, however, you’ll need to pay for a subscription, with one available plan that provides 500GB of space. That comes at a reasonable $3.99 per month on the annual subscription, or $7.99 if you want to pay month-by-month.

NordLocker allows you to sync all those files in the cloud between all your devices, and using the app is an absolute breeze – just drag-and-drop your files in, and they’re automatically encrypted and uploaded. File sharing with others can be achieved, but they must also have signed up for a NordLocker account and be using the app.

As you might expect, security is super-tight, with NordLocker using Argon2, AES256, and ECC encryption protocols, with a ‘zero knowledge’ policy in place, meaning that your files can only be decrypted by yourself (and not the company, even if it wanted to).

NordLocker may not deliver enough in the way of features for experts or more demanding users, but it’s a solid basic service, highly user-friendly, and if that’s what you need, it’s a robust value proposition.

NordLocker Premium 500GB cloud storage - $3.99 per month
NordLocker only has one paid plan, which gives you 500GB of online storage. The good news is that it’s currently being offered at 50% off for the first year, so instead of forking out $7.99, you’ll pay $3.99 per month. There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied with the service initially.

OneDrive comes by default with Microsoft's popular Windows operating system and gives you 5GB storage space for free (Image credit: microsoft)

6. Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage

Best for those who are invested with Microsoft Office

Free tier: 5GB | Storage capacity: 6TB | Number of devices: 30

Comes with Microsoft 365

Can edit files online without downloading them

No advanced features

Like Google Drive's appeal to Google users, OneDrive will be a good fit for anyone who is committed to using Microsoft's services, offering neat integration with Outlook.com, the company's popular email platform, for instance. 

OneDrive also ties in nicely with Windows 10 and there is a selection of reasonable mobile apps to facilitate access on the move. It's also integrated with non-Microsoft services like design behemoth AutoCAD.

It's possible to share files with other people even if they aren't OneDrive users (complete with customizable permissions), and the ability to edit files online without downloading them is a welcome touch.

Coming from Microsoft – a company with plenty of money to throw at the cloud – it's a little disappointing to find that OneDrive doesn’t include more space free of charge. Free users get a mere 5GB of storage, although it's relatively inexpensive to increase this to 100GB.

If you have Microsoft 365 (formerly known as Office 365) either through your work, educational institution or private purchase, you'll automatically get 1TB of space per user for free with an option to boost it up. Just bear in mind that this is cloud storage at it simplest with barely any advanced features here.

The Pro version has a dark mode and tighter integration with Microsoft Teams. Note that Microsoft upped the upload file size limit on OneDrive from 100GB to 250GB.

Microsoft 365 Family | $99.99 for 1-year
This is the best value for money offer from Microsoft. 365 Family costs only $99.99 per year and provides you with 6TB of cloud storage in all, spread across six separate users. Other than the apps included (Outlook, Word, Excel, Access, Publisher, OneNote and PowerPoint), you get AI-powered creative tools and 60 minutes of Skype calling per month.

Google Drive allows easy and secure access to all of your content. Store, share, and collaborate on files and folders from any mobile device, tablet, or computer (Image credit: Google)

7. Google Drive cloud storage

Best for those who are using G Suite

Free tier: 15GB | Storage capacity: 2TB | Number of devices: Unlimited

Generous amount of free storage

Integrated with Android devices

Web interface isn’t the best

Google Drive is a natural choice for owners of Android devices as it's already integrated, but users of other platforms may appreciate the generous free storage too. 

You can also store unlimited high definition photos on your mobile phone with companion app Google Photos, and make use of Google's own office suite (now known as G Workspace). Also, individuals upgrading to paid Google Drive plans will join Google One (although it might not yet be available, depending on the region).

The array of features delivered by Google Drive via One - which ties into Google's Cloud platform - is bewildering and evolves continuously. At the time of writing, Google engineers were rolling out the ability to request approvals for Drive items and lock approved versions.

The 2TB tier - which offers 10% back in Google Store credits - allows the main account holder to invite up to five other additional members and costs $99.99 per year.

Downsides include the fact that the web interface isn't very easy-to-use, although Windows and Mac users can download a desktop app to drag-and-drop files easily. Drive also integrates Google's powerful AI and search technology, probably one of the best in the world.

Google One (2TB) | $99 for 1-year
Google offers One as a membership, a quasi-lifetime commitment that's not unlike Amazon Prime. Although you get unlimited storage for your photos (terms and conditions apply), you "only" get 2TB to play with via Google Drive. You can share it among up to six members, and Google Experts are only a phone call away should you need them.

---

How does cloud storage work?

Believe it or not, the concept of cloud storage has been around for a long, long time. Amazon popularized the concept with its S3 (Simple Storage Service) launched in 2006 but the ability to upload and save files remotely on a service provider's disk drive can be traced back to 1983's Compuserve offer. 

At the end of the day, you are simply using someone else's resources (part of whole of a hard drive, a solid state drive or even tape) to store your information.

That resource is usually located in a server housed in a data center (but not always) alongside potentially hundreds of others. The process is done over the internet over a secure connection via a dedicated app or via a web browser.

Almost everyone who has a smartphone or an email address has a cloud storage account of some sort. One might even consider Facebook to offer a limited version of cloud storage to its members as videos and photos can be uploaded free of charge to its servers.

What's happening in cloud storage in 2021?

There's something fishy happening in the cloud at the moment when it comes to storage. Remember this: Google has said it will cut back on its previously unlimited Google Photos, and it has also confirmed that it will start deleting files in Google Drive after only 30 days, plus only recently it has stated that it will erase dormant Google accounts in the near future.

The common thread of these three announcements is cloud storage and given that there's probably more than three billion Android accounts, each with at least 15GB of data, that is an awful lot of bits and bytes.

In February 2021, research company Trendfocus disclosed that the number of hard disk drives being shipped was free falling with year-on-year shipments seeing an 18% drop, most notably in the consumer market.

Enterprise saw a rise of 2% on the other hand which may indicate that cloud storage providers and hyperscalers like Google are buying as many hard drives as they possibly can.

3.5-inch enterprise hard drives - the bread and butter of cloud storage providers - accounted for 62% of all capacity shipped, and only 23% of units, while registering a staggering 12% growth. In other words, it looks like Seagate, WDC and Toshiba, the three remaining hard drive manufacturers, are shipping as many large capacity enterprise hard drives as they possibly can.

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Latest Tech News

The best email service

1. ProtonMail

2. Gmail

3. Outlook

4. Yahoo Mail

5. Zoho

If you're looking for the best email service providers around today, you've come to the right place.

Getting hold of the best email service providers today can be easy. Sign up with an ISP and you’ve got one account for starters. Creating an account with Google, Microsoft or other big names will get you more. Buy a decent web hosting package and you'll probably get enough email addresses to power a large business, all for no extra charge.

But picking the best email service providers for you can be more difficult, as there's a lot to consider - especially in these days of remote working. What are the spam filters like? How easy is it to keep your inbox organized? Can you access the account from other email clients? And what about using the service with a custom domain and address of your own (yourname@yourdomain.com)?

Keep reading and we'll highlight some of the best email service providers around. All have decent free services, perhaps with ads and some limits, but we'll also talk about their business-friendly commercial products which deliver the power, functionality and enterprise-level extras that demanding users need.

Google Workspace : Collaboration + productivity apps
There are many different office software suites but Google Workspace formerly known as G Suite remains the original cloud one and one of the best business office suites, offering a huge range of features and functionality that rivals can't match.
Try it free for 14 days.

• Check out the best email hosting providers
• Discover the best business VPN for you 
• These are the best secure email providers right now

The best email service providers of 2021 are:

Image credit: Proton Technologies

1. ProtonMail

Email with an emphasis on security and privacy

Tight privacy features

End-to-end encryption for messages

Only 500MB of storage for free

Signing up with an email provider will often involve some privacy compromises. Yahoo Mail asks for your name and mobile number, for instance. Gmail and other services might scan your messages to carry out useful actions (such as adding events to calendars), and just about everyone serves you with ads.

ProtonMail is a Swiss-based email service that focuses on privacy above all else. You can sign up anonymously, there's no logging of IP addresses, and all your emails are end-to-end encrypted, which means there's no way ProtonMail (or anyone else) can read their contents. Also, address verification (which allows you to be sure you are securely communicating with the right person) and full support for PGP email encryption is available. In late April 2019, elliptic curve cryptography was introduced, which adds additional security and faster speeds. Paid users also have the Undo function and the import-export app which they can use to easily transfer emails between accounts or download messages to their device.

There are some significant limits. The free product has a tiny 500MB storage space, only supports sending 150 messages a day, and is distinctly short in terms of organizational tools (no folders, labels or smart filters). As the end-to-end encryption is specific to ProtonMail, it also ensures that you can't use the service with other email clients.

Still, it seems a little unfair to complain about a service which is no-strings-attached free, and doesn't even show ads. In reality, ProtonMail is a specialist tool which is intended for use alongside services like Gmail – not to replace them – and overall it performs its core tasks very well.

If you do need more, ProtonMail's $5 (you can choose to pay in USD, Euro and CHF) a month (or $48 yearly) Plus account gives you 5GB storage, a 1,000 message-per-day allowance, custom domains (you@yourdomain.com) and support for folders, labels, filters as well as some addition features like contact groups.

A further Professional plan brings more storage, email addresses and a second custom domain, as well as adding a catch-all email address and multi-user support. It's priced from $8 per month per user (75$ yearly), which is reasonable if you need ProtonMail's security, although it's also notably more expensive than the business accounts of the big-name competition.

• You can sign up for ProtonMail here

Image credit: Google

2. Gmail

Google’s webmail juggernaut needs no introduction

Streamlined interface

Google Workspace option gives you lots of power

Paid plan isn’t as cheap as some

First released back in 2004, Google's Gmail has become the market leader in free email services with more than a billion users across the globe.

Gmail's stripped-back web interface is a highlight. Most of the screen is devoted to your inbox, with a minimum of toolbar and other clutter. Messages are neatly organized via conversations for easier viewing, and you can read and reply to emails with ease, even as a first-time user.

There's plenty of power here. Dynamic mail makes Gmail more interactive, with the ability to take action directly from within the email, like filling out a questionnaire or responding to a Google Docs comment. Messages can be automatically filtered into tabbed categories like Primary, Social and Promotions, helping you to focus on the content you need. Leading-edge spam blocking keeps your inbox free of junk, you can manage other accounts from the same interface (Outlook, Yahoo, any other IMAP or POP email), and there's 15GB storage for your inbox, Drive and photos. 

You can also access Gmail offline, although you'll need Google Chrome for that to work. Furthermore, there is a neat snooze feature that allows you to, well, snooze an email for a specified amount of time (it also automatically labels that email as important).

Other features are more questionable. Instead of organizing messages into folders, for instance – a simple metaphor which just about every user understands – you must filter them using a custom labelling system. This works, and has some advantages, but isn't popular with all users. Still, Gmail is an excellent service overall, and a good first choice for your email provider.

Google makes a paid business-oriented version of Gmail available in the shape of its Google Workspace product.

This more professional product drops the ads and allows using a custom email address on your domain (yourname@yourcompany.tld). Business-oriented migration tools can import mail from Outlook, Exchange, Lotus and more. Storage space doubles to 30GB on the Basic plan, and you get unlimited group email addresses, 99.9% guaranteed uptime and 24/7 support.

Google Workspace is Google's answer to Microsoft Office, so of course you also get apps for working with documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Shared calendars keep you better organized, there's video and voice conferencing for online meetings, and again, there’s 24/7 support to keep your system running smoothly.

This more Office-like power makes for a more expensive product than the email-only competition, with prices starting at $6 a user for the simplest plan. You're getting a lot for your money, though, and if you'll use Google Workspace's features then it could be a smart choice. A 14-day free trial provides an easy way to help you find out.

• You can sign up for Gmail here

• Read our full Gmail review.

Image credit: Microsoft

3. Outlook

There’s plenty of power here, especially for Office 365 users

Focused Inbox is a smart feature

Powerful events and calendar-related abilities

Raft of app-based integrations

Outlook's web interface follows the same familiar style as its desktop incarnation, and most other email clients: folders and organizational tools on the left, the contents of the current folder in the center, and a simple preview pane on the right (with adverts in the case of the free account).

A toolbar gives you speedy access to common features, and right-clicking folders or messages shows you just about everything else. If you've ever used another email client, you'll figure out the key details in moments.

Despite the apparent simplicity, there's a lot going on under the hood. The service automatically detects important emails and places them in a Focused Inbox, keeping any distractions out of sight. Events including flights and dinner reservations can automatically be added to your calendar. It's easy to share that calendar with other Outlook.com or Office 365 users, or you can save your events to a Family calendar that everyone can access. In addition, there are some interesting features too, like the ability to add polls directly to your Outlook emails.

Excellent attachment support includes the ability to directly share OneDrive files as copies or links. You can also attach files directly from your Google Drive, Dropbox and Box accounts, and a chunky 15GB mailbox allows storing plenty of files from other people.

This all worked just fine for us, but if you're unhappy with the service defaults, there's a chance they can be tweaked via Outlook.com's Settings dialog. This doesn't have quite as many options as Gmail, but they're well organized and give you plenty of control over layout, attachment rules, message handling and more.

If that’s still not enough, Microsoft offers a bunch of app-based integrations to take the service further. You get built-in Skype support via the beta, and apps give you easier access to Evernote, PayPal, GIPHY, Yelp, Uber and more.

Upgrading to Office 365 gets you an ad-free inbox, 50GB mail storage and a vast 1TB of OneDrive storage. Extras include offline working, professional message formatting tools, phone or chat-based support, file recovery from malicious attacks like ransomware and more. Oh, and the latest versions of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. All this can be yours for the equivalent of $7 a month on the single user Office 365 Personal plan or you can pay 70$ for a year.

• You can sign up for Outlook here

Image credit: Yahoo

4. Yahoo Mail

A powerful offering with some surprisingly neat extras

Useful extras like disposable email addresses

1TB of inbox storage

Not as many low-level options as rivals

Yahoo Mail doesn't make the headlines so much, these days, but its latest version is a polished and professional service which stands up well against the top competition.

The well-designed interface resembles Gmail, at least initially, with a large view of your inbox, one-click filters for common messages and content (Photos, Documents, Travel), and easy browsing of all the emails in a conversation. But you can also organize mails into custom folders, and the layout can be tweaked to display a message preview in a couple of clicks. Mobile users have some additional features like the option to unsubscribe to newsletters and such, without ever leaving the Yahoo Mail inbox.

A powerful underlying engine can integrate with Facebook, supports sending SMS and text messages, is accessible via web, POP and (in some situations) IMAP, and can forward email to another address. Valuable extras include disposable email addresses to protect your privacy, and a mammoth 1TB of mailbox storage means you can keep just about everything you receive, for a very long time.

Demanding users might find issues, over time. Mail organization can't quite match the flexibility of Gmail's labelling scheme, for instance, and there aren't nearly as many low-level tweaks, settings and options as you'll often see elsewhere. But overall, Yahoo Mail is an appealing service which needs to be on your email shortlist.

As with other providers, Yahoo offers a Business Mail plan with more features. The highlight is an option to use the service with a custom domain (yourname@yourdomain.com), although there are other advantages, too. The service can import contacts from Facebook, Gmail, Outlook and more. You can view all your mailboxes on the same screen, and there are all the usual business-friendly productivity tools (multiple calendars, document handling, analytics and more).

Prices start from $3.19 per mailbox per month, billed annually, and they drop as you add mailboxes – $1.59 for 5, $1.19 for 10, and for 20+ you'll need to contact them. Additionally, another pricing plan called Yahoo Mail Pro is available at $3.49 per month. This gives you ad-free inbox, priority customer support and additional features.

There's even a free domain name included, and not just the initial registration: Yahoo will also renew it for as long as your subscription is active.

• You can sign up for Yahoo Mail here

Image credit: Zoho

5. Zoho

An email provider that gives you a lot for, well, nothing

Free plan allows up to 25 users

Freebie has features normally only in paid plans

Also boasts office and collaboration tools

Zoho Workplace is a business-oriented email service which throws in an online office suite, document management, and a host of collaboration tools and other extras.

Zoho's free plan supports up to 25 users, although there's an extra 25 available if you can refer others to the service (update: Zoho is currently remodeling the referral program so this isn't available at the moment), each with 5GB of mailbox storage, and can be used with one domain of your own. These are features you'll normally only find in commercial products, and when you factor in the spreadsheet, word processor, presentation and other tools, it looks like a real bargain.

The email service is easy-to-use, and provides a decent set of features to help organize your emails: folders, tags, filters, smart searches, and more. You can also create custom hotkeys to expand and replace easy abbreviations of your choice with full words and phrases as you type. Zoho also has an offline mode, which allows you to read and respond to your emails even when your internet connection fails you. Zoho Mail has also introduced an IMAP client to help you configure, sync, and manage your other email accounts via IMAP.

The free plan is still a little basic. It gives you web access only, for instance, and there's no support for email forwarding.

Fortunately, the Zoho Standard plan fixes that. A mere $3 per user (paid annually) gets you IMAP and POP access, email forwarding, active sync, multiple domain hosting, domain aliases, 30GB storage, a 30MB attachment limit (up from 25MB with the free plan) and some major improvements elsewhere (the ability to send cloud files to non-Zoho users, for instance). You also have Lite plan which is a cheaper Standard plan ($1 per user) with less features, and a Professional ($6 per user) plan which adds more features.

A number of these features are available elsewhere for free, of course, but businesses or anyone who will use the custom domain support or Office tools will find a lot to like here. Well worth a closer look.

• You can sign up for Zoho here

• Also check out our roundup of the best WordPress hosting providers

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Best full mattress in 2021 - CNET

From hybrid models to proprietary polymer grids, these comfy mattresses help level up your sleep.

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Hours after it emerged that WhatsApp was suing the Indian government over new digital rules, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, pulling no punches, hit back at the messaging platform, and, among others, accused it of avoiding responsibility and being 'misguided'.

The sensational no-holds-barred attack on WhatsApp from the IT Ministry makes it clear that the Indian government sees WhatsApp moving the court as an act of unacceptable defiance. 

And as such the imbroglio between the two doesn't seem to be heading to closure any sooner, especially after the government has made it clear that the onus on finding a solution to the traceability issue lies with WhatsApp.

• WhatsApp's woes in India continue - Its case is thrown out by court
• What should you do if you get a link for WhatsApp in pink?
• Concerned about your WhatsApp privacy? Here are the best alternatives

India respects right to privacy: Minister

The IT Minister, while terming WhatsApp's challenge to the new intermediary guidelines as an “unfortunate attempt” to prevent them coming into effect, pointed out that "no fundamental right, including the Right to Privacy, is absolute and is subject to reasonable restrictions."

“The requirements in the Intermediary Guidelines pertaining to the first originator of information are an example of such a reasonable restriction," the government said. 

On WhatsApp's contention that the requirement to provide access to encrypted messages will break privacy protections, the Indian government said: "Such requirements are only in case when a particular message is required for prevention, investigation or punishment of serious offences such as sexually explicit content."

It stressed that it respected the right to privacy and had no intention of violating it while seeking details on originators of certain messages.

However, it also added, that as per all established judicial dictum, "no Fundamental Right, including the Right to Privacy, is absolute and it is subject to reasonable restrictions. The requirements in the Intermediary Guidelines pertaining to the first originator of information are an example of such a reasonable restriction."

The Union Minister also clarified that none of the measures proposed by India will impact the normal functioning of WhatsApp in any manner whatsoever and for the common users, there will be no impact.

"As per the Intermediary Guidelines, the originator of information can only be traced in a scenario where other remedies have proven to be ineffective, making the same a last resort measure. Moreover, such information can only be sought as per a process sanctioned by the law thereby incorporating sufficient legal safeguards."

The 'double-standards' of WhatsApp

Even while clearly enunciating India's stand, the IT Minister let loose a strong attack on WhatsApp, practically accusing it of double standards. 

“As a significant social media intermediary, WhatsApp seeks safe harbour protection as per the provisions of the Information Technology Act. However, in a befuddling act, they seek to avoid responsibility and refuse to enact the very steps which permit them a safe harbour provision,” the Minister said.

The government also wove into the narrative WhatsApp's own new privacy policy tweak.

"At one end, WhatsApp seeks to mandate a privacy policy wherein it will share the data of all its user with its parent company, Facebook, for marketing and advertising purposes. On the other hand, WhatsApp makes every effort to refuse the enactment of the Intermediary Guidelines which are necessary to uphold law and order and curb the menace of fake news."

"WhatsApp defends its refusal to enact the Intermediary Guidelines by carving out an exception that messages on the platform are end to end encrypted."

It is pertinent to note that the rule to trace the first originator of information is mandatory for each and every significant social media intermediary, irrespective of their method of operation, it added.

It's WhatsApp's responsibility to find a solution

Stating that the entire debate on whether encryption would be maintained or not was misplaced, the government said: "Whether Right to Privacy is ensured through using encryption technology or some other technology is entirely the purview of the social media intermediary. The Government of India is committed to ensuring the Right of Privacy to all its citizens as well as have the means and the information necessary to ensure public order and maintain national security.”

More pertinently, the government said in unambiguous terms that it was WhatsApp’s responsibility to find a technical solution, whether through encryption or otherwise.

The government also highlighted that the rules had been framed after consultations with various stakeholders and social media intermediaries, including WhatsApp. 

“After October 2018, no specific objection has been made by WhatsApp to the Government of India in writing relating to the requirement to trace the first originator in relation to serious offences. They have generally sought time to extend the time for enforcement of guidelines, but did not make any formal reference that traceability is not possible."

WhatsApp’s refusal to comply with the guidelines is a clear act of defiance of a measure “whose intent can certainly not be doubted”, the government said. 

The UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada have previously asked social media firms to allow for legal interception, it said. “What India is asking for is significantly much less than what some of the other countries have demanded.

"WhatsApp’s attempt to portray the Intermediary Guidelines of India as contrary to the right to privacy is misguided."

Source

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