Computeractive UK - January 2015

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£1.99

TURN YOUR LIFE INTO AN AU AUDI DIOB OBOO OOK K p35

UPDA WINDOWS WS UPDATE WINDO WITHOUT WIT HOUT REB REBOOT OOTIING

Free so softw ftwar are, e, ea easy sy to us use e 5  15 UAR Y 20 1 ISSUE 440   ❘  7 – 20 JAN

 Yo  frriendl y  y guide t  to o  Your f

y t   h n o l og y

REMOVE JUNK FOL ERS & FILES Clear Windows Windows’’ hi en lu lutt tter p58 p

What You Must

DOWNLO DOWNLO    in 2015 £1.99 .

 re ee soft ftw ware & apps   r    Simulators  

& games  Fantastic free ebooks    Classic films & TV    Free security tools   ...and many more   p50

  US

WHY YOUR PHONE BILLS MAY MA Y SO SOON ON ROC OCKE KET T p9

YOUR F VOURIT OURITE E SOFTW SOFT WARE ARE REVEAL EVEALED ED Your Fellow Readers’ T Top op 10 Programs Programs p61  p61

 

Welcome EDITORIAL

GroupEditor DanielBooth FeaturesEditor JaneHoskyn Alan n Lu Reviews Editor Ala Technical Technical Editor SherwinCoelho Robertt Zak StaffWriter Rober Colvey y Contributing Editor Scott Colve Production Editor GrahamBrown Art Edit Editor or KatiePeat notechnicalor buyingadvic buyingadvice. e. Sorry, notechnicalor ADVERTISING

Advertise Advertisementsales mentsales & mediapack 02079076799 AdvertisingDirector AndreaMason Deputy Depu ty Advertisin Advertising g Manage Managerr Alexa Dracos MARKETINGAND CIRCULATION

Subscriptions Manager SarahAldridge Senior Direct Senior Direct MarketingExecu MarketingExecutiv tive e RachelEvans MarketingProduct MarketingProduction ion Manage Managerr GemmaHills Forsubscription on enquir enquiries ies ring0844 8150054 PRODUCTION

GroupProductionManager GroupProductionManager StephenCatherall Production Controller er DanielStark

From Fr om th the e Ed Ediitor Every new year I hav Every havee the same resolution – to be more choosy about what I download. And every year I break it before the Christmas decorations come down. Te problem is that, faced with so many new programs, apps and tools, curiosity takes ov  , my resistance crumbles, and I embark on a download spree. Te inevitable result is that I end up with much that’s substandard. substandard. I’m sure many of you do, too. So in our Cover Feature Feature (p50) we’v we’vee compiled a more discerning download list, preparing you for 2015. As well as essential new software software and apps, you’ll you’ll find free security tools to fight upcoming threats, must-read must-read ebooks, exciting betas exciting betas and  and brilliant games. It’s

your companion for the next 12 months. One program I’ve already downloaded is the 2015 version of Kaspersky Internet Security, Security, which has won our past four antivirus group tests. You’ll You’ll find secret tips for this softw software are on page 48, and an exclusive reader offer (half  price!) on page 68. Daniel Booth Daniel [email protected]

MANAGEMENT

Managing Direc Managing Director tor JohnGarewal Deputy Depu ty Managing ng Direc Director tor TimDanton MD of Advertisin Advertising g Julian Lloyd-Evans Barker er Com Commerci mercial al andRetail Director Director David Bark GroupManagingDirector Ian We Westwoo stwood d CO COO O BrettReynolds GroupFinanceDirectorIan Legge Leggett tt Chief Executive Executive JamesTye CompanyFounder Felix Dennis

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BRANDUSAGE ANDREPRINT ANDREPRINTS S

Com Compani paniescan e scan obta obtain in a licenc licence e to useappro useapprove ved d quotationsfrom article articles, s, the Compute Computeractiv ractive e log logo o andBuy It!logo.Reprin ntsof tsof articcles les arealso available. Ple Pleasecontact asecontact Wrights Wrights Media formore info informationand rmationand rates: UK: 877-652877-652-5295ext 5295ext 164 International: 281-419281-419-5725 5725 ext164 Email: [email protected] Req Reques uests ts to usequotat usequotationsfromarticl ionsfromarticle eswill swill nee need d to beapprov beapprovedby edby theeditor. Pleasesend Pleasesend requests reques ts to: editor@computer editor@computeractiv active.co.uk e.co.uk

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OVERSEAS LICENSING

Computeractive Computeractiv e is availlablefor ablefor internatio onal nal licensing. licens ing. ContactNicoleAdams at nicole nicole__ adams@de adam s@dennis nnis.co. .co.u uk k or+44 (0)20 (0)20 7907 7907 6134 ONWARD RESALE

ispublication ispublicatio n maynot beresol beresold d orotherwise orotherwise distributed, distribute d, whetherat, below below or above above face val value.Nor ue.Nor canthis publica publicationbe tionbe adv adverti ertissedfor edfor sale,transferor distributio on. n. PERMISSIONS

Materia Materiall maynot berepro bereproduce duced d in anyform with withoutthe outthe writttenconsentof tenconsentof thepublis r. Please Pleas e address address such reques requests ts to John Garewal, Garewal, DennisPublishing, 30 ClevelandStreet, ClevelandStreet, Lon LondonW1T donW1T 4JD

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LIABILITY

Whilleevery eevery care care wastake wastaken n pre prepari parin ng g this magazine maga zine,, thepublis thepublisher herss cannotbe cannotbe hel held d responsiblefor respon siblefor the accuracy accuracy of the informa information tion orany conseq consequen uencearisin cearising g fro from m it.All  judgmentsare basedon equipmen equipmentt available available to Compute Computerac ractiv tive e at thetime ofrevi w. Computeractiv Compute ractive e takes takes no respo responsibilityfor nsibilityfor the contentof exter external nal webs websiteswhose iteswhose addres addresses ses arepublishedin arepublis hedin themagazine. themagazine. A DENNIS PUBLICATION

Computeractiveis Computeracti veis publishe published d fortnightly by DennisPublishing Ltd,30 Cle Cleve velan land d Str Street eet,, Lon LondonW1T donW1T 4JD 4JD.. Company Compan y registe registeredin redin England.Material may notbe reprod reproduce uced d in wholeor wholeor part part withoutthe withoutthe con consen sentt of thepublis thepublisher hers.ISSN s.ISSN 1461-62 1461-6211 11

THIS THI S ISS ISSUE UE IN NUM NUMBE BERS RS 450,000

£12.5bn

20 ho hour urs s

£50

Number of peo Number people ple “actively “activ ely”” using the Wi Windo ndows ws 10 Technical Tec hnical Preview – 

Amount Amou nt BT is prepar pre pared ed to buy EE for - p9 

Batte Battery ry life life of the fiv fivestar star Sony Sony Xp Xper eria ia Z3 table tablett - p20

Pric Price e of the new new Raspber Ras pberry ry Pi rival, rival, the Cr Crea eator tor CI2 CI20 0 - p49 

Jan-Dec ec 2013,91,346 Average Average sales, Jan-D copiesper issue.

© Copyright Copyright DennisPublishing Limited

7 – 20Janua 20January ry 2015 2015

  3

 

Contents In th this is is issu sue… e…

50

What Wha t yo you u mus must t do downlo wnload ad in 2015

57

First 100 da First days ys of Wind Wi ndo ows 10 – Pa Part rt 6

7 – 20 Janu anuar ary y 2015 • Issue Issue 440

hat You

ust

 OV E  T ER UR P 5 0  E

DOWNLOAD in 2015

Essentiall upcoming Essentia upcoming programs programs and tools too ls yo you u can’t can’t be witho without ut

Pre-testing Pre-te sting the Consu Consumer mer Previe Preview w

58

 

Remove poin Remove pointless tless Windows Wind ows fo folders lders

 Free software & apps  

Get rid of Wind indow ows s junk junk yo you u neve neverr asked ask ed fo forr and didn’t didn’t know know yo you u had

 Simulators  

& games Fantastic astic free ebooks  Fant   Classic c films & TV  Classi    Free security tools  

our most pop popular ular ograms ms of 2014 61 Yprprogra

e lin links ks you cli click cked ed most most last last year ear

Remove folders Remove you don’t don’t need need p58

Your mos most os st st

li ke li e links link ks ks  6 6

 nev In every very ryis issu issu is sue… sue… … 6   News

32 Competition

Question on of the 9   Questi

Win a XAR XARA Phot oto o& Graph Graphic ic Desig Designer ner 10 suit suit 

Fortnight What would What ould BT bu buyi ying ng EE mean me an fo forr you?

49 Wha What’s t’s All

the th e Fus Fusss Abo About ut?? Creator Cre ator CI20

10  Letters

 Problemss Sol Solved ved 64  Problem 12  Consumeractive 70  Fas  Fastt Fix Fixes es 14  Pro  Protect tect Your Tech

VLC VLC

16   Best Fre Free e Sof Softwa tware re

73  Jarg  Jargon on Bust Buster er

Advanced Adv anced SystemCare SystemCare Free 74   The The Fina Finall St Stra raw w 30  Bu  Buy y It It!!

4

  7 – 20Jan 20Janua uary2015 ry2015

Printer Print er problems problems

Stuart Stu art Andre Andrew ws fa falls lls out with with his printe printerr   p74 p74

 

 ubscribe be

NO 

U Y  T ! ★★★★★

 uze T Technologies echnologies Fuze  uze-T2p uze-T2-R p18

!

See pag See page e 62 forr our fo ourspe spec c  l  l subsoff subs offer er

G I  T ! W   N

Reviews Fuze Technol echnologies ogies Fuze-T2-R 18   Fuze Get wi with th the pro progra grammin mming g wi with th the Raspberr Ras pberry y Pi-b Pi-base ased d PC

Sony nyXpe Xperia riaZ3 Z3 Tabl ablet etCo Compa mpact ct 20   So Waterproof aterproof mini-tablet mini-tabletmak makes es a splas splash h 22   Ri Rico coh h A Aci cio o SG 210 2100N 0N

Gel-ba Gel -base sed d printe printerr doe doesn’ sn’tt qui quite te gel

Samsung Samsu ng 850 850Pr Pro o 256 256GB/ GB/ SanDisk SanD isk Extr Extrem eme e Pr Pro o 480G 480GB B Two Tw o pace pacey y but price pricey y SSD SSDs s

 Brother er MFC-J5620D MFC-J5620DW W 23  Broth Brother’s Broth er’s multif multifunction unction A3 printer 26   Noki Nokia a Lum Lumia ia 830

Sony Son y Xperi Xperia a Z3 Tablet ablet Compact Compact p20

U Y  T ! ★★★★★

Nokia Nok ia Lumia Lumia 830 p26

A Win Window dows s phone of opportuniti opportunities es 27   Motor Motorola ola Mo Moto to X

(second genera generation) tion)

An attr attracti active ve but flaw flawed ed smartp smartphone hone 28   Se Seve ven n thing thingss we wan wantt

for 201 2015 5 Pr Prev evie iewi wing ng the next next 12 mon months ths in tec tech h 29   Phili Philips ps In.Sig In.Sigh ht Wir Wirele eless ss HD

Home Hom e Moni Monitor tor Home Hom e se secur curity ity at a cost cost

Computeractive oer o er of th the e fo fortn rtnigh ightt

Work orksh shops ops & Ti Tips ps 14 pa page ges s of bri brilli lliant ant work orksho shops ps and ex expert pert tip tips s 35   Turn Turn yo your ur lif life e st story ory

42  Upda  Update te Windo Windows ws

into in to an au audio dioboo book k

withoutt rebooting withou

38   Ad Add d pri prin nting to tool olss

43  Read  Readers’ ers’ Tip Tipss

Windows Wind ows lacks

Go ba back ck in ti time me in Stre Street et View iew

Rec ecord ecor ord Des esktop eskto top top prob pr oble lems ms as a vi vide deo o

44

40  

Phone Pho ne and Tabl ablet et Ti Tips ps

Disable Disab le app notificat notifications ions

Kasper Ka spersky sky Interne Internett Sec Security urity 2015 page age 68

 av  a ve

55% 55 %

 Make e Wind Windows ows Bet Better ter 46  Mak Change Cha nge yo your ur Sta Start rt menu menu 47   Mak Make e Offi Office ce Be Bett tter er

Use Use Wiki ikiped pedia ia app in Word orddoc docs s 48

Secret Secr et Ti Tips ps For For… …

Kaspersk Kasp ersky y Internet Internet Securi Security ty 2015

One PC for on One one e year 7.9 99 NOW O Y £17. Normally Normall y £39.99

Tree PCs for tw Tree two o year ars s NOW ONLY £39 NOW £39.99 .99 Normally Normal ly £89.99

7 – 20Janua 20January ry 2015 2015

5

 

News

 

Te top top stor storie ies s in the the worl orld of tech techno nollogy

New Skyp Skype e too ooll tran transl sla ates lan angu gua ages as you speak kype has released the beta the beta

 version of Translator, its

groundbreaking tool that groundbreaking translates translat es llanguages anguages being spoken in real time. It provides instant spoken and text translations as you chat with someone via a video link (see screenshot right), although for now it only translates Spanish into English, and vice versa. It works on Windows 8.1 and 10. It’s been trialled on school children in Mexico City and Tacoma in the US state of  Washington, with one classroom speaking Spanish and the other English. e program works by comparing your speech with millions of recorded audio samples. It recognises and remov rem oves es speech speech “disfluen “disfluencies cies”, ”, such as “um” and “er”. Announcing the launch on the Skype blog (www.snipca. (www.snipca. com/14865), com/14865 ), Gurdeep Pall

COMMENT Skype Skype Tr Transl anslator ator is a landmar landmark k mome moment nt in technology technolo gy because, like time tra trave vell and tele teleport portatio ation, n, an instant-tr instant-translatio anslation n machine mach ine has alwa always ys been se seen en as one one of the the key inv inventio entions ns that sy symbol mbolise ise a more mor e advanc advanced ed futu future. re. Even Even before before this laun launch ch we love loved d

wrote: “Skype wrote: “Skype Tr Transla anslator tor relies relies on machine learning, which means that the more the technology is used, the smarter it gets”. He added: “is is just the beginning of a journey that will transform the way we communicate with people around the world. Our long-term goal for speech translation is to translat translatee as many languages as possible on as many platforms

as possible”. Skype hopes to make Translator Translat or work with 40 languages, including Klingon, which will delight the most dedicated Star Trek  fans.  fans. To try the Skype Transla Translator tor beta, you have to register on the site (www.snipca.com/ (www.snipca.com/ 14861). 14861 ). Skype will ask you which device you currently use it on, and which languages you’re “interested in”. Selecting these will help

Skyp Skype e eno enough ugh to nam name e it our favo favourit urite e prog progra ram m ever ever (see (see Is Issu sue e 434 434). ). No Now w, wi with th the the la laun unch ch of a tool tool that that has gre greater ater pote potentia ntiall than anythin any thing g we’ we’ve ve seen in years ears,, we’ll e’ll be able able to sing sing its prais praises es to peo peopl ple e in Spain Spain,, Argentin Arge ntina a and Ecu or. Fantástico! 

Skype decide which languages to add to the service next. We will test Translat Translator or in an upcoming issue.

It’s offi fficial cial:: Win Windows 10 will will be ‘aw ‘aweso esome’ e developers working on the next version of  Windowss 10 are so excited Window by what it contains they havee codenamed it hav “FBL_AWESOME”. Writing on the Blogging Windows blog on 17 December (www.snipca. (www.snipca. com/14858), com/14858 ), Microsoft engineering manager Gabe

Aul admitted that the name “is a bit corny”, but that it acts as a “daily reminder to ourselves that we want this build to be great”. His comments came a couple of days after the latest version of Windows 10 was leaked online. It includes several new features, such as a fully integrated version of the

You’ll lik like e this… Brit Britain’s ain’sold oldest estscisci-fi fi film,

madein made in 19 1913, 13,is is av avail ailabl able e to watc atch h onl online ine (www.snipca.com/14860 www.snipca.com/14860))

6

  7 – 20Janua 20January2015 ry2015

voice-activated personal assistant Cortana (see screenshot). Microsoft is expected to unveil unv eil the Consumer Preview of Windows 10 on 21 Janu  y. e company says more than 1.5 million people are testing Windows Windows 10, the most beta testers for any version of  Windows to date. Around

450,000 of those are using Windows 10 every day.

…butt no …bu nott thi this  s   Co Compl mplaints aintsabo about ut gad gadget get

warranti warr anties es doub doubled ledin in the pas pastt ye year ar (www.snipca.com/14859 www.snipca.com/14859))

 

Microso Micr osoft ft su sues es phon one e sc scamm ammers ers who gi giv ve bog bogus us tech su sup ppo port rt Microsoft Microso ft is fightin fighting g back back ag agai ains nstt one one of the the mo most st common comm on and irritating irritating phone pho ne scams scams of recen recentt ye years ars,, bysu by suing ingon onee of the the co comp mpani anies es alleg allegedl edly y behi behind nd it. it. In the scam, scam, ta targ rget eted ed peopl peo plee rece receiv ivee a phon phonee call call fr from om someon someonee pur purpor portin ting g to be a tech-s tech-sup uppor portt wor orke kerr fr from om Microso Microsoft ft.. e ca caller ller cl claim aimss th ther eree is a prob proble lem m wi with th the the user user’s ’s PC, PC, an and d as asks ks to tak take remo remote te cont contro roll of it so the they ca can n fix it it.. ey then then dem demand and mon money ey to resolv resolvee this non-exist non-existent ent prob problem lem,, and ma may y als also o ins insta tall ll malwa mal ware re and steal steal person personal al info, info, suc such h as pas passw swor ords ds and bank-account bank-acc ount details. Over Ov er th thee past past few few yea ears rs hundreds hund reds of Computeractive  re reade aders rs have have to told ld us the they’v y’vee re recei ceive ved d such such pho phone ne cal calls. ls. In Decem December ber,, Microsoft Microsoft’s ’s Di Digi gita tall Cr Crim imes es Unit Unit file filed d a ci civi vill

laws lawsuit uit in the Centr Central al Dis Distri trict ct of Cal Califo ifornia rnia agains againstt Omni OmniT Tech Su Supp ppor ortt and and ot othe herr fir firms ms for for “unfair “unfair and deceptiv deceptivee business business practice pra cticess and tradema trademark rk infringement”. Outlini Out lining ng the laws lawsuit uit on it itss bl blog og (www.snipca.com/ 14852), 14852 ), Mic Micro roso soft ft sa said: id: “In “In some instances instances,, OmniT OmniTech ech has actuall actually y created created securi security ty issues issues for for victim victimss by gainin gaining g ac acce cess ss to th thei eirr PCs PCs an and d installing inst alling mali malicious cious softwa software, re, including inclu ding a pass passwo word rd grabber grabber

that cou that could ld pr prov ovide ide ac acces cesss to per person sonal al and fina financi ncial al information”. It warned arned tha thatt wh while ile these scammers scammers “don “don’t ’t discriminate”, elderly people are parti particular cularly ly vulnerable: “According According to the the FBI, FBI, se senio niorr ci citi tize zens ns are are oft often en mo more re trust trusting ing and con artist artistss explo exploit it these tra traits its”. ”. In the the bl blog og post post Microso Micr osoft ft gave gave ad advic vicee on how how to avo void id bein being g sca scamme mmed: d: “Nev “Never er pro provide vide cred creditit-card card or financial financ ial informat information ion to some someon onee cl clai aimi ming ng to be fr from om Microsoft Micro soft tech supp support ort”. ”. Micro Mic roso soft ft adde added d th that at it had had recei receive ved d mor moree than than 65,0 65,000 00 complaints complain ts about tech-su tech-support pport scams since May May. You can can re repo port rt sc scam amss to Microsoft Micro soft using the comp compan any’s y’s online onl ine fo form: rm: www.snipca. com/14853.. com/14853

Make li Mak libr brar ariies mor ore e li lik k  cofee shop shops, s, says says reportt Public Pub lic libr librari aries es must must emula emulate te coffe coffeee shop shopss by offer offerin ing g fr free ee

e-len e-lendin ding, g, so peo people ple can can re read ad books books

Wi-F Wi-Fi, i, says says a new new repor report. t. It’s on onee of th thee main main re recom commen mendat dation ionss made made in the Independen Indep endentt Libr Library ary Report, Report, commis com missio sioned ned by the the Departmen Depar tments ts for Cult Culture ure,, Media Media an and d Sp Spor ort, t, and and fo forr Communitie Comm unitiess and Local Local Government. e repo report rt sa said id that that a “W “Wii-Fi Fi connec con nectio tion n sho should uld be delivered deliv ered in a comfort comfortable able,, retail-standard retail-st andard environment, environment, with with th thee us usua uall amen amenit itie iess of  coffee, coff ee, sofas sofas and to toile ilets ts,, and off   , in ad addi diti tion on,, su such ch ne new w

on ta table blets ts and e-r e-reader eaders, s, the report repo rt said. said. It ad adde ded: d: “By not not providing pro viding Wi-Fi Wi-Fi and high-quality computer computer facilities facil ities,, libra libraries ries ofte often n pr prese esent nt a neg negat ativ ivee ima image ge of  being old-fashio old-fashioned ned places places th that at have have little little relev relevanc ancee in today’s toda y’s society”. William Willia m Siegh Sieghart art,, aut author hor Te  of the repor report, t, told Independent th that at he fin finds ds it “asto “astonishing nishing”” tha thatt one-thir one-third d of Eng Englan land’ d’ss libr librari aries es (aroun (around d

serv servic ices es as would ould ma make ke the the library libr ary a vibr vibrant ant and at attr tract activ ivee communit comm unity y hub hub”. ”. As well as fr free ee Wi Wi-F -Fi, i, librari libr aries es sho should uld off offer er more more

1,0 1,000) 00) don don’t ’t have have Wi-F Wi-Fi. i. He said said th that at while while librari libraries es remai emaine ned d a vit vital part part of a commu com munit nity y, wit with h 35 per cent cent of peo people ple in Engl Englan and d st still ill

INBRIEF TWITT ER ‘SHO ‘SHOULD ULD BAN TWITTER RACIST WORDS’

A Lab Labour our MP said said Tw Twitt itter er should sho uld block block racis racistt wo words rds afterr she receiv afte received ed 2,500 anti-se anti -semitic mitic mes message sages s on the site site in an inter interne nett ca camp mpaig aign n again against st her her by wh white ite supremacists. suprema cists. Tal Talking king to the Daily Telegraph  elegraph Luciana Berg  , shad shadow ow minis minister ter fo forr pub publi lic c heal health, th, said said that that Twitter Twi tter shou should ld ban “r “racis acistt wo words rds whi which ch aren’t aren’t all allow owed ed to be pri printe nted d in news newspa pape pers rs or broa broadc dcas astt on TV and that that couldnev ouldnever er be used used in a posit positiv ive e wa way y – suc such h as kik kike”. NEW IPL IPLA AYER RAD RADIO IO APP FO FOR R TABLE ABLETS TS

e BBC has red redesi esigne gned d its iPl iPlay ayer er Radio Radio app to mak make it easi easierto erto use use on table tablets. ts. Wh Whil ile e the app wa was s previousl prev iously y ava available ilable for tablets, tabl ets, usin using g it wa wasn’t sn’t eas easy y becau because se it had had been been bui built lt specifi spe cifical cally ly for pho phones nes.. It also contains contain s more inform information ation aboutt prog abou progra ramme mmes s on the schedu sch edule le page pages. s. You’ll ou’ll find li link nks s to the new new versio ersion n fo forr An Andro droid id table tablets, ts, the iPad iPad and Amaz Am azon on Fire Fire on the BB BBC’s C’s Internett Blog: www.snipca. Interne com/14821.. com/14821

To  orrow’s

world

us usin ing g th them em,, th ther eree ne need edss to be a “r “re-in e-invigor vigoratio ation” n” of the libra library ry netw net work ork in order order to ens ensur uree they the y survi survive ve in the dig digit ital al ag age. e. e repor report’ t’ss ke key y recommen reco mmendat dation ion is the crea creati tion on of a ta taskf skfor orce ce th that at wi will ll work work with with loca locall au autho thorit rities ies to “impro “im prove ve and revita revitalise” lise” libr librarie aries. s. It will will meet meet fo forr the the

e next next time time you po pop p into into yo your ur nea neares restt DIY store, store, don’ don’tt be surp surpris rised ed if yo you’re u’re serve served d by a robot robot.. A hardw hardwar are e store store in Sa San n Jo Jose se,, Calif Califor ornia nia,, is now usin using g an “aut “autono onomous mous navigat nav igationa ionall robo robot” t” called called the OSHbot OSHb ot to hel help p cus custome tomers rs fin find d what what the they wan ant. t. If the the android assistant prov proves es

fir first st time time in Feb ebru ruar ary y 20 2015 15..

po popu pula larr in the the US US,, it may may so soon on ap appe pear ar on this this side side of the the At Atlan lantic tic.. Watch atch it in actio action n at www.snipca.com/14708.. www.snipca.com/14708

Do you you agreethat libraries libraries should shou ld be mor more e like like coff coffee ee shops? shop s? Let us know: know: letters@c [email protected]

7 – 20Janua 20January ry 2015 2015   7

 

News

PASSPORT HACKERS

Skype an Skype and d Faceboo ebook mak ake e older peop peo ple ‘f ‘feel eel less lon onel ely’ y’

Antivirus Antiv irus compan company y Sy Symantec mantec is workin working g with with onli online ne clothing compa company ny Betabr Betabrand and

Us Using ing websit websites es like like Sk Skype ype,, Fa Faceboo cebook k and Twitt Twitter er helps

IN BR BRIEF IEF JEANS THA THAT T BLO BLOCK CK

to mak make a pa pair ir of jean jeans s an and d blazer blaz er that use a sil silve ver-b r-base ased d material mate rial to blo block ck wirele wireless ss signals sign als.. Te trouser trousers s are intende inte nded d to pre preve vent nt thie thieve ves s from from hac hacking king into pas passpor sports ts and contactless contactless pay payment ment cards cards contain containing ing rad radio io frequency freque ncy identific identification ation RFID. RFID. Tey Te y are are du due e togo onsal onsale e in Februa  . NEW NE W US AP APP P SHO SHOW WS DRIVING DRIV ING LICENC LICENCE E

Re Resid siden ents ts in theUS state state of Iowa Iowa co coul uld d soon soon be abl able e to display disp lay thei theirr dri drivin ving g lic licenc ence e on their their ph phoneusin oneusing g a free free ap app, p, the the fir first st of its its kind kind in the wo worl rld. d. It wi will ll co conta ntain in the same inf inform ormatio ation n as the curre current nt pla plasti stic c card, card, and be co cons nside idere red d a va valid lid fo form rm of ID ID.. Te app wi will ll be trial trialle led d by Iow Iowa a stat state e empl employ oyee ees s over over the next next six six mo month nths. s. If succ succes essf sful ul,, it wi will ll be mad made e av availa ailable ble to the publ public ic ne next xt June June..

8

elder eld erly peo people feel fee l less lonely ely, a ne new wlyst stud udy yple clai claims ms. . lon Researc Res earchers hers who conducte conducted d the tw two-y o-year ear st stud udy y als also o said said tha thatt regul regular arly ly usi using ng a comput com puter er can boos boostt br brain ain power pow er and lea learni rning ng capabilities. e proj projec ect, t, calle called d Ages Ages 2.0 2.0,, was led by the the Un Univ iver ersi sity ty of  partne ners rshi hip p with with Exet r, in part Somers Som erset et Care Care Lt Ltd d and Torba orbay y & Sou Southe thern rn De Devo von n He Healt alth h an and d Ca Care re NHS Tr Trus ust. t. e aim aim was to te test st wh whet ethe herr th thee inte intern rnet et off offer erss a tool tool for for “promot “pr omoting ing acti active ve ag ageing eing”. ”. Researc Res earchers hers split two two gro groups ups of peo peopl plee ag aged ed betw betwee een n 60 and 95, all either either recei receivin ving g ca care re in th thee comm commun unit ity y or livin living g in a care care ho home me.. Parti Particip cipant antss in one grou group p were ere tr trai aine ned d how how to use use socia sociall ne netw twor orks ks an and d Sk Skype ype on a touc touchscr hscreen een PC, PC, wh while ile the other oth er grou group p rec recei eive ved d no tr train ainin ing g to ac actt as a cont contro rol. l. ose o se wh who o us used ed th thee web said said the they y felt felt mo more re confide confident nt,,

engaged engag ed mo more re in soc social ial act activi ivity ty and had had a st stro rong nger er sense of person personal al ident identity ity. ey als also o reve reveale aled d that that ta talkin lking g to fri friend endss and relat relativ ives es on Sk Skype ype abo about ut shared shared int inter eres ests ts made made the them m feel feel less isolated isolated.. Researc Res earchers hers say say thes thesee positive positi ve feelings feelings led indirectl indirectly y to ov over erall all bette betterr me ment ntal al health health and physica physicall we well-bein ll-being. g. Dr omas omas Mort Morton, on, psych psy cholo ology gy lect lectur urer er at the said: id: Univer Uni versity sity of Exet Exet r, sa “Peop “People le wh who o are are soc social ially ly isolat isolated ed or wh who o exper experien ience ce loneliness lonelin ess are mor moree vulnerable vulnerable

to dise disease ase and dec decline line”. ”. He added: added: “For “For the these se reaso reasons ns find finding ing way ayss to support sup port people people’s ’s social connec con nectio tions ns is a reall really y import imp ortant ant goal goal.. is st stud udy y shows sho ws how how te techn chnolo ology gy can be a usef useful ul tool tool fo forr en enab ablin ling g social soc ial connec connectio tions, ns, and that that su suppo pporti rting ng old older er people people in our commu com munit nity y to use te techn chnolo ology gy effectiv effe ctively ely can have have impor importan tantt benefit ben efitss fo forr their their health health and well-being”. Doyouagree that Doyouagree that usingthe usingthe web makes makes elderl elderly y people fee feell les less s lonely lonely? ? Letus know: know: [email protected]

New GCH GCHQ app to en enc courag urage e next gener gen era ation of code-bre code-breaker akers s

Google

e UK UK’s ’s ele electr ctroni onicc monit mon itori oring ng ag agenc ency y GCH GCHQ Q has relea elease sed d a fr free ee app app in orde orderr to encoura enco urage ge teenage teenagers rs to purs pursue ue a career career in cyber cyber-se -secur curiity. Called Calle d Crypt Cryptoy oy, it tea teaches ches children child ren “a “abou boutt the my myst sterio erious us world wor ld of crypt cryptogr ograph aphy” y” by telli telling ng the the st stor ory y of fo four ur famous fam ous cod codes es throug through h histo history, includ including ing Eni Enigm gma, a, which which was crack cracked ed at Ble Bletc tchle hley y Park Park during durin g World War Two. Two.

others to deciphe others decipherr the them. m. A GCHQ spok spokesw eswoman oman said said th thee ap app p is in inte tend nded ed as a “fun fun te teac achin hing g aid aid” to he help lp 14 to 16 ye year ar olds olds st stud udyin ying g at the the Key St Stag agee 4 lev level. el. e app is part art of the agency age ncy’s ’s comm commitme itment nt to help hel p “incr “increas easee th thee upt uptak akee of  STEM (Science, Technology, Enginee Eng ineerin ring g and Maths) Maths) subjects subje cts at schools”. schools”. Launc Launchin hing g the app, app, Mini Minist ster er

to work work at Bletc Bletchle hley y Park Park.. Toda oday y, I’m pl plea ease sed d to an anno noun unce ce a similarly similar ly crea creativ tivee solution solution in th thee hunt hunt fo forr exper expertise tise,, but with wit h a 21s 21stt-cen centu tury ry spin spin”. Cryptoy Crypt oy is curr currentl ently y

It’s It’s nev never a goo good d sign sig n wh when en you hear hear an announc anno unceme ement nt at a train train station stat ion beg beginnin inning, g, ‘W ‘We e regr regret et to info inform rm you. ou. . .’ Google Goog le kno knows ws ho how w common com mon train train del delay ays s are in the the UK and and has has ad adde ded d update upd ates s abo about ut them them to its Maps Map s app for for phone phones s and tablets tabl ets,, pul pulling ling in re real-t al-time ime data from from Nati National onal Rail Rail.. If yo your ur train train is can cancel celled led,,

GCHQ GCHQ ho hope pess to sh sho ow how how much much fun chil childr dren en can havee experim hav experimenting enting with writing g messa message gess cryptography, writin in cod code, e, then then ch chall alleng enging ing

for the Ca Cabine binett Office Office Fr Franc ancis is Maudee MP said: “Famou Maud “Famously sly, the Governm Government ent recruite recruited d wi winn nner erss of a Daily Telegra elegraph ph crypticc crosswo crypti crossword rd com competit petition ion

ava vaila ilable ble onl only y as an And Andro roid id app (www.snipca.com/14738 ), th thou ough gh repor reports ts say say GCH GCHQ Q is workin orking g on an iOS versio ersion n to launc launch h nex nextt ye r.

7 – 20Janua 20January201 ry2015 5

  h t’ t’s s new from

the app will will sugge suggest st an alternative route using alternative otherr trains othe trains and local local buses.

 

 

u stion

  Wh Wha a t w o ul uld d B T b u ying yi ng Fortnight EEmeanforyou? of th

Th Ther ere ar e fher ears earrsbil tha that BT’s BT ’sgh plann planned edcusto pu pur rchase cha se obile obi le-p -pho hone networ ork k EE coul could d le lead ad teoare highe hig bills, ls, tthou th ough rural rural cus tome mers rs of migh mim ght t ben bene et t ne netw T’s announcement in December of its intention to buy EE, the UK’s biggest mobile-phone network, for £12.5bn sparked lots of  business busine ss inter interest. est. e company’ss share price rose, company’ and City investors spoke of  “substantial cost synergie  . But what does the deal mean me an to cus custo tome mers rs of th thee tw two o companies? First off, anyone on an EE contract will be automatically moved to BT. e biggest concern is that BT will need to hike prices in or orde derr to finan finance ce the pur purcha chase se.. e company says significant cuts to a number of  departments departmen ts will help fund the deal, but some analysts value this saving at only £5 billion. Where will the rest of the money come from? Another fear is that BT’s customer service performance, already seen as poor, will sink even further. In Ofcom’s latest report on

 

THE FAC ACTS TS •   BT BT is in talk talks s with with EE EE,, Britain’ Brit ain’s s bigg biggest est mobi mobilelenetw networ ork k group group,, to buy buy the compan company y for £12.5 £12.5bn. bn. •   e two compan companies ies previousl prev iously y work worked ed together in Cor Cornw nwall all to deli delive verr high highspeed spe ed broa broadb dband and vi via a 4G to remote areas areas.. •   By purch purchasi asing ng EE, BT woul ould d  

 

 

rush of customers following the launch of TV channel BT Sport in 2013. Attempting to integrate EE’s 24.5 million customers with its existing services could be just as problematic. So who will win from the deal? One group who might benefit are people living in remote areas. In 2011, BT and EE worked together in

that BT’s main motivation for wanting to buy EE is to fully compete with Virgin Media as a so-called ‘quad-play’ provider, provid er, offering broad broadband, band, mobile,, landline and T V in mobile one bundled package. Existing BT and EE customers are likely to be offered discounted deals and freebies to buy bundled packag pac kages, es, but but the they y offer offer

deals, but it’s always worth taking the time to compare and understand what you need versus what you want – esp especi ecially ally in an inc incre reasin asingly gly complicated market . at advice applies especially to EE broadband customers because it seems likely BT will try to lock them into 18-month contracts on its own fibre network. e move should be relatively painless, though, because EE already offers fibre broadband based on BT’s network. Whateverr the final details Whateve of the deal, many EE customers will simply accept it and switch to BT with little fuss. But those put off by a potential deterioration in customer service or the restrictive nature of quadplay bundles should shop around. Rival companies like Sky and Virgin will be sure to offer competitive deals of  their own to tempt you away.

customer satisfaction (www.snipca.com/14746), www.snipca.com/14746), published in December, December, BT came came bott bottom om in the ‘landline telephone’ and ‘fixed broadband’ categories.

Cornwall to deliver highspeed broadband via 4G to properties that were too remote to reach with underground cables. at collaboration ended in June

value for mo value money ney only if you take all four four services services.. Switch Switch to anoth another er compan company y for o one ne of those services and you’ll probably end up paying more overall. is disincentive to switch is one of the main reasons companies prefer signing you up to bundled deals. Experts warned customers not to be dazzled by BT’s tempting offers. Dominic Baliszewski, telecoms expert at broadbandchoices.co.uk, said: “If you find yourself in

EE didn’t fare any better, coming last in the ‘mobile’ category. BT has admitted that it struggled to cope with the

2012, but BT may now revive plans to reach customers in rural areas, thereby avoiding the expense of laying cable. However, analysts agree

this situation, don’t feel rushed or pressured into signing up to a new contract. BT will likely offer some very attractive customer-retentio customer-retention n

BT an and d EE cu cusstom omer erss ar are e lik likel ely y to be o oer ered ed dis disco coun untted de deals als to take tak e br broadb oadband and,, mo mobil bile, e, lan landlin dline e and tel televisi evision on

be abl able e to offer offer cu cust stome omers rs so-called so-cal led ‘quad-pl ‘quad-play’ ay’ packag pac kages es that bund bundle le home hom e phon phone, e, bro broadba adband, nd, TV and mobi mobile le con contra tracts cts into into one one deal. deal.

7 – 20Janua 20January ry 2015 2015

  9

 

Letters

 

Telll us wh Tel what at’s ’s on you ourr mi mind nd Email:   [email protected] Facebook: www.facebook.com/computeractive  

Replace aptchas Google, and an d all is fo forg rgiv iven en

Why co Why could uldn’t n’t Win Windo dows ws 8 have ha ve also bee been n del delay ayed? ed?

We read a

How I chuckled when I read in

lot about how Google invades our wantss to priva y, avoids paying tax and want be above British law. No doubt we’ll soon discover that it is planning to enrich uranium in order to build its own nuclear arsenal. But I’m prepared to forgive Google all its naughtiness if it manages to kill off  the hated Captchas (News, Issue 439). Every time I see one my heart sinks. My eyesight is failing now, which makes the task of identifying the letters and numbers even harder. I find the letter B impossible to distinguish from the number 8. Te same applies to the letter S and the number 5. I think ancient Greek would be easier to decipher. Please, Google, hurry up with your Captcha replacement. Bill Mich Michaels aels

 an han hands-f ds-frr ee ca calls lls wh whil ile e driving dri ving too I wholly endorse the points by Arthur Marshall in his Star Letter in Issue 438 (‘Name and shame people who use phone while driving’). But I am wondering if many people would endorse my wish to see the law taken even further. I quote from an article which appeared in, I think, an AA magazine of yesteryear: yesteryear: “It is all very fine having your hands on the wheel, but it is of no use if your brain is not connected to your hands”. I defy anybod anybody y to fully concentrate concentrate on driving if, for example, they are discussing a difficult business matter. So I would like to see even hands-free calls being made illegal while a vehicle is moving. Built-in phones could be disabled when the engine is running apart from registering an incoming call, to which the driver could respond when safely at rest. Roger Castle-Smith

betw bet ween this this vers ersion ion and Wind indow owss 8.1, which I wou which ould ld ne neve verr bu buy y. Ev Even en the ba back ckgr grou ounds nds ar are e the sa same me.. Wh What at is missin missing g is an any y fo form rm of instru instructi ction on lit liter erat atur ure e from from Microsof Micr osoftt o outli utlining ning or selling selling the adv advance ancess made mad e sin since ce Wi Windo ndows ws 7.

I use my PC for serious work and am not interested in an app store full of  games and gimmicks. Neither do I want gaudily coloured start screens or even a touchscreen. I have all of that on my smartphone.. Microsoft smartphone Mic rosoft should learn from Apple and have two separate operating systems systems - one for comput computers, ers, one for mobile devices. I am sure that Microsoft want to lure users of Windows 7 and indeed XP into buying the latest version. In that case, they should be busy buying advertising space in magazines such as yours, selling the differences that an investment investment in Windowss 10 would bring. Right now they Window are not convincing many people

Not convince con vince tha at I nee eed d Windo Win dows ws 10 d th Like man Like many y oth others ers I ha hav ve ins insta talle lled d Microsof Micr osoft’s t’s Window Windowss 10 Technic echnical al Prev Previe iew w. I can canno nott see an any y differ differenc ence e

  7 – 20Jan 20Janua uary201 ry2015 5

Issue 439 thatofMicrosoft delayed the release Windowshas 10. I wish they had also delayed the release of  Windowss 8, prefer Window preferably ably by about 47 years.   w y , I wouldn’t have been tempted Tat to upgrade from an operating syst system em I loved (Windows 7) to one that I find as hard to operate as an octopus would buttoning butt oning a duffel coat. Da David vid Lee

Let G HQ rea Let ead d my emai ails ls – I’ve I’v e no nothi thing ng to hi hide de

Does Nathan Brazil have something to hide? Having read his Star Letter in Issue 439, it certainly seems that w y. Otherwise, why would he be so concerned about GCHQ being able to monitor his emails? I’m perfectly relaxed about the prospect of the James Bonds and Miss Moneypennys Moneypenn ys at GCHQ reading my emails because I’ve never planned to behead a British soldier, nor arranged to travel halfway across the world to wage  jihad.. If they interc  jihad intercept epted ed my emails emails the they y would read me moaning about my football footba ll team to my brother; moaning about my job to my wife; moaning about To Tony ny Steele my dodgy knee to my physiothera physiotherapist; pist;

Let’s Le t’s hve ear ea r mughts ore or e ts positi positive though tho abou abo ut tech How refreshing it was to read Jane Hoskyn’s Hoskyn’s p positivity ositivity in Issue 439 (Te Final Hurrah, ‘St ‘Stop op moaning about tech’). While I do enjoy Stuart Andrews’s grumpiness, his antieverything attitude can feel a little overwhelming. over whelming. Not everything is as bad as he makes out. If he really hates tech that much, he could try living in a cave, rubbing sticks together together for warmth. warmth. ane’s ’s wor ords ds re remin mind d us tha thatt wh while ile Jane

10

Twitter: @ComputerActive .twitter.com/computeractive

tech so tech somet metime imess fa fails ils,, or dri driv ves us ma mad, d, over ov eral alll we st still ill ben benefit efit fr from om it itss pr prese esence nce.. In ot other her wor ords ds,, des despit pite e cr crash ashing ing PCs PCs,, poorr Wi poo Wi-F -Fii sig signa nals ls and nas nasty ty

ransom ranso mwar are, e, the net eff effect ect is st still ill positiv posi tive. e. Ho How w quic quickly kly we becom become e compla com placen cent. t. We ar are e usi using ng de devic vices es no now w that th at,, jus justt 10 ye years ars ag ago, o, woul ould d ha have ve fe felt lt like lik e sci sci-fi -fi.. Fas astt fo forw rwar ard d 10 year ears, s, and I’ I’m m sure su re to toda day’ y’ss tec tech h wil willl see seem m pr prehi ehist stori oric. c.

I would like to read more from Jane on the benefits of technology. Maybe she and Stuart Andrews could have a ‘for and against’ tug of war every issue? Tey could pick a subject, then tackle it from opposite ends of the spectrum. Catherine Madele Madeley y

 

STAR LETTER STAR

Hellp! I need new Faceb He eboo ook k fri frien ends ds I was rather surprised to see that the Scottish

and moaning about Windows 8 to Computeractive . ey would take one long at my emails and conclude that I am a moany old git. And they would be right. ey would also conclude that I pose no threat to anyone. Mr Brazil says that he’ll happily show GCHQ his emails if they show him theirs. I have another proposition for GCHQ. I’ll show them my emails if they promise to keep me, and brave members of our armed forces, safe from terrorist attacks. James Barclay

Scamm mmed ed by my wi wife fe!! Sca Here is an idea that your lady readers may find interesting. It was invented inven ted by my wife. I have named it ‘Free Bay’ and ‘Free Pal’. It works like this: my wife finds something she wants on eBay then say sayss to me, “I want that, but I’m not an eBay memb r, so I’m not sure about this bidding procedure and I don’t havee a PayPal hav PayPal account. Could you do it for me?” It’s obvious what happens next: I bid, I win, I pay and she gets the goods. What a great scam! Peter Pet er Bric Brice e

Sto top p na nagg ggin ing g me to bu buy y thin th ings gs I do don’ n’tt wan antt

Stuart Andrews’s rant against recommendations recommenda tions being showered showered on you, before you have even had the chance to read or view your latest purchase, really rang my bell (e Final Straw, Issue 438). I am constantly nagged for reviews of purchases I have have bought (and even reviews of packaging!). en I am pestered to declare myself a student so as to obtain discounts because I previously bought certain volumes normally only used for study, such as Te  Communistt Manifes Communis Manifesto to and books by John Maynard Keynes and Jeremy Bentham. My tastes are varied and I should like to be left in peace to indulge them when I ca can n aff affor ord d to, to, no nott ha harr rried ied an and d ha hassl ssled ed into into whatever what ever channels the online merchants have chosen for me. Susan Susa n Plat Platter ter

Referendum theonmost discussed UKwas topic Facebook Face book (News, Issue 439) because my friends on the site seemed more obsessed with mindless pap like Co Come me Din Dine  e  With With Me , what they had for breakfast (mostly (mostly Shreddies) and earth-shattering earth-shat tering observations observations about the weather (“I can’t believe it’s raining outside”). How I wish my friends possessed the political awareness awareness to say something articulate and pertinent about Alex Salmond’s mutinous plans. When my friends aren’t talking rubbish, they’re posting daft photos of  themselves. Some of these are just boring holiday photos. Having to look at all these is the modern equivalent of  being forced to endure a neighbour’s slidesh slid eshow ow of the their ir re recen centt tri trip p (“ (“and and her heree is the restaurant we went to every night”- so what, what, I don’t care!). care!). To give my friends some credit, not many of these photos capture capture them drunk. However, I’m clearly in a minority. Facebook obviously thinks there are too many photos of tipsy

twits because it is planning a ‘drunk photo filter’ to stop people posting them. According to the BBC’s story (www.snipca.com/14719 (www.snipca.com/14719), ), Facebook will deter people posting drunk photos by asking: “Are asking:  “Are you sure you want your boss and your mother to see this?” I this?” I wish Facebook Fac ebook would also introduce a ‘tedious holiday photo’ filt r, that would ask the question: “Do you really want to bore your friends to sleep with another snap of yourself  on the beach?” It’s It ’s clear that two options face me. One, to find a new set of Facebook friends, preferably preferably some that don’t require a dictionary when using words of more than one syllable; and two, to abandon Facebook and look in the ‘real’’ world for like-minded souls. ‘real Which should I choose? Douglas Doug las Grah Grah 

The Th e St Star ar Le Lett tter er wr writ iter er wi wins ns a Computeractive mug!  oy oya a l  ai  aill st staf af ‘n ‘need eed to work wo rk mu much ch har harder der’’

Instead of complaining about the competition, why doesn’t Royal Mail compete better (Question of the Fortnight, Fortnigh t, Issue 438 438)? )? With vans, mostly half empty, empty, calli calling ng at addresses everywhere in the UK, they have a huge advantage over other companies. But what a lot of courier companies have realised is that they can offer doorstep collection quite cheaply, just as they offer the delivery of reasonably sized packages, based on weig weight ht rather than complex size calculations. It is totall totally y unfair to say that Yodel Yodel and similar companies cream off urban work – I live in a rural area and I have not yet found a courier compan company y that refuses to deliver or collect from me at the same price as if I lived in a ci  .

e Royal Mail’s biggest problem is that the staff ne   to work much harder than they do now. ey need to operate seven days a week and make their services easier to use. Nowadays even sending a letter involves weighing each item and then measuring all the dimensions, even the thickness of  a lett r, to find out what has to be paid. Parcels, letters, packets and registered mail should all be handled by one delivery driver driver and not two or even three as they are currently. e same postman, already calling at homes, could just as easily collect parcels at the same time. e problem is that they would no doubt expect to be paid more for doing it. Royal Mail could, and should, be the cheapest, fastest and most reliable service, so the question is, why isn’t it? Clive Cliv e Richards

7 – 20Janua 20January ry 2015 2015

  11

 

Consumeractive Curry’ rry’ss Was Cu sal salesm an trying ng to cesman on m e?tryi   I de deci cide ded d to buy buy an HP St Strrea eam m la lapt ptop op fr from om my loc local al Curry Curryss stor store e for £22 £229. 9. e sales salesma man n sa said id I’d al also so have to buy buy a £35 £35 32 32G G USB mem emor ory y stic tick to be us used ed in case case the com comput puter er cras crashes hes.. He re refus fused ed to sell sell me the the la lapt ptop op wi with thou outt this this.. Su Sure rely ly this this is a con? con?

Q

Nick Dobie Dobie

  We’re not sure whether whether this is a con, but it’s certainly very strange. While it’s wise to have some form of backup storage, it’s hardly mandatory and we can’t think why this salesman thought so. If Nick had bought the memory stick under those conditions, he could have argued that he’d been missold the laptop. He would have had a case under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations and the Sale of Goods Act for an item not as described.

A

We spoke to our customer-service contact at Currys, who was equally bemused. He said that he couldn’t comment without further information because it may have been a misunderstanding misunders tanding.. Nick told us he will go back to the shop and get the salesman’s name. If he does, we’ll salesman’s pass this on to Currys so it can investigate. We’ll let you know what happens.

What ar Wha are e my ri righ ghts ts aft fter er buyi ying ng a bro br oken phon one e from hon s 4u 4u? ?   I bo boug ught ht a Noki Nokia a Lu Lumi mia a 63 635 5 phon phone e on a 24 24-m -mon onth th,, EE contr con trac actt fr from om Phone Phoness 4u in Augus Augustt 201 2014, 4, but it won’t on’t con connec nectt to the inter interne net. t. Becaus Because e Phone Phoness 4u went bu busst in Se Sept ptem embe berr, EE sent sent it away fo forr butt this this was un unsu succ cces essf sful ul.. EE repa  , bu ha hass no now w washe ashed d it itss hand handss of th the e matt ma tter er an and d won’t on’t can cancel cel the co contr ntrac act. t. I’m pa payi ying ng £19 £19 a mon onth th for for a phon phone eI can’t can ’t use. use. Wh What at ar are e my ri righ ghts? ts?

Q

Stephen Steph en For Forster ster

  Sadly Sadly,, Stephen Stephen’s ’s rights are very limited, as are those of all Phones 4u customers. EE doesn’t doesn ’t ha have ve to fix the phone because Stephen’s contract was with Phones 4u. EE also doesn’t have to cancel the airtime because although it formed part of the deal, it’s actually a separate contract contr act to the handset; and it works fine. But rather than giving up – leaving leavi ng Stephen with a useless phone – we pursued other options.

A

When Phones 4u went bust, EE agreed to repair phones for free if the handset wasn’t covered by insurance and was still under warr warran anty. EE may have stopped trying to repair Stephen’s Stephen’s phone because it believes the fault isn’t cover covered ed by the warranty. Confusing the matter is that it’s unclear which warranty EE has

 gree gree to ful fulfil fil –

Nokia’s or Nokia’s Phones 4u’s. We’ve asked EE to clarify. We’ve also suggested to Stephen that he makes a claim as an unsecured creditor with Phones 4u’s administrators PricewaterhouseCoopers. Admittedly Admitt edly,, this is a long shot because unsecured creditors rarely get any money back, but it’s worth trying. If  you’re you ’re in a similar situation to Stephen, you can make a claim on the PwC website by clicking on creditors and suppliers and downloading a claim form (www.snipca.com/14651 (www.snipca.com/14651 ). Stephen didn’t take out Phones 4u’s care plan, but any anyone one who did still has this protect protection. ion. e phone number for this service is 0333 222 6730. Technical Support is also still ava available ilable on 0844 871 2233.

pair ir for my faul ulty ty TomT mTo om? Do I have to accept a repa   I bou bough ghtt a TomT omTom om satsat-na nav v fr from om Am Amaz azon on on Bla Black ck Fr Frida iday y for my hus husban band’s d’s Chri Christm stmas as present pres ent.. We’v e’ve e had problem problemss chargi charging ng it. You ou’v ’ve e said said in the the past past that that you can can on only ly

Q

get get a ful fulll re refu fund nd for for a faul faulty ty prod produc uctt wi with thin in the the fir first st 30 days days,, afte afterr whi hich ch the the compa com pan ny can ins insis istt on re repai pairin ring g or repl replaci acing ng it ins inste tead ad.. Is that that st still ill the case? case? Sally Shaunessy

  Yes, it is. However, However, some companies do occasionally offer

A

refunds for longer. Amazon sometimes offers a full refund for up to six months after purchase, especially if it can no longer replace the item. Sally needs to contact Amazon (through the ‘Contact ‘Contact Us’ 12

  7 – 20Janua 20January2015 ry2015

option at  at  www.snipca.com/14652) www.snipca.com/14652) to find out what it’s prepared to offer her. If Sally had bought the sat-nav from a trader on Amazon Marketplace, Marketplace, she would probably have to put up with a repair or a replacement. replacement. She wouldn’t wouldn’t need to prove the fault is inherent because the burden of proof is on the

seller to prove prove otherwise. Amazon provides information information on how to return an item bought through Marketplace at www.snipca.com/14656. www.snipca.com/14656.

 

Con onta tact ct us so we ca can n in inv ves esti tiga gate te you ourr ca case se Email: [email protected] Write: Con Consumer sumeractiv active, e, Computer Computeractiv active, e, 30 Clev Cleveland eland Street, Street, London London W1T 4JD

W   e st stan and d up for your our legal egal righ rights ts

Ple Please ase inc includ lude e both both your your phone phone number number and address address.. Unfort Unfortuna unatel tely y, we can can’t ’t reply reply to all your your let letters ters..

Do I have to put up wi with th a repai airr if th the e retai ailler takes too long acceptin ting g good oodss ba back ck??   Ear Earlie lierr thi thiss year Te Su Sun  n  was offeri offering ng a Hudl Hudl Tablet ablet fo forr £80, £80, includ inc luding ing a year year’s ’s fr free ee onl online ine ac acce cess ss to th the e pape paperr. I got got the the tabl tablet et on 29 August, but Te Su Sun  n ’s ’s ap app p didn didn’t work ork proper  proper   . e en n th the e who hole le tabl tablet et froz froze. e. I re repor porte ted d thi thiss to Te Sun  Sun withi within n 30 da days ys of recei eceivi ving ng the the tabl tablet et,, bu butt was refu refuse sed da re repla placem cement ent or refun refund. d. Can Can you you hel help? p? Ian Mitch Mitchell ell

Q

  We can. Assuming the tablet is inherently faulty, Ian is entitled to a replacement or refund – and can refuse a repair – because he’d met the legal requirements requirements of reportin reporting ga fault within 30 days. He can’t be held

A

responsible for the responsible newspaper taking so long to respond. A day after we contacted Te Su Sun n on Ian’s behalf to explain this, he told us that the newspaper had now promised to collect the tablet. However, it gave a vague pick up time of  “within two weeks”, and we’re not sure whether it plans to repair or replace the broken Hudl. We have reassured Ian about his rights, and also explai explained ned that Te Sun Sun is

LEGAL UPD UPDA ATES New re New retai taill wat atch chdo dog g to help custom customers ers

entitled to inspect the tablet to check entitled that the fault is inherent. We’ve also asked Te Sun Sun to confirm with Ian a pick-up date for the tablet.

THIS IS WI WILL LL CO COME ME IN US USEF EFUL UL TH

Insurance Insur ance companies companies

A new ombu ombudsma dsman n serv service ice giv gives es con consume sumers rs anoth another er we weapo apon n in the fi fight ght fo forr their their rights rights.. Launch Lau nched ed on 2 Januar January y, The The Retai Retaill Ombud Ombudsma sman n (TRO (TRO)) has has been been se sett up in or orde derr to prov provid ide e a fr free ee dispute-r disp ute-reso esoluti lution on serv service ice that doe doesn’t sn’t entail entail lega legall action. action. If you you make mak e a compl complain aintt to TRO TRO, a cas case e work orker er will will be assig assigne ned d to yo your ur case case wi withi thin n 10 days days.. The They y will will gathe gatherr ev evide idenc nce e from from bot both h

Aviva

Lega egall and Gen Gener eral al

Contact details: www.aviva. details: www.aviva. co.uk/contact-us Twitter:  @Avi Twitter: @AvivaUKSupport vaUKSupport

Phone contacts: www.snipca.com/14529 Email contact contacts: s: www.snipca.com/14528 Twitter @landg_uk Twitter  @landg_uk

yo you u and and the retail retailer er to try to reach reach an inf inform ormal al reso resolu lutio tion. n. If this this isn’tt possibl isn’ possible, e, the com complai plaint nt goes before before the Chie Chieff Ombu Ombudsma dsman n fo forr a decisi decision on.. The reso resolu lutio tions ns are aren’t n’t legal legallly bindin binding g on you you or but if you ac acce cept pt a deci decisi sion on you can’ can’tt th then en deci decide de to the retai retaill  , but take take the matte matterr furt further her legall legally y. The Retai Retaill Om Ombud budsm sman an has the author authority ity to inve invest stiga igate te complain com plaints ts about products products and service services s at highhigh-stre street et and independ inde pendent ent shop shops, s, as well well as petr petrol ol stat stations ions,, gard garden en cent centres res and shopp shopping ing web ebsi site tes. s. It’s It’s import important ant to rem remem ember ber that that TR TRO O is a volun voluntar tary y schem scheme e fun funde ded d by ret retail ailerswho erswho agr agree ee to act by its Code Cod e of Pra Practic ctice. e. Cas Case e work workers ers don’ don’tt hav have e any statutory statutory pow powers ers.. You can con contact tact TRO TRO by em email ail ([email protected])) ombudsman.co.uk or byphone byphone (020 (0203 3

Twitter: @axainsurance Twitter: @axainsurance

137 8268). 8268). To write write to TRO, TRO, click click ‘C ‘Conta ontact ct us’at: www.retailombudsman.co.uk.. ombudsman.co.uk

AXA AXA 0844 08 44 874 874 0211 0211 Bupa

Prudential

Phone contacts: www.snipca.com/14540

New customer customers: s:

0808 08 0811 634 634 545

Saga

 xistin xisting g cust customer omerss :

 ar insur insurance: ance:

0845 08 456 6 09 090 0 111 111

0800 08 00 056 056 9173 9173

Twitter: @BupaUK Twitter:  @BupaUK

Home insurance: insurance:

0800 08 00 056 056 9102 9102 Churchill

Twitter: @SagaUK Twitter: @SagaUK

Contact details: www. churchill.com/contact-us Twitter: @thechurchilldog Twitter:  @thechurchilldog

Standard Lif Standard Life e 0800 08 00 634 634 7474 474

Direct Dir ect Lin Line e

Online help: www.snipca.com/14672

 ar insurance: insurance:

0845 08 45 24 246 6 3761 3761 Home Hom e insur insurance: ance:

0845 08 45 24 246 6 3564 3564 Twitter: @DirectLine_UK Twitter:  @DirectLine_UK

7 – 20 Janu Januar ary y 2015 2015

  13

 

Pro Protect Your Tech Scam Sc ams s and and th thre reat ats s to avoid, oid, plus plus new new secu securi rity ty tool tools s WATCH W T H OUT OUT OU T FOR FOR… FO FOR… R… …

Premi Pr emium-r um-ra ate scam scamss on phones ones Whatt happ happened? ened? Wha Mobile-phone Mobile-ph one users were were warne arned d to lo look ok out out fo forr malici ma licious ous ap apps ps that that ra rack ck up hu huge ge bil bills ls with withou outt the the victim knowing. knowing. Te war arnin ning g came came fr from om regulator regulat or Phonepa PhonepayPlus yPlus (www.phonepayplus.org. uk), uk ), a part partne nerr of Of Ofco com, m, which wh ich fined fined three three UK compan companies ies £330,00 £33 0,000 0 in Decem December ber.. Wor orkin king g with with antivirus anti virus com compan pany y Kaspersk Kaspersky y, it found found that that the the Andr Androi oid d ap apps ps ma made de by Ci Circ rcle le Marketing Mark eting,, Cloudspac Cloudspacee and Syncroni Syncronized zed to prom promote ote and provide provide prem premiumium-ra rate te services servic es contained contained malwa malware re.. Victims Vict ims inadver inadverten tently tly inst installed alled the ap apps, ps, which which had names names inc includ luding ing Fun Fun Sexy Sex y Gir Girls ls and Gla Glam m Ple Pleasu asure res, s, from from porn website websites. s.

Afterr inst Afte installing alling the ap app, p, victim victimss unwittingly unwit tingly began a subsc subscri ript ptio ion n to a premium-rate premium-r ate service simply sim ply by ta tappin pping g an anyw ywher heree on the phone’s phone ’s screen. screen. Tis subscription charged users between £1.50 and £4.50 a week. Most people didn’t know they were being charged because the apps stopped the notification confirming payment from appearing. So Some me peo peopl plee re repo port rted ed bil bills ls of  hundreds hund reds of poun pounds. ds. Othe Others rs complain complained ed to Phon Phonepa epayPlus yPlus tha thatt they receiv received ed sexually sexu ally expl explicit icit text text message messages. s. PhonepayPlus said that the companies were unable to prove they had obtained customers’ consent to be charged. As

New too oolls

14

Dashlane Dashl ane Passw Password ord Changer Changer www.snipca.com/14692

Wou ouldn ldn’t ’t it be gr grea eatt if th thee next next time time an internet inte rnet-wide -wide flaw flaw like Heartbleed Hear tbleed or Shells Shellshock hock is dis disco cove vere red, d, you you co could uld ch chang angee all yo your ur passw passwor ords ds in on onee cl clic ick? k? Tis Tis is whatt Dashl wha Dashlane ane’s ’s new Passw Pas sword ord Changer Changer too tooll promi promises ses to do do.. It wo work rkss across across abo about ut 70 website websites, s, including including Outlook.com, Fac Facebook, ebook, Amazon, Amaz on, Skype, Skype, Apple, Apple, Pa PayP yPal al and Google Google.. It was when en we went went still still in beta wh to pres press, s, an and d you’l ou’lll need need to sign sign up to

clai claims ms on it itss bl blog og (www.snipca. com/14693), com/14693 ), we don don’t min mind d wai aiti ting ng..

re recei ceive ve “ear early ly access access”. ”. Tat might might ta take ke a while hile - wh when en we re regi gist ster ered ed th ther eree wer eree 10,0 10,000 00 peo peopl plee ah ahea ead d of us. us. Bu Butt if  th thee tool tool wor orks ks as well as Dash Dashla lane ne

Te comp compan any y also also sa says ys it’s it’s workin orking g on a feat featur uree tha thatt let letss yo you u au auto toma matic ticall ally y chang cha ngee yo your ur pas passw swor ords ds at a set int interv erval al – ev ever ery y 30 da days ys,, for for ex exam ampl ple. e.

  7 – 20 Janu Januar ary y 2015 2015

well as being fined, the companies were ordered to refund their victims.

hatt sh shoul ould d you do? Wha Sadly, avoiding Sadly avoiding porn website websitess doesn’t doesn’t me mean an you you’ll be imm immune une fr from om premiu premiummrate rate scams. scams. Cri Crimin minals als are are also also using using fa fake ke Andr Androi oid d ap apps ps,, sold sold on both both the the Go Goog ogle le Play Play sto store re and unofficial unofficial alt alterna ernativ tives, es, to inf infect ect phones phones with with ma malw lwar aree that that cal calls ls or te text xtss ex expens pensiv ivee number numbers. s. Make Make sur suree yo you u’re con convin vinced ced by an app’s app’s authent aut henticity icity before before inst installing alling it. It’s crucial you spot scams early, so check for any unusual payment on your phone bill. If you think you’ve been scammed, contact PhonepayPlus on 0800 500 212. You can find out if a premium-rate premium-r ate number is legitimat legitimatee using the regulator’s Number Checker (see screenshot,   www.snipca.com/14720 screenshot, www.snipca.com/14720). ).

ScamWatch READERS READ ERS WARN READ READERS ERS

Not foo Not oolled by £1 £150 50 email re rewar ward d In th thee spam spam fol olde derr of my Gmai Gmaill accoun acc ountt I recen recentl tly y recei receive ved d an email email with wit h the su subje bject ct line, line, “Last “Last remin reminder der about abo ut yo your ur £150 – Actio Action n Re Requir quired ed”. ”. It was fr from om someon someonee called called Marja Marja Ha Hakka kkara raine inen n (wh (which ich I tho thoug ught ht was a Fi Finni nnish sh name name - a se sear arch ch on Go Goog ogle le confirm con firmed ed thi this). s). I delet deleted ed it ins instan tantl tly y becau bec ause se I had had nev never hear heard d th thee name name befo before re.. If an anyo yone ne else else ge gets ts this this mess me ssag age, e, my ad advi vice ce would ould be to do the the sa same me.. If you are are te temp mpte ted d to open open the the em email ail,, I would ould sugg sugges estt doin doing g so on a vi virt rtua uall ma mach chin ine, e, in ca case se it conta con tains ins a vir virus. us.

Jack Stephenson

Warn your your fel fello low w rea reader ders s abou aboutt scam scams s at [email protected]

 

Bes st Free Softw ftwa are Be Brilli Bri lliant ant new new prog progra rams ms that that won’t on’t cost cost you anyth anything ing PC CLE CLEANER ANER

Advan ancced Sys ysttemC emCar are e Fr Free ee 8 www.snipca.com/14848 What Wh at you you nee need: d: Windows   , Vis ista ta,, 7 or8+

Te new version of IObit’s system-cleaning program now includes the excellent IObit Uninstaller, and it lets you fix Registry errors, boost your PC’s boot time and remove hidden  junk,, all from one  junk one simp simple le dashbo dashboard ard.. When you run Advanced SystemCare, SystemCare, its taskbar icon has a little face on it. It’s not just being friendly; the face is there to show you how healthy your PC is. Our little taskbar face looked rather glum, so we clicked Scan to track down the cause of our PC’s unhappiness. As great as all this sounds, we recommend Advanced

SystemCare with reserv SystemCare reservations. ations. Te eagle-ey eagle-eyed ed among you will remember that we criticised the program in our Issue 436 coverr feature, because its installer included loads of unwanted cove unwanted extras, including the dreaded Yahoo toolbar. Tankfully, these PUPs have  have now disappeared, but you still have have to download PUPs the program from a third-party site (clicking Free Download www.snipca.com/14849 –  – a CNet page), and it takes you to  to  www.snipca.com/14849 tries to install Driver Booster 2 (another IObit tool) without being asked. Be vigilant, and don’t click the orange Activate Now button in the progr program am window – that’s another adve advert. rt.

3

2

1

4

1   e face face on Ad Adva vance nced d

16

2   Cl ClickScan ickScan to start start scann scanning ing

3   On the Tool oolbo box x tab yo you’ll u’ll

4   Don’t Don’t clic click k Ac Activ tivate ate No Now w

Sy SystemC stemCare’s are’s taskbar icon

for for thing things s that that ar are e sl slow owing ing

find othe otherr rec recent ently ly added added

unl unles ess s you want to buy buy

is a qui quick ck indic indicato atorr of yo your ur PC’s he health alth.. Our clutter cluttered ed PC clearl clearly y nee needs ds a boo boost. st.

your your PC, includin including g Regist Registry ry err errors ors,, spy spywa ware re and junk files. files.

IObitt too IObi tools, ls, incl includin uding g IObi IObitt Uninstaller Uninstal ler and Driv Driver er Booster.

the pro versio version. n. Tool ools s mark marked ed ‘pro’ ‘pro’ on the Tool oolbo box x tab are onl only y av availab ailable le if yo you u upgrade upgrade..

  7 – 20 Janu Januar ary y 2015 2015

 

ANTISPYWARE

Detekt www.snipca.com/14851 Whatt you Wha you nee need: d: Windows   , Vistaor istaor 7 FILE RENA RENAMER MER

Chron ono o Nam Namer er Chr www.snipca.com/14819 What Wh at you you nee need: d: Win indo dow ws 7 or 8

No Nott al alll soft softw war aree insta installe llers rs se sett our our te teet eth h on ed edge ge.. In fact fact,, Ch Chro rono no Namer’s made us smile, thanks to its simple and lovely illustr illu strati ation, on, which which also also app appear earss in the pr progr ogram am’s ’s ope openin ning g Chro rono no Name Namerr is is,, as it itss titl titlee su sugg gges ests ts,, a tool tool for for wind  . Ch re renam naming ing bat batche chess of file filess – spe specific cificall ally y ‘m ‘medi edia’ a’ file filess (phot (photos, os, vi vide deos os or mu musi sic). c). e file filess ar aree re rena name med d acco accord rdin ing g to rules rules chos chosen en by you, ou, us usin ing g EXIF inf inform ormat ation ion su such ch as wh wher eree and when hen the the file filess were ere crea create ted. d. e pr prog ogrram also also feat featur ures es a slid slides esho how w func functi tion on so you can can vie view w phot photos os in an an anim imat ated ed sequen seq uence ce.. We hit a small small hit hitch ch when when downl downloa oadin ding g the ins insta talle llerr file file,, because because our br brow owser ser flagge flagged d it as ‘d ‘dang anger erous ous’’ (it isn’t). isn’t).

It’s It’s not just “r “resear esearcher chers, s, human-ri human-right ghtss work workers ers and journalist journalists” s” who are who are at ri risk sk of spyw spywar are, e, desp despit itee what hat you’ll ou’ll re read ad on th thee security ity too tooll websi website te wher wheree we fo found und thi thiss new new open-source secur (https://resistsurveillance.org https://resistsurveillance.org). ). Every eryone one with with a comp comput uter er is eq equa uall lly y at ris risk, k, so De Dete tekt kt is fo forr al alll of us. us. To down downlo load ad the the tool tool,, creat created ed by a grou group p of orga organis nisat ation ionss inc includ luding ing Amn Amnest esty y Intern Internat ation ional al and Pri Priva vacy cy Int Intern ernat ation ional, al, visit visit the link ab abov ovee and cli click ck Do Downl wnload oad Det Detek ekt, t, then then cli click ck ‘det ‘detek ekt.e t.exe xe’. ’.

WHAT SHOULD ULD I DO DOWNL WNLO OAD? WHAT SHO We te tell ll you wha hatt so soft ftw war are e to us use e

What can I us Wha use e in insstea ead d of Ma MapPo pPoin int? t?   I have have sea searc rched hed rep repeat eatedly edly fo forr a ma map p progr program am like the old old Mic Micros rosoft oft MapP MapPoin oint, t, wh where ere I co could uld dr dra aw a radi radius us on a UK map map an and d mar mark loca locati tion onss withi within n it. it. Goo Googl gle e Ma Maps ps does doesn’ n’tt se seem em able able to do this. this. Can yo you u rec recomm ommend end anyt anything hing? ?

Q

Ala Alan n Wi Wilton lton

  Use Users rs of Microso Microsoft ft MapPo MapPoint int (www.snipca. com/14866)) are com/14866 are no now w bein being g direc directe ted d to Bi Bing ng Ma Maps ps (www.bing.com/maps www.bing.com/maps)), whi hich ch is fr free ee and onlin online-o e-only nly.. Clic Click k ‘Sig ‘Sign n in’ in’ to cr crea eate te an accoun acc ount, t, then clic click k ‘My places pla ces’’ to st start art dra drawing wing areas are as and mar marking king loca locatio tions. ns. e si site te is very very easy easy to us use, e, wi with th self-explanato self-exp lanatory ry too tooll icon iconss such such as a dott dotted ed line line for for th thee ‘D ‘Dra raw wa path path or trail’ trail’ to tool ol,, and a fill filled ed dott dotted ed line line for for

A

WEBCAM WEBC AM SECURITY SECURITY

WebC ebCam am On On-Of -Offf 1.1 www.snipca.com/14816 What Wh at you you nee need: d: Windows   , Vis ista ta,, 7 or8+

In our Wor orksh kshop op ‘S ‘Sto top p Russia Russian n hac hacke kers rs usin using g yo your ur webcam webcam’’ (Issu (Issuee 43 439) 9) we sh sho owed you ho how w to us usee this this port portab able le ne new w tool tool to disa disable ble your our PC’s PC’s web ebca cam m comp comple lete tely ly so it can can’t be ac acce cess ssed ed by hack hacker ers. s. No so soon oner er ha had d we publ publish ished ed th thee Works orksho hop p than than its creat creator or Sor Sordum dum upd updat ated ed it. You can now now sw switc itch h multip multiple le web ebca cams ms on an and d off (use (usefu full if yo you u have have an exte extern rnal al web ebca cam m as wel elll as a buil builtt-in in one), one), an and d cl clic ickin king g the the Web ebca cam m but button ton no now w op open enss a prev previe iew w wind wind  , where here you can can ta tak ke a sc scre reen ensh shot ot an and d zo zoom om in or ou out. t. It’ t’ss fa fast st bec becom omin ing g th thee on only ly webca ebcam m to tool ol you need need..

‘Draw ‘Dr aw an area’ area’. Doyou need need ouradvi ouradvice ce on what what so softw ftwareto areto use? use? Just Just emailus at lett letters@c ers@compu omputer teracti active. ve.co. co.uk uk

7 – 20Janua 20January ry 2015 2015

  17

 

Reviews PC ❘ £229

 

New New pr prod oduc ucts ts test tested ed by ou ourr expert xperts s

from www.fuze.co.uk/pro www.fuze.co.uk/products ducts

Fuze Techno echnologies logies Fuze-T2-R Learn to pr Learn progr ogram am a robo obott arm wi with th this this Ra Rasp spbe berry rry Pi Pi-based edu educa catio tional nal PC We’ e’re re big big fa fans ns of the the Rasp Raspbe berr rry y Pi, Pi, th thee tin tiny comp comput uter er aim aimed ed at thos thosee who want ant to le lear arn, n, dev develop elop an and d us usee th thei eirr progr pro gramm amming ing skil skills ls (see our revie review w of  th thee mode modell B+, Is Issu suee 434). 434). Ho How wev ever er,, the the basi basicc Pi does doesn n’t re real ally ly gi giv ve you much much to wor ork k wi with th be beyo yond nd poin pointi ting ng you at an appropria appr opriate te oper operatin ating g sys system tem and some online onli ne tu tuto toria rials. ls. Wh Wher eree the the Pi lea leave vess off off,, the FuzeFuze-T2T2-R R pic picks ks up. up. e Fuz uzee is sp spec ecific ifical ally ly desi design gned ed as a comput com puter er fo forr edu educa catio tion, n, with with sch school oolss and childr children en int inter erest ested ed in techn technolo ology gy as it itss main mai n targ target et au audie dience nce.. If yo you u fo fondl ndly y remembe rem emberr program programming ming in BASIC on a

The Fuze The uze is a gre great way to enco encour urage age a budding bud ding programm programmer er BB BBC C Micr Micro o and and wor orkin king g with with ho home me electr elec troni onics cs proje projects cts in the the 198 1980s 0s and want yo your ur childr children en or gr grand andchil childr dren en to hav have the the oppo opport rtun unit ity y to le lear arn n in th thee the Fuze Fuze--T2T2-R R coul could d be samee fun w y, the sam  just the ticket. ticket. It Itss stur sturdy dy me meta tall case case con conta tains ins a Rasp Raspbe berr rry y Pi B+ hook hooked ed up to a bu buil iltt-in in keybo keyboar ard d and a boa board rd wit with h inp input/ ut/ou outp tput ut connec con necto tors rs that that’s ’s design designed ed to contr control ol the suppl supplied ied br bread eadboa board rd,, wh which ich you you can use as the the fo foun unda dati tion on fo forr your our own elect electro roni nics cs proj projec ects ts.. At the the ba back ck of th thee USB B 2.0 por ports, ts, an HDMI Fuze Fuze ar aree fo four ur US connec con necto torr fo forr plugg plugging ing in a monit monitor or,, an Et Ethe hern rnet et so sock cket et and and an au audi dio o port port.. ere e re’s ’s al also so a microSD slot slot that that conta contains ins an 8GB stor storag agee card card wi with th the the Rasp Raspbia bian n Linux Lin ux ope opera ratin ting g sy syst stem em ins insta talled lled on it. If  you you re remo move ve the Fuze Fuze’s ’s fo four ur rear rear scr screw ews, s, you ca can n pull pull off the the back back pane panell to rev evea eall an inte intern rnal al tra tray ho holdi lding ng th thee Pi itse itself lf.. e Fuz uzee-T2T2-R R al also so come comess with with a mous mo use, e, a USB robot bot ar arm m for you to 18

  7 – 20Janua 20January2015 ry2015

  U Y  T ! ★★★★★

supplie sup plied d inp input/ ut/out output put o rrd d nd ro ot ot

cont contro roll and and a litt little le kit of elect electro roni nicc compon com ponen ents, ts, inc includ luding ing a number number of  LEDs, resis LEDs, resisto tors, rs, sw swit itche ches, s, ple plent nty y of   jumperr wires,  jumpe wires, a light senso sensorr and a sin single gle-ch -char aract acter er LED scr screen een.. All yo you u need ne ed is an HDMI HDMI ca cabl blee an and d a moni monito torr or TV to conn connec ectt to yo your ur littl littlee co comp mput uter.

BASIC trai BASIC training ning What Wh at re real ally ly se sets ts the the Fuze Fuze apar apartt is the the

arm.. Like arm Like ear earlier lier versi versions ons of BASI BASIC, C, the pr prog ogra rammi mming ng lan langua guage ge is des design igned ed to be easy easy to le lear arn. n. FUZE FUZE BASI BASIC C has has bee been n re refin fined ed to ma make ke what wh at you you lea learn rn fr from om it tr trans anslat latee more more easily easil y to other other prog program ramming ming language languages. s. For ex exam ample ple,, ther theree are are no vis visibl iblee lin linee numbe numbers rs and you you’re enc encour ourag aged ed to avo void id archa archaic ic comman commands ds in fa favo vour ur of mor moree mode mo dern rn ones ones.. All this this ma mak kes fo forr an easier eas ier tr trans ansiti ition on fr from om BASIC BASIC to mod modern ern pr prog ogra rammi mming ng lan langua guages ges if and wh when en yo you u wan antt to mov move on to some someth thin ing g mo more re advanced adv anced.. Anot Another her advant advantage age FUZE BASIC BASIC has ov over er older older ve versi rsions ons of BASIC BASIC is th that at it runs runs much much fa fast ster er.. You can, can, of co cour urse se,, use use the the Fuze uze to code code in oth other er progr programm amming ing lan langua guage ges, s, such such as Pyth Python on wh whic ich h al also so come comess insta installe lled d on it it,, so the com compu pute ter’s r’s use useful fulnes nesss won won’t end oncee yo onc you u’v ’vee pr prog ogre ressed ssed pas pastt what what BASI BASIC C

FUZE FUZ E BASI BASIC C pr progr ogramm amming ing lan langua guage ge it comes with. comes with. Althou Although gh FUZE FUZE BASI BASIC C is availa ailable ble for for free free an and d will will work ork on an any y Raspbe Ras pberry rry Pi run runnin ning g Ras Raspbi pbian, an, it it’s ’s been been builtt to work buil work spe specific cificall ally y wit with h the Fuze Fuze’s ’s

can can do. do. e ve vers rsio ion n of Ra Rasp spbia bian n insta installe lled d on it is al also so a full fully y func functi tion onal al De Desk skto top p opera ope ratin ting g syst system em,, all allow owing ing the the Pi to be used used for for basi basicc PC tas asks ks such such as web brow browsin sing g and pla playin ying g med media ia file files. s.

Te look lookan and d fe feel el of th the e Fuze uze is re remi mini nisc scen entt of early home computers such as the ZX Spectrum and BBC Micro. Its laptop-style keyboard key board is positioned at a surprisingl surprisingly y steep angle, but we found it reasonably comfortable to use for short bursts of  typing such as when coding. It’s less suitable if you need to type lengthy text documents.. Te unusually small, offset documents space bar proved proved to be a slight problem, but we got used to it after a couple of days.

 

Guided tuition n Guided tuitio

Another place where the Fuze stands head and shoulders above most Raspberry Pi bundles is in the quality of the printed teaching materials materia ls that come with it. e Fuze comes with a

HOW TEST ST HOW WE TE

series of progr programming amming projects, written in a light, clear manner that’s easily comprehensible to children and people with no experience of programming. By completing the projects, users will learn about concepts common to all programming programming languages, all while creating short and simple progr programs ams that produce tangible results results.. e last couple of projects use the FUZE to control an external external electronic circuit and the robot arm. e arm can only perform simple tasks such as picking up objects from one pile and moving them to another another,, but successfully programming it gives a great sense of  achievement. achievem ent. Unlike the comput r, the robot arm arrives in kit form so you havee to build it yourself hav yourself.. As well as being entertaining to program and control, the arm is fun and satisfying to build: you start with a collection of motors, loose gears, and bits of plastic casing, and end up with a working robot. It takes a bit of patience and a few hours to assemble, but both the process and the result are educational and entertaining. ere are lots of little pieces involved, so a steady hand and a sharp eye are essential. e printed project cards that come with the Fuze are great, but we’d have liked more electronics projects. Plus, not all of the components th t th Fuze comes with hav havee a role in the supplied lesson plans. For example, the Fuze comes loaded with BASIC code snippets to use the supplied light sensor, but there’s no accompanying accompan ying tutorial tutorial sso o you have to work things out for yourself. However, the official website (www.snipca. (www.snipca.

produc pro ducts ts,using usi the sam same e cri criter teria . For Fo r examp example le, weng test tes t the spe speed ed ofia. every ev ery PC and the batte battery ry life life of ev every ery table tablett in ex exact actlly the sam same e wa way y. This This mak makes ourreviews ourrevie ws autho authoritati ritative ve,, rigorous rigorous and accur accurate. ate. Dennis Denn is Publ Publishi ishing ng also also owns owns the magazines PC Pro Pro, Computer Shopper , Web Use User  r , Micr Micro o Mart and MacUser , and the websit website e Exp Expert ert Re Revie views ws This s (www.expertreviews.co.uk). www.expertreviews.co.uk). Thi means means we can tes testt thous thousand ands s of products pro ducts befo before re choo choosing sing the mos mostt relevant rele vant for Computeractive.

com/14635) contains a com/14635) number of additional resources, resourc es, with the promise of more to come. ese resources include lesson pl ns

owned ned by Den Dennis nis Computeractive is ow Publishing, Publishi ng, whi which ch ow owns ns a hi-te hi-tech ch facili facility ty for test testing ing the late latest st techn technolo ology gy.. You’l ou’lll often rea read d ref referen erences ces to our benc benchmar hmark k testin testing, g, wh which ich is a met method hod of asse assess ssing ing

and a tutorial series to create a simple space-shooter space-shoot er game. If you’re going to take on a teaching role when using the Fuze, it’s a good idea to work through all the projects yourself before guiding someone else through them. If you’re already reasonably reasonably familiar with BASIC, devising new projects for a beginner to work with is fairly simple. e example code in FUZE BASIC’s default directory default  directory provides some useful jumping-off points. e Fuze-T2-R is a great way to encourage encoura ge a budding programm r. If  the £230 Fuze-T2-R with its robot arm is a bit pricey for you, a version without the arm, but with everything else, costs £180. If you already have a Raspberry Pi, you can buy the stand-alone Fuze case and input/output board for just £70. SPECIFICATIONS

700 MHz ARM11 ARM1176JZ 76JZ-F -F proc processor essor • 512M 512MB B memor memory y• 8GBmicro SD car card d • Raspb Raspbian ian Linux • Micro MicroSD SD slot • dual-core dualcore Vid VideoCo eoCore re IV integrat integrated ed graphics graphics chip • 4x HDMI port port • 1x 10/100Mbp 10/100Mbps s Ethe Ethernet rnet USB2 ports • 1x HDMI port • 70x33x 70x33x23mm 23mm (HxW (HxWxD) xD) • 1.8kg  

 

 

 

 

Our wri writers ters fol follo low w stri strict ct guid guidelin elines es to en ensur sure e the re revi view ews s are fair fair and and impartial impa rtial.. The manu manufac facture turerr has no inv invol olve vement ment in our tests. tests. OUR AWARDS

We award award every every prod product uct that that gets gets fiv five stars stars ou ourr   U Y  T ! Buy Buy It! stamp stamp of app appro rova val. l. ★★★★★ It mean means s we were extreme extremely ly impr impress essed ed by the prod product, uct, an and d we thin think k you wi willbe llbe too. too. Every Every produ product ct that that gets gets a fou four-st r-star ar rev review iew is giv given en the Grea Greatt Pi Pick ck award award.. We highly high ly rec recomme ommend nd thes these e produc pro ducts, ts, altho althoughthey ughthey jus justt fail fail to mee meett the hig high h stand standar ard d of our Buy Buy It! wi winne nners rs..

 

 

 

FAIR AND IMP IMPARTI ARTIAL AL

PRICES

 

 

Our Our re revi view ews s conta contain in a lin link k to the bes bestt pr pric ice e wefound wefoundon onli line neat at the the time time ofpr of pres ess. s.

VERDICT: A fun fun ro robo bott ar arm, m, a si simp mple le

programming program ming lang language uage and cle clear ar tutorials tutor ials mak make e this the best rea realisa lisation tion we we’v ’ve e seen seen of the Raspb Raspberr erry y Pi Pi’s ’s educationall potential educationa

★★★★★ ALTERNATIVE:

Raspbe Ras pberry rry Pi B+ £25 If you’re ou’re more more int inter eres este ted d in yourown electronics electr onics projects than program programming, ming, the then n a stand stand-al -alon one e Pi will will do thetrick

7 – 20 Janu Januar ary y 2015 2015 19

 

Reviews TABLET ❘ £330 from www.snipca.com/14701 www.snipca.com/14701

Sony Xperia Sony Xperia Z3 Table ablett Compa Compact ct The wa waterp terpro roof of Andr Android oid mini tab table lett with wit h su superb perb ba batt ttery ery lif life e e Son Sony Xperi peria a Z2 Tabl blet et was one one of our our fa favo vouri urite te And Andro roid id ta table blets ts of 20 2013 13 (see our revi review ew, Issu Issuee 42 424). 4). is make makess it all all the the moree puzzlin mor puzzling g that that Sony Sony has decided decided ag again ainst st up upda dati ting ng th that at 10 10in in mo mode dell an and d has has inste instead ad re relea leased sed a sma smaller ller 8in ve versi rsion. on. e Xperia peria Z3 Tab able lett Co Comp mpac actt (n (not ot to be confus con fused ed wit with h the the Xper peria ia Z3 smart smartph phone one), ), squeez squ eezes es the bes bestt fe feat atur ures es of its lar large gerr stab stablem lemat atee int into o a mo more re compac compactt de devic vicee thatt easily tha easily ri riva vals ls Goo Google gle’s ’s Nexus Nexus 9. Likee ot Lik other her Xper peria ia Z-ser Z-series ies ta table blets ts and smart smartpho phones nes,, the Z3 Tab ablet let Com Compac pactt is wat aterp erpro roof of.. In our test test,, it su survi rvive ved d inta intact ct a 30-m 30-min inut utee subm submer ersio sion n in a batht bat htub ub.. Son Sony y sa says ys it can wit withst hstand and dept depths hs of up to 1.5 1.5 me metr tres es,, so we’d reco recomm mmen end d you don don’t test test it in a swimming swim ming pool. While Wh ile th thee Z3 is pl plea easi sing ngly ly sl slen ende derr, it

This is ea This easi silly th the e bestt An bes Andr droi oid d min minii tablet tabl et avail vailable able plast stic ic also also ma mana nage gess to be very ery st stur ur y. Its pla case case may may not not be as ro robu bust st as the the iPad iPad Mini Mini’s ’s metal met al const construc ructio tion, n, but it’s it’s mu much ch st stur urdie dierr th than an th thee cr crea eaky ky Nexu Nexuss 9 (see (see our our rev evie iew w, Iss Issue 438) 438).. It ha hass a microSD slo slott too, too, but but you you’ll ne need ed to re reme memb mber er to sn snap ap its its co cov ver secur sec urel ely y sh shut ut,, when when us usin ing g it in th thee ba bath th.. Annoy Ann oying ingly ly, the Z3’s scr screen een has ve very ry narro nar row w bor border derss on its tw two o longe longerr edges, edges, so itcan be diffi difficu cultto ltto get a fir firm m grip rip on the ta tablet blet with without out inadver inadverten tently tly tou touching ching th thee scre screen en an and d trig trigge gerin ring g an acti action on.. e 8in scr screen een its itself elf has go good od col colour our ac accur curac acy y and contr contras ast, t, while while text text looks looks sha sharp rp,, thankss to the 1920 thank 1920x1200 x1200-pixe -pixell res resolut olution. ion. As wit with h pr previ evious ous Xperia peria ta table blets ts th thoug ough, h, SPECIFICATIONS

8in 1920x1200-pix 1920x1200-pixel el touchscreen   • 2.5GHz Qualcomm Qual comm Snapd Snapdrag ragon on 801 quad quad-cor -core e processor processor   • 3GB memor memory y  • 16GB storage storage   • Micr MicroSD oSD slot   • Android 4.4KitKat   • 270g   • 213x12 213x124x6mm 4x6mm (HxW (HxWxD) xD)   • One-year One-ye ar warran warranty ty www.snipca.com/14702

20

7 – 20Janua 20January2015 ry2015

  U Y  T ! ★★★★★

brig bright htne ness ss is a letd letdo own. wn. Wh While ile th thee Z3 Tab ablet let Compac Compact’ t’ss scr screen een is bright brighter er than than previous pre vious Xp Xperias erias,, it’s still signifi significant cantly ly darke dar kerr than than other other mini ta table blets ts.. We have have no com compla plaint intss about about batt battery ery life life tho though ugh.. When When pla playing ying vid video eo battery ery survi survive ved d jus justt continuously, the batt un unde derr 20 ho hour urs, s, which hich is ea easil sily y th thee bestt ti bes time me we’v e’ve ev ever er se seen en for for a ta tabl blet et.. It perfo perform rmed ed well too, too, with with the the 2.5G 2.5GHz Hz Snapdragon quad-core processor and 3GB of me memor mory y spe speedin eding g throug through h our dema demanding nding bench benchmar mark k tes tests. ts. Re Respo sponsi nsive venes nesss wasn asn’t ’t quite quite on this lev level, el, with the touchscr touchscreen een occasi occasional onally ly lagg lagging ing behin beh ind d ou ourr finge fingerr st stro roke kess an and d prod prods, s, but but nothin not hing g we could couldn n’t live live wit with. h. Sony Son y make makess some some su super perb b st stand andalo alone ne camer cam eras, as, bu butt the eight eight--megapixel camera built built into into this this ta tabl blet et isn’t isn’t up to scrat scratch ch.. e focus ocus ten ende ded d to be on the the soft soft side side noise,, ev even en wh when en an and d phot photos os ha had d lots lots of  of noise ta take ken n in bright brightly ly lit con condit dition ions. s. It It’s ’s definit defi nitel ely y a cam camer era a of las lastt resor resort. t. Andro And roid id 4.4 Kit KitKa Katt is prein preinst stall alled ed on th thee Z3 Tab able lett Comp Compac act, t, with with a fr free ee upgra upg rade de to And Andro roid id 5.0 Lollipo Lollipop p promise pro mised d for for “the beginni beginning ng of 20 2015”. 15”. Sony’s Son y’s mod modific ificat ations ions to the Andro Android id int interf erface ace aren aren’t ’t ov over erly ly int intrus rusiv ivee and can be ea easil sily y be igno ignore red d if you don don’t lik likee them. the m. But But some some of the their ir refine refinemen ments ts are are ac actu tual ally ly quit quitee us usef eful ul,, su such ch as the the ‘sma ‘small ll ap apps ps’’ which which float float above above regul regular ar ap apps ps in a sm smal alll re resi siza zable ble wind window, gi giving ving yo you u some some of th thee be bene nefit fitss of PC-s PC-sty tyle le mult mu ltit itas askin king. g. e ra rang ngee of smal smalll ap apps ps is

limited, limit ed, but inc includ ludee a brow browser ser,, cal calend end r, calcu calcula lato torr an and d Gmai Gmaill – al alll of whic which h are are handy han dy to have have.. Less Less usef useful ul is th thee ab abili ility ty to co conn nnect ect wirele wir elessl ssly y to your your Son Sony y And Andro roid id pho phone ne and con contr trol ol it remo remote tely ly, with with the con conte tent ntss of th thee phon phone’ e’ss sc scre reen en di disp spla lay yed in a resiza resizable ble windo window w on your your ta table blet’ t’ss scr screen een.. Both Both devi device cess hav have to be on th thee sam amee Wi-F Wi-Fii netwo network rk.. Even Even if we could could think think of a prac practi tica call be bene nefit fit of th this is fe feat atur ure, e, the the inc incre redibl dibly y fru frust stra ratin ting g lag in respo response nse network ork – ti time mess – even on a fa fasst 802.11n netw madee this fea mad featur turee unusable unusable.. Alt Althou hough gh the Son Sony y Xper peria ia Z3 Tab ablet let Compa Compact ct isn isn’t ’t perfec perfect, t, it it’s ’s st still ill easily easily the best Android Android mini-tab mini-tablet let availab available. le. While Wh ile it itss desi design gn mean meanss it it’s ’s difficu difficult lt to gri grip, p, and the respo responsi nsive venes nesss and bright brightnes nesss of it itss touch touchscr screen een have have room room for impr improvm ovment ent,, its incredible incredible bat battery tery lif life, e, wat aterp erpro roof of des design ign and pac pacy y perfor per forman mance ce me mean an it it’s ’s st still ill grea greatt va value lue.. VERDICT: Al Altho though ugh it has some some niggl nigglin ing g

flaws, it’s still flaws, still bette betterr overa overall ll than Google’ Goo gle’s s va vaunted unted Nex Nexus us 9

★★★★★ ALTERNATIVE: Apple

iP iPad ad Mini Mini 2 £239 Not waterpr waterproof oof and its batte battery ry li life fe is isn’t n’t as cheape aperr lengt  y, but che and wi with th a bri bright ghter er screen scre en and unri unriva valle lled d sel selectio ection n of apps

 

Reviews PRINTER ❘ £52 from www.snipca.c www.snipca.com/14645 om/14645

Ricoh Afici ficio o SG 2100N 2100N A gel gel-ba -based sed al alttern erna ativ tive to an inkjet inkjet or laser laser prin printer Te Rico Ricoh h Afici Aficio o SG 21 2100 00N N is an un unus usua uall col colour our print printer. Ins Instea tead of us usin ing g in ink k or to tone nerr cartr cartrid idge gess like like an in inkj kjet et or lase laserr, it usess blo use block ckss of so soyy-bas based ed gel. gel. Ric Ricoh oh claims claims this techno technolog logy y all allow owss the prin printer ter to match match a ch chea eap p mono mono lase laserr fo forr sp spee eed d an and d ru runn nnin ing g costs, cos ts, but with with the hig high-q h-qual uality ity col colour our printin prin ting g of an ink inkjet jet.. One cle clear ar ad adv van anta tage ge is th that at prin prints ts ma made de with with it itss gelgel-ba base sed d inks inks dry quick quickly ly wit withou houtt smudg smudges. es. Te stur sturdi dily ly made ade SG 2100 2100N N ha hass an Ethe Ethern rnet et port port,, so you can can conn connec ectt it to a ro rout uter er an and d shar sharee it am amon ong g your co comp mput uter ers. s. Unusually, everything on this printer is accessed from the front, which means you could squeeze it into some tight spaces such as shelv shelves, es, or eve even n stack SPECIFICATIONS

3600x1200dpii maxim 3600x1200dp maximum um printresolut printresolution ion  • 29ppm  • A4 pap paper er sizes sizes  • 213x399x360mm (HxWxD)  • 9.5kg  • One-year One-ye ar warran warranty ty www.snipca.com/14646

other devices on top top.. Ricoh ntt sayss that it’s designed to pri say print so up to 10,000 pages a month month sso  o iitt can easily handle the printin printing g n eedss of most small offices. ivee Whil Wh ilee Rico Ricoh h clai claims ms an impressive ressiiv 29 pa page gess per minut minutee (ppm) (ppm) in bll c  ck ck o r co colo lour ur,, in ou ourr te test st th this is pr prin intte r w s f r slower. A te text xt doc docum umen entt prin printe ted d at

11.4pp 11.4ppm, m, ris risin ing g to 19. 19.5pp 5ppm m usi using ng the the draf drafttquality qua lity setting setting.. We we were re impresse impressed d with th thee prin printt qual qualit ity y on only ly whe hen n we used used the the slightl slig htly y slower slower High Quality Quality set setting ting.. Tis produ produced ced cri crisp sper er te text xt an and d sharp sharper er col colour our grap graphics hics,, par particu ticular larly ly on coa coated tedink inkjet jet pa paper per..

buy buy and is re reas ason onabl ably y qui quick, ck, but both both printt qual prin quality ity and runn running ing co costs sts cou could ld be better better

Te SG 2100N has pretty low running costs of 3.6p per black page and 10.6p for colour, but many inkjets are now even cheaper to run and have better print quality. Unless the SG 2100N’s spacesaving design is a priority priority, you should spend a little more for an inkjet instead.

Epson WorkFor orkForce ce WF-3540DTWF littl ttle e mor more e £110 A li ex expens pensiv ive, e, but this ink inkjet jet ha has s better better print print quality qual ity and lowe lowerr runn running ing co costs sts

SSD ❘ £140 from www.snipca.c www.snipca.com/14655 om/14655

 

Samsung 8 5 0 Pro Pr o 256G 256GB B Excepti Exc eptionally onally fas fast, t,  ut

Samsun Sam sung g als also o cla claims ims that that 3D V-NAND -NAND increase increasess performan perfo rmance. ce. We wer weree initially initially scep scepti tica call as the the 25 256GB 6GB 85 850 0 Pro Pro was was act actual ually ly slowe slowerr tha than n oth other er SSDss at copy SSD copyin ing g sm smal alll files files,, managing mana ging 90 90MB/s MB/s,, alt altho hough ugh this is sti still ll a res respec pecta table ble sco score re.. It blazed blazed ah ahea ead d wh when en co copy pying ing larg largee fil files es,, thou though gh,, with with a  ja  jaw-dr w-droppin opping g scor scoree of 613MB 613MB/s /s – it’s it’s ea easi sily ly the the fast fastes estt SSD 22

  7 – 20Janua 20January2015 ry2015

★★★☆☆ ALTERNATIVE:

SSD ❘ £207 from www.snipca.c www.snipca.com/14647 om/14647

 xtrem xtreme eme e  a n i sk  xtr P ro 480G very fast fast SS SSD, D,  u t a litt little le pr pric ice ey  

also ve very ry expe expensi nsive ve Te Samsung 850 Pro is the first SSD first  SSD to  to use a new storage technology called 3D V-NAND. Samsung claims this lets them make even more spacious SSDs.

VERDICT: e SG2100N SG2100N is chea cheap p to

we’v we’vee se seen en in th this is te test st.. TeSamssun TeSam ung g 850 850 Pro Pro is a cr crac ackin king g SSD SSD,, bu butt th thee 25 256GB 6GB mode mo dell cos costs £140 £140,, or 55 55p p per per gigab gigabyte yte.. Te 512 512GB GB Cru Crucia ciall MX100 MX1 00 (see our revie review w, Issue Issue 42 427) 7) co cost stss less less (£ (£15 150 0 or 29p 29p pe perr giga gigaby byte te)) for for twic twicee as mu much ch sto stora rage ge.. Althoug Although h it’s it’s not as fast fast at copy copying ing lar large ge file files, s, it it’s ’s st still ill ou outs tstri trips ps th thee 85 850 0 Pro Pro in copyin cop ying g sma small ll files files.. VERDICT: Incredible performance perform ance,, but yo you u pay pay a hi high gh pric price e fo forr it

★★★☆☆

SanD SanDis isk k is best best know known n fo forr it itss rang ra ngee of SD card cardss an and d US USB B sti stick cks, s, but the the com compa pan ny al also so makes SSDs. SSDs. Te Extr Extrem emee Pro, Pro, its late latest st mod model, el, is avail ailab able le in 240,, 480 an 240 and d 960 960GB GB capa capacit cities ies.. Te Ext Extre reme me Pro Pro was was fa fast ster er th than an ol olde derr SanDi SanDisk sk SS SSDs Ds in our larg largee files files te test st,, with with an MB/s.. Tis av aver erag agee spe speed ed of 559 559MB/s mak ma kes the the Extr Extrem emee Pro Pro the the sec second ond fa fast stes estt SSD we’v we’vee ev ever er seen see n in our lar large ge-fil -files es te test st,, se seco cond nd only only to the the Sams Samsun ung g 850 850 Pro Pro (s (see ee le left ft). ). It was le less ss impre imp ressi ssive ve in our sma smallll-file filess te test st wi with th an averag eragee spee speed d of  86MB/s. 86MB/ s. Although Although slow slower er than

othe otherr SSD SSDs, s, it it’s ’s st stil illl fa farr fa fast ster er than tha n an any y har hard d drive drive.. Te Extr Extrem emee Pro Pro is back backed ed by a len length gthy y 10-ye 10-year ar warr arran anty, but but unle unless ss this this is a prio priori rity ty there the re are bet better ter-v -valu aluee SSDs availa vailable ble.. Te 512 512GB GB Extre Extreme me Pro Pro cost costss a rela relati tive vely ly hig high h 43p per gig gigab abyte yte.. Te 512 512GB GB Cru Crucia ciall MX100 MX1 00 (see our re revie view w, Issue Issue 42 427) 7) isn isn’t ’t quit quitee as fa fast st,, but but cost costss  justt £150  jus £150,, or 29p per gigab gigabyte yte.. VERDICT: Very fast fast and wi with th a long long wa warr rran an y, but but it’s it’s no nott che cheap ap

★★★★☆

 

Reviews PRINTER ❘ £182 from www.snipca.com/14678 www.snipca.com/14678

Brother MFC-J5620DW This compa compact ct inkje inkjett pr prett etty y much much prin prints ts ev everythin erything, g, in incl clud uding ing A3 pa paper per Brother’s MFC-J56 Brother’s MFC-J5620DW 20DW is a ve versa rsatil tilee inkjet inkjet multifunct mult ifunction ion print printer er (MFP). (MFP ). It prints prints,, sca scans, ns, photocopie phot ocopiess and fax faxes. es. It als also o su suppo pport rtss duplex printing,, ha printing hass a 35 35-p -pag agee take th thee st stra rain in ADF to take out out of copy copyin ing g an and d faxing faxin g multiple multiple pages, pages, and and ha hass a rea eade derr fo forr memo me mory ry ca card rdss and and USB USB sttii ks. It al also so su supp ppor orts ts both both wire wired  nd nd sy to use use wirele wir eless ss netw networ orks, ks, so it’s it’s e sy in conj conjun unct ctio ion n with with a nu numb mber er of PCs, PCs, smart smartpho phones nes and ta table blets. ts. And to to top p things things off, off, every everythi thing ng is con contr troll olled ed via an easily easil y adjusta adjustable ble colo colour ur tou touchscr chscreen een Tat’s Tat ’s an imp impre ressi ssive ve list, list, but the MFCMF C-J56 J5620 20D DW ha hass one one mo more re tric trick k up its its sleeve. sleev e. Despi Despite te its compact compact dimen dimensions, sions, you can can prin printt to (t (tho houg ugh h no nott sc scan an from from)) A3 paper paper.. Tere Tere ar aree two two pape paperr tr tra ays that that can can ha hand ndle le A3, pl plus us a sin singl glee-sh shee eett bypa bypass ss slot tha that’s t’s A3-cap A3-capable able.. Flexi Flexible ble paperpaperinput inp ut opt option ionss like like the these se ar aree ra rare re indeed indeed.. It has fo four ur sep separ arat atee ink cartri cartridg dges es (cyan, (cyan, ma mage gent nta, a, ye yello llow w and black), black), ins inste tead ad of a single single com combine bined d car cartri tridg dge, e, which wh ich reduce reducess was aste te and ke keeps eps runnin running g costs cos ts do down. wn. Eac Each h cartri cartridg dgee that that comes comes with with it are are rated ated fo forr a ge gene nero rous us 55 550 0 page pages. s. Af Afte terr thes thesee run run out, out, yo you u can can re repla place ce them with highhigh-capa capacity city versions versions rated rated fo forr 2,4 2,400 00 bl blac ack k and and 1,2 1,200 00 colo colour ur page pagess (at (at ju just st 4. 4.2p 2p for an A4 pag page of text ext an and d colour colo ur gra graphics). phics). Tat’s Tat ’s the go good od news news.. Ho Howe weve verr, the MFC-J5620D MFCJ5620DW’s W’s compact compact size comes comes at a cost cost.. Pap aper er ha hand ndlin ling g is clun clunky. Te main ma in inpu inputt tra tray need needss to to be ma manu nual ally ly ex exte tend nded ed or colla collapse psed d to suit suit th thee pape paperr size size be bein ing g lo load aded ed.. Tis would ould be fin fine, e, but but some some si size zess lo load ad wi with th a la land ndsc scap apee orient orientati ation, on, wh while ile ot other herss load load with with a portr por trait ait orient orientati ation. on. It can get get confus confusing ing.. SPECIFICATIONS 6000x1200 6000 x1200dpi dpi max maximum imum print print reso resoluti lution on  • 20ppm col colour/2 our/22ipm 2ipm mono mono quot quoted ed spee speeds ds  • 2400x2400dpi maximum maxi mum scanresolu scanresolution tion  • USB2 •  802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi  • One-y One-year ear warran warranty ty www.snipca.com/14679

The best… t… The bes

i ad

ini ini cases

Appl ple e iP iPad ad Mini Ap Smart Sma rt Ca Case se £55 from from www. snipca.com/14733 A minim minimalis alistt le leath ather er ca case se with with a protective protecti ve scree screen n flap that that als also o fo fold lds s ba back ck to do doub ubleas leas a stand. stan d. It’s av availa ailable ble in bla black ck,, blu blue, e, red, red, cream cream and bro brown. wn.

Covert Berkeley £30 from from

Wi With th A4, yo you u ne need ed to se sett the the outp output ut tr tra ay carefu car efully lly to av avoid oid it bec becomi oming ng unt untidy idy. Moree signifi Mor significant cantly ly,, print quality quality was was dis disapp appoin ointin ting, g, with with co colou lourr grap graphics hics in partic par ticula ularr looking looking washed ashed out out and lifele lifeless. ss. Sca Scan n qualit quality y was more more impre imp ressi ssive ve,, bu butt the image imagess we sca scanne nned d los lostt a litt little le de deta tail il in th thee dark darkes estt shad shades es.. As inkje inkjett pr prin inte ters rs go th this is is pret pretty ty fa fast st,, de deli live veri ring ng 20 page pagess of te text xt in ju just st 54 second sec onds, s, equ equiv ivale alent nt to 22 pag pages es per minu minutte or 35 ppm, ppm, an and d 5 page pagess of colo colour ur grap graphi hics cs in 25 se seco cond ndss (8. (8.6p 6ppm) pm).. It ev even en pr prin ints ts A3 qu quic ickl kly y, wi with th fiv fivee page pagess of te text xt ta takin king g 34 se seco cond ndss (9p (9ppm pm)) and and 5 page pagess of  colour colour grap graphics hics jus justt 58 second secondss (5pp (5ppm). m). Ov Over eral alll this this is a dece decent nt MF MFP P with with fast perfo performan rmance, ce, reas reasona onably bly low runn runnin ing g cost costss and and A3 capa capabil bilit ity y in a space-sa spac e-saving ving desig design. n. Howe However ver,, the tr trade ade-off -off is lacklu lacklust stre re pri print nt and sca scan n qualit qua lity y, ma making king it onl only y av aver erag agee va value lue and not not su suit itab able le for for every everyone one.. VERDICT: We love love its fa fast st perf performa ormanc nce e

www.snipca. com/14734 Tis stylish stylish pouch pou ch is madeout madeout of opening ning is cove covered red tweed twee d while the ope usi using ng a fo fold ld-o -ov ver flap that that sna snaps ps secu secure relly shu shutt using using a seri series es of butto buttons ns..

Griffin Surv Griffin Survivor ivor ll- errain .sn pc £25 from from www.snipca.com/14735 pca.c a.com om A rub rubbe berr and and plastic plas tic cas case e that compl complete etely encases encase s your Mini, protecting it from from shoc shock ks, wa water ter and dust. Despite its exten extensiv sive e protection, the fingerpr fingerprint int sensor sen sor still still work works, s, and and fl ps giv give easy easy acce access ss to al alll the ports ports..

and lo low w run runnin ning g co costs sts,, but not not its underwhelming underw helming print quality

★★★☆☆

Co Covert vert Cav Cavalry alry

£140 An MFP wi with th sim simila ilarr featu feature res s but bett better er prin printt

£30 from from www www.sn .snipca.com/14736 pca.c pc a.com om Ti Tis s wool ool and and le th t err ca casehas sehas a scr screen een co cove verr th t

and scan scan qual quality ity,, and ev even en lowe lowerr running runn ing costs, costs, but no A3 cap capabil ability ity

to you can can also also us use e to propup propup th the e ta tab bl tt at three three diff differ er n t viewing view ing angles angles..

ALTERNATIVE: HP Offi Office ceje jett Pro Pro 861 8610 0

7 – 20 nu ry2015 ry2015

 

 

Reviews SMARTPHONE ❘ £296 (witho (without ut contract) contract) from www.snipca.c www.snipca.com/14633 om/14633

Nokia Lumia umia 830 A sleek sleek an and d po pow werfu erfull Win Windo dows ws Ph Phon one e

Windows Phone 8.1 is operating a slick andsystem, well-designed mobile but until now almost all of the new phones which come with it pre-installed havee been pretty mediocre. Tat’s all hav changed with the Nokia Lumia 830. Although it looks very similar to the Lumia 930 (see our review review,, Issue 431), it actually has lower specifications. However, several sever al refinements in the 830’s design de sign help make it the best Windows Phone yet. While Wh ile th thee 83 830 0 lo look okss very ery si simil milar ar to the the 930 930 with with its its colo colour urfu full pl plas asti ticc re rear ar pane panell an and d a meta metall band band runni running ng ar arou ound nd its its ed edge ges, s, it’s it’s fa farr sli slimm mmer er than than the the 930, 930, makin ma king g it mu much ch mor moree comfo comfort rtab able le to ho hold ld an and d us use. e. Pl Plus us,, un unlik likee th thee 93 930, 0, the the meta me tall band band didn didn’t di dig g in into to our our fle flesh sh as we were ere usin using g it it.. e 830 830 al also so ha hass two small sma ll but useful useful feat featur ures es that that its more more ex expens pensiv ivee count counterp erpart art lac lacks ks – an easily easily re repla placea ceable ble bat batte tery ry and a slo slott for adding adding moree sto mor stora rage ge using microSD cards. e 93 930’s 0’s ba batttery tery lif lifee was dis disap appoin pointin ting, g, so we fe fear ared ed a sim similar ilarly ly poor per perfo forma rmance nce fro from m the thinne thinnerr 830. 830. It actua actually lly las lasted ted fo four ur hours hours lon longe gerr th than an SPECIFICATIONS

5in 1280x720 1280x720 pixel pixel touch touchscree screen n • 1.2GHz Qual Qualcomm comm memory Snapdrag Snapd ragon on 400 quad coreprocessor coreprocessor • 1GB memory • 16GB storage storage • 4G • mic micro ro SD slot slot • nan nano o SIM • Win Window dows s Phone Phone 8.1 • 150g • 139x71 139x71x8.5mm x8.5mm (HxW (HxWxD) xD) • One-y One-year ear warran warranty ty www.snipca.com/14634  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the3G 930, 930 , howe ho verrct , ma mana ging ho on 3G. .W e sweve uspe us pect th tha anagin t th this isgis29 due duhours e, urs at leas leastt in pa part rt,, to tw two o co comp mpro romi mise sess th that at replace rep lace highe higher-s r-specifica pecification tion comp componen onents ts with wit h par parts ts th that at have have lowe lowerr spe specific cificat ation ionss but but are are more more pow power effi efficie cient nt.. On Onee is th thee 830’s Sna Snapdra pdragon gon 400 quad-core process . Alth Althou ough gh no nott as fas astt as th thee 930’s 930 ’s Sna Snapdr pdrag agon on 800 800,, it it’s ’s st still ill more more th than an fast fast en enou ough gh for for ru runn nnin ing g most most Window Wind owss Phone Phone apps. Te other is the 830’s 5in screen which has a 720p a 720p resolution  resolution instead of   1080p like 1080p like the 930, but the difference in sharpness will be imperceptible to most people. Te screen is very bright with good contrast. Colour accuracy is a little off, but it’s not too bad. Tere’s no compromise when it comes to responsiveness, responsiveness, though – as expected it had no trouble tracking our finger swipes and prods. We were weren n’t su surpr rprised ised by the sho shodd ddy y qu qual alit ity y of th thee ca came merra as it it’s ’s been been a weak weak area area for for rec recent ent Lumia Lumia pho phones nes.. e focus focus wasn wasn’t ’t sha sharp rp enoug enough, h, wh while ile co colou lours rs te tende nded d to look look either either washed ashed ou outt or ov overs ersat atur urat ated. ed. Shots Shots in dim co cond ndit itio ions ns were ere too too dark dark to be us usab able le ev even en a winte wintery ry ov over ercas castt da day y was oft often en da dark rk en enou ough gh to ha hav ve us re reac achin hing g fo forr another anot her camera. camera. Ho How wever ever,, the bigge biggest st proble problem m wit with h the the 83 830 0 is th thee thre thread adba bare re se selec lecti tion on of 

Wi Wind ndo ows Phon Phonee apps apps.. Wh While ile most most of th thee big nam names es are are av availa ailable ble,, the the number number and qual qualit ity y of apps apps st still ill la lags gs be behin hind d iOS and and Android, Andr oid, especially especially for niche inte interes rests. ts. Wheth Wh ether er you you want an Arabi Arabicc phr phrase aseboo book k or a birdbird-w wat atchi ching ng gui guide de,, it it’s ’s more more lik likely ely you’ll ou’ll find find what hat you need need in Apple pple an and d Google Goo gle’s ’s ap app p st stor ores es than than in Microso Microsoft ft’s. ’s. e Lumi Lumia a 83 830 0 isn’t isn’t perf perfec ectt th then en,, but but it is re reas ason onab ably ly pric priced ed at £300 £300 with withou outt a contra cont ract. ct. It It’s ’s a good-v good-value alue alt alterna ernativ tivee to an iO iOS S or Andr Androi oid d phon phonee, but but bear bear in mind min d it itss limita limitatio tions ns befor beforee buyin buying. g. down by a medio mediocr cre e VERDICT: Let down camera, camer a, but this late latest st Wi Windo ndows ws Pho Phone ne otherw otherwis ise e ha has s a lot lot goi going ng for for it

★★★★☆ ALTERNATIVE: Appl Apple e iPhon iPhone e 5c

£319 (wit (without hout con contra tract) ct) Mor More e comf comfort ortabl able e to ho hold ld due to its small sma ller er size size and and wi with th a better better select selection ion of app apps s and a sup superi erior or camer cam era a too too,, but but only8GB only8GB of non-expandable non-ex pandable storag storage e

solve ve yo your ur bu buyin ying g dile dilemma mmas s WHAT WHA T SH SHOU OULD LD I BU BUY? Y? We sol

Whiich tab Wh abllet sh sho oul uld d I buy for my ni niec ece? e?   I’d I’d lik like to bu buy y a tabl tablet et for for my niece nie ce as her her birth birthda day y is comi coming ng up soon soon,, bu butt I’m not not sure sure whi hich ch one one to buy buy. She She lik likes es to pla play th the e late latesst games ames so I wou ould ld ne need ed to bu buy y a pow powerfu erfull on one, e, bu butt I don don’t wan antt to spend pend £4 £400 00 on an iP iPad ad Air Air 2. Wh What at would you you su sugg ggest? est? Catherine Cath erine Peter Peterson son

Q

A 26

  Ou Ourr first first pi pick ck wou ould ld be th thee iPad iPa d Mini 2. Altho Although ugh it doesn doe sn’t ’t use the la lates testt triple-

7 - 20Jan 20Janua uary2015 ry2015

core A8 proc proces esso sorr lik like th thee iPad iPad Air Air 2, it itss A7 dual-core proce processo ssorr is st still ill ve very ry fast, fast, ma makin king g it one of th thee fast fastes estt ta table blets ts avail ailab able le.. It can can ea easi sily ly ha hand ndle le the the late latest st ga game mes, s, pl plus us iOS ofte often n ge gets ts the the late latest st ti titl tles es befo before re An Andr droi oid. d. Bes Bestt of all, all, it cost costss ju just st £239 £239 fo forr the 16GB 16GB WiFi-o WiFi-only nly mod model el (from (from www. snipca.com/14467). snipca.com/14467 ). If you ca can, n, it it’s ’s wor orth th payin paying g just just £40 mo more re for for th thee 32 32GB GB mo mode del. l.

iPad iPad Mini Mini’s ’s process processor or when wh en grapp grappling ling wit with h our mos mostt demandin demanding g 3D graphics graphics benchmar benc hmark k tests, tests, its touch touchscr screen een isn’t isn’t as good good as the the Min Mini’ i’ss and yo your ur nie niece ce wil willl somet sometime imess have have to wait pa patie tient ntly ly fo forr the the very very la late test st tit titles les to arri arriv ve on Andr Androi oid, d, but but it it’s ’s st still ill a good good

If £239 £239 is st stil illl too too mu much ch,, then then cons consid ider er th thee Tesco esco Hud udll 2 (£129 (£129 from from www.snipca. com/14705). com/14705 ). It Itss In Inte tell pr proce ocesso ssorr was aroun around d 30-50 30-50 per cent cent slow slower than than the the

budget bud get gam gaming ing ta tablet blet.. Do you you nee need d ad advi vice ce on wha whatt you you shou should ld buy buy? ? Email us at letter letters@comp s@computera uteractiv ctive.co.uk e.co.uk

 

Reviews SMARTPHONE ❘ £420 from www.snipca.c www.snipca.com/14629 om/14629

Motorola Mo Motto X (sec (secon ond d ge gen nera eratio tion) n) The Th e lea leathe ther-ba r-backe cked d phon phone e you you can con control trol hands-fr hands-free ee

With Wit mos most t smar smartpho nes there’s ther little le y ouhca can n do to cust cutphones stom omise ise th thei eirre’s litt appe appear aran ance ce,, as asid idee fr from om ad addi ding ng a case case of  your our choi choice ce.. Te ne new w Mo Moto to X br brea eaks ks the the moul mo uld d in th this is re resp spec ect. t. When When boug bought ht direct directly ly online online fr from om Motor Motorola ola,, eac each h phon phonee is made made to or orde derr so you ca can n custo cus tomis misee the colou colours rs (front (front and back). back). For £20 £20 extr extra a you ca can n ev even en go for a lea leathe therr or wooden ooden rear rear (see ima image) ge).. Tis sounds sounds ta tack cky y but act actual ually ly looks looks very very cl class assy y in the the fle flesh sh,, thou though gh you can can’t choo choose se to hav have a phot photo o on the the re rear ar casi casing ng,, which wh ich is a dis disapp appoin ointin ting g omi omissi ssion. on.

The Th wood ooden en ca casin sing g option optio neact actuall ually y loo looks ks very cla classy ssy Te Moto Moto X’s buil build d is so sl slen ende derr th tha at it slot,, but but it can’t can ’t accommoda accommodate te a microSD slot is excep exceptio tiona nally lly ro robus bust. t. Ev Even en after after we ac accide cident ntall ally y dr dropp opped ed it a coupl couplee of tim times es (incl (includ udin ing g a dr drop op on to co conc ncre rete te from from a heig height ht of ar arou ound nd fo four ur feet feet), ), ther theree was no damag dam agee to either either the meta metall ban band d arou around nd th thee ed edg ge of the the phon phonee or th thee pl plas asti ticc re  . Terre’s mor Te more to th thee Mo Motto X th than an ju just st it itss customisa cust omisable ble appea appearan rance. ce. You can cont control rol a nu numb mber er of it itss fun funct ctio ions ns wi with thou outt ev even en to touch uching ing it, it, sim simply ply by sa sayin ying g ‘H ‘Hello ello Moto Moto X’ (or a ph phra rase se of yo your ur choi choice ce)) fo follo llow wed by a co comm mman and. d. Wh Whil ilee this this is a boon boon for people peo ple with with de dext xteri erity ty pr probl oblems ems,, it it’s ’s not a unique uni que fe feat atur ure. e. Mos Mostt of the com comman mands ds ar aree act actua ually lly handled handled by Goo Google gle Now Now, the voice-a voice-activ ctivate ated d perso personal nal assistan assistantt present present on al alll ne new w An Andr droi oid d phon phones es.. Bu Butt on th thee Moto Mo to X you ca can n iss issue ue comm comman ands ds from from anyw anywhe here re on you ourr phon phone, e, no nott just just th thee home home scr scree een n as is th thee ca case se with with most most otherr Andr othe Android oid phone phones. s. Tere Te re ar aree al also so a co coup uple le of ba basi sicc moti motion on contr con trols ols.. For examp example, le, you you can wave yo your ur SPECIFICATIONS

5.2in 1920x1080-pix 1920x1080-pixel el touchscreen • 2.5GHz Qualcomm Qual comm Snap Snapdrag dragon on 801 quad quad-cor -core e processor processor • 578MHz 578M Hz Adreno Adreno 330 graphics graphics chip • 2GB memory • 16GB storage storage • 4G • Nan Nano o SIM • Andr Android oid 4.4 KitKat KitKat • 144g • 141x73x10mm (HxWxD) • One-y One-year ear warran warranty ty www.snipca.com/14630  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ha hand ndugh to silen silwe ence ce an alar althis arm, altho al though found found thi sm, feat featur uree very ery fuss fussy y. We ha had d to mov move our our ar arm m in a spec specifi ificc ar arcc at ju jusst th thee righ rightt spee speed. d. In th thee end, end, we foun found d it ea easie sierr to just just ta tap p the the sc scre reen en.. So Some me of th thee ot othe herr featur features es Motoro Motorola la has added to An Andr droi oid d 4.4 KitK KitKat at are are genuinel gen uinely y useful how howev ever er,, suc uch h as a Do Not Not Dis Distur urb b modee for sile mod silenci ncing ng notificati notifi cations. ons. If you’r you’ree not not int inter erest ested ed in these these feat featur ures es the then n you you can easily eas ily av avoid oid the them m because because they the y don don’t ’t clu clutt tter er up th thee Android interface. interface. Softwa Soft ware re aside aside,, the Moto Mo to X is ge gene nerrally ally a good phone. phone. Comp Compared ared wi with th the the chea cheaper per Moto Moto G (see our revie review w, Iss Issue ue 436), 436 ), the Andro Android id interfac inte rfacee felt smoo smoother ther and was was consis consisten tently tly responsive. responsiv e. Although it it’s ’s not the faste fastest st smart smartpho phone ne to go thr throu ough gh our ben benchm chmar ark k tests tests,, it itss quad-cor -coree proc processor essor an and d 2G 2GB B of  2.5GHz quad memor memory y were were mor moree th than an fast fast eno enough ugh fo forr runnin run ning g dem demand anding ing apps. apps. It Itss 5in 1080p sc scre reen en is shar sharp p an and d brig bright ht,, with with grea greatt image quality. Ca Call ll qual qualit ity y on O2’ O2’ss ne netw twor ork k in central cent ral Londo London n was was exc excellent ellent.. Voices sounde sou nded d loud loud and cle clear ar,, while while the noise noi se of trucks trucks and jackh jackhamm ammers ers from from a ne near arby by build buildin ing g site site was al almo most st comple com plete tely ly kept kept at bay bay. Bat Batte tery ry lif lifee was in line line with with wh what at we’d e’d ex expec pect. t. When When co conn nnec ecte ted d to O2’s O2’s 3G ne netw twor ork, k, it la last sted ed 24 hours hours when when calling calling,, ta takin king g pho photo tos, s, us usin ing g GPS GPS an and d bro browsin wsing g th thee web eb.. Te Mo Moto to X’s X’s bi bigg gges estt letd letdo own wn,, in lin linee with pre previous vious Mot Motoro orola la smar smartph tphones, ones, is its camer camera. a. Whi While le it coped coped reaso reasona nabl bly y well in da dayli ylight ght,, cap captu turin ring g the fine finerr details det ails within within landsc landscape apess and peo people ple’s ’s face faces, s, it was us usel eles esss in dim li ligh ghti ting ng,, produ producin cing g dark, dark, blurry blurry sho shots ts.. Te Moto oto X is a good ood ph pho one wit ith h a lot lot going oing for for it it,, but but un unle less ss you li lik ke

Motorola’s Motoro la’s customisa customisation tion options options it does doesn n’t do quit quitee en enou ough gh to just justify ify it itss high high pric pricee. If you ha hav ve th this is ki kind nd of  budge bud gett and want an And Andro roid id pho phone ne,, th then en choo choose se th thee Sa Sams msun ung g Gala Galaxy xy S5. While Wh ile it has has a lo lott of surp surplu luss soft softw ware, are, its waterp waterproof roof casing, casing, bett better er camera camera an and d lo long nger er ba batt tter ery y lif lifee ma make ke it a better buy buy.. VERDICT: A good good And Andro roid id phon phone e but but

with som some e anno annoyin ying g flaw flaws s

★★★☆☆ ALTERNATIVE: Samsung Gal Galaxy axy S5 £405 (without contra con tract) ct) A mor more e fussy fussy interfa inter face, ce, but a wa waterpr terproof oof

design, bette design, betterr batt battery ery life life and a sup superi erior or cam camer era a make mak e this a gene general rally ly better-value better-v alue Android phone

7 – 20 Janu Januar ary y 2015 2015

  27

 

Reviews

Seven things we want for 2015 Reviews Editor Alan Lu thi Reviews thinks nks201 2015 5 wil willl be an anot othe herr year of slidin sliding g pri price cess an and d tech echno nolo logi gical cal re rene neme men nt rathe ratherr than dra drama matic tic br break eakthr throug oughs, hs, bu butt he’s ho hopef peful ul of a fe few w ma major jor ad advan vances cesto too o

Betterr sma Bette smartp rtphon hone e ba batte ttery ry lif life e Smart Sma rtpho phones nes ar aree gr grea eat, t, but their their big weakn weakness ess is short short batte battery ry lif life. e. While While manufact manu facture urers rs ha have ve mitig mitigate ated d this with more energy-efficient energy-efficient processors an and da host of power power-sa -saving ving softwa software re trick tricks, s, th thes esee tech techniq nique uess can can only only do so much much.. What Wh at’s ’s nee needed ded ar aree new new ty types pes of batt batteri eries es th that at last last fo forr days days,, no nott ho hour urs. s. Buddin Bud ding g new new techno technolog logies ies tha thatt pr prom omise ise to trip triple le batt batter ery y lif lifee ar aree in the the work workss at uni unive versi rsitie tiess and la labs bs aroun around d th thee wor orld ld,, wh while ile ot othe herr proj projec ects ts se sett ou outt to creat createe batt batteri eries es tha thatt recha recharg rgee in minut minutes es rathe ratherr than than hours. hours. Major Major ad adva vance ncess like like th thes esee can can ta take ke yea ears rs to ar arri riv ve in the the marke mar ketp tplac lacee though though,, so if the they y don don’t ’t mate ma teri rial alise ise th this is yea earr th then en I hope hope that that at le leas astt su subs bsta tant ntia iall prog progre ress ss is made made – especia esp ecially lly as smart smartpho phone ne gia giant ntss like like Samsun Sam sung g and Apple Apple spe spend nd bill billion ionss every every year year in re resea searc rch h and de deve velop lopmen ment. t. Faster ster Andro Android id updat updates es Fa Andro And roid id is the the mo most st widel widely y use used d mo mobil bilee opera ope ratin ting g sy syst stem em in the the wor orld ld,, and it itss lat latest est ve versio rsion, n, 5.0 (als (also o called called Lollipo Lollipop), p), featur featured ed som somee big cha change nges. s. But because because most mo st Andr Android oid devic devices es hav have to wait weeks eeks or ev even en mont months hs to ge gett the the la late test st OS ve vers rsion ion (if th they ey get th them em at al all) l),, it it’s ’s lik likel ely y man many users use rs wil willl neve neverr ge gett the the ch chanc ancee to enjo enjoy y it it.. Go Goog ogle le has has trie tried d to fix th this is with with initiat init iativ ives es su such ch as the And Andro roid id One ser series ies of pho phones nes and by dis distri tribut buting ing ma major jor softw softwar aree cha chang nges es in upd updat ates es to the Google Goo gle Play Play Servic Services es bac backg kgro round und app, app, but more mo re still still ne needs eds to be done done.. Mo Most st devi device cess will will be luck lucky y to get mo morre than than one one significant signifi cant upda update te.. Ev Even en Google’s Google’s Nexus Nexus

d upd updat ates tes es devic devices, es, wh which ich ge gett Andr Android le as soo soon n as the they’r y’ree av availa ailab ble, e,, cca can n ndd rare ee ar face face inexp inexplicab licable le dela delays ys   only onl y gua guara rant nteed eed to ge gett upd dates tes for for 18 mo mont nths hs afte afterr the the model’s odel’s release rele ase dat date. e. Bett Better er tw two-ino-in-ones ones or no noneat neat al alll Microso Micr osoft ft has been prom promoting ting laptop-t lapt op-table ablett hybrids hybrids ever wss 8, sinc sincee th thee laun launch ch of Window ows but I have haven n’t been convin convince ced ed d by any an ny of  of ga only att bein being them. the m. Te Tey’r y’ree often often go good od onl ablet let,, or the they they’re ’re lapt laptop op or on only ly at be bein ing g a tab blet blet, they’r y’re e mediocr med iocree at bein being g both. both.  in  indows  indo  ind d ws 10’s’ Continuum Cont inuum fea featur tures es and Int Intel’s el’s power power-efficient, efficie nt, fanle fanless ss Bro Broadw adwell ell proc processor essorss (both (bo th pr promi omised sed for for 201 2015) 5) may may fina finally lly produ produce ce hybrid hybridss that that tic tick k both both boxe boxes, s, but I su susp spec ectt it’s it’s time time to giv give up on crea creati ting ng the perfect perfect jack jack-of-of-all-t all-tra rades des device. device. Fewerr secur Fewe security ity hole holes s and patc patches hes Securi Sec urity ty upd updat ates es are are a necess necessary ary evil, evil, but the to torr rrent ent of sec securi urity ty pat patche chess fo forr every every progr program am from from Ad Adobe obe Flash Flash to Win Windo dows ws can be ov overw erwhel helmin ming. g. Sof Softw twar aree cod codee is very very com comple plex x and prot protect ecting ing it ag agains ainstt softwar aree ha hack cker erss is far far from from easy, but softw ne need edss to be desi design gned ed more more with with se secu curi rity ty in mi mind nd – no nott on only ly so we was astte le less ss ti time me ins insta tallin lling g updat updates, es, but but als also o to bet bette terr pr prot otect ect ou ourr data data and and all all th thee se serv rvic ices es,, infrastr infr astruct ucture ure and institut institutions ions that rely rely on softwa software re too. too. Upgradeable able laptops Upgrade Lapt Laptop opss are are now now bet bette terr than than ever. Tanks Tan ks to Int Intel el’s ’s incre incredibl dibly y pow power er-efficient efficie nt Has Haswel welll proc processor essors, s, many many lapt laptop opss th that at ca came me out out in th thee past past tw two o yea ears rs can can fin final ally ly last last for for mo more re th than an a ha hand ndfu full of ho hour urss on ba batt tter ery y pow power – an and d they’r the y’ree gett getting ing che cheape aperr too too.. In the process proc ess though, though,

manufacturers

have have st start arted ed sea sealing ling the their ir lapto laptops, ps, ma makin king g them them inc incre redibl dibly y diffi difficul cultt to upgra upgrade de.. While Wh ile most most peo people ple will will neve neverr upg upgra rade de their their la lapt ptop op,, they they shou should ld.. It no nott only only prol prolon ongs gs the the lif lifee of yo your ur la lapt ptop op,, it al also so preven pre vents ts perfectly perfectly usable usable tech technolo nology gy fr from om a pr prem emat atur uree and eco ecolog logica ically lly unsou uns ound nd bur burial ial in lan landfill dfills. s. More More upgradea upgr adeable ble lapt laptops ops please please!! Subscriptions Subscripti ons and etern eternal al lice licence nces s Ad Adobe obe ang anger ered ed ma many ny by offeri offering ng its lat latest est Creati Creative ve Suit Suitee pro progra grams ms as subscription only. Very few com companies panies follo follow wed Adobe Adobe’s ’s lead – even even Micro Microsoft soft has has had had th thee se sens nsee to cont contin inue ue offer offerin ing g Office Offi ce both both as a oneone-off off purc purcha hase se and on su subscr bscript iption ion.. Softwa Soft ware re on subscr subscriptio iption n will will suit suit many, but but no nott al all, l, which hich is why oneone-off  off  purchas pur chases es shoul should d alw alway ayss remai remain n an opt option ion.. Better er softw software are interf interfaces aces Bett Almost Alm ost all major major ope opera ratin ting g syst systems ems have have adopt ado pted ed a min minima imalis listt ‘flat’ flat’ ap appea peara rance nce fo forr their user inte interfac rfaces. es. Te uncl unclutt uttere ered d la layou youts ts and sty stylish, lish, legib legible le typogra typography phy are grea great, t, but in the the pr proc ocess ess many many con contr trols ols hav have be beco come me hard hard to find, find, hid hidde den n fr from om

si sigh ghtt unle unless ss yo you u know know where here to lo look ok or which hich gest gestur uree to use. use. So pl plea ease se can can we have have bett better er balan balanced ced soft softwa ware re inte interfac rfaces es that that don don’t th thro row w out out the the baby baby with with th thee bath water water..

 

SECURITY CAMERA ❘ £188 (twoSECURITY (two-camer camera a pack) from www.snipca.c www.snipca.com/14461 om/14461

Philips In.Sigh In.Sightt Wir Wirel eless ess HD Hom Home Moni Monittor A ho homesecurity tyitcamera cam era that’s t’ss not not as good gome-securi od val va lue as fr frst st appe aptha pear ars Although Philips insists on calling the In.Sight a “Wireless HD Home Monitor”, it’s not a monitor at all but a homesecurity camera. Like many recent security cameras, you’ll need an Android or iOS device to set it up and it needs an internet connection because it stor stores es your security footage online. A pack of two costs just £188, while a single camera costs £97 from www.snipca.com/14462 from www.snipca.com/14462 – both prices are very competitiv competitive. e. Setup is easy using the wizard in the free app (iOS:  (iOS:  www.snipca.com/14459, www.snipca.com/14459, Android:   www.snipca.com/14460 Android: www.snipca.com/14460). ). Once your camera is up and running, it detects lighting conditions and automatically switches between normal and night-vision mode as needed. e video quality adapts according to your Wi-Fi connection speed. At higher speeds, video quality is very good with only a small amount of   noise visible noise visible in night-vision mode. Recording is triggered triggered whenever the camera detects sound and/or motion. You set a ‘Detection Area’ within which the camera picks up movement. movement. Setting this area is easily done within the app –  just drag drag a resiz resizable able box box arou around nd yo your ur screen. You You can also adjust the camera’s sensitivity to minimis minimisee fals falsee alar alarms. ms. It’s It’s not not as twea tweaka kable ble as the Y-cam HomeMonitor HD (see our review, Issue 420), which lets you set two detection areas using different levels of sensitivity, and schedule the motion detection to only run at specific times of day through the week. e fewer options do make the In.Sight very simple to use though. When the cameras detect motion or sound, you receive a notification on your phone or tablet within a couple of seconds telling you what time the detection was made and showing you a SPECIFICATIONS

720p resolutio resolution n  • 102-d 102-degre egree e viewingangle viewingangle  • Infrarednightmode  • 2.4GHz 802.11b/g/n  •   Requires mobil mobile e devi device ce run runnin ning g iOS6 or later, orAndro orAndroid2.3 id2.3 or later  • 114x65x65mm (HxWxD)  • One-y One-year ear warranty warranty   • Par Partt cod code e M120G/10 M120G/10 www.snipca.com/14463

COM COMING INGSOON SOON JANUAR ARY Y 2015 JANU

Google’s Google ’s Projec Projectt Ara Ara is an ambitiou ambitiouss initiativ initiative e to create create an upgr upgrade adeable able smartpho smar tphone ne bas based ed aro around und components compone nts that are easily easil y interch interchangeabl angeable e bloc blocks ks.. e first first Ar Ara a pho phone ness and and bloc blocks ks versions, much like like will will lik likel ely y be beta versions, the curren currentt ve versi rsion on of Google Google Glass. Glass. JANU JANUAR ARY Y 2015

Seagate Sea gate’s ’s new new 8TB inte internal rnal desk desktop top hard hard dri driveis veis due in th the e Ne New w Ye r . It will will cost ost $260 $260 (£ (£16 166) 6) in th the e US US,, with with UK pri pricin cing g to be co confir nfirme med. d. MAR MARCH CH 201 2015 5

HTC’s Android HTC’s Android Wear smartwa smar twatch tch (se (see e artist’s artist’s

small snapshot of what the camera picked up. However, unless you’re prepared to pay a subscription fee, you can’t actually watch the footage itself. To watch, save and share recordings from the past seven days you need to pay £7.99 a month (or £79 a year) for the Silver package. package. To extend this to the past 30 days, you need to pay £27.90 a month or £279 a year for the Gold package. is is poor p oor value compared with the Y-cam HomeMonitor, which lets you access seven days of recordings for free, and only costs £30 a year for 30 days of recordings. In itself, the Philips In.Sight is a good security camera that’s very easy to use. However How ever,, the camera is of little use unl unless ess you pay the high subscription costs, making it hard to recommend when Y-cam’s cameras are of equal quality, but subscription-free. subscription-free.

imp impre ress ssio ion, n, right) rigJanua ht) isry dueto be announ ann ounce ced d in Ja nuary at the CES show showin in Las Las Vegas egas,, wi with th the actu actual al relea release se in Marc March. h. Wacki ackier er rum rumou ours rs sa say y we’l we’lll se see e a smart smart neck neckla lace ce or hat hat ins inste tead ad of a wa watch tch..

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SPRI SPRING NG 201 2015 5

Echo is Amaz Echo Amazon’s on’s vo voic iceeactivated activ ated persona personall assistan assistant, t, simil sim ilar ar to Si Siri ri and and Co Corta rtana na,, but butis is built built int into o a sta stand ndal alon one e mains-power mains-po wered ed dev device ice for your home home ra rathe therr tha than n int into oa tab table lett or phone phone.. UK pri pricin cing g and av availa ailabili bility ty hav haven’ en’tt been been con confirme firmed, d, but it co costs sts $200 $200 in theUS (ap (appr prox ox £12 £126). 6).

NEXT NEX T IS ISSUE SUE

     a       i       d      e      p       t       f      o       S

ONS L

21Jan

VERDICT: A good hom home-se e-securi curity ty camera camer a let do down wn by ex expens pensiv ive e subscription subscr iption fees

★★★☆☆ ALTERNATIVE: Y-cam Ho Home me Monit Monitor or HD £139 A high high-qua -quality lity

Amazon Kindle Appl e Macmini Apple e lates latestt (an (and d Apple’s Apple ’s smalle smallest st cheapest) cheap est) version version of and cheap cheapest est

security securit y cam camer era a with more mor e fe featur atures es and, best best of all, all, no need need for a subscr subscripti iption on

Amazon’s e-rea e-reader der

Desktop Deskto p compute computerr

Tese Te se an and d mu much ch mor more… e… Subscrib Subs cribe e to Com Computer puteractiv active e at  www.getcomputeractive.co.uk 

7 – 20 Ja Janu nuar ary y 2015 2015

29

 

Buy It LAPTOP

  Our Our pi pick ck of prod produc ucts ts that that hav have won the the Buy Buy It award ard

DESKTOP DESK TOP PC

TABLET

Apple MacBook

Palicomp AMD Ka Kaveri veri

Apple iPadMini iPadMini 2

Air 13in 13 in 128GB 128 GB £849 from www.snipca.com/10020

Evolution £500 from www.snipca.com/11804

£239 from www.snipca.com/14467 Tested: Iss Issue ue 416

Tested: Issue Issue 402

Tested: Iss Issue ue 422

Apple’s Apple’ s late latest st MacB MacBook ook Air isn isn’t ’t che cheap, ap, but it’s it’s thebest light lightwe weigh ightt lapto laptop p av availa ailable ble.. It has ex exce celle llent nt batt battery ery life, life, a com comfor fortabl table e key eyboar board, d, a sen sensibl sibly y siz sized ed scre screen en,, a sturd sturdy y and cl clas assy sy bui build ld and gre great at bund bundled led softwa software. re. Asus s Chr Chromeb omebook ook C200 ALTERNATIVE: Asu A che cheap ap Chr Chrome ome OS ultr ultra-po a-portabl rtable e laptop lapt op with a brig bright ht screen screen,, length lengthy y battery batt ery lif life e and great great keyboa eyboard. rd. £200 from www.snipca.com/13460

A bu budge dgett PC wi with th a fa fast st ov over ercl cloc ock ked processor. It al also so ha has s good good upgr upgrad ade e potentia pote ntiall and comes comes with a surp surprisi risingl ngly y ell as a qu qual alit ity y good goo d 24i 24in n mo monit nitor, as well USB keybo keyboard ard and mouse. mouse.

Ap Appl ple’s e’s min minii table tablett from from las lastt year ear is now now availa available ble at an ev even en lo lowe werr pric price. e. Te onlything onlything it lac lacks ks co comp mpare ared d with with this this year’s ear’s Min Minii 3 is a finge fingerpr rprint int sens sensor or and theoption theoptio n of lots lots of bui built lt-in -in stor storag age. e. Otherwi Othe rwise, se, it’s an abs absolu olute te barg bargain. ain.

ALTERNATIVE: Braeb Braebo o Hemera Hemera A cheap, che ap, compl complete ete PC sy syste stem m that that’s ’s powe powerfu rfull eno enough ugh for bas basic ic task tasks. s. £350 from from www.snipca.com/12606

Appl ple e iP iPad ad Air 2 A ALTERNATIVE: Ap thinand thin and ligh lightw tweig eight ht 10in 10intabl tablet et with with a exce celle llent nt scr screen een fingerprint finger print re  er, an ex and pee peerle rless ss select selection ion of app apps s £39 £399 9 from www.snipca.com/14309

PHONE

DIGITAL DIGIT AL CAMERA

EREADER

Motorola Mo Mot to G 4G

Panasonic LumixDMC-GF6

Kobo Au Aura ra H2O

£150 withou withoutt contr contract act from www.snipca.com/14162 Tested: Issue Issue 432

£300 from www.snipca.com/12607 Tested: Issu Issue e 405

£140 from www.snipca.com/13859 Tested: Iss Issue ue 435

Motorola’s Motorol a’s budg budget et And Android roid smar smartpho tphone ne is an abs absolu olute te steal. steal. It’s ve very ry respons responsiv ive, e, we well ll mad made, e, fast fast and ha has s a goo good d scre screen en.. Plus Plus,, it’s it’s now now be been en upd update ated d wi with th 4G and and a mic microS roSD D ca card rd slot. slot.

Tis com compac pactt inte interch rchange angeable able len lens s camer cam era a is smal smalll and re reaso asonabl nably y pric priced, ed, ye yett it has wellwell-des designe igned d con control trols, s, a wid wide e ra range nge of av availa ailable ble lenses lenses and shoots shoots ex excel cellen lentt qual quality ity pho photos tos.. Te GF6 re reall ally y is unbeatab unbeatable le va value lue..

A wat waterp erproo rooff e-re e-reader ader with an eas easy-t y-tooread, high-res high-resolution olution touchsc touchscreen reen that’s easy easy on the eyes eyes and gre great at fo forr readi reading ng in the bath. bath. Ter Tere’s e’s no 3G versi version on,, but but,, unlik unlike e theAmaz theAmazon on Ki Kindl ndle, e, you ca can n buy buy ebooks ebo oks from from inde independ pendent ent retaile retailers rs that use use theePub fo forma rmat. t. ALTERNATIVE: Amaz Amazon on Kindl Kindle e Voyage Voyage

ALTERNATIVE: Ap Apple ple iPhone iPhone 5s An ex exce celle llent nt sma smartph rtphone one with with a gre great at camer cam era a and perf performa ormance nce.. £459 wit without hout a co contr ntract act from www.snipca.com/10171

30

7 – 20Janua 20January201 ry2015 5

ALTERNATIVE: Fujifilm FujifilmXF1 XF1 If you don don’t ’t need the fle need flexibil xibility ity of rem remov ovable able lenses lenses,, thi this s sli slim m comp compac actt is a gre great at choic choice. e. £130 from www.snipca.com/13701

Te best best Ki Kindl ndle e yet, with with a sharp sharp,, extremel extr emely y respon responsiv sive e touchsc touchscreen reen and www w. easy-g eas y-grip rip des design. ign. £169 from from ww snipca.com/14451

 

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U Y  T ! ★★★★★

Buy It

SECURITY SOFTW SOFTWARE ARE

SMART SMAR T TV

Kaspersky Interne Int ernett Security2015 Security 2015

Samsung UE32H6200

£17.99 from www.snipca.com/14212 Tested: Issue Issue 437

Kaspersk Kasp ersky y Intern Internet et Securit Security y 2015 has won won our pas pastt four four antiv antivirustests irustests,, mak making ing it the ye year’sstand ar’sstandout out per perfo for r. e201 e2015 5 edi editio tion n is avail availabl able e at an exclu exclusiv sive e reade readerr dis discou count nt on our Sof Softw tware areSto Store. re.Cli Click ck the linkabo link above vefora fora one-de one-devic vice e lic licenc ence, e, or buy a threethree-de devic vice e lic licenc ence e for just just £39. £39.99 99 at www.snipca.com/14221. www.snipca.com/14221.

 

£350 from www.snipca.com/13101 Tested: Iss Issue ue 427

A sty stylis lish h 32in 32in sma smart rt TV wit with h gre great at pic pictur ture e qualit qua lity y and apps apps for allthe ter terre rest stria riall TV catchcatch-up up ser servic vices es.. It has pl plent enty y of ex extr tras as,, too, such as rec recording ording-to-U -to-USB SB stor storage, age, 3D 3D,, pla playin ying g med media ia files files store stored d on a NAS or US USB B stic stick, k, and and pl plen enty ty of HDMI HDMI po port rts. s.

COMPETITION   in 1 o 5 X

R

hoto &

Graphi Gra phic c Desi Designe gnerr 10 XARA Photo& XARA Photo& Graph Graphic ic Designer Desi gner 10 off offers ers

an amazi amazing ng ra rang nge e of options opti ons for opti optimisi mising ng and creativ creatively ely editing yo your ur photos photos.. It’s one of ourfav ourfavou ourit rite e new graphicgraphic-design design progra prog rams, ms, whi which ch is why why we awar awarde ded d it five five star stars s and and a Buy Buy It! It! stamp stamp of app appro rov val in Is Issue sue 438 438.. is latest late st versi version on is a huge impr improv ovemen ementt on pre previo vious us rel releas eases. es. e colourcolourgiving ing corr correct ectio ion n too tools ls ar are e far far sup r or, giv yo you u more adv advance anced d metho methods ds with which whi ch to impr improv ove e yo your ur pho photos tos.. To ent r , ema email il youraddre ouraddress ss to cacomp@ dennis.co.uk by midnight midnight 20 Janu January ary.. XARA XAR A Pho Photo to & Gr Graphi aphic c Design Designer er 10

is avail availabl able e now now pri price ced d £69.99 £69.99.. For For more informa information tion visit visit www.snipca. com/14659 and foll follow ow MA MAGIX GIX on Twitter @MAGIX_UK @MAGIX_UK..

ALTERNATIVE: Norton Internet Secur Security ity 2014 Gre Great at anti antivirus virus soft softwar ware, e, but sometimes somet imes bloc blocks ks legi legitima timate te soft softwar ware. e. £29 from from www.snipca.com/14479

ALTERNATIVE: Sony KDL KDL-42W705B -42W705B

SECURITY CAMER SECURITY CAMERA A

ROUTER

MULTIFUNCTION MUL TIFUNCTION PRINTER

Y-cam HomeMo HomeMonitor nitorHD HD

Trendnet TEW-812DRU

Canon PixmaMG4250

£147 from www.snipca.com/11646 Tested: Iss Issue ue 420

£104 from www.snipca.com/14612

£50 from www.snipca.com/12457 Tested: Iss Issue ue 382

A home home-se -securit curity y cam camera era that that’s ’s well well pric pricedand edand easyto easyto set set up up.. Pl Plus us,, it ha has s gre great at pict picture ure qual quality ity,, usef useful ul app apps s and there there’s ’s no need need to sub subsc scrib ribe e to an any y ex extr tra a ser servic vices. es. It’s a worth worthy y suc succes cessor sor to the prev eviou ious s original HomeMonitor, our pr favourite favourite security camer camera. a.

Ex Excel cellen lentt imag image e qual quality ity,, sty stylish lishloo looks ks an and d a 42 42in in sc scre reen en.. £4 £450 50 fr from om ww www w. snipca.com/12931

Tested: ested: Iss Issue ue 427

An incr incredibl edibly y fa fast st 802.1 802.11ac 1ac rou router ter that’s that’s also also one of the cheape cheapest st we we’v ’ve e se seen en.. It It’s ’s su supe perb rb an and d it it’s ’s th the e ro rout uter er to buy buy if you ou’r ’re e read ready y to mak make the the ju jump mp to 802.11ac. 802.11ac.

is budget budget mul multifu tifunctio nction n prin printer ter (MFP) is isn’t n’t the faste fastest st avail availabl able, e, but it’s it’s che cheap ap to buy buy and and ine inexp xpens ensiv ive e to run run.. Jus Justt as important impo rtantly ly,, both prin prints ts and scan scans s loo look k great. gre at. Unl Unless ess you you need faster faster prin printt speed speeds s or sep separ arate ate ink tanks tanks for for each each thisMFPis the the one one tobuy tobuy.. colour, thisMFPis ALTERNATIVE: Can Canon on Pixma Pixma MX5 MX535 35

ALTERNATIVE: D-Link Wir Wirele eless-N ss-N Day & Night Night Cam Camer era a A goo good-v d-valu alue e secu security rity

camera with camera withex excel cellen lentt nigh nightt vision. vision. £1011 fro £10 from m www.snipca.com/12741

32

  7 – 20Jan 20Janua uary201 ry2015 5

ALTERNATIVE: Links Linksys ys WRT1900 WRT1900AC AC

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An MFP MFP aime aimed d at sm smal alll office offices s wi with th duple dup lex, x, ADF and fax, fax, but but also also goo good d www w. photo pho to prin printt qual quality ity.. £70 fro from m ww snipca.com/12909

 

 ? e u s s i n a d e  Miss

ISSUE 433

ISSUE 432

ISSUE 431

ISSUE 430

01/10/14

17/09/14

03/09/14

20/08/14

ISSUE 429

ISSUE 428

ISSUE 427

ISSUE 426

06/08/14

23/07/14

09/07/14

25/06/14

You can now ord order pr pre evio vious issues*of Computeractive for £2.99 including delive  . N ev

er m a n  no    t  o  th   er  iss issu SU   e  S ISSUE 425

ISSUE 424

11/06/14

28/05/14

OR ER NOW T

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RASP RA SPBE BERR RRY Y PI FO FOR R KID KIDS S Te Ra Rasp spbe berr rry y Pi is the in incr cred edib ible le £2 £20 0 Br Brit itis ish h co comp mpute uterr tha that’s t’s tak takin ing g the the wor orld ld by stor storm. m. It It’s ’s idea ideall for for chi child ldre ren n of all all ages ages to exp xper erim imen ent, t, play pla y gam games es and le learn arn valu aluabl able e ski skills lls.. We’v e’ve e upda up date ted d thi this s 14 148-p 8-pag age e bo book ok for for 20 2015 15 to in incl clud ude e inst instru ructi ction ons s on ma mast ster erin ing g the ne new w Pi mo mode dels ls (A+ and and B+) B+),, help helpin ing g ch chil ildr dren en le lear arn n the co codi ding ng skil skills ls need ne eded ed to exce cell at the ne new w scho school ol cur curri ricul culum um.. We ta tak ke you step step by step step thro throug ugh h the the basic asics s of setti setting ng up and and co confi nfigur gurin ing g the the Pi and and in intr trod oduc uce e many man y fun pro projec jects ts for for famil familie ies. s.

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li lift ft the the lid lid on Go Goog ogle le’s ’s most mo st po popu pula larr to tool ols s to re rev veal eal mo more re th than an 43 430 0 ways ays to ma mak ke the them m even more mo re effic efficien ient, t, use useful ful and ese e in lude lude lev lever ta tail ilor ored ed to you ourr ne need eds. s. Tes new ne w ad addd-on ons s for for Ch Chro rome me,, am amaz azin ing g fr free ee apps apps fo forr And Andro roid idan and d st stunn unning ingsi sight ghts s inGo in Goog ogle leMa Maps.

Inside thi Inside this s 148148-pa page ge book bo ok you ou’l’lll find find all all the the free free app apps, s, ex exper pertt tips tips and easy easy-to-follo -to-follow w Work orksho shops ps you nee need d to gett the ge the most out of your phon ph one e or tab table let. t. You ou’ll ’ll find find buying buy ing adv advice, ice, includ including ing phones es,, nd revi revie ews of the la late test st tab table lets nd phon everyt erythin hing g you ne need ed to kn kno ow abou aboutt tak takin ing g you ourr first first step steps s wi with th you ourr ne new w de devi vice ce..

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Wor orks ksh hops &   ps

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35  Turn your your lif life e story story

40   Rec Record ord Desktop Desktop

into into an audi audiobook obook

probl problems ems as a vid video eo

43 Rea Readers’ ders’ Tips

47 Make Office OfficeBett Better er

38   Add Add print printing ing tools tools Windows lacks Windows

42   Update Update Windows without rebooting

44 Pho Phone ne & Table Tablett Tips Tips 46 Make Windo Windows ws Bett Better er

48 Secre Secrett Tips For For... ...

Kaspers Kas persky ky Secu Securit rity y 2015

Tur urn n your lif life story intto an audi in diob oboo ook k What yo What you u nee need: d: Auda Audacity; city; Window Windows s   , Vis ista ta,, 7, 8 or8.1 Time required uired:: 50 minute minutes s Time req

udaci uda city ty is a fr free ee au audio dio-ed -editi iting ng

prog ogra ram m tha thatt let letss you rec recor ord da  pr

vo voic iceo eove verr an and d em embel bellis lish h it wi with th music mu sic an and d sou sound nd eff effect ects. s. Des Despit pite e its overwhelm ove rwhelming ing appear appearance, ance, it’s ac actua tuall lly y very sim simpl ple e to use use.. We’l e’lll show show edit you ho how w to reco recorrd you ourr life life st  y, edit

it it,, add an int intro ro and and back backgr groun ound d musi mu sic, c, then then sav save the the file file as an audio audioboo book k that that your child childre ren n an and d grandc grandchildr hildren en will treasur treasure. e. You can eit either her use this this Works orksho hop p to cr crea eate te one chap chapte terr of you ourr li life fe or to na narr rrat ate e your our enti entire re li life fe st stor ory y in on one e go.

Go to www.snipca. to www.snipca. com/14663 and com/14663  and click the ‘Audacity 2.0.6 installer’ link at the top. Click the setup file that downloads to your PC and follow the steps to install the program program.. Close the Help screen that pops up after it launches. Ensure you’re in a quiet room while recording your voiceover. If you can, connect a microphone (mic) to your PC because your PC’s built-in mic will pick up the ambient noises around you. Audacity will detect your mic   1 . If your PC has several mic options, use the dropdown menu   2  to select the one you want. ST

1

1 2

Create a test recording for about a Create minute to check that everything is ok  . To begin recording, click the Record button (or press R on your keyboard)   1 , wait for five seconds and then start speaking (we’ll explain why wh y you need to wait in Step 5). You’ll see wa waveform veformss (l (lines) ines) appear as you speak, which represent your recording. To stop recording, click the Stop button   2  (or press the spacebar on your keyboard). To play back your recording, click the beginning of the waveform lines, then press Play   3 ST

3

2

 

1

2

(or the spacebar). Hearing your recording back will give you an idea of whether you need to change your mic or move to a quieter room. Click anywhere on your recorded waveform then press Delete to delete this test recording recording..



7 – 20Janua 20January ry 2015 2015

  35

 

Workshops      

1  

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3

2 3

When you When you’r ’re e re read ady y to ma mak ke your your firs firstt recor recordin ding, g, repea repeatt Step Step 2. Recor ecord d as mu much ch as you ca can n in on one e go. Don Don’t worry orry ab abou outt an any y mista mis take kes, s, re repet petiti itions ons or lon long g pa pause usess as we we’ll ’ll sh show ow you you ho how w to re remo move ve these these in the the ne next xt st step ep.. After After you’v ou’ve e fini finishe shed d recor recordin ding, g, click click the the hich is us used ed to sele select ct any any sect sectio ion n of your our file. file. To on onlly Selection Select ion Tool   1 , which pla play a se sect ctio ion n of a re reco cord rdin ing, g, high highli ligh ghtt it an and d pres presss th the e sp spac aceb ebar ar.. Use the the Zo Zoom om In   2  an  and d Zo Zoom om Ou Outt   3   op opti tion onss at th the e top top to zo zoom om in into to a sp spec ecifi ific c area area of your re recor cordin ding g an and d see it mor more e cle clear arly ly. You can also also use the the key eyboa board rd shor shortc tcut ut Ct Ctrl rl+1 +1 to zo zoom om in an and d Ct Ctrl rl+3 +3 to zo zoom om ou out. t. ST

Edit Editin ing g mi mist stak akes es in Audac udacit ity y is as eas easy as edit editin ing g te text xt in Wor ord. d. Ens Ensur uree that that the the Selecti Selection on Tool is cli click cked, ed, then then highli highligh ghtt the section sect ion yo you u wa want nt to delete delete (mista (mistake kes, s, long long pa pause uses, s, repet repetiti itions ons)) and then then pr press ess Delet Deletee on your your keyb keyboar oard. d. To undo undo a de dele leti tion on,, pres presss Ctrl Ctrl+Z +Z.. Audac udacit ity y has has to tons ns of  For ex examp ample, le, effect effectss to ma mak ke your our au audi dio o soun sound d bett bett  . For if you noti notice ce that that your our re reco cord rdin ing g is to too o soft soft,, pres presss Ctrl+A Ctrl+A to sel select ect yo your ur rec recor ordin ding. g. Ne Next xt,, cli click ck Effect Effect   1 , then then Am Ampl plif ify y. Now Now mov move the the sl slid ider er a fr frac acti tion on to the the (movin ing g it to the the le left ft ma mak kes it soft softer er)) an and d cl clic ick k right   2   (mov Preview   3   to hear hear how how a port portio ion n of your our tr trac ack k wi will ll soun sound d with with the the ap appl plied ied effect effect.. If you li lik ke it it,, ti tick ck ‘Allo Allow w cli clippi pping ng’’ the then n cli click ck OK to amplif amplify y the rec recor ordin ding. g.

3

ST

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2

3 3 1

2

1

ere will ere will pr prob obab ably ly be ba back ckgr grou ound nd no noise ise in your rec recor ordin ding. g. Au Audac dacit ity y has a brilli brilliant ant built bui lt-in -in to tool ol to min minimi imise se thi this. s. First First,, highli highligh ghtt th thee five five seco second ndss of st stat atic ic au audi dio o at th thee st star artt of you ourr Now cli click ck Eff Effect ect,, Noise Noise Remo Remov val   2  and recording   1 . Now then the n cli click ck Noise Noise Profil Profile. e. is tel tells ls Au Auda dacit city y that that it should sho uld det detect ect that that spe specific cific backg backgrou round nd noise noise throu througho ghout ut your audio audio and remo remov ve it it.. Ne Next xt,, sel select ect your entire entire rec recor ordin ding g by pr press essing ing Ct Ctrl+ rl+A. A. en cli click ck ST

5

Effect, Effe ct, Noi Noise se Re Remo move veand and OK to rem remov ovee tha thatt backg backgrou round nd soun sound. d. We’ e’ll ll now now sa sav ve wh what at we’ e’v ve done done th thus us far far as an Audac udacit ity y fil filee that that we can can edi editt la late terr. Clic Click k File File   3 , Sa Sav ve Pr Proj oject ect As, As, name name you ourr fil filee an and d th then en clic click k Sa Sav ve.

36

7 – 20 Janu Januar ary y 2015 2015

A gr grea eatt way to be beg gin you ourr aud udio iobo book ok is to fade fade in wi with th a music mus ic tr trac ack. k. Here Here,, we’r we’ree using using the int intro ro of Bob Dylan Dylan’s ’s Like a Open th thee fold folder er co cont ntai ainin ning g that that tr trac ack k on your our Rolling Stone . Open PC an and d then then dr drag ag an and d dr drop op th thee tr trac ack k in into to Audac udaciity. You’ll ou’ll see see it load loaded ed in a second second wave wavefor form m   1   at the the bott bottom om of your our or orig igin inal al re reco cord rdin ing. g. If you ST

6

pr pres esss Pla Play at the the star startt of your our re reco cord rdin ing, g, bo both th thes thesee tr trac acks ks will will pla play toge togeth th  . Be Beca caus usee we only only wan antt the the mu musi sicc to star start, t, we we’ll ’ll use use th thee Ti Time me Sh Shif iftt Tool   2 , whic wh ich h le lets ts us mo mov ve one one tr trac ack k in inde depe pend nden entl tly y of the the othe otherr. Cl Clic ick k it, it, cl clic ick k you ourr recor ecordi ding ng at th thee top top an and d then then mov move it to th thee ri righ ghtt to add add a bl blan ank k spac sp acee at th thee star startt of your our re reco cord rdin ing g 3.

 

Turn urn your our li liffe story ory in intto an audio udiobo book ok

1 3

1

2

2

Now Now clic click k the Sele Selecti ction on Tool   1 , zoom zoom in intto th thee star artt of  yo your ur tim timelin elinee then then pla play y yo your ur rec recor ordin ding g from from th thee st start art by pr press essing ing the space spacebar bar.. You sho should uld only only hea hearr the musi mu sic. c. Pau ause se th thee trac track k (b (by y pr pres essin sing g the the sp spac aceb ebar ar)) an and d us usee the the Timee Shi Tim Shift ft Tool ag again ain to ali align gn your your rec recor ordin ding g ex exact actly ly wher wheree you you wan antt it to begi begin n af afte terr the the mus usic ic in intr tro o. To ad add d a Fad adee In effec effectt to this this intro intro (bef (befor oree yo your ur rec recor ordin ding g begins) begins),, click click the Select Selection ion ST

7

 2

To keep your listener interested, interested, you could use an instrumentall backing track that compliment instrumenta complimentss your recording. recordin g. Use any instrumental track from your PC . (you can also find and download roya royalty-fr lty-free ee tracks from   snipca.com/14669). snipca.com/14669 ). Drop the track into Audacity and click OK. It’ll appear as a third wav waveform. eform. Click the Time Shift Tool   1 , then click the track and drag it from the third wav waveform eform to the ST

8

 3

 2

,ep clic click Effec Effthat ect t the , th then en sic Fad ade e In. In .n’t T ool ool, ,te highlig hig ht the theth intro int roack mu music sice St De Dele lete the thhlight e re rest st of the e trac tr k (se (see Step 4)k so th at th e mu musi c do does esn conflic con flictt with with yo your ur recor recordin ding. g.

 (where intro music this backing track track, is not second long enough, use your the Selection Toolis). toIfhighlight the entire press Ctrl+C (to copy it), then press Ctrl+V (to paste it). Join all these copies together using the Time Shift Too Tool. l.

1 1

2

2 3 3

ST

Make sur Make suree yo you u di divide vide up yo your ur au audio dioboo book k int into o sec sectio tions, ns, each eac h wit with h its its ow own n intro intro and backg backgro round und music. music. You ca can n al also so add add soun sound d eff effec ects ts (www.freesound.org is a good goo d re resou sourc rcee for fr free ee effect effects). s). For exam example ple,, if you you’re des descri cribin bing g your your fa favo vouri urite te bea beach ch hol holida iday y destin destinat ation ion (or your your hon honeym eymoon oon), ), you you cou could ld use one of Fr Frees eesoun ound d’s wave eff effect ects. s. Don Don’t ’t worry worry

End your your aud audiob iobook ook by add adding ing som somee uplift uplifting ing mu music sic.. Ad Add d a fa fade de-o -out ut effect effect by high highli ligh ghti ting ng th thee la last st fe few w second sec onds, s, then then cli clickin cking g Effect Effect,, Fade Out Out.. To save save your your au audio dioboo book, k, cli click ck File File   1   and the then n clic click k Expor Exportt Audio Audio.. By defau default lt,,   2 Aud udac acit ity y will will sa sav ve it as a WAV file , which hich is a la larrger file file form forma at th than an MP3, MP3, with with bette betterr soun sound d qual qualit ity y. To save save it as an MP3 ins inste tead ad,,

about ma about makin king g mista mistake kess as Au Audac dacity ity au auto toma matic ticall ally y save savess all your your ch chan ange gess to a Histo History ry file th that at ca can n be ac acce cess ssed ed by clic clickin king g View View   1 and then then His Histo to y. He Here re you ca can n jump jump to an any y past past chan change gess yo you u’ve ’ve 2   3   then clic clickin king g OK . made ma de by cl clic ickin king g it  and then

clic click k th thee ‘Sa Sav ve as type type’’ an and d se sele lect ct th that at opti option on in the the drop dropdo down wn Finally y, name name yo your ur tr track ack,, navig navigat atee to wh wher eree yo you u want menu   3 . Finall to sa save ve it it,, cl clic ick k Sa Sav ve and and then then OK on an any y confi confirm rmat atio ions ns that that appe  . ●

9

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7 – 20Janua 20January ry 2015 2015

37

 

Workshops

Add prin printin ting g tools ools Wind Win dows lacks lacks What yo What you u nee need: d: Print Con Conductor; ductor; Win Window dows s   , Vis ista ta,, 7,8, or8.1 Time e req require uired: d: 20 minutes minutes Tim

in indo dows ws doe doesn sn’t ’t let you you

print int multi multiple ple file filess in one one  pr

go, go, but wi with th fr free ee pr prog ogra ram m Pri Print nt Conduc Con ducto torr you ca can n do ex exac actl tly y thatt simp tha simply ly by dr drag aggi ging ng an and d dr dropp opping ing file filess into into the pr prog ogra ram, m,

then cl then click icking ing Start Start.. You ca can n ev even en dr drag ag and dr drop op ent entir ire e fold folder erss to prin printt al alll the the fil files es withi within. n. It al also so pr prov ovide idess th the e op opti tion on to crea create te and and sav save a li list st of files files to pr prin intt at a la late terr da datte.

Go to www.snipca.com/14662 an and d clic click k the the blue blue Do Down wnloa load d butt button on.. Cli Click ck the the set setup up file that that downl download oadss to your PC and and follo follow w the the ins insta talla llati tion on step st eps. s. If you ourr PC is co conn nnect ected ed to a prin printt r, Print Print Cond Conduct uctor or will aut automa omatica tically lly detect detect it. Oth Otherwi erwise, se, conn connect ect your your prin printer ter Next xt,, dr drag ag an and d drop drop files files dire direct ctly ly then then ope open n Print Print Cond Conduct uct r. Ne ST

1

into in to th the pr prog ogra Al Alte tern rnat ivel y, you can the thevigatin optio op tions ns at   1 , navig the th e top to peri righ ght t ram. bym. cli click ckin ing g ativ Ad Add dely Docume Doc ument ntssuse na ating g to then en th the e re rele lev van antt file file vi via a th the e dr drop opdo down wn menu menuss on the the left left   2 , th cli click ckin ing g OK OK.. To add multi multiple ple files files from from one folde folderr, na navi viga gate te to th that at fo folde lderr, pr press ess th the e Ctrl Ctrl key on your keyb keyboar oard, d, click click the the filess you want file ant   3 , then then cl clic ick k OK OK..

2

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3 3

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Print Con Print Conduct ductor’s or’s Export Export List fea featur ture e co come mess in hand handy y if you in inte tend nd to prin printt the the same same files files ag agai ain n in fu futtur ure. e. Wh When en you co come me to print print th these ese file filess ag again ain,, you simpl simply y imp import ort the the then select select wh wher ere e sa sav ved lis list. t. Firs First, t, click click Ex Expor portt Lis Listt   1 , then you wan antt to sa save ve it by na navi viga gatin ting g thr throu ough gh th the e menu menuss on the the left left.. Na Name me th this is list list file file   2 , th then en clic click k OK OK.. Open Open it th the e nex extt time time you wan antt to pr prin intt th the e fil files es on th the e lis list. Alternativ Altern atively ely, click Import List   3 , na navi viga gate te to th the e list list ST

3

You can can al also so ad add d an enti entirre folde olderr of fil files es to prin printt in one one go by cli clicki cking ng Ad Add d Folder older,, select selectin ing g the the folde folderr you want, ant, then then cli clicki cking ng OK.. If you’v OK ou’ve e adde added d a numb number er of files files to Prin Printt Co Cond nduc ucto torr bu butt wan antt to prin printt on only ly on one, e, cl clic ick k it   1 , th then en click click Print Print Doc Docum umen entt   2 . To rem emo ove a fil file e ST

2

that that you’v ou’ve e add added ed to th the e lis listt by mis mista take ke,, cli click ck it, it, then then cli click ck Remo Remov ve From From remo move ve mu mult ltip iple le file files, s, pr press ess Ctrl Ctrl,, click click the the file filess you don don’t ’t want, ant, List   3 . To re th then en cl clic ick k Remov emove e Fr From om List List.. To clea clearr your our list list of files files an and d re rest star artt the the pr proce ocess, ss, click click Clear Clear List, List, then then Yes.

38

7 – 20Janua 20January2015 ry2015

file, file, th then en clic click k OK to load load it in into to Prin Printt Co Cond nduc uctt r. Click Click Start Start and then then Cont Contin inue ue Print Printin ing. g.

 

1 1

 

2

3

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Pri Print nt Con Conduc ducto torr let letss you you spe specify cify wh which ich page pagess within within a docu docume ment nt yo you u wan antt to prin printt an and d th thee numb number er of  copie copies. s. Be Bear ar in mi mind nd,, th thes esee se sett ttin ings gs wi will ll appl apply y to all all selec lectt ‘Page Pagess to prin printt’   2  and fil files es in the the lis list. t. Cl Clic ick k Se Sett ttin ings gs   1 , se en ente terr the the pa page ge ra rang ngee (f (for or ex exam ample ple,, 1-3). 1-3). Ente Enterr the the nu numb mber er of    3 copie copiess you wan antt in the the Numb Number er fie field ld . Clic Click k OK OK.. ST

4

You can als also o add wat aterm ermar arks ks to what wh atev ever er yo you u print print (eit (either her from from a list list of pre preset setss or one yo you u’ve ’ve cr crea eated ted). ). Tick Tick Wat aterm ermar ark, k, then then cho choose ose fr from om the prese presett opt options ions in the Wat aterm ermar ark k Name Name dropd dropdow own n menu. menu. To cr creat eatee your your ow own, n, cli click ck Edit Edit Wat aterm ermar ark, k, then then click click Ad Add d 1 . Name Name you ourr water aterma mark rk in th thee Name Name field field.. In th thee Attri Attribut butes es colum column n belo below w, enter enter the te text xt for for your your wate waterm rmar ark, k, sel select ect the fo font nt,, fon fontt st style yle and font font col colour our fr from om the dropd dropdow own n me menus nus,, the then n adjus adjustt its its size size in th thee Si Size ze fie field ld.. You ou’l ’lll se seee a prev previe iew w of  defaul ultt this this ru runs ns your your wat aterm ermar ark k at the to top p   2 . By defa dia diago gona nally lly acr across oss your your page page.. To chang changee thi this, s, clic click k   3 the Alig Alignme nment nt ta tab b  an  and d choo choose se on onee of th thee opti option ons. s. Click Clic k OK OK..

To cha chang ngee your your pri print nter er’s ’s defau default lt set settin tings, gs, click click Cha Chang ngee Set Settin tings gs at the bot botto tom. m. Click Click the Page Page Size Size dropd dropdow own n   1 and d se selec lectt the the opti option on you want. ant. To prin printt in menu   an printt tw two o docu docume ment nt landsc lan dscape ape mod mode, e, sel select ect Landsc Landscape ape   2 . To prin page pagess on one one si side de of a shee sheet, t, fo forr ex exam ampl ple, e, cl clic ick k the the Page age Lay Layout out   3 drop dropdo down wn me menu nu an and d se selec lectt ‘2 on 1’ , or th thee la lay yout out of your our choice. ST

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ST

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2

 

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To pr prin intt on both both si side dess of a shee sheet, t, cl clic ick k the the Fi Finis nishin hing g ta tab, b, the the Prin Printt Styl Stylee dropd dropdow own n men menu u and sele select ct ‘2-side ‘2-sided d Pri Printi nting ng’’   1   (i (itt’s se sett to ‘1-si ‘1-side ded d’ by defa defaul ult). t). To prin printt your our file filess in bla black ck an and d white hite,, cl clic ick k the Colo Colorr Mo Mode de drop dropdo down wn me menu nu and and se sele lect ct ‘B ‘Bla lack ck an and d the Qualit Quality y ta tab b   2 , the Whit Wh ite’ e’ (it (it’s ’s se sett to Auto Auto by defa defaul ult). t). Clic Click k OK, OK, St Star artt   3 , then then Con Contin tinue ue Prin Printi ting ng to pr prin intt you ourr files. files. Beca Becaus usee yo you u’r ’ree usin using g th thee free free versio ersion n of Prin Printt Conduct  , it prin prints ts an extr extra a page page gi givi ving ng you a summ summar ary y of wha hatt you printe prin ted d and prompt prompting ing you you to buy buy the pai paid-f d-for or versi version on (the (the onl only y dr dra awbac wback k in an oth otherw erwise ise grea greatt pr progr ogram). am). ● ST

7

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7 – 20Janua 20January ry 2015 2015

39

 

Workshops

Recor ecord d Deskto Desktop problems as a vi vid deo Whatt yo Wha you u nee need: d: Fas Fastt Desk Desktop top Recorder; Recorder; Window Windows s   , Vis ista ta,, 7,8 or8.1 Time require uired: d: 15 mins mins Time req

hether yo hether you’ u’re re spe speaki aking ng to a tec tech-s h-supp upport ort adv adviser iserov over er the pho phone ne ab abou outt fix fixin ing g a PC pr prob oble lem m or tryi trying ng to he help lp anot anothe herr per perso son n ca carr rry y ou outt a ta task sk,, it can can oft often en be hard hard to ex expl plain ainin in wor ords ds exac exactl tly y what wh at th the e fa faul ultt or solu solutio tion n is. is. Fas astt Des Deskt ktop op

 

Recorder Record er ov overc ercome omess thisby this by let letting tingyo you u record record yo yours urself elf car carryi rying ng out tas tasks ks on your your PC. PC. You can the then n sa save ve the these se record recording ings, s, and ema email il the them m to yo your ur friends friends,, fam family ily, and tec tech-s h-supp upport ort tea teams ms,, or simply simply kee keep p them the m for yo your ur ow own n future future refere reference nce..

First First,, go to the Fast Des Deskt ktop op Re Recor corder der downlo download ad pa page ge at www. snipca.com/14725.. Mak snipca.com/14725 Make su sure re you clic click k the the gree green n Do Down wnlo load ad butto but ton n next next to Fast Des Deskt ktop op Recor Record d r, rat athe herr than than the the one one ne next xt to Scr ScreenM eenMas aste terr. Onc Oncee it has downl downloa oaded ded,, ope open n the ins insta taller ller,, follo follow w the instru instructi ctions ons to insta install ll Fas astt Des Deskt ktop op Re Recor cord d r, the hen n ope pen n it it.. e ho home mescr scree een n is a smal small, l, sim simpl plee wind windo ow wi with th se seve vera rall op opti tion ons. s. e fir first st ST

1

th thin ing you sh shou ould do  is se sett aow fo fold lder tor sa sav vehyaour ou r re reco cord rdin ings in. inss), . Tonavig do this th is, 1  (yell cl clic ick kgthe th e fo fold lder erld ic icon on  (yellow folde foer lder wit with magni ma gnifyin fying ggs gla glass), na vigat ate e, to the the fo folde lderr whe here re yo you u want ant to save save your our re reco cord rdin ings gs an and d clic click k OK OK..

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You’ll ou’ll nee need d to fa famili miliari arise se yo yours urself elf wit with h the va vario rious us recor recordin ding g option optionss in Fast Des Deskt ktop op Re Recor cord d r. On the homesc hom escre reen, en, clic click k Opt Option ions, s, the Video Video Cod Codecs ecs dr drop opdo down wn me menu nu at the the top top le left ft,, then then Micro Microso soft ft Vide Video o 1   1 . is se sets ts the the prog progra ram m to re reco cord rd vid video eoss in th thee AVI fo form rmat at,, whic hich h can can be pla playe yed d bac back k on mos mostt vid video eo sof softw twar are, e, inc includ luding ing Windo Windows ws Media Med ia Playe Playerr and VLC. VLC. Next Next,, mo move ve the Video Video Out Output put Qualit Quality y qualit ity y th that at suit suitss you. ou. e lo low wer th thee qual qualit ity y, the the slider   2  to a qual less less hard hard-d -dri rive ve spac spacee a video video ta take kess up, up, but but to keep keep the the vid video eo legi legibl blee we don don’t re reco comm mmen end d go goin ing g below below 50 per per cent cent.. A 10-sec 10second ond,, full-qu full-quali ality ty cli clip p we recor recorded ded use used d up 44MB of  sp spac ace, e, while hile a cl clip ip at 50 per per ce cent nt qua quali litty used used up 10M 0MB B. ST

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In the Vi Video deo Para Parame mete ters rs secti sec tion on on th thee ri righ ghtt side side of  the the Op Opti tion onss sc scre reen en,, yo you u can can adjus adjustt the Fr Frame ame Rat Ratee FPS (fr (frame amess higher er you per second second)) slid slider er   1 . e high set set the the slide sliderr, th thee less less jump jumpy y your our re recor corded ded videos videos will look, look, makin making g it easier eas ier fo forr viewe viewers rs to fo foll ll w. A high higher er frame-r fram e-rate ate mak makes es any movemen movementt an and d an anim imat atio ion n in th thee vi vide deo o ap appea pearr smooth r. Dr Dra ag th thee sl slid ider er al alll th thee way up to 50 50fps fps an and d lo low wer th thee ‘key ‘key fram frames es’’ ST

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make the the value alue abov bove it to 1   2  to make re recor corded ded video video as smooth smooth as possibl possible. e.

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7 – 20 Janu Januar ary y 2015 2015

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In or orde derr to mak make your our re reco cord rdin ings gs as long long as you like, like, you sho should uld untic untick k the the ‘T ‘Tim ime e to recor record d’   1   box. Ho How wev ever er,, Free Free Deskt Desktop op Reco ecord rder er is st still ill in beta and we foun found d a mino minorr bu bug g which hich me mean anss th that at th ther ere’ e’ss a chan chance ce that that your vid video eo will will fail fail to re recor cord d unl unless ess you ma manu nual ally ly en ente terr nu numb mbers ers in into to the the ‘T ‘Tim ime e to re recor cord d’ sec sectio tion. n. If you you enc encoun ounte terr thi thiss prob proble lem m wi with th the the bo box x un unti tick cked ed,, tick tick the the bo box, x, and and type type ‘99’ ‘99’   2   or an anot othe herr high high value alue in into to the the Ho Hour ur bo box x, an and d th then en clic click k OK. OK. is is workar wor karoun ound d will effec effectiv tively ely give give yo you u unlim unlimite ited d reco recordin rding g time time.. ST

4

Back on th Back the e Fast Des Deskt ktop op Re Recor corder der ho homes mescr creen een,, you ha have ve two two way ayss in wh which ich you can make make recor recordin dings gs.. One One of th these ese is Fu Full ll Scr Screen een,, whic which h sim simpl ply y ca capt ptur ures es every everyth thin ing g on th the e scree screen. n. e othe otherr op opti tion on is Spec Specifi ific c Area Area.. Cl Clic ick k th this is if you want ant to reco record rd on only ly a speci specific fic part part of you ourr scr scree een. n. i iss is pa parti rticul cular arly ly useful useful if you ou’re ’re priv privac acy y consci conscious ous an and d don’t don’t wan antt th the e recip recipien ientt of your vi video deo see seein ing g ev every erythi thing ng on your Des Deskt ktop op.. then en on th the e grid grid ho hold ld left left-c -cli lick ck and and dr drag ag Click Click Spe Specifi cific c Ar Area ea   1 , th you ourr mo mous use e ac acro ross ss th the e ar area ea you wan antt to reco record rd   2 , whic which h will will cr crea eate te a red red bo box x ar arou ound nd it. it. If you hi high ghli ligh ghte ted d the the wron wrong g ar area ea,,  just highli highlight ght another another area and the old one will disa disappe ppe r. Once Once you’v ou’ve e select selected ed your recor recordin ding g ar area, ea, pr press ess Ente Enterr, then then on th the e ST

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Fast Desk Desktop top Rec Recorde orderr hom homescr escreen een clic click k Rec Record ord . When you start When start recor recordin ding, g, the the Recor Record d butt button on wil willl chan change ge to a flas flashin hing g blue blue Stop Sto p but button ton   1 . If you ou’r ’re e re reco cord rdin ing ga   2 speci specific fic ar area, ea, fo four ur red red mar marke kers rs  will ap appe pe r, in indi dica cati ting ng the the co corn rner erss of th the e ar area ea wh whic ich h is bein being g recorded reco rded.. Anyth Anything ing out outside side the these se mar marker kerss will no nott ap appe pear ar in the the reco record rdin ing, g, so ma mak ke sure sure th that at what wh atev ever er you wan antt to recor record d is wi withi thin n this this ar area ea.. When Wh en recordin recording, g, move move your your mouse mouse quit quite e slowl slowly y, othe otherwi rwise se the the recor recorder der may may not not catch catch ev every ery move mo vemen ment, t, ma makin king g the the mo mouse use ap appea pearr as if it’s it’s  jumping  jump ing aro around und the scre screen en in the final video. video. ST

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When yo When you’ u’ve ve recorde recorded d everyt everything hing you you neede needed d to, to, Cli Click ck the the bl blue ue flas flashin hing g Stop Stop ico icon n in Fast ast Des Deskt ktop op Record r. A mo movi ving ng blue blue line line   1  wil  willl appe appear ar at the the botto bot tom, m, under under which which you’ll ou’ll see the the mes messa sage ge ‘Sa ‘Savin ving g video video   2 Once ce th the e vi vide deo o has has be been en sa sav ved ed,, this this text text will will in pro progr gress’ ess’ . On chan chang ge to ‘Avi cr crea eate ted!’ d!’ an and d you ou’ll ’ll be ab able le to fin find d th the e vide video o in the the di dirrect ector ory y you ch chos ose e to sa sav ve it to   3   at th the e st star artt of th this is Wor orks ksho hop p. e vi vide deo o is now now re read ady y to be se sent nt by em emai ail, l, popp popped ed on to a US USB B stic stick k, or simp simply ly kept ept on you ourr ha hard rd dr driive. ● ST

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7 – 20 Janu Januar ary y 2015 2015

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20 Janu Januar ary y 2015 2015

 

Workshops

Upda pdatte Windo Windows ws with wi tho out rebooting ebooting What yo What you u nee need: d: ABC ABC-Up -Updat date; e; Windo indows ws Vista ista,, 7, 8 or 8.1   T Time ime required: 15 min mins s

ven if you run run Windo indow ws up upda date tess in the the

backgr groun ound, d, th they ey te tend nd to slow slow do down wn  back

yo your ur PC, PC, and th then en hara harass ss yo you u with with pr prom ompts pts to reboo reboott your PC. PC. Windo Windows ws ma make kess you you reboo reboott ev even en aft after er the tinies tiniestt upd updat ate, e, bu butt you you can avoid void thi thiss pa pala lave verr with with ABC ABC-U -Upda pdate te.. Tis

fr free ee too tooll ins insta talls lls Windo Windows ws upd updat ates es using using th the e co comm mman and d pr prom ompt pt,, an and d doe doesn sn’t ’t for force ce you to re reboo boott aft after er ev every ery sin single gle updat update. e. If an upd updat ate e does does requ requir ire e a rebo reboot ot,, th then en AB ABC C wi will ll let let you know kno w with without out constan constantt rem reminder inders, s, lett letting ing you do it in your our own ti tim me.

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downlo wnload ad ABC ABC-U -Updat pdate, e, go to www.snipca.com/14640 ST P To do

an and d cl clic ick k th thee ‘C ‘Clic lick k to down downlo load ad .ZI .ZIP P file’ file’ link link un unde derr Down Downlo load ads. s. On Once ce the the ZI ZIP P file ha hass do down wnlo load aded ed,, open open it, it, double-clic doubl e-click k the ABCABC-Upda Update te executa executable ble file   1 , then then clic click k ‘E ‘Extr xtract act all all’. ’. Cho Choose ose a des destin tinat ation ion for for the file (for (for our pur purpos poses es,,   2   3 we’ll we’ll use C:\Users\u C:\Users\usern sername\ ame\ ), th then en cli click ck Extr Extract act . Bec Becaus ausee you you ope open n ABC ABC-U -Upda pdate te throu through gh comman command d pro prompt mpt,, yo you u should should make ma ke sure sure th thee dest destin inat atio ion n path path is easy easy to type type.. On Once ce yo you u’ve ’ve extr extract acted ed ABC ABC-U -Upda pdate te,, cli click ck Start Start,, ty type pe cmd, cmd, right right-cl -click ick it in the sea searc rch h resu results lts,, then then clic click k ‘R ‘Run un as adminis administr trat ator or’. ’.

1

To au auto toma matic ticall ally y ins insta tall ll all yo your ur missing miss ing Win Windo dows ws upd updat ates, es, typ typee C:\Users\username\ABC-Update A:\inst A:\in stall all and pr press ess Enter Enter.. You ou’ll ’ll see the ‘Connecti ‘Co nnecting ng to Wind Window owsUpda sUpdate te’’ mess message age.. en e n unde underr ‘Bui ‘Build ld colle collect ctio ion n of upda update tess to download’   1 , you’l ’lll see see a li lisst of all th thee updat upd ates es yo you u need need to ins insta tall. ll. Benea Beneath th that that you you’ll see a lis listt of your our upda update tess as they they (this his may may ta take ke a while). hile). On Once ce download   2   (t they’re they ’re download downloaded, ed, beneath beneath ‘Updat ‘Updates es will be inst instal alled led now’ now’ you’ll ou’ll se seee a lis listt of ea each ch update   3  as it it’s ’s adde added d to your our comp comput ut  .

Comman and d Prom Prompt pt,, if th thee defa defaul ultt dir direc ecto tory ry is wron wrong g ST P In Comm

(for (for exam example ple,, C:\W C:\Wind indow ows\s s\sys yste tem32 m32\), \), ty type pe cd .. then then press press Enter Enter.. Re Repea peatt thi thiss pr proce ocess ss until until you you’re onl only y left left with with the the le lett tter er of your our hard hard driv drivee (us (usua uall lly y C:) C:),, th then en type type the the locatio loca tion n of ABC ABC-U -Upda pdate te (in our cas case, e, C:\User C:\Users\us s\usern ername ame\ABC \ABC-  1 Update ) and pre press ss Ent Enter er.. You ou’ll ’ll see the st stat atus us me messa ssage ge ‘Connecting to Window WindowsUpdate sUpdate’’   2  as it scan scanss fo forr ins insta talle lled d an and d miss missin ing g upda updattes on you ourr PC. PC. Af Afte terr a fe few w min minut utes es,, you’ll ou’ll se seee a list list showin sho wing g all av avail ailab able le Windo Windows ws updat updates. es. Scroll Scroll up the lis list, t, and look loo k fo forr upda update tess that that st star artt with with th thee word ord ‘Miss ‘Missin ing’ g’.. ese ese are are updat upd ates es yo you u need need to downl downloa oad d and ins insta tall. ll.

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NEXT IS NEXT ISSUE SUE

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21Jan

 •  Mak  Make e it easie easierr to create create Sys ystem tem Rest Restore e po poi points nts  •   Pla Play y Scr Scrabb abble le on yo your ur TV  •   Block Block adv adverts erts in yo your ur softwa software re  •  Se  See e the the nigh nightt sk sky y the the day day you wer ere e  orn rn Subscribe to Computer Computeractive active at getcomputeracti getcomputeractive.co.uk  ve.co.uk 

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20Jan 20Janua uary2015 ry2015

 

Rea ead ders’ Ti Tips ps T

 

Handy hint Handy hints s an and d tip tips s fr from om your our fel ello low w read reader ers s Email Em ail us you ourr tips: tips: [email protected]

OF THE FO FOR RTNI TNIGHT GHT

See Se e what your str tree eett loo ook ked li lik ke yea ears rs ag ago o Jus ustt whe hen n I st star arte ted d gi givi ving ng up ho hope pe th that at I’ I’d d exper experien ience ce the wonde wonders rs of tim timee

ico icon n (the (the sma small ll orang orangee peg pegma man) n) fr from om the botto bottom-r m-righ ightt cor corner ner to the spo spott

tra trave vell in my lif lifet etim ime, e, a fr frie iend nd told told me that that this is a readi readily ly ava vaila ilable ble feat featur uree within wit hin Google Google Map Maps. s. Google recently added the Time Travel Travel feature feat ure to the browser version of Street Vi w. is lets you use a slider to see how an area has changed in the years since Google started photographing photographing it (using (u sing its Street View cars). Go to maps.google. to maps.google. com,, then enter the postcode (or address) com of the location you want to time-travel to in the bar at the top left and press Enter. Now Now clic click k and and drag drag the the St Stre reet et View iew

Once you wan antt to se seee in St Strree eett Vi w. Once click k the the sm smal alll you you’re in Stree Streett Vi w, clic cir circle cle icon icon wit with h the down downwa ward rd ar arrrow ne next xt to it at th thee top left left (s (see ee screenshot scree nshot right). right). You’ll see a timeline slider with white dotss denoti dot denoting ng the diff differ erent ent ye years ars photo photoss of that place were taken in Street View (how far back you can trav travel el in time varies from place to place). Drag the big dot on the slider to any of the smaller dots to see a thumbnail of what that very spot looked like at that time. Click the

magnifying glass at the bottom right of  the thumbnail to make it full s r en. Ra Ray y Fr si rr

The wi The winn nner er of ever ery y Tip of the Fo Fortn rtnigh ightt wi wins ns thi this s excl clus usiv ive e Com ompu pute terrac acti tiv ve mu mug! g! ONLINE SHOPPING SHOPPING

rack ck wh when en Am Amaz azon on item items s Tra drop dr op to you ourr de desir sired ed pr pric ice e e in inte tern rnet et is a mu much ch bett better er plac placee to find find a bar bargai ain n th than an th thee high hig h stree street, t, but it can ge gett ov overw erwhel helmin ming g tryin trying g to keep keep trac track k of whic hich h site sitess se sell ll th thee thin things gs you wan antt fo forr th thee lo low west est pr pric ices es.. a ank nkfu full lly y, I fo foun und d a si site te that that mak ma kes it ea easy sy to trac track k th thee pric pricee his histo tory ry of an item item on Amaz Amazon on,, and and se sett alert lertss fo forr wh when en the the pric pricee drop dropss to what what I’m I’m prepared prep ared to pay. e site site is ca called lled CamelC CamelCame amelCam lCamel el (uk.camelcamelcamel.com).Go uk.camelcamelcamel.com).Go to the web ebsi site te,, type type the the it item em you wan antt to tr trac ack k in th thee ba barr at th thee top an and d pres presss En Entter er.. Now Now select sele ct yo your ur item item from from the sea searc rch h resul results ts lis listt to see see a ha hand ndy y char chartt sh show owin ing g its its pr pric icee histo history ry sinc sincee it wa wass firs firstt ma made de av availa ailable ble on Amaz Amazon on.. i iss is a gr grea eatt gu guid idee for compar com paring ing pric prices es with with other other sites. sites.

To recei receive ve email email ale alert rtss wh when en the price price drops drops to what what yo you u’re ’re pr prepa epared red to pa pay y, typee yo typ your ur des desire ired d pr price ice and email email addre address ss in the boxe boxess provide provided d (see scr screen eensho shott below belo w lef left) t) and click click Start Start Tr Track acking ing.. You’ll ou’ll be tak taken en to a page page wh wher eree you ca can n buy buy, updat upd atee and delet deletee yo your ur tr track acked ed it items ems..

Anything saved Anything saved to Documents Docum ents will now now au auto toma matic ticall ally y be save saved d to Dr Drop opbo box x as wel ell. l. If yo you u had had thin things gs in Doc Docume ument ntss that that weren eren’t ’t in Dr Drop opbo box, x, yo you u’ll find the them m at C:\U C:\User sers\[y s\[you ourr nam name]\ e]\ Documents.

Alan Fav Favre re

Rahull Shah Rahu

CLOUD STOR STORAGE AGE

EMAIL

Make e your def defaul aultt Do Docum cument ents s Mak fol olde derr sy sync nc wi with th the cl clou oud d

Automat tomatical ically ly del delete ete email emails s Au you do don’t n’t wan antt

For many many ye years ars,, the defau default lt Docume Doc ument ntss folde folderr in Windo Windows ws was th thee most most impor importa tant nt folde folderr on my PC. PC. But But with wit h my st stead eady y mig migra ratio tion n to Windo Windows ws 8 an and d the the clou cloud d in re rece cent nt yea ears rs,, th this is has has slowl slowly y been surpas surpassed sed by the Dr Drop opbox box fold folder er,, wh whic ich h ha hass th thee ad adde ded d be bene nefit fit of  synci yncing ng my st stuff uff to th thee clou cloud, d, so I ca can n ac acce cess ss it from from an any y de devi vice ce an and d ev even en remo remote tely ly via the websit website. e. Howe However ver,, my warm warm feelin feelings gs to towa wards rds the defaul defaultt Doc Docume ument ntss folde folderr – and the fact fact th that at Windo Windows ws sen sends ds vario various us docume doc uments nts downl downloa oads ds and da data ta there there by de deffaul ultt – ur urg ged me to fin find d a way to chang cha ngee the locatio location n of my Doc Docume ument ntss libr library ary fold folder er to Dr Drop opbo box x in Wind Window owss 8. And I’ve I’ve suc succee ceeded ded!! right-c t-click lick In Windo Windows ws Explor Explor  , righ Docume Doc ument nts, s, which which is und under er Libra Librarie riess in the leftleft-han hand d pane. pane. Clic Click k Prope Properti rties, es, th thee Loca Locati tion on ta tab, b, th then en type type the the loc locat atio ion n of your your Dr Drop opbo box x folde folderr (by def defaul ault, t, this should should be C:\U C:\User sers\[y s\[your our nam name]\ e]\ Dropbox\ Dro pbox\Docum Documents ents)) and press press Ente Enterr.

I lo love ve set settin ting g au auto toma mated ted ta tasks sks on my PC, PC, so you ca can n im imag agin inee ho how w much mu ch I enjoy enjoyed ed readi reading ng yo your ur Secr Secret et Ti Tips ps on Task ask Sc Sche hedu dule lerr in the the la last st iss issue ue.. While Wh ile Task Schedu Scheduler ler can’t can’t manag managee brow browser ser-ba -based sed ser servic vices es suc such h as emails emails,, I was pl plea ease sed d to find find that that my em emai aill se serv rvic icee of ch choic oicee – Ou Outl tloo ook. k.co com m– let letss me set it to au auto toma matic ticall ally y ‘s ‘swe weep ep’’ (del (delet ete) e) emai emails ls in my in inbo box x fr from om spec specific ific se send nder ers. s. is is a grea greatt way to avoi oid d a back backlo log g of news newsle lett tter erss an and d other other pr promo omotio tiona nall emails emails I only only occasiona occas ionally lly read. read. Log int into o your your Out Outloo look k acc accoun ountt and ti tick ck th thee box boxes next next to al alll th thee em emai ails ls you wan antt to se sett Swee eepin ping g rule ruless fo forr (y (you ou don don’t ha hav ve to do th them em al alll in one one go) o).. When Wh en you’r ou’ree done done,, cl clic ick k Sw Swee eep p in the the bl blue ue bar bar at th thee top. op. You’l ou’lll no now w see see a poppop-up up with with opti option onss to ‘D ‘Del elet etee al alll fr from om Inbox Inb ox’, ’, ‘Al Alwa ways ys delet deletee ema emails ils older older than than 10 days days ol old d’, an and d so on. on. Se Selec lectt th thee opti option on you wan antt an and d th then en cl clic ick k Swee eep. p. David Dav id Green

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20 Janu Januar ary y 2015 2015

 

Pho one an and d Tab abllet Tips   Br Ph Bril illi lian antt th thin ings gs to do on your our de devi vice ce ANDROID

Lock an ap app p to you ourr sc scrree een n If a numb number er of peop people le ar aree handlin han dling g yo your ur pho phone ne or ta table blett (y (you ou mi migh ghtt be sh show owin ing g th them em a ph phot oto o or app), app), you do don n’t wan antt them them stra straying ying into into ot other her ar areas eas of your your devic device, e, such such as ot othe herr phot photo o al albu bums ms or em email ails. s. To ma make ke sure sure th they ey see only only wh what at yo you u want ant them them to se see, e, Andr Androi oid d 5.0 Lolli Lollipo pop p lets lets you you ‘pin ‘pin’’ an app app (whic (which h effect effectiv ively ely ke keep epss it open open on sc scre reen en un unti till you clo close se it). Go to Set Settin tings, gs, Securit Security y, Screen Screen Pinnin Pin ning, g, then then ta tap p the the swit switch ch to tu turn rn it

‘On ‘On’. Next Next time time you want ant to pass pass your your ph phon onee arou around nd a grou group p of people people,, open open th thee ap app p you wan antt to pin, pin, th then en pres presss the the ‘Rece ‘Recent nt ap apps ps’’ butto button n on yo your ur de devic vicee (to the right right of yo your ur Ho Home me butto button). n). You’ll ou’ll no now w see see th thee app in a win indo dow w wi witth a gree green n pin icon icon at the the bott bottom om ri righ ghtt (see (see scr screen eensho shott belo below w lef left). t). Tap the ico icon, n, se sett an un unlo lock ck co code de (if (if you wan antt to be ult ultra ra-ca -cauti utious ous)) by tic tickin king g the box, box, the then n ta tappi pping ng St Star art. t. e app app is no now w ‘pinne pinned d’ an and d can can on only ly be clos closed ed by pr press essin ing g the Back Back and Re Recen centt Apps/ Apps/Ov Overv erview iew butto but tons ns on yo your ur de devic vice. e. ANDROID

Disable notific Disable notifications ations fro from m specific spe cific app apps s

ANDROID

Sett a li Se limi mitt for you ourr da data ta us usag age e ese days ese days we’ e’re re al alll usin using g more more and mor moree mobile mobile int intern ernet et data data on our our phon phones es and and ta table blets ts ea each ch mont mo nth, h, so it it’s ’s more more import important ant tha than n ever ever that that we ca can n quic quickl kly y ch chec eck k our our mont monthl hly y data data usag usagee so we don don’t ge gett an any y shoc shocks ks when hen th thee bil bills ls come come in in.. But But lo logg ggin ing g in into to yo your ur onli online ne acc accoun ountt wit with h yo your ur mo mobile bile netw networ ork k to ch chec eck k yo your ur data data usag usagee can can be a hass hassle le.. It It’s ’s much much ea easi sier er to use use Andr Androi oid d’s built-in built -in dat data-mo a-monito nitoring ring tool. tool. Tap Set Settin tings, gs, Da Data ta Us Usag agee (or More More,, then then Da Data ta Us Usag age), e), then then ti tick ck the the box box sa sayin ying g someth som ething ing simi similar lar to ‘L ‘Limi imitt mobile mobile data data usag usage’ e’ (thi (thiss va varie riess accor accordin ding g to devic device). e). In the cha chart rt dis displa playin ying g your your dat data a usa usage ge,,

Many app Many appss use push push not notifica ificatio tions, ns, whi hich ch ap appe pear ar in th thee bar bar at th thee top top of yo your ur And Andro roid id homesc homescre reen. en. If you use eB  , for for exam example ple,, you you ma may y rec receiv eivee not notifica ification tionss telling telling you an au auct ctio ion n ght is at bout bo utt to en end, d,aorne an em ail ll. ap apps ps migh mi aler alert yo you u to new w emai em emai ail. Ho Howe weve verr, the there re might might be ap apps ps fr from om which wh ich you you don don’t ’t want want notifi notifica catio tions. ns. ere ere ar aree a co coup uple le of ways you ca can n st stop op th thes esee notificatio notifi cations ns appe appearing aring.. When Whenev ever er you recei rec eive ve a not notifica ificatio tion n yo you u don’t don’t want, ant, ta tap p an and d ho hold ld it unti untill App Info Info appea appears rs,, then then ta tap p th that at.. Untic Untick k the ‘Sho ‘Show w notific notificat ation ions’ s’ bo box x, th then en tap OK. OK. e ot othe herr way to do it is by goin going g to Se Sett ttin ings gs,, Apps pps,, ta tapp ppin ing g th thee ap app p in th thee list list yo you u wan antt to st stop op re rece ceiv ivin ing g notific not ificat ation ionss from from,, and then then unt unticki icking ng the ‘Show ‘Show notifi notificati cations ons’’ box. box.

What Wh at you sho shoul uld d ins instal talll this thisfo fortni rtnight ght

Best Best New Apps Next Next Gla Glass ss

Z Laun Launch cher er Beta Beta

VL VLC C fo forr Android Android

Free iOS: www.snipca. com/14680 Android: www. snipca.com/14681 If yo you’r u’re e a beer beer,, wine win e or whi whisk skey ey enthusiast, enthusia st, and li lik ke to try try ou outt ne new w beverage bev erages, s, this ap app p is a gr gre eat guid guide e towh tyou tyou m yor may may no nott lik like. e. You en enter ter de detai tails ls about about your favo favourite urite tipp tipple, le, then then whe when n you you com come e

Free Android: www. snipca.com/14683 Tis Nok Nokiaiadevelope dev eloped d app is no noth thin ing g if no nott ambiti amb itious ous.. It tri tries es to giv give e you you acc access ess to everything everything you need on your our ph phon one e on a single homes homescreen creen,, it.. e pp pp sh shor ortc tcut uts s an and d do doesa esa gr gre eat jo job b of it it dis displa plays ys ch chang ange e depe depend nding ing on wh what at tim time e

Free Android: www.snipca.com/14684 Af After ter tw two o years years of being being in beta beta,, th the e fu full ll versio ersion n of thewor theworld ld’s ’s mo most st po popu pular lar PC vid video eo playe playerr arri arrive ves s on Andr Android. oid. It plays plays mo most st vid video eo and audio audio format formats, s, supp supports orts subtitl sub titles, es, and let lets s you you bro brows wse e fol folder ders s contain containing ing your your audi audio o and vid video eo files, files, just as you would ould on your PC. PC.

acros across s a drink you you hav haven’t en’t tried tried bef before ore,, scan scan its barc barcod ode e using using yo your ur pho phone ne and Next Next Gl Glas ass s wi will ll tel telll yo you u how how lik likel ely y yo you u are are to enj enjoy oy it base based d on yo your ur taste tastes. s.

of da day y yo you u ty typic picall ally y use use ce certa rtain in apps. apps. You ca can n us use e your fin finge gerr to scrib scribbl ble e a le lette tterr anyw anywhe here re on the scre screen en to dis displa play y al alll yo your ur app apps s that that startt wit star with h that let letter ter..

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you shou should ld be able able to se sett a li limi mitt by ho hold ldin ing g your our fin finge gerr on a ho hori rizo zont ntal al bar bar in the the ch char artt, th then en sl slid idin ing g it up an and d down down to adjus adjustt the limi limitt (see scr screen eensho shott belo below w left). left). To sy synch nchro ronise nise yo your ur month monthly ly da data ta us usag agee wi with th you ourr phon phonee bil bill, l, ta tap p ‘Res ‘Reset et da data ta us usag age’ e’,, then then en ente terr th thee day day of the the

las lastp tpass ass in the sea searc rch h box box,, ta tap p ‘L ‘Las astP tPass ass for for Pr Premi emium um Custo Custome mers rs’’ in the resu results lts,, then then ta tap p Get, Get, Inst Instal all, l, and and type type your our iT iTun unes es passwo pass word rd if prom prompted pted.. Once you’ve you’ve ins insta talled lled LastP LastPass ass,, launch launch the app app,, fo follo llow w the the st step epss to log log in or crea create te an ac acco coun unt, t, then then choo choose se whet whethe herr you want ant to use use

month yo month you u recei receive ve yo your ur phone phone bill bill.. the dat data-u a-usa sage ge cy cycle cle will reset reset is w y, the at th thee same same ti time me as you re rece ceiv ivee your our bil bill. l.

Touch ouch ID (fin (finge gerp rprin rintt sc scan annin ning) g) to lo log g in in.. Next Next,, you ne need ed to swit switch ch off your our defaul def aultt Saf Safari ari au auto to-fill -fill option options. s. Go to Settin Settings, gs, ta tap p Safari Safari in the lef leftt-han hand d pan pane, e, Pass Passwo word rdss & Au Auto tofill, fill, then then ta tap p ‘N ‘Name amess and Passw Passwor ords ds’’ to swit switch ch it off. off. Ope Open n Sa Safa fari ri,, ta tap p th thee Sh Shar aree icon icon (b (blu luee box box wi with th ar arrrow) to th thee left left of th thee URL URL bar bar at th thee to top, p, scr scroll oll right right along along the botto bottom m row row, then then ta tap p More More.. Tap th thee sw swit itch ch next next to La Last stPa Pass ss to tu turn rn it on (se (seee scr scree eens nsho hott abov bove righ right) t),, an and d it wi will ll no now w appea ppearr as an opti option on whe hen n you ta tap p the the Sh Shar aree ic icon on.. Next Next ti time me you ou’r ’ree on a site site requ requir irin ing g lo logi gin n

iOS 8 iOS

Scan ca Scan card rd de deta tail ils s ins inste tead ad of typing them In Saf Safari ari,, yo you u can alr alread eady y au auto tofill fill online online fo forms rms wit with h car card d details det ails stor stored ed on your your devic device. e. But But if you pref prefer er not not to st stor oree se sens nsit itiv ivee data data on your our devi device ce,, in iOS iOS 8 you ca can n use use your our iPhon iPh onee or iP iPad ad came camera ra to sc scan an your our ca card rd details deta ils inst instead. ead. When Whe n yo you u’re prompt prompted ed for foryo your ur cre credit dit-card car d details details by a reput reputab able le shoppin shopping g site site

details,, ta details tap p the Sh Shar aree ico icon, n, Las LastP tPass ass,, th then en lo log g in in.. e si sitte wi will ll ap appe pear ar in a li list st,, ass assumi uming ng you you’v ’vee alr alread eady y add added ed it to LastP Las tPass ass.. If yo you u have haven n’t, ta tap p Add Add New New Login Login then then fo follo llow w the ins instru tructi ctions ons to ad add d it to your our Last LastP Pass ass lis list. t.

, tayo p u’d on oneenormally of the such su chmation as Am Amaz on or(whe eB yre informat infor ionazon fields (where you’d norm ally type type yo your ur ca card rd’s ’s deta details ils), ), th then en th thee Sc Scan an Cr Credi editt Car Card d opt option ion above above the num number ber pa pad. d. Your our phon phonee scr scree een n will will turn turn into into a camer cam era, a, with with a recta rectang ngula ularr ou outli tline ne mark ma rkin ing g whe here re yo you u ne need ed to pl plac acee your our payme payment nt car card. d. Posit Position ion your your car card d within within th this is fram frame, e, an and d your our devic devicee wi will ll en ente terr the name name an and d car card d numb number er into into th thee te text xt fields fiel ds.. For sec securi urity ty reaso reasons, ns, you you st still ill need need to ma manu nual ally ly ente enterr the the ex expir piry y da date te an and d thre threee-dig digit it securi security ty code code on the bac back k of your our ca card rd..

Gam Games es With Wi thther Kids Ki ds ourr ph What hat to pl play ay to toge geth er on you phon one e an and d ta tabl blet et

iOS

AGES AGES 610

Use pas passw sword ord manag managers ers  ire tly thr throug ough h Sa Safa fari ri

Monsters beha Monsters behave! ve! £1.49 www.snipca.com/14686 (iOS) Learni Learning ng abou aboutt Engl English ish language languageand and gramma grammarr bec become omes s much much mor more e appe appealin aling g to ch chilildre dren n if they they ca can n ha havea vea lau laugh gh wh whilile e doing doing it. Tis fu fun n appfeatur appfeatures es wordpuzzl ordpuzzles es,, rhymes rhymes,, and games games that invol involve ve pop popping ping bubbles, bubble s, throw throwing ing pudding everyw everywhere, here, and other mischie mischievous vous activiti activities. es.

e Premi Premium um ve versi rsion on of LastP LastPass ass recent rec ently ly add added ed a featu feature re th that at integra inte grates tes its pass passwor word d manager manager into into the Saf Safari ari br brow owser ser,, cuttin cutting g ou outt the fid fiddl dly y bu busin sines esss of havin having g to past pastee passw pas swor ords ds fr from om the Las LastP tPass ass ap app p to the bro browser wser.. is will will speed speed up your our web brows bro wsing ing,, while while als also o gi givin ving g you you grea greate terr protection prot ection from hackers. hackers. To us usee th thee ex exte tens nsio ion, n, you wi will ll ne need ed th thee paid-f paid-for or Premi Premium um ve versi rsion on of LastP LastPass ass,, Whil ilee we whic wh ich h co cost stss £7.99 £7.99 a ye  . Wh norma nor mally lly try to recom recommen mend d fr free ee app apps, s, La LasstPas tPasss ha hass fo forr a lo long ng time time been been ou ourr favou favourit ritee pass passwor word d manager manager,, and the ex extr tra a paid-f paid-for or fe feat atur ures, es, which which inc includ ludee a porta por table ble ve versi rsion on of LastP LastPass ass yo you u can run from from a US USB B st stic ick, k, as wel elll as ap apps ps for Andro And roid id devic devices, es, ar aree wort worth h the mon money ey. In th thee App St Stor oree on yo your ur devi device ce,, type type

AGES ES 05 AG

Co Color lor Shapes Shapes 99p www.snipca.com/14685 (iOS) Set your your kids the timeles timeless s cha challe llenge nge of fittin fitting g sha shape pes s in theright hole hole.. Co Colo lorr Shapes Sha pes encour encourage ages s impr improv oveme ement, nt, as the le leve vels ls gradual gradually ly incr increa ease se in difficulty difficulty.. Te app is vibra vibrant, nt, co colo lourf urful, ul, and and fill filled ed wi with th silly silly no noise ises, s, so it’ it’s s sure sure to kee eep p a chil child d entertain ente rtained ed and le learnin arning g for hour hours. s.

AGES ES 1116 AG

Spaceteam Free www.snipca.com/14687 (Android) Free www.snipca.com/14688 (iOS) A ch chao aotic tic ga game me for for ch chao aotic tic kid kids, s, wh which ich up to four four pe peopl ople e ca can n play play (e (eac ach h re requi quire res s their their ow own n Andro Android id or iOSdev iOSdevic ice). e). Playe Players rs must must man manage age the con control trol pan panel el of an outout-ofof-con control trol space spa ceship ship.. As nonsen nonsense se comman commands ds appear appear on the screen screen,, you ha haveto veto shou shoutt the them m to oth other er play player ers, s, wh who o ha haveto veto twidd twiddle le switc switche hes s and and slide sliders rs on their their own own pa pane nels ls to stop stop thespaces thespac eship hip fr from om cr cras ashin hing. g. It’ It’s s out of this this world! orld!

7 – 20 Ja Janu nuar ary y 20 2015 15  

Mak ke Wi Win ndows Be Bett tter er Ma

Cle Cl ever tips tips for every version ersion

WINDOWS   , VIS VISTA, 7, 8, 8. 8.11

Mak Make you ourr cu curs rsor or ea easi sier er to se see e

WINDOW WIND OWS S VIST VISTA, 7

If yo you u fin find d you ourr curs cursor or is too smal smalll an and d ten end d to lo lose se tr trac ack k of it on yo your ur scree screen, n, th ther eree ar aree a coup couple le of twea tweaks ks you ca can n mak make so th tha at it it’s ’s ea easi sier er to se seee.

Cust stom omise ise your Sta tart rt Me Men nu link linkss Cu

Right-cl Right -click ick any any blank blank space space on yo your ur Deskt Des ktop op and click click Perso Persona naliz lize. e. Next Next,, click click ‘Chan ‘Change ge mouse mouse pointe pointers rs’’ in the lef leftt-han hand d pane pane,, then then the the Poin Pointe ters rs ta tab, b, an and d th then en cl clic ick k th thee Sc Sche heme me drop dropdo down wn me menu nu.. In th thee menu men u (see scr screen eensho shott belo below), w), you you’ll see sever sev eral al cursor cursor option options, s, each each off offeri ering ng ‘large ‘lar ge’’ and ‘e ‘extr xtra a larg large’ e’ va variat riations. ions. Try out out a sele select ctio ion n of th thee la larg rger er si size zess by selecti sele cting ng the them m and cli clickin cking g Ap Apply ply. When Wh en you you’re happ happy y wit with h your your cho choice ice of  clic ick k the the Poin Pointe terr Op Opti tion onss ta tab, b, then then cursor, cl tic tick k the ‘D ‘Disp ispla lay y pointe pointerr tr trails ails’’ box. box. is make ma kess th thee curs cursor or le lea ave a trai traill in its its wake ake as yo you u mov move it it,, ma makin king g it easie easierr to keep keep trac track k of of.. You ca can n ad adju just st th thee leng length th of this this

customise cust omise the item itemss th that at ap appe pear ar in your your Start Start Menu Menu.. For For exam example ple,, yo you u can change chan ge the Documents Documents,, Music Mu sic and Pic Pictu ture ress links links to me menu nuss that that di disp spla lay y all all the the item itemss in th those ose folde folders rs wh when en yo you u move mo ve yo your ur cursor cursor ov over er th them em (sim (simila ilarr to th thee All All Progra Pro grams ms menu menu). ). To do this, this, right right-cl -click ick an empt empty y spac spacee on yo your ur Taskb askbar ar,, click Propertie Pro perties, s, then the

trai tr ail byen movi mo ving ng th e sli slide derrr. chan Cl Clic ick kges. As. pply pply an and dl then th OK to the sa save ve your ou ch ange

Start St art Menu Menu tab. b. Clic Click kll Customi Cus tomize, ze, ta then scro scroll thr throu ough gh the list, list, ch choos oosing ing how how yo you u want want each each Start Start Menu Menu item item to be dis displ pla aye yed, d, by se sele lect ctin ing g eith either er ‘Dis ‘Displ pla ay as a link’ link’ or ‘D ‘Dis ispl pla ay as a menu menu’. ’. At th thee ve very ry bott bottom om of the the lis list, t, yo you u’ll also lso see see that you ca can n adda li link nk or me menu nu to your your Video Videoss folde folderr, wh which ich isn isn’t ’t dis displa playe yed d in the Start Start Menu Menu by def defau ault lt..

VIS STA, 7, 8, 8. 8.11 WINDOWS   , VI

Cr Cre eat ate e a log di diar ary y in No Note tepa pad d Note Notepad pad is much much mo more re than than just just a po poor or ma man n’s Microso Micr osoft ft Wor ord. d. In Issue Issue 438,, fo 438 forr ex exam ampl ple, e, we ex expl plai aine ned d in a Wor orks ksho hop p how how you can can use use Note Notepa pad d to

ere are ere are many man y way ayss to

create create ke keyboa yboard rd shortcuts shortcuts.. Anothe Ano therr great great feat featur uree of Note Notepad pad is the the opti option on to crea create te a log log file, file, which hich ca can n help help yo you u ke keep ep recor records ds of ongo ongoing ing sit situat uation ionss by au auto toma matic ticall ally y add adding ing a da date te and tim timee ever ery y ti time me you open open th thee fil file. e. is is ca can n be ve very ry use useful ful,, for for exam example ple,, if you you’re kee eepin ping g tr trac ack k of ho how w ofte often n your our PC is cras crashi hing ng or if you wan antt to log log you ourr

When you When you’v ’vee finis finished hed twea tweaking king your your Start Start Men Menu u it items ems,, cli click ck OK OK,, Appl Apply y an and d OK again again.. Ne Next xt,, cl clic ick k the the St Star artt but button. ton. All the the it items ems yo you u’v ’vee turne turned d int into o men menus us will now now have have arr arrow owss besi beside de them. them. Move Move your our cu curs rsor or to th them em to se seee all th thee option opt ions, s, fo folde lders rs and files they they con conta tain in (see scree screenshot nshot). ).

communications communica tions with a compan company y that that yo you u’r ’ree havin having g a di disp sput utee with with ( see scr screen eensho shott belo below w left left). ). To do this this,, open open No Note tepa pad d an and d type type .L .LOG OG.. Clic Click k Fi File le (a (att th thee top top le left) ft),, Save Save As As,, then then name name th thee file an and d cl clic ick k Sa Sav ve. No Now w whene heneve verr you open open this this file, file, it will will auto automa mati tica call lly y ad add d th thee date date an and d ti time me – rea ead dy for you to ad add d your our lo log g entry. WIND WINDO OWS 7, 8, 8.1

Disp Di spllay al alll th the e dr driv ives es on you ourr PC Extr Extra a driv drives es on your our PC – SD ca card rd slo slots ts,, fo forr exampl exa mplee – aren aren’t ’t displa displaye yed d wh when en you you cli click ck Com Comput put r , unless unl ess yo you u insert insert st stor orag agee med media ia into into them them.. is make makess it diffi difficu cult lt to know know whet wh ether her those those drive drivess are are worki working ng,, especi especiall ally y if yo you u don’t don’t use them them regul regular ar y . To dis displ pla ay al alll driv drives es on your your PC by ools, then then default, defa ult, click Start, Start, Comput Comput r , Tools, ‘F ‘Fold older er opt options ions’. ’. Click Click the Vie View w ta tab, b, untick untick the the ‘H ‘Hid idee empt empty y driv drives es in the the Comp Comput uter er fo fold lder er’’ box, box, th then en cl clic ick k Apply pply and and OK. OK.

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  7 – 20Janua 20January2015 ry2015

 

Ma Mak ke Off Offiice Be Bett tter er

 

Expert Exp ert tips tips for every prog progra ram m

WORD

Use th the e Wi Wiki kipe pedi dia a ‘a ‘ap pp’ in Wor ord d Did Did you know know yo you u can can ad add d ‘apps apps’’ to

rig right ht of your your doc docume ument nt displaying displayin g Wikipe Wikipedia dia

Office Offi ce 20 2013 13?? ese ese can bol bolst ster er yo your ur Offic Officee pr prog ogrram amss with with al alll kin kinds ds of  ex extr tra a fe feat atur ures. es. One of our fa favo vouri urite tess is the the Wik Wikiped ipedia ia ap app, p, wh which ich lets lets yo you u ins insert ert te text xt and image imagess direct directly ly from from the the web ebsi site te to yo your ur Word documents. Click Clic k the Ins Insert ert ta tab, b, th then en in the the Apps se sect ctio ion n cl clic ick k Stor Store. e. If you ca can n se seee Wikiped ikipedia ia lis liste ted d in th thee Apps sectio sec tion, n, it means means your your ver ersio sion n of Office Office ca came me ca came me wi with th it prepre-ins insta talle lled. d. If no not, t, in the Ap for Offic Office’ wind dow type type‘Apps wiki wips kiped pedia ia in e’ the thwin e se sear arch ch, ba barr, clic click k Add Add ne next xt to the the Wi Wiki kiped pedia ia se sear arch ch re resu sult lt (wit (with h the the ‘W’ ‘W’ ic icon) on),, th then en cl clic ick k Tr Trus ustt It.

EXCEL

Make ch Mak chan ange ges s to tw two o tab tablles at th the e sa same me ti time me In Is Issu suee 416, 416, Make Make Offi Office ce Be Bett tt r , we sho showed you how how to us usee Excel Exc el’s ’s ‘transpos ‘transpose’ e’ function function (see (see ‘Con ‘Conv vert ert ro rows ws to co colu lumn mnss in one one click’ clic k’). ). Trans Transpos posing ing a ta table ble bas basica ically lly mean me anss cr crea eatin ting g a ne new w ta tabl blee of yo your ur origin original al da data ta with with ro rows ws prese present nted ed as col column umnss and col column umnss pre presen sented ted as rows rows.. By defaul default, t, the origin original al and tr trans anspose posed d table tabless ar aree indepe independe ndent nt of each each other other (c (cha hang nges es ma made de to one one ar aree no nott appli applied ed to th thee ot othe her). r). We’ll e’ll show show you you ho how w to crea create te a tra transpose nsposed d ta table ble tha thatt aut automa omatica tically lly updat upd ates es wh whene eneve verr yo you u make make ch chang anges es to the orig original. inal. Firs irst, you ne need ed to ma mak ke a no notte of th thee nu numb mber er of ro rows ws an and d colu column mnss in yo your ur origin original al table table.. For For exam example ple,, if the ta table ble star starts ts at A1 and and en ends ds at C7 C7,, no notte down down ‘A1: A1:C7’ C7’ (it ha hass se seve ven n ro rows ws and and thre threee col column umns). s). Next Next,, hig highlig hlight ht a blank blank area area in the spread spreadshe sheet et with with the reve reverse rse value valuess of the origin original al ta table ble.. Using Using ou ourr examp example, le, th this is is thre threee ro rows ws and and se seve ven n colu column mns. s. In the the long long for orm mul ula a ba barr at th thee top top of th thee spread spr eadshe sheet et (wher (wheree it sa says ys A1:C7), A1:C7), typ typee =(TRANSPOSE(A1:C7)). Now Now, ins inste tead ad of pressin pressing g Ent Enter er (whic (which h will trans transpose pose yo your ur da data) ta),, pr press ess

content conte nt.. is pane pane works orks similar sim ilarly ly to the the websi website te,, assumi assuming ng yo you u have have an internet inte rnet conne connection ction.. Type your our se sear arch ch te term rm in the the searc sea rch h bar bar,, pr press ess Enter Enter and brow browse se the resu results lts.. You can filt filter er resu results lts by ‘sect ‘sections ions’, ’, ‘image ‘images’ s’ or ‘r ‘ref efer erenc ences es’. ’. If you you want ant to ad add d an imag imagee fr from om Wikipe Wikipedia dia to yo your ur document, docume nt, click ‘ima ‘images ges’, ’, move mo ve yo your ur cur cursor sor over over an imag image, e, th then en cl clic ick k the the ‘+’ sym symbol. bol. e Wiki ikiped pedia ia icon icon will will now now ap appea pearr in the the App ppss secti section on of Word ord (see (see sc scrree eens nsho hot) t).. Clic Click k it to se seee a pa pane ne on th thee

Tothe ad add d te text ,u cl clic ick ‘s ‘sect ection ion’, ’, highli highlight ght te text xtxt, you yo wkant to add, add, then then cl clic ick k th thee ‘+’ symb symbol ol th that at appear app earss when when you you hig highlig hlight ht it it..

our data data wil willl ap appe pear ar in Ctrl+Shift+Ent r . Your the tr trans anspose posed d ta table ble,, and an any y chang changes es yo you u make make in the the orig origin inal al ta tabl blee will will fr from om now now on au auto toma matic ticall ally y be ap applie plied d to it it..

dis displa playe yed d on your your summ summary ary page page,, the then n click clic k Cre Creat atee Summ Summary ary Pa Page. ge.

ONENOTE

Creat Cre ate e a pag age e for you ourr tagge tag ged d not notes es e Tag agss Su Summ mmar ary y pane pane in OneNo One Note te lets lets yo you u ma mana nage ge all your your ta tagg gged ed note notes. s. To access access th this is pa pane ne,, clic click k th thee Home Home ta tab, b, then then Fi Find nd Tags ags (in the the Tag agss secti section) on).. You can can th then en filte filterr an and d orga organis nisee your our ta tags gs usin using g th thee ‘Gro ‘Group up ta tags gs by’ by’ drop dropdo down wn me menu nu at th thee top of th thee pane pane.. To giv givee yourself  yourself  grea greate terr con contr trol ol of yo your ur ta tags gs,, yo you u can can crea create te a ‘Summar ‘Su mmary y Page’ Page’ (see screensho scree nshott right) right) for them. the m. Doing Doing thi thiss cre creat ates es a OneNo OneNote te pa page ge for for your our ta tags gs that that you ca can n edit edit lik like an any y other oth er.. In the Tag agss Summa Sum mary ry pane, pane, clic click k the Search Search dropdow dropdown n menu me nu at the the bott bottom om an and d se sele lect ct th thee notebo not ebooks oks or sec sectio tions ns whose wh ose ta tags gs you you want

OUTLOOK

Se Send nd ‘CC’ em emai ails ls to a separate separ ate fol folder der Wheneve Whene verr yo you u recei receive ve an email email in which hich you ar aree ma marrked as a ‘CC’ ‘CC’ rec recipi ipient ent (copied (copied in), you you know know you are are just just one one of mu mult ltip iple le recip recipien ients, ts, and that that it itss conte content ntss are are pr prob obab ably ly of lesser lesser imp import ortanc ancee to yo you u help you id iden enti tify fy th thes esee personal y . To help an and d st stop op them them ap appea peari ring ng in yo your ur in inbo box, x, you can can se sett Ou Outl tloo ook k to se send nd al alll th thes esee ‘CC’ ‘CC’ emails emails to a differ different ent fo folde lderr. Clic Click k the the Ho Home me ta tab, b, then then Rule Ru less (in th thee Mo Mov ve se sect ctio ion). n). Click Create Create Rule Rule,, Adv Advanced anced Option Opt ionss at the bot botto tom m rig right ht,, then then in th thee Rules ules Wiza Wizard rd ti tick ck th thee box box next next to ‘w ‘whe here re my nam amee is not in the To box’ box’.. Clic Click k Ne Next xt an and d ti tick ck th thee first first opti option on (‘ (‘mo move ve it to the the specifie spe cified d fo folde lder’) r’).. Next Next,, cli click ck the the ‘s ‘spec pecifie ified d’ lin link k in th thee section sect ion belo below w, sel select ect the fo fold lder er yo you u wan antt to mo move ve it to and cli click ck OK OK.. Finall Finally y, cli click ck Next Next tw twic icee an and d th then en cl clic ick k Finish.

7 – 20 Janu Januar ary y 2015 2015  

Se Secr cre et Tips For or… …

  as asper persk sky y nternet Secur ecuriity 2015 2015

 rotect  rote ct your b nk ing detail details, s,

secur se cure e your web ebcam cam,, and control contr ol your intern internet et usa usage ge

scanni anning ng your PC Avoid sc if it it’s ’s be being ing over erus used ed

Kaspersk Kasper sky y Intern Internet et Securi Security ty 20 2015 15 is our favo favourit uritee antivirus antivirus pro progra gram, m, compr com prehe ehensi nsive vely ly win winnin ning g our pas pastt four four antivirus anti virus meg megate atests sts.. Becau Because se Kas Kaspersk persky’s y’s scan scanss are are so th thor orou ough gh,, they they can can pu putt a stra strain in on yo your ur PC, PC, espec especia iall lly y if it’s it’s low low on memory mem ory or yo you u have have seve severa rall other other progr pro grams ams runnin running g in the bac backg kgro round und.. ankfully ankfull y, Kas Kaspersk persky y has severa severall fea featur tures es en enab abled led by defa defaul ultt th that at will will mi minim nimise ise its its impa im pact ct on our oufaul r ult, PC. PC On One feat featur ure eou not nocan t n en enab abled led byydefa de t,. but bu tewhic wh ich hy ca act activ ivat ate, e, is the the opt option ion to pos postpo tpone ne sche schedu duled led an anti tivir virus us sc scan anss if you ourr PC is under und er stra strain. in. In Kaspe Kaspersk rsky y, cli click ck Set Settin tings gs at the bot botto tom, m, Pe Perf rform ormanc ancee in the leftleft-han hand d pane, pane, then then tic tick k the ‘C ‘Conc oncede ede re resou sourc rces es to oth other er app applica licatio tions ns’’ box box under the ‘Co ‘Compu mputer ter reso resourc urces’ es’ catego catego y.

Prote ct web ebsite sites s tha thatt co conta ntain in Protect your ba bank nk det detail ails s By defaul default, t, Kaspe Kaspersk rsky y flag flagss up su suspi spicio cious us

Use Use Saf Safe e Money Money to giv give e extra extra pr prote otectio ction n to site sites s you you typ type e sen sensiti sitive ve inform informatio ation n into

links, link s, websit websites es and at atte tempt mptss to at atta tack ck your your PC wh while ile you you’re br brow owsin sing g the web eb.. But But you can can put put ex extr tra a sec secur urit ity y foc focus us on ban bankin king g and other other websit ebsites es where whe re you you ent enter er particular particularly ly sensit sensitiv ivee informat infor mation. ion. In Kas Kaspersk persky y, click Safe Money Mon ey, the then n Ena Enable ble.. Now Now clic click k ‘Add Add web ebsi site te to Sa Safe fe Mone Money’ y’.. In the the ‘Sa Safe fe Mone Mo ney y web ebsi site te’’ pane panel, l, type type th thee URL URL of  your your ban bank k (for (for examp example, le, www.hsbc.co. uk), uk ), select select Ru Run n Pr Prot otect ected ed Brow Browser ser (see scr screen eensho shott abo above ve), ), the then n click click Ad Add. d. Click Click

Stop ha hack ckers ers sp spyin ying g on you ourr webc ebcam am On Onee of the the ne new west est fea featur tures es in Kaspersky Internet Securi Sec urity ty 20 2015 15 is added we webcam bcam protection, which whic h blocks Make Mak e sur sure e the Appli Applicati cation on Cont ontro roll switch switch is gr green een to pro protec tectt unauthorised your web webcam cam progr programs ams (su (such ch as spywa spy ware) re) from accessing accessing you yourr ta tab, b, th then en Driv Driver er Deta Details ils.. In the the lis list, t, if  web ebca cam m. You ca can n fin find d a li lisst of  you you see th thee file ‘%wi ‘%windir ndir%\S %\Sys yste tem32\ m32\ officially officia lly sup support ported ed webcams webcams at drivers\usbvideo.sys drivers\usb video.sys’, ’, then your www.snipca.com/14636. ourr www.snipca.com/14636 . Even if you webcam webcam is compat compatible ible wit with h Kas Kaspers persky ky’s ’s web ebca cam m is not not on th this is li lisst, you may may web ebca cam m pr prot otect ectio ion. n. If this this is th thee case case,, still till be abl blee to prot protec ectt it if you ha hav ve make ma ke su sure re Applic Applicat ation ion Con Contr trol ol is the right drivers. drivers. swit switche ched d on in Kaspe Kaspersk rsky y by cli clicki cking ng then en To ch chec eck k this this,, cl clic ick k the the St Star artt bu butt tton on,, Settings, Sett ings, Pro Protect tection ion Cent  , th checki che cking ng th that at Applic Applicat ation ion Con Contr trol ol is ty type pe devic devicee man manag ager er and press press Enter Enter.. tu turn rned ed on (it (itss slid slider er shou should ld be gree green n Next Next,, go to ‘I ‘Ima magin ging g de devic vices es’, ’, double double-– see scr screen eensho shott abo above ve). ). cli click ck your your webc ebcam am,, click click the Dri Drive verr

th thee li link nk to th thee si sitte in th thee le left ft-h -han and d pane pane ea each ch ti time me you wan antt to acce access ss it it.. is will will open open a se secu cure re br bro owser wser wi with th a gree green n border bor der aroun around d it it.. Add Add the Kas Kasper persk sky y browse bro wserr ext extension ension,, if you’re you’re prom prompted pted to to.. is prot protect ectss the the websit website’s e’s safet safety y and scans sca ns yo your ur PC for relev relevant ant ma malw lwar are. e. You can can ad add d as ma man ny websi ebsite tess as you want usin using g this this me metho thod. d.

Limi mitt you ourr in inter terne nett da data ta us usag age e Li in Wind indo ows 8 Many Intern Many Internet et Servic Servicee Prov Provide iders rs limi limitt the amou am ount nt of data data yo you u can can use use at cert certai ain n times tim es of da day y. It It’s ’s worth worth che checkin cking g the Fair Usa sage ge polic policie iess of your our IS ISP P to se seee wh what at these these limi limits ts are. are. Kaspe Kaspersk rsky y Int Intern ernet et Se Secu curi rity ty 20 2015 15 can can help help you st sta ay with within in thes thesee limit limitss in Win indo dows ws 8. Fi Firs rst, t, you need need to se sett yo your ur conn connec ecti tion on as a ‘met ‘meter ered ed connection conn ection’. ’. is limits Window Windowss updates updates to the mos mostt imp import ortant ant ones ones and pre preve vent ntss Window Win dowss apps upda updating ting aut automa omatical tically ly.. Open Ope n th thee Char Charms ms menu menu in Win indo dows ws 8 by mo movin ving g yo your ur cu curs rsor or to the the bott bottom om-rig right ht corner corner of the Mod Modern ern til tilee int interf erface ace,, then then clic click k Set Settin tings, gs, ‘Chan ‘Change ge PC set settin tings gs’, ’, Netw Networ ork, k, Con Connec nectio tions ns and clic click k the ‘S ‘Set et as a meter metered ed con connec nectio tion n’ slider slider to turn turn it ‘o ‘on n’. In Kaspe Kaspersk rsky y, clic click k Set Settin tings, gs, Ad Addit dition ional, al, Netw Networ ork, k, and tic tick k the ‘L ‘Limi imitt tr traffic affic on me mete tere red d con connec nectio tions ns’’ box. box.

RE READE ADER R OFF OFFER ER Buy Kas Kasper persky sky Intern Internet et Secur Security ity 2015 forr £17. fo £17.99* 99* (usu (usual al pri price ce £39 £39.99 .99). ). See Se e pa page ge 68   *While stock stocks s last

  47

48

Ne Next xt iss issue ue Se Secre crett Tip Tips s For For… … Pro Proces cess s Ha Hacke cker  r 

7 – 20Janua 20January2015 ry2015

 

What’ Wha t’ss Al Alll the Fu Fuss ss About. t....

Cre Cr eator CI20 Mov Mo ve over Raspbe Raspberr rry y Pi – th ther e’s s aynew ne w thund pock poc ket et-si -sized zed com comput puter that that wan wa nts toere’ st steal eal our th under er Wha hatt is it it? ? A new new micro microcom comput puter er (ma (main in pictur picture), e), priced jus priced justt £50. It It’s ’s ma made de by Im Imag agina inatio tion n Technologies, Tec hnologies, a Hertfordshire-based Hertfordshire-based compan com pany y bette betterr kno known wn fo forr bui buildin lding g proces pro cessor sorss that that handle handle gr graph aphics ics in iPads iPads and other other mo mobile bile de devic vices. es. e compan company y hopes hop es it will ri riva vall the cr credi editt-car card-s d-size ized d PC Ra Rasp spber berry ry Pi Pi,, which hich ha hass bee been n a huge huge hit wit with h com comput puting ing ent enthus husias iasts ts and amateur ama teur program programmers mers since launc launching hing in 2012. 201 2. You can pre pre-or -order der the Cr Crea eato torr CI20 with th un unit at http://store.imgtec.com/uk, http://store.imgtec.com/uk . itss due du e to be post posted ed at th thee en end d of,Jwi an anu u ry

How is it di How diff ffer eren entt to th the e Raspbe Ras pberry rry Pi? It It’s ’s a lo lott more more pow powerful erful,, an and d ha hass been been dubbed ‘the dubbed ‘the Ras Raspbe pberry rry Pi on ster steroid oids’ s’.. e mos mostt signifi significan cantt diff differ erenc encee is th thee Creator Crea tor CI20’s CPU CPU,, whic which h ha hass doub double le the the cl cloc ock k spee speed. d. i iss mean meanss it ca can n perform perfo rm tasks tasks mor moree quickly quickly.. It al also so has has 1G 1GB B RAM, RAM, al almo most st do doub uble le the Pi’s Pi’s 512MB 512MB.. Furt Further hermor more, e, unli unlike ke storag ragee (4GB (4GB), ), wh which ich th thee Pi, Pi, it has flash sto you ca can n ad add d to us usin ing g an SD car card. Its connec con necti tivit vity y is bet bettt r, too: oo: it has has Wi-F i-Fi an and d Bl Blue ueto toot oth h 4.0 buil builtt in in,, neit neithe herr of  whic wh ich h th thee Ra Rasp spbe berr rry y Pi can can bo boas ast. t. For grap graphic hics, s, it us uses es a versio ersion n of the the Imagin Ima ginat ation ion chip chip that that is als also o fo found und inside inside App pple le’s ’s iP iPad ad.. It hand handle less 10 1080 80p p video video at 60 fram frames es per per se seco cond nd,, le lettting ting yo you u pla play y high-definit high-d efinition ion videos. videos.

The Creat Creator or CI20 wil willl rival rival the Ras Raspbe pberry rry Pi, wh whic ich h is used used in proj projec ects ts such such as the the Brew BrewPi Pi

Can I run Lin inu ux on it? Yes, es, like like th thee Pi. Pi. But But un unlik likee its its fr frui uity ty ri riv val it also also come comess with with An Andr droi oid d 4.4 built built in in,, pr pro ovidin viding g a chea cheap p way to lear learn n how how to de dev velop elop phon phonee and and ta tabl blet et ap apps ps.. is may may make ma ke it mo more re at attr trac acti tive ve than than the the Pi to ch child ildre ren n kee een n to tu turn rn a passi passion on fo forr gaming gam ing int into o a career career..

Is th the e Ra Rasp spbe berr rry y Pi be bette tterr in an any y way? Yes es.. e Mode odel B+ Pi (www.snipca. com/14677)) has com/14677 has four four US USB B slot slots, s, tw two o mo more re th than an its its ne new w riv rival. al. An And d it’s it’s st still ill much much ch chea eape perr than than th thee Cr Crea eato torr CI20, CI20, at le less ss th than an ha half lf th thee pric pricee – th thee ne new w Mode Modell A+ co cost stss just just $20 (ar (arou ound nd £15 £15). ). is will will co cont ntin inue ue to ma make ke it mo more re po popu pular lar with with te teach achers ers eage eagerr to int intro rodu duce ce pupils pupils to pr prog ogra ramm mmin ing g at a pric pricee th that at fa falls lls within their school’s school’s budget. budget. An Anot othe herr adv advan anta tage ge the the Pi has has is that that it ha hass alre alread ady y prov proven en to be a grea greatt succ succes ess, s, spawnin spa wning g man many y websit websites, es, forum forumss and books boo ks (includ (including ing our own own Ra Rasp spberry berry Pi  For Kids Kids: www.snipca.com/14658 www.snipca.com/14658)) th that at give give ins instru tructi ctions ons,, off offer er ad advice vice and su sugg ggest est pr proj ojec ects ts.. It ha hass a th thri rivin ving g onlin onlinee co comm mmun unit ity y, as yo you u can can se seee on th thee offi officia ciall www.raspberrypi.org/community), ), sit site (www.raspberrypi.org/community

an and d ther theree are are al also so lo lots ts of Pi ac acce cess ssor ories ies,, such uch as th thee Fuz uzee robot obot ar arm m (s (see ee ou ourr five-s five-sta tarr revie review w on page page 18). Owni Ow ning ng a Pi is li lik ke jo join inin ing g a cl club ub wher wh eree the mem member berss neve neverr run out out of am amaz azin ing g id idea eas. s. It re rema mains ins to be se seen en if the the Crea Creato torr CI20 CI20 capt captur ures es th thee imagin ima ginat ation ion as dee deeply ply. Will Will it it,, fo forr example, exam ple, inspire inspire devic devices es as inno innova vativ tivee www.brewpi.com), ), as the the Brew BrewPi Pi (www.brewpi.com which hich uses uses th thee Ra Rasp spbe berr rry y Pi to moni monito torr the ferm ferment entatio ation n tem temper peratu ature re of wine an and d beer beer (see (see phot photo o below below le left) ft)??

the e Cr Cre eat ator or CI2 I20 0 But is th eas asie ierr to us use? e? Yes. es. It has has a lo lott mo more re func functi tion onal alit ity y buil builtt in in,, which hich me mean anss le less ss fiddli fiddling ng arou around nd to mak akee it wor ork k. But But fo forr ma man ny peop people le it is this this very ery fiddli fiddling ng that that ma mak kes the the Pi such such a re rew wardin arding g piece piece of kit. kit. So Some me crit critics ics have have sa said id that that the the Crea Creato torr CI20 CI20 fe feels els lik likee a do-it do-it-y -yourse ourself lf compute computerr that that doesn’t doesn’t requi require re yo you u to do mu much ch yours yourself elf.. But But th thee Crea Creato torr CI2 CI20 0 will will ap appe peal al to peop people le who find find th thee Pi too too basi basic. c. You shou should ld cons consid ider er buyin buying g one one if you fe feel el you ou’v ’vee outg outgro rown wn the the Pi Pi,, an and d wan antt a new new pr progr ogramm amming ing chall challeng enge. e. It has a dul duller ler name name,, but but it can can do a lo lott more. ore.

7 – 20Janua 20January ry 2015 2015

  49

 

What You Must

 OWNLO in 2015 This year’s real must-ha ust-hav ve softw softwar are e is here, ere, lo long ng bef before ore Win Windows 10 10..  Jane  Jan e Hoskyn revea eals ls the the free free tools ools and an d trea treats ts your our PC an and d table ablett can’ can’tt li liv ve wi with thou outt in 20 2015 15 ha hatt do you want ant to downl download oad in 201 2015? 5? Windo Windows ws 10, of course course.. When Wh en do yo you u want ant it? it? Now Now. Ideall Ide ally y for fr free, ee, and withou withoutt a tr traum aumat atic ic installa inst allation tion process process that that lea leaves ves you you weepin weeping g with with regr regret et that that you you dit ditche ched d Window Wind owss 7. You can can’t ha hav ve it ye yet, t, at le leas astt no nott in all its full, full, stab stable, le, non-P non-Pre revie view w gl  y. e most most-ant -anticipa icipated ted dow download nload of  2015 2015 is no now w due due in th thee aut utum umn, n, says says Microso Micr osoft ft,, havin having g been been pushed pushed back back from April. April. We’ e’re re act actual ually ly gr grat atefu efull fo forr the the

 

KEY POINTS POINTS •  Get this ye year’s ar’s mus must-ha t-have ve free free softw software are •   Fi Fight ght 2015 2015’s ’s thre threats ats wi with th ess essenti ential al security securi ty tools •   Jump Jump the que queue ue fo forr the lates latestt betas betas •  Do  Downl wnload oad free free ebo ebooks oks,, game games s and video video to keep keep •   Transf Transform orm yo your ur tabl tablet et wit with h the bes bestt ne new w app apps s  

 

 

 

 

unexpect unexpe cted ed br breat eathin hing g spa space ce.. All the fuss fuss about abo ut Windo Windows ws 10 is alr alread eady y ma makin king g Win indo dow ws 7, 8 an and d ev even en 8.1 8.1 look look ol old d hat, hat, and they’r they’ree certa certainl inly y not not.. We’v e’vee seen see n the Windo Windows ws 10 Tech echnica nicall Prev Preview iew clos closee up (we’ (we’re re st still ill se seein eing g it, it, ove verr on pa page ge 57) 57) and and it’s it’s grea great, t, bu butt it’s it’s cert certain ainly ly not the most most excit exciting ing thing thing we’v e’vee do down wnlo load aded ed in the the last last coup couple le of  months.

Why you do Why don’ n’tt ne need ed Windo Wi ndows ws 10 (yet) (yet) ere e re ha hass ne nev ver bee been n a rich richer er choi choice ce of pro progr grams ams for for the opera operatin ting g syst system em (OS) and PC you you’ve ’ve alr alread eady y got. got. is is espec especia iall lly y tr true ue if you ou’r ’ree on Wi Wind ndow owss 8.1, 8.1, a fast fast an and d pow powerfu erfull OS whose wh ose su suppo pport rt for for Windo Windows ws apps apps make ma kess it incr incredib edibly ly vers versat atile ile.. But if  yo you u’re ’re on Wind Window owss 7 or ev even en Vis ista ta,, there the re’s ’s more more than than eno enough ugh bril brillian liantt fre freee softw softwar aree to ens ensur uree th that at yourPC is ban bang up to date in 201 2015, and and  just as relevan relevantt as a compute computerr running running the Technica echnicall Previ Preview ew (an (and d certai certainly nly moree sta mor stable). ble).

Ov Over er the nex nextt fe few w pages pages we’l e’lll reve reveal al the the down downlo load adss that that’ll ’ll help help you ge gett th thee best best out out of your our PC in 2015 2015.. We wi will ll show sho w yo you u the progr programs ams that that embr embrac acee curre cur rent nt tec techno hnolog logy y tr trend endss such such as portable port able softwa software, re, instant instant file-sh file-sharing aring and vir virtu tual al PCs – wh which ich you you’ll defi definit nitel ely y need nee d if yo you u’r ’ree te temp mpted ted by tha thatt Windo Windows ws 10 preview. We’ e’ll ll al also so re reve veal al the the ap apps ps that that an any y sel self-r f-res espect pecting ing ta table blett needs needs in 201 2015, 5, toolss that that are are so and highlight highlight beta tool go good od we don don’t mi mind nd if they they’r ’ree not not quite qui te finis finished hed.. We’l e’lll als also o reve reveal al which which securi sec urity ty to tools ols can com combat bat toda today’s y’s (and tomorro tomorrow’s) w’s) thr threats eats,, including including the latest ransomware and rootkits rootkits.. Aft After er all that that,, some some light light relie relief. f. We’ e’ll ll sho show you where here to find find lo load adss of  content cont ent to dow download nload,, lega legally lly, for keeps. keeps. We’ e’v ve go gott game games, s, films films and and ev even en an ad adve vert rt fo forr your your old Atari Atari.. Every Every tool tool and downl download oad tha thatt we re reco comm mmen end d here here – fr from om a bi bigg-na name me officee ap offic app p to an offens offensiv ivel ely y diffi difficul cultt gam amee of ch ches esss – is fr free ee and and avai aila labl blee to download dow nload right now.

50

  7 – 20 Janu Januar ary y 2015 2015

 

 

at you mus ustt down wnlo load ad in 20 2015 15

THE E FR FREE EE SO SOFT FTW WAR ARE E YOUR PC NE NEED EDS S TH THIS IS YE YEAR AR TH Free Free ne new w video video chatt tool Firef cha Firefox ox Hello Hello is curren currentl tly y onl only y av availa ailable ble in Firefox Firef ox Beta

BROWSER

Firef Firefox ox Beta www.snipca.com/14776 ista ta,, 7 or8+ Whatt you Wha you nee need: d: Windows    , Vis

If yo you u th think ink Wind Windo ows has has go gone ne th thro roug ugh h just wai aitt un unti till you lot lotss of versi versions ons lat latee y, just see wh what at Fi Fire refo fox x ha hass been been up to. to. Fi Fire refo fox x 32 was laun launch ched ed in Se Sept ptem ember ber (se (seee Be Best st Fr Free ee Sof Softw twar are, e, Iss Issue ue 432); 432); Firef Firefox ox 33 in Octobe Oct oberr (see Bes Bestt Fr Free ee Sof Softw twar are, e, Iss Issue ue 437), 437), an and d Fi Fire refo fox x 34 (www.snipca.com/ 14779)) arri 14779 arriv ved in Dece Decemb mber er – possib possibly ly a ruse ruse to ge gett in into to Be Best st Fr Free ee So Soft ftw ware are ye yett ag again ain.. (I (Itt did didn n’t. We have have our lim limits its.) .) A coup couple le of days days af afte terr that that,, Fire Firefo fox x develo dev eloper per Mo Mozill zilla a relea released sed a new new versi version on of the the br brow owse serr fo forr An Andr droi oid d (www.snipca. com/14778), com/14778 ), and immedia immediate tely ly after after tha thatt camee the all cam all-ne -new w Firefo Firefox x Beta. Beta. Firef Firefox ox Beta, Beta, like like Goo Google gle’s ’s Chr Chrom omee Beta, Bet a, is an ex exper perime iment ntal al par parall allel el ve versi rsion on of the the br brow owse serr wh wher eree you ge gett to pl pla ay with with tool to olsslat that thest att ar aren ’t cant in the th full full vers ve ion n yefox et et.ox . Te lates signifi sigen’t nifican t eadd additi ition onrsio to Firef Fir Beta Bet a is Firef Firefox ox Hello Hello,, Mozill Mozilla’ a’ss hassle hassle-fr -free ee new new vid videoeo-cha chatt to tool. ol. It make makess Sk Skype ype look look difficu diffi cult lt to us usee (and (and we love  Skype). Simp Simply ly cl clic ick k a sp spee eech ch-b -bub ubbl blee icon icon on th thee brows bro wser er bar (see scr screen eensho shott belo below) w) and type type th thee em email ail ad addr dress ess of th thee per perso son n you want ant to call. call. You do don n’t ne need ed to do down wnlo load ad extensi ensions, ons, an any y ext extra ra softwa software re,, plug-ins or ext or ev even en sign sign up fo forr an acco accoun unt. t. If you th think ink Fi Fire refo fox x He Hello llo or an any y Fi Fire refo fox x Beta Bet a fe feat atur ures es could could be imp impro rove ved, d, yo you u can tw tweak eak the them m using using the bui built lt-in -in Deve Develop loper er to tool, ol, the then n sen send d your your sugg suggest estion ionss to Mozil Mo zilla la.. Your our id idea eass ma may y ev even en tur urn n up in the nex nextt full ve versi rsion. on. We’ e’d d ho hoped ped to us usee Fi Fire refo fox x Beta Beta in tand tandem em with with Fi Fire refo fox x 34, so we coul could d co comp mpar aree th them em sid sidee by si side de,, but but the the beta beta’s ’s installer inst aller automa automatica tically lly overwr overwrites ites other other vers versio ions ns of Fi Fire refo fox x on th thee sa same me PC. PC. If you real really ly ge gett a ta tast stee fo forr test testin ing, g, tr try y the even even mor moree experimen experimental tal Firefo Firefox x Develo Dev eloper per Editio Edition n (www.snipca. com/14782)) ins com/14782 inste tead ad.. Tis pr pre-b e-bet eta a te test sting ing grou ground nd is ro rough ugh,, unsta unstable ble and st stuff uffed ed with with jarg argon – but but it it’s ’s worth orth a look look if you rea eall lly y wan antt to pl pla ay a part part in th thee web of  tomorrow.

Simpl Sim plici icity ty is key wi with th Fire Fireffox Hello Hello – just just cl click ick on the spee speech ch bubbl bubble e to start start a conv conver ersa satio tion n

PORTABLE PORT ABLE PROGRAMS

Portabl Portable e Ap Apps ps Pla Platfo tform rm www.snipca.com/14794 ista ta,, 7 or8+ Whatt you Wha you need: need: Windows    , Vis

Po Port rtab able le Ap Apps ps Pla Platf tform orm (P (PAP) AP) is like like Ninit Nin itee for for por porta table ble progr programs ams.. It It’s ’s built built aroun around d an open-source Por Portab table le App Director Direc tory y dat databas abasee tha that’s t’s constan constantly tly updat upd ated ed with with new progr programs ams and new new versi versions ons.. You can downl download oad an any y one of  th thes esee prog progrram amss – or load loadss at once once,, if you want – wit ith h a tick ick an and d a clic click k (s (see ee screensho scree nshott below). below). Te da data tabas basee conta contains ins more more than than 300 program prog rams, s, from AbiWord AbiWord Portab Portable le (also av availab ailable le to dow download nload from Porta PortableA bleApps. pps. www.snipca.com/14790)) to ZSof ZSoftt com: www.snipca.com/14790 Uninstall Unins taller er Portable Portable (www.snipca. com/14791). com/14791 ). It offer offerss port portab able le ve vers rsio ions ns of 

many wel many welll known known installa installable ble pro progra grams, ms, su such ch as VL VLC, C, Chr Chrome ome and Lib LibreO reOffice ffice.. Port Portab able le tools tools are are bec becomi oming ng the the sma smart rt choic chograms oiceeams fo forr don’t savvy savvy softw softwar areetallin use users. rs. Tese pr progr don ’t need nee d ins insta lling g –Tes you youejus justt file to you ourr comp comput ut r , download dow nload the EXE file copy copy an and d mo move ve it to where hereve verr you want ant (USB stic stick, k, ext externa ernall drive, drive, cloud cloud sto stora rage), ge), an and d cl clic ick k the the EXE EXE to run run th thee prog progra ram. m. Consequen Conse quently tly, they bypa bypass ss the gro growing wing me menac nacee of ad adw ware are in sof softw twar aree ins insta taller llers, s, they they don don’t li litt tter er yo your ur PC with with caches and Reg egis istr try y junk junk,, an and d yo you u can can run run them them fr from om a USB sti tick ck on an any y PC. PC. Te Tey’ y’rre softw softwar aree minus minus the has hassle sle.. Port Portab able le Apps Apps Pla Platf tform orm it itself self works works bet better if you in inssta tall ll it on your our PC, PC, so it ca can n updat upd atee au auto toma matic ticall ally y every every tim timee yo you u run it it.. Click Click the the gree green n ‘D ‘Dow ownl nloa oad d Now Now – Fr Free ee’’ 

Tick a batc batch h of porta portabl ble e prog progra rams ms,, the then n click click Next Next to down downlo load ad them them all all in one one go using using Portab ortable le Apps Platform Platform

7 – 20Janua 20January ry 2015 2015  

button at www.snipca.com/14794, button www.snipca.com/14794 , th then en fo follo llow w the steps steps in the the ins insta talle llerr (whic (which h also also inc inclu lude dess an opti option on to do down wnlo load ad a porta por table ble ve versi rsion). on). Onc Oncee ins insta talled lled,, PAP is very very qu quic ick k an and d ea easy sy to us use. e. Bro Browse wse the the program prog ramss (see http://portableapps.com/ support fo forr det detaile ailed d info info abo about ut each each one one), ), tick tick your our se sele lect ctio ion, n, th then en cl clic ick k Next Next to down downlo load ad them them al alll in on onee go. One One of th thee progr pro grams ams you you can do downl wnloa oad d is a porta portable ble versi version on of Firef Firefox ox Develo Developer per Editio Edition. n. You ca can n ru run n this this on you ourr PC wi with thou outt ha havin ving g to re repla place ce the the full full (or beta beta)) Fi Fire refo fox x ve vers rsion ion.. VIRTUAL VIRT UAL PC

VirtualBox www.snipca.com/14806 ista ta,, 7 or8+ Whatt you Wha you nee need: d: Windows    , Vis

We’r e’ree being inundate inundated d with oper operatin ating g sy syst stem emss in 20 2015. 15. Just ust som somee of th thee launc launches hes we’ll ’ll see see in 20 2015 15 ar aree e Ma Mach chin ine, e, a ‘rev ‘revolu olutio tionar nary’ y’ OS fr from om printin printing g giant giant HP (www.snipca.com/14786); www.snipca.com/14786 ); a PC ver ersi sio on of  Steam SteamOS OS (www.snipca.com/14788 www.snipca.com/14788), ), designed desig ned for running running powerpower-hung hungry ry gam games; and fa fabul bulous ously ly named named Ubunt Ubu u www.snipca.com/14807), ),ntu Vivid Vivides; Vervet erv etthe (www.snipca.com/14807 du duee in April pril.. An And d a new new Micr Micros osof oftt OS yo you u might mig ht have have hea heard rd abo about ut.. Bu Butt how how ar aree you su supp ppos osed ed to choo choose se one? one? It’s not not as thou though gh you ca can n try try th them em all all out, out, un unle less ss yo you u’v ’vee got got 20 PCs PCs at home home.. You can can ei eith ther er st stic ick k with with th thee OS you’v ou’vee got, got, blind blindly ly choo choose se a new new one one an and d ho hope pe fo forr th thee best, best, or make make thos thosee 20 comp comput uter erss a (virtu (virtual) al) reali reality ty by ins insta tallin lling g Virt Virtua ualBo lBox. x. is fr free ee progr program am let letss yo you u cr crea eate te secure secure

Run mul multipl tiple e opera operating ting sy system stems s on yo your ur Windo Windows ws PC using using Virtual VirtualBo Box x

‘virt ‘virtual ual ma machi ’ wit within hin yo PC to (see scree scr eens nsho hot t chines ab abo ones’ ve ve), ), then then use usyour e ur them them run run syst systems ems and softw softwar aree in to tota tall iso isolat lation ion from from ea each ch ot othe herr. To inst instal alll a new new OS or ery y an any y ve vers rsio ion n of Wind Windo ows (n w, old or ver old)) you old you’ll nee need d its ins insta talla llatio tion n CD handy handy, or a leg legiti itima mate te ins insta talla llatio tion n file (us (usual ually ly an ISO ISO file file)) an and d you ourr licen licence ce nu numb mb  . To downl download oad Virt Virtua ualBo lBox, x, go to www. snipca.com/14806 an and d clic click k th thee sm smal alll bl blue ue ‘x86/ x86/am amd6 d64’ 4’ link link to the the ri righ ghtt of  ‘Virtua ‘Vir tualBox lBox 4.3.20 for Wind Window owss hosts’. hosts’.

Y ounus can saf ely ign ignor ore erthe drkopdow nking menu me s insafel th the eyin inst stal alle ler an and ddropd ee eep pown clic clickin g Next Next unt until il insta installa llatio tion n is comple complete te.. If yo you u do hav have any any prob proble lems ms,, turn turn to the the excel excellen lentt onli online ne use userr man manua uall fo forr ad advic vicee (www.snipca.com/14661). www.snipca.com/14661 ). ere’s er e’s an even even cle cleve vere rerr al alte terna rnati tive ve fo forr the Linux Linux-curio -curious. us. Free Free tool LinuxL LinuxLiv ivee US USB B Cr Creat eator or (www.snipca.com/14789 www.snipca.com/14789)) le lets ts yo you u crea create te a port portab able le versi ersion on of an any y Linux Lin ux OS (Ub (Ubunt untu, u, Fedor Fedora, a, Debian Debian and so on) with with it itss own own built built-in -in vir virtu tual al

WHA WHAT T CAN YOU PUT IN YOUR VIR VIRTU TUALBO ALBOX? X? If yo you u inst install all Vi Virtua rtualBo lBox, x, yo you’re u’re imme immediat diatel ely y faced faced wit with h a prob problem: lem: wh where ere can you find ope opera ratin ting g syste systems ms to ins instal talll in your vi virtu rtual al machines? It’ It’s s no big hassl hassle e find findin ing g free free disk disk ima image ge file files s of Wind indow ows s 8, XP and the lik like e on fil file-s e-shar haring ing we webs bsite ites, s, bu butt they they won’t won’t co come me with with legit legitim imate ate lic licens ensing ing,, so you wo won’t n’t be able able to runthem. Ins Instead tead,, head head for the Vi Virtual rtualBo Boxe xes s lis listt on Sour SourceF ceForge orge (www. snipca.com/14822), snipca.com/14822 ), where where yo you’ll u’ll find 46 open open-sou -source rce oper operatin ating g syste systems ms tha thatt are free free and and le legal gal to do down wnlo load ad and and run run.. e lis listt inclu includes des Ubu Ubuntu ntu (b (by y far far the most most pop popul ular ar,, acco accord rding ing to the ‘Do ‘Downl wnload oads/W s/Week’ eek’ gra graphs phs ne next xt to the lis list); t); Android Android (sec (secondond-mos mostt popular); popu lar); and FreeDOS FreeDOS,, an open open-so -sourc urce e versi version on of MS-D MS-DOS OS that let lets s you runyou runyourr old old 198 1980s 0s softw software are and games games.. To do down wnlo load ad an OS OS,, cli click ck it, then then cli click ck a versionfold ersionfold  , th then en clic click k the rel relev evan antt fil file e to do down wnlo load ad it. e files files are eit either her dis disk k ima images ges (usuall (usu ally y OVA OVA for format, mat, supp supporte orted d by Virtual VirtualBo Box) x) or arch archiv ive e files (usual (usually7Z, ly7Z, an ope open-s n-sou ourc rce e vers ersion ion of ZIP ZIP). ). If yo you u don’t don’t reco recogni gnise se a file exten extensi sion, on, ty type pe it in into to Googl Google. e. So Sour urcef cefor orge ge is des design igned ed by and fo forr enthus enthusias iasts ts and and do doesn esn’t ’t offer offer muc much h help help to co compl mplete ete beginners begin ners,, but the Vi Virtua rtualBo lBox x FAQ FAQ and Communi Community ty (www.snipca. com/14823)) willhel com/14823 willhelp p if you get get st stuc uck. k.  

ow ownl nload oad fr free, ee, le legal gal OS disk imag images es fr from om Source Source org orge e

51

52

  7 – 20 Janu Januar ary y 2015 2015

 

 

at you mus ustt down wnlo load ad in 20 2015 15

mobile mob ile and bro brows wser) er)

wher wh erev ever er else yo you u use it it,, so you ca can n ac acce cess ss your our files files and links links whene wheneve verr yo you u want. Go to Pus Pushb hbulle ullet’ t’ss downl downloa oad d page page (www.snipca. com/14809)) or to www. com/14809 pushbullet.com and click click Apps pps for for link linkss to th thee

If you’v ou’vee got a PC and and othe otherr devi device cess – lapto laptop, p, table tablet, t, pho phone ne – you you nee need d Pushbu Pus hbulle llet. t. It Itss aim is simple: simple: ins insta tant ntly ly send send file files, s, web lin links ks or no note tess betw betwee een n your your devic devices es and conta contacts cts.. It It’s ’s inc incre redibl dibly y efficien effic ient, t, and we would wouldn n’t be withou withoutt it. Ev Every erythi thing ng yo you u sen send d and recei receive ve is stor stored ed sec secur urel ely y in yo your ur Pus Pushbu hbullet llet accoun acc ountt on yo your ur PC PC,, ta table blet, t, brow browser ser and

Windo Win dows ws beta, beta, th thee su super perb b Andr Androi oid d app, app, and and the the fair-to-middling fair-t o-middling iPad and iPhone iPhone ap apps, ps, wh which ich would ould be bett better er if the the Send Send file files, s, web li link nks s and and note notes s inst instant antlly to a frie friend nd (or (or keypa keypad d didn didn’t obscur obscuree the yoursel you rself) f) using Push Pushbull bullet et Mess Messag agee box box (fix it, it, pl plea ease se,, Pushbu Pus hbulle llet). t). You can als also o add Pus Pushbu hbullet llet Opera Ope ra), ), and sen send d and recei receive ve ‘push ‘pushes es’’ to your your bro brows wser er (Chro (Chrome me,, Fir Firef efox ox or secur sec urel ely y via the websi website te..

en envir viron onme ment nt.. Sa Sav ve it on a US USB B st stic ick, k, pl plug ug th this is int into a PC an and d run th thee OS in insi side de it itss virtu virtual al bub bubble ble – ins insta tantl ntly y and safe safely. PRIVA PRIV ATE FILE SHARI SHARING NG

Pushbullet www.snipca.com/14809 Whatt you Wha you nee need: d: Wind Window ows s 7 or 8+ (plus  (plus 

ESSEN ES SENTIA TIAL L FRE FREE E SEC SECURI URITY TY TOO OOLS LS FO FOR R 20 2015 15 WIFI SEC SECURIT URITY Y

PASSWORD CREAT CREATOR OR

Ava vast st Anti Antivirus virus 201 2015 5

PWGen

www.avast.com

www.snipca.com/14799

Whatt you Wha you nee need: d: Windows    , Vista ista,, 7 or8+

Whatt you Wha you need: need: Windows    , Vis ista ta,, 7 or8+

Your our rout router er is th thee wea eake kest st lin link k in your our acco cord rdin ing g to a ne new w su surv rvey ey homee secu hom securi rity, ac by Avast vast.. e ant antivi ivirus rus firm sur surve veye yed d 2,000 2,0 00 UK hous househ ehol olds ds an and d fo foun und d that that half  half  of us have haven n’t chang changed ed our ro rout uters ers’’ passw pas swor ords ds fr from om the def defaul ault. t. Few of us have have ever ever though thoughtt to swit switch ch to th thee saf safes estt available DNS se serv rver er (DNS (DNS Jum umper per is the the bestt free bes free tool tool fo forr that that:: www.snipca. com/14815). com/14815 ). As a re resu sult lt,, our our ro rout uter erss are are an open open door door to hac hacke kers rs,, nos nosey ey neighb neighbour ourss and an anyo yone ne wh who o fan fancie ciess stand standing ing ou outsi tside de our our hous housee us usin ing g our our Wi Wi-F -Fi. i. Avast tar targe gets ts this this probl problem em hea head d on wit with h th thee 20 2015 15 versi ersion on of it itss fr free ee anti antivir virus us su suit ite. e. e su suit ite, e, which hich outc outcla lass ssed ed ma man ny of its its fee-ch fee-char argin ging g ri riva vals ls in the las lastt antiv antiviru iruss test test run run by our our se secu curi rity ty team team at De Denn nnis is Tech echnol nolog ogy y Labs Labs (see Iss Issue ue 437 437), ), includ includes es a ne new w Ho Home me Netw Networ ork k Se Secu curi rity ty tool tool that that scans sca ns your your ro rout uter er fo forr sec securi urity ty flaws flaws and he help lpss yo you u fix them them.. It ca can n ev even en dete detect ct intru intruder derss on yo your ur home home Wi-F Wi-Fii net netwo work rk.. It won won’t ch chang angee yo your ur pas passw swor ord d for for yo you, u, th thou ough gh – th that at’s ’s yo your ur job job (here (here’s ’s how: how: www.snipca.com/14813 ). See Avast’s www.snipca.com/14813). ast’s blo blog g fo forr mor moree ro rout uter er sec securi urity ty tip tips, s, inc includ luding ing updating firmware and disabling disabling rem remote ote managem mana gement ent (www.snipca.com/14814). www.snipca.com/14814 ). Avast’s ast’s ant antivi ivirus rus suit suitee is the onl only y pr prog ogra ram m in this this feat featur uree th that at has has an unw unwant anted ed extr extra a in its ins insta taller ller.. You ou’ll ’ll need need to sel select ect ‘C ‘Cust ustom om ins insta tall ll’’ in the set setup up wizard wiza rd and untic untick k the fr freeb eebie. ie. We don’t don’t begrud beg rudge ge Avast vast its inc income ome (the (the pro progr gram am nott is free free,, af afte terr al all), l), bu butt ad addin ding g PUPs is no th thee way it sh shou ould ld go ab abou outt it it..

If you can can re reme memb mber er an any y of you ourr passw pas swor ords, ds, the they’r y’ree not st stro rong ng eno enough ugh.. It It’s ’s the modern modern Catch Catch 22. Soo Soon n pas passw swor ords ds will be rrepl eplace aced d by more more fut futuri urist stic ic login login meth me thod ods, s, bu butt un until til th then en your our best best be bett is to crea create te pattern pattern-based -based passwo passwords rds using this ingeni ingenious ous ope open-s n-sour ource ce tool, tool, which which be beg gan life life as a Ph PhD D th thes esis is.. PWGen PW Gen conjur conjures es up crypti crypticc passw passwor ords ds base based d on patt patter erns ns that that you ch choo oose se (see (see scr screen eensho shott belo below), w), and unl unlike ike other other password passw ord-gen -genera erator torss it doesn doesn’t ’t sto store re th them em on it itss se serv rver erss or on your our PC. PC. You can,, how can howev ever er,, ex expor portt yo your ur passw passwor ords ds in an en encr cryp ypte ted d te text xt file th that at onl only y yo you u can ope open. n. Do Downl wnload oad an ins insta talla llable ble versi version on of  PWGen PW Gen from from Sourc SourceF eFor orge ge (www.snipca.

PWGen PW Gen gener generates ates cryptic cryptic pas passwo swords rds base based d on pat pattern terns s you you cho choos ose e

com/14797) or port com/14797) portab able le vers versio ion n fr from om PortableApps.com Porta bleApps.com (www.snipca. com/14798)) or vi com/14798 via a the the Porta ortabl blee Apps pps Pl Plat atfo form rm.. Do make make sure sure yo you u vis visit it th thee de deve velop loper er’s ’s websit websitee too too (www.snipca. com/14799), com/14799 ), an and d down downlo load ad the the fr free ee PDF PDF user user ma manu nual al (www.snipca.com/14800). www.snipca.com/14800 ). ADWARE ADW ARE REMOVER

Bitdefender Adw Adware are Removal Remov al Tool www.snipca.com/14757 What Wh at you you nee need: d: Windows    , Vis ista ta,, 7 or8+

Bitd Bitdef efen ende der’ r’ss new new tool tool has has been been in beta beta fo forr a while while (se (seee Prot Protec ectt Your our Tec ech, h, Issue Issue 437)) and was 437 was pre previo viousl usly y av availa ailable ble fo forr Mac only only, but but it it’s ’s final finally ly had had it itss full full re rele leas asee fo forr Window Win dows, s, including including for   . It It’s ’s porta portable ble,, so there there’s ’s no set setup up wiza wizard rd to worry orry ab abou out. t. Just ust ac acce cept pt th thee te term rmss an and d condit con dition ions, s, click click Get Start Started ed and wait wait a few minu minute tess as it sc scan anss your our PC for browse bro wser-h r-hija ijacking cking too toolbars lbars and other other PUPs PUPs.. It It’s ’s slo slow wer than than our fa favo vouri urite te adware adw are-killing -killing tool, tool, AdwClean AdwCleaner er (www. snipca.com/14760;; cli snipca.com/14760 click ck the the blue blue Downl Downloa oad d No Now w but button), ton), but but we fo foun und d it ea easie sierr to use, use, an and d it cert certai ainl nly y dese deserv rves es to jo join in your our PC’s PC’s sec securi urity ty arsena arsenall in 2015. 2015. We’d also rec recomme ommend nd dow download nloading ing Uncheck Unc hecky y (http://unchecky.com http://unchecky.com), ), which which au auto toma matic ticall ally y opts opts yo you u out out of ad adw ware are when whe n you you’re ’re installing installing progra programs. ms. No ad adw ware are block blocker er or remo remove verr can ev ever er st stan and d in fo forr a full full an anti tivir virus us suit suite, e, su such ch as Ava vast st Antiv Antiviru iruss 2015. 2015. ese ese are are compleme com plementar ntary y too tools ls that that run alon alongside gside yo your ur ant antivi ivirus rus.. You sho should uld neve neverr have have tw two o antiv antiviru iruss sui suites tes ins insta talled lled and ena enabled bled on th thee sa same me PC, PC, be beca caus usee th they ey wi will ll confl conflic ictt and effect effectiv ivel ely y can cancel cel each each oth other er out. out. 

7 – 20Janua 20January ry 2015 2015  

BES EST T FR FREE EE AP APPS PS AN AND D GA GAME MES S TO DO DOWN WNL LOAD IN 20 201 15 OFFICE

Micr Micros osoft oft Offic Office e www.snipca.com/14754 iPad, d, iPhone iPhone,, Androi Android  d  What Wh at yo you u nee need: d:   iPa phone pho ne or Windo Windows ws Phone Phone

Microsoft’s Office app is finally free – properly free. Te app, which incorporates incorporat es mobile versions of Word, Excel and Pow PowerPoint, erPoint, was launched in March 2014 and has alw always ays been free to download, but its uses were pretty limited unless you subscribed to Office 365 (www.snipca.com/14824 (www.snipca.com/14824;; £7.99 a month, Windows 7 or later). Now Microsoft has removed the cheeky hidden cost, so any anyone one can make spreadsheets, spreadsheets,

edit documents and create PowerPo PowerPoint int presentations presenta tions on their tablet or even their phone. Tere’s still a catch, but it won’t last long. At the time of writing the app isn’t officially available for Android tablets tablets,, only phones. However, you can download a preview version by joining a special Google+ group (www.snipca.com/14752 (www.snipca.com/14752;; click ‘Ask to join’). Microsoft says the full version for tablets will be “generall “generally y available in early 2015” (www.snipca. (www.snipca. com/14753). com/14753 ). INTERNATIONAL INTERNA TIONAL CALL CALLS S

Ringo www.ringo.co Whatt yo Wha you u nee need: d: iPhone iPhone,, Androi Android d phone phone or  Windows Window s Phone

At last, an app that lets you ring your overseas over seas relatives and friends without having to pay through the nose or mess around with video chat (we don’t all

Create doc Create documen uments ts and spr spread eadshe sheets ets usin using g Offic Office e for iP iPad ad,, wh whichis ichis now now free free

enjoy being looked at while we talk, you know). And unlike Skype or Firefox Hello, Ringo doesn’t even require an internet connection for making calls on your mobile. Ringo is free to download, but you do have to pay for international calls – just as

Make ov Make overs erseas eas phon phone e calls calls at local local ra rates tes usin using g fr free ee ne new w appRingo

you do with Skype, which Ringo claims to unde underc rcut ut by 25 per cent cent.. Rin Ringo go co conne nnect ctss you to a local phone network in the country you’re you’re calling, and assigns you a

  om i n   o o n Back Issue CD 2014 • Contains all 26 issues from 2014! • Searchable index to make features easy to nd • Print and keep your favourite features Read our next issue ( issue  (out out Wednes ednesday day 21 January) for January)  for more information

53

 

 

at you mus ustt down wnlo load ad in 20 2015 15

uses es un unde ders rsea ea cabl cables es local num local numb b  . It us to send send data data,, by bypa passi ssing ng th thee need need for for internet inte rnet,, mobi mobile-da le-data ta or roaming roaming charges charges.. Find Fin d ou outt more more ab abou outt Ringo Ringo’s ’s techno technolog logy y and char charges ges on its websi website te,, whe herre you can can ch chec eck k how how much much a ca call ll wi will ll cost cost befo before re you ma make ke it it.. You can can also also buy buy credi credits ts on the websit website. e. Your firs firstt cal call, l, to anyw anywhe here re in th thee wor orld ld,, is fr free ee.. SPACE SPACE SIMULATOR SIMULATOR

Rodina www.snipca.com/14749 Window ows s Vis ista ta,, 7 or 8+ Whatt you Wha you nee need: d: Wind

Explor Exp loree dee deep p space space in stunni stunning ng det detail ail with this with this new new RPG (r (role ole-pl -pla aying ga game) me) th that at’s ’s free free fr from om it itss own websi ebsite te (se (seee link link above abo ve), ), but would ould cost cost £10 £10.99 .99 fr from om games gam es webs ebsit itee Steam Steam (www.snipca. com/14748). com/14748 ). You ou’r ’ree in invi vite ted d to make make a do dona nati tion on to the the de dev velo elope perr if you en enjo joy y th thee game game,, an and d we th thin ink k the the si site te’s ’s he help lpfu full ho hone nest sty y is wor orth th at le leas astt a co coup uple le of qu quid id.. When Wh en yo you u ins insta tall ll Ro Rodin dina a it downl download oadss th thee Dire Direct ctX X pl plug ug-i -in n if it it’s ’s not not alre alread ady y on

SimCit Sim City y 20 2000 00 is fr free ee for a limite limited d time time for Windo Windows ws XP and and Vista ista onl only y

your your PC, as do man many y grap graphics hics-he -hea avy game games. s. Dir Direc ectX tX is sa safe fe but but your our PC ma may y flag it up as ‘unkn ‘unknow own n’, and ins insta talla llatio tion n

down downlo load ad to your our PC, PC, and and adde added d mo more re th than an a doze dozen n new new di disa sast ster erss to wrec wreck k yo your ur beautiful beau tiful city.

ta take kess a while while.. For upd updat ates es and extr extras, as, kee eep p an eye eye on th thee ga game me’s ’s wi wiki ki si sitte (www.snipca.com/14750). www.snipca.com/14750 ).

Now Now, the downs downside ide.. SimCit SimCity y isn isn’t ’t suppo upport rted ed by Win indo dow ws 7 or 8, only only XP or Vis ista ta.. If you don don’t hav have an XP or Vist Vista a comput computer er han hangin ging g aroun around, d, use Virt Virtua ualBo lBox x to ins insta tall ll eit either her OS on your your cu curr rren entt PC. PC. You need need to si sign gn up for an account acco unt with EA’s EA’s distributi distribution on site Or Orig igin in (g (go o to the the li link nk abov bove an and d cl clic ick k th thee orang orangee Get It Now Now butto button), n), then then downl downloa oad d the game game via yo your ur Ori Origin gin ac accou count nt.. Finall Finally y, we should should add tha thatt the fr free ee offer offer is “limit limited ed”, ”, an and d EA won’t on’t sa say y when hen it it’l ’lll go back back to it itss no norm rmal al pric pricee of  £4.99 £4. 99.. Gr Grab ab it whil hilee yo you u can. can. 

SIM GAM GAME E

SimCity 2000 Sp SimCity Speci ecial al Ed Editio ition n www.snipca.com/14825 Windows ws XP or Vista  ista  Whatt you Wha you need: need: Windo

Fl Fly y through through the sol solar ar sy system stem and ex expl plore ore pl plan anets ets up cl clos ose e wi with th free free game game Ro Rodin dina a

When Wh en SimCi SimCity ty 2000 2000 ca came me out, out, it was the the futu future re.. Fi Fiv ve yea ears rs in th thee futu future re,, to be precise pre cise.. Tat make makess the classic classic simula simulato torr 20 yea ears rs old, old, an and d to mark mark the occasi occasion on it itss cre creat ator or EA (Ele (Electr ctroni onicc Arts Arts)) ha hass made made th thee ga game me free free to

EVER EVE RY FR FREE EE PU PUZZL ZZLE E YOU NEE NEED D ere are so man ere many y wo word rd gam games es,, br brain ain teaser teasers s and and stra strateg tegy y games games avail availabl able e to do down wnlo load ad for for free, free, you woul wouldn dn’t ’t get throu through gh them them all all in a li life feti time me,, le lett al alon one e a ye  . Firs First, t, lo look ok at the Game Games s cat catego egory ry in Porta Portabl ble e Ap Apps ps Pl Platf atfor orm m www.snipca.com/14840). ). A or on the Porta Portabl ble e Apps Apps we webs bsite ite (www.snipca.com/14840 chess che ss gam game e confid confident ent en enoug ough h to cal calll its itsel elff Bru Brutal tal Chess Chess (www. snipca.com/14841)) ha snipca.com/14841 has s tobe wor ortha tha loo ook,if k,if on onlly ou outt ofa sens sense e of masoch masochism ism.. You ma may y nee need d a ro round und of Quick Quick So Soli litai taire re (www. snipca.com/14842)) to cal snipca.com/14842 calm m you down down afterw afterwar ards ds.. We also also lik like e Quick Quick Bridg Bridge e Porta Portabl ble e (www.snipca.com/14844 www.snipca.com/14844)) and and th the e ine inevit vitable able Sudo Sudoku ku (www.snipca.com/14843 www.snipca.com/14843). ). If you ou’r ’re e on Windo indow ws 8 or 8. 8.1, 1, th ther ere e are are lo load ads s of boar board d game game apps app s and word-p ord-puzz uzzle le apps apps jus justt a cli click ck or tap away away in the Wind indow ows s Store. Stor e. Taptil aptiles es is a beau beautifu tifull lly y rend rendered ered free free varia variation tion on the classic classic bo board ard game game Mahjo Mahjong ng (www.snipca.com/14845 www.snipca.com/14845;; Wind indow ows s 8.1 www.snipca.com/14846) only). onlnds y).se bri word game e Ad Adlib libr (rehas www.snipca.com/14846 stand sta outbrill for follian r iant no nottt bei being ng gam yet ano anothe ther re hash h of Scrabb Scrabble le (we’r (we’re e) look looking ing at you, ou, Words ords With Frien Friends) ds).. is Wind indow ows s 8.1 app tests tests your your vocabu vocabulary lary and attention attention to detai detail, l, chal challen lenging ging yo you u to mo move ve pie piece ces s aro around und the scr screen een to cre create ate word words s (se (see e scree screens nsho hot). t).

 ove ove lette letters rs aro around und your Adlib

ind indow ows s 8.1 scree screen n to crea create te wo word rds s in

www.snipca.com/14847)) is Free Free Andr Android oid app Cro Crossw ssword ords s (www.snipca.com/14847 our fa favo vourit urite e of man many y cro crossw ssword ord and wo wordse rdsearch arch apps apps,, and it’ll it’ll definit defi nitel ely y keep you bus busy y – it conta contains ins 180 fr free ee puz puzzl zles es at vario various us lev levels of diffi difficul culty ty,, and you can buy buy mor more e wi withi thin n the app app..

7 – 20Janua 20January ry 2015 2015  

What you mus Wha ustt down wnlo load ad in 20 2015 15

DOWN DO WNLO LOAD AD FRE FREE E FIL FILMS MS,, TV SH SHO OWS AN AND D EBO EBOO OKS CLASSIC CLAS SIC FILMS

Te Int Intern ernet et Ar Archi chiv ve www.snipca.com/14856 Whatt you Wha you nee need: d: Win Window dows s Media Pla Play  y er er, VLC VLC or oth other er video video playe player  r 

You ou’ll ’ll neve neverr bot bother her with with Netflix Netflix ag again ain oncee you onc you’v ’vee seen seen the Featu eature re Films Films section secti on of e Inte Intern rnet et Ar Arch chiv ivee (https // archive.org). archive.org ). He Here re yo you u’ll fin find d clas classi sics cs and curios curiositi ities es to stre stream am or downl download oad fo forr fr free, ee, inc includ luding ing the the stunn stunning ing,, silent silent Phanto tom m of th the  e  1925 1925 ve versi rsion on of Te Phan Opera starr starring ing Lon Cha Chane ney y (www. snipca.com/14828 – clic click k MP MPEG EG2 2 on the lef left), t), and John John Trav Travolt olta’ a’ss ear early ly appear app earanc ancee in TV movie movie Te Boy in the Plas Plastic tic Bub Bubble  ble (www.snipca. com/14829 – cl clic ick k DiV DiVX), X), whic which h you ourr write wri terr dim dimly ly remem remember berss see seeing ing one aft aftern ernoon oon in 1976 1976.. e Intern Internet et Archi Archive ve has mod modern ern co cont nten ent, t, too too. On Onee of our our mo more re re rece cent nt fa favo vouri urite tess is the bea beaut utiful iful animat animated ed sho short rt

Do Downl wnload oad classics classics like like His Gir Girll Fr Frida iday  y from from The Internet Internet Archi Archive ve

e BBC BBC’s ’s iPl iPlay ayer er Do Downl wnloa oads ds tool tool repla replaces ces th thee old iPl iPlay ayer er Des Deskt ktop op,, a

“Eve “Every ry ebo ebook ok fits every every de devic vice” e” boa boast stss Calibr Cal ibree of its 3,800-s 3,800-str trong ong library library of  copyrigh cop yright-f t-free ree (and ofte often n cost cost-fre -free) e)

Elephants ts Dream (www.snipca. film Elephan com/14830). com/14830). Do Downl wnload oading ing films ra rathe therr than than stre streami aming ng me means ans yo you u can keep keep the them m fo fore reve verr and wat atch ch the them m withou withoutt bufferi buff ering ng,, but they they do devour devour har hard-d d-dri rive ve space spa ce.. e bes bestt-qua qualit lity y ve versi rsion on of the 1940 194 0 Car Cary y Grant Grant news newspa paper per comed comedy y His Girl Girl Frida Friday y, fo forr ex exam ampl plee, is a he heft fty y 3.1GB. 3.1G B. You reall really y don’t don’t need need file sizes sizes tha that big big for ol olde derr fil films ms – it it’s ’s no nott as th thou ough gh they they’r ’ree full full of fin finee-tu tune ned d CG CGII – so go fo forr sma smaller ller downl download oad sizes sizes if off offer ered. ed. To get a 386M 386MB B fil filee of His His Girl Girl Frida Friday y, cl clic ick k ‘512K ‘512Kb b MP MPEG EG4’ 4’ in the the co colu lumn mn on th thee le left ft on the the le left ft of it itss down downlo load ad page page (www.snipca.com/14857 www.snipca.com/14857)) an and d sav save th thee file to you ourr PC or ex exte tern rnal al ha hard rd driv drivee (prefera (pref erably bly the lat lattt  r, to avo void id clo clogg gging ing up your our PC). PC). Ev Every erythi thing ng on Archi Archive ve.or .org g is free free to do down wnlo load ad or vie view w onlin online, e, bu butt you ou’ll ’ll se seee an ap appe peal al fo forr dona donati tion onss at the the top, top, just just as on Wikip ikiped edia ia.. If you ca can n spar pare a co coup uple le of  pounds pou nds to keep keep this this incr incredib edible le resou resourc rcee alive alive,, yo you u’ll be helping helping to make make the intern internet et a bet bette terr pla place ce..

tr trail ailblaz blazing ing but flawe flawed d progr program am that that ne nev ver quit quitee worke orked d as well ell as hoped hoped.. Now Now, if you clic click k th thee Down Downlo load ad lin link k on a progr pro gramm ammee pa page ge on the iPl iPlay ayer er sit site, e, yo you u’ll see a mes messa sage ge ask asking ing if yo you u’ve ’ve ins insta talled lled BBC iPlaye iPlayerr Downl Download oads. s. Cli Click ck ‘N ‘No, o, ins insta tall ll it no now’ w’,, th then en clic click k For Wi Wind ndo ows. ws. Once Once you you’ve ’ve ins insta talled lled the tool, tool, yo your ur cho chosen sen program prog ramme me will st start art dow download nloading. ing. e ca cattch is th tha at you ca can n onl only kee eep p th thee downl downloa oaded ded progr programm ammee for for 30 days; days; after after tha thatt it will au auto toma matic ticall ally y dis disap appea pearr from from you ourr PC. PC. If you ha have ven n’t got got roun round d to wat atch chin ing g it afte afterr 30 days days,, were ere you ev ever er reall really y going going to watc watch h it? Proba Probabl bly y not not.. If you wan antt to down downlo load ad sho shows to keep keep fore forev ver, er, they they’ll ’ll ne need ed to be of an ol olde derr vinta vin tage ge.. e Int Intern ernet et Archi Archive ve has ple plent nty y of TV downl download oadss (www.snipca.com/ 14833). 14833 ). Our favo favouri urite te cate catego gory ry is ‘Compu ‘Co mputer ter Commercia Commercials: ls: Vide Video o Ads for Compute Comp uterr Products Products’’ (www.snipca. com/14837), com/14837 ), a fabu fabulo lous us colle collect ctio ion n of  ad adve vert rtss from from the 1970s 1970s and 1980s 1980s,, many many of th them em di digi gitis tised ed from from old old VH VHS S ta tape pes. s. e At Atari ari Video Video Com Comput puter er Sy Syst stem em ad fr from om 1978 1978 is a real eal treat eat (www.snipca.com/14838 www.snipca.com/14838). ).

digital digit al books, books, ma many ny of wh which ich aren aren’t ’t av availa ailable ble an anyw ywher heree else online online.. Click Click Brow Browse se to se sear arch ch ge genr nres es or use use th thee se sear arch ch box box to fin find d boo books by ti tittle or auth uthor. Most Mo st Calib Calibre re books books are are in fo form rmat atss lik likee EPUB EPUB,, whic hich h is supp suppor orte ted d by most most e-r e-read eaders ers and e-read e-reading ing softw softwar are, e, so yo you u don’t don ’t have have to downl download oad the Cal Calibr ibree program prog ram (www.snipca.com/14834 ) to read read the them. m. We’ e’d d recom recommen mend d it it,, tho though ugh.. Calibr Cal ibree is a fanta fantast stic ic tool tool fo forr mana managin ging g eb eboo ooks ks on yo your ur PC, PC, and and it it’s ’s co cons nsta tant ntly ly being bein g twea tweake ked d to han handle dle the the lat latest est forma formats. ts. e Int Intern ernet et Archi Archive ve als also o has some some fascinatin fascin ating g free reading reading materia material. l. Its ‘e ‘eBoo Books ks and Texts exts’’ sect section ion (www.snipca. com/14835)) has com/14835 has some some in incr cred edibl iblee sc scan anne ned d vinta vin tage ge ma maga gazine ziness that that yo you u can downl download oad in full full,, for fr free ee,, in al alll sort sortss of form forma ats ts.. We were were ta take ken n by Te Gar Gardene dener’s r’s Monthl Monthly y and Horticultura Horticulturall Advertiser  Advertiser (www. snipca.com/14836), snipca.com/14836 ), a beauti beautiful fully ly preserved prese rved 1859 period periodical ical cont contribut ributed ed by Smithsonian Smith sonian Libr Libraries aries.. You can flip through thro ugh pag pages es online (click ‘fu ‘fullscr llscreen een’’ fo forr an ev even en be bett tter er vie view), w), but but it it’s ’s be best st enjoy enjoyed ed offlin offline, e, with with no distr distract action ions. s.

TV SHOWS SHOWS

EBOOKS

BBC iPla iPlaye yerr Do Downl wnload oads s

Calibre ibre Ope Open n Bo Books oks Cal

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer Whatt you Wha you need: need: Windows   , Vista ista,, 7  an and d 8+

www.snipca.com/14831 Whatt you Wha you need: need: Any e-reader e-reader softw software are

ONS LE

sale e Wedn ednesd esda ay 21 Ja Jan nuary NEXT ISS NEXT ISSUE UE   On sal

 E T IN INTE TERN RNET ET RESTRICTIONS

Do what hat websit ebsites won’ on’tt allow allowy youto ou to

21Ja 21 Jan n

Plus 

Forecast Forec ast the weather eather   your our PC and and tabl tablet et Find Fin d all all your se seria riall num number bers s and othe and otherr miss missin ing g PC in inffo

Computeractive active at www www.getcomputeracti .getcomputeractive.co.uk  ve.co.uk  Subscribe to Computer

55

56

  7 – 20 Janu Januar ary y 2015 2015

 

 

RT 6

First 100 days    in ows 10  Jane e Hoskyn installs In th the e nal nal insta instalm lmen entt of her her Techni echnical cal Pre Previe view di diari aries, es, Jan yet an ano oth ther er build build and and sees sees a leak leaked ed Co Cons nsum umer er Pre Previe view (or wha whatev tever it it’s ’s calle called) d) Day 80 Anot Another her day, day, another anoth er build build Farewell then, Technical Farewell Technical Preview. You’v ou’vee left left me with with a hea heavy Ne New w Year ear co cold ld an and da lapt laptop op that that no lo long nger er wor orks ks,, but but at leas leastt we ha had d fu fun n (mai (mainl nly y on th thee lo love vely ly Su Surf rfac acee Pro Pro that that I swit switch ched ed to af afte terr my la lapt ptop op br brea eath thed ed its its la last st). ). Now Now it it’s ’s ti time me to pack pack you off to th thee gr grea eatt bi big g vi virt rtua uall PC in th thee sk sky y, an and d repl replac acee you with with... ... oh wait, ait, yet another Technical Preview. Aft After er a hefty hefty do downlo wnload ad and sever several al rest restar arts ts (a (all ll in al all, l, a proc proces esss ro roug ughl hly y as tedio tedious us as wai aitin ting g fo forr Wi Wind ndo ows 7 to star startt ev ever ery y ti time me I sw swit itch ch on my work ork comput com puter) er) I now now have have Windo Windows ws 10 build build 98 9879 79.. It fix fixes es a few few bugs bugs,, ad adds ds su supp ppor ortt fo forr hig high-d h-defin efiniti ition on MKV vid video eo file filess and ext extends ends tra trackp ckpad ad gestur gestures es to mor moree comput com puters ers.. But to casual casual obs observ ervers ers it wo won n’t make make an aw awful ful lot of differ differenc ence, e, an and d to me it feel feelss li lik ke an anot othe herr tease ease on the long long ro road ad to tow war ards ds a proper proper relea release se fo forr Windo Windows ws 10.

via Window Windowss Update, Update, pref prefera erably bly in a part partit itio ion n or virtu virtual al PC usin using g a pr progr ogram am like like Virt Virtua ualBo lBox x (see pa page ge 52). I sh shou ould ld conf confes esss at this this poin pointt thatt I haven tha haven’t ’t actuall actually y road-t road-test ested ed this this,, bec becau ause se I’m sc scar ared ed of  destro dest roying ying my emp employ loyer’s er’s I’ve alr alread eady y Windo Windows ws 7 comput comput r. I’ve kil kille led dm my y Windo indows ws 8 PC by ins insta tallin lling g the first first Windo Windows ws 10

Windo Windows ws 10 buil build d 990 99011 has be been en leak leaked ed online online

Technica echnicall Previ Preview ew on it it.. But But plea please se,, giv give it a go on my beha behalf lf and and le lett me kno know ho how w you get on on.. Go to the curiou curiousl sly y nam named ed ‘Pre ‘Prepar paree yo your ur PC to ge gett Windo Windows ws Technic echnical al www.snipca.com/14867)) Previ Preview ew’’ pa page ge (www.snipca.com/14867 and and clic click k ‘Pre ‘Prepa pare re th this is PC no now’ w’,, th then en run run the EXE file accor accordin ding g to Micr Microso osoft ft’s ’s instructio instr uctions ns and sys system tem requ requirem irement entss (www.snipca.com/14869 www.snipca.com/14869). ). I rea eall lly y hope hope you do don n’t br brea eak k you ourr br bran and d new new compu com pute terr in th thee proces process. s.

Cortana Day 95 Leaky Cortana Day 86 Pr Prep ep your our PC e stra strang nges estt file na name me I’v ’vee seen seen all all wee eek k is ‘Prepar ‘Pr epareWin7 eWin7 For Window Wind ows s ogram Technical echnic alat Prev Pr eview iew .ex .exe’. e’. It It’s ’sFo a rfr free ee new new progr pr am th that down downlo load adss to your our PC to “prep prepar are” e” it for for Wind Windo ows 10 10.. If you insta install ll it on yo your ur Wind Windo ows 7 or 8/8 8/8.1 .1 comp comput ut r, itlets itlets you bypass bypass the the Ins Inside iderr Prog Progra ram m and ins insta tall ll the lat lates estt ava vaila ilable ble versi version on of Windo Windows ws 10

By the the time time you re read ad this this,, Mic Micro roso soft ft sh shou ould ld be on the the verge erge of re rele leas asin ing g

Windo Wi ndows wsa10 Consu Con mer(aPrevi Prbi eview ew, wh which ich basica bas ically lly pub public licsumer beta bit t lik like e, Fi Fire refo fox xis Beta Beta,, se seee page page 51). 51). At th thee ti time me of writ writin ing, g, th this is st still ill feels feels a lon long g way off off.. Fortuna ortunatel tely y, a ve versi rsion on of th thee Consum Consumer er Previ Preview ew, moo mooted ted for for lau launch nch in a lat latee-JJan anuar uary y Micr Microso osoft ft publi publici city ty sh sheb eban ang, g, ha hass been been le leak aked ed to a websit ebsite, e, and that that websit websitee has prom promptl ptly y upl uploa oaded ded a vid video eo www.snipca.com/14868). ). (www.snipca.com/14868 Accordi Acc ording ng to Window Windowss news news websit websitee WinBe WinBeta, ta, the Cons Consumer umer Prev Previe iew w (b (buil uild d 9901 9901)) ma may y en end d up being called the January anuary Technic echnical al Previ Preview ew,, wh which ich as far as I ca can n se seee is just just diff differ eren entt words ords for “an “anoth other er Technic echnical al Pre Preview view”. ”. What Wh at’s ’s certai certain n is tha thatt you you won won’t have have to join an any y Ins Inside iderr Progr Programs ams to ge gett it it,, an and d it it’l ’lll in incl clud udee a new new You can no now w install install the Tech echnica nicall Prev Preview iew without without Xbox Xbo x app and Microso Micr osoft ft’s ’s  joining the Insider Pro Program gram – but you must voice-controlled ‘virtual ‘pr ‘prepa epare’ re’ yo your ur PC fir first st

assistant’ assistan t’ Cort Cortana, ana, hithe hitherto rto av availab ailable le only on ta table blets ts and phones phones..

Day 100 Awesome? Really ? Day In an ap appa pare rent nt bid to dis distr trac actt us al alll fr from om this leaked leaked Cons Consumer umer Pre Preview view, Microsoft Microsoft has has ins insis iste ted d th that at it won’t on’t be calle called d Consumer Cons umer Pre Preview view or January anuary Technica echnicall Previ Preview ew after after all all.. It will be called called Windo Windows ws 10 Awesom wesomee (see News News,, page page 6). Sorry, I need need a mo momen ment.. t.... .. “Awesom wesome?” e?” Ap Apart art fr from om being being the mos mostt obn obnox oxiou iouss word ord in mod modern ern English English usage usage,, isn’t isn’t that that a bit dan dange gero rous? us? It It’s ’s so pr pres esum umpt ptuo uous us tha thatt it it’s ’s askin asking g fo forr tr trou oubl ble. e. No ea earl rly y re rele leas asee of   r, has been bee nraw “aw aweso me”. anything anFything, or me me,,, ev it it’s ’s th thee final fin al st stra w esome (wit (with h ”. apolog apo logies ies to Stuar Stuartt And Andre rews) ws).. As a Chri Christ stma mass pres presen entt to myself yself I had had my Ac Acer er la lapt ptop op wi wiped ped and and re rest stor ored ed to it itss and I have to fo form rmer er Windo Windows ws 8.1 gl ry, and conf confess ess I’m fa farr happ happie ierr wi with th it it.. e tr trac ackp kpad ad is st still ill usel useless ess,, so I’v ’vee pl plug ugge ged d in a US USB B mous mousee and, and, so far ar,, it se seem emss to work ork fin finee. Al Alll I need eed to do now is set set up Win indo dows ws 8.1 so it it’s ’s even even bett better er than than Win indo dows ws 10. 10. In the the next next iss issue ue,, I’ I’ll ll sho show you how how to do ju just st th that at..

Windows Windo ws 10 Tech echnic nical al Pr Prev evie iew w– final ve verdi rdict: ct: 8/10 If I co coul uld d go back back an and d star startt ag agai ain, n, I wo woul uldn’ dn’t. t. I’d wa wait it for for the full full relea release se (or the Consu Consumer mer Prev Previe iew w, at the very leas least) t) and spe spend nd my time time mak making ing the mostt of Windo mos Windows ws 8.1 instead instead..

7 - 20 Janu Januar ary y 2015 2015  

  mov poin poi ntl ss Windows fi  s Your our PC is li litt tter ered ed with with les les and and folde olders rs you nev never asked asked for and and don’t don’t ne need. ed.  Jane  Jan e Hoskyn ex expl plain ainss what what this this junk junk is and an d reveal ealss how how to dele delette it for good good pen your Documents folder, folder, and what do you see? More folders, with obscure names like CrashDump and NativeFus_Log,

 

and files with weird extensions, such as umbs.db and desktop.ini. Oh, and maybe may be a few documents.

Wit ith h the the exce except ptio ion n of at leas leastt some some of  the doc docume uments nts,, you you did didn n’t cre creat ate e these these item it ems, s, and and you may may hav have no id idea ea what hat th they ey are are or who put put the them m th ther ere. e. You ou’r ’re e pr prob obab ably ly given n tha thatt not not kee een n to touc touch h th them em eith eith r, give they they look look li lik ke viru viruse ses. s. If you do de dele lete te them,, the them they y usu usuall ally y reg regener enerate ate,, whi which ch doesn’t doesn ’t exa exactly ctly mak make e them ende endearing aring..

Over the next few pages we’ll take a closer look at the mysterious files and folders that turn up in Documents or on your Desktop. We’ll reveal what they are, why they’re there and how to get rid of  them for good – or even hack them into something useful.

Use Use Swi wiftS ftSea earc rch h to see see how how many many Thumb Thumbs.d s.db b files files are are clog cloggin ging g up your your PC

Tumbs.db

su suppo pposed sedly ly mak makes es thumbn thumbnails ails loa load d more more quickl qui ckly y, bu butt you won on’t ’t see much much differe difference nce unles unl esss your our PC is pa part rticu icula larl rly y ol old d or sl w.

Wha hatt is it? it? Tumbs.db Tumbs. db is a dat datab abase ase file contai containin ning g photo to thumbn thumbnails ails,, and it’s it’s a cache of pho creat created ed autom automati atical cally ly when when you ope open na fo folde lderr of pho photos tos or vid videos eos.. Tumbs Tumbs.db .db

umbs.db files may be hidden by de defa faul ultt on your our PC, PC, so you may may not not re real alise ise how many you’ve got and how much hard-drive space they’re taking up. To un-hide them, follow the steps in the box on page 59.

You ca can n del delete ete al alll Th Thumb umbs. s.db db fi file les s in one one go using using the Comm omman and d Prompt

Fi Find nd a Tum Tumbs bs.db .db fil file e on your PC an and d hov hover over over it to se see e how much hard-drive hard-drive space space it’s it’s clo clogg gging ing up up.. We’re e’re not talking talking gigab gigabytes ytes,, but these fil files es can ea easi sily ly ru run n

to hun hundre dreds ds of meg megab abyte ytes, s, and you ma may y hav have lo lots ts of them them.. Besi Beside dess ta taki king ng up spac space e on you ourr PC PC,, they they’ll ’ll al also so ea eatt in into to any any cl clou oud d st stor orag age e sp spac ace e you ou’v ’ve e pa paid id for for - and and th they ey ser serve ve no purpos purpose e whats whatsoev oever er in the clo cloud. ud.

Can Can you de dele lete te it? it? Yes. First, track down all your umbs.db files using the free, portable tool SwiftSearch, SwiftSearc h, which you can download from the open-source the open-source site  site Sourceforge (www.snipca.com/14709). www.snipca.com/14709 ). Run the program, select ‘C:\’ (your main hard drive) from the dropdown menu at the top left, type thumbs.db, then press Enter. e results appear instantly. Our PC contained 35 umbs.db files, including four bigger than 100MB (see screenshot, sc reenshot, abov above). e).

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58

  7 – 20Janua 20January2015 ry2015

 

Remo Re mov ve poin pointle tless ss Win Windo dows ws fles fles SEE TH THE E FI FILES LES WI WIND NDO OWS HI HIDE DES S FR FRO OM YOU You ourr PC may may be set set to hi hide de sy syst stem em files files such such as Tum Tumbs bs.db .db and and des deskto ktop. p. ini by default default.. Tis mak makes es Expl Explorer orer and and your your Deskt Desktop op look look tid tidii  , bu butt th the e intended inte nded benefi benefitt is more patronis patronising ing than that: that: Wi Windo ndows ws hid hides es them them bec becaus ause e it do doesn esn’t ’t tru trust st you wi with th them. them. It assum assumes es you’lledit ou’lledit or delete delete them them and mess mess up yourr operatin you operating g sys system. tem. As yo you’ll u’ll discov discover er in this fe featur ature, e, deleti deleting ng files files such such as Tum Tumbs bs.db .db certa certainl inly y doe doesn sn’t ’t br brea eak k your PC, PC, and and can fr free ee up a lot lot of wa waste sted d hard-d hard-dri riv ve spa space ce.. Be Being ing able able to se see e these these fil files es and fo fold lders ers al also so gi giv ves yo you u mo more re contr control ol over over your PC and and how how it’ it’s s organ organis ised, ed, and le lets ts yo you u see ho how w much much sp spac ace e the these se often often point pointle less ss it item ems s are are ta taki king ng up. up. So go ah ahea ead d an and d un-hide un-h ide them them.. Go to Fo Fold lder er Opt Option ions s in the Contr Control ol Pane anell (get (get there there qui quickl ckly y by ty typin ping g fo fold lder er opt optio ions ns int into o Sta Start) rt) and cli click ck the

Re Remo mov ve it fo forr good good Deleti Del eting ng all your your um umbs.d bs.db b files using Swif SwiftSear tSearch ch and/or and/or Window Windowss Explor Exp lorer er (Fi (File le Explo Explore rerr in Windo Windows ws 8/ 8. 8.1) 1) would ould tak take a while hile,, so use use the the Comma Com mand nd Prom Prompt pt.. Ty Type pe cmd int into o Start Start an and d pr pres esss Ente Enterr to op open en it, it, th then en type type del /s /a /ah h um umbs.d bs.db b (see scr screen eensho shot, t, pa page ge 58) and and pres presss Ente Enterr. If you ha hav ve lo lots ts of phot photos os on you ourr PC PC,, it won’t on’t tak take lo long ng fo forr u umb mbs.d s.db b files files to cr cree eep p back back in into to your our sy syst stem em an and d st star artt ch chew ewin ing g up sp spac acee ag again ain,, but but you can can preve pre vent nt this this wit with h a quick quick Win Windo dows ws hack hack.. You’ll ou’ll need need to be lo logg gged ed in as adminis adm or..then Press Pren esstype Wi to open opecnan the   , th Ru Run n inistr wind wintrat dator tyWin+R pen+R gp gped edit it.ms .msc and d

View View tab tab.. Click Click ‘Sh ‘Show ow hidden hidden files, files, fol folders ders,, or dri drive ves’, s’, untick untick ‘Hid ‘Hide e pro protecte tected d operating operatin g sys system tem files (Recomm (Recommended)’, ended)’, cli click ck OK, OK, then then click click Yes in the Warn arning ing

Untick Unti ck ‘Hide ‘Hide pro protect tected ed opera operating ting sy system stem fil files’ es’ to see see wh what at Window indows s hides hides from from you you

clic click k OK OK.. In the the wind window ow that that open opens, s, navig navigat atee thr throu ough gh these these folde folders rs on the left: Use Userr Confi Configur guratio ation, n, Admi Administr nistrati ative ve Te Templates, mplates, Window Windowss Components, Components, then the n Windo Windows ws Explo Explore rerr (Wind (Window owss 7) or File File Ex Explo plore rerr (Windo (Windows ws 8/8.1). 8/8.1). In the right right-ha -hand nd pan pane, e, dou double ble-cl -click ick ‘T ‘Turn urn off  th thee cach cachin ing g of th thum umbn bnail ailss in hidd hidden en thumbs thu mbs.db .db files’ files’ and click click Ena Enable bled, d, then the n OK OK.. You’ll ou’ll neve neverr be bot bother hered ed by umbs.db umbs .db again. again.

CrashDu mp and Nativ NativeFus_L eFus_Log og CrashDump What are What are they? they? esee tw es two o are are th thee Twee Tweedl dled edum um an and d

Tw Tweed eedled ledee eeyour ofur folde foDoc lders, rs, usu usuall ally y turnin tur g up to toge gethe ther r in yo Docume ument nts s fo folde lderning r and alwa always ys getti getting ng in the w y. Double Dou ble-cl -click ick to ope open n eit eith her, an and d you ou’ll ’ll find find more more ju junk nk (cras (crash h log log fil files es,, wh whic ich h can can be huge huge)) or noth nothin ing g at al all. l. e ey y weree created wer created by prog programs rams,, such suc h as Ne Nero ro DVD sof softw twar aree or Kies Kies Andr Androi oid d fil fileemanagem mana gement ent soft softwa ware re (ww w. snipca.com/14724), snipca.com/14724 ), and and they they sto store re informat information ion abou aboutt CPU usage usa ge and cr crash ashes. es. is inf info’ o’ss usefuln usef ulness ess is limit limited, ed, especiall especi ally y if you you’ve ’ve rem remov oved ed the original original soft softwa ware. re. We’ve e’ve see seen n lot lotss of ques questio tions ns about these folders on malware forums. Be assured, they’re not malware, but they CrashDumps Cras hDumps and NativeFus_L NativeFus_Log og contain crash lo log g files files,, which whi ch waste waste lo lots ts of spa space ce do act like it – they have odd

box. box. Mic Micro roso soft’ ft’s s us use e of the wo word rd ‘Re ‘Recom commend mended’ ed’ is its last-di last-ditch tch attem attempt pt to keep yourhands off them. them. Onc Once e that’s that’s don done, e, use use Swi wiftS ftSea earch rch to find out how how manyof manyof the the files files we ment mentio ion n here here have hav e been liv living ing and mul multipl tiplyin ying g secr secretl etly y in your PC. PC. Un-hidin Un-h iding g yo your ur sy system stem files and fol folders ders does doesn’t n’t magi magicall cally y make make them safe safe to mov move and delete delete,, of cour course. se. Onc Once e you can see see these these un unfa famil miliar iar items items,, they they make mak e Exp Explor lorer er a much mes messier sier place. place. You may may need need to be ca care refu full not not to cl clic ick k or delete delete the wr wron ong g thing. thing. Al Alwa ways ys check check Goo Google gle for adv advice ice befor bef ore e you edit edit or delete delete a syst system em file or fold folder er that that you don don’t ’t re reco cogni gnise, se, and system stem res restore tore poin pointt before cr crea eate te a sy you mak make e any any cha change nges. s. We’d also also rec recomme ommend nd looking looking up myster mystery y sy system stem file files s on the ex excel cellen lentt free site Fil FileInf eInfo.c o.com om (www.snipca.com/14722). www.snipca.com/14722).

names, they appear out of nowhere and they regenerate when deleted.

Can Can you de dele lete te them them? ? Yes. If the fo folde lders rs are are em empty pty, the they’r y’ree an annoy ann oyanc ancee rath rather er than than a probl problem, em, but if  they they con conta tain in huge huge cr crash ash log files they’r they’ree better bett er off rem remov oved. ed. Us Using ing Sw Swift iftSea Searc rch, h, look look fo forr file filess with with the exte extensi nsions ons LO LOG G or MDMP MDMP (‘mini (‘minidum dump’) p’) and del delet etee the them m if they’r they’ree hogg hogging ing spa space ce.. To we weed ed out out point pointless lessly ly lar large ge fo folde lders, rs, use the the fr free ee pro progr gram am Wi WinDir nDirSt Stat at (https // windirstat.info;; best windirstat.info best down downlo load ad li link nk is Sourceforge: www.snipca.com/14726). www.snipca.com/14726 ). Wi WinDir nDirSt Stat atspac is grea gre, eat t fo forr manag man aging ingeyo your ur har hard-dri d-drive ve space, because (unlik (unlike Explo Explore rer) r) it reve reveals als fo folde lders rs’’ exact exact sizes sizes and which which sof softw twar aree cre creat ated ed them. them. Howe Howeve verr, it ta take kess a while while to ga gathe therr its detai detailed led ‘t ‘tre ree’ e’ of fo folde lders rs and their their sizes, sizes, so you mi migh ghtt pref prefer er the the fr free ee new new to tool ol www.snipca.com/14727). ). It Itss SpaceSniff Spa ceSniffer er (www.snipca.com/14727 findings findin gs aren aren’t ’t as det detailed ailed as WinD WinDirSt irStat, at, but it it’s ’s much much fa fast ster er,, reve reveali aling ng massi massive ve fo folde lders rs at a gla glanc nce. e. It It’s ’s al also so rath rather er beauti beautiful ful..

Rem emov ove e them them for for go good od Windo Windows ws’’ builtbuilt-in in too tooll Dis Disk k Cle Cleanu anup p can au auto toma matic ticall ally y cle clear ar out out cr crash ash logs logs and ot othe herr spac spacee hogs hogs.. It It’s ’s ea easy sy to use, use, but but it ca can n be a bi bitt gung gung-h -ho o – it does doesn n’t gi giv ve you much mu ch con contr trol, ol, and we’v we’vee see seen n it remo removin ving g useful use ful progr program am files files.. Inste Instead ad,, use CClea CCleaner ner (www.piriform.com/ccleaner ). It Itss defaul defaultt Win Windo dows ws Cleane Cleanerr to tool ol can find find an and d re remo move ve Memo Memory ry Du Dump mpss an and d   

7 – 20Janua 20January ry 2015 2015  

Remo Re mov ve pointle pointless ss Win Windo dows ws fles fles Windows Log Files, and if you click Applications you can add Crash Reports and many more file types to the clean. To add even more options to CCleaner’s Applications list, install the new tool CCEnhancer (www.snipca. (www.snipca. com/14728;; see Best Free com/14728 Software, Softwa re, Issue 439).

WHEN FI WHEN FILE LES S N FOL ERS REFUSE TO DE DELETE LETE You ow own n your PC, PC, but it often often acts acts li lik ke it ow owns ns you. you. Wh When en it’s it’s not not busy busy hid hidin ing g fil files es and and fold folder ers s it doe doesn sn’t ’t wa want nt you to touch, touch, it’s it’s try trying ing very hard hard to prev prevent ent

Desktop.ini Wha hatt is it? it? Every folder on your PC has a desktop.ini file that contains the folder’s display settings, You can rem remov ove e all desktop desktop.ini .ini fil files es fr from om yo your ur PC by including its icon and the ‘info creat creating ing a new Regist Registry ry val value ue tip’ text that pops up when you hoverr your mouse ove hove overr it. Like umbs. up to too o mu much ch sp spac acee on you ourr PC, PC, the the an answ swer er db files, desktop.ini files are created is to red reduce uce yo your ur folde folderr ta tall lly y. automatically autom atically (and repeatedly) repeatedly) by In fact fact,, de desk skto top. p.in inii fil files es can can be ver ery y Windows. ey’re always hidden by useful use ful.. You can cus custo tomis misee a fo folde lderr by default, so you’ll need to un-hide them crea creatin ting g a des deskt ktop op.ini .ini file usin using g jus justt No Note tepad pad before you can discover how much and the Com Comman mand d Pr Prom ompt pt.. For exam example ple,, space they’re taking up. to custo customi mise se a fold folder er’s ’s in info fo ti tip p to sa say y ‘is ‘is Aft After er yo you u un-hid un-hidee yo your ur sy syst stem em file filess fold folder er is for for cat cat phot photos os’, ’, cr crea eate te a Unicode yo you u’ll see two two deskt desktop op.in .inii file filess on your your Deskt Des ktop op.. is is beca because use yo your ur PC has has tw two o Deskto Desk top p fo folde lders rs – one fo forr the adm adminis inistr trat ator or (normall (norm ally y sto stored red at C:\Use C:\Users\Y rs\YourNa ourName\ me\ Deskto Desk top) p) and one one in Users\ Users\Pub Public lic.. We found no fewer than 401 desktop.ini files on our PC – nearly 12 times as many as umbs.db files. On the upside, they’re not as big. Our biggest desktop.ini file was 3MB, and most were a few kilobytes. e Mac equivalent of desktop.ini is DS_Store.. You ma DS_Store may y see these files popping up in Explorer if you’ve ever connected an iPad or iPhone to your PC.

yo you u deleting deleting them them.. If you want ant to dele delete te one one of the the fil files es or fol folders ders we we’v ’ve e mentione mentioned d here and yo you’re u’re deni denied ed acc access ess,, don don’t ’t put your your foo foott throu through gh yo your ur monit monitor or – there there ar are e wa ways ys to bea beatt the (oper (operatin ating) g) sy system stem.. Free new newprog program ramTa TakeO keOwner wnershipP shipPro ro www.snipca.com/14729)) ad addsan dsan (www.snipca.com/14729 optio option n to the right right-cl -click ick men menu u for for an any y fold folder er or fil file, e, inc inclu ludin ding g syste system m and program prog ram files files.. Righ Right-cl t-click ick and clic click k Tak akeOw eOwner nershipP shipPro ro to rega regain in ful fulll con control trol of the the item item,, whic which h you sh shou ouldnowbe ldnowbe ab able le to dele delete te.. If it stil stilll won’t on’t go, go, open open

te text xt fil filee in Note Notepa pad d an and d in incl clud udee the the li line ne ‘Inf ‘InfoTi oTip=is p=is folde folderr is for for cat pho photos tos’. ’. Sa Save ve the file as ‘desk ‘deskto top. p.ini ini’’ insi inside de the rele releva vant nt folde folderr, the then n use the com comman mand d lin linee to apply apply the customisa customisations tions.. Micr Microsoft osoft has full full ins instru tructi ctions ons on the Dev Develo eloper per sect section ion of it itss websi ebsite te (www.snipca.com/14714). www.snipca.com/14714 ).

Remov emove e it fo forr good If you you reall really y want to remo remove ve all ins insta tance ncess of des deskt ktop op.in .ini, i, try thi thiss Re Regis gistry try hack hack.. Type regedit regedit into into Star Start, t, click click ‘re ‘regedi gedit.ex t.exe’, e’, th then en clic click k Yes to op open en th thee Regis egistr try y Edit Edit  , and go to the HKE HKEY_L Y_LOCA OCAL_M L_MAC ACHINE HINE root root key key. Now Now follo follow w the folde folderr pat path: h:

Can Can you dele delete te it it? ?

Software\Microsoft\Windows\

Y es, but Window Windows s will wil l replace it automatically autom atically with a new desktop.ini file, and the folder’s settings will return to default. Remember Remember every folder has a desktop.ini file, so if these files are tak taking ing

CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer Right-c Righ t-click lick the Explorer Explorer folder folder,, click clic. k

New New an and d clic click k DWOR ORD D to cr crea eate te a new new va value. lue. Call it UseDeskt UseDesktopIniC opIniCache ache and se sett it itss value alue to ‘0 ‘0’. ’.

Find Find ou outt wh what at any sy system stem fil file e is an and d do does es by typin typing g it into into FileInfo.com

Make Mak e stubbo stubborn rn fil files es easier easier to del delete ete wit with h Tak akeOw eOwner nershipP shipPro ro – but only only if yo you’r u’re e sur sure e they they nee need d del deletin eting g

the Comma Command nd Promp Promptt and and type type cacls cacls C:\Windows\System32\en-US\  

filename.e filename.extension xtension /G YourName substitu sub stituting ting the filen filename ame and yo your ur , us usern ername ame as ind indica icated ted.. No Note te there’ there’s sa spac space e bef befor ore e ‘c ‘c’’ and ‘a’. ‘a’. If this this doe doesn’ sn’tt work, ork, re rebo boot ot in Safe Safe Mode Mode andtry again again.. To be hone honest st,, unle unless ss the the fil file e is particul part icularl arly y larg large e and trou trouble blesome some,, we we’d ’d giv give up at ‘deni ‘denied ed acce access’ ss’.. If you do go furthe furtherr than than that, that, you mus mustt cre create ate a sy system stem res restore tore poin pointt firs first. t. System ystem fil files es yo you u can can’t ’t ide identi ntify fy ar are e bestt left bes left alon alone. e. Gi Gigab gabyte ytes s ar are e che cheap ap these thes e day days, s, and yo you u shou shouldn ldn’t ’t hav have e an any y spac space e prob proble lems ms if you stic stick k to a sensible sens ible hous housek ekeepin eeping g plan plan:: keep yo your ur Temp Fil Files es fol folders ders and Rec Recyc ycle le Bin cl clea ean, n, run re regul gular ar sc scans ans wi with th CCleaner CCle aner and malw malware-scann are-scanner er AdwCleaner AdwCl eaner (www.snipca.com/14730), www.snipca.com/14730), an and d do a mont monthl hly y boo boott defr defrag ag.. Your PC wi willthan llthank k you for for it. it.

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  7 – 20Janua 20January2015 ry2015

 

Your mos ostt po pop pula  prog ogrram amss of 20 2014 14 Our URL-sh URL-short orteni ening ng servi service ce Sni Snipca pca sho shows us how how man ma ny clic clicks ks ea each ch li link nk gets gets.. Here ere are are your our 10 most ost popu po pular lar progr programs ams fr from om the the past past 12 months onths N U M   R 

In every issue of  Computeractive we use our Snipca URL-sh URL-shortenin ortening g service to provide simple, five-digit web addresses that are easy for you to type. Because each URL has a unique code, we can see how many times a

1

link has been clicked. Tis tells us which apps, software, products and websites you’re interested in, helping us make sure we giv give e you more of  what you want want in future issues. It also means we can compile a list of the

  AdwCleaner www.snipca.com/14262

5

software links you clicked most in 2014. Unsurprising  Unsurprising  , it appears that last year you wanted software that would remove junk, make your PC faster and speed up your internet. Here’s Here ’s the top 10.

  Driver Driver Booster Booster www.snipca.com/14120

8



  DNS Benchmar Benchmark k www.snipca.com/12727

First appe appeared ared in: Issue Issue 418 418,, p64 What it do What does es:: No pie pieceof ceof adwareor adwareor

First appe appearedin: aredin: Issue Issue 414 414,, p19 p19 What it doe What does: s: As weexp weexplai laine ned d in Is Issu sue e

First appearedin: appearedin: Issue Issue 42 428, 8, p51 What it do What does es:: is clev clever er pro program gram helps helps

spyware is saf spyware safe e from from Adw AdwCle Cleane anerr. It can track trac k dow down n and rem remov ove e the mos mostt elusiv elusive e browser brows er-hijack -hijacker er or unwan unwanted ted toolbar toolbar – and judg judging ing by the pro program gram’s ’s pop populari ularity ty in 20 2014, 14, you’reall you’reall fami familiarwith liarwith the these se pes pests. ts.

438’s Co 438’s Cove verr Fe Featur ature, e, it’s important important you don’tt end don’ endange angerr you yourr PC’ PC’s s healthby healthby usi using ng old har hardwar dware. e. Driv Driver er Boo Booste sterr helps helps by scannin sca nning g you yourr PC forout-o forout-of-d f-datedrivers atedrivers,, and pro providin viding g linksto upda update te the them. m.

to spe speed ed up you yourr interne internett by che checkin cking g forthe fastes fastestt ava availabl ilable e DNS (domain name nam e serv server) er).. It sho shows ws youwhich one yo your ur ISP haschose haschosen, n, but also rev reveal eals s which whi ch wou would ld be fas faster ter..

2

  Process Process Hacker Hacker

www.snipca.com/14619 First appe appeared ared in: Issue Issue 42 426, 6, p51 Whatt it do Wha does es:: When Window Windows s Task Manage Man agerr doe doesn’tgive sn’tgive yo you u eno enough ugh informa informationabout tionabout wha what’s t’s running running on you yourr PC, try Proce Process ss Hac Hacke kerr inst instea ead. d. It rev reveal eals s whatt your wha your runni running ng pro proce cesse sses s are doin doing g and howmuch mem memory ory the they’reusing. y’reusing.

3

  Clean Clean Master Master www.snipca.com/14534

First appe appeared ared in: Issue Issue 434 434,, p18 p18 Whatt it do Wha does es:: After being downl downloaded oaded

more than more than 200milliontimes sin since ce launc launchin hing g in 2012 2012 asan Andro Android id app, app, Clea Clean n Master Mas ter fina finally lly arriv arrived ed on Wind Window ows s last year year.. It sca scans ns you yourr PC forjunk, cat catego egorisi rising ng it in jarg jargonon-fre free e lang languag uage, e, and let lets s you remo removeit veit in one one go go..

4

  Wise Wise Ca Care re 365 365

www.snipca.com/13098 First appe appeared ared in: Issue Issue 42 424, 4, p16 p16 Whatt it do Wha does es:: is powerful powerful all-roun all-rounder der include incl udes s a rang range e of too tools ls that that rem remov ove e hidden hidd en junk,disableprogra junk,disableprograms ms thatslow yo your ur PC,and tur turn n off ann annoy oyingWindo ingWindows ws process proc esses. es. It’s wo worth rth tryingas an ex exce celle llent nt alternative altern ative to CCle CCleaner aner..

6

  CPU-Z

7

  CCEnhancer

www.snipca.com/14136 First appe appearedin: aredin: Issue Issue 419 419,, p17 p17 Whatt it doe Wha does: s: If you’recuriou you’recurious s abo about ut what what act actua uall lly y go goeson eson ins insid ide e your your PC,run CPU-Z. CPUZ. It rev reveal eals s the spe specific cificatio ations ns of you yourr processor,, major comp components, onents, including processor motherboard, me motherboard, memo mory ry an and d graphics cards cards..

www.snipca.com/14176 First appe appearedin: aredin: Issue Issue 419 419,, p40 Whatt it doe Wha does: s: CCEnh CCEnhance ancerr turns CCl CCleaner eaner froma brill brillian iantt prog program ram intoan exce excepti ptional onal one.It one.It add adds s over over a tho thous usandprog andprogram rams s an and d program compo components nents to those CCle CCleaner aner canfix bydefa bydefaul ult. t. It’s It’s no nott offici officiall ally y approved approv ed by CCle CCleaner aner,, but we’v we’ve e neve neverr ha had d any any probl problem ems s with with it.

9

  MyUninstaller

www.snipca.com/14743 First appearedin: appearedin: Issue Issue 42 427 7, p51 What Wh at it do does es:: Nobody should attempt to dee deep-cl p-cleantheir eantheir PC without without first running MyUninstaller MyUninstaller.. It identifie identifies s every every pro program gram runn running ing on your your PC, including includin g unwanted unwanted plug-ins and nasty adware adware..

Utilitie Utilities s 10   Glary www.snipca.com/12528 First appearedin: appearedin: Issue Issue 42 421, 1, p60 What Wh at it do does es:: Few PC-optimisatio PC-optimisation n

progr program ams s areas ea easy sy touse as Gla Glary ry Utilit Utilitie ies. s. It ha has s a ho host st ofoneofone-cl clic ick k tools tools tostopyourPC free freezin zing, g, bo boos ostt your your PC PC’s ’s start-up start -up timeand rev revea eall the pro program grams s that that nee need d upda updating ting..

HOW USE E SN SNIP IPCA CA LIN LINKS KS HOW TO US Some peo Some peopl ple e email email us to say say they they ha hav ve tro troubl uble e using using our Snipc Snipca a li links nks.. Te gold golden en ru rule le is to alwa always ys ty type pe the Sn Snipc ipca a URL int into o your our bro brows wser er bar bar, wi witho thout ut the ‘https ‘https:// ://’.’. Don’t Don’t type type Snipca URLs aren aren’t ’t web website sites s them themsel selve ves, s, whi which ch it in into to Go Goog ogleor leor a sear search ch tool toolb b  . Our Snipca is why why Googl Google e doe doesn sn’t ’t find them. them. Inste Instead, ad, they they mer merel ely y red redir irect ect yo you u to the long longer er URL URL.. For exampl example, e, typing typing www.snipca.com/14727 (see (see page page 59) tak takes es you stra straigh ightt to www. uderzo.it/main_products/space_sniffer/download_alt.html .

7 – 20Jan 20Janua uary ry 20 2015 15

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Prob Sollved Probllems So PROB PR OBLEM LEM OF THE FOR FORTNIG TNIGHT HT

Why y is Ex Exccel mul ulti tip plyin ying g my en entri tries es?? Wh   I am havi having ng a prob proble lem m wi with th Ex Exce cell 2010. 2010. I’m I’m at atte tendi nding ng a lea learni rning ng co cours urse e usi using ng thi thiss prog progra ram m an and d was doin doing g well ell unti untill I open opened ed it at home home.. When hen I ty type pe a number num ber into into a cel cell, l, it gets gets mu multi ltipli plied ed by 100 100 as so soon on as I pr pres esss Ent Enter. er. For exam exampl ple, e, if I ty type pe ‘1 ‘16’, 6’, then then it appe appear arss in th the e cell cell as ‘1 ‘160 600’ 0’.. I thin think k my versi ersion on of Exce Excell mi migh ghtt be fa faul ulty ty and and I’m very ery confus con fused. ed. Can you you hel help? p?

Q

Shirley Shirl ey Sudde Suddens ns

  We We scr scrat atche ched d our hea heads ds ov over er

A

us user er or PC own wner er ha has, s, for for some some re reas ason on,, se sett up Exce Excell to laun launch ch wi with th a cu cust stom om te temp mplat latee that that applies applies this form format attin ting g by defau def ault? lt? Admit Admitte tedly dly, thi thiss see seems ms an odd th thin ing g to ha hav ve do done ne,, but but it would ould explain expla in wha whatt you’re you’re experiencin experiencing. g. To fix it, it, you’ll ou’ll need need to crea create te and and sa sav ve a ne new w te temp mpla late te th that at appl applies ies th thee for forma matt tting ing yo you u want ant.. Beg Begin in by cre creat ating ing a ne new w works orkshe heet et in th thee norm normal al way an and d then then pres presss Cont Contro roll (Ctr (Ctrl)+ l)+A A to select sele ct all cells. cells. Now Now, as abo above ve,, rig right ht-click, clic k, cho choose ose Forma Formatt Cells, Cells, fo follo llowe wed d by th thee Forma ormatt ta tab, b, se sele lect ct Gene Genera rall in the the

this this one one fo forr a wh while ile,, but but we’ve e’ve had had an id idea ea tha that you ca can n explo explore re.. Bas Basica ically lly, we think think th that at yo your ur ve versi rsion on of Excel Excel is ap appl plying ying percen percenta tage ge fo form rmat atti ting ng to ev ever ery y cell cell.. is is no nott norma nor mall beha behavio viour ur but it would would expla explain in why wh y ev ever ery y numb number er you type type appe appear arss to be mu multi ltiplie plied d a hundr hundreded-fo fold. ld. first en entter a To test test this this theo theo  , first number num ber int into o an any y cell cell the then n right right-cl -click ick the the ce cell ll an and d choo choose se For orma matt Ce Cells lls.. No Now w cl clic ick k the the For orma matt ta tab, b, and and in the the Categ Cat egory ory list, list, if the sel select ected ed form format at is an anyth ything ing ot other her than than Gen Gener eral al (or Nu Numb mber er)) then then we’re e’re on the the way to an answ answer er.. Ou Ourr gues guesss is th that at th thee se selec lecte ted d

Ca Cate tego gory ry list list an and d th then en clic click k OK. OK. Assumi Ass uming ng you you don don’t ’t want to ma make ke any furth further er cust customisa omisations tions,, you no now w ne need ed to sav save th this is fil filee wi with th a partic par ticula ularr name name (‘book (‘book.xl .xltx tx’) ’) and in a par partic ticula ularr folde folderr (‘XLS (‘XLST TART’) ART’) – but th thee ex exac actt loca locati tion on of th this is fold folder er depe depend ndss on ho how w you ourr PC is set set up. up. e ea easi sies estt way to fin find d it is to clic click k St Star artt, type XLS XLST TAR ART T and then click click XLST XLSTAR ART T at the the top. top. A Wind Window owss Expl Explor orer er windo win dow w will ope open, n, showin showing g the conte con tent ntss of the XLST XLSTART ART folde folderr. Clic Click k th thee bar bar at th thee to top p to reveal eal it itss fu full ll path path.. Now Now, bac back k in Excel Excel,, cho choose ose File File follo follow wed by Save Save As, sel select ect ‘Exc ‘Excel el

categ cat egory ory will Pe Perc rcent entag age e or Cus Custo m. Ch Chan ange ge this th is tobeGene Ge nera ral l or Nu Numb mber ertom. an and d th thee nu num mber ber in th thee cell cell will will disp displa lay y as expected. Ho How wev ever er,, as we sa said id,, th this is is not not norm normal al.. So So,, is it pos possib sible le that that a prev previo ious us

T empla em (*.x (*.xlt ltx)’ as the ‘Sav ‘S(see ave e as ty type’ pe’,, type ty peplate book botes oks as th the ex)’ file fil e na name me (s ee scr screen eensho shott belo below) w) and then then clic click k Save Save.. Res esta tart rt Ex Exce cell an and d if our our shot shot in th thee dark dark is co corr rrec ect, t, yo you u’ll no now w be able able to use use Ex Excel cel as norma normal. l.

Try Try creatin creating g and savin saving g a new new Ex Excel cel template if yo your ur curren currentt worksheets have hav e for formatting matting problems

How can I accurately straighten imag im ages es in GI GIMP MP??   Lik Like e som some e of your your oth other er reade readers rs I’v I’ve be been en tr tryi ying ng out out th the e GI GIMP MP image-editing imag e-editing progr program, am, which which I’m I’m finding finding pow powerful erful but but qui quite te hard hard to mast  . I’ve ’ve work orked out out how how to use use th the e ro rota tate te tool tool to tw twis istt an and d tu turn rn my im imag ages es,, an and d I’d like like to use use this this to st strraigh aighte ten n some some of my misali misaligned gned pho photos. tos. Ho Howe weve verr, with advanc adv ancing ing yea years rs my hand-e hand-eye ye co coor ordi dina nati tion on isn isn’t what hat it us used ed to be, be, so I st strug ruggle gle to ge gett thi thing ngss wh wher ere e I want ant th them em.. Is th ther ere e a way to ma mak ke this this easi easier er? ?

Q

Miriam Miri am For Ford d

  We hav have a co coup uple le of ti tips ps th tha at should sho uld help help yo you. u. First First,, try us usin ing g a guid guidel elin inee as an ai aid d when wh en rota rotatin ting g yo your ur ima image ges. s. is work workss part partic icula ularl rly y well if th thee imag imagee has has a cl clea earr ho hori rizo zon n (l (lik ikee a shot shot of the the se sea) a) or fea featur tures es another another element element tha thatt shoul should d run hor horizo izont ntall ally y or ve verti rtical cally ly when when the alignmen alig nmentt is corr correct. ect. To do th this is,, open open your our imag imagee and and th then en open open the the Vie iew w me menu nu to en ensu sure re th that at Sho Show Ruler ulerss is ti tick cked ed (if not, not, cl clic ick k this this menu menu it item em). ). No Now w move move th thee curs cursor or to the the top top or lef leftt-han hand d rul ruler er (de (depen pendin ding g on wh wheth ether er

A

yo you w ant ali align horizo hor izont ally y down orwn or to v erti erutica call lly) y)to th then engn cl clic ick k and an dntall drag dr ag do the the ri righ ght. t. Re Rele leas asee th thee mous mousee butt button on to dr drop op a gui guideli deline ne in the the app appro ropria priate te spo spot. t. Now Now sel select ect the Ro Rota tate te to tool, ol, then then cli click ck an and d drag drag to rota rotate te the the imag image. e. Second Sec ondly ly, fo forr more more accur accuracy acy in your your mov mo vemen ements ts,, ta tap p the the up and and down down curs cursor or (a (arr rro ow) keys eys to rot otat atee by a tenth enth of a degre deg reee eac each h tim time. e.

InGI  , use use gu guide idelin lines es and ar arro row w keys eys to help corr correctl ectly y straig straighten hten misaligne misaligned d images

64

  7 – 20Janua 20January2015 ry2015

 

Ourr expe Ou perts rts so sollve all all you ourr te tech ch prob proble lems ms Emai Em aill us your our pr prob obllem an and d we’ e’ll ll try try to he help lp:: [email protected]

ind dows Li Liv ve How do I stop Win mark ma rkin ing g em email ailss as rea ead? d?   I fel felll for the pr propa opaga gand nda a of Windo Windows ws XP los losing ing Microsoft Micr osoft support support and therefor ther efore e ret retired ired my ‘old’ ‘old’ sy syst stem em and and spla splash shed ed ou outt on a la lapt ptop op loa loaded ded wi with th Wind indow owss 8.1. Oh dear dear!! With ith lots lots of he help lp I ma mana nag ged to set set up Win indo dows ws Liv Live Mail Mail 2012 2012 to wor ork k with with my exi exist sting ing int intern ernet et ser servic vice e pr prov ovide iderr, but I still still have have som some e pro problem blems. s. Fir First st,, as ne new w mess messag ages es arri arrive ve the sys system tem autom automaticall atically y show showss th them em as havi having ng be been en read read.. Tis Tis means me ans I’ I’m m no longe longerr su sure re whic which h

Q

instance,, that instance that your your securi security ty softwa soft ware re is being ov over er-officio -officious us and prev prevent enting ing your your syst system em fro from m doing doin g respo respondin nding g to anythi anything ng it it’s ’s identified ident ified as pote potentia ntially lly harmful. harmful. We don don’t ’t know know wh what at sec securi urity ty softw softwar aree yo you u’r ’ree usin using g but loo look k for a ‘r ‘realeal-time time’’ email-scann email-scanning ing opti option on.. If yo you u find find one, one, dis disab able le it it,, th then en tr try y usin using g WL WLM’ M’ss Junk unk button but ton again. again. If the pr probl oblem em persis persists, ts, then then If yo you’r u’re e having having pr probl oblems ems mov moving ing emails emails to yo your ur ‘Jun Junk k email’ email’ fo folde lderr try try emp empty tying ing it by rightright-cl clic icki king ng it it it’s ’s possible possible that that the Junk fo folde lderr

emailss I’ email I’ve ve ac actua tuall lly y ope opened ned an and d rea ead. d. Is ther there e a way to fix th this is? ? Al Also so,, I’m unable una ble to send send unw unwan anted ted me mess ssag ages es to the Junk Junk fol folder der.. Every very tim time e I   y, I see an erro errorr me mess ssag age. e. I clea clearr th the e me mess ssag age e to tr try y agai again, n, bu butt th the e same same thin thing g happ happen enss – so I get stu tuck ck in a loop loop.. Can Can you help help? ? Roy Pay Payne ne

A

  To fix yo your ur first first prob proble lem, m, first first open open th thee Fi File le me menu nu (clic (click k the the bl blue ue down down ar arro row w at th thee top top left left))

th then en po poin intt to Op Opti tion onss an and d se selec lectt Mail Mail.. In th thee Opti Option onss di dial alog ogue ue box, box, cl clic ick k the the Rea ead d ta tab b an and d then then unti untick ck th thee box box la label belle led d ‘M ‘Mar ark k messa messages ges read read after after dis displa playin ying g for X second seconds’ s’.. e se seco cond nd prob proble lem m is a li litt ttle le more more curiou cur ious, s, not not least least beca because use yo you u didn didn’t ’t te tell ll us what what th thee erro errorr mess messag agee sa says ys.. Re Regar gardle dless, ss, there there are are a few few things things tha thatt might mig ht cause cause Windo Windows ws Live Live Mai Maill (WLM) (WLM) to refus refusee junk junk reque request sts. s. It It’s ’s possibl possible, e, fo forr

. has becom becomee co corru rrupt pt in som somee   y Right-cli Right -click ck the the ‘Junk ema email il’’ fo folde lderr in the lef leftt-han hand d pan panee and cho choose ose ‘Empt ‘Empty y ‘Junk email’ emai l’ folder’ folder’ As a la last st re reso sort rt,, tr try y re repa pair irin ing g WL WLM. M. From From the Start Start scr screen een,, ty type pe con contr trol ol panel panel then then pre press ss Enter Enter.. Next Next,, cli click ck Prog Progra rams, ms, ‘Progr ‘Programs ams and Fe Feat atures ures’, ’, find Wind Window owss Esse Essent ntia ials ls 2012 2012 in the the lis list, t, then then cl clic ick k to sel select ect it it.. Click Click Un Unins insta tall/C ll/Chan hange ge then then cli click ck ‘Repa ‘Repair ir all Windo Windows ws Essent Essential ialss pr progr ograms ams’’ and fo follo llow w the pr prom ompts pts..

pda ate my iP iPa ad wi with th onl nly y li limi mitted spa parre mem emor ory y? How do I upd   Igen hav haeration ve ation th thir irdd- iPa genera 16GB iPad d that that I’d I’d lik like upda update te to the the la lates testt vers ersion ion of iOS iOS.. Ho Howe weve verr, this require requiress at leas leastt 4G 4GB B of free free spac space, e, so I’d hav have to clea clearr off loa loads of my app ppss and and data data.. I on only ly bo boug ught ht th this is iPa iPad tw two o years ears ago and and I fe feel el a bi bitt chea cheate ted, d, an and d I wor orry ry that that even eventua tuall lly y I won’t on’t be able able to ins insta tall ll ne new w st stuff uff bec becaus ause e of  thi thiss pr prob oblem lem.. Do you ha have ve an any y ide dea as how I canke ankee ep it up to da datte or is it a los lost ca caus use? e?

Q

at leas ast t adco coup uple of istin years ea rs   le y , an and man ma nle y ex exis ting g ap apps ps

will contin continue ue to work work ev even en without with out updates. updates. If you have a PC or Ma Macc, then the n one way aroun around d your your la lack ck of spac spacee is to co conn nnec ectt your your iPad iPad to the the De Desk skto top p vers versio ion n of iTun iTunes es an and d use use th this is to upda update te.. is works orks because beca use the the iOS downl downloa oad d ca can n be st stor ored ed on your our compute comp uter’s r’s hard hard driv drive. e. Us Use e iTun iTunes es on yo your ur PCto up updat date e an iP iPad ad with with littl little e fr free ee sp spac ace e Do Downl wnloa oad d iTune iTuness (free (free fr from om www.snipca.com/14402)) an and d conn connec ectt www.snipca.com/14402 Robert Robe rt Cronin Cronin e en, n, your our iPad iPad will will en ente terr a lim limbo bo st stag age, e, you ourr iPad iPad to your our comp comput uter er via your our wher wh eree mo more re an and d more more ap app p upda update tess will will US USB B cable cable.. Now Now, in iT iTune unes, s, sel select ect yo your ur   As with with th thee or orig igin inal al iPad iPad,, no nott work, ork, as they they will will ha have ve bee been n crea create ted d devi device ce an and d th then en,, in the the Summ Summar ary y ta tab, b, relea released sed in 2010, 2010, ther theree will to work ork wi with th versi ersion onss of iOS that that yo you u cli click ck ‘Chec ‘Check k fo forr Up Upda date te’’ (or jus justt Update pdate,, come come a time time whe hen n Ap Apple ple will will cannot can not ins insta tall. ll. Ho Howe weve verr, for for the the third third-if the the Up Upda date te has has al alre read ady y been been de dete tect cted) ed).. no longe longerr issue issue upd updat ates es fo forr yo your ur mod model. el. gene generrat atio ion n iPad iPad th that at poin pointt is lik likel ely y to be Now Now cli click ck Downl Download oad then then Up Upda date te..

A

7 – 20 Janu Januar ary y 2015 2015  

Problem oblems s Sol Solv ved Pr How do I get Windo Win dows ws to save sa ve mo more re

an’t ’t I vi vie ew Why can sate sa tellit llite e imag images es in Fir Firef efo ox?   Chro Chrome me see seems ms to be gett getting ing

  I recen recentl tly y upgr upgrade aded d my PC from from Win indo dow ws XP to Wi Windo ndows ws 7 Home Home Pre Premium mium.. All All is wor orki king ng well ell wi with th the the excep exception tion of  of Sys System tem Rest Restore ore.. I dis disco cov vered ered that that,, al alth thoug ough h I ca can n sa sav ve res restor tore e poin points, ts, Win Window dowss deletes deletes th them em afte afterr a shor shortt time time,, le lea avi ving ng me wi with th no resto estorre poin points ts at all. all. I ha hav ve resor resorted ted to crea creatin ting g a ne new w re rest stor ore e po poin intt once once a week eek, but but I’d lik like a more mor e permanen permanentt solu solution tion.. Wha Whatt shou should ld I do? do?

sl slow ower er an and d sl slow ower er fo forr me so I have have bee been n try trying ing Fire Firefo fox. x. I like like it bu butt on one e el elem emen entt coul could d prov prove e a de deal al-br brea eake kerr. I use the Goo Google gle Ma Maps ps web ebsit site e a lo lot, t, bu butt I cann cannot ot get sate satell llit ite e view view to wor ork k in Fi Firrefox efox.. Wh When en I tr try y it, it, the the road roadss rema remain in but but ev every erythi thing ng else else go goes es bla black ck.. I th thou ough ghtt it mig igh ht be do down wn to a lack lack of  sate satell llit ite e imag images es in this this on one e ar area ea I was expl explor orin ing, g, bu butt when hen I tr trie ied d th the e same same area area in Chr Chrome ome,, the ov overh erhead ead pho photog togra raph phy y ap appea peare red d as ex expec pected ted.. I’m I’m usi using ng th the e lates latestt vers ersion ion of Fi Fire refo fox x and and ev every erythi thing ng else else seem seemss to wor ork. k. Am I doin doing g some someth thin ing g wrong?

Bob Hartley Hartley

Alan Hepworth Hepworth

restore rest ore poin points? ts?

Q

Q

Disable hard Disable hardwar ware e acceler acceleration ation in Fire Firefo fox x to view view all webpa webpage ge content content pro proper perly ly

drive drivers rs nee need d upd updat ating ing,, so che check ck the manufacturer’s manufact urer’s websit website. e. However However,, Windo Windows ws Up Updat datee is pr pret etty ty good good at keep keepin ing g such such th thin ings gs up to date date,, so we think think that that the there re’s ’s some some com compa patib tibilit ility y iss issue ue bet betwe ween en Firef Firefox ox and yo your ur graph graphics ics ca carrd. i iss is li lik kel ely y to be fixed fixed wi with th la latter upda update tess to th thee br brow owse serr, but but in th thee meantime mean time,, disable disable the har hardw dware are-acceleration accelera tion mode. Fi Firs rst, t, cl clic ick k th thee menu menu butt button on at th thee top top rig right ht (thre (threee hor horizo izont ntal al line lines), s), then then cho choose ose Option Opt ions. s. Next Next,, on the Gen Gener eral al ta tab, b, untick untick the ‘U ‘Use se hardw hardware are acce acceler leratio ation n whe when n avail ailab able le’’ box box an and d cl clic ick k OK to finish finish..

  is is stand standar ard d beha behaviour viour that that’s ’s dic dicta tate ted d by the amoun am ountt of har hard-d d-dri rive ve spa space ce reserve rese rved d for Sy Syste stem m Restor Restore. e. Adjus Adjustin ting g this figur figuree upw upwar ards ds will see Windo Windows ws stor storee mo more re rest restor oree points poin ts,, and for longe longerr. Of cours course, e, how how far yo you u ad adjus justt the reser reserve ved d stor storag agee depend dependss on your your free free har hardddr driv ivee sp spac acee – but but that that’s ’s up to you. ou. To do it it,, clic click k St Star artt fo follo llow wed by Contr Con trol ol Pa Panel nel,, and then then ‘S ‘Sys yste tem m and Security Secur ity’’ follow followed ed by Sy Syste stem. m. Nex Next, t, cli click ck ‘Sys ‘Syste tem m prote protecti ction on’’ on the leftleft-han hand d side side and and,, under under Disk Spa Space ce

  is is alm almost ost certa certainl inly y down down to Firefo Firefox’s x’s hardw hardwareareacceler acce leratio ation n fea featur ture, e, which which in recen recentt ve versi rsions ons is enable enabled d by defau default. lt. is feat featur uree mak makes use use of your our comput com puter er’s ’s grap graphics hics card card to spe speed ed up certain cert ain webpag webpagee elements. elements. It It’s ’s possibl possiblee tha thatt yo your ur grap graphics hics-ca -card rd

  I fanci fancied ed try tryin ing g Windo Windows ws

should sho uld’v ’vee pointed pointed out. out. So, So, unle unless ss you you’r ’ree

U sage sage, mo move the th Max Madx to Usa sage slid sliment ider ernt to the right rig,ht. . Yve ou ou’ll ’lleneed nee exper exge perime to fin find d th thee ri righ ghtt amou amount nt fo forr you, ou, but but use the the Curre Current nt Us Usag agee figure figure ab abov ovee as a guid guide: e: if if,, fo forr ex exam ampl ple, e, it curr curren entl tly y says says 5GB 5GB then then try try doub doublin ling g it it..

Mo Movie vie Mak Maker’s er’s ‘hidden ‘hidden’ ’ videostabilisation stabilisation feature, featur e, which you rev reveale ealed d on pag page 57 of Is Issu sue e 43 432. 2. Ho How wever ever,, no ma matt tter er how how ha hard rd I tr trie ied dI could couldn n’t find thi thiss too tooll – it it’s ’s cert certain ainly ly not on the the Edit Edit tab, tab, as you indi indica cate ted. d. I’m runn runnin ing g a Win indo dows ws 7 PC wi with th 16GB 16GB of me memo mory ry and and a 2GB Nvidia vidia gr grap aphic hicss ca card rd.. Am I doi doing ng some somethi thing ng wr wron ong g or is my sys yste tem m not up to it?

pre prepar pared tol remai upd updat ate e to Win Windo dows wsto 8.1, thi fe feat atur ureeed wil will re main n una unava vaila ilable ble you. yothis u. s If yo you u do upda update te then then yo you u won’t on’t ne need ed to do an anyth ything: ing: the ‘Vide ‘Video o st stab abiliz ilizat ation ion’’ butt button on wi will ll appe appear ar on the the Edit Edit ta tab, b, as we descr described. ibed.

A

A

Wher e is Wi Win ndows Mo Movi vie e Ma Mak ker’ er’ss Where stablisation stablisa tion op option? tion?

Q

John Lough

  Y Your our compute computer’s r’s hardw har dware are is cert certain ainly ly up to th thee  job but but,, unfortu unfortunat nately ely, Window Wind owss Movie Movie Mak Maker’s er’s video-stabilisation featu feature re works orks only only in Win Windo dows ws 8/8. 8/8.11 – a factth cttha at we

A

 ncre  nc rease ase the spa space ce re reser serve ved d for for yst ystem em Resto Restore re po points ints via Contr ontrol ol Panel

Windows Window s Movie Movie Mak Maker’s er’s video-stabilisa video-stabilisation tion fe feature ature is only avail availab able le in Window indows s 8/8 8/8.1 .1 on the Edit Edit tab

  65

66

  7 – 20Janua 20January2015 ry2015

 

How do I bo boo ot to my worki king ng ver ersi sio on of Win ind dows 7?   I rec recent ently ly upg upgra raded ded to Windo Windows ws 7 fr from om   . I chos chosee th thee 32bit versi ersion on be beca caus usee so some me of my XP prog progra rams ms will will not not work ork in the the 64bit editio edition. n. Aft After er som somee ini initia tiall unr unreli eliabi abilit lity y

box that that ap appea pears, rs, select select the Adva Advance nced d ta tab. b. Click Click th thee Se Sett ttin ings gs in the the ‘St Star artu tup p and and Re Reco cove very’ ry’ sec sectio tion. n. en, en, in the ‘S ‘Sta tart rtup up and Re Reco cove very’ ry’ dialog dialogue ue box, box, choose choose the health hea lthy y Windo Windows ws 7 ins insta talla llatio tion n fr from om the

(tr (trac aced ed to a fa faul ulty ty memo memory ry mo modu dule le), ), I ha had d to inst instal alll a ne new w cop copy of Win indo dows ws 7. Now Now wh when en my comput computer er boo boots, ts, I’m I’m offer offered ed th thee opti option on to boot boot to my old old Wi Wind ndow owss 7 ins insta tall llat atio ion n as well ell as the the ne new w one. one. How How do I ge gett ri rid d of this this pr pree-bo boot ot menu me nu so th that at my PC st star arts ts st stra raig ight ht in into to the new, workin working g Win Window dowss 7 installa installation? tion?

‘Default oper ‘Default operatin ating g sys system tem’’ drop dropdow down n menu. In a mome moment nt,, yo you u’ll need need to unti untick ck th thee ‘Tim ‘Timee to dis displ pla ay list list of oper operat atin ing g syst systems ems’’ box, box, but but hol hold d off for for now now, be beca caus usee it it’s ’s a go good od id idea ea to test est th thee selecti sele ction on you you’ve ’ve ma made de – other otherwis wisee you you co coul uld d be st stuc uck k with with a comp comput uter er that that boots boo ts to the wr wrong ong opera operatin ting g syst system em.. So, So, clic click k OK tw twic icee to clos closee both both di dial alog ogue ue boxe boxes, s, th then en re rest star artt yo your ur PC in the the norm normal al w y. As Assu sumi ming ng it boots boots to the the corr correc ectt operating oper ating-sy -syste stem m optio option, n, as expected expected,, repea repeatt the above above instru instructi ctions ons to cle clear ar the aforemen afor ementione tioned d tick box. box.

Q

Bill Power Power

  Cli Click ck Start Start and then then right right-cl -click ick Comput Com puter er and choose choose Propertie Pro perties. s. Nex Next, t, click ‘Ad Adva vanced nced sy syst stem em set settin tings gs’’ in the lef leftt-han hand d pane pane and then, the n, in the Syst System em Prope Properti rties es dia dialog logue ue

A

Se Sett wh whic ich h oper operati ating ng syste system m your your PC boots boots to if yo you u hav have e multipl multiple e inst install allation ations s

How do I tr tran anssfer my l les es fr fro om Win Wi ndo dows ws to Ma Mac? c?   My Wind Window owss 7 la lapt ptop op is sh show owin ing g si sign gnss of ag agee and and,, beca because use I am no nott ha happ ppy y with with Microsoft Micro soft’s ’s policies, policies, I’m seriously seriously consid con sideri ering ng rep replac lacing ing it with with an Apple Apple MacBoo Mac Book k Air. Air. I unders understan tand d it it’s ’s pos possib sible le to trans transfe ferr my fil files es to th thee iOS oper operat atin ing g sy syst stem em,, but but ho how w ea easy sy is th this is and how how do you reco recomm mmen end d I go abou aboutt it it??

Q

Richard Richar d Gibbs Gibbs

  First First,, let’s let’s cle clear ar up your your confusion confu sion about about Apple’s Apple’s operatin oper ating g system systems. s. e MacBoo Mac Book k Air that that yo you u’r ’ree int inter eres ested ted in runs runs OS X, no nott iOS iOS – th thee la lattter bein being g the ope opera ratin ting g sy syst stem em that that runs runs on Apple Apple’s ’s mo mobile bile device devices, s, such such as th thee iP iPho hone ne an and d iP iPad ad.. While While th ther eree are are pl plen enty ty of visua visuall and techn technica icall sim similar ilariti ities es betwe bet ween en the tw two, o, the they y ar aree dis distin tinct ct plat platfo form rms. s. Mac Mac OS X is ra rath ther er mo more re like like Window Wind ows, s, concept conceptuall ually y at least. least. As fo forr tran transf sfer erri ring ng files files fr from om a Wind indow owss PC to a MacBo MacBook ok Air ru runn nnin ing g but the OS X the proc proces esss is easy, but eff effect ectiv ivene eness ss dep depend endss on what what you you want ach achiev ieve. e. For For exam example ple,, it it’s ’s easy easy to use Windo Windows ws Ex Explo plore rerr to copy copy Microso Micr osoft ft Office Office docume document ntss from from your your

A

Install Inst all the fr free ee pr progr ogram am Op OpenOf enOffic fice e to ope open n Microso Microsoft ft Offi Office ce files files on yo your ur Mac

PC to a US USB B st stic ick k or ex exte tern rnal al hard hard driv drive. e. You can th then en connec connectt thi thiss st stor orag agee de devic vicee to th thee MacB MacBoo ook k Air Air an and d us usee Fi Find nd r, the Apple Apple equ equiv ivale alent nt of Windo Windows ws Explor Explor r, to co copy py your our file filess to the the MacB MacBoo ook. k. Howe However ver,, wha whatt happ happens ens next depen depends ds large largely ly on the the file filess and and wh what at you wan antt to do with with th them. em. If yo you u have have tr trans ansfer ferre red d Microso Micr osoft ft Offic Officee file files, s, for for exa exampl mple, e, then then in orde orderr to open open them them yo you u’ll need need to hav have insta installe lled d on your our MacB MacBoo ook k the the OS X ve vers rsio ion n of this this prog progra ram m (or (or a comp compat atibl iblee fre freee alte alterna rnati tive ve,, su such ch as Open OpenOffic Officee Digit ital al photo photoss – www.openoffice.org). www.openoffice.org). Dig

and vid videos eos will als also o tr trans ansfe ferr wit withou houtt prob proble lems ms,, an and d OS X has has buil builtt-in in tool toolss calle called d iPhot iPhoto o and and iMov iMovie ie th that at le lets ts you vi view ew th thes esee and and carr carry y out out some some basic basic editing. If yo you u’r ’ree hopin hoping g to tr tran ansf sfer er an and d use use yo your ur Wind Window owss program programs, s, then tha that’s t’s not possible possible witho without ut addit additiona ionall softw softwar are. e. A paid-f paid-for or progr program am cal called led www.parallels.com)) Parallels Par allels (£64.99, www.parallels.com will wi ll le lett you se sett up a ‘v ‘vir irttual ual PC’ PC’ in into to which wh ich you you cou could ld ins insta tall ll Wi Windo ndows ws,, which hich would ould then then le lett you insta install ll an and d run all your your Windo Windows ws ap applic plicat ations ions..

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Ident entity ity pr prote otectio ction n to secur secure e your dat data a wh whilile e shoppi shopping ng online online  Id    Comp   ompat atibl ible e with with all all PC PCs s from from Windo indows ws XP thr throug ough h to 8.1

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WIN INNE NER R OF THE PAST 4 COMPUTERACTIVE  ANTI ANTIVIRUS VIRUS TES TESTS TS Issu Is sue e 41 415 5 22 Ja Janu nuar ary; y; Is Issu sue e 42 425 5 11 Jun June; e; Is Issu sue e 43 430 0 20 Aug ugus ust; t; Is Issu sue e 43 437 7 26 No Nov vem embe berr

67

 

Problem s Sol Solv ved Problems esss a depa part rted ed fr friien end’ d’ss web ebsi sitte? How do I acces   I join joined ed the the RA RAF F in 1952 1952,, along along with with 230 oth others ers.. To keep keep in touc touch h we hav have a websit ebsite e at www.70th entryhalton.talktalk.net that,

username will be 70th_entry_ be 70th_entry_ [email protected]  but we cannot tell you the password. Assuming your friend’s wife doesn’t know it, or can’t guess it,

desig igned ned until rec until recent ent  y , was des and and kept ept up to da datte by our our webmaster webm aster.. Unfortunatel Unfortunately y, he has has no now w pa passe ssed d  w y . I have volun voluntee teere red d to take take the the job on on,, bu butt we ha hav ve no in info form rmat atio ion n as to how how he lo log gged on to th the e site. ite. We ha hav ve bee been n in touc touch h wi with th the the chap chap’s ’s wi wife fe an and d she she ha hass giv given us a folder folder of inf inform ormat ation ion,, but but the there re was no nothi thing ng in the the pa paper perw work ork to help help us. us. Are Are you able ble to gu guid ide e me in the rig right ht dir direct ection ion? ?

then you (or more likely the widow) will need to contact TalkTalk’s bereavement team at www.snipca.com/14386 . Once you’ve obtained the password you’ll be able to log in to the FTP server to manage the website’s websit e’s words and images in whatever way you choose. From the website’s source website’s source code (right-click and choose ‘View source’ or ‘View page source’) we can see that your friend designed this website using a program called WebSite X5. You can download a free version of this

Q

David Dav id Porter

To main maintain tain the websit website e of som someon eone e who has pas passed sed aw away ay,, retri retriev eve e lo login gin det detail ails s fr from om the site’s site’s host host and and go to the the FT FTP P serv server er

  First, we discovered that your website website is actually actually at www.70th_entry_halton. talktalk.net (with talktalk.net  (with underscores in the web address). We don’t think this is part of  your problem, per se, but the underscores will be b e important later.

A

To access and update this website’s contents you’ll need to visit what’s contents what’s known as the FTP the FTP serv  , which you’ll find by going to ftp://www.70th_entry_ to ftp://www.70th_entry_ halton.talktalk.net.. At this point, you’ll be halton.talktalk.net asked for a username and password. e

from  www.snipca.com/14388 from  www.snipca.com/14388.. is program includes built-in FTP tools, so you’ll be able to download all existing assets from TalkTa alkTalk’s lk’s FTP serv  , letting you continue the job of  maintaining the site.

How do I syn yncc my Ou Outl tloo ook k cal alen end dar to my Noki kia a phone?   I us use e the the cale calend ndar ar in Mi Micr cros osof oftt Outl Ou tloo ook k 20 2010 10 on my Win indo dow ws 7 PC to ar arrran ang ge al alll my appoint app ointmen ments ts and meet meeting ings. s. Whe When n I’m out out an and d abou about, t, I al also so use use my No Noki kia a Lumi Lumia a 625 625 phon phone, e, on to whi hich ch I down downlo load ad my

emails with your mail provider’s serv provider’s serv  . Open Outlook 2010 on your comput  , select the File tab, then click Info. Click Account Settings in the Account Information section followed by Account Settings, then look for the account type

email em ails s astorequi resyn quire red. d.onise I’ I’m mew on onder dering ing if it it’s ’s poss possible ible synchr chronis my Outlo Outlook ok ca calen lendar dar with with my phone phone? ? I’m I’m qui quite te ha happ ppy y to do this this by conn connec ecti ting ng my phon phone e to th the e PC vi via a a USB ca cabl ble, e, bu butt I don don’t know know how how. Ca Can n you tell tell me if this this is possi pos sible ble an and d wh what at sof softw twar are e I’ll I’ll nee need? d?

in Next, the Type column. switch to your Lumia phone

Q

Richard Rich ard M Pri Price ce

  You can do this without without connecting your Lumia to your PC and without installing additi add itiona onall softw softwar are, e, th thoug ough h you you will need need a Microsoft account. You might already have one of these if you use Hotmail or Outlook.com, for example. But if not, sign up for free at https://signup.live.com at  https://signup.live.com.. You don’t have to use your Microsoft email address to send and receive email, though of course you are free to do so. Next, in Outlook 2010, find out if you are using Microsoft Exchange to sync

A

Sync ync Outl Outloo ook k 20 2010 10 wi with th your your mob mobil ile e pho phone ne by signing sign ing up with a Micr Microso osoft ft ac accou count nt

and tap Settings, followed by ‘email+accounts’ ‘email+accoun ts’ and then ‘add an account’. account ’. If you’re using Exchang Exchange, e, tap Outlook; otherwise tap ‘Microsoft account’. account ’. Type your username and password. Your calendars will now sync whenever whenever your Lumia has an internet connection.

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  st ix ixe es

VLC

Stream Stre am online online vide video o witho without ut bufferi buff ering, ng, fix so sound und pr probl oblem ems s and mak ma ke HD vide videos os pla play y smoo smoothl thly y

HD vi video deos s don don’t ’t pl play ay sm smoo oothl thly y High-definitio High-defin ition n (HD) video is increasi increasingl ngly y co comm mmon on on ou ourr TVs TVs an and d on the the inte intern rnet et,, an and d man many video video do down wnlo load adss now now come come in th thee HD MKV MKV fo form rmat at.. You can can pla play MKV MKV vi vide deo o files files in VL VLC, C, but but th thee fo form rma at us uses es a lot lot of memo memory, and and you ma may y fin find d th that at your your vid video eo la lags gs and and st stut utte ters rs as it pla plays ys.. You can can fix th this is by twea tweakin king g VLC’ VLC’ss set settin tings. gs. Go to Tools, ools, Pref Prefer erenc ences, es, the then n sele select ct All All at th thee bot bottom le left ft of th thee Simp Simple le change gess th thee Prefere Pref erences nces window. is chan na name me of th thee wind window ow to Adv Advance anced d Pr Pref efer erenc ences es and pr prov ovide idess a list list of opt option ionss in a pane pane on the the le left ft.. Cl Clic ick k the the arr arrow ne next xt to ‘Inp ‘Input ut / Co Code decs cs’, ’, cl clic ick k the the arro arrow w next next to ‘V ‘Video ideo cod codecs ecs’’ and then then cli click ck ‘F ‘FFm Fmpeg peg’. ’.

www w. to re repl plac acee yo your ur defa defaul ultt one. one. Go to ww snipca.com/14594,, clic snipca.com/14594 click k Down Downlo load ad an and d save save the LU LUA A file (endin (ending g in ‘y ‘you outu tube.l be.lua ua’) ’) to your your VL VLC C ins insta talla llatio tion n dir direct ecto ory, whic wh ich h you’ll ou’ll find find at C:\Program Files\ VideoLAN\VLC\lua\playlist . Cl Clic ick k Yes if  you you’re pro prompt mpted ed to repla replace ce the file tha that’ t’ss already alre ady ther there. e. In newe newerr ve versi rsions ons of VL VLC, C, the ‘pla ‘playli ylist st’’ folde folderr ma may y con conta tain in LUAC LUAC file filess ins inste tead ad of  LUA LUA files files.. If that that’s ’s th thee case case,, dele delete te the the ‘you ‘youtu tube.l be.luac uac’’ file from from the fo folde lderr onc oncee you’ve you ’ve dow download nload the ‘youtu ‘youtube.lua be.lua’’ file.

Video str stream eams s keep buff buffering ering If you you’re try trying ing to wat atch ch a YouT ouTube ube video video (or (or an any y ot othe herr onli online ne vide video) o) in VLC VLC an and d it bu buffe ffers rs for for a long long time time,, you shou should ld be abl blee to fix it by ch chan angi ging ng th thee Stre Streami aming ng Buffer Buffer set settin tings gs to sui suitt your your internet internet connection connection.. Click Tools, Pref Prefere erences, nces, then sel select ect All at the botto bottom-l m-left eft corner corner of the Simple Simple Pref Prefer erenc ences es win wind dow. Cli Click ck ‘Str ‘Stream eam ou outp tput ut’’ in the lef leftthand hand pa pane ne,, chan change ge th thee numb number er in th thee ‘Str ‘Stream eam ou outp tput ut mixer mixer cac cachin hing’ g’ box box to an anyt ythin hing g betw betwee een n 2,0 2,000 00 and and 3,000, 3,00 0, the then n cli click ck Sa Save ve.. is set settin ting g

In th thee righ rightt-han -hand d pane pane,, cl clic ick k th thee dr drop opdo down wn menu menu next next to ‘S ‘Ski kip p th thee loop loop fil filte terr fo forr H. H.26 264 4 deco decodin ding’ g’,, then then clic click k All (see scree screenshot nshot above). above).

ouTube ube vide videos os won’t YouT play pl ay in VL VLC C To pla play y a You ouT Tub ubee video video in VLC, VLC, pres presss Ctrl Ctrl+N +N,, th then en pa past stee the the UR URL L of the the YouT ouTube video video in into to the the text text bo box. x. is shou should ld le lett you pl pla ay it with withou outt bei being ng harassed har assed by YouTube’s ouTube’s adverts adverts and other annoy annoyances. ances. Howe However ver,, pasting pasting the URL doesn’t doesn’t alw always wor ork. k. If so so,, yo you u ma may y ne need ed to download dow nload a YouT ouTube ube ‘play ‘playlist list’’ file (LU (LUA) A)

sound devic sound device. e. In the Sim Simple ple Pref Prefer erenc ences es click ck Re Reset set Pref Prefer erenc ences, es, the then n window, cli cli click ck Sa Save ve to bring bring your your sou sound nd set settin tings gs back bac k to the their ir defaul defaultt worki working ng order order..

Vid ideo eo pi pictu cture re is to too o da dark rk VL VLC’s C’s defau default lt pictur picturee set settin tings gs are are desi design gned ed to suit suit mo most st vi vide deos os,, but but th they ey won’t on’t be id idea eall fo forr ev ever ery y vi vide deo o you pl y. You can ad adjus justt the pict pictur uree set settin tings gs wh while ile a vide video o is pla playin ying. g. Clic Click k Tool ools, s, ‘Effec ‘Effects ts an and d Fi Filt lter ers’ s’,, th then en go to the the Vid ideo eo Effect Effectss ta tab. b. Tic Tick k ‘I ‘Ima mage ge adjust adjust’’ and mo move ve the

You can can’t ’t he hear ar your vi video deos s

bright brightnes nesssthe slid slider er up. uptness, . Onc Once yo you u’v ’ve e bably incr increased eased brigh brightness ,eyo you’ll u’ll probabl pro y need need to turn urn up th thee co cont ntrras astt as wel ell, l, to pr prev even entt the vid video eo loo looking king wash ashed ed out out Remember ber to unt untick ick ‘I ‘Ima mage ge and grai grai y. Remem ad adjus just’ t’ aft after er wat atchi ching ng the vid video eo,, or the se sett ttin ings gs will will be too too brig bright ht fo forr norm normal al-quality qual ity videos. videos.

If th thee au audi dio o sudd sudden enly ly go goes es sil silen ent, t, first first te test st th thee soun sound d on your our PC by clic clicki king ng th thee speak spe aker er icon icon at the botto bottom-r m-righ ightt of your your Deskt Des ktop op and clickin clicking g seve severa rall poin points ts in the slide sliderr. If you hear hear a ‘din ding’ g’ soun sound, d, th then en yo you u ne need ed to fix your our VLC VLC au audio dio se setttings tings.. In VL VLC, C, cli click ck Tool ools, s, Pref Prefer erenc ences, es, then then Audi Audio o in th thee left left-h -han and d pane pane.. Make Make sure sure ‘Ena ‘Enable ble au audio dio’’ is tic ticke ked d and the the ‘Out ‘Output put module mod ule’’ dr dropd opdow own n is set to Au Auto toma matic tic.. If th thes esee are are in orde orderr an and d th thee prob proble lem m persists, persis ts, your your adv advanced anced sound sound settings settings may ma y ha hav ve been been chan change ged d in a soft softw ware are up upda date te or when hen you conn connec ecte ted d a new new

Tick ‘Image ‘Image adjust’ adjust’ to tweak tweak brig brightn htness ess and contra con trast st whi while le you’re you’re watchi watching ng a vide video o

Cl Click ick Al Alll in the ‘S ‘Ski kip p the lo loop op filt filter er’’ drop dropdo down wn men menu u to fix fix jit jitter tery y HD video videos s

use uses s yo your ur.PC’s PC’ RAM to he lperent spee sp eed d up videos vid eos. Tr Try ys enteri ent ering nghelp diff differ ent valu alues es into into this this st stre ream am outp output ut fiel field d an and d moni monito torr th thee impa impact ct on yo your ur buffe bufferi ring ng time timess to work ork out out the the id idea eall set settin ting g for for your your intern internet et connec connectio tion. n.

Click Click Res Reset et Pref Prefer erenc ences es to re restor store e def defaul aultt audio audio se setti tting ngs s and and get your your soun sound d back back

69

70

7 – 20Janua 20January ry 2015 2015

Next issue ue Fas Fastt Fix Fixes es for for… … Fil File e Exp Explor lorer  er  Next iss

 

Broa oadban dband d De Deals als Br Call  FREE   on  0800 542 4709 to 4709  to switch your broadband today Provider

Package Name

 

Monthly Price

Contract Length

Broadband   Speed

£9.99

12

17Mbps

  unlimited

12

17Mbps

 

18

17Mbps

 

£14.99

18

(FREEfor 6 mon months) ths)

months

38Mbps  

Allowance

  First-year Cost* CHEAPEST

1

 

Plusnet: Broadb Broadband and & Call Calls s

 

2

3

 

TalkTalk: Broadb Broadband and

 

4

 

5

 

8

9

 

Plusnet: Plusne t: Fibre Broadba Broa dband nd & Cal Calls ls

Sky: Broadb Broadband and & Call Calls s

 

6

7

EE: Broadb Broadband and & Call Calls s

TalkTalk Talk Talk Fibre Broadband

Virgin: Broadb Broadband and & Call Calls s

EE: Fib Fibre re Bro Broadb adband and & Call Calls s

(£2.50 for (£2.50 12 months)

£9.95 (£2.50 for (£2.50 12 months)

£3.50

(HALFPRICE for6 months) months)

£7.50

months

months

max sp speed

max sp speed

max sp speed

max sp speed

 

12

17Mbps

18

38Mbps  

18

50Mbps  

£19.95

18

(£5for 3 months) months)

months

38Mbps  

per mo month

£13.50 (HALFPRICE for6 months) months)

£17.50 (£1 (£12 2 for 12 months)

ldkjkllkjfkjfkj a;kaslklask £20.00 Sky Sky:: Fib Fibre re Broadb Bro adband andASJD LJ  LKJ LK per mo month & Call Ca lls slasjfhlajsf

 

months

months

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18 months

max s sp peed

max sp speed

max sp speed

max sp speed

38Mbps   max s sp peed

£30.00

unlimited **

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unlimited

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unlimited

£89.94

unlimited

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unlimited

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unlimited **

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unlimited

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unlimited

£240.00

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ajflkasjflkjsf  10

 

Virgin: Broadb Broadband and & Call Calls s

£30.00

18

(£24.50 for (£24.50 12 months)

months

152Mbps   max sp speed

FASTEST unlimited **

£2

.00

Call FREE Call  FREE   on on 0800  0800 542 4709 4709 for  for impartial switching advice Terms & Conditions apply - see ISP sites for details *First-year cost does not include line rental. Cost is calculated at monthly price x12 with all introductory offers subtracted. Additional charges incurred outside of free inclusive calls not included in rst-year cost. ** Fair-usage or restriction policy applies. www.broadbandgenie.co.uk. Correct  Correct as of 15/12/2014 15/12/2014 Data supplied by  by  www.broadbandgenie.co.uk.

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72   7 – 20Janua 20January201 ry2015 5  

 Ja  Jargon Buster 1080p Of thecomm thecommon on type types s of high-defin highdefinition ition vide video, o, this is the bestt qual bes quality: ity: 1920x1 1920x1080 080 pix pixels. els. 32bit A measu measure re of how how muc much h inf informa ormation tion a com compute puterr can pro proces cess s at onc once. e. Mos Mostt old older er compute com puters rses areare64bit 32bit 32bit,, mor more moder modern n on ones are64bit. . e 64bit A tech technol nology ogy that pro proces cesses ses inf informa ormation tion in larg larger er chun chunks. ks. Mos Mostt modern mode rn com compute puters rs are 64bit 64bit..

name me fo forr a Directory Anold na computer fold r. image ge A file file tha thatt co conta ntains ins all Disc ima the inf infor ormat mationfrom ionfrom a CD or DVD VD.. Someti Som etimes mes know known n as an ISO ISO..

LTE A sh shor ortt te term rm fo forr 3GP 3GPP P Long ong  r DNS Domain Dom ain Name Serv .s A tech technol nology ogy that asso associate ciates compute com puters rs with their addr address esses es on th the e int intern ernet. et.

T erm Evolu Ev tion, , one standard stan forile ve very ry fast fa stolution tr trans ansfe fer r of dat data a dard on mob mobile network netw orks, s, pro produc duced ed by the 3rd Generation Generatio n Partner Project.

Dual cor core e When two proce processors ssors arecombined arecombine d int into o a sin singl gle e chi chip. p.

MB/s Mega Megabyt bytes es per second. second.

720p A com common mon res resolut olution ion of high-defin highdefinition ition vide video: o: 1280x 1280x720 720 pixels.

Duplex printing Prin Printing ting on both both sid sides es of a she sheet et of paper paper..

802.11n A stan standard dard for wire wireles less s network netw orks s that allo allows ws for high transfer transf er speeds.

EXE A pr progr ogram am filedesig filedesigne ned d to runin Wind indow ows. s. Nam Named ed aft after er the file extensi extension on .exe. .exe.

ADF Automatic Docume Document nt Feed r. A devi device ce tha thatt feedssheet feedssheets s of paperinto paperinto a photo photoco copie pierr or

EXIF Exchan Exchangabl gable e Imag Image e File File Fo Forma rmat. t. A met metho hod d fo forr stori storing ng extr extra a inf inform ormati ation, on, such such as the date, date, tim time e

one e ata ti time me.. scann r, on

and came camera ra mod model, el, inside inside digit digital al photo files photo files..

Adware Unw Unwante anted d adv adverts erts that come com e with sof softwa tware. re. Ap App p laun launcher cher An ap app p that that change cha nges s how how the An Andro droid id hom home e scr screen een looks looks and works works,, espe especial cially ly for mana managing ging and open opening ing apps apps..

Light-Em t-Emittin itting g Diod Diode. e. An LED Ligh electro elec tronic nic dev device ice that emits light light.. Used Use d on almo almost st all ele electro ctronic nic device dev ices, s, and to pro provide vide the bac backlig klight ht for som some e LC LCDs. Ds.

Firmware Basi Basicc softwa software re stor stored ed on a de devi vice ce,, su suchas chas a mu musi sicc contr ntrol ol its op oper erati ation on.. play r, to co Cansometim Cansome times es be upg upgra radedin dedin a pro proces cess s often often called called flash flashing. ing.

BASIC A simpl simple e pro progra gramming mming language.

storage age A data data stora storage ge Flash stor device dev ice that incl include udes s flash memory memory with an integ integrat rated ed USB inter interfa face. ce.

Beta A version version of soft softwar ware e that that’s ’s being test being tested. ed. Beta versio versions ns are often ofte n rel releas eased ed so prob problems lems can be iro ironedout. nedout.

FTP File Transfer Transfer Protoc Protocol. ol. A sy system stem for for tra transf nsferrin erring g file files s between betw een com compute puters. rs. Often use used d when uploadin uploading g website websites. s.

Megapixel A me meas asur ure e ofthe amoun amo untt of det detail ail that that canbe rec recor ordedby dedby a dig digita itall ima image. ge. A one one-me -megap gapix ixel el ima image ge is mad made e up of a mil millio lion n dots dots (pi (pixe xels) ls).. RAM. Memory See RAM. MicroSD A sma small ll ty type pe of memory memory car card. d. Ca Can n be co conv nvert erted ed to SD siz size e usi using ng an adapt adapt r. Micro SIM A sma Micro small ller er ve versi rsion on of SIM card cards s us used ed in mob mobile ile phon phones es.. Commonl Com monly y found found in smart smartphon phones. es. Motherboard e mai main n circui circuitt boar board d ins inside ide every every PC int into o wh which ich all othe otherr part parts s con connect nect.. Noise Visibl Visible e dust-like dust-like speckle speckles s tha thatt app appea earr in some some camer camera a and TV ima image ges. s. In photo photos, s, the they y are are cause cau sed d bythe camer camera’s a’s ow own n sensor. In TV imag images es,, th theycan eycan be cause cau sed d bythe TV’s TV’s pro proce cess ssor or or by a fla flaw w in thebroa thebroadc dcastsigna astsignall its itself elf..

ory . RAM Random-access   e com compute puter’s r’s wo workin rking g are area, a, us used ed fo forr dat data a stora storage ge wh whilethe ilethe PC is switc switche hed d on on.. Its cap capaci acity ty is measure mea sured d in mega megabyt bytes es (MB): th the e more more mem memoryyou oryyourr PC has has,, th the e more more thing things s it can can pro proce cess ss

simultaneously. Ransomware Mal Malwa ware re run by hack hackerswho erswho take take ov over er yo your ur PC and and dem demanda anda paym paymentto entto rel releas ease e it. RFID Radio Frequen Frequency cy Ide Identi ntific ficati ation on.. A tin tiny y chip chip that that can can be implanted implanted into goo goods, ds, animals animals and ev even en people, people, which which transmit transmits s inform inf ormati ation on aboutthe aboutthe ite item m it is attache atta ched d to. e Pet Passpo Passport rt schem scheme e us uses es RFID RFID ch chips ips to identify animals. Rootkit Soft Softwar ware e that giv gives es a malicious user administration administration rightsand rightsand acce access ss to a co compu mputt r. SD car card d Sec Secur ure e Digita Digitall card card.. A popul popular ar ty type pe of memorycard memorycard.. Sensor e pa part rt ofthe came camera ra that capt captures ureseac each h image image.. Analo Ana logo gous us to a pie piece ce of film on a filmcamer filmcamera. a. Server A co compu mputer ter on a net netwo work, rk, such such as the theinte interne rnet, t, that that dist distribu ributes tes inf informa ormation tion to oth other er PCs PCs.. Sour Source ce code Set of instruct instructions ions writt written en by pr prog ogra ramme mmers rs that that tel telll a pro progra gram m ho how w to fun function ction..

Open sour source ce Soft Softwa ware re that can Boot defr defrag ag Reo Reorgan rganises isesthe the data stor stored ed ona ha harddri rddriv ve sofile sofiles s are are stor stored ed in on one e pi piec ece e an and d can can be acc access essed ed quic quickl kly y as your your PC boo boots. ts. Botnet A gro group up of inf infect ected ed computers computer s conne connected cted together viathe intern internet, et, andused to inf infect ect other other PC PCs, s, sen send d jun junk k ema emailil and perform perf orm othe otherr crimi criminal nal task tasks. s. tempora orary ry spac space e for Cache A temp storing stor ing inf informa ormation tion.. Can be memoryused mem oryused on a co compu mputer ter pr proc oces esso sorr, or spac space e on a hard hard dri driv ve used used by a web web brow brows s r.

Grap Graphics hics card A comp compon onen entt in a compute com puterr that pro produc duces es the imag image e shown sho wn on the mo monit nitor.

be mo modifi dified ed byany byanyon one, e, rathe ratherr than than  just by the employ employees ees of the com compan pany y that created created it.

HDMI High-definition media interfac inter face. e. A type type of con connect nection ion that tra transmit nsmits s highhigh-defin definition ition vide video o and audio aud io sig signal nals. s. It is fo foundon undon man many y new new TV TVs, s, med media ia PCs PCs and and hig highhdefinition defin ition pro product ducts s such as Blu-r Blu-ray ay dis discc pla playe yers rs andthe Play PlaySta Statio tion n3 and Xbo Xbox x 360 game games s con consol soles. es.

Plug-in A sma small ll pr progr ogram am that that adds add s extr extra a fe featu ature res s to yo your ur we web b bro browse wserr or to othe otherr appl applicat ications ions,, andis lo loade aded d onl only y wh when en it’s it’s needed.

Hotkey A keyset up toperf toperfor orm m a com comple plex x actio action. n.

Cookie A sm smal alll textfile textfile st stor oredon edon your your com compute puterr by a web website. site.

ISO A typeof typeof imag image e file file that that cont contai ains ns al alll the the da data ta froma froma CD or DVD dis disc. c.

CPU Centr Central al Proc Processing essing Unit. Anothe Ano therr ter term m for for a co compu mputer ter processor.

JPEG Joint Photogr Photograph aph Experts Group Gro up.. A co commo mmon n ty type pe of ima image ge file created created by digital digital came cameras ras..

Processor e pr proc oces esso sorr – or ce centr ntral al pr proc oces essin sing g uni unitt – is th the e br brain ain of a co compu mputt r. PUPs Potential Potentially ly unwa unwanted nted programs, progra ms, usuall usually y down downloaded loaded with oth other er sof softwa tware. re. Quad cor core e A co compu mputer ter th that at hasfour pr proc oces esso sors rs on a sin singl gle e chi chip, p, wh whichallo ichallows ws it to op oper erate ate fas faster ter than standard standard (sing (single-c le-core) ore) computers.

SSD Solid-state drive. Storag Storage e th that, at, unl unlik ike e a hard hard driv ve, e, us uses es no moving moving part parts. s. Faster Faster but more expensive expen sive than conv conventional entional hard drives. System tem Rest Restore ore Point e Sys col collec lection tion of sy system stem file files s stored stored bySystem bySys tem Resto Restore re on a giv given en dat date e and and tim time e to wh whichWin ichWindo dows ws can re rever vertt if a pro problem blem occurs occurs.. Triple-core Whe When n thre three e pro proces cessors sorsare are com combine bined d into a sin singl gle e chip. chip. US USB B 2.0 Faster Faster succes successor sor to USB th that’ at’s s us used ed bydevice bydevices s such such as ext externa ernall hard driv drives. es. Unicode An enc encodin oding g sy system stem for the represen representatio tation n of char character acters s in software softw are technol technology ogy..

7 – 20Jan 20Janua uary ry 20 2015 15  

The e Fin Final al Str tra aw Th STUART STU ART ANDREWS is

Computeractive’s MrAng MrAngry ry

Tis Ti s is issu sue e tu tuar artt nd ndre rew ws is pl plag ague ued d by…

Printter pr Prin prob obllems rint rinter erss and and I hav have a lo long ng an and d painful hist histo ory. Fr From om hellish hellishly ly noisy noi sy dot matri matrix x printe printers rs with with pa pape perr fe feeds eds th that at wou ould ld ch chew ew up my work work,, to per person sonal al lasers lasers that that woul ould d go wi wild ld an and d prin printt a lin linee of gi gibb bber eris ish h acro across ss 40 pa pages ges,, I’ I’ve ve hated hated alm almost ost ev every ery single single one.. Yet my lat one lates estt pri print nter er has take taken n th thin ings gs to a whol wholee ne new w le lev vel. el. It It’s ’s no nott  just incompete incompetent nt or belligere belligerent, nt, it’s act actual ually ly holdin holding g me to ra ranso nsom. m.

 

say say tha thatt third third-pa -part rty y inks don don’t ’t delive deli verr the same same qualit quality y, but as mostt of my prin mos printt-ou outs ts are are fairl fairly y prosai pro saicc docum document ents, s, I can’t can’t say say I’m bother bothered. ed. ey say say th that at th their eir inks inks last last long longer er and and ensur ens uree my prin printe terr keeps keeps running runnin g smooth smoothly. I’m not convin convinced ced.. ey als also o claim claim to inve invest st millio mil lions ns of dolla dollars rs in

I won on’t ’t name name and and sham shamee th thee ma mak ke or model, but model, but it’s it’s a wir wirele eless ss office-f office-frie riendl ndly y inkje ink jett from from a wellell-kn know own n br bran and. d. By th thee stand standar ards ds of my ot other her printe printers rs it it’s ’s qui quiet et and re reaso asona nabl bly y effic efficien ient. t. But But ov over er the pas pastt

ink resea researc rch, h, but this is som someth ething ing I’m I’m happ happy y to file under und er ‘not ‘not my proble pro blem m’. In th thee end end,, I to told ld my prin printter it could cou ld forg forget et th thee goo good d st stuff uff.. It was time time to swit switch ch fro from m Dom Perig Perignon non to Cava Cava,, from from Belg Belgia ian n Trap Trappis pistt Be Beer er to a pint pint of  ch chea eap p lage lagerr. In an ag agee of au aust ster eriity, we all ne need ed to mak make do wi with th secon second d bes best. t. Well, the manufac manufactur turers ers were were right about abo ut one thi thing: ng: swit switchi ching ng to thi third rd-pa -part rty y in inks ks ha hass led led to prob proble lems ms.. e firs first se sett of  inkss th ink thre rew w up odd odd warnin arnings gs an and d grum grumpy py

I thr threa eate ten n the prin printe terr with wi th a pr pre etty vi vici ciou ouss kicki ki cking ng if it do does esn’ n’tt men end d its ways ys.. It tel ells ls me th tha at it’s ru run n ou outt of blac bl ack k ink

year year I’ I’ve ve not notice iced d a dispar disparit ity y betwe between en the ink ink it uses uses up and and th thee pauc paucit ity y of it itss act actua uall outp output ut.. It al alw way ayss ap appea pears rs to be runnin running g lo low w, an and d see seems ms to ta take ke gr grea eatt pl plea easu sure re in warnin arning g me of th this is,, ev even en when when I know know it has has plen plentty of in ink k le left ft.. I ca can n’t he help lp but but notice not ice that that the ma manuf nufact actur urer er’s ’s ink is, shall sha ll we sa say y, exor exorbit bitant antly ly pric priced. ed. Wh What at is th this is stuff stuff ma made de of? Ca Cavi viar ar an and d crus crushe hed d scarab scar ab beetles? beetles? Now Now, I’ I’m m full fully y awar aree of al alll th thee ar argum gumen ents ts in fa favo vour ur of only only using using manufact manu facture urers’ rs’ inks. Printer Printer comp companies anies

messa mes sage ges, and now no wing mgytool printe prin seems ms he hell ll-be -bent nts,on do down wnin to olss ter fo forrr see go good od. .I do don n’t ac actu tual ally ly sit sit ne next xt to my prin printt r. It liv lives in a spar sparee room room up upst stair airs, s, while hile I work work downs downsta tairs irs at the kit kitche chen n ta table ble.. Becau Bec ause se of this this I te tend nd to pr prin intt some someth thin ing, g, th then en pop pop up late laterr to see what what has has em emer erge ged. d. With Wit h thir third-par d-party ty cartridg cartridges es installed installed,, the an answ swer er is us usua uall lly y a bi big g fat fat zil zilch ch.. Now Now, I ex expec pectt th thee prin printe terr to mo moan an about abo ut my use of thir third-p d-part arty y ink cartri cartridge dges, s, so I just just igno ignore re thos thosee mess messag ages es.. What What I do don n’t ex expec pectt is to prin printt a docu docume ment nt,, go upsta ups tairs irs and find the pri print nter er hasn hasn’t bu budg dged ed an in inch ch.. Ins Inste tead ad,, in a fit of pi piqu que, e, it sh show owss a bran brand d ne new w thir thirdd-pa part rty y ink err error or messa message ge on its int intern ernal al scr screen een.. I pres presss th thee OK bu buttton to force orce it to print. prin t. It go goes es ahe ahead, ad, the then n one mis miser erab able le blank blan k pag pagee churn churnss ou out. t. I swear swear lou loud dly, run run down down to my desk desk,, pres presss prin print, t, cl clic ick k thr throu ough gh the warn arning ing,, then then run bac back k

upstairs upsta irs.. e prin printe terr repea repeats ts it itss err error or mess me ssag age. e. I pres presss OK. OK. It prin prints ts half half a page page as a te teas ase, e, then then spit spitss out out th thee re rest st bl blan ank, k, whil hilee it cont contin inue uess it itss lit littl tlee stro strop. p. I re repea peatt the the cycl cyclee and and thre threat aten en the the prin printe terr wi with th a pret pretty ty vi vicio cious us kic kickin king g if it does doesn n’t mend mend it itss ways. ys. It te tells lls me that that it it’s ’s run run out out of  bl blac ack ink ink. . It hasn ha sn’t ’t. . e ca cart rtri ridg dgeetly is over over half ha lf kfull and was printi pri nting ng per perfec fectl y well we ll ven n when when my docu docume ment nt yesterd y. Eve final finally ly prin prints ts an and d I th thin ink k I’v ’vee won, on, I know know it it’s ’s go goin ing g to sulk sulk agai again n tomo tomorr rrow. All this this tr trou oubl blee is so arti artific ficia ial. l. Manufact Manu facture urers rs apply apply tech technolo nology gy tha thatt shou should ld be help helpin ing g us (by (by te telli lling ng us how how muc uch h in ink k we hav have le left ft)) to pers persua uade de us to buy buy th thei eirr own own bran brand d in ink k an and d th ther ereb eby y lo look ok af afte terr th thei eirr own bott bottom om lin line. e. At best best it it’s ’s rest restric ricti tive ve;; at wors worst, t, a tota totall sc scam am.. Wel ell, l, I’m go goin ing g to fix my li litt ttle le prob proble lem. m. If I can can’t use use what whatev ever er ink I lik likee ’lll find find a new new prin printter th tha at’s in my prin printt r, I’l les lesss fussy fussy. And the cur curre rent nt mod model? el? Enj Enjoy oy the recycli recycling ng plant, plant, you [exple [expletiv tivee deleted, delet ed, exple expletiv tivee deleted, deleted, expletiv expletivee deleted]! Do you agree agree with with Stuart Stuart? ? Let us know know at lette letters@c rs@compu omputer teractiv active.co e.co.uk .uk

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7 – 20 Janu Januar ary y 2015 2015

Next Ne xt is issu sue e St Stua uart rt ge gets ts an angr gry y ab abou outt th the e se selfi lfie e st stic ick  k 

 

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