Microsoft launches iOS and Android remote desktop applications for remote workers

   Microsoft has launched new remote desktop applications to allow users to access Windows 8 on the move from iPhones, iPads and Android smartphones and tablets. The release comes as users around the world are now able to download the latest version of the operating system (OS), Windows 8.1.

    The new apps are available free on both Apple's iOS and Google's Android, meaning the majority of smartphone and tablet users will be covered. Microsoft has thus far neglected to release a client for its Windows Phone 8 platform, which suggests that the firm may be waiting until the release of its next major patch for the OS, dubbed Windows Phone 3.

    While many free and premium solutions for remotely accessing Windows machines have been available for a while from third parties such as Citrix and Wyse, this is the first time Microsoft itself has brought this functionality to third-party mobile devices.


    The app gains access to Windows 8 devices through remote desktop protocol (RDP), which Microsoft says connects securely. Users are able to connect simply by entering the IP address of the desired machine, then entering their username and password.

   Multi-touch gestures are compatible too, with the inclusion of RemoteFX meaning users' gestures on their phone or tablet screen are translated over to the touch-friendly Windows 8 interface.

   Microsoft is also touting the app as being data friendly, claiming "improved compression" while maintaining high-quality video and sound.
So far, the app has received a generally positive reception on both Apple's App Store and Google's Play Store, achieving four-star ratings on both.
Many will see Microsoft's decision to launch this software now as rather late, as the popularity of cloud storage coupled with the ever-increasing uptake of bring-your-own-device policies in the workplace making remote desktop access less important.

   Nonetheless, for businesses operating more traditional infrastructure models, this remote desktop support could push them to upgrade their machines to Windows 8.

Money down the drain: Higher rate taxpayers miss out on £230m by not claiming pensions tax relief

      More than 180,000 higher rate tax payers are missing out on an estimated £230million of 'free money' by failing to claim tax relief on their pension contributions.

       Research from Prudential has found that a quarter of higher rate taxpayers on money purchase pension schemes fail to claim the full relief, which means around £229million is unclaimed each year.

     People in the higher rate tax bracket can top up their pension savings by 40 per cent through tax relief, so that a £100 contribution to their pension pot only costs them £60.

      

     Throwing money away: Many higher rate taxpayers with personal pensions are failing to claim higher rate tax relief on their pension contributions.

Higher rate taxpayers on workplace pension schemes should receive their tax relief automatically through their payroll.

    But not every occupational pension will do this, as some operate as Group Personal Pension and stakeholder schemes, which only provide 20 per cent tax relief automatically, meaning some people on workplace pensions may be unaware they are not getting their full entitlements.

    Those with individual personal pensions meanwhile, such as Sipps and stakeholder pensions, will also have to claim back the extra 20 per cent.

    To get the rest, these people will need to fill out an annual self-assessment tax return, or can call HMRC to get back previously unclaimed relief.

    The actual figure going unclaimed could be even higher than £230million, with 15 per cent of higher rate taxpayers surveyed by Prudential saying they're unsure whether or not they're claiming the extra relief.

     Clare Moffat, Prudential's tax expert, said: 'Failing to claim higher rate pension tax relief can have a major impact on income and it is clear that a substantial number of higher rate taxpayers are not claiming relief they are entitled to.

    'It can be worth as much as £1,255-a-year and there cannot be many people who would happily give up as much. Substantial numbers of higher rate taxpayers can take action now to significantly improve their pension savings.'

 

     The 40 per cent tax rate kicks in on earnings above £41,451-a-year, while the 45 per cent rate kicks in at £150,000.
Prudential found that 78 per cent of the 900,000 higher rate taxpayers on defined contribution personal pensions will typically pay 10 per cent of their average salary of £62,774 into their pension.

    A monthly contribution of £523 would be topped up by £104 in tax relief under basic rate tax relief, but this would double to £208 if higher rate tax relief was claimed back.

    But those who have not claimed their relief in previous years can still do so, as the Government allows those who fill out annual tax returns to claim back relief on contributions dating back to the 2011/12 tax year.

     Meanwhile those who don't fill in tax returns can go back even further, claiming tax relief as far back as 2009/10, though they must submit their claims before October 31 to get relief for this year, after which they can only claim back as far as 2010/11.

Life's a beach! Kate Moss shows off curvier figure in designer bikini as she holidays in Jamaica

    She is known for having the best figure in fashion, but Kate Moss proudly displayed a curvier shape as she holidayed in Jamaica, yesterday. 


    The 39 year-old supermodel looked healthy and happy as she made a splash in the Caribbean Sea.

    Wearing a designer two-piece which consisted of a grey top and tiger-print bottoms, the Croydon-born star confidently showed off a shapely torso and more defined hourglass figure.

What's the best mobile phone? Our verdict on the best smartphone/best phones - constantly updated
We've all got at least one mobile phone each, right? We've probably got about three or four nowadays, and that counts giving your old Nokia 3310 to your Mum a few years ago.
But while you used to be able to just bank on the new Nokia or always get the next Sony Ericsson because it had a half-decent camera, there are now so many great options out there from loads of manufacturers.
The trouble is, how do you decide which is the best one for you?
Well, this is where we make it easy. Because here we have our continually updated comparison of the top 20 best smartphones currently adorning phone emporiums up and down the UK.
The last update saw the HTC One maintain its place at the top of the charts, holding off multiple challenges from Nokia, Samsung, LG and Sony (namely the Galaxy S4) - showing the smartphone market still has a fair few players.
But the HTC One is nearly 6 months old. That's an age in smartphone terms, and now Apple has doubled down, bringing out a phone at the same price (the iPhone 5C) and pulling no punches with the supercharged iPhone 5S, so where will both land in our top 20?
But it's by no means a 'can Apple topple HTC' kind of race - as HTC has created a cheaper version of the One (the HTC One Mini, of course), LG's gone all out with the aptly named LG G2, and even Sony is continually pushing the smartphone envelope with the Sony Xperia Z1 - so who knows who will be number one these days?
If that still doesn't help, well, there's always our extensive mobile phone reviews pages as well - or check out our personally crafted smartphone buyer's guide:
And when you've decided which new phone to buy (and checked out the best mobile phone deal), why not cash in your old one with our phone recycling price comparison service?
Here are our rankings for the best mobile phones around, currently available in the UK.

20. Huawei Ascend P6

Huawei is something of a dark horse in the mobile phone world at the moment, thanks to the fact that it's one of the largest manufacturers but nowhere near the minds of most consumers when thinking about their next smartphone.

That changed slightly with the launch of the Huawei Ascend P6, a super-super-slim Android device that costs less than £300, comes with a quad core processor and generally looks the business in smartphone terms.
Huawei has taken an alternative approach to its Android overlay by scrapping the menu section, leading to a dump of widgets and apps all in one easy set of screens.
It's got a rather nice display and lightning quick operation, and has certainly turned some heads in the smartphone world.

Quick verdict

The Huawei P6 isn't the kind of phone that's going to challenge at the sharp end of our ranking, but it is a phone worth considering if you want top-end features at a reasonable price.
It's got a lot going for it, and the customisable themes are impressive too - we suggest you hold it in your hand before dismissing it as the design is just almost inexplicably thin.

• Huawei P6 review
• See the best Huawei P6 deals

19. Nokia Lumia 820

The Nokia Lumia 820 sits nicely at the crossroads between value and power. While it doesn't have the processor, camera or larger screen of its big brother the Lumia 920, it does have microSD storage, removable covers and a more attractive price tag - multiple reasons why you should like it.
New to Windows Phone? This is an affordable option for you. Don't want a Full HD screen? The Super AMOLED option on this is battery-friendly but still rather good. Want a fun camera? Multiple lenses are your friend here.
This is a well constructed, colourful handset with some excellent technological features, and it's got a really palatable price point to boot. It's been overshadowed by others in the range, but that doesn't mean it isn't still a class act.

Quick verdict

OK, it's not the best Windows Phone device out there. Many have better specs, and others have lower price points.
But the Lumia 820 can take a knock, has a decent battery and more importantly: doesn't cost the earth each month on contract. A perfect device for those thinking about getting a mid-term smartphone before upgrading to something with a little more grunt in the future.

• Nokia Lumia 820 review
• Click here for the best Nokia Lumia 820 deals

18. BlackBerry Z10

BlackBerry is (sort of) back - there's no doubt about that after the huge launch of the BlackBerry Z10 and it's BB10 operating system. The lateness of said launch caused some to question the relevance of the phones, but it's still a phone that ticks a lot of boxes.
The BlackBerry Z10's Peek function, interesting camera features and ability to offer you a work and life balance will appeal to a lot of people who struggle to carry around two handsets when the office won't let you bring the iPhone in.
The Z10 has a quality finish as well as a clever interface, and the expandable storage, removable battery and Adobe Flash support are all small wins for the Z10 and will help as it tries to stand out in a crowded market.
Add in the presence of BlackBerry 10.2 to supercharge the OS (to some extent - improving the Priority Hub is a nice move) and you can see it's not game over for BB just yet.

Quick verdict

The Z10 is a decent smartphone offering up a strong range of features and a fancy new operating system that may catch the eye of the technologically adventurous.
It does pretty much everything we'd expect from a high-end device and there are no major flaws to go running to the presses about. It's only the lack of any real cutting-edge features to mark it out that keeps it from going higher in our list, so if you're all about BlackBerry, then this phone won't disappoint.
Sure, things aren't going well at the Canadian firm, which is why the handset is so far down our list - but in a vacuum, we'd wager a few more people would choose BB10 thanks to its slick operation under the finger.

• BlackBerry Z10 review
• See the best BlackBerry Z10 deals

17. Sony Xperia SP

The Sony Xperia SP is a phone that's flown a little under the radar in recent months: a phone with a decent spec list that can be had for a fair few quid under £300.
One of the main draws is the camera, where the range of settings and the quality of the images it produces were well beyond what we would expect from a smartphone at this price.
It's become an indispensable tool of any modern handset, and Sony has concentrated its efforts to make sure this part of the Sony Xperia SP really punches above its weight.

There are other things we really dig on the SP too: the inclusion of a microSD slot is always welcome, and the Walkman app makes a mid-range handset really shine for the music lover.

It's also packing 4G connectivity for speedy data on the go, which again is really rather nice for the price - in short, it's a handset that outperforms its price tag.

Quick verdict

The excellent camera and range of connectivity that includes NFC and 4G go hand-in-hand with a great design and a screen size that will be just right for someone that doesn't want a high-end 5-inch monster.
If you're on a budget, we'd consider it ahead of last year's high-flyers, and it's certainly better than a lot of other phones available at this hotly contested mid-range price point.
Heavy users could struggle with the moderate battery and mediocre processor, but if you want to save a bit of money and still own a smartphone that you can show off at parties or around the office, you could do a lot worse than picking up the Xperia SP.

• Sony Xperia SP review
• See the best Sony Xperia SP deals

16. Samsung Galaxy S4 Active

Want the Samsung Galaxy S4 but are too worried about dropping it in the bath or flinging it into a sand dune? Well, you can either not do either of those things, or buy the Samsung Galaxy S4.
With a powerful IP67 water and dust proof case the Active is far more hardy than a lot of the top end devices currently on the market.
The only other handset which can match the rugged credentials of the S4 Active is the Sony Xperia Z, (and Z1 successor, of course) although those being covered in glass front and back makes them feel far more fragile.
While the 5-inch display may not sport the Super AMOLED technology of the S4, the full HD resolution still makes for an excellent visual experience which is only really bettered by its namesake and the HTC One.

Quick verdict

If you're in the market for a super powerful smartphone which you can take on extreme activities, swimming and in the bath then sure the Galaxy S4 Active is the best around, although that's a pretty limited market.
And hey, chuck it in a bucket of water and your mates will be seriously impressed (honest).
We've only got this phone so far down on the list as we don't think huge amounts of users will be desperate to add the heft to an S4 to make it a bit more life proof, and that isn't going to be something most people will worry about.
But if you want the security of a phone that can withstand a few knocks but doesn't scrimp on the specs or usability, then you could do a lot worse than checking out the S4 Active.

Cheating website’s thrilling wages of sin

   
    Noel Biderman, the founder of AshleyMadison.com, a spectacularly successful website that helps people conduct extra-marital affairs, is happily married. Neither he nor his wife of a decade, Amanda, are members of Ashley Madison, which offers simple advice to married folks: 'Life is short. Have an affair' . It also calls itself the 'world's leading married dating service for discreet encounters' .

    Infidelity is big business. The website just got an investment of $50 million from a New York hedge fund, and is being wooed by several other investors. It has already helped several Canadian hedge funds make a killing.

     According to Newsweek, the company made $30 million in profits on $90 million in revenues last year, and expects $40 million in profits this year. Members have grown four-fold over the past five years to 12.7 million in the US and 8.3 million overseas in 30 countries. Much of the new growth is coming from Japan and Hong Kong, where the company recently launched.

    It's not just bored bankers and middle-aged men who use the website's services, either. Earlier this year, Business Insider reported that the number of women using the website had seen a surge. Among users under 35, women and men are split 50-50, and while there are still more men than women on the site, the proportion of single women looking for married lovers - 28% - is higher than that of single men. One probable reason for this surge is the new Ashley Madison app, which has enabled housewives to log in from their phones instead of taking the risk of being caught using it on the family computer.

     Understandably, the website and its founder have come in for some heavy pounding from those whose moral sense is affronted by a website that openly encourages people to have sex outside standard relationship structures. Trish McDermott, who helped found successful dating site Match. com, accused Ashley Madison of being a "business built on the back of broken hearts, ruined marriages and damaged families".           Biderman is not having any of it. "That's ridiculous. If you take the label off my business, any investor would be throwing zillions of dollars at it. The pursuit of an infidelity is a biological drive. We underestimate our ability to withstand temptation," he tells Newsweek's Lynnley Browning in a long interview. 

Obese who won’t diet are ‘having their cake and eating it’

Medical professionals should stop pandering to overweight patients and “confront the elephant in the room”, a leading doctor has said.

    Dr Max Pemberton has waded into to the debate over how doctors should deal with obese patients, after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said earlier this week that people should not be blamed for being fat.

The body published draft guidelines suggesting doctors should avoid using the term ‘obese’ for fear of upsetting patients, and instead advise that they ‘seek a healthier weight’.

    But writing in The Spectator, Dr Pemberton said: “I’m not going to stop diagnosing cancer just because people don’t like hearing the world.

“So why should it be different when informing people that they are obese?

"For too long, my fellow doctors have pussyfooted around their obese patients, too scared to confront the, er, elephant in the room."

    He recounted the story of one patient who demanded to be put on a course of weight-loss pills rather than attempt to diet.

    “It happens all the time,” wrote Dr Pemberton, “Patients who are not interested in changing their diet in any way, demand to have their cake, eat it…and then pop a pill so that the calories never touch their waistline.

   “And, as a result, Britain now combines austerity with obesity.”
One-third of children are now considered overweight and three hundred people are admitted to hospital each day as a direct result of their obesity, at a cost of £5bn to the NHS, he said.

    The doctor claimed the country was adapting to rather than addressing the problem, citing the example of Nottingham Council, which recently spent £500,000 improving its pavements in areas with an overweight population to encourage people to walk more.

    “Like a middle-aged man deciding to eat what he wants and let himself go, Britain is pulling on a pair of tracksuit bottoms and heading to the fridge," he wrote.

    And he pointed to figures showing that in the 1960s only one to two per cent of the population were classed as clinically obese, whereas now that proportion is 25 per cent.

    “It would be easy to blame Britain’s lifestyle changes,” Dr Pemberton said, “but the worst of it is attitude.
“People just aren’t bothering to lose weight any more. Perhaps obesity is viewed as more normal.”

    He added: “The truth can be the hardest drug to administer. But holding our tongues, prescribing the fat pills and bankrupting the NHS in the process, is the worst solution of all.”

Bast Holiday Place - Miami

   As if warm Florida sunshine and miles of pristine beaches were not enough, our Miami hotels are a fiesta of colour and style. Come here for blissful days on the sand, and then seek shade in the accommodations of Coconut Grove, Coral Gables, Lincoln Road and Bal Harbour.


   Culture vultures should definitely pay a visit Miami’s renowned museums and galleries. The Museum of Contemporary Art, The Lowe Art Museum and Miami Art Museum are just a sample of the city’s sophisticated artistic spaces.

    One of the inarguable highlights of the city is Ocean Drive in South Beach. You can easily spend day marveling over the more than 800 preserved Art Deco buildings. Take a break over lunch or happy hour drinks, but don’t head back your Miami accommodation without snapping an obligatory photo before the famous Versace mansion.

   When the sun goes down, Miami chefs draw on the top-notch produce raised in the rich soil and warm seas of Florida to create their culinary alchemy, while DJs lure partygoers with the promise of spirited salsa and pounding dance beats. You might even spot one of the celebrities who are drawn to Miami’s nightclub culture before retiring to your Miami hotel bed in the wee hours of the morning.