Table of contents for 604 in Computeractive

Most apps don’t last very long on my phone or tablet. I’d say it takes me an average of about two minutes to work out whether they’re worth sticking with. If it’s not immediately obvious how you should use an app – what to tap, what to swipe – then I bin it. Robert Irvine did a lot of tapping, swiping and binning when researching which apps to include in this issue’s Cover Feature, and has found 30 that I’m more than happy to install on my devices. My current favourite is BirdNET (see page 55). I’ve recently moved from the suburbs to a more rural area, and find myself serenaded every morning by an exquisite dawn chorus. BirdNET helps me sort the chaffinches from the goldfinches, and the blue…

Microsoft is adding Windows options to make it easier to set up and control your webcams. A recent preview version of the Feature update 21H2, due this autumn, lets you adjust the brightness and contrast to improve the image quality. To access the options open Settings, then select Devices followed by Camera. Clicking the ‘Configure’ button (see screenshot) opens the new controls. The update, codenamed Sun Valley, is rumoured to be the biggest since Windows 10 launched in 2015. We’ll reveal more tools as its release approaches. You’ll like this… Three is offering “a special gift” if you sign up by the end of July (www.snipca.com/37901) but not this… 15 per cent of people use easy-to-guess pet names for passwords (www.snipca.com/37900)…

CHANGE SIZE OF BBC IPLAYER SUBTITLES The BBC has redesigned its iPlayer app for smart TVs to make it easier to change the size of subtitles. Once you click the controls, now positioned at the top left of the screen, you can select one of the five ‘Aa’ options to set your size (see screenshot). The BBC says the changes make the app “sleeker and cleaner”. Read the BBC’s blog for more changes: www.snipca.com/37891. EE’S 5G AVAILABLE IN 35 NEW TOWNS IN THE UK EE has added 35 locations to its 5G network, including Barnsley, Dundee, Swansea and Worcester, bringing the total to 160. Unlike other networks, EE only announces a place as having 5G if at least 10,000 people live there and it covers “at least a third of…

You can now see artistic masterpieces including Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo and Liberty Leading the People after the Louvre put its entire collection online. To browse more than 480,000 pieces, all for free, visit https://collections.louvre.fr and search by typing into the main box, or scroll down and click a collection – such as Paintings, Sculptures or Furniture – or a ‘themed album’ like Masterpieces. Click the link at the bottom of the home page to be taken to an interactive map of the gallery, letting you browse the collection room by room. When you open an image you can download it by clicking the arrow icon at the bottom (1 in our screenshot), while some artworks are captured in closer detail 2. The collection contains items on public display…

TELL ALEXA TO CALL RNIB HELPLINE Amazon Echo users can now say “Alexa, call RNIB helpline” to speak to an advisor at the Royal National Institute of Blind People during the helpline’s opening hours (8am-8pm weekdays and 9am-1pm Saturdays). The new service is part of Amazon’s range of features to help people with disabilities. For more info, visit Amazon’s Accessibility Hub (www.snipca.com/37849) and the RNIB’s site (www.snipca.com/37848). HIDDEN MESSAGE FOUND IN WINDOWS 95 A hidden feature in Windows 95 has been found, more than 25 years after it was launched. It’s an example of an ‘Easter egg’, which is a secret tool or message placed by the makers of a program. It was found by a developer called Albacore on Twitter, who said that typing MORTIMER into Internet Mail shows…

One of the most useful keyboard tricks is to type the name of a website – for example, ebay, wikipedia or amazon – into your browser’s address bar, and then press Ctrl+Enter. This adds ‘www’ and ‘.com’ to the address and takes you straight there. However, that doesn’t necessarily take you to the HTTPS (and therefore most secure) version of the site you want. Chrome, for example, would sometimes take you to the less secure HTTP version, particularly if it was the first time you’d visited the site. This all changes with Chrome 90, which was due to be released in mid April (before we went to press). The browser already switched to the HTTPS version of a site if you typed in the full address beginning with HTTP; now…

Was Tesco right to insist on phone repair? LEAD CASE Q I bought an IMO Dash mobile phone from Tesco in September last year, intending to use it as an emergency phone. In February, we found that the battery wouldn’t keep its charge. I asked Tesco for a full refund because it’s inherently faulty, knowing that fewer than six months had passed since purchase. But Tesco refused this, and said I could have only a repair. Can Tesco do this? Len Aitken A Yes, Tesco is allowed to do this. Len is entitled to a full refund only if the supermarket is unable to repair or replace the phone. The right to redress under the Consumer Rights Act is for up to six years after purchase (five years in Scotland).…

Build a clickable family-tree book Reader David Goulsbra asked us whether it’s possible to construct a family tree as part of an interactive Microsoft Word document, where clicking a specific person takes the reader to their details page. The simple answer is yes, but there’s some work involved. Think of it like an interactive book, comprising a series of reports generated using your existing genealogy program’s tools. The trickiest part is generating the chart at the beginning of the document, then converting each name into a hyperlink that when clicked will take your readers directly to the selected person’s entry. Create a book using RootsMagic We tested all the book-generating tools in the major programs. The simplest by far is RootsMagic (£19.95, www.rootsmagic.co.uk), which lets you create a book you…

What can I use to extract the audio from an iPhone screen recording? Q I have made some screen recordings on my iPhone. How can I extract just the audio from these recordings, then export it as a standalone file? P A B Buckland A Because the video file is on your iPhone, it’s easiest to use an iOS app to extract the audio (rather than a Windows program). Our favourite is Media Converter (www.snipca.com/37894 – it’s free, but supported by ads). Once installed, open the app, then tap the ‘+’ button (top-right), then Photo Library. When prompted, tap OK to allow the app to access your photos. Select your screen recording from your photo library (it will most likely be in the Videos folder), followed by Done. The video…

This unlikely pair of Londoners were part of a complex smishing ring, where money is conned out of victims via fake text messages claiming to be from a bank or credit-card company. Their job was to launder this stolen cash by buying jewellery and designer goods in posh Oxford Street and Knightsbridge shops, which were then sent back to the scam’s organisers. Initially alerted by banking group Cyber Defence Alliance to a suspicious Facebook account, the Metropolitan Police discovered thousands of messages, photos, videos and other evidence on the pair’s mobile phones, linking the crooks to offences carried out between 2017 and 2020. Thankfully their shopping spree is over. Huang copped five and a half years in prison, while Morgan-Findlay received two and a half years.…

LAPTOP | £650 from Ebuyer www.snipca.com/37814 Most gaming laptops, even those at the more affordable end of the spectrum, will usually set you back at least £1,000. This makes the Medion Erazer Crawler E10 something of a rarity. At £650 it’s significantly cheaper than the competition, but still packs a surprisingly solid gaming punch. The specifications include a 15.6-inch Full HD screen, a 10th-generation Intel Core-i5 processor with 8GB of RAM, Nvidia GTX 1650Ti graphics card with its own 4GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. “An affordable, very portable gaming laptop with solid performance but a drab screen” The Erazer is also well made. Even though it’s all-plastic, it feels every bit as solid as more expensive laptops we’ve reviewed recently. And at 22.7x360x 240mm and 2.16kg you’ll be…

PHONE | £399 from Amazon www.snipca.com/37807 Given that it’s almost half the price of the Galaxy S21 (see our review, Issue 599), you could be forgiven for thinking that the Galaxy A52 5G is only half as good. However, Samsung’s newest mid-range phone has plenty in common with its pricier stablemates, including a 120Hz screen, four cameras and 5G connectivity. “This is simply the best phone around at this price” Samsung has made compromises in design and build quality, with a plastic rear and fairly thick bezels around the screen. It also uses a weaker Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor. But with Android 11 installed from the get-go, IP67-rated waterproofing and a large 4,500mAh battery, there’s not much else you could want from a new smartphone. At first glance the Galazy…

DUAL-SCREEN PHONE | £1,350 from Currys www.snipca.com/37826 The latest device in Microsoft’s Surface range is a smartphone, not a laptop. It costs an eye-watering £1,350, but can only run Android apps, not Windows programs. However, it doesn’t look like a regular Android phone. Instead it’s made from two screens linked down their longest edge, which open like a book into a larger, tablet shape. It’s a beautifully crafted object and when you close it, there’s a satisfying ‘thunk’ that’s reminiscent of a luxury car door. It’s just 9.9mm thick when closed, but thrust the Duo into a trouser pocket and you will notice how much wider it is than a normal phone. It feels odd to make a call on such a device, but its speaker is great and your…

LAPTOP PRICE DROP Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 £750 from www.snipca.com/37348 Tested Issue 601 Weighing just 1.16kg, this is an excellent lightweight laptop with a great screen and an AMD processor faster than many Intel rivals. It has two USB-C ports, two USB 3.0 ports and a microSD card reader. Battery lasts nearly 16 hours. ALTERNATIVE Dell XPS 13 New Intel CPUs and a taller screen make this a more powerful, all-round slim laptop. Prices start at £1,299 from www.snipca.com/36642 ANDROID TABLET PRICE DROP Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite £259 from www.snipca.com/35795 Tested Issue 582 Competing with Apple’s cheapest 10.2in iPad, this slim aluminium tablet comes with an S Pen stylus and a generous 64GB of storage at a reasonable price. It’s less powerful, but a great buy if you prefer…

ANDROID Preview links in Chrome before you open them Browsing the web on a phone or tablet can sometimes feel awkward – it’s easy to waste time going backwards and forwards through different tabs, tapping links to see where they lead, only to tap back to the previous page. But the latest version of Chrome for Android has a handy little feature that lets you get a sneak preview of the web page behind a link without actually replacing the page you’re currently viewing or opening yet another tab. It’s a great way to speed up your browsing. For example, if you’re looking for something specific from a page of Google results, you can preview each link to see where it leads and quickly return to your search if needed.…

WINDOWS 7, 8.1 & 10 Drag and drop folders into Command Prompt Command Prompt (click Start, type cmd, then press Enter) lets you run powerful commands and tweak them to do exactly what you need. However, typing in long folder locations can be a hassle and is easy to get wrong – just one mistake while typing will result in Command Prompt returning an error. There is an easier way: simply drag and drop the folder from File Explorer directly into your Command Prompt window. In our example, we’ll show how to use this method to change the Command Prompt location to your Photos folder. With the Command Prompt window open first type cd (the ‘change directory’ command), followed by a space. Next, open a File Explorer window (press Windows…

Microsoft Office and LibreOffice are loaded with features. Consequently, their toolbars are stuffed full of shortcut buttons. Depending on the size of your monitor and its resolution, you may find these buttons are so small and cramped that it’s difficult to click the one you want. The good news is that you can easily make them bigger. In LibreOffice, open Writer or Calc, then select the Tools menu followed by Options (or press Alt+F12). Next, expand the LibreOffice option in the left menu, then select View. On the right-hand side of the window, click the Toolbar box in the Icon Size section and select Extra Large. Click OK to save your changes. In Microsoft Office, open Word or Excel, click the Quick Access menu button (this is at top left…

Don’t believe anyone who says they’ve run out of apps to install on their phone or tablet. According to the latest figures from Statista (www.statista.com), in February this year approximately 29,500 apps were added to the Apple App Store and 88,500 to the Google Play Store – and February’s a short month. Those incredible figures disguise the uncomfortable truth that many of these apps are – frankly – awful. Although Apple and Google carry out safety checks to ensure the apps in their stores are free of malware, they don’t seem to exercise much quality control and may fail to spot some of the newer tricks being used by dubious developers. Last month, for example, Avast found 204 so-called ‘fleeceware’ apps in both stores (www.snipca.com/37804) – these con users into…

PROBLEM OF THE FORTNIGHT Where do I get drivers for my old printer? Q I’ve been a Computeractive reader for quite a while and now seek some advice. Recently, I was given an Epson Stylus Photo 2000P A3 printer. However, I’m unable to source the necessary drivers. Epson doesn’t list one and any I have sourced from elsewhere come with a warning. Could you advise me as to how I could obtain what I need, please? My PC runs Windows 10. Victor Kidd A Finding the most recent, safe and reliable drivers isn’t always easy, as we explained in Issue 602’s ‘How not to update your drivers’ feature (page 60). Certainly, you should avoid downloading drivers from random websites, as many will be fake and possibly harmful to your computer.…

Is my Outlook being replaced? Q I’m a long-standing subscriber to your magazine. In Issue 598’s ‘What’s All The Fuss About?’ (One Outlook) you identified numerous Outlook versions. However, I use a version installed from an Office Professional disc. This doesn’t appear to be mentioned in your article. Is this version also at risk of being replaced? Fred Williams A Actually, we did mention the Outlook you use, in the second paragraph, as the ‘desktop version’ – but the reference was in passing so we guess it was easy to miss. The good news is that Microsoft has recently announced that desktop Office (and thus desktop Outlook) will see at least one more ‘perpetual’ release. This means a one-time, no-subscription purchase that’ll just keep working. However, any desktop version of…

You can now check whether your phone number was one of 533 million from a Facebook database that was recently leaked online. To do so, visit Have I Been Pwned? (https://haveibeenpwned.com), then type your number into the search box. You should add the international code (eg, 44 for the UK), then remove the zero from the start of the number and click the ‘pwned?’ button. If it has been leaked, you’ll see the message ‘Oh no — pwned!’ (see screenshot) and the number of times it appears in the database. The site, run by Australian security expert Troy Hunt, has previously let you search only for leaked email addresses. On his blog (www.snipca.com/37890), Hunt said he added phone numbers after seeing “near-unprecedented” visits to his site once news of the…

ARGOS SENDING £5 E-CARDS TO 114,000 Argos is emailing £5 e-gift cards to 114,000 customers who bought its Breakdown Care extended warranty online between July 2019 and October 2020 after the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) ruled that it failed to make customers aware of cheaper alternatives. By law, online retailers must link to price-comparison sites when offering warranties for home appliances. Argos is in the process of contacting affected customers. ASDA PHONE CUSTOMERS MUST GET NEW SIM Asda Mobile has told existing customers that they need to request a new SIM card by 15 September in order to continue using the service. The move follows Asda’s decision to switch its network supplier from EE (owned by BT) to Vodafone. Asda says all new customers signing up will be sent…

The proportion of over-75s using the internet regularly has hit 50 per cent for the first time, according to a major study of UK users. It’s the biggest rise ever recorded in the annual survey of internet use conducted by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). The ‘Internet users, UK: 2020’ study (www.snipca.com/37882) also found that only 6.3 per cent of all adults (over 3.3 million) weren’t regular internet users last year. In 2013, 29 per cent of those aged 75 years and over used the internet. This has now risen to 54 per cent, up from 46.8 per cent in 2019. People aged 65-74 are also using the internet more, though the increase was smaller – from 83.2 to 85.5 per cent. As in previous years, more than 99…

Fake Currys ‘Macbook’ competition In the past few years I’ve been offered the chance to enter competitions run by Asda, Tesco and Amazon. They’ve all been scams of course. My latest opportunity came from Currys PC World via an email, telling me I’ve been given the chance to enter their ‘Loyalty Program’. If I clicked the link I’d be able to win a new ‘Macbook Pro’ (note the lower-case ‘b’ – not a mistake the real Currys would make). I hadn’t read about the scam until I checked the Eastern Daily Press website: www.snipca.com/37796. Suffolk Trading Standards have warned people about it (I live just outside Ipswich). Warn your fellow readers about scams at letters@computeractive.co.uk…

Manufacturers will soon be forced to provide spare parts for products as part of a new law aiming to make items last longer. The Government hopes the so-called ‘right to repair’ will help extend the lifespan of products by up to 10 years (www.snipca.com/37783), benefiting not only the environment but also your bank balance because you won’t have to fork out for a replacement every time something breaks. It’s estimated that the UK throws away 1.5 million tonnes of electrical waste every year. When the law is passed in summer it will cover ‘white goods’ only, such as washing machines, dishwashers, fridges and tumble dryers. It’s hoped that other goods, including electrical devices like computers, phones and tablets, will be covered by this law within a couple of years. The…

My RootsMagic shortcut vanished. After searching my PC, I found a file that let me into the program, but while my individuals were listed, none of the photos appeared. Luckily, I had kept all the photos in a safe folder. What happened? David Stone We’re not sure precisely ºwhat happened, but it sounds like the links to your photos have become messed up somehow. RootsMagic has a tool that can fix this for you, but you’ll need to dig deep to find it: open your file and choose Lists followed by Media Gallery. Click the Tools button and choose ‘Fix broken media links’ to bring back your photos. Have a genealogy question for Nick? Email letters@computeractive.co.uk with ‘Grow Your Family Tree’ in the subject line.…

I doubt I’m alone in using Ctrl+X (cut), Ctrl+C (copy) and Ctrl+V (paste) more often than any other keyboard shortcuts. It’s therefore something of a mystery that Microsoft has done so little over the years to enhance the clipboard tool built into Windows. In fact, the only step forward I can recall is the Clipboard History tool, which arrived with the Windows 10 October 2018 update and stores previous clipboard items. Not that I use it. Instead, I rely on the superior Ditto for my cutting, copying and pasting (www.snipca.com/37899 - click ‘Download 64bit’ under the Downloads heading on the right). Unlike Microsoft’s tool, which saves only 25 items and lacks any settings to tweak, Ditto stores unlimited items and is packed with features. I’ve set up some keyboard shortcuts…

ALL-IN-ONE PC | £1,080 from BT www.snipca.com/37827 We usually think of desktop PCs as large, bulky towers that take up a lot of space, but the all-in-one PCs we’ve reviewed here and opposite are a different breed. These are pretty much the size of a regular monitor, with the PC built into the back of the screen or in its stand. With just a keyboard and mouse required to control it, an all-in-one takes up far less space than a traditional desktop PC. While laptops let you choose where you work and can be put away when you’ve finished, an all-in-one still needs a dedicated space. However, you benefit from a significantly larger screen, a proper keyboard and mouse, and better speakers and webcam. “It rattles through everyday tasks, while…

Q I have a new TV but it only has two USB ports and I need three. I understand I can fit a powered USB hub, but the choice is confusing. Could you possibly recommend both a USB hub and an HDMI hub suitable for connecting to a TV? David Cawton A The number of options available is bewildering, but the good news is that you can mostly go for the cheapest option that covers your needs, because both USB and HDMI are such basic standards. What you can’t use is a USB-C hub with both HDMI and USB ports, unless your TV has a USB-C port that can accept video signals. The key thing you need to find out is which standard the USB and HDMI connections need to…

As we explained in Issue 603’s ‘How To’ (pages 35-37), ViewSonic’s M1 Mini Plus is an excellent choice for projecting films and TV at home – while the built-in battery, JBL speaker, and the ability to be charged by a power bank, makes it ideal for outdoor use. It’s incredibly easy to use. Simply plug in a USB stick or connect it to your device via HDMI cable, and start enjoying movies, photos and music with ease. You can adjust the stand to offer more flexible projection angles that can satisfy most viewing needs – even ceiling projection. The built-in, fast Wi-Fi lets you cast or screen-mirror content from your smart devices to the big screen instantly. You can also turn it into a Bluetooth speaker to play your favourite…

What you need: ClearURLs; any browser Time required: 20 minutes Whenever you click a link, the URL that appears in your browser’s address bar is often incredibly long. This is because it contains tracking code that reveals information such as the website or email where you clicked it. URL strippers are tools that let you remove this tracking code, but last month Google pulled our favourite – the open-source CleanURLs extension – from the Chrome Web Store. Google has since reinstated it, but it shows how the company is worried about privacy tools that might affect revenue generated by data gathering. Here we explain how to use ClearURLs and how you can install it even if Google makes it unavailable again. STEP 1 Install the ClearURLs extension on your browser.…

Last Time Free Android www.snipca.com/37791 Last Time is an activity tracker with a difference. Instead of tracking your exercise, it allows you to log your everyday activities, such as when you last had a haircut or ordered pizza. The idea is that you can use it to track your own behaviour, view a timeline of your activity history, set reminders and more. Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins £3.99 Android www.snipca.com/37789 iOS www.snipca.com/37790 Current Doctor, Jodie Whittaker, might be relegated to a cameo, but this adventure game captures the spirit and scares of the long-running sci-fi series, thanks to recognisable faces and enemies from the ‘Who-niverse’. You have to piece together a mystery by interacting with characters via a missing person’s smartphone. Wateria Free Android www.snipca.com/37792 Designed to help you care…

Record and transcribe online club meetings When you want to document exactly what was said at a club meeting – for example, to create an official record of an AGM or simply to share the content of discussions with those who are hard of hearing – you may struggle to get volunteers to write down the minutes of the meeting. However, if you’re using video-chat tools, the process might be easier than you think. Record your meeting First, you need to set your online meeting to record. Precisely how you do this depends on the tool you’re using. In Skype, click the More button, then ‘Start recording’ (see screenshot below), then click ‘Stop recording’ when the meeting has finished. The recording will be saved in your Skype timeline and will…

Google Pay https://pay.google.com Google ‘reimagined’ its payment app last November, but only for US users so far. Along with other features, it splits bills and other expenses and provides handy spending summaries. We’re hopeful the new app will be launched in the UK this year. Clubhouse www.joinclubhouse.com Clubhouse is an audio-based social network that lets you explore virtual rooms to listen to live discussions and interviews on various topics. Famous users include Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Oprah Winfrey. It’s currently invite-only and limited to iOS devices, but expect a global and Android launch soon. Flexcil www.flexcil.com Flexcil has already proved very popular on iOS, combining a PDF editor and note-taker in a single app, and making it easy to create, annotate, organise and share documents. The Android version is…

This problem clearly didn’t strike Microsoft as urgent, but File Explorer is pivotal to how most people use Windows. A glitch that might be slightly irritating in less important tools becomes seriously frustrating when it’s a part of Windows you can’t avoid using. We’ll be generous and assume it slipped through the cracks, as the pandemic forced Microsoft – like many companies – to adapt to a new way of working. But we’ll be less forgiving when normal service resumes, particular with bugs lurking at the heart of the operating system.…

People in rural areas applying for a Government grant to pay for faster broadband can now choose satellite services. It’s part of the revamped rural voucher scheme intended to boost speeds in remote areas. The Government has allocated £210m in funding, offering homes £1,500 and businesses £3,500 to help cover installation costs. In March the Government outlined the details of Project Gigabit, which aims to connect 85 per cent of the UK to gigabit (1Gbps) speeds by 2025. It acknowledged that connecting the most remote areas will prove difficult, and has suggested satellite broadband as an alternative. Services are likely to come from OneWeb, which the Government now partly owns, and US firm Starlink, run by tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. Satellite broadband has often been touted as a way to…

Compensation paid by broadband providers for service problems will rise in line with inflation, Ofcom has said. Companies have 48 hours to fix a loss of service, after which they currently have to pay you £8 a day for every day the service remains down. They also have to pay you £25 for cancelled appointments, and £5 for every day that a new service is delayed. Ofcom now says that the amount companies have to compensate you will increase on 1 April every year based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rate of inflation as it was on 31 October in the previous year. The CPI inflation rate stood at 0.7 per cent in October 2020, which means compensation has now increased to £8.06 per day for delayed repairs, £25.18…

WATCH OUT FOR… ‘System Update’ Android malware What’s the threat? A new strain of Android malware attempts to infect your phone or tablet by pretending to be a ‘System Update’ app (see screenshot). Once installed, it can record your phone calls, take photos, access your WhatsApp messages, and see your browsing history. It can also search for files with specific extensions, including .pdf, .doc, .docx, and .xls, as well as monitor your location via GPS. The unnamed malware, discovered by Dallas-based security firm Zimperium (www.snipca.com/37808), is particularly sophisticated because rather than indiscriminately stealing data (like less advanced malware), it’s designed to detect certain events before leaping into action. For example, if it detects that you’re making a phone call, it will record the conversation and upload a ZIP file to…

Three increased my bills by 500%! Issue 602’s ‘Question of the Fortnight’ (‘Will broadband and mobile price rises be banned?’) made me smile – actually, I nearly laughed. You report that, among other mobile providers, Three increased its prices by 4.5 per cent in April. I’ve been a Three customer for several years, using their ‘pay as you go’ SIM. Until 16 March they charged me 3p per minute for calls, 2p for a text and 1p per 1MB for data – very reasonable I thought, and identical to O2 (I have a dual-SIM phone and use both services, depending on coverage). On 16 March Three increased my charges to 10p per minute for calls, 10p per text and 5p per 1MB of data – an increase of between 333…

I recently moved house and had to cancel my Virgin Media contract because it didn’t supply broadband at my new address. I was hoping to cancel within 30 days of receiving an email telling me my monthly bills were increasing (so I wouldn’t have to pay a fee for cancelling early). That plan was thwarted when I was always put on hold for over an hour when phoning to cancel. I didn’t get to speak to someone until a week before I was due to move, and about two weeks after the 30-day deadline had passed. Fortunately, the man I spoke to was sympathetic when I said that I hadn’t been able to get hold of anyone. It was during the January-February lockdown, so I assumed Virgin was having staff…

SEARCH TOOL EverythingToolbar 0.6.3 www.snipca.com/37884 What you need: Windows 10 The search function in Windows is slow and, in our experience, often struggles to find certain files or programs even when you type their name in full. In contrast, the open-source search tool Everything is both fast and accurate. EverythingToolbar is a standalone tool that works alongside Everything, letting you run searches directly from a box on the Windows taskbar. To install it, go to the link above and download the MSI file for the latest release (‘EverythingToolbar-0.6.3.msi’ at the time of writing). You also need to have Everything installed (from www.snipca.com/37885). Note that if you’ve previously installed version 0.6.1 (or earlier) of EverythingToolbar, you need to uninstall it before installing this latest version. To do so, open the folder…

WARNING: JUNK AHEAD Junk offender: Nitro PDF Regular ‘Named & Shamed’ readers may have noticed something of a theme emerging over the past few months. For reasons I’ve yet to fathom, a growing number of PDF tools have started trying to smuggle junk on to their users’ PCs. Nitro PDF is the latest example of this curious phenomenon. The free version of this PDF reader/editor used to be highly regarded. But now you can’t even download it without handing over your name and email address, thereby allowing Nitro to pack your inbox with junk mail. The fact that Nitro PDF recently had 77 million users’ details stolen in a data breach doesn’t exactly fill me with confidence, either (see Issue 600, page 61). Those who are happy to keep their…

ALL-IN-ONE PC | £1,307 from Dell www.snipca.com/37795 The Dell OptiPlex 7070 Ultra is an unusual all-in-one because it isn’t built into the monitor. Instead the processor, memory and storage are contained in a separate unit that clips into the stand (pictured below). This is revolutionary for this type of PC because it means you can choose from a range of monitors and even switch it at a later date. “An all-in-one PC that lets you customise and upgrade” Our review unit came with Dell’s P2719HC monitor, available as a PC and screen bundle for £1,307. However, you can exchange this for a selection of other Dell monitors, varying between 22in and 34in in size, which use the same mounting system. In fact, you can also use any other screen as…

What does it do? USB (Universal Serial Bus) is one of the greatest PC-related inventions, bringing a standard connection to a wide range of computer peripherals. Before USB came along in 1996, PCs were lumbered with a plethora of different sockets for printers, external hard drives, mice, keyboards and more, whether you used them all or not. How does it work? One key element of its success is that it carries power and data, so devices that don’t require much power, such as mice, keyboards and small storage devices, no longer needed an additional power supply of their own. You can also unplug and swap devices whenever you like (except storage, which can corrupt data if it’s in use). What are the specs? The first generation of USB, with a…

PHONE | £1,099 from Amazon www.snipca.com/37825 If you’re the kind of person who wants the latest phone with the best features, you might already be used to spending in excess of £1,000 on a smartphone. And you’d probably expect a top-of-the-range Apple iPhone or Samsung Galaxy, so why opt for an Oppo instead? Here, the lesser-known Chinese manufacturer has made a phone to rival its high-profile peers. Inside, you’ll find the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, alongside 12GB of RAM and 256GB of (non-expandable) storage. It runs Android 11, is IP68 rated for dust- and water-resistance, can connect to the 5G network in the UK and has a stylish mirrored design. The large 6.78in QHD+ AMOLED screen has a maximum refresh rate of 120Hz. It’s colour accurate (covering 94.9 per…

What is it? Apple has filed a US patent (www.snipca.com/37869) for a new technology that opens and lifts a laptop’s casing up and away from the surface it’s resting on. These ‘feet’ are automatically (ie, self) deployed by sensors inside the laptop. What does it do? The patent refers to improving air flow. Opening up the inside of a laptop would do this, reducing the need for noisy, power-hungry fans. What’s the catch? Apple files many patents, few of which see the light of day. We like the sound of this one, though. While Apple has included a lot of diagrams of different types of mechanisms (pictured), we wouldn’t be surprised if other manufacturers develop alternatives for Windows laptops. So can I do without it? Yes, but opening a device…

What you need: Satellite dish and receiver box Time required: 30 minutes Remember the hassle of fiddling with the dials on your TV just to tune in channels? A slip of the finger and you’d end up with a fuzzy picture and crackling audio. Digital TV was intended to do away with all that palaver, providing crystal-clear images and audio at the press of a button. The problem is, if you’re not in a strong Freeview reception area (check the strength of your local coverage at www.snipca.com/37874), you may find you’re unable to receive certain channels or that a ‘no signal’ message flashes up in more extreme weather conditions. If this is your experience (or you just fancy ditching your costly Sky subscription), Freesat could be the answer. A joint…

TIP OF THE FORTNIGHT Save web pages using Chrome’s ‘Reading list’ I’m rather keen on Chrome’s new ‘Reading list’ option - I wonder if other readers have seen it? You’ll see it by clicking the star icon at the far right of the browser bar. Find a web page you want to save to read later, click the star icon, then select ‘Add to reading list’ (1 in our screenshot). Next, look for the ‘Reading list’ tab 2 to the right of all your bookmarks. Click this and you’ll see all the pages you’ve saved, listed as those you’ve read and those you’ve yet to read. When you want to remove a page, just hover over it and click the X that appears. If you’re signed into your Google Account,…

Google Photos Free Android www.snipca.com/37788 Whenever you take a photo or video, your device automatically stores additional information – known as metadata or Exif data – along with the image itself. Open a photo in Google Photos and swipe up to reveal a panel of info, including resolution, camera, aperture, shutter and ISO details as well as date, time and location. Best For Comprehensive metadata Scrambled Exif Free Android www.snipca.com/37786 Metadata can be very useful but means you can inadvertently give away private information – such as your location – when you share photos online. Scrambled Exif provides a quick way to wipe all metadata from photos before you share them. Open a photo in your usual photo app and tap Share, then select Scrambled Exif from ‘Share to apps’.…

MICROSOFT EXCEL & LIBREOFFICE CALC Use shortcuts to apply formatting Formatting spreadsheet cells is a pain. You have to select the cells, right-click one of them, select ‘Format cells…’ then choose whichever format you want the cells to use. Depending on the format you want, you may be able to use a keyboard shortcut instead. First, use your mouse to select the cells you want to reformat. To switch the cell format to show two decimal places, press Ctrl+Shift+1. If you want to use the currency format, press Ctrl+Shift+4, while for percentages it’s Ctrl+Shift+5 (see screenshot below). These shortcuts work in Microsoft Excel and LibreOffice Calc, and you can return to the original formatting by pressing the shortcut a second time. Excel has a bonus Ctrl+Shift shortcut - press Ctrl+Shift+8…

What are they? A non-fungible token (NFT) is a digital asset such as a photo, artwork, video, audio file, animation, video-game item or even a social-media post. So nothing to do with fungi? No. The ‘non-fungible’ part means the token can’t be interchanged with anything else. This is unlike, for example, swapping 10 x £1 coins for a £10 note, which would be a ‘fungible’ transaction, because they have the same value. Each token has its own identification code and contains metadata that distinguishes it from other NFTs. Although the digital file’s content can be copied and shared, the unique token means its ownership can’t be disputed. What can I do with an NFT? Sell it for lots of money, if you cash in on the current NFT craze. We…

As you’ll notice when installing the iOS tools in this feature, most apps in the Apple App Store now provide privacy information. This is presented in the form of privacy ‘nutrition labels’, which work in a similar way to the calorie, fat and carbohydrate information you see on food packaging, and tell you exactly what an app does with your data. The most common labels outline the data that’s used to track you and that’s linked to you (see screenshot), and Apple now requires all app developers to disclose these details. This new rule caused controversy earlier this year, when it was revealed that Google hadn’t added privacy labels to many of its popular iOS apps, including Maps, Gmail and YouTube (see www.snipca.com/37805). It has since (and, we imagine, grudgingly)…

Chrome OS runs only on Chromebooks, so you can’t install it on a Windows laptop. However, you can install a very similar OS called CloudReady. It’s based on the same Chromium software as Chrome OS, and looks and operates in a very similar way. In fact, Google recently purchased Neverware, the company behind CloudReady. If you want to try the nearest thing to Chrome OS before committing to a Chromebook, it’s a good idea to give CloudReady a test run in a virtual PC. First, download the virtual PC image for CloudReady (from www.snipca.com/37823 – scroll down and click ‘Download v83 (64bit) CloudReady…’). To run it, you’ll need a virtual PC tool called VMware Player, (from www.snipca.com/37824 – click the blue ‘Try Workstation 16.0 Player for Windows’ link). Run VMware,…

As we’ve explained here, there are several advantages to using a dedicated label printer. However, if you only occasionally print labels, you may prefer to stick with your trusty old inkjet printer. When doing this, it’s crucial you use the correct template for your labels, otherwise you’ll waste a lot of sheets trying to get the text to fit. If you’re using official Avery labels – or ones listed as being compatible with Avery – you’ll find a code (such as L7159) on the label packaging. You can then enter this code on Avery’s site at www.snipca.com/37785 and download the associated template. You can also use the code with Avery’s ‘Design & Print’ tool (www.snipca.com/37775 - see screenshot below), which runs in your browser and lets you choose from dozens…

Cookies and spyware? Q Websites seem increasingly demanding that one accepts cookies. With many it seems that if you don’t accept them you cannot access the site, or are restricted. If you say yes with conditions, the list of these is often long and ambiguous, and couched in such terms that I am sure you are still giving them free rein to track you. It feels like cookies are being used in a sinister way to infringe my privacy. With this in mind, would you please tell me what the difference is between cookies and spyware? Barry Warrell A This is a great question. On the one hand, cookies are totally harmless, but on the other hand sometimes they’re not. For the uninitiated, a cookie is just a tiny text…

1080p Of the common types of high-definition video, this is the best quality: 1920x1080 pixels. 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. 5K Video with a horizontal resolution of 5120×2880 pixels. Active noise cancelling Method for reducing unwanted sound by adding a second sound specifically designed to cancel the first. AES-256 Advanced Encryption Standard. A form of encryption based on a key length of 256 bits. 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. Aperture An opening that controls the amount of light…