Table of contents for 719 in Computeractive

I used to suffer from mouse finger, caused by too much scrolling. That’s now been replaced by remote thumb, the result of flicking through endless channels on my TV looking for something half-decent to watch. In fact, most evenings I’d gladly settle for quarter-decent. My prospects have been improved after reading Robert Irvine’s superb Cover Feature on the best new TV apps. It’s a channel-hopping tour of Hollywood blockbusters, vintage shows, easy entertainment and classic British movies (“Once more unto the breach, dear friends…”). Though the fantastic Radioplayer app (page 55) means I’ll probably spend just as much time listening to my TV as watching it. I hope Robert’s tips help solve the paradox of too much choice – where you’re so overwhelmed by what’s available that you keep flicking…

Google is threatening to suspend the YouTube Premium Family accounts of users because they’re sharing them with people outside their household. Priced £19.99 a month, Premium Family (www.snipca.com/56257) removes adverts from both YouTube and YouTube Music for up to six accounts. It also lets you play content when you’re offline, and in the background when you’re on another app or you’ve turned the screen off. YouTube’s terms state that everyone on the same account “must live in the same household” as the person who created it – called the “family manager”. It conducts an “electronic check-in” every 30 days to ensure that each family member lives at the address as the family manager. However, since Google launched Premium Family in 2018 it has generally tolerated members sharing the service with…

It’s thought that around 13 per cent of the world’s websites – some 147 million – still use the outdated HTTP protocol. That means there are many billions of URLs that are unsafe to visit. One way to avoid them is to turn on Microsoft Edge’s new option to automatically switch to a site’s HTTPS version if it has one. If it doesn’t, Edge will warn you that the site might be unsafe. This is in version 140 of the browser, which it should have updated to when you last opened it. To check, type edge://settings/help and look in the About box. Next, click ‘Privacy, search and services’ on the left then Security in the middle. Now turn on ‘Automatically switch to more secure connections with Automatic HTTPS’ (1 in our…

You recently recommended a £20 kit for hardwiring a car dashcam from Nextbase (www.snipca.com/55421). I’ve not used that, but a few months ago I bought Nextbase’s 322GW dashcam (£93 from www.snipca.com/56147, pictured). I installed it fine, but had trouble setting it up and using the MyNextbase Connect app on my iPhone. There were plenty of options I simply didn’t understand. I first chatted to Nextbase’s virtual assistant but I couldn’t make it understand what my problem was. It then put me through to someone working on Nextbase’s customer-support team. I explained that I’m often baffled by the options in apps, but he didn’t attempt to rush or patronise me. He told me what to do in a calm manner and didn’t get flustered with my repeated questions. It was refreshingly…

EZ CD Audio Converter www.snipca.com/56262 Price: £35.95 Free trial: 21 days What you need: Windows 7, 8.1, 10 or 11 As we explain in our ‘Why you need an MP3 player’ feature on page 60, audio files offer better quality than songs on streaming services, provided you use the optimum format and settings. EZ CD Audio Converter simplifies this task and includes lots of useful tools for enhancing your listening experience. The heart of the program is its Audio Converter. Drag and drop audio files and folders into the central section of the main window to convert them to the format of your choice. EZ CD Audio Converter supports all the main formats, including MP3, WMA, AAC and the lossless FLAC and WAV. You can also increase an audio file’s…

I’d rather not speculate on how Mr Mudzinge earned his nickname, but we’re sure his victims would use something stronger. This 41-year-old from Ipswich (originally Zimbabwe) led a gang of scammers that stole nearly £500,000 from Barclays and Lloyds bank accounts. He supplied scripts that fraudsters used over the phone and online to persuade bank customers to hand over their personal details. Mudzinge would then phone the banks posing as a company director and trick them into changing the victims’ security details. That allowed him to transfer thousands of pounds into his own accounts. He probably thought it was the perfect crime, but police used forensic voice analysis to identify him as the person making the calls. He’ll now have four years and nine months behind bars to learn a…

SMARTPHONE ❘ From £799 from Amazon www.snipca.com/56207 Google’s new range of Pixel phones is out and here we’re taking a look at the cheapest model of the pack – the Pixel 10, which costs £799 for the 128GB version (£899 gets you 256GB). Also available is the Pixel 10 Pro (from £999 at www.snipca.com/56208); the Pixel 10 Pro XL (from £1,199 at www.snipca.com/56209); and the Pixel 10 Fold (from £1,749 at www.snipca.com/56210). “It took some of the best photos we’ve ever seen produced by a smartphone” In previous generations the basic Pixel lacked the Pro versions’ telephoto lens, but the Pixel 10 bucks that trend with its 5x optical zoom. The Pro models still offer more camera features and higher megapixel counts, though, as well as higher-resolution screens. The Pixel…

LAPTOP MSI Prestige A16 AI+ £950 from www.snipca.com/55962 Tested Issue 718 A powerful Copilot+ laptop with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD to guarantee fast performance. Screen is excellent too, while battery lasts an impressive 17 hours. ALTERNATIVE PCSpecialist 16 Fusion British-made laptop with superb screen and built for advanced AI tasks. £996 from www.snipca.com/55094 PRICE DROP ANDROID TABLET OnePlus Pad 3 £529 from www.snipca.com/55302 Tested Issue 714 With an incredibly fast processor and stunning 13.2in screen, this is the best ever Android tablet, and rivals the iPad Air. At launch both the 12GB RAM/256GB and 16GB/512GB versions were £529, so grab the latter as soon as possible. ALTERNATIVE Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Has a much brighter screen than its predecessor, making it ideal for watching TV. Also has…

What you need: PDFgear Scan Time required: 30 minutes We’ve been longtime fans of PDFgear – the free tool for creating and editing PDFs in Windows – because it’s easy to use and offers a superb range of features. It’s recently added a companion phone app – PDFgear Scan – for Android (www.snipca.com/56123) and iOS (www.snipca.com/56124) which is also free. Here, we’ll show you how you can use it to scan several types of document, sign a PDF without having to print it first, and automatically keep track of your spending over time. STEP 1 Open the app and tap the relevant button for the type of document you want to scan. We’re going to scan several receipts to help us keep track of our outgoings. Make sure the receipt…

CHATGPT Have more natural voice conversations OpenAI has replaced ChatGPT’s Standard and Advanced Voice Modes with ChatGPT Voice. This lets you engage in even more natural conversations with the chatbot, like you’re talking to a real person. ChatGPT Voice offers more emotional nuance, realistic pauses and emphasis, and a choice of nine voice characters, such as ‘Easygoing and versatile’. These differ from the new personality types we wrote about in Issue 717 (page 6), which are limited to text chats. As before, to switch to voice mode, click or tap the ‘Use voice mode’ button in the search box (see screenshot below). Previously, on ChatGPT’s free plan you could chat with Advanced Voice Mode for 15 minutes per day, after which you were downgraded to Standard Voice. With ChatGPT Voice,…

Rain Alarm Free* Android www.snipca.com/56127 iOS www.snipca.com/56128 This weather app notifies you when rain is approaching so you know when to grab your umbrella. Rain Alarm’s alerts tell you the proximity and intensity of the downpour, while its colour-coded map displays its data visually. You need to grant the app background access to your location, and pay £1.79 a month for advanced options and no ads. Best For Receiving rain alerts Rain Viewer Free* Android www.snipca.com/56129 iOS www.snipca.com/56130 Rain Viewer goes further than Rain Alarm by warning you when heavy rain is within a specific radius and severe weather is expected. You can customise its map to show radar and satellite imagery, a 72-hour forecast, real-time cloud cover and precipitation data from individual weather stations. Pay £13.99 a year to…

Running a club often means giving presentations – welcoming newcomers, guiding members through slideshows, hosting the annual general meeting and so on. Microsoft PowerPoint makes it easy to create presentations, but delivering them confidently is another matter entirely. Without preparation you might stumble, mumble or rush your talks. Microsoft’s Speaker Coach can help. Formerly called Presenter Coach, it’s built into Microsoft 365 PowerPoint (the subscription version of Office) as well as PowerPoint for the web (www.snipca.com/56151). It listens as you rehearse, giving instant feedback on pace, tone, filler words, and whether you’re reading too much from your slides. Set up your mic and start speaking You’ll need a microphone (or a webcam with a built-in mic) to use Speaker Coach. Press Windows key+I to open Settings, then click System on…

Tor has launched a VPN app for Android phones and tablets, though it’s a beta version and users should “expect bugs”. Until now, the only way to use Tor was through its browser (www.torproject.org). This hides your identity by connecting you to the web through multiple volunteer servers, called nodes, and encrypts what you visit. This is different to VPNs, which connect you through one of their own servers rather than several run by volunteers. Tor’s browser is therefore more private than VPNs, but browsing the web can be slower because it connects you through multiple servers. Also, it encrypts only what happens in the browser, rather than all the data your device sends and receives. But Tor’s VPN aims to combine the advantages of both, hiding your real IP…

New ‘Sky viewing card’ within three days I received a phone call supposedly from Sky TV to say that I was to be sent a new viewing card. The caller said that full details and instructions would be included along with my card, and it would arrive within three days. They knew my name and address, but then they asked for my date of birth. I told them that my age has no bearing on what I watch on TV and hung up. I don’t require a Sky viewing card, and haven’t received one in the post. Readers should be aware of this scam – whether or not they pay a Sky subscription. Warn your fellow readers about scams at letters@computeractive.co.uk…

Internet provider Grain Connect (www.grainconnect.com), which operates in northern and central England, has confirmed to us that it doesn’t charge customers for engineer visits to fix problems with its service. We rang to check after Grain told one of our readers, Mr Green, he would have to pay £75 to restore his internet connection (see Issue 718). Providers are only allowed to charge for visits if the problem was caused by the customer. We’re satisfied with Grain’s response, though it should investigate why Mr Green was given wrong information. Less reputable companies could claim charges are necessary in order to deter customers from complaining. If a provider imposes charges you believe are unfair, you can report it to the Communications and Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS, www.snipca.com/56135). Mr Green asked…

Q How can I reveal hidden passwords? I often get flummoxed by passwords being hidden behind dots or asterisks. Sometimes you can click an eye icon to see them, but not always. Is there a program that can reveal these quickly? Maybe NirSoft’s BulletsPassView (www.snipca.com/56205)? Roy Stark A NirSoft makes some excellent programs, but BulletsPassView works only in Windows 7 and earlier versions. Instead, we’d suggest using a password manager. That way, you won’t need to unmask hidden passwords because your password manager will fill them in for you. And if you ever need to view a password for a particular login, you can quickly launch the password manager to check it. We’d recommend Bitwarden for this. Install it from www.snipca.com/56215 then click on the extension icon in your browser toolbar…

Q In Issue 707 (page 22), you recommended the GMKtec Nucbox K11 (£700 from www.snipca.com/54341) and the Nucbox M7 Pro (£500 from www.snipca.com/52552) as an alternative, either of which sound just the job to replace my desktop PC that can’t be upgraded to Windows 11. I don’t use any sophisticated software, I just use my PC to answer emails and access the internet – this includes making Zoom calls and watching YouTube. I don’t use it for playing games or watching films and TV. I’ve looked at reviews of these models elsewhere and it’s sometimes mentioned that the fans get noisy. Which of the two Nucboxes is quietest? Alan Oatey A The fans on mini PCs only tend to kick in when the processor is under pressure, such as when playing…

With a built-in 2.5in subwoofer and two 2.25in speaker drivers for immersive audio and seamless HDMI Arc integration, the Majority Naga 80 delivers cinematic sound to the living room for entrancing entertainment. It delivers powerful 140W audio with deep bass. You can stream wirelessly via Bluetooth 5.0 or connect using HDMI ARC for seamless integration with your TV set. Ideal for home cinema, music streaming or as a gaming soundbar. It comes with a premium remote control for easy listening, so you can adjust volume, modes and settings as required. With brackets included, it mounts easily for a clean, modern look. To enter this competition, answer the question at www.snipca.com/56142 and submit your details by midnight Tuesday 7 October. Good luck! You can buy the Majority Naga 80 TV soundbar…

TV Enter TV’s Wi-Fi password using mini keyboard We have a caravan and have to enter Wi-Fi passwords on the TV at every campsite, or if there is none then we have to log the TV on to one of our phone’s hotspots. I got fed up with having to move to every letter of the password and even worse changing between upper and lower case. To solve the problem I purchased a mini keyboard (£10 from www.snipca.com/56152, pictured above) with a USB dongle that plugs into any of the USB sockets on the TV. Now if I need to enter information on to the TV I simply switch on the keyboard and type it. I’ve tried this on several TVs and it works every time. I have another for…

Blur Text Free* Android www.snipca.com/56111 This handy app conceals sensitive data in your screenshots before you share them. Select an image, choose from options including Cover, Blur and Pixelate, then swipe the information you want to hide. Blur Text can also highlight, underline and add text. More tools are available in its ad-free Premium version, which costs £6.99. Quasar - the Space App Free www.snipca.com/56125 This new alternative to the NASA app delivers the latest news about space exploration and astronomical discoveries in a pleasantly minimalist manner. You can read details of upcoming launches, search for information in the Space Wiki and download images to apply as wallpaper. It also has an AI assistant for space-related chats. Reko Subscription Manager Free* Android www.snipca.com/56115 iOS www.snipca.com/56116 Reko offers an easy way…

WINDOWS 11 Turn on live captions from system tray The keyboard shortcut Windows key+Ctrl+L turns on live captions in Windows 11, showing subtitles on screen for any spoken audio playing on your PC, whether that’s a video (saved or online) or a call. There’s another way to turn them on if you can’t remember that shortcut or find it tricky to press. Click the ‘Quick Settings’ icons at the bottom right of your system tray (1 in our screenshot below) to make the box appear, then scroll down and click the ‘Live captions’ button so it turns blue 2. You then need to click ‘Yes, continue’ at the top to confirm. WINDOWS 11 Join Wi-Fi network with a QR code If you’re using your laptop in public and trust the…

What is it? A technology that connects mobile phones to satellites so they can make calls and browse the internet. It can provide a signal in remote areas where phone masts don’t reach. How does it work? Your smartphone sends a signal using standard mobile frequencies (for example, 4G and 5G). This is received by a satellite which transmits the signal to a ground station that’s connected to the mobile-network infrastructure. This bypasses phone masts. Sounds clever. Is it already being used? Yes, in trials in India, Luxembourg, Turkey and the US. But no country in Europe has authorised its use yet – and telecoms regulator Ofcom wants the UK to be the first. What’s it planning? It wants Direct to Device (D2D) to be working by early 2026, and…

Microsoft is testing a tool that lets you check your internet speed from the system tray in Windows. It’s been added to two preview versions of Windows 11 24H2 (builds 26220.6682 and 26120.6682), released on 21 September. Clicking the Wi-Fi icon in the system tray shows a ‘Test internet speed’ option (see screenshot 1). This takes you to Microsoft’s search engine Bing, which then measures your internet speed. The same option (this time labelled ‘Perform speed test’) appears when you right-click the Wi-Fi icon 2. It was spotted by the Windows Insider @phantomofearth, who often reveals on X new tools in early versions of Windows (www.snipca.com/56284). These options will probably be added to the full version of Windows 11 soon. You’ll like this… BBC is testing faster iPlayer streaming (www.snipca.com/56289) but…

WHICH? MAPS SIGNAL QUALITY ACROSS UK Consumer group Which? has teamed up with network analysts Opensignal to map signal quality across the UK. It covers the four main networks (EE, O2, Three and Vodafone) and lists the MVNOs that piggyback on them. Visit www.snipca.com/56267 then type your postcode and press Enter. The results show user satisfaction with each network. 17 TOWNS TO RECEIVE EE’S 5G BY DECEMBER EE is rolling out its 5G network to 17 new locations by the end of December, including Bolton, Lincoln, Maidstone, Poole and Telford. It’s the UK’s only standalone 5G network, which means it doesn’t rely on older 4G infrastructure, making it more reliable. See every new area at www.snipca.com/56268. CHANGE YOUR PLEX PASSWORD AFTER LEAK Plex has urged all users to change their…

Well done Rewind TV for showing ‘offensive’ Hancock episode Three cheers to Rewind TV for showing the so-called ‘offensive’ Tony Hancock episode from 1956 on YouTube (Issue 718, page 6, www.snipca.com/56106). I can certainly see why it wouldn’t get made now, but that’s irrelevant. The point is it was deemed appropriate once, and we shouldn’t forget how much values can change in almost 70 years. How many of the TV shows that are acceptable now will remain so come 2095? The episode itself is a charming time capsule, though not as funny as the later episodes broadcast as Hancock’s Half Hour. It’s worth watching just to see June Whitfield (pictured above) fluff her lines at 22:45! James Corbett Long live VHS recorders and DVD players You made some excellent points…

LEAD CASE Will I still get the laptop I bought on Ebuyer before it went bust? Q I bought an HP laptop on Ebuyer (www.ebuyer.com) in late July, paying £370 using my credit card. I was worried I might lose this money when Ebuyer went into administration in August, but I read that it’s been bought by Frasers Group. It’s now early September and I’ve still not received my order. Should I be worried? Jim Staines A Yes, you should be concerned, and you might not receive the laptop. But you should be able to get your money back. Ebuyer went into administration on 11 August 2025, and the administrators (FRP Advisory) are now handling all matters relating to the old company. Any orders placed before 11 August, like your laptop, are…

FILE MANAGER Files 4.0 www.snipca.com/56242 What you need: Windows 10 or 11 It’s been eight months since the last major new version of Files, but this huge update justifies the wait. The brilliant file manager has been redesigned, without losing its simplicity, and added lots of useful features. The biggest change is the introduction of the Omnibar, which replaces the address bar across the top of the Files window. Similar to the address bar in a web browser, this combines navigation and search functions. Either enter the path of a folder to view its contents in the area below or type the name of a file or folder to search for that item. The Omnibar includes a button for Command Palette, which lets you perform a wide range of actions,…

SOFTWARE WARNING! Facebook’s AI is scanning your photos AI is creeping into everything I use, like ants scuttling into my kitchen – from my laptop to Microsoft Excel and all that’s in between. So I wasn’t surprised Meta said last year it was feeding its AI with almost everything people have posted on Facebook since 2007. Annoyed, yes, because it felt like an invasion of privacy – but not surprised. And yet I was shocked when Facebook started using AI on photos taken on your phone – even before you upload them to the site. This looks at metadata like the date, time and resolution and analyses the content of your images (including recognising faces, objects and locations) to suggest photos you might want to share. It can also use…

What is it? HDMI 2.2 was announced earlier this year, doubling the bandwidth available in the previous HDMI 2.1 standard (from 48 to 96Gbps). This increases the amount of video data it can transfer between devices, which makes for higher resolutions and refresh rates. How does it work? HDMI (High-definition media interface) is a data-transfer system that sends video and audio signals. It uses a specific arrangement of wires within the cable and a unique style of connector. This passes the data from the device sending the video to the screen that displays it. Because it also carries audio you don’t need a separate cable unless you’re connecting to a soundbar or external speakers. What are the specs? With speeds of 96Gbps, HDMI 2.2 can carry higher-resolution video streams of…

What is it? Acer’s Predator X27U F8 (pictured) is an OLED monitor aimed at “elite gamers” that has a refresh rate of 720Hz. By contrast, our favourite monitor, the Philips 27E1N1600AE (see page 32), is just 100Hz. What does it do? It refreshes the screen 720 times every second, meaning you’re seeing an image 1.4 milliseconds after the previous one has been produced by the game. For serious gamers, that could be the difference between victory or defeat. What’s the catch? It’ll cost around £1,000 when released next year, and to take advantage of the refresh rate you’ll also need an ultra-powerful graphics card. So can I do without it? Yes, unless you’re a professional gamer with reactions faster than a fighter pilot.…

14 pages of easy-to-follow workshops and expert tips What you need: Syncthing Time required: One hour The great thing about online-storage services like Dropbox is that they ‘just work’. Once you’ve installed the software, they get on with the job for years. Unless you run out of space, that is, at which point you may need to remove items or pay for an upgrade. Dropbox offers 2GB for free, which is pretty generous, but you could easily fill that up. Alternatively, you could opt for Mega, which gives you up to 20GB on its free plan. However, it states that transfers on the free account are ‘limited’ without explicitly explaining what that limit is (see https://mega.io/pricing). Another solution is to set up your own cloud backup service that runs on…

EDGE Stop Edge using AI to auto-fill online forms The auto-fill feature in browsers saves you having to type your name, email address and other personal details every time you fill in an online form. Edge 140 (released in August) introduces an additional auto-fill option, which “autofills forms with AI-powered suggestions based on your browsing patterns”. Although Microsoft claims it keeps your data “fully confidential”, you may not feel comfortable with AI analysing your browsing activity. The new option should be disabled by default, but it’s worth double-checking to stop unwanted entries appearing in forms. To do so, click Edge’s three-dot menu button and choose Settings, then ‘Passwords and autofill’. Select ‘Personal info’ and switch off ‘AI-powered autofill suggestions’ (see screenshot below). CHROMIUM Capture screenshots of online videos The new…

ANDROID & iOS Learn a new language with Google Translate Google Translate is taking on Duolingo with a new AI-powered feature that helps you learn a new language. Developed with language experts, this creates tailored listening and speaking practice sessions to “build the skills you need to communicate in another language with confidence”. To get started, press the new Practice button in the Google Translate app for Android (www.snipca.com/56108) or iOS (www.snipca.com/56109), and tap ‘Get started’. Choose the language you want to practice – currently either Spanish or French – and select your skill level: Basic, Intermediate or Advanced. On the next screen, specify what’s motivating you to learn that language, such as travelling to a new country or engaging in everyday interactions. Tap ‘Start practising’ and Google Translate will…

MICROSOFT WORD Link to documents using icons You can link to a Word document within another by adding an icon. First, save the document you want to link to. Now open a fresh document and place your cursor where you want the icon to go. Next, click Insert at the top followed by the Object dropdown menu, then Object again. In the Object box, switch to the ‘Create from File’ tab then find your document on your computer and double-click it. It will appear in the ‘File name’ box (1 in our screenshot below). Now tick ‘Display as icon’ 2 and click OK. Your document will appear as a Word icon 3. Now simply click it to open it. MICROSOFT EXCEL Create a bold heading for your spreadsheet You can easily…

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. 404 error Also called a ‘Not Found’ error, it means a web server can’t show the web page you requested – often because the URL is wrong. 4K Video with a resolution of at least 3840x2160 pixels. AAC Advanced Audio Coding. A type of music file. Augmented reality Lets you view the real world on a screen and add virtual elements. Bandwidth A measure of how much data can be transferred through a connection at one time. 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…