Hands on with the fun face of BlackBerry New Z10 touchscreen

 

The new BlackBerry Z10 promises loads of juicy fun and functionality but how does it deliver?

BlackBerry's 'relaunch' isn't going to sink Apple's iPhone, or stop Google's army of Androids in its tracks - but the new, 'fun' face of BlackBerry offers plenty of new ideas.

The ability to 'split' a phone so that a corporate handset can switch instantly into a 'personal' phone filled with apps is a superb idea - and likely to bring a smile to IT departments as much as the workers they cater for.

Corporate IT departments, after all, are going to be some of the biggest buyers of this new incarnation of BlackBerry.

But the addition of 70,000 apps including Angry Birds, music and films, should mean that workers won't slope off and buy their own iPhones - this works perfectly well as an entertainment device, and is very nearly as much fun as anything Google or Apple can dream up.

That in itself is a giant leap for BlackBerry. But the Canadian company has not lost its focus on mobile email - an idea it pioneered a decade ago.

The fast-moving 'Hub' inbox which brings together Twitter, Facebook, email, BBM and LinkedIn in one list would probably make a 19th-century person's brain explode - but it's a great centrepiece app for the communication-oriented device, with filters to cut down the flood of messages if it all gets too much.

You can also flip upwards to see upcoming appointments instantly - complete with LinkedIn CVs for people you're meeting.

On-the-go workers will spend a lot of time in Hub.

BB10 has also had the courage to - mostly - get rid of the familiar grids of app icons that first cropped up on Palm gizmos in the Nineties.

Instead, the phone is meant to run lots of apps at once, swiping sideways between them, with 'active frames' displaying information on screen, such as how many emails are in your inbox.

The 'Peek' function also lets users swipe sideways to see alerts such as Facebook messages and emails even while using an app such as video - popping direct back in the app if the user decides not to look at their messages right that second.

Naturally, the phone also offers secure email - and even has the classic 'red flash' to show when there's a new email waiting.

The simple gesture control and always-there keyboard should help to ensure that the famous speed ofBlackBerry users - able to out-email Android and iPhone fans - remains.

It isn't perfect though - there might be 70,000 apps available at launch, but that's less than a tenth of what's on offer via Google and Apple's app stores.

It also remains to be seen whether many game developers will warm to the new platform - if they don't, it won't be easy luring in young users.

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6 best iPhone apps to download

Best iPhone apps

So you’re on board with the iPhone revolution but you’re in need of some assistance when it comes to finding the very best iOS apps.

Well, never fear, because MSN Tech has compiled a list of our favourite 50 apps from the App Store for Apple's clever smartphone.

 

If, like us, you spend a fair amount of time shooting bad guys in Call of Duty, you may care about your statistics. For those that do, the Call of Duty Elite app is an app version of the desktop and console service that allow you to check out your career and how well your clan is going without having to be at home.

 Planning on upgrading your motor? Chances are you will end up on Auto Trader or PistonHeads. For the former, you can browse used cars in a format that utilises the iPhone's touchscreen credentials with the Auto Trader Mobile app, making it a whole lot easier to find your next set of wheels.

 

How many kilograms in a pound? Centimetres in a yard? No, we don't know the answers either. But with Converter Plus, you can make sense of measurements with very little effort and time. Enter numbers, choose measurement types and away you go.

Dropbox is one of many cloud services that allow you to store files but not at the expense of local storage space. 

Besides the convenience of having your files wherever you have a data connection or internet, you can upload files from your iPhone for instant sharing between devices.

Twitter for iOS gives you nearly all that makes the tweet-based social network such an addictive way to pass the time. You can search trending topics, post tweets and photos, and see your followers and friends without any hassle. For breaking news, there are few better sources

Tough interview questions - and how to answer them

 

Few people enjoy job interviews and no matter how well you prepare, there's always one awkward question that catches you out and leaves you wondering how well you really did.
We've teamed up with John Lees, career coach and author of "Job Interviews: Top Answers to Tough Questions" to guide you through some of the trickier questions you might face.

1. What kind of person are you?Questions like this can be maddeningly open-ended in an interview situation. Does the interviewer want to know about your working style or your personality? Should you give them chapter and verse or a succinct summary?
'It's best to seek clarification quickly,' says John Lees - or you could go down the wrong track entirely.
Sample answer: 'Perhaps you'd like me to talk about my working style? Well, I've been described by colleagues as a born trouble-shooter...'

2. How do you see us as a business?You should have done your homework on the organisation you're applying to, and while it may have thrown up some less-than-flattering results, this isn't the time to air any concerns you may have.
John Lees advises that you take the opportunity to 'show the depth of your knowledge and the reach of your contacts by sharing briefly what you have learned about the organisation from your research'.
Sample answer: 'You've got a great reputation, which is why I am pleased to be talking to you.'

3. Can you work overtime? Evenings? Weekends? This is a question which stumps many jobseekers. The dilemma is whether to go all out to appear flexible - or set some ground rules from the outset so that you don't appear to be a pushover.
John comments: 'Talk about the demands of the job rather than your restrictions. Portray yourself as someone with a strong work ethic - but don't appear so hungry for the job you haven't given any sensible consideration to managing workloads as well as work/life balance.
'Don't immediately say yes to such questions, but seek details and information and respond with both a flexible attitude and evidence of past commitment.'
Sample answer: 'My last job often required me to stay late to get things done, and that was fine as there were options for late starts or home working on other days.'

4. When has your work been criticised? What was your response?As well as establishing that you have the relevant skills and experience for the post you're applying for, potential employers will probably want to get a feel for what you'll be like to work with - and this question gives you a chance to put their minds at rest.
They won't believe you if you say your work has never been criticised, so John Lees advises preparing a couple of examples of instances that you have received feedback and taken it on board.
Sample answer: 'I was criticised by my last boss for using internal email too often. He was right, it's often much better to walk over to someone's desk and maintain a proper relationship. Also you are more likely to get cooperation and hear an honest answer about potential snags.'

5. Have you ever been dismissed from a job? Describe the circumstancesIn this context 'dismissed' means 'fired' - redundancy is entirely different. If this does apply to you, John recommends being transparent and trying to show how you have changed and developed.
'If you start to get into the rights and wrongs of the situation, you are almost certainly going to give the interviewer grounds to exclude you,' he explains.
Sample answer: 'I was dismissed from my first sales job on performance grounds. It was a tough job but I completely misinterpreted what the organisation meant by sales targets. As you can see from my later history, that's an experience I've never forgotten. I now take performance very seriously indeed.'

6. Would you have any reservations about taking this job?'If you do have any reservations, now is not the time to raise them,' advises John - but he also suggests that if the job has obvious drawbacks then it would be naive not to mention them.
A flat 'no' and a quick follow-up question is an efficient way to deal with this one.
Sample answers: 'I suppose some people might be put off by the travelling involved, but that's one of the attractive aspects as far as I'm concerned.'
'No reservations, just a question: How long before I'd be handling my own accounts?'

7. Why aren't you earning more at your age?You might not agree with the assumption behind this question, but John Lees argues it would be a mistake to challenge the interviewer over that. Instead he suggests giving an answer which shows you have taken the long view - or that you're not motivated entirely by financial reward.
Sample answers: 'I decided that the company I was with offered me far better training opportunities than I could get elsewhere. Now that I am fully qualified, however, I want to achieve the going rate for the job.'
'I have had opportunities to move into higher-paid roles, but I have always chosen jobs that I find stimulating and interesting.'
Book recommendation: Job Interviews: Top Answers to Tough Questions by John Lees, McGraw-Hill Professional; 3 edition (16 July 2012)

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Which tablet is best for value?

 

Buying a tablet computer can be confusing, but there are now devices to fit all needs.

How to pick the best tablet computer for you

We've hand-picked the best out of today's crop of 7-inch and 10-inch tablets - including little-known bargain models including a 10-inch Disgo tablet for just £155.

Buying a tablet can be confusing, with models ranging in price from £129 to £600, and running Android, Windows or iOS.

Whether you're a reluctant computer user, a hardcore gamer or someone who wants a machine that'll help with work, there are now tablets to fit your needs - and not all of them are made by Apple.

The tablets below are hand-picked out of today's crop of 7-inch and 10-inch tablets - including little-known bargain models including a 10-inch Disgo tablet for just £155.

Best for beginners

iPad Mini: With a starting price of £269, the iPad Mini is the cheapest most portable iPad to date, featuring a 7.9-inch instead of 9.7-inch screen.

With a single home button and apps in regimented rows, it’s near impossible to get lost when navigating the Mini, making it one of the easiest tablets to use.

If you are a tech novice, buy the Mini from the Apple Store and staff will set it up your email and even show you how to download apps.

Amazon Kindle Fire HD

Despite running Android, the Kindle Fire HD doesn’t look like a typical Android tablet and can’t access the Google Play Store - but it's actually must simpler to use.

This means the user experience is more streamlined than some Android tablets and you can buy apps, games, movies and music from the Kindle Store using an Amazon account.

If you don’t mind buying all your content from Amazon, the Kindle Fire HD is an affordable (£159) beginner-friendly tablet.

[Related: The Most Impressive New Phone]

Best for value

Google Nexus 7

Released at the end of 2012 the Google Nexus 7 was a groundbreaking tablet, running the latest version of Android (Jelly Bean) and packing a powerful quad-core processor for just £159.  Despite the low price, the Nexus 7 feels like a premium tablet, with performance ably matching pricier rivals.

Overall, the Google Nexus 7 offers a lot of features for a relatively small financial outlay and as a Nexus branded device, it’s guaranteed at least two more significant operating system updates, direct from Google adding new features.

Disgo Tablet

The Disgo 8104 runs the slightly older Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system, but you’ll still be able to access email and browse the web on the generous 10.1-inch screen.

There are compromises - you can’t access the Google Play Store and the screen and processor are no match for the similarly priced Nexus 7, but a mini-HDMI output (for hooking the tablet up to a monitor or HD TV), front-facing camera and microSD card slot are surprising inclusions for just £155.

Best for business

Microsoft SurfaceRT/Pro

Competent Microsoft Office users will want to ensure work is easily accessible, editable and compatible across devices and there's no tablet better suited to Office's features than Microsoft's own Surface tablets.
The more affordable Surface RT and more powerful (but more expensive) Surface Pro support dedicated versions of the Office suite (Word, Excel, Powerpoint etc), running on Windows RT and Windows 8 respectively.  When paired to the TouchCover or TypeCover keyboards, either makes for a powerful mobile workstation.

Asus Transformer Pad Infinity

One of the most powerful Android tablets around, this HD, quad-core toting device features a hybrid design which lets users navigate via the hardware keyboard and trackpad or the touchscreen. Should the laptop-style form factor not suit your needs, the display undocks and works as a fully functioning, standalone 10.1-inch Android tablet for business on-the-go.
The Transformer Pad Infinity features a professional metal finish and there are a host of apps designed to support files from a range of software including Microsoft Office.

Best for films and TV

Apple iPad

With a bright, sharp and colourful 9.7-inch Retina screen, the Apple iPad 4 is the perfect device for watching movies and TV programmes. 

Download BBC iPlayer, 4oD and ITV Player apps for catch up services, some live streams and thanks to a recent update on the iPlayer app; offline downloads. For a monthly fee Netflix (£5.99) and Lovefilm (£4.89) offer unlimited streaming of movie and TV shows. Alternatively user can download and rent TV shows and movies from the iTunes Store. In short it’s the rich selection of apps from content providers that makes the iPad so good for movies and TV.

Google Nexus 10

With pin-sharp detail and vivid colours the Google Nexus 10 is one of the best Android tablets for watching movies. The Google Play store offers a wide selection of movies to buy and rent, but unfortunately TV shows are only available in the US.

Streaming TV programmes falls to the likes of the ITV Player and BBC iPlayer apps, however there’s no option for offline downloads like on the iPad. Netflix is available for movie streaming but Lovefilm doesn’t currently allow streaming to Android devices.

Despite the Nexus 10’s fantastic hardware, more content is available for iOS uses, so the iPad is our tablet of choice for entertainment.

Best for gamers

Google Nexus 7
The Nexus 7 might not be the most powerful Android tablet you can buy, but thanks to a winning combination of portability, performance and price, it’s our choice for gaming. The quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor ably handles graphically intensive games and the TegraZone app provides access to optimised games like Shadowgun. Weighing just 340g, the Nexus 7 is small enough for gaming anywhere - from a commute to a holiday, but hardcore gamers should opt for 16GB or 32GB iterations.

Apple iPad 4

When Apple introduced the iPad 4 in late 2012 the powerful A6X chip, made it more powerful and responsive than ever, effortlessly running graphically intensive 3D games smoothly. Where the iPad really wins is in the quantity of games available - both free and paid.

From the 3D goodness of Temple Run 2, addictive throwaway Angry Birds Star Wars,  graphically intensive N.O.V.A.3 and Shadowgun -  there’s something for everyone and all look incredibly lifelike on the 9.7-inch Retina display.

Best for creative types

Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

What makes the Note 10.1 stand out from other Android tablets is the built-in stylus - or S-Pen - suitable for writing, drawing and navigating on the 10.1-inch screen. 1024 pressure sensitivity levels provide exceptional control with optimised apps, such as Samsung’s S-Note (for note taking) and Photoshop Touch (for photo editing). For sketching, designing, or editing photos on-the-go, the Galaxy Note 10.1 is the tablet to choose.

Apple iPad

The iPad 4 is one of the best tablets for photo fans.  Apple released a Lightning to SD Card Camera reader (£25), allowing photos and movies to be imported directly for editing, alternatively the iSight camera takes respectable 5-megapixel photos and full HD movies. 

Bright, bold colours and exceptionally sharp, the 9.7-inch Retina Display is fantastic for performing fine edits using optimised apps like Sketchbook Pro or iMovie.

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The Most Impressive New Phone BlackBerry's new 'BB10'

 

Celeb testers such as Stephen Fry and Jonathan Ross have raved about BlackBerry's new mobiles.

lackBerry's upcoming 'BB10' operating system has garnered rave reviews in advance of its Wednesday launch - gadget fan Jonathan Ross describes it as "the most impressive new phone I've played with."

Stephen Fry - another early tester - said that the new operating system offered "amazing features."

The 'new' BlackBerry offers 'personal' and 'work' modes, and a 'flowing' approach to switching between apps.

The first handsets are touchscreens, rather than QWERTY handsets - a radical new move from the smartphone pioneer.

Shares in RIM, the Canadian company behind BlackBerry, have surged in advance of the launch, more than doubling in four months after falling to a low of $6.22 in September.
BB10 is widely seen as a 'last chance' for the company. Its PlayBook tablet was a flop, and the company's market share in smartphones dropped from 40% to 4% in just four years.

BlackBerry is to spend a reported £2.3 million on a single 30-second advert during The Super Bowl - part of a global marketing drive for the new operating system.

Gadget review sites have been enthusiastic about the new operating system, which will be used in six new handsets by the end of the year.

TechRadar said, "We were impressed with how smooth and slick the interface felt under out fingers –  the gestures work very, very well after a few minutes, the powerful messaging ecosystem is still there and even the on screen keyboard is great.

"It's a bold move, and one technophiles will love. If the hardware is decent too, there may be enough BB fans out there willing to use the finger-flicking platform... but with so many things to learn, it will take some serious and quick eduction to get users up to speed."

The OS is designed to allow users to hop easily between applications using gesture control, and access information such as new emails far more quickly than rival OSes iOS and Android.
Jefferies & Co analyst Peter Misek, said recent trials of BB10 test devices showed vast improvements over its existing smartphones.

"Recent tests and demos have shown a solid browser, smooth touch interface, and intuitive navigation. We now believe the operating system performance could be better than or equal to Android Jelly Bean and likely on par with iOS 6," said Misek, referring to the latest versions of software powering Android and Apple devices.

 Crony Trading Ltd

Can big business save us all?

 

New businesses are hoping to improve the world as well as make money but can they succeed at both?

Waterless toilets in Madagascar and off-grid electricity for the developing world.

An iPad solution to help British children overcome serious communication and learning difficulties and an online platform to help fund your local playground or community project.

An enterprise that successfully trains and hires new apprentices from disadvantaged backgrounds and one that is proven to help young offenders stop offending.

What have these businesses got in common? They are part of the growing entrepreneurial revolution that could change society.

Welcome to the world of social enterprise. And it promises to change the way we all interact with, and feel about, entrepreneurs and business.

A new platform for an established idea

Social enterprise is not new. Victorian philanthropists, appalled by the inequalities of everyday life, set about creating entrepreneurial charities, mutuals, co-operatives, industrial and provident organisations.

The seeds of modern-day social enterprise were sown in groundbreaking initiatives such as ‘The Big Issue’ or commercial organisations such as The Body Shop, which proved there was room for a mainstream business with a social conscience.

The Eden Project, Jamie Oliver’s restaurant Fifteen, Café Direct - the UK’s largest Fairtrade hot drinks company and Fair-trade chocolate company Divine Chocolate, co-owned by Ghanaian cocoa farmers, are the poster children of the current social enterprise sector.

The latest authoritative Government data from 2010 suggests there are about 68,000 social enterprises in the UK, contributing £24 billion to the economy and employing 800,000 people.

But this underestimates the real growth in the sector over the last few years. A social enterprise revolution is well underway. A new breed of entrepreneurs are turning their backs on traditional careers to put something back into society. From health and education to tackling waste and poverty - new technology, new practices and new solutions are creating a new way of doing things.

The new wave

Take pioneering programmes like the Big VentureChallenge. Created by UnLtd, a charity that backs and supports social entrepreneurs, it promises to change the social enterprise landscape in the UK. Following a successful pilot, UnLtd has just secured an groundbreaking partnership with the Big Lottery Fund.

The new programme will provide expert support for 100 of the best and brightest social enterprises, projects that can create a scalable and sustainable difference to lives in the UK. There is also £5 million of funding available to match new investments for those selected. The call for ambitious and aspiring social enterprises is open now and closes in early February.

The new Impact Investments fund from Nesta - a charity that backs innovation - is also a defining initiative that backs businesses that are trying to solve some of our most serious social problems - a rapidly ageing population, chronic youth unemployment and fuel poverty, to give just a few examples.

Then there is the 'big daddy' of the social investment world - Big Society Capital. Launched last year it is a financial institution tasked with developing a sustainable social investment market in the UK. Backed by up to £400 million of deposits transferred from dormant bank accounts, it is backing financial intermediaries in the social sector - organisations that are supporting those that aim to tackle important social problems.

A needed development

The roots of the new social enterprise revolution have been sown by savage cuts in public spending and grants, hitting public services and charities alike. This has created a new breed of social enterprises that know they have to stand on their own two feet and have to create a sustainable (and this implies profitable) business model to survive.

This has created plenty of controversy and could prove to be the defining debate of this decade. Should social entrepreneurs be able to make money for themselves and for shareholders and backers or should profits be ploughed back into society?

On a bigger scale, should larger public services be outsourced to a new breed of private operators, ranging from Virgin to O2?

Should you take profit from altruism?

From an entrepreneur's perspective, I still see a sector starved of capital. Growing inequality of wealth means the world’s social problems are getting worse rather than better.

There is a crying need to attract support from everywhere - from angel investors, to the wider investment community and, yes, from corporations, too. The social enterprise sector needs to adopt a grown-up business attitude if it is to mature. It needs impact investors to make a real impact.

So far, many social entrepreneurs and enterprises that I see do a sterling job at a community level - but haven’t created meaningful impact at scale.

And if entrepreneurs can clearly prove they are creating (and will carry on creating) a meaningful and measurable social impact - creating real cost savings or inventing new and better ways of doing things - I don’t see why they cannot share in society’s gain.

The bottom line is we now need bigger and better social enterprise success stories in the UK or a new dawn will turn out to be another false dawn.

I personally don’t mind if these are done through not-for-profit or for-profit vehicles, as long as they produce the backing, innovation, impact and measurable change that is desperately needed.

To succeed, the social enterprise sector needs to do all it can to attract the best entrepreneurial talent - which is why initiatives like the Big Venture Challenge are so important and why I want to do all I can to help the social enterprise sector become that much more enterprising.

Hybrid PC Laptops Work and play: The best of both

Combining the portability of a tablet with the work-friendly keyboard of a laptop a hybrid PC could be for you.

 

The best 'hybrid' PCs - half laptop, half touchscreen

 'Ultrabook' convertibles are lightweight machines that can transform from a laptop into a tablet - we test five of the best.

Tablet computers have begun to eat away at the sales of traditional laptops - but a new breed of computer offers the best of both worlds.

'Ultrabook' convertibles are lightweight machines that can transform from a laptop into a tablet.

For people who want the mobility offered by tablets such as iPad, but need a hard keyboard for work, they're a good choice, running the work-friendly Windows 8, which offers apps such as Word and Powerpoint.

Most are on the pricey side, but powerful, offering large screens, top-end processors and start-up times measured in seconds.

Lenovo's take on 'hybrid' PCs twists round to transform. (Image:  …Lenovo's take on 'hybrid' PCs twists round to transform. (Image:  …Lenovo ThinkPad Twist - £886.15 from www.dabs.com

Designed to appeal to the business boffins, this convertible device is svelte with a screen that can rotate 180 degrees. With 4GB of RAM and an Intel Core i5 processor, you'll be up and running in moments - it's a decent all-rounder.

 

 

Dell's XPS 12 flips over in a cradle to 'transform' into a tablet …Dell XPS 12 - £979 from www.dell.co.uk
The slick flip-and-fold action of the screen takes it from a laptop to a tablet in one fluid motion - it looks great, and the 12.5 inch screen is Full HD. The backlit keyboard adds a touch of glamour to a typically businesslike machine from Dell.

 

 

This smart-looking computing system, with a 13.3in screen, boasts …Asus UX32A-R3021H Ultrabook - £792 from www.pixmania.com
This smart-looking computing system, with a 13.3in screen, boasts an impressive seven hours of battery life, which alone makes it worth every penny. The start-up time is admirable too. From power request to fully operational, it takes mere seconds. And that's what we want - no more waiting.

 

This is a perfect performer in the transformation stakes, moving from …Toshiba Satellite Ultrabook 12.5in - £967.19 from http://uk.insight.com
This is a perfect performer in the transformation stakes, moving from tablet to laptop in a rather swish sliding movement, but this hybrid's performance in the computing stakes shouldn't be forgotten too. It comes with pre-loaded software and packs a lot of storage to give you that PC experience while on the go.

It's a quick starter with a speedy Intel Core i7 processor and Windows …Sony Vaio Duo 11 - £849 from www.sony.co.uk
This beauty from Sony shows that the Japanese giant has not lost its world-beating expertise in laptops. It's a quick starter with a speedy Intel Core i7 processor and Windows 8, and it boasts a decent battery and full HD touchscreen, which is extremely responsive for all your games, apps and photo and video needs.

 

Lightweight, sleek and chic-looking, this device is one of the best …Asus Taichi - £999.99 from www.expansys.com
Lightweight, sleek and chic-looking, this device is one of the best for speed, form and overall functionality. It's Windows 8 ready and thanks to Asus Simple Show, you're able to show off your photos, presentations and videos on the external screen while simultaneously controlling them on the internal display.

Crony Trading LTD Laptops Technology

What are your work rights in bad weather?

When snow and ice hits and your efforts to get to work fail, can your boss force you to take unpaid leave?

It’s snowing: Can I take a day off work?

What are your rights if you can’t get to work because of the snow or if your office is closed?

Heather Hughes puts the finishing touches on her team's snow fort preceding an official attempt to break the Guinness World Records for the world's largest snowball fight

 When snow and ice are affecting the country, with treacherous road links, suspended rail services and closed schools, what are your rights if you cannot get into work? Moneywise looks at some of the common dilemmas workers — and employers - face, and what the law says in response.

Q: The snow has made my journey into work a real trial and I've told my boss I cannot make it in. Will I get in trouble?
If travel disruption is preventing you from getting into work you should talk to your employer to see how the land lies. Your employer can force you to take unpaid leave, take off holiday days or work flexible hours. Provided you've shown that you've made the effort to get into work, your boss should be sympathetic towards your situation.
It's also worth checking your employment contract or staff handbook to see if there is anything on your rights around this issue or if you feel that your employer is acting unfairly.

Q: My employer is forcing me to take holiday off because I cannot get into work, is this allowed?
Employers have to give staff a minimum notice period before they can force you to take holiday leave. For example, if you need to take a day's leave because of the weather conditions, they must give you two days' notice of this.

Q: I'm being forced to take unpaid leave because of the snow, is this fair?
If you cannot travel into work, your employer could suggest that you take a day of unpaid leave. If this isn't included in your employment contract, however, you cannot be forced to take unpaid leave. It's best to negotiate with your boss the best options — although annoying to lose a day's pay you may prefer this to taking compulsory holiday.

Q: My boss wants me to work from home, which would be fine but I don't have an Internet connection so am limited with what I can do. How can I rectify this?
Working from home is an increasingly popular option and in most cases technology means this is possible. If you don't have all the facilities you need at home speak to your employer and establish what you can do at home and then offer to make up the rest of the hours at another date.
However, if you don't currently work flexible hours under your contract, your boss cannot force you to do so. On the other hand you have to weigh up if you'd prefer to do this rather than have to take off extra holiday or unpaid leave.

Q: The school my children go to has closed because of cold weather and I have no childcare arrangements. Can my employer force me to take the time off as holiday?
You have no reason to feel guilty or panic, under the employment rights act 1996, an employee is entitled to take a reasonable amount of time off work because of an unexpected disruption to childcare arrangements.

Q: My workplace has closed because of the bad weather, what does that mean for me?
Good news, if you cannot get into the office and have no work to do at home then your employer cannot dock your pay or force you to take annual leave. Time for a snowball fight…

Q: Despite struggling into work in snowy conditions and with disruptions to my journey, half of my colleagues haven't made the same effort. Can I get anything in recognition of my efforts?
Unfortunately, you are not entitled to any kind of reward — be it monetary or extra holiday days; however, it's unlikely to go unnoticed by your boss.

And finally something for employers to think about…
Local authorities may well be warning people to avoid leaving their homes or make journeys unless absolutely necessary. You have a duty of care to your employees and could be liable if you have pressurised workers to come in when conditions are dangerous or their health is at risk.

London Views from Tallest Building Sold Out

What can visitors expect from their £25 trip up the 1,015ft London landmark when it opens next month?

 

Shard's unforgettable - and sold out - views'

It's billed as 'a new symbol for the city' where you can see for 40 miles on a clear day, but do the lofty heights do justice to the hype surrounding the £500m attraction?

From London Heathrow to London Sightseeing Tour

Yahoo! News UK takes a trip up the 1,015ft tower to see what visitors can expect for their £25.
Looming large over the capital's skyline, the unmistakable shape of the Shard has been a familiar London landmark for almost two years.

Next month, 12 years after its design was sketched on the back of a restaurant menu, the tallest building in Europe will open to the public.

Already the opening day for the attraction - February 1 - is sold out, as is the second day, February 2.

Spectacular: The Shard has been 12 years in the making (© The View from The Shard)

  

Visitors will get the chance to scale 72 floors of the 1,015ft skyscraper, before marveling at the panoramic views of London below.

It's billed as 'a new symbol for the city' where you can see for 40 miles on a clear day, but do the lofty heights do justice to the hype surrounding the £500m attraction?

From the moment visitors step through the glass doors at ground level of the Shard, it's clear its makers want you to experience more than just 'the tallest building in Europe'.

Next to the sleek and spacious entrance hall, tourists are greeted by pictures of famous Londoners in bizarre computer-enhanced situations.

Think Kate Moss marrying Henry VIII, Richard Branson manning a hot dog stand, and Margaret Thatcher and Karl Marx on a tandem bike ride.

It's one of several imaginative touches designed to help visitors 'learn about London in a different way', rather than just take in the spectacular view. 

Visitors are given a tongue-in-cheek look at famous Londoners on the ground floor ( © The View from The Shard)

 

 

Those heading straight for the upper echelons will see various other visual aids before they reach the summit.

A painted floor on level 33 maps out London and describes the highlights of each suburb, before challenging you to 'test your knowledge of London'.

The floors above this level will feature a hotel, spa, and private residences.

London's landmarks look tiny from the 800ft high viewing platform (© The View from The Shard)After an 18-second lift ride up 35 floors, you arrive on level 68, where the view is tantalisingly obscured by clouds drawn onto the glass.

The designs describe the types of clouds you can expect to see from the top, as well as heightening the anticipation for the main event.

Climb a small flight of stairs, and you finally arrive on the level 69 viewing gallery - and the sight that greets you is undeniably breathtaking.

Gazing downward, giant landmarks like the Gherkin, Monument and Tower Bridge appear as stumpy childrens' toys.

Getting a bird's eye view as tiny trains snake away from London Bridge station directly beneath you is also an unforgettable moment.

On a crystal clear day it is claimed you can see to France from this platform.

Unfortunately, drizzle and mist on the day I visit mean anything beyond the London Eye is obscured by fog.

Canary Wharf and the Olympic Stadium also remain disappointingly out of view.

Visitors on sunnier days will have no such misfortune, and can look forward to stunning vistas across the entire south-east.

Those looking for London's landmarks are given a helping hand with interactive 'Tell:scopes' - state of the art digital telescopes which present factoids for the various buildings in users' line of vision.

While admiring the view, I learn that the Gherkin is London's most energy-efficient building, and that the Monument is the tallest isolated stone column in the world.

The digital telescopes were originally going to cost extra to use (they each have a credit card slot), but bosses decided against charging extra on top of what is already a hefty entrance price.

Loo with a view: Even the toilets have spectacular vistas (© The View from The Shard)

Kevin Murphy, from Event Communications who helped develop the Shard as an 'attraction', says they wanted to give visitors 'impact' when they arrive at the Shard, and not just from the vertigo-inducing views.

He told Yahoo!: "This is the Eiffel Tower of London. When you go to the top of the Eiffel Tower though, what else do you get apart from the view?

"If you have an attraction in a tall building you can get people up there, show them the view, and take them down again.

"We wanted to provide a premium attraction with lots more information.

Level 72, where visitors are exposed to the elements (© The View from The Shard)

"It was very important that we gave visitors lots of impact in addition to the view, with video and audio."

If you want the authentic Shard experience however, climb up another three levels.

Floor 72 is the highest habitable level of the Shard, at a stomach-turning 244m (800ft) above ground.

It's on this floor - exposed to the elements - that your heart will skip a beat as you gaze across the capital.

The temperature drops several degrees, the wind swirls around you and street noise is clearly audible below.

The nighttime views from the Shard are equally stunning ( © The View from The Shard)

Rather than the glass walls and roof of the floors below, up on 72 the Shard's highest glass panels jut into the open air.

There is a fair amount of scaffolding still in place around the top floors of the building, but bosses insist the Shard will be shiny and complete by the time the first guests stream in on February 1.

The 'experience', as it is called, is certainly memorable - but many tourists will baulk at the £30 pay-on-the-day entrance fee.

Tickets in advance will set you back £24.95, while a child ticket costs £18.95 if booked ahead.
Heathrow to London sightseeing

Kevin Murphy says the price should be taken relatively to other London landmarks.

The Shard views are unbeatable, if you don't mind the hefty entrance fee (PA)

He said: "You have to compare it with what you get at other attractions around London.

"If you go to the London Dungeons you will pay a similar amount, but we believe you get a better experience here.

"That's not to say the Dungeons aren't a great attraction - they are quite different experiences - but there is nothing quite like the Shard in London."

There's no denying the Shard is a tourist trip which will hit you in the pocket, but for seeing London (and beyond) like never before, there isn't anything else like it.

Mobile phone with a 15 year battery

Unveiled - the mobile phone with a battery that lasts 15 years

The affordable mobile that runs on a single, AA battery and is built as a 'spare' phone for emergencies - it can even call emergency services without a SIM card. 

In a world of battery-hungry phones such as iPhones and Androids, the SpareOne Plus sticks out - its makers claim it lasts for 15 years.

The affordable mobile that runs on a single, AA battery and is built as a 'spare' phone for emergencies - it can even call emergency services without a SIM card.

Designed as a back-up phone you can carry without worrying if it’s charged or not, the SpareOne is built to leave in the car for emergencies, or to pack in travel luggage – especially if you or your loved ones plan to go off the beaten track (or off-piste).

The simple numerical keypad is also ideal for older users who might only use a phone occasionally.

The new version, SpareOne Plus, has a GPS tracker which allows the user to be tracked by emergency services - and can display its location on a paired iPhone
app.

The SpareOne can be pre-programmed for instant access to phone numbers of key contacts, including the relevant emergency services in any location.

That single battery offers a talk time of up to 10 hours.

The phone’s developer, XPAL Power, says: “it’s essentially designed to make and receive the most important calls, no matter what”.

It even comes with the AA battery included.

10 things you didn't know your phone could do

From monitoring your heart rate to matching paint colours, you'll be surprised how many things 'there's an app for'.

 

There are more than 30million smartphones in the UK and 60 per cent of mobiles are now smart, according to communications regulator Ofcom - but most of us barely dip into their potential functions.

From heart monitors where you place your finger on screen to apps that unlock your car, these are the ten best that you’ve probably never heard of…

1. Match paint colours

Want to paint your walls the same colour as your duvet – or replicate a colour you’ve seen somewhere else in your own home?

Well, ditch the Dulux catalogue and download the paint manufacturer’s free Let’s Colour Studio app on your iPhone instead.

All you then do is take a photo and let the app find the colour for you.

For £1, you can order a tester sample to make sure paint shade is just right. 

2. Use your phone as a spirit level

Want to make sure the shelves you put up aren’t sloping?

Don’t rummage around your toolbox – grab your phone.

The free iHandy level app, available on iPhone and Android, is even better.

Just place your handset on the item you want straight and it works in the same way as a traditional spirit level, using the phone's accelerometer. 

However, it also measures the degrees precisely so you can get it bang on zero easily.

3. Start your car

Fed up of going out on cold mornings and having to shiver as you drive off to work?

Well, download the Viper Smart App - on either an iPhone, Android or BlackBerry – and you won’t have to.

You'll need to have attached a Viper SmartStart system to your car's electronics, but the free app lets users unlock the car and turn the ignition remotely.

The app and SmartStart system also lets you track the vehicle’s movements – handy if you have teenage children borrowing your car. 

4. Measure things

Don’t have a tape measure big enough to measure buildings?

No problem – get yourself the £3.99 Dot Measure Pro app for iPhone or the less- effective-but-free Smart Measure Pro app for Android – and your handset will do it for you.

All you have to do is point your camera lens at what you want to measure and, using trigonometry, it will calculate how tall and wide it is – and far away you are from it.

5. Design your dream room

Want to rearrange your furniture are worried to risk doing it in case it won’t fit?

Well, using the £1.99 Mark On Call iPhone app, you can expertly plan how you want your room to look and the technology will do the maths for you. The app 'measures' furniture, then 'fits' it into a space - no more lifting and shifting in vain

6. Picture your dream home

Following on from Mark On Call, iPhone owners may want to visualise what the room space they have planned might look like.

To help them, the uDecore app creates an augmented reality image of how the chairs, tables and other furniture items might appear. 

7. Monitor your heart

Want to know how much your heart races after an encounter with your fire-breathing boss? There’s an app for that.

Azumio’s free Instant Heart rate app - available on iPhone, Android and Windows Phone – is so good it has won awards.

All you have to do is touch your phone screen for a few seconds and it will tell you how many beats per minute your heart is clocking.

It will also let you know where this fits in compared with your and everyone else’s average. 

8. Change TV channels

Fed up of losing the remote? Now you can install it on your phone instead.

ThinkFlood's £44.99 RedEye Mini dongle lets you change channels using your iPhone.

Just plug it in, download the software and then point at any TVand click to your heart’s content

The firm promises that an Android-compatible device is coming soon. 

9. Turn lights on – and change their colour

Turning on light switches from your wall too much effort?

Then do it using your phone. All you need are three Phillips Hue bulbs for an admittedly massive £179.99 and either an Android or iPhone.

Then you can turns the lights on or off and – this is its party trick – change the colour emitted from the clever LED lighting. 

10. Record TV shows

Forgor to set your Sky+ box to record a show?

Don’t worry – just download the satelite broadcaster’s free Mobile Record app and record and record it remotely from wherever you are in the world.

Why 'phablets' will be the biggest gadget of 2013

Tech giants will unveil gadgets mid-way between tablet PCs and phones at Las Vegas's CES tech show this week - and analysts predict they will be a hit.

‘Phablets’ have been tipped to be the biggest gadget of 2013 - touchscreen gadgets mid-way between iPad-style tablets and smartphones.

Several companies are expected to unveil five-inch phones at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas - and others will show off six-inch devices, nearly as big as Amazon’s Kindle Fire.

Analysts expect the ‘mid-sized’ devices to be a hit.

"We expect 2013 to be the Year of the Phablet," said Neil Mawston, UK-based executive director of Strategy Analytics' global wireless practice.

Samsung’s Galaxy Note II, unveiled at Berlin’s IFA trade show, has been a surprise hit, selling five million units - despite scepticism from tech pundits.

This week, Chinese telecommunications giants ZTE and Huawei will show off five-inch-plus Android tablets - with other manufacturers expected to follow suit.

The tablets are expected to be a hit in Asia in particular.  A poll of nearly 5,000 readers of Yahoo's Indonesian website chose Samsung's Galaxy Note 2 as their favourite mobile phone of 2012, ahead of the iPhone 5.

ZTE, which collaborated with Italy's designer Stefano Giovannoni for the Nubia phablet, is scheduled to launch its 5-inch Grand S, while Huawei brings out the Ascend Mate, sporting a whopping 6.1-inch screen, making it only slightly smaller than Amazon's Kindle Fire tablet.

"Users have realised that a nearly 5-inch screen smartphone isn't such a cumbersome device," said Joshua Flood, senior analyst at ABI Research in Britain.

"I think phone size was a preconceived notion based on voice usage," said John Berns, a Singapore-based executive who works in the information technology industry. He recently upgraded his Note for the newer Note 2 and bought another for his girlfriend for Christmas. "Smaller was better until phones got smart, became visual."