Table of contents for 691 in Computeractive

Asecurity researcher has published details of how he successfully tricked Windows into ‘downgrading’ itself without being detected. Alon Leviev from SafeBreach Labs has explained how he manipulated Windows Update into reverting a fully up-to-date Windows system to an earlier version that contained unfixed vulnerabilities (www.snipca.com/51719). Using what he called ‘Windows Downdate’, Leviev managed to detect gaps in Windows’ security systems to sneak the downgrade through without Windows detecting it. He then made the downgrade permanent by tricking the system into thinking it was fully up to date, leaving it vulnerable to further attack. SafeBreach published the report on 7 August, six months after declaring its findings to Microsoft. The tech giant quickly published security advisories acknowledging the problem but has been forced to admit that it can’t currently close the…

Sky and EE TV have become the last broadband firms to stop offering Netflix’s Basic plan, marking the end of low-cost, advert-free streaming for many viewers in the UK. It follows Netflix’s decision last year to axe its Basic plan to new and rejoining customers. Most TV and broadband providers that included Netflix as part of their packages soon responded by removing the Basic plan from their offering. It left Sky and EE TV as the only companies still providing the plan until both withdrew it in early August. Priced £7.99 a month, the Basic plan offered standard definition (720p) streaming on a single device, without adverts. It was the cheapest plan until Netflix replaced it last year with ‘Standard with adverts’, which costs £4.99 a month for two HD…

It took until 2006 for the Oxford English Dictionary to add ‘Google’ as a verb, though many people had been using it for years as shorthand for searching the web. Google overtook Yahoo to become the world’s biggest search engine in 2002, and now has over 90-per-cent market share. No rival has ever come close. But that might change thanks to US District Judge Amit Mehta, who said Google broke the law by paying billions to ensure it’s the default search engine on smartphones and browsers. It could be a landmark decision in the history of the internet. “Google makes most of its money from advertising, but only if billions of people click sponsored links when searching” The company was sued by the US Department of Justice, who argued it…

The HP Envy x360 13in is a 2-in-1 laptop that lets you flip the keyboard all the way back, so you can use its touchscreen as you would a tablet. Unsurprisingly, however, it lacks the lightweight, slim feel of a tablet, measuring 16mm in thickness rather than the 7mm of a typical iPad, while weighing twice as much. Still, it’s a handy option if you want a laptop that offers versatile ways of working. This flexibility comes at a cost – £949 is more than we’d expect to pay for a laptop with a 13.3in screen. And the price is hardly justified by its specification, which is based around a 12th-generation Intel Core i7-1250U processor, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. “A versatile machine with a stunning screen and…

The Arlo Essential 2K Outdoor Security Camera is available as a single unit for £110 (see URL above). Alternatively, you can get it in a pack of two (£200 from www.snipca.com/51560) or three (£260 from www.snipca.com/51561). “High-quality camera that’s easy to set up, install and maintain” The design hasn’t changed much from previous Arlo models. It retains its black plate on the front and the bulbous white casing behind that. It’s lightweight and measures just 93x59x53mm (HxWxD), meaning it’s small enough to fit just about anywhere. With its IP65-rated weather protection, it’ll survive rain and snow, though you can’t immerse it in water. Setup is simple. You carry out the software setup first, which you do via its slick and easy-to-use mobile app. Then, to install the hardware, you simply…

There are some exceptional smart TVs at low prices around at the moment, but while their screens and choice of built-in streaming services are pretty impressive, they lack sound quality. That’s easy to fix with a soundbar, and we’ve reviewed a few recently, including the Ultimea Nova S50 (£150 from Amazon at www.snipca.com/51457) in Issue 690. “A budget speaker to boost the audio output of low-price TVs” But if you’ve made savings on your TV you may also baulk at spending £150 on enhancing the sound that comes from it. The Saiyin DS6305 addresses this dilemma, providing a decent, if basic, boost to your TV’s sound quality for just £40. At this price, you can’t expect the latest cutting-edge features. There’s no spatial audio or dynamic sound formats such as…

Shooting videos is far easier than editing them. But edit them you must. Your audience won’t want to sit through several minutes of surplus footage, waiting for the few seconds that are actually worth watching. The simplest way is to edit your footage on your phone – assuming that’s where you shot it. Issue 689’s Cover Feature revealed the best apps for doing this (buy the back issue from www.snipca. com/48860). But that’s a rather simplistic option. While it’s a great way to cut flab from your raw footage, it’s not so easy to combine multiple videos into a single file. If you want to share a series of events, you’ll need to play or send several separate files and hope that whoever you share them with doesn’t get tired…

Unlike most tech products, USB sticks are cheap and easy to replace. You can buy a largecapacity model for less than a tenner, plug it straight into your PC and use it with no configuration required. That doesn’t make it any less inconvenient or frustrating when a removable drive stops functioning properly, however, whether it’s because it contains important files or it’s the only storage device you have to hand. USB sticks have a limited lifespan, but their performance doesn’t degrade over time. Instead, their reliability depends on how many times you write data to and erase it from their flash memory, which is known as a ‘write cycle’. Most USB sticks support 100,000 write cycles, which can equate to decades of use – we own devices that still work…

Google has unveiled its latest TV-streaming device, the Google TV Streamer (www.snipca.com/51721). Its arrival marks the end of the popular Chromecast line of streaming sticks, as Google moves away from cheap entertainment devices. The TV Streamer will officially launch on 24 September, priced at £99. This is the first major upgrade to Google’s streaming hardware since 2020’s 4K Chromecast – a cheaper HD version was released in 2022, costing £34.99. It boasts twice the memory (4GB), a lot more storage (32GB, compared with 8GB) and a processor that’s 22 per cent faster than the 4K Chromecast’s. This should resolve issues with sluggish navigation and app loading times that have plagued the Chromecast range. The Google TV Streamer is a standalone box that sits next to or under your TV rather…

The UK’s data watchdog has reprimanded the Electoral Commision for a cyber-attack that accessed the personal information of 40 million voters. In August 2021, hackers believed to be from China exploited known vulnerabilities in the Electoral Commission’s Microsoft Exchange Server. They impersonated a user account and infiltrated the system several times before October 2022 without the Electoral Commission knowing. It gave them access to details from the Electoral Register, including names and home addresses. An investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) found that the Electoral Commission did not have “appropriate security measures in place to protect the personal information it held”. In particular, it failed to ensure its servers were “kept up to date with the latest security updates”. Microsoft released fixes for the vulnerabilities targeted by the hackers…

With twin trays capable of holding 250 sheets each, this wide-fronted multifunction printer should be enough to satisfy anyone who regularly needs to produce larger A3 prints. In addition to duplex colour printing, it can also scan and copy. The downside is that it’s a big old unit, measuring 386x581x467mm (HxWxD). However, this does provide the opportunity for plenty of paper-storage capacity – 500 sheets across the two trays alone. It’s also a heavy piece of kit, weighing a hefty 19.5kg before you load it with paper. Given its bulk it’s unlikely to fit on the same desk that you work on. “A hefty A3 printer that turns out sharp and vibrant documents and photos” While the printer and scanner bed can handle any size up to A3, the automatic…

The Everboom sits in the middle of Ultimate Ears’ portable speaker range, below the party-making Epicboom (£330 from www.snipca.com/51545) and above the smaller-form Megaboom (£170 from Amazon at www.snipca.com/51546). It fits in well, though, with sound that’s powerful enough to fill a room, yet it’s still small enough to take anywhere. Like all the best portable devices it’s light (just 960g) and has a metal carabiner clip that lets you hook it on to something and hang down. At maximum volume slight distortions start to creep in, and audiophiles will notice that output isn’t as expansive as on top-of-the-range speakers, but it’s a great option if you like to carry your music from house to garden and beyond. Customise your EQ to suit your surroundings with the Ultimate Ears app.…

LAPTOP Dell Inspiron 14 Plus £1,099 from www.snipca.com/50079 Tested Issue 683 This laptop has the same processor (Intel Core Ultra 7 155H) as our previous favourite (Acer Swift Go 4), but manages to squeeze more speed out of it. It also comes with 16GB RAM, 256GB SSD and a 14in 2240x1400-pixel screen. Excellent value overall. ALTERNATIVE  Acer Swift Go 14 Still a fast and powerful laptop, with a great 14in screen. £1099 from www.snipca.com/49733 ANDROID TABLET Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 £799 from www.snipca.com/50039 Tested Issue 667 With a much brighter screen than our previous favourite – the Galaxy Tab S8 – this is perfect for watching TV. It also has a faster processor, so tasks feel smoother, even with several windows open. £799 will get you the 128GB version. If…

Create flyers with Microsoft Designer In past columns we’ve covered several tools for creating club designs for material such as flyers and posters, including Adobe Spark and Canva. There’s now a new option: Microsoft Designer. Previously, the full version was available only online (at www.snipca.com/51150), but Microsoft has now launched it as a mobile app, and a downloadable Windows app from the Microsoft Store. Designer is simple enough to use on a phone, so that’s what we’ll explain here. We’ve used an Android device, but the instructions are similar for iPhones and iPads, and for the PC version. Add images and text with AI Like most modern design tools, it can use AI to create images based on what you ask for. Install the app (Android www.snipca.com/51463; iOS www.snipca.com/51464), then…

Why is Google breaking Chrome extensions? In June, Google started implementing its plan to replace its Manifest V2 application programming interface (API) for Chrome extensions with its newer Manifest V3 (MV3) platform. The move was originally due to happen in January 2023, but was delayed while Google addressed some – but far from all – of the negative feedback from developers and privacy groups, who called the new system buggy, restrictive, “deceitful and threatening” (www.snipca.com/51710, see screenshot below). Google says MV3 will give Chrome users “increased safety and peace of mind” when installing extensions, by providing greater transparency and control over permissions. It will also stop add-ons accessing “resources outside the extension’s context”, which could compromise your privacy and security. However, the updated API will also break thousands of MV2…

How can I make Lotus SmartSuite work again? Q I’ve been using Lotus SmartSuite for many years in various versions of Windows. I think the version currently on my Windows 10 Home PC came from an IBM archive site. The only part I need is Lotus Organizer, which I use to store my address book with hundreds of items. Sadly, I can no longer open it, and while I’m glad I managed to print a copy before it stopped working, I can’t make any changes to it. Is it possible to get this program working again? The files are in OR5 format. I’ve found various sites that offer downloads of SmartSuite or Organizer, but none of them work. Alternatively, is there another app that can read OR5 files? James Munroe…

Be thankful that Computeractive is a printed magazine rather than a TikTok channel because I’m writing this column with my shirt off and sweat trickling down my forehead. Not because I’m ill, out jogging or working a part-time construction job, but because – as you may have noticed – it’s been pretty darn hot lately. “My laptop may feel hot because it’s angry about having Windows 11 installed” Warm weather in August is hardly a freak meteorological occurrence, but this summer it’s been particularly stifling. And while I can cool off by drinking iced water or taking a cold shower, I pity my poor Windows 10 laptop, sweltering away in the scorching heat. The fact that its internal components can affect its temperature as much as any external factors has…

A recently discovered malware campaign stretching back three years has resulted in more than 300,000 Chrome and Edge users unwittingly installing malicious browser extensions. The add-ons are known to steal data and open the door to further malware infections. According to cybersecurity company ReasonLabs, users are targeted through adverts promising free software, which direct them to fake websites that impersonate legitimate download sites. Programs offered include YouTube downloaders, Steam, VLC Media Player and password manager KeePass. When users click links in these sites, instead of getting the software they expect, they instead download installers that are digitally signed by ‘Tommy Tech LTD’. These successfully evade detection by antivirus software and run a PowerShell script that downloads a Trojan to the user’s PC. This then creates a Scheduled Task in Windows…

Panasonic has released its first TVs offering the UK’s new Freely streaming service. They’re available in four sizes, from 43in (pictured) to 65in, with prices starting at £450 (see box below right). Freely was launched in April by Everyone TV, which is the body that runs Freesat and Freeview. It provides TV via the internet, as well as over the air to an aerial, and is intended as a long-term replacement for both Freesat and Freeview. However, to get it you have to buy a new TV. It was criticised at launch for being available only on TVs made by Chinese manufacturer Hisense, but since then has become available on some Bush TVs. Panasonic sets give more choice to customers, although they’re more expensive than both Bush and Hisense TVs,…

I brought back cash payments in my pub Eric Statham’s Star Letter (Issue 690) about his local cashless pub having to close during July’s IT outage rang true for me. Last year, I became the landlord of a pub in a small Lincolnshire town. The previous owners had decided to end cash payments during the Covid lockdowns, and didn’t bring them back once life returned to normal. From what I gather, this led to a sharp fall in custom. My first act as landlord was to reinstate cash as a form of payment, and promoted this heavily in the pub – back by “popular demand”. I was thanked by so many customers for this decision. Some continued to pay by card of course, and that’s fine. What matters is customer…

This second generation of Amazon’s Echo Spot range incorporates an alarm clock and a smart speaker. It’s been a long time coming, though, with seven years separating it from the original. “A slick design and cheaper than the original, but it’s not as much fun” There are a handful of changes, but one key difference is that this doesn’t have a camera, which was always a slightly odd choice on a device intended for the bedroom, and therefore provides more privacy. Its predecessor also had a large round screen, which took up the whole front of the device and let you set it to display a full analogue clock face. It still has a basically spherical design with the front section sliced off to create the clock face. The bottom…

You may not have heard of German peripheral manufacturer Endgame – we’ve certainly never reviewed any of its products – but this mouse is as good a place to start as any. It’s incredibly sensitive, with a maximum polling rate of 8,000Hz, which means it sends positional messages back to your PC 8,000 times a second. And should you feel the need to replace any of its mechanical switches, it’s easy to open. At 51g, it’s light, so offers little resistance, and to get that high polling rate it needs to be wired. To make life easier, however, the braided cable is light, flexible and protrudes from the front at a raised angle to reduce drag. On the downside, we weren’t impressed with the feel of the buttons. The mouse…

What are they? You’ll know if you’ve used Skype at any point in the past 12 years or so. Adverts appear in the main chat interface and also in the Channels section. Over time they’ve become more distracting and annoying, but in a surprise move Microsoft has said it’ll soon remove them. Really? Why has it done that? Because it wants Skype to be “a smoother, decluttered and more enjoyable user experience”. It’s part of an overhaul focused on a “user-centric design” that prioritises feedback to create “a more streamlined and pleasant environment across all platforms” (see www.snipca.com/51645). Shouldn’t Skype have been like that all along? Yes, you’d have thought so. But Microsoft couldn’t resist the potential for making money through Skype. This was exemplified in 2012 when it introduced…

When it comes to keeping a close eye on your PC’s network activity, GlassWire (www.glasswire.com) is hard to beat. It’s easy to use and provides real-time information and alerts to keep you informed about everything that’s happening in the background. The free version of GlassWire lacks some of the paid-for version’s advanced features, but it still offers plenty of tools to help you monitor and block suspicious activity on your PC. Here are five secret features you might have missed. Connect GlassWire to VirusTotal One of GlassWire’s best hidden features is its ability to virus-check files and programs on your PC using 70 antivirus scanners, so you can spot security threats before they do any damage. You’ll need to sign up for VirusTotal, so visit www.virustotal.com and click the blue…