Table of contents for 675 in Computeractive

More than 240 million computers could be sent to landfill when support for Windows 10 ends, analysts have said. Researchers from Canalys (www.snipca.com/48845) estimated that the electronic waste could weigh 480 million kilograms, equivalent to 320,000 cars. They added that while computers running Windows 10 should continue to work after Microsoft ends support in October 2025, people will be reluctant to keep using them because they won’t receive any more security updates. The figure of 240 million represents the number of computers that lack the technical requirements to run Windows 11. Canalys said this is about a fifth of all Windows 10 PCs. Many of these machines in good condition could be resold, Canalys said, but retailers wouldn’t be keen to refurbish computers running an unsupported operating system. In December,…

Amazon is introducing adverts on Prime Video and will charge viewers £2.99 a month to remove them. It follows similar moves by rival streaming services Disney+ and Netflix. In an email sent to Prime members just after Christmas, Amazon said that “limited advertisements” in shows and films will begin on 5 February. It added that the change will “allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time”. Amazon promised that there will be “meaningfully fewer ads” than on TV channels and other streaming services – a claim it also made last September when first announcing plans to add adverts (see www.snipca.com/48885). However, even if people pay to remove ads, live content such as sport will continue to include them. The…

Banks will be forced to refund most victims of bank-transfer fraud under new rules set by the Payment Systems Regulator. The changes affect ‘authorised push payment’ (APP) fraud, in which you get tricked into paying money into a scammer’s account. This typically happens when the criminal poses as someone from your bank, or as a person or company you owe money to. Currently, only banks that have signed up to a 2019 voluntary code of practice must refund victims. But from 7 October 2024 tougher rules will compel banks, building societies and prepaid card firms to reimburse victims. Banks will normally have five working days to return your money after you report the scam. However, in complex cases banks have 35 days to seek extra evidence from you and from…

Search newspapers on Findmypast Local newspapers are full of priceless information and colourful stories that help you discover more about your ancestors. One of the best online collections is at Findmypast (www.snipca.com/48754), where subscribers can search 2,335 newspaper titles (covering British and Irish publications) and more than 73 million pages. It has recently improved its search feature to make it easier to find what you’re looking for. We’ll explain what you can now do. Discover which articles are free to access Start with a broad search by typing a name and keyword (such as an event, place or company). You can search by multiple names or keywords if you separate them using commas. The results list articles in order of relevance, with publication details on the right. Click the summary…

MINI PC ❘ £299 from GMKtec www.snipca.com/48726 No Windows pain Some of the mini PCs we review cost almost as much as a typical desktop PC and contain top-notch components that offer high performance levels. Our current favourite mini PC – the Beelink GTR7 7840HS (see page 32) – is a good example of this (£749 from www.snipca.com/47875). The much cheaper GMKtec NucBox M3 simply can’t match those kind of work rates, but given its low price, we were keen to see whether it’s good enough at running everyday Windows programs to make it decent value for those on a tighter budget. “A budget, space-saving PC that handles everyday tasks well and has plenty of ports” Bear in mind that the GMKtec website only accepts payments in US dollars, so…

TABLET ❘ £1,149 from John Lewis www.snipca.com/48791 Having it large Let’s cut to the chase – the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra is Samsung’s best tablet yet. It’s also its most expensive, costing more than many of us would be prepared to spend on a Windows PC. So while we’re giving this tablet five stars, it won’t replace the smaller, cheaper Galaxy Tab S9 as our favourite tablet (see page 30), because we realise it won’t be for everyone. The huge 14.6in screen is a corker, reaching brightness levels of 765cd/m2, which is – quite literally – brilliant. It’s also capable of reproducing 100 per cent of both the sRGB and DCI-P3 colour standards. “Samsung’s best tablet yet offers a brilliant screen and performance” Performance is also superb and leaves other…

Q I am keen to move to an inktank printer but have yet to see one recommended that can match the functions of my existing inkjet. Why no auto duplex print and scan functions? Jan Forbes A Unfortunately, automatic double-sided printing is being phased out of many printers to make them more affordable. Taking a page back into a printer and flipping it over for printing on the other side is a mechanical process, and removing it can keep costs down. Because printer manufacturers can’t rely on you buying lots of ink if you buy an ink-tank model, the price of the printer is kept comparatively high. As such, making small adjustments to the components can keep prices competitive. However, Epson still has a model that uses tanks, has a…

AUDIO PLAYER ❘ £130 from Amazon www.snipca.com/48853 A selection of sources Moving from one musical format to another can be something of a wrench. If you still have a stack of CDs you enjoy listening to, you may not be ready to consign them to your attic or a charity shop in favour of a streaming service such as Spotify. The Majority Oakington can smooth the transition. It can stream music via Bluetooth from your phone or tablet, broadcast DAB and FM radio, and play your favourite CDs. The Oakington is certainly an attractive device, wrapped in a mostly wooden case available in two shades – oak (pictured) or a darker walnut. The front of the device offers two speakers, a small LED screen, eight buttons and a CD slot. On…

What you need: PortableApps.com platform; portable versions of your apps Time required: 15 minutes If you often use portable programs, you may already be familiar with PortableApps.com (www.snipca.com/48787) – a website that lets you download and set up your own personal suite of portable apps on a USB stick for quick and easy access on any computer. The first time you download apps from the site, it will create a folder onyour stick called ‘PortableApps’, from where you can store your collection. The site’s launcher can handle portable apps from any source, meaning you aren’t restricted to just those apps on the site’s directory. You can, therefore, add any app you like to your collection of portable apps. Here, we explain how. STEP 1 A portable app is a program…

Build feedback forms quickly using AI A simple show of hands might be sufficient to determine what biscuits to buy for next week’s meeting, but you’ll need something more sophisticated when planning your next big project. What you need is a dedicated tool that covers the whole process, from setting up the survey and its questions to analysing the results in real time. One of the best programs for this – Microsoft’s Forms – has recently been improved with a host of AI-powered features to make it easier to build forms. Select questions suggested by AI First, download Forms from www.snipca.com/48730, then open the app and click the New Form button. Start by adding a title and description (1 in our screenshot below). As you type words into the title…

A record 94,722 petabytes (PB) of broadband data was used in the UK in 2023, a rise of nine per cent from 2022. The figure comes from Openreach, which manages the cable network that most providers use to supply internet access to customers. One petabyte is equal to 1,000 terabytes (TB) or 1,000,000 gigabytes (GB). To put the figure into context, Openreach said that on average streaming a 4K video uses about 7.2GB an hour. December was the busiest month for broadband use (8,944 PB), followed by November (8,289PB) and October (8,251PB). The busiest day was Boxing Day (342PB), driven by families watching films at home and football fans streaming live matches on Amazon Prime. June had the lowest use of any month, with 7,279PB. Openreach said that Sunday is…

People who sell items on ‘digital platforms’ like eBay, Etsy and Vinted could end up paying more tax on their earnings. New rules that came into force on 1 January compel the sites to share details of transactions with HMRC. Tax authorities hope this will help them identify people who aren’t declaring the extra income. HMRC could already request this information from UK-based sites, but it has now signed up to tougher measures imposed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), as part of a global crackdown on tax dodgers. Under the new regulation, sites must report as a matter of routine how much income sellers make. It covers sales of homemade and second-hand goods, as well as services such as car hire on Uber, food delivery on…

Will providers be sued over mis-selling ‘fibre’? Ofcom’s decision to make companies use the word ‘fibre’ more precisely could lead to lawsuits (Issue 674, page 10, pictured). When I signed up to my provider five years ago, the assistant on the phone described my broadband as ‘fibre’. I took that to mean ‘full fibre’ – ie, fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP). I realised too late that it was only part-fibre - or FTTC. I can’t prove this of course, but I wonder whether all those lawyers launching group claims against tech companies would consider this a case of mis-selling. If so, surely millions of people have been affected? It could turn out to be very expensive for all those companies who turned a blind eye to their sales assistants misusing the term ‘fibre’.…

LAPTOP ❘ £899 from Lenovo www.snipca.com/48731 Lowers the tone Lenovo’s ThinkPads have been stalwarts of the Windows laptop market for decades. In fact, there are so many variations and models, the choice can be bewildering. This – as its name suggests – is the fifth generation of E14 models that come with a 14in screen. There are a number of ‘off-the-shelf’ specifications available, but our review model has been customised to provide a good balance between general Windows performance and price. “Fine for everyday tasks, but the screen lacks vibrancy and the battery is so-so” To buy this model you’ll need to go to the URL above and specify the configuration based on the components we reference here. It’s based upon the 13th-generation Intel Core i7-1355U processor of the basic…

LAPTOP DOCK/PHONE CHARGER ❘ £105 from Dell www.snipca.com/48767 Two of a kind Dell’s Dual Charge Dock is two good ideas rolled into one. First and foremost, it’s a handy laptop dock that’s intended to sit next to your monitor. With its generous selection of ports (one USB-C, four USB 3.0, one DisplayPort, an HDMI and a Gigabit Ethernet) it provides a convenient hub for your computer. Indeed, there are enough ports to connect a wired keyboard and mouse, and just about any other peripherals you might use. It works with any make of laptop, not just Dell models. It has a secondary function as a wireless charger for smartphones that use the Qi standard, which includes most models made in the past few years, except for the very cheapest. It…

What is it? LG has announced the LG Gram Pro 2 in 1 (pictured), which it claims is the lightest 16in laptop-tablet yet. What does it do? Despite its 16in OLED touchscreen, which can be pushed all the way back to use in tablet mode, the device is incredibly thin, measuring just 12.4mm at its thickest. However, at only 1.399kg, LG hopes its gossamer-like weight will be its biggest selling point. What’s the catch? LG was due to officially launch it at CES in Las Vegas, which started on 9 January, so we didn’t have the price at the time of writing. It’s almost certainly going to be a top-of-the-range model, though, so expect a high price. So can I do without it? Yes. It’d be certainly nice to have…

What you need: Windows 10 or 11 Time required: 45 minutes When using Command Prompt, have you ever needed to list the contents of a folder or drive? If so, then the DIR command has you covered. At first glance, that’s all it can do – and in a less visually accessible way than File Explorer. But dig a little deeper and you’ll find ways in which DIR can play a more active role: use it to quickly perform file searches, generate file lists you can open and edit in any text editor, and even confirm that your precious files are safe when Windows refuses to load. Here, we’ll explain how to use this powerful tool. Note that whenever we use yourname, you should replace it with your name as…

What is it? A new key on Windows keyboards that launches Copilot in Windows 11. Microsoft is rather excited about it, claiming it’s a “transformative” moment just as significant as the introduction of the Windows key back in 1994 (see www.snipca.com/48877). Can you remind me what Copilot is? It’s an AI tool launched by Microsoft last February that performs tasks on Windows and searches the internet to answer questions. It’s being added gradually to computers that have installed the ‘Moment 4’ update for Windows 11, released last September. Microsoft is also adding it to Windows 10 PCs, though only for Insiders at the moment. To open Copilot, press Windows key+C, or click its icon in the taskbar (1 in screenshot below). A sidebar will appear on the right where you…

Display a new Bing image every day Whatever your view of Microsoft’s search engine, you have to admire the beautiful background images on its homepage. These change every day and include high-resolution shots of scenic vistas, interesting architecture and eye-catching flora and fauna. To set these as your desktop wallpaper, you can download them individually from online archives, such as Bing Wallpaper Gallery (www.snipca.com/48831), or save time and hassle by using Microsoft’s Bing Wallpaper tool (www.snipca.com/48832). Install this free program, making sure to untick the ‘optional offers’ to set Bing as your browser’s homepage and search engine, and it will apply today’s Bing image as your desktop wallpaper. This will be updated daily with the latest Bing photo. To show previous days, click the Bing icon in your system tray…

More than half of UK homes can now get fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) broadband, according to Ofcom’s latest annual report. Its 2023 Connected Nations Report (www.snipca.com/48829) found that FTTP is available to 57 per cent of households (17 million), up from 42 per cent in 2022, and just 10 per cent in 2019. For the first time, more than half of homes in all four nations can get FTTP, with Northern Ireland far ahead of the rest (see box below). However, only 28 per cent of homes (4.6 million) with access to FTTP have signed up for it. Take-up in rural areas (49 per cent) is nearly double that of urban homes (25 per cent). Three-quarters of homes that can get ‘superfast broadband’ (30Mbps) have taken it. More homes are using satellite…

PRINTER ❘ £199 from Amazon www.snipca.com/48747 Ink well This entry-level A3 printer in Brother’s office range is a four-in-one device (printer, scanner, copier and fax). It combines the brand’s usual features – speedy inkjet printing, touchscreen control and automatic sheet feeder for scanning multi-page documents. It’s fairly affordable and uses ink that you can buy as and when you need it or as part of Brother’s ink-subscription service. “A basic printer that handles A3, produces decent photos and makes quality copies” It looks similar to Brother’s previous models, with an A3 scanner sitting on top and of the printer unit below. The size of the scanner bed determines its large bulk – the whole thing measures 305x576x477mm (HxWxD) and weighs a hefty 19.7kg. It’s tapered at the base, which reduces…

IMAGE-EDITING SOFTWARE ❘ £70 from Corel www.snipca.com/48803 Get the picture PaintShop Pro started off as free software in 1990, but was purchased by Corel in 2004 and has been a major part of the brand’s graphical software stable for nearly 20 years. We’ve tested the latest Pro version in this review, but there’s also an Ultimate version that comes with a few extra tools that most people won’t need. The most significant new tools in the 2023 edition add features for serious photographers, including integrated editing of RAW files and creating greater depth of focus in composite images. There’s also more frame tools for creating pictures within pictures. Most of the core tools remain the same, however, so there isn’t a great need to upgrade unless you want these relatively…

EARBUDS £100 from Amazon www.snipca.com/48768 Now hear this Edifier’s NeoBuds Pro 2 join the ranks of an ever-increasing choice of affordable earbuds that leave us wondering why anyone would spend more on expensive alternatives. They have the kind of features most people want, including active noise cancellation (ANC), ‘hi-res’ audio support, Bluetooth 5.3, a sleek-looking case, and an app that lets you adjust the level of ANC. The danger of offering so many features at this kind of price is that the quality of the audio is often compromised, but that isn’t the case here. The noise cancellation is particularly impressive. During testing we walked along a busy road and the traffic noise – although not eliminated entirely – was pushed well into the background so it didn’t detract from…

As the second most popular website in the world (after Google, see www.snipca.com/48815), YouTube doesn’t need to make huge efforts to attract new viewers. However, in the last few years, it has seemed determined to annoy and alienate existing users, especially those who threaten its business model. The most notable and unwelcome change happened last October, when YouTube started banning ad blockers – despite having no strong objection to them for the first 18 years of its existence. Although most viewers understand that adverts help creators earn money from their content, a huge proportion of videos are shared on YouTube for free (often without copyright holders’ consent) – so who’s really profiting here? But ads aren’t the only problem. YouTube has become cluttered with irritating content such as its TikTok-style…

Technologies rise and fall. Today’s hot new devices will all eventually be superseded, while manufacturers will continue to end support, forcing us to find solutions to keep using what we’ve got. The latest tech to suffer this fate is 3G, which launched in the UK in 2003 and remained the fastest connection for mobile phones until 4G arrived in 2012. With 4G now the norm and 5G becoming common, telecoms regulator Ofcom has set a deadline of 2033 for networks to shut down the last 2G and 3G transmitters (though 2G will survive the longer of the two – see box below). EE and Vodafone are aiming to turn off 3G completely in early 2024, while Three expects to do so by the end of 2024. O2 will start switching…

PROBLEM OF THE FORTNIGHT Why can’t I access email links in my newsletter when I’m abroad? Q When using my Windows 10 laptop in Portugal, none of the links in the weekly email I receive from MoneySavingExpert work. My attempts to visit them are blocked by something called Cloudflare. I just see a page with an ‘I am not a robot’ tick box, but I can’t get past this – it just keeps coming back over and over again. CloudFlare doesn’t seem to be installed on my laptop (not that I can find, anyway) and my identical laptop in the UK doesn’t have this problem. Do you know what Cloudflare is? Does the MoneySavingExpert website itself generate it? More importantly, is there a way to stop it or – better…

You can’t always get what you want, as The Rolling Stones once noted, so I wasn’t too disappointed when Santa again failed to bring me a Google Pixel for Christmas. Instead, I got a new pair of trousers, some comfy slippers and a bottle of nice aftershave. “I wanted to remove the wind from a video of me larking about in the Alps” Besides, I’m happy with my trusty old Motorola phone – well, I was until I read about the Pixel 8’s new Audio Magic Eraser feature (www.snipca.com/48859). Similar to Magic Eraser for photos, which detects and deletes unwanted people from your snaps (see this column in Issue 620), this tool uses machine learning to identify and remove distracting video background noise. It works by separating the audio into…