Table of contents for 571 in Computeractive

I was one of the 20 million people who on 25 December 1989 watched Del, Rodney, Uncle Albert and co visit Margate in The Jolly Boys’ Outing. That episode of Only Fools and Horses has a strong claim to the best slice of Christmas Day TV ever served up by the BBC. But times change. In recent years, Christmas shows on the traditional channels have struggled to reach audiences of six million. Viewers are switching to Netflix, Amazon Prime and YouTube, leaving some to wonder whether the licence fee will survive another decade. As we explain in our Cover Feature, there are already lots of brilliant ways to watch TV without paying £154.50 a year. We don’t pass judgement on whether the licence fee should be axed, but I know…

Microsoft has taken the surprising step of extending support for Security Essentials, despite saying it would end on the same day as Windows 7 - 14 January. As Computeractive reported in Issue 570 (page 6), Microsoft had said Security Essentials was “unique” to Windows 7, and therefore shared the same lifecycle. But answering questions on a Microsoft help forum (www.snipca.com/33672), engineer Mike Cure confirmed that Security Essentials will continue to receive virus signatures, which are bits of code that let antivirus programs identify and block malware. The decision seems to come from the fact that Microsoft will have to update Security Essentials for companies and organisations, such as councils and hospitals, that have paid for extended support. It should be fairly simple for Microsoft to apply these updates to home…

Google has removed four Avast and AVG browser extensions from the Chrome Web Store following accusations that they track how people use the internet. The affected extensions are AVG/Avast Online Security (pictured) and AVG/Avast SafePrice. Wladimir Palant, a researcher from Adblock Plus, reported them to Google and Mozilla (which makes Firefox), claiming they collect enough information to know which websites you visit during a session online. He also said they know what you click on websites, and how long you spend on them. Mozilla and Opera had already removed Avast and AVG from their stores. Mozilla said it was working with Avast, which owns the AVG brand, to address any privacy concerns. “Spying on your users is clearly a violation of the terms that both Google and Mozilla make extension…

Don’t regret ‘mistakes’ like Betamax and VIC-20 I’d like to reassure Thomas Moyes that his “tale of tech woe” (Letters, Issue 570) in buying unpopular gadgets doesn’t mean he made mistakes when purchasing them. He said he regrets buying a Betamax video recorder, but it was actually superior to VHS because it showed pictures at 250 lines (more than the latter’s 240), and had better sound quality. VHS only won because it was cheaper. Even now, four decades on, you’ll find video enthusiasts bitter that VHS won this war. Similarly, he shouldn’t be so negative about the VIC-20 (pictured), which at one point in the early 1980s was the world’s best-selling computer, and had some great games, like Key Quest and Demon Attack. Perhaps he merely bought it too late,…

Rapid rescue from Ink Express Whenever I’ve had printer problems, I’ve always sought help from Ink Express (www.inkexpress.co.uk) – a small firm based in Wolverhampton selling printer cartridges for all the major manufacturers. As well as delivering replacements quickly, they also answer questions you might have. Recently, my Canon printer stopped working. I spoke to Ink Express, and they said it could be caused by my printer’s counter reaching its maximum. I didn’t know what to do, but the sales assistant told me to install one of their programs, and even offered to talk me through how to operate it. I was very grateful for such conscientious guidance. I shall continue to buy from Ink Express, knowing that they’ll come to my rescue if I have problems in future. Stan…

How can I hide sections of a screenshot? Q I often share screenshots of my desktop with members of my local U3A (University of the Third Age) group. Sometimes I would like to hide certain information in my screenshots, such as account numbers and email addresses. Can I do this using Windows 10’s Snipping Tool? Barry Cleveland A We recommend switching to a more advanced screenshot tool, such as PicPick (download it free from http://picpick.app). Follow the installation instructions, then run the program. The options under the Screen Capture heading let you take screenshots of your entire desktop or just sections. Select the option you want, then take your screenshot (you can also load an existing screenshot by clicking Open). The screenshot will now appear in PicPick’s image editor. Click…

PC | £999 from AlphaBetaPC www.snipca.com/33663 Most desktop PCs are basically similar black towers, even if the manufacturers add grilles and stripes to make them look more intesting. This PC is different. By positioning the motherboard next to the power supply unit rather than above it, AlphaBetaPC has created something closer to a cube. Tinted glass plates have been bolted over four sides, leaving a standard backplate for inputs and outputs. The two large fans on the front and top are fitted with multi-coloured LEDs that you can adjust from a remote control. As the graphics card’s fans are also visible (note that the internal components may not exactly match the pictures), the entire PC is reminiscent of a small aquarium hosting a shoal of exotic jellyfish. The layout is…

Q I’d like to set up speakers around my house that play the same music. But systems that do it, like Sonos, seem very expensive. Is it possible with cheaper products? Alan Caxton A Yes and no. You can do it with Amazon’s Echo Dot (pictured), which is often discounted to half its regular price of £50 (see www.snipca.com/33681). This has an output jack if you want to attach higher-quality speakers – although you’d need two Dots for stereo. In the Alexa app, register all your Echo devices with the same Amazon account. You can then say, for example, ‘Alexa, play from Spotify’ and it’ll output your Spotify playlist on the nearest speaker, or ‘Alexa, play from Spotify everywhere’ and all your devices will join in. See www.snipca.com/33696. This only…

FITNESS TRACKER | £30 from Amazon www.snipca.com/33702 This budget fitness band shares a lot of its of components with Huawei’s Band 3Pro (£50 from Amazon www.snipca.com/33706, see Issue 565, page 29). Neither is affected by Huawei’s current international troubles, but the Honor Band 5 differs in that it lacks built-in GPS, which means you’ll need to take your smartphone with you when you want to record where or how far your an or cycled. Since you’d probably do that anyway, it’s arguably not a big feature to lose, especially considering we didn’t find the Band 3Pro’s GPS particularly accurate. You do get a heart-rate monitor, Which shines light through your skin to detect your pulse. Don’t mistake this for the ECG technology in products like the latest Apple Watch, but…

WIN 1 of 3 devolo Magic 2 powerline adapters devolo’s new Magic 2 Powerline Whole Home WiFi Kit lets you place super-fast Gigabit LAN and WiFi adapters in any place where you have a power socket. It means that the days of additional switches and slow transfer rates are over. Featuring transfer rates as high as 2400Mbps, without being slowed down by ceilings or walls, the adapter lets you stream entertainment, play games online and download software at lightning speeds. The overall effect is to create a seamless network for wonderful connections in any room, on the balcony and in the garden. There’s no buffering because powerline technology can span extremely long distances of up to 500 metres. You can also use the two Gigabit LAN connections to connect static…

✓ Backing up isn’t exciting, so for years I stuck with SyncBackFree (www.snipca.com/33645). I knew it wasn’t the best tool, but I couldn’t be bothered to look for an alternative. And what I use instead Then I found myself with time to kill. I searched for other backup programs and found EaseUS Todo (www.snipca.com/33646, see screenshot). The name rang a bell – I’m sure Computeractive has praised it – so I gave it a go. What a difference to SyncBackFree! Instead of drab buttons, it has a slick interface that makes backing up as enjoyable as it could be (which is not very). The buttons to start a backup or restore one are easy to see. It’s a great, free tool, though I wish it would stop nagging me to…

Monopoly £3.99 iOS www.snipca.com/33614 Android www.snipca.com/33615 The world’s most famous board game comes to your phone, with options for single player, online multiplayer, online with friends or pass-and-play (where you use one phone but pass it between players for each turn). You can play classic or quick games, and even create your own rules. There are two boards for £3.99, both US-based, but for £4.99 you can buy the Explorer Pack, which gives you access to 38 boards worldwide, including London. Professional Barometer Free iOS www.snipca.com/33616 Your iPhone has a wealth of sensors under the hood. Why not put them to good use in predicting the weather? Professional Barometer calculates the current pressure and indicates your likely weather using a traditional barometer display. As it’s calculated in your hand, you…

Microsoft has always heavily encouraged people to use a Microsoft account to sign into Windows. Unlike traditional ‘local’ accounts, a Microsoft account is based online, meaning you can use it to log into other Microsoft services (such as Skype and the Microsoft Store). However, Microsoft can also use it to track which apps you’re using on your PC and use this data to target ads at you. Prior to the latest Windows Feature update late last year (version 1909), you could choose a local account when performing a fresh install of Windows. Now, however, Microsoft has removed this option, seemingly forcing you to use a Microsoft account before you can continue with the installation. You can bypass this as long as you stay offline while installing Windows. If you’re using…

Split your club’s mailing list into groups When you get an email from an organisation that you’re not interested in, what do you do? Chances are you’ll delete it and unsubscribe from future ones. Don’t give your club members an excuse to do the same with your emails. Instead, create email groups using the excellent Mailchimp email-management tool to make sure you only send your members emails that are relevant to them. If you’ve never used Mailchimp before, you’ll need to create an account at www.mailchimp.com/signup. We covered the basics of Mailchimp back in Issue 560 (page 48), but it’s easy to use so you can quickly get to grips with it simply by trial and error. And as long as you don’t have more than 2,000 email contacts, it’s…

It’s no secret that many people share their streaming service logins with friends and family so that they can watch for free. A recent survey (www.snipca.com/33604) suggests that as many as 24 million users are watching Netflix without paying for it and instead use a friend’s subscription. In most cases, sharing your login beyond anyone you share a home with violates your terms and conditions but, until recently, many companies have just tolerated it. Back in 2016, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings even admitted “password sharing is something you have to learn to live with” (www.snipca.com/33605). That said, streaming providers don’t want to give away their content for free, and a report from Bloomberg (www.snipca.com/33606) suggests a coalition of broadcasters, including HBO and Netflix, are looking into ways to crack down…

You’ll find most of the settings that change how Windows 7 runs within Control Panel. Windows 10, however, uses the Settings app, which has a different design. If you’ve upgraded from Windows 7, the new design can be confusing. If so, you’ll be pleased to hear that you can still access Control Panel in Windows 10. Simply click Start, type control panel, then press Enter. Its design is similar to that of Windows 7, so you shouldn’t have a problem finding the settings you’re after. Microsoft doesn’t list Paint (Windows 7’s simple, but popular image editor) in the Start menu, but it is still available. You need to search for it by clicking Start, typing paint then pressing Enter to launch it. Last year, Microsoft hinted that it might remove…

32bit/64bit A measure of how much data a PC can process at once. Most older computers are 32bit, more modern ones are 64bit. 3G/4G/5G Technologies that deliver faster mobile broadband. 4K Video with a resolution of at least 3840x2160 pixels. 720p A common resolution of high-definition video: 1280x720 pixels. AMOLED Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode. An alternative technology to LCD for creating flat-panel displays. Most commonly used in smartphones, tablets and smartwatches. aptX A type of codec that are used to compress audio so it can be transmitted with minimal loss in quality. Benchmarking Comparing software and products with an accepted standard. Beta A version of software that’s being tested. Beta versions are often released so problems can be ironed out. Client A program that acts as an interface between PC…

HACKERS TARGET PEOPLE WITH EPILEPSY Epilepsy charities have called for social-media firms to crack down on hackers sending flashing videos to people with the condition. Clare Pelham from the Epilepsy Society said epileptics frequently receive videos on Twitter and Facebook that are designed to trigger seizures. She urged the Government to include this “hate crime” in its online harms bill, which is designed to make the internet safer. MICROSOFT TESTS GRAMMAR WEB TOOL Microsoft is testing a grammar-checking tool in its Office extension for the Chrome browser. Currently available as a beta, the tool will rival the hugely popular Grammarly extension (www.grammarly.com), offering suggestions for spelling, grammar and style (see screenshot below). A final version is likely to be released soon. TOMORROW’S WORLD You’ve heard of scratch and sniff; now…

WATCH OUT FOR… SIM-card swap scams What’s the threat? Criminals who steal enough of your personal details can pose as you and tell your mobile provider that you’ve lost your phone. If the network is convinced by their act, it sends them a SIM card. When your number is switched to the new SIM, the scammer gets instant access to your information, including private texts and, potentially, passwords and bank-account information. According to Action Fraud, there was a 20-fold rise in cases of SIM-swap fraud between 2015 and 2018. Nearly 4,500 people have lost an estimated £9.1m. The terrifying thing about this scam is that it targets your mobile provider, not you. So, if your phone company falls for the fraudster’s call, there’s literally nothing you can do to stop…

Are battery failures covered by consumer law? LEAD CASE Q I’ve got a problem with the battery of an Apple iPad Air, which is four-and-a-half years old. It charges but then crashes, even though the battery is registering at 82 per cent. Initially, Apple’s technical support said a repair will cost anything from £90 to £130. I paid Western Computers £39 to examine the iPad, but this didn’t help my case, so Apple says I’ve got to pay £335 for a repair. Isn’t a battery covered by the Consumer Rights Act? Patrick Wilmore A Yes, batteries are covered by consumer law, but once six months have passed since purchase it’s up to the customer to prove a fault is inherent, and hasn’t been caused by accidental damage or fair wear…

Find ancestors in old newspapers Do you have a local celebrity lurking in your family tree? Or someone famous for less honourable reasons? Perhaps they were a semi-professional sports star, or you’ve heard stories about them landing in trouble with the law. To track down potential stories about their exploits you need to explore the ever-growing archive of local newspapers that are making their way online. By far the most comprehensive collection can be found at the British Newspaper Archive (www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk), which stretches back to the 1700s and covers thousands of local papers (it has so far digitised over 35 million pages!). Sadly, this resource isn’t free, but if you prioritise your time you should be able to pay £12.95 for a single month’s unlimited access to do all the…

WARNING: JUNK AHEAD Junk offender: Microsoft’s adverts in Windows 10 apps I fired up Windows 10’s Mail app the other day, only to come face-to-face with an advert. It appears at the bottom of the folder list and proclaims: ‘Get the free Outlook app on your phone’ (see screenshot right). I’ve heard reports that the ad crops up in the Calendar app too, though I’ve not seen this myself. Not only that, but the adverts are targeted. I logged into Mail with an Outlook.com account, but if you log in with Gmail, you’ll see an ad for the Gmail mobile app instead. Unlike ads elsewhere in Windows 10, you can’t remove them. Microsoft first experimented with ads around a year ago, and I very nearly ranted about them then. But,…

What is it? It is, as it says on the tin, a wall clock featuring the beloved Disney cartoon character Mickey Mouse. You can tell Amazon paid Disney a lot for that, because they didn’t have any budget left for a graphic designer, and instead just got someone to type the numbers 1 to 12 in Word with the Shadow effect on. What does it do? It connects over your Wi-Fi to your Amazon Echo smart speaker, and when you set a timer, LED lights around the edge illustrate the minutes ticking away. How do I set a timer? Just say, for example, ‘Alex, set a timer for 45 minutes’. Place it in the kitchen and you could do the ’I just saw a mouse in the kitchen’ gag every…

What was it? Launched in 1998, the Eye-Trek was a headset that used twin LED displays to simulate a 52in screen two metres in front of the wearer. It was a way to watch a big telly without a big telly. Why did it die? There were a number of problems with the concept, aside from the fact that it cost more than simply buying a big telly. Coarse resolution was an issue, but a bigger one was that there was no attempt to compensate for head movement, so unless users kept very still they soon became nauseous. The Eye-Trek FMD-20P, a cut-down model that worked only with Sony’s PlayStation 2, was released in 2002 to broaden the appeal. But at $400 (equivalent to £430 today), it was too expensive.…

14 pages of easy-to-follow workshops and expert tips What you need: Resilio Sync (free download) Time required: An hour In March last year, Dropbox started limiting the number of devices between which non-paying users could sync their files. If you only ever use Dropbox on your tablet, phone and PC, you might not have noticed, but the moment you try to log in on a fourth device, it refuses. You need to pay for an upgrade before you can go any further. That costs £7.99 a month if you pay for a year upfront, and an additional £2 a month if you opt for equal instalments. Granted, you get 2TB of online storage to play with, as well as advanced search, file recovery and more. But if all you want…

EMAILS Save your emails to OneNote ✓ While following the instructions in your ‘Download and keep your emails’ feature (Issue 569, page 60), I came across a useful option in the Print box (in Windows 7): ‘Save to OneNote’. I have seldom used OneNote (which is part of my Office suite), but now find it very handy to permanently store important emails. Each ‘save’ creates a new page in the allocated notebook, which can be viewed, printed or moved to another dedicated notebook if needed. A minor disadvantage is that each save is automatically labelled ‘printout’, but you can easily rename it. Paul Rodway PODCASTS Change the narration speed ✓ Will Stapley seems to love the Podcast Addict app (www.snipca.com/33423) almost as much as I do (‘How I Use’, Issue…

Amazon Echo Show 5 £80 from Amazon www.snipca.com/32621 Buying an Amazon Echo Show 5 has been a hit with our grandchildren, and that’s enough of a reason for me to recommend it. I was sceptical at first, but my better half persuaded me to buy it, having heard good things about it from her sister. Now, when the grandkids come round, they love talking to Alexa as though it (she?) was a real person. They ask it questions about animals, planets, trees, dinosaurs – all the things that enchant a child’s imagination. You may think this dissuades them from talking to us, but no. Each Alexa answer is a starting point for a discussion with us ‘oldies’. Sometimes, before they ask their question, we tell the kids what Alexa’s answer…

MusicMagpie Free iOS www.snipca.com/33618 Android www.snipca.com/33619 MusicMagpie’s free app scans barcodes on CDs, DVDs, books and games, and gives you an instant price that you can compare with rival resale services. If you like what you see, MusicMagpie covers the cost of delivering the products. You can also sell tech, like old phones and PCs. Best For Selling media and tech Zapper Free iOS www.snipca.com/33620 Android www.snipca.com/33621 Scan barcodes on unwanted products to find the best price. The app has a locator for local drop-off points that will accept your package. You can send products that Zapper doesn’t want to buy off you, and they’ll be recycled or donated to charity. Best For Sellling/recycling products CeX Free iOS www.snipca.com/33622 Android www.snipca.com/33623 Complete Entertainment eXchange (CEX) has 385 stores, where you…

LIBREOFFICE WRITER & CALC Get prompted to set a password when saving When you’re working on a series of documents containing personal information - for example, financial or medical - it’s worth keeping them away from from prying eyes by setting a password. LibreOffice has a useful tool that will remind you to set a password every time you save a new document. To turn it on, open Writer or Calc, then click the Tools menu and select Options. In the list on the left, open the LibreOffice section, then select Security. On the right, click the ‘Options…’ button next to the ‘Security Options and Warnings section’, then tick the ‘Recommend password protection on saving’ box (see screenshot below) and click OK twice. When you next save a document, spreadsheet…

By default, emails created in Mailchimp are designed to be searchable by other service users. If you’d prefer to keep them private (so only you and the people you send them to can see them), click Audience at the top, then ‘Manage audience’, followed by Settings. Here, click ‘Publicity settings’, change the ‘Promote my campaigns’ option to ‘No, my campaigns for this list are not public’ (see screenshot), then scroll down and click Save Publicity Settings.…

A number of streaming services, including Netflix and Amazon Prime, allow you to download films and programmes to your device to watch offline or abroad. However, you can’t keep them indefinitely – they’ll either delete themselves after a set number of days or when you end your subscription. Although iPlayer has a similar restriction, you can use tools such as Get_iPlayer (www.snipca.com/33638) to download them permanently to your PC (see Issue 566 page 38 for a full Workshop). If you spot a movie or show on YouTube, Daily Motion or Vimeo, try using the excellent 4K Video Downloader (www.snipca.com/33639). Simply copy the web address of the show you want to download, then load 4K Video Downloader, click the green Paste Link button (see screenshot) and choose where to save the…

Windows 7 14 January By the time you read this (unless you’re a subscriber, in which case you’ll receive your copy of Computeractive a few days early), one of Microsoft’s most popular products – Windows 7 – will have reached the end of its life. This means the ageing operating system won’t receive any more security updates or bug fixes from Microsoft. Over the past few issues, we’ve comprehensively covered everything from upgrading to Windows 10 through to running Windows 7 safely, so we won’t bore you by repeating everything here (grab our 2019 back issue CD from www.snipca.com/33711 if you need to catch up). What’s more, while Microsoft will no longer offer technical support to Windows 7 users, we’ll still be here for you – just email your problems…

Are Bluetooth transmitters rubbish? Q I noticed your reply to Tony Fleming’s question on page 65 of Issue 567’s Problems Solved section, about using wireless earphones to listen to his TV. You advised using a Bluetooth transmitter, but I think the information given is lacking. I bought two, one Bluetooth 4 and the other Bluetooth 5 – but I found both hopeless. First, you need a low-latency Bluetooth transmitter. You also need low-latency headphones or the sound will be out of sync, making programmes unwatchable. In addition, this Bluetooth transmitter works using a rechargeable battery. To save power it switches off when there’s no sound, kicking back to life with a click as the volume rises again. I returned the Bluetooth 4 model after the company assured me the newer…

Scientists have cast doubt on the theory that the amount of ‘blue light’ given off by computer and phone screens can make it difficult to sleep. Experts have long thought that blue light suppresses the hormone melatonin, which helps to control our sleep patterns. But researchers at Manchester University said it’s not the colour that matters, but how bright the screen is. Their work calls into question the effectiveness of ‘night-mode’ settings in apps and software that reduce the amount of blue light before bedtime. In tests on mice, they used light that could adjust colour without changing brightness. Blue ‘cooler’ colours had a weaker effect on the animals’ body clock than equally bright yellow ‘warmer’ colours. As a result, the study claims, changing screens to yellow in the evenings…

Despite being suspected of supporting hackers attacking the UK, it seems Vladimir Putin himself would benefit from stronger cybersecurity. The Russian president appears to be using Windows XP on his computers in the Kremlin, as shown in photos released by his press service. These show the XP desktop, recognisable by the blue taskbar along the bottom (pictured), with the Kremlin towers as the background image. Mikhail Klimaryov, head of Russia’s independent Internet Protection Society, confirmed the photos were authentic. Microsoft ended support for XP in April 2014, 13 years after it launched. It was the last version of Windows that Russian authorities considered safe to use on government computers. They now use Windows 10 only on computers that don’t contain state secrets, and are gradually replacing Microsoft’s operating system with…

Labour’s ‘free broadband’ promise was a vote loser I greatly enjoyed Issue 570’s Cover Feature on ways to cut the cost of your broadband, but I’d like to have read more about the pros and cons of Labour’s plan to nationalise broadband and offer it for free to the public. I got the impression you were staying politically neutral, which is fair enough, but surely you must have an opinion. My feeling is that Labour’s promise backfired. I was considering voting for them, but had become increasingly sceptical about all their spending commitments. Rather than persuading me, their free broadband policy was the point that I stopped taking them seriously. My friends and family agreed. It seemed like an economic fantasy. Had Labour not offered free broadband, I still may…

Sky lets customer leave after undercharging When you sign up to a broadband provider, you shouldn’t have to worry that it might be undercharging you. But in Issue 570 we reported how Paul Thornton was shocked by Sky’s decision to increase his monthly bill by £14 (from £42 to £56), after it told him it had been charging him too little. Unsurprisingly, Paul wasn’t happy. He wanted to know whether he could cancel his contract early without paying a termination fee. We told him he could because by increasing the price Sky was essentially forcing him on to a new contract. He hadn’t signed this contract, and so was free to leave. We contacted Sky on his behalf, and it agreed with our verdict. Paul has now switched to BT.…

SYSTEM TOOL MiTeC Task Manager DeLuxe 3 www.snipca.com/33710 What you need: Windows 7, 8.1 or 10 Task Manager DeLuxe is similar to Windows’ built-in Task Manager, but provides much more detail and several extra tools. The main Processes tab lists the processes for all currently running programs, along with information such as the processor and memory usage for each. Right-clicking a process provides options, including terminate or restart (useful if a program has crashed and you can’t close it). If you find a process you don’t recognise, right-click it and select Google Search - this opens your browser and runs a search for the process name. To find out whether a program is potentially dangerous, right-click it and select the Virus Total option to see a full report on the…

Remember Zain? Back in April (Issue 552), this Essex boy was my villain of the fortnight because, aged just 17, he had worked with a Russian hacker group to infect people with ransomware, blackmailing an estimated £4m out of his victims. In April last year, after a lengthy National Crime Agency investigation, Zain (now 25) was jailed for six years. And now I’ve got an update for you. Last month, he was ordered by Kingston Crown Court to hand over £270,000, based on an assessment of Zain’s available assets. He has been ordered to sell his Rolex watch to make part of the repayment. Poor chap. If Zain fails to pay back the money within three months, he’ll get a further two years slapped on to his prison sentence, and…

TABLET | £619 from Amazon www.snipca.com/33644 Samsung was once seen as such a close rival to Apple that the two ended up in court over the suspiciously high level of similarity between their products. In smartphones, it doesn’t make sense any more to talk about a head-to-head contest – there are dozens of Android hardware makers, each innovating in their own ways. In tablets, however, Apple’s iPad still rules, and Samsung’s job with the Galaxy Tab is to work out how to compete with it. “A good, well-priced tablet, but iPads still come out ahead” The S6 clearly targets not the current basic 10.2in iPad (£349 from Apple www.snipca.com/24022), but the iPad Pro (from £769, www.snipca.com/33643, see issue 542 page 25). It even looks similar, but California’s judges can rest…

LAPTOP HP Envy 13 (2019) £1,149 from www.snipca.com/33308 Tested Issue 568 Thanks to eighth-gen Intel processors and dedicated Nvidia MX250 graphics, this sleek aluminium laptop offers a practical combination of all-round processing power and portability, topped off by 8 hours 30 minutes battery life – and the touchscreen is now excellent too. ALTERNATIVE Dell XPS 13 Gets the most out of Intel CPUs, now tenth-gen, but there’s no GPU option and the cheapest sensible configuration is £1,199 from www.snipca.com/33309 ANDROID TABLET Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 9.7 £307 from www.snipca.com/30707 Tested Issue 501 Now discounted and with a stylus included, this full-size HDR tablet is a better deal than the new Tab S4 (see Issue 540). Apple’s faster £319 iPad with optional £89 Pencil is superior, but lacks microSD expansion. ALTERNATIVE…

iOS & ANDROID Translate languages using Google’s interpreter mode Interpreter mode has long been one of the smartest features on Google’s speaker-based personal assistants. It’s a shame that restricting it to devices that need a mains connection – and so can’t be moved – has robbed them of their most useful feature: the ability to provide live translations on the move. Happily, it’s now available on phones and tablets, providing two-way translations when you’re out and about. Launch it with either “Hey, Google, be my French translator”, or “Hey, Google, help me speak French” (or whichever language you need), and hold your phone between yourself and the person you’re talking to. Now, speak in English and, when it’s detected that you’ve stopped talking, Assistant will translate to French and speak…

WINDOWS 7, 8.1 & 10 Manage Quick Access items better When you open a File Explorer window (Windows key+E), the Quick Access section at the top of the left pane serves as a useful way to re-open folders you’ve recently accessed. If it gets too big or contains folders you don’t want to see, you can remove them by pressing Alt+T to open the Tools menu, selecting ‘Folder options…’, then clicking the Clear button. Before doing this, however, you might want to ‘pin’ shortcuts you use regularly to the Quick Access menu – any pinned shortcuts won’t be removed when you click the Clear button. To pin an item, right-click it, then select ‘Pin to Quick access’. To unpin a shortcut, right-click it, then select ‘Unpin from Quick access’. If…

In spreadsheets with a lot of cells containing numbers, knowing which ones have been calculated (ie, those cells containing formulas) isn’t easy. The Value Highlighting tool in LibreOffice Calc lets you apply simple colour coding to your cells based on the nature of their contents, letting you quickly differentiate them. To give it a go, load your spreadsheet, then click the View menu and select Value Highlighting (see screenshot, alternatively, press Ctrl+F8). When you do this, the characters in cells containing numbers will be coloured blue, those with formulas will be green, while text will remain black. Don’t worry if you’ve already coloured some of your cells - these colours will be temporarily disabled while the Value Highlighting tool is switched on. To turn Value Highlighting off, either click the…

What is it? A phone app that makes typing much easier on the small keyboards found on phones and tablets. Rather than tapping each letter, you can ‘swipe’ your finger across the keyboard to write words. Swipe? How does that work? Think of it as typing, but without lifting your finger off the screen. Let’s say that, for whatever reason, you need to type ‘winklepicker’. Start at ‘w’, then move your finger to each letter in turn. Your finger will leave a trail as it moves (see screenshot right), and SwiftKey will try to guess what you’re typing. When it shows the correct word, tap it and it’ll be added to your sentence. The more you use it, the better it’ll get at suggesting words you want to type. How…

It’s never nice to learn that a program or web service you rely on is being unceremoniously dumped. If it’s a service you use on the internet, you’ll probably lose all access to it, so make sure you download any files you have stored on it. You can often use programs you’ve bought and installed on your PC long after support ends. The developer can try to persuade you to upgrade to whatever new version they’re peddling, but you’re well within your rights to carry on using the old version. You may find that some features stop working – particularly those that link to web services – but in most cases the software will continue to run perfectly (lots of people still use Picasa, for example, even though Google ended…