6 gift ideas for every type of dad The iD Community loves celebrating real-life heroes. For most of us, the best heroes on the planet are our parents. They’re the ones who come to our rescue and save the day, time after time. As Father’s Day is coming up very soon (Sunday 16th June), we’ve come up with some exciting ideas every super-dad will love! Buy one for dad to get in his good books, or if you’re a parent yourself – drop some hints with the kids. 1. For the music loving dad Every dad deserves quality time without distractions now and again, and that’s exactly what wireless noise-cancelling headphones are designed for. Our gift suggestion: Sony WH-CH700N Wireless Bluetooth Noise-Cancelling Headphones Sony WH-CH700N Wireless Bluetooth Noise-Cancelling Headphones have clever noise-cancelling technology that shuts unwanted noise out, so you can lose yourself in your favourite sounds. The sound quality is crystal clear, and there’s a smart function on board that lets y

A lot of mobile gamers are getting excited about 5G, the fifth generation of mobile networks – and rightly so. It’s going to be a massive leap forward in terms of speed and performance, and it should make gaming completely seamless and very, very fast. One cloud-based gaming service that look set to harness the power of 5G is Hatch. Let’s check it out. Hatch cloud gaming Hatch is currently the world’s only ‘made for 5G’ gaming service, although you’ll be pleased to hear that it also works just fine over 4G or a good Wi-Fi connection. It’s free to download onto Android phones and will be on other platforms soon, according to the webpage. Hatch has a selection of great mobile games that you can stream straight onto your phone and dive into straight away. You’ve got instant access to the likes of Angry Birds, Monument Valley, Hitman GO, Chameleon Run, Mini Metro, Beach Buggy Racing, Bad Piggies, Leo's Fortune and a whole load more. There are over 100 games to choose from at

Find out what we know about the latest Beta version of Apple iOS 12.3… It’s always an exciting time when there’s new releases. And, we’re usually kept on our toes with bits and pieces of information being teased out in the run up to the final date. Recently, Apple released the latest Beta update (Beta 4) for its latest iOS, 12.3. Right now, only registered developers are lucky enough to get their hands on it, and it’s likely that we’ll see a few more Beta releases before the final release. What will be in the final iOS 12.3 update?So far we haven’t really seen anything huge, and there doesn’t seem to be any visible changes to the looks of the operating system. The Beta 4 download comes in at around 164MB on an iPhone X, so most of the updates seem to be tweaks to enhancing performance. This is what we’ve found so far: · Faster menu navigation for older iPhones. · Updated modem firmware for better connectivity. · Minor tweaks to battery efficiency. iOS 13 is j

Facebook’s private messaging service could be set to return to the main app – here’s what we know… You might remember that back in 2011, the Facebook mobile app split in two - one for your social media feed and Facebook Messenger. At the time, it was unexpected and confusing, and it didn’t get the greatest of responses, but people still continued to use it and now we’ve just gotten used to the idea. Well, that might be about to change. Rumour has it that Facebook Messenger will be returning to the main app, letting you see your newsfeed and your messages all in one place. Don’t worry, the Messenger icon won’t just disappear from your phone, but now instead of opening the standalone app, it’ll just take you to the Facebook app and open a new section, originally called ‘Chats’. That’s how things used to work before things merged, but if you can’t quite remember that far back don’t worry, we’ve slept since then too. The word on the street is that Facebook are making this chang

Our pick of the best photo-editing apps you can use to make the most of your snaps. The cameras inside our smartphones are improving every time a new one is released, and that means we’re all taking more photos than ever. But, there’s more to getting the best pictures than having a great camera phone. The right app can make all the difference. The best photography apps don’t just put a nice filter on your pictures – they let you do so much more. Here’s our quick guide to some of the best photo-editing apps around. 1. Snapseed Snapseed is a filter-friendly app that specialises in giving your pictures a more artistic look and fine-tunes them, ready to share with your online followers. There are 29 filters to choose from, and all kinds of features to edit your photos, such as white balance for colour adjustment, and a healing tool that lets you get rid of unwanted background objects from the scene. A ‘lens blur’ tool even lets you add a bokeh effect (blurry background) just like the p

If you’re ready to take the plunge on a brand-new iPhone but just need a little guidance in the right direction, you’ve come to the right place. For the different needs, budgets and lifestyles, there’s an iPhone ready to take on them all.   Which iPhone suits what you need? Apple are certainly known for quality, seamless designs and top of the range tech, but how do their entry-level phones stack up against the more premium models? The best camera - iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max If you’re all about getting that perfect family photo the first time around, the iPhone 11 Pro makes it impossible to take a bad shot. Both the 5.8” iPhone 11 Pro and the larger 6.5” Pro Max feature three 12MP cameras on the back, making them the first iPhones to have a triple camera setup. Thanks to a combination of Wide, Ultra-Wide and Telephoto lenses along with 10x digital zoom, you can capture just about any scene. If night time photography is your passion, the new Night mode uses clever AI to bring detail to

Everyone needs some Insta-goals, so we’ve pulled together our top Instagram profiles for all the things that truly matter, Food, Fitness, Tech and Fashion. FOOD: Pie Fiends, Look Jo Further No pie is ever too pretty to eat, right? Well, we’ve met our match with this one. Jojo Harrington is a woman with a tasty-mission: to bake the perfect pie. And from scrolling through her Instagram, we’d say she’s doing a scrumptiously good job so far. But what we really want to know, is what she does with all her pies, and how we can get our finger-licking hands on them. Follow @jojoromancer FITNESS: Join the Kayla movement Bodybuilder, fitness model, best-selling author AND over 7 million followers: it’s safe to say Kayla Itsines is one of those over-achievers we love to hate. Even more annoying, she's only 26. The Australian trainer has abs we’d only have if we painted them on. Just scroll through her Instagram and you’ll see how sickeningly healthy she is: mini workouts, tra

The ‘force touch’ is having a makeover… You may remember back in 2014 when Apple announced one of its most exciting screen features on a range of its devices: 3D Touch. Known as ‘force touch’ amongst the geeks and manufacturers, this innovative tech was a game-changer for the touch screen. Beforehand, most of our devices’ touch screens had no measurement of pressure, which allowed for a few ‘long press’ features but (as the name suggests) took some time to activate. Force touch was able to remove that problem, offering the features as soon as you press the screen a little harder. Historically, Android handsets have only sported the ‘long press’ feature, introduced on the Android 8 Oreo OS. But we’ve heard that the latest OS update Android Q might be finding its own way to incorporate some pressure-touch tech. The idea is that if you press harder on an Android app, it’d offer you different shortcuts to certain areas of it – the ‘Compose an email’ section of a mail app, for example

We recently got to try out Samsung's latest mid-range releases, the A80 and A70 smartphones, at their incredible Milan launch event in April. See our first impressions... Getting to grips with the Galaxy A80Samsung have only just finished wowing us with the Galaxy S10 Series, but they went ahead and gave us another amazing range of devices anyway – the Galaxy A range. We were lucky enough to get out hands on one of Samsung’s new additions, the mid-range Galaxy A80, which has some pretty serious specs under the hood. 6.7 inches of edge-to-edge screenThat’s right, the screen on the Samsung Galaxy is 6.7 inches of uninterrupted display, so there’s plenty of space whether you love getting wrapped up in your favourite films or getting lost in a mobile adventure game. And when we say uninterrupted, we mean it. It’s the first Galaxy on offer that doesn’t have the infamous notch, so you can enjoy the whole Super AMOLED screen like you’re meant to, with all the images and colours in stunning

Want to take professional looking shots with arty blurred backgrounds? Then the bokeh effect is what you're looking for. Read on to find out more! Bokeh comes from the Japanese word ‘boke’, which means ‘blur’ or ‘haze’, and the first thing you might be wondering is, how on earth do you pronounce it? Some people say “bo-key”, some go with “boo-kay”. So, why not check with a Japanese speaking photography expert? According to Ryu Nagase, Product Management Director at Cannon, it’s actually pronounced “boh-keh”. Now we’ve got that cleared up, let’s take a look at what exactly it is and how you can improve your phone pics with it. What is the bokeh effect? Simply put, it refers to the blur of objects in your image, other than the subject of your photo. If you’re taking a photo of an item or a person, a bokeh effect can really add a sense of depth to your image while giving the subject a lot more definition. Until recently, the only way to capture bokeh images was by using an ex

Mental Health Awareness Week starts on Monday 15th May, hosted by the Mental Health Foundation.To support this initiative, we’ve got some tips on digital wellbeing we’d like to share with you. It’s important to feel good when you’re using your smartphone, and we think this advice will help you do just that.  Avoid social comparisonWe all love scrolling through our social media feeds, but the downside is that it’s easy to feel like you’re in competition with others. Remember, what you see online isn’t an accurate portrayal of reality – so if anyone’s images make you feel insecure, try and ignore them. Better still, unfollow or block that person. Be yourself When you’re on social media, be yourself and stay positive. Write posts that will put a smile on your friends' faces, and don't feel like you've always got to put filters on your photos before you share them. You’ll feel better for it. Use mindfulness to stay positiveMindfulness can help you focus on the things you like about yoursel

We all know what SIM cards are – they manage your number and network connection. But what are dual SIM phones? And more importantly, how do they work? Let’s go ahead and find out. What is a dual SIM phone? A dual SIM phone is a phone that can handle two SIM cards at once - which is ideal for anyone who has two different numbers or data plans. Let’s say, for example, you needed one SIM card primarily for calls and texts and the other has a big data package which you use to browse and use social media with. With a dual SIM phone, you can switch between them depending on what you need at the time. Other examples where you’d need a dual SIM phone is if you had a work number and a personal number, or if you travel frequently and need to switch to the local SIM card as soon as you arrive. But in true dual SIM fashion, there are not one but two types of dual SIM phones. You’ve got DSDA and DSFA. How do DSDA phones work? DSDA stands for Dual SIM Dual Standby and means that when you’re us

Creating an actual worldwide web Dial-up may feel like ancient history, but some of the world is yet to catch up when it comes getting online. Getting every part of the world – even the remote parts – onto the web isn’t exactly easy, but some companies are up to the challenge. OneWeb says it wants to see everyone connected, “including those on the move— on the road, in the air, or at sea. We envision a world where all people have access and hold the power to create opportunity for themselves and others wherever they are.” The idea is that by using a global set of low-earth orbit satellites, even the most isolated parts of the world should be able to enjoy high-speed broadband. Sounds ambitious, certainly, but OneWeb has already launched its first successful satellite, and has received funding to continue the next-gen plan. Making a change with Social Media Social media is key to making a real impact these days, both locally and globally. Increasingly, we’re turning to social media

Here’s what we’re expecting to see from Apple’s new online gaming subscription service… What is Apple Arcade?The easiest way to describe Apple Arcade is as an online gaming subscription service – like Netflix but for Apple gamers. The service will feature over 100 games which will all be exclusive to Apple, and there will be a single price plan that lets you play any game on any of your Apple devices. The beauty of a service like this is that, just like Netflix, you can jump from one device to another. Play a game on your iPhone while you’re on the train, then pick up where you left off on your Apple TV when you get home. What devices can I use to play Apple Arcade games?You’ll be able to play Apple Arcade games on pretty much any Apple device, so that’s iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV. And according to Apple, all games will be available offline, so you won’t have any issues playing on the go. What games will be available?The fixed monthly fee will give you unlimited access to over

Whether you’re new to the world of Apple or want to start making FaceTime calls on your current iPhone. Here is your guide to video calling, and the most seamless way to do it… So, why FaceTime instead of calling? Quite simply because if you’re an iPhone user it’s the easiest way to do it. Plus, if any of your contacts use an iPhone, you’ll be able to audio or video call them for free when you’re connected to a strong internet connection. How to set up FaceTime The FaceTime app should come pre-installed on every iPhone, but in the event that you’ve deleted it, re-installing it is super easy. Here’s how: 1. Click on the App Store 2. Search for FaceTime (it’s the green icon with a white video camera icon) 3. Click GET 4. Confirm the free download And then you should have the FaceTime app back on your iPhone’s home screen. How to make a call on FaceTime 1. Open the FaceTime app 2. Press the + button in the top right 3. In the ‘To:’ box, type in the con

Your smartphone can help keep you fit and healthy. One of its neatest tricks is monitoring your heart. In fact, it's so neat that hospitals are now interested in this mobile tech. A study has revealed that a new smartphone-controlled heart monitor is far more effective (and cheaper) at diagnosing cardiovascular issues than a standard ECG monitor. Joint research by the British Heart Foundation and Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland found that a smartphone ECG “increased the number of patients in whom an ECG was captured during symptoms over five-fold to more than 55%”, which opens up a whole realm of possibilities with this innovative, low-expense technology. The device is to be carried by paramedics in A&E departments, who will measure the patient’s heartbeat at the scene and send the data off for a doctor to interpret. Smartphones saving lives? Sounds good to us! Do you use the heart rate monitor on your phone? Have you tried a heart rate monitor out on your smartphone

Netflix is testing out a new mobile-only app that costs half as much as a full subscription. Here’s everything we know about the trial. A good Netflix binge can be the perfect way to while away a rainy afternoon, and with rumours circulating around price rises for the beloved streaming service, it’s welcome news that they’re also testing a new mobile-only app, which would cost up to half the price of a normal package. What is the mobile-only Netflix app? It’s a version of Netflix aimed at users watching on their mobile phones. In a statement to The Verge, Netflix said “We are always looking for ways to make Netflix more enjoyable and accessible. We will be testing different options in select countries, where members can, for example, watch Netflix on their mobile device for a lower price and subscribe in shorter increments of time.” The last part is interesting because it could mean they start offering lower priced weekly or bi-weekly subscriptions, alongside the monthly plans

We’re not saying you should spend your holiday glued to your phone, but it can be a great help! Make the most of your holiday by checking out our top apps to download and take on your travels… BBC Weather Free to download on iOS and Android We hate our unpredictable weather in the UK, but it can sometimes be just as bad abroad. Download the BBC Weather app ahead of time, so you’ll have the forecast at your fingertips when you’re away. You can then plan your time more confidently, and it’ll also prevent you shelling out for an excursion if it’s going to be in the middle of downpour! It’s quick and easy to check the daily and weekly forecast in pretty much any location in the world. Babbel Free to download on iOS and Android Learning a bit of local lingo if you’re heading abroad can make such a difference to your trip. You’ll feel more at ease communicating with locals and will get much more out of the experience. If you’re up for the challenge, download Babbel and try out some o

Twitter has unveiled its new Snapchat-like camera for Android and iOS. Find out what you can expect from Twitter’s new integrated camera... Twitter’s new camera is ready for action It’s been in the works for a while now, but Twitter finally rolled out its new integrated Snapchat-like camera. The feature will be available on Android and iOS mobile apps, where users will be able to take and share pictures instantly, within the app. Tweeting using the new camera If you’ve already been lucky enough to receive the update, you will now be able to swipe left from your main timeline screen in the app, and you’ll open a dedicated camera screen. This then allows you to take a photo, video, or live stream straight to all your followers with Capture and Live Capture. In Capture, just tap to take a photo or long press to shoot a video, while Live will start broadcasting straight away. For even more customisation, you can overlay the image/video with text, your favourite hashtags or a location,

Huawei says the P30 “rewrites the rules of photography” and you know what, they might be right… The P30 comes in two options, there’s the regular P30 and the P30 Pro. So let’s take a look at the P30 before checking out what extras you get from the P30 Pro… The triple lens setup on the P30 gives you a 40MP wide-angle lens, 16MP ultra-wide lens and an 8MP telephoto lens. Last year’s flagship, the P20, featured one of the best phone cameras of 2018. So with the huge improvements made to the P30’s camera, could this actually be the best phone camera ever? Let’s take a look… 10x lossless zoomThe P30 combines two new features to deliver an incredible zoom capability. Huawei has developed a new ‘periscope’ lens stacking system which arranges five hidden zoom lenses inside the phone. They’re stacked vertically with light reflected into the lenses using a 90-degree prism – clever stuff indeed. This means the phone is capable of an incredible 5x optical zoom. As well as the clever perisco

Now that most of us are at home for a lot more of the time, it’s more vital than ever that we take care of our health. We’ve seen people building makeshift training circuits in their gardens, doing yoga in their living rooms and resistance band workouts in the kitchen. However, mental health is just as important as physical health. Here are our favourite apps that are great for mindfulness, meditation and clearing your head from stress:   Headspace iOS/Android It makes total sense to start with a no-brainer. Headspace is one of the best-known meditation apps out there, and from personal experience, it’s really effective. The app eases you into the essentials of meditation and mindfulness with a free 10-part basics course. Each of these sessions will come in three, five or 10-minute chunks, so you can pick a session based on how much time you have. The meditations are quite easy to follow, too. Once you’ve completed the free trial you’ll need to pay for further sessions – but whether

Samsung recently launched its new Galaxy S10 range, so we thought it was time we checked out the entry level Galaxy S10e. This is a smartphone with a lot going for it, and we’re not just talking about the low price tag… The S10e looks and feels just as good as the S10 It might be the more affordable version of the Galaxy S10, but the S10e is certainly no budget phone. It’s got a nice big 5.8-inch screen with a crystal clear, Full HD+ resolution. The super-thin bezels make the most of phone’s surface area and the curved screen corners give the phone a super stylish and bang up to date feel. The S10e doesn’t come with the curved screen like you get on most Samsung flagships, but we don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. A flatter screen can give you a more secure grip. So, if you’re not a fan of wrapping your beautifully designed phone in a big, bulky case, the S10e might just give you a bit more peace of mind. Excellent build quality with an IP68 rating There was a time when an

Android Q is coming soon. We don't know exactly what it'll be called yet (quiche, perhaps? ), but we do know that it'll be coming to more smartphones than ever before. Google drummed up a lot of excitement last year when it announced all the Android handsets that were eligible for the 9 Pie operating system. But this time, it’s expected to roll the beta version out to an even wider range of smartphones in 2019 - making this year the biggest rollout in history. This move is part of a wider effort from Google to make it easier and faster for Android users to update their devices, an initiative named Project Treble. What new features will Android Q have? Here are a few of our favourite features that Google confirmed will be on Android Q, according to its recent Android Developers Blog post. Foldable support. Android Q will be offering support for "foldables and innovative new screens". This is more of a back-end feature for developers, but it’s still exciting news for anyone

Don’t believe everything you hear. A few mobile myths seem to have cropped up over the years, and they’re simply not true. Here are five of the most persistent tall stories you should be ignoring. 1. “You need to let your battery go down to 0% before recharging” False. Couldn’t be further from the truth. Which is good news, because who has the time to wait for their battery percentage to run right down before re-charging? Nobody, that’s who. And the truth is, you don’t have to. The majority of smartphones these days come equipped with strong Lithium-ion batteries, which are more than capable of handling a full-ish charge at all times. In fact, batteries are under the most strain when they’re fully charged or completely empty. Their real sweet spot is round about the 50% mark. So, if you really want to keep your battery in good nick for as long as possible, you should try and keep it charged between 20% and 80%. 2. “The more megapixels, the better the phone camera” Hogw

Huawei has released two new versions of its flagship phone, the P30 and the P30 Pro – and they both come packed with plenty of great new features, so let’s dive in… How does the P30 look and feel? Well, the first thing we noticed when we picked up the phone was how lightweight and slim it feels. The stunning colour gradient effect on the back of the phone really sets it off. The Breathing Crystal option is a pale shade of white and blue, with the Aurora Blue glistening from blue to green. Key features: · Updated and great looking design · Slim and lightweight feel · Stunning gradient effect What’s the screen like on the P30? A tiny water-drop notch at the top of the phone means you get even more screen from the P30, 6.1 inches to be exact. So, if you love to use your phone for gaming, or catching up on your favourite shows, the P30 should be perfect. Key features: · 6.1-inch Full-HD+ picture quality · OLED screen offering 16M colours · Subtle water-drop no