Owners of old Samsung Galaxy handsets should sell their phone now before the value plummets ahead of the launch of the new Samsung Galaxy S9, new research has revealed.

Phone specialist, Envirofone, analysed sales and industry data and found that the value of the Samsung Galaxy S8 is expected to drop by 8% in the run-up to the launch of the S9, followed by a further 11% after it launches, which could cost sellers over £50.

The figures reveal that the best time to sell is a few weeks before the Galaxy S9 launches, meaning that if you’re looking to get the best deal on your S8, the time to sell is now. It’s a similar story for Samsung Galaxy S7 owners looking to trade in their phone. The old handset is expected to drop by 6% after the new handset launches, which is rumoured to be in late February.

Speaking about the findings, Justin Woolridge, Commercial Marketing Manager at Envirofone, commented: “When the latest Samsung handset is released, and during the weeks following launch, we see the value of older handsets depreciate dramatically. The market becomes flooded with older handsets, as people look to sell on their old phone after getting their hands on the latest model and, as such, the value of these older phones drops.

When it comes to selling your phone, being ahead of the curve could mean you get a better deal. Those who traded in or sold their old Samsung handset in 2017 got an average of nearly 20% more for their device than those who looked to trade in after the launch of the new Samsung Galaxy. Sell now and you’ll get a better deal.”

Here, Justin gives his top tips for those looking to make an extra cash this month.

Have a phone clear out

Be honest, when you get an upgrade or buy a new model, how often do those old phones get relegated to the back of a drawer, never to be seen again? The rule to play by is if you haven’t used it in the last year you probably never will, so take a few hours to have a clear out at home. At the very least you’ll clear some much-needed space in your home and you never know - you could be sitting on a fortune.

Trade it in

While selling your old phone on a second-hand site or via social media is an option, trading in your handset on sites such as Envirofone gives you extra protection. You can even get money for phones that are damaged, which is ideal if your old tech is looking like it’s seen better days.

Buy a cheap handset, or keep a spare to hand

You could end up with a gap of around four to six weeks without a handset if you decide to trade in now, but don’t worry. You can pick up a cheap handset from a refurbished or second-hand phone retailer to keep yourself connected before launch, or keep an older phone on hand to use in the month before launch.

Property sellers have been given an invaluable insight into the minds of buyers, with the latest eye tracking technology used to reveal what people really look at during viewings.

Researchers followed prospective buyers as they toured available properties wearing spectacles tracking their eye movements. Some 27 per cent of time was spent looking at furnishings, while 24 per cent of the focus was on personal effects and clutter.

Perhaps surprisingly, just four per cent of time was dedicated to considering the layout of a property, while the same amount was given to repairs or structural features including door frames, suggesting these issues are not as important to buyers.

Antony Gibson, Sales Managing Director at Romans, says: “It is clear that sellers must prioritise the aesthetic appeal of their home in order to impress buyers. We all know first impressions count for a lot when marketing a property, but these findings show presenting attractive living spaces throughout a house is a must.

“From furnishings to photos, there are plenty of belongings that catch the eye of viewers and go a long way towards forming a positive opinion.

“Interestingly, even those buyers who did not mention clutter in their post-viewing feedback to estate agents found their eyes repeatedly drawn to it while in a messy room, so it is vital sellers carry out a thorough clean and tidy before going on to the market.”

The study for Anglian Home Improvements also revealed a difference between the viewing tendencies of men and women, with males spending more time looking at the structure and features of a building while females were more focused on personal elements such as decoration.

Antony adds: “These results also highlight the benefits of attending viewings with other people, such as parents or friends, to ensure all aspects of a property are seen.”

A new great war between the Alliance and the Horde will erupt this summer—and starting today, World of Warcraft players around the globe can seek out new champions to fight for their faction’s cause. Blizzard Entertainment today announced that Battle for Azeroth, the next expansion to the world’s most popular subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game, is now available for pre-purchase at www.worldofwarcraft.com.

Players who pre-purchase Battle for Azeroth today can begin their journey to recruit four of the expansion’s new Allied Races, each representing comrades they’ve fought alongside on the Broken Isles and Argus in the game’s most recent expansion, Legion. Upon winning the respect of an Allied Race by completing quests and earning reputation, players will unlock the ability to create characters of that race and set out on a new adventure across Azeroth.^† Alliance players can add the shadow-touched Void elves and valiant Lightforged draenei to their ranks, while members of the Horde will be able to bring the ancient Nightborne and noble Highmountain tauren into their faction’s fold—with additional Allied Races to come in the future.

Pre-purchasing Battle for Azeroth also grants the included level-110 character boost immediately, so players can enter the expansion ready to fight on the front lines of the coming war. Upon Battle for Azeroth’s launch, heroes will be called upon to seek reinforcements in the seafaring kingdom of Kul Tiras and troll empire of Zandalar; battle for strategic control of Stromgarde, a new 20-player cooperative Warfront; and embark on Island Expeditions, where bands from rival factions race to claim resources on treacherous uncharted terrain.

“Battle for Azeroth brings a whole new dimension to the Horde-vs.-Alliance conflict in World of Warcraft, with a new continent to explore for each faction and brand-new gameplay features like Allied Races, randomized Island Expeditions, and large-scale Warfronts,” said Mike Morhaime, “No matter which side they fight for, players’ dedication to their faction will be put to the test when the new expansion arrives this summer.”

Players who choose to level up a new Allied Race will also be able to enjoy World of Warcraft’s recently revamped level 1 to 100 questing experience. Building upon a popular feature introduced on the Broken Isles in Legion, zones across Azeroth, Outland, and Draenor now scale to a wide range of character levels, making it so players can enjoy the quests, stories, and other content at their own pace. Those who complete the full level 20–110 experience^† as an Allied Race character will also earn that race’s distinctive Heritage Armor—a set of cosmetic gear that represents their dedication to finding their people’s place in Azeroth.

Dynamic new UK developer, DEVCUBESTUDIO have today announced they are creating their first VR title, Far Home. Hitting Early Access January 2018 and launching at the end of 2018 for HTC Vive and Oculus, Far Home is a unique science-fiction game that teleports users into the year 2300, where earth is overpopulated and polluted, and humanity are searching for a new home.

Far Home is DEVCUBESTUDIO’s first foray into the VR world, and an exciting time for this young, charismatic studio. The 50-strong team are pulling on their combined experience to not only create an action-packed first-person shooter, but build something that treats its players to an immersive team based science fiction adventure.

“We are extremely proud to announce our game, something that we’ve been working on since 2015. It was a hard decision to start a VR project, but we are now one step away from being able to share the results of our hard work, and we sincerely hope the gaming world takes an interest in our project.” – Aleksander Shevchenko, DEVCUBESTUDIO CEO.

Users can choose from 4 individual character classes and have the chance to explore 5 different planets, all with their own distinctive destructible environments. During each expedition, players will encounter a number of unusual inhabitants that will either help or hinder them on their journey.

The DEVCUBESTUDIO team are developing tools for the potential of expanding the game by users as they continue to work on the title throughout 2017/2018.

Is your new year’s resolution to get fit and active? If you live in east Birmingham there’s a great incentive on your doorstep with the opening of the brand new Stechford Leisure Centre on Station Road.

The new Stechford Leisure Centre is a huge asset to the local community, providing state of the art equipment and facilities for a whole range of sports and recreation.

Inside the light and airy modern building there is a 25-metre competition pool with spectator seating as well as a dedicated teaching pool ideal for budding swimmers of all ages to learn with More Swimming Academy.  The whole family can have fun in the water tackling Aqua Challenge, the exciting, giant inflatable obstacle course.  As well as public sessions at weekends and in school holidays, Aqua Challenge may be reserved for private parties.

A spacious, 100-station gym is equipped with the latest in cardio and resistance kit, plus a free weights area with instructors on hand to help you get the most from your exercise sessions. An extensive workout programme including Bodypump, Bodycombat, studio cycling, as well as yoga and many other fitness classes, will run seven days a week in the studio space. A flexible new 4-court sports hall will be home to activities such as tennis, badminton, football to name but a few.  Children’s holiday play activities and birthday parties will also be available.

For those taking health seriously, then a look into Boditrax, the NHS approved body composition tool is a must.  You can find out your essential statistics and monitor your progress towards a fitter, more active lifestyle with help from qualified instructors.

Construction has taken just over a year. The £9 million replacement for the former Stechford Cascades is part of a city wide investment of nearly £40million by Birmingham City Council in conjunction with Sport England and is the second of four new complexes to be completed.

Staff from the old facility will be among 60 people to be employed at the new Leisure Centre in a range of roles including reception, lifeguards, fitness instructors, catering and cleaning. A number of new apprentice roles are being created to support the existing workforce.

Birmingham Community Leisure Trust (BCLT), has overseen the project, working in partnership with Birmingham City Council (BCC) and Sport England. BCLT will manage the new centre once it opens its doors on Monday 8 January.

BCLT Chair, Brian Taylor, said: “With the opening of this, the second of our brand new leisure centres for the people of Birmingham, I am once again proud to hand over an excellent, purpose built facility for our community to enjoy. We have a great team based at Stechford Leisure Centre to show you around, answer your questions about activities, classes and membership options.  I hope you will be inspired to come and make great use of this wonderful new centre and that 2018 will be your healthiest, most active yet.’

Cllr Ian Ward, Leader of Birmingham City Council, added: “I am delighted that our residents in Stechford and the surrounding area now have a brand new leisure centre. As the recently named Host City for the Commonwealth Games in 2022, it is vital we continue to support first-class grassroots sporting facilities for Birmingham and I thank our partners for working with us to provide cost effective and modern buildings such as this. Despite the considerable financial challenge we face, this shows we will continue to support and encourage people to remain active and pursue a healthy lifestyle.”

Construction at Northfield in the south of the city is approaching completion and the new Northfield Leisure Centre will open in spring 2018. It will be built and managed by BCLT. The Trust has also delivered a programme of refurbishments to Fox Hollies Leisure Centre; Cocks Moors Woods Leisure Centre; Beeches Leisure Centre and Wyndley Leisure Centre.

ISG Construction plc has undertaken the construction of the new leisure centres at Erdington, Stechford and Northfield to designs by Calderpeel Architects.

The Commonwealth will unveil a package of legislative reform tools at its Law Ministers Meeting in Nassau, The Bahamas, from 16 to 19 October 2017.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland said the organisation’s new legislative drafting handbook and law reform guide will help governments effectively respond to contemporary challenges such as terrorism, climate change, child marriage and cybercrime.

“The Commonwealth has long provided core assistance to offices of attorneys-general in the areas of legislative drafting, law revision, and law reform. These new flagship resources will guide lawyers and policy-makers through the law reform process and provide practical advice on approaches to legislation drafting,” said the Secretary-General.

The tools, she added, were perfect companions for the recently launched Commonwealth Office for Civil and Criminal Justice Reform (OCCJR), which provides technical assistance and an online platform with best practice guides, model laws, standards, templates and legal insight on climate change, human rights and a range of other issues.

Law ministers will deliberate on legal frameworks to support the smooth operation of relief efforts during and after natural disasters, including the accountability of relief agencies and the import, export and transit of emergency items.

“This is a critical meeting and a critical subject, because we are now in this new epoch where nature seems to have intensified its rebellion against our treatment of the planet,” said Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland.

“Recent monster storms Irma and Maria, which barrelled through the Caribbean one after the other at record speeds, present a new kind of humanitarian challenge and require a new kind of response. These scenes of devastation at the hands of nature are everywhere in our Commonwealth, bringing vulnerable, least developed countries to their knees,” added Secretary-General Scotland.  “We need to make sure that when people with no shelter, no food, no running water are trying to regain some semblance of normalcy, that the law facilitates swift, targeted aid.”

The Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting is expected to attract law ministers, attorneys-general and senior officials from across the Commonwealth’s 52 member countries. The theme of this year’s meeting is Strengthening the Rule of Law Through Technology.

“Law, in light of its close relationship with social and economic policies, needs to keep pace with advancements in technology and society. We can use emerging technologies to advance the rule of law, by simplifying manual procedures and boosting accuracy in criminal investigations and forensics” said Katalaina Sapolu, director of the Commonwealth’s Governance and Peace Directorate.

Tackling cross-border and organised crimes, as well as cybercrime will be high on the agenda. The Commonwealth Secretariat will also update ministers on the development of a new app that will facilitate co-operation within the Commonwealth against trans-border and organised crimes.