TechLifeApril 2019的目錄

WELL, SOME OF you spotted it, some of you didn’t, but regardless, a little error slipped through our production process last month that resulted in the cover reading that it was the February issue - again! These things happen sometimes, so apologies for any confusion we may have caused. And a special apology to all the confused librarians whose filing methods have been put out of whack - thank you all for getting in touch! Thankfully I can assure you this is very much the April issue, and it is a cracker. We’re taking a look at it all, this month, focusing on the past (with a guide to how you can prepare for Windows 7 being officially declared at the end of its life shortly), the present (Nvidia’s RTX…

AUSTRALIA’S GOVERNMENT AND Opposition were recently the targets of a cyberattack that, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says, was conducted by “a sophisticated state actor”. Investigations have revealed that the Parliament House network was breached several weeks before the political parties were hit. Sources familiar with the matter have described the level of sophistication as “unprecedented” though it’s still unclear as to which foreign government was behind the attack.The attacks are believed to carry the digital footprints of China but Australian authorities are concerned that another state could have replicated the tactics used by Chinese intelligence to shift blame. The attack against Australia’s political parties resembles the 2016 Presidential election interference campaign against the US by Russia when the Democrats were hacked and damaging information was released. With the Federal elections…

One of the biggest threats to the chocolate industry is the increased level of Theobroma cacao plants that are becoming infected by disease. Around one-fifth of cacao pods are ravaged by disease before they can be harvested. Researchers at Pennsylvania State University believe genetic engineering with the CRISPR-cas9 technique could provide a solution. This would work by removing the genetic sequence in the plant’s DNA that suppresses its ability to fight infection. After artificially infecting engineered leaves, the plants appeared to be more successful in fighting disease, however, the team will still need to wait for the entire tree to grow and test its fruit before they will know if the process has worked.…

GETTING HOLD OF an email account is easy. Sign up with an ISP and you’ve got one account for starters. Creating an account with Google and other big names will get you more. Buy a decent web hosting package and you’ll probably get enough email addresses to power a large business, all for no extra charge. Getting the right email account is more difficult, as there’s a lot to consider. What are the spam filters like? How easy is it to keep your inbox organised? Can you access the account from other email clients? And what about using the service with a custom domain and address of your own (yourname@yourdomain.com)? Keep reading and we’ll highlight some of the best email providers around. All have decent free services, perhaps with ads…

TELL US WHAT THE SIDE PROJECT PROJECT IS. The Side Project Project is a year-long commitment to ‘just do it’. One side project a month for 12 months, it is the opportunity to go wild while gaining new skills. The episodic format means I’m not locked in. Each month is an iteration for the overarching project and I can pivot based on what works and what doesn’t. The only rules are that there’s just one month per project and I have to share it all – even if it fails spectacularly. WHY DID YOU CREATE IT? Mostly as an outlet for pent-up ideas, to challenge myself and as a learning experiment. On my hard drive is a long list of projects that once upon a time produced a day’s worth…

Langrisser DEEP, BEAUTIFUL STRATEGY. Free with IAP THE RECENT TREND of “Gacha” games, where free to download titles are subsidised by purchasing the chance to get higher ranked heroes and equipment, has been largely (and rightly) criticised for heavily reducing the quality of the game itself. This is mainly due to the shallowness in gameplay that is required in order to allow those who pay to effectively dominate play over the original design ideas of the developers. But in the case of Langrisser, which on the surface follows this playbook, I found one of the best strategy games on mobile. Langrisser is a lesser known Japanese Strategy RPG series that has effectively been condensed and shrunk onto a mobile platform. Players sit on an isometric grid, where active scenarios are…

IF YOU LOVED MSI’s 2018 GS65, but don’t quite think you could get away with its gold grills in the office then you’ll be jonesing for MSI’s Prestige series P6 58RE. It’s clear from the vent design and identical physical specifications, that MSI has used the chassis of the GS65 to build the new P65. This is not a bad thing. We do prefer the black, red and gold colouring of the GS65 to the plain silver P65, but the fresh all-white Limited Edition P65 might just be our favourite of the three. Up front the MSI P65 has an Intel Core i7-8750H CPU and 16GB of RAM. The P65 comes in two variations locally: the silver P65 Creator 8RE, with a GTX 1060 (Max-Q), 60Hz FHD IPS display and…

HERE’S SOMETHING THAT’S INFINITELY BETTER THAN THE GOPRO DESIGN: WE COULD EXPORT VIDEO AND CONNECT TO OUR SMARTPHONE AS A VIEWFINDER WITH A PHYSICAL CONNECTION. DJI OSMO POCKET is the easiest way to record stabilized 4K video and fluidly moving time lapses without having to carry around a full-sized DSLR gimbal and bulky camera gear. It’s a handheld camera stabiliser for the mainstream, and that means you’ll soon be seeing even more silky smooth video out there. That’s a good news for everyone who hates shaky video. It’s comparable in some ways to the GoPro Hero 7, which offers camera stabilisation, albeit through in-camera software. And while their executions are widely different – the GoPro is more durable, while the Osmo tracking more veritable – the results are similar. They’re…

LET’S FACE IT: there’s never anything good on TV. At least, not when you’re sitting down in front of it. This is where streaming media boxes can upgrade your home entertainment experience considerably. If you’re yet to experience the wonders of being able to access Netflix, Stan or catchup TV directly from your TV, then you really aren’t living. Or maybe you are, and we’re the ones who should be embarrassed about getting so excited about this stuff. In any case, media boxes are a cheap and easy way to enhance your existing TV, making the wealth of video content on the internet accessible through a remote control. Granted, you could also get that content onto your TV by plugging your laptop in, but the beauty of a media box…

GOOGLE KNOWS A thing or two about streaming. You only have to look at the success of the Chromecast, now in its second generation. The company is turning its expertise to music streaming with the Google Chromecast Audio, bringing wireless streaming to your offline speakers and amplifiers. What you get is a small disc the size of a Jaffa Cake. At first glance, it is almost identical to the new ‘regular’ Chromecast, but the Chromecast Audio has tiny circular grooves to evoke the image of vinyl records. There are two hard-wire connections: a micro-USB port – used purely for power, with a wall adaptor included in the box – and a hybrid 3.5mm/digital optical output. The premise here is essentially the same as with the other Chromecasts. The device connects…

TO IMPROVE ON something that’s already pretty good, sometimes all you need is a light touch. That’s what Cambridge Audio has done with the second iteration of its CXN streamer – an update to the Award-winner we reviewed in 2015. Now, alongside Tidal built-in and Spotify Connect, you can also stream music via Google’s Chromecast. The CXN (V2) has kept all of the great sonic characteristics of the original. That same vibrancy, and enthusiasm that greeted us three years ago hasn’t changed much in the time since. We play Landslide by Fleetwood Mac, and Stevie Nicks’ soulful, sweet singing is full bodied and beautifully conveyed. The way she shifts between notes is smooth, and the occasional words clipped to keep her rhythm are snappy and insightful. Even the odd vocalisation…

“SONICALLY, WE CAN’T REALLY CRITICISE THE MIND: IT IS A BALANCED, ELEGANT AND ALL-ROUND MUSICAL PERFORMER” THE NAME MIGHT evoke some Orwellian government brainwashing faction rather than a class-leading hi-fi component, but despite its rather eerily menacing acronym, the Moon Neo MiND is simply a really good streamer. It is worth noting that MiND actually stands for ‘Moon intelligent Network Device’. Effectively this means it does everything you’d expect from a streamer, drawing from all your mobile devices, NAS drives and streaming services via its control app to collate one whopping great music library. BLENDING IN Physically, the MiND seems happy enough in its role, quite content just to blend in to your hi-fi rack. The black chassis is rather featureless, apart from a pair of logos, a trio of…

[ PRIVACY ] Remove sensitive files from hard drive I’m a bit paranoid and have some private files I need to delete beyond all trace of recovery. What do you recommend? DAVID JOHNSTONE Rob Mead-Green replies: There are several free tools available that can securely wipe all traces of files from your hard drive. One of our favourites – even though it’s now been discontinued – is File Shredder. You’ll discover how to use in the step-by-step guide right here – happy shredding! Download and install File Shredder from www.fileshredder.org  (it’s no longer supported, but works fine). Once installed,  launch the program and click Add File(s) or Add Folder(s) to select the files and folders you wish scrubbed from your drive. The default secure algorithm –…

FROM A GENEROUS NIGERIAN prince making an unfeasible offer, to fraud warnings from what might be (but isn’t) your bank, spam is one of the scourges of the internet. It gets in the way, at best, and at worst can lead to hacking or identity theft. Your email app will have basic junk filtering, but SpamSieve (US$30 from C-Command.com) is a companion utility that is very effective at catching this stuff. SpamSieve works on your Mac, so if you check your emails on other devices first, you may see spam in your inbox. Once SpamSieve does its work, these will be moved to the Spam folder and the changes will be reflected on all the Apple devices you own. We use Apple Mail here, but SpamSieve happily works in tandem…

EVERY NOW AND then it’s worth taking a look at the state of scammery in Australia. In spite of all the publicity, in spite of how careful most of us have become in our online and phone interactions, scams are still big business. Bigger than ever, in fact. In 2017, a total of $91 million in losses to scams were reported to Scamwatch (which is an Australian Competition and Consumer Commission initiative). In 2018, that rose to $107 million. There were over 177,000 reports made to Scamwatch, and of those nearly 10% resulted in financial loss. And that only includes incidents actually reported; likely there are many thousands of incidents that were never reported because the victim was too embarrassed or because the target didn’t think it was worth reporting.…

PERFECT YOUR DIGITAL PHOTO LIBRARY ORGANISE, OPTIMISE AND EDIT WITH ASHAMPOO PHOTO COMMANDER 15. FULL VERSION WORTH $12 The new Ashampoo Photo Commander 15 is the comprehensive solution to view, edit and organise your photos, geotagging included! Bring order to your photo library, batch-optimise multiple files at once or create and design your own calendars, greeting cards and slideshows with ease. Control and navigate through your slideshows on your PC while the slides appear on an external display or beamer! With just a few clicks, beginners, amateurs and professionals alike will achieve stunning results. Download link: www.ashampoo.com/techlife KEEP YOUR DRIVE SPICK AND SPAN ORGANISE ALL YOUR FILES WITH ABELSSOFT FILEORGANIZER. FULL VERSION WORTH $25 Downloads, new photos, current documents: For many users, these files first end up directly…

SONY SAYS THE build quality of the Alpha A6400 has been upgraded over the A6300, although it’s not clear exactly how or where. Either way, the Alpha A6400 features a magnesium alloy body which is sealed against dust and moisture. Sony’s also bolstered the shutter, which has a lifespan of 200,000 cycles – double that of the A6300. There’s a pretty decent-sized handgrip, with the body of the A6400 following a virtually identical form factor to other A6000-series cameras. The A6400 also features an identical control layout to the A6300, with a good amount of well-marked controls at the rear, along with a free-moving control wheel that enables you to navigate menus and scrutinize images with ease. However, as on all Sony’s other cameras, touchscreen functionality is limited to tap…

IT TOOK SOME time but, over the past year, Samsung started making some of the best LCD TVs we’ve ever seen. While the premium TV market is firmly embedded in the OLED space, there’s still much to recommend about LCD TVs and we had high hopes of Samsung’s high art concept. The Frame is a different beast to what we’ve seen from top-end tellies in recent times. It’s decidedly chunky compared to rivals but this is to preserve the uniformity of the bezel’s thickness, which is designed to mimic a fine-art frame. The TV’s stand represents an ugly afterthought: this TV is designed to be wall-mounted (or displayed on a special, three-legged easel). The special slim-fit wall mount allows it to be set almost flush with the wall with only…

WHETHER IT’S A laptop, smartphone or tablet, the web browser has become a vital part of any device. As something we use on a daily basis for up to hours at a time, your browser of choice is a very personal decision. Hence when it comes to deciding on a browser, it’s worth looking at all your options. What some may call the dark horse of the industry, Opera is a cross-platform browser with serious bite. With many of the functions you’ve come to expect from other browsers, it’s Opera’s range of unique tools and features that make it a serious challenger in the browser sweepstakes. For our final look at web browsers, we’ve tried and tested the tools that we think make Opera stand out from the rest. THE…

The Visceral Star Wars game, Project Ragtag, Uncharted meets Star Wars. Whatever name you use, it’s just as disappointing that we’ll never get to play it – and a new US Gamer interview with Amy Hennig, the former creative director of the project, makes its absence feel just as keen as the day EA announced the change of direction and developer. As if millions of voices suddenly cried out, saying “We’d really like another great Star Wars game one of these years.” As far as rose-colored memories of the LucasArts days go, there was a particular appeal to EA’s Project Ragtag: a big-budget, cinematic action adventure game following a charismatic hero. And Hennig didn’t deny the common comparisons to her work on the first three Uncharted games, noting also how…

SO, YOU want to play some old video games, great! How hard can it be? Whether it’s an old console from the depths of your attic or a spark of nostalgia from childhood memories, we all sometimes crave those classic titles from the past. However, you may quickly realize that the world of retro gaming is vast and unwieldy, with various options and methods for getting you started. These options may be more than what you need, or perhaps even not far enough down the retro rabbit hole. Nevertheless, there’s something to suit every gamer’s needs when it comes to exploring the past. So, let’s delve into the modern world of retro gaming, so that you can experience the best of pixelated history. USING ORIGINAL HARDWARE The starting ground for…

THE FIRST TWO Huawei Watch products were a big part of the initial success of the Android Wear operating system, so it came as a surprise when the company backed away from Google’s wearable platform for the Huawei Watch GT. Instead the company decided to use its own software for its latest smartwatch. The Watch GT has pared back software to increase battery life, and the good news is that this has worked – although at the cost of compromises elsewhere. This is a thin and light smartwatch with a full-colour display, and we found it comfortable to wear throughout our time using it; we also had compliments on how the watch looked on our wrist. The design is similar to that of the Huawei Watch 2, although it is…

NEW HI-FI ISN’T always ‘out with the old and in with the new’; sometimes it’s just about adding to a system. Meet Arcam’s rPlay: the latest addition to the brand’s rSeries and a compact, wireless-router-resembling streamer that can turn even the most traditional, physical-format-centred, ‘dumb’ system into a plug-and-play-almost-anything network streaming ecosystem. That’s thanks to the DTS PlayFi streaming platform, built into the rPlay, as well as a few products from Pioneer, Onkyo, Rotel and McIntosh. It unlocks the ability to stream music wirelessly from smartphones, tablets or laptops to speakers throughout the home, and from a range of music sources. ALL BASES COVERED With PlayFi’s impressive music streaming inventory comprising the likes of Amazon Music, Tidal, Spotify, Napster and Deezer, as well as expanding to internet radio, Apple Airplay…

SOME OF THE best things in life come in pairs that complement each other perfectly – fish and chips or wine and cheese, for example. You can add to that list the Chord Mojo and Chord Poly, a DAC and network streaming solution that could be described as a match made in hi-fi heaven. If you already own the Award-winning Chord Mojo DAC ($739), adding the dedicated Poly streaming module will gift it the likes of DLNA, AirPlay, Bluetooth and micro SD card playback. The Poly is designed to work exclusively with the Mojo, and cannot be used with any other DAC, but the pair make a network streaming solution that’s a force to be reckoned with. LIGHTING UP On its own, the Poly would hardly dwarf your typical cigarette…

TOOLS These include: Move (the black arrow); Text (the capital ‘T’); and Picture Frame (the rectangle with an ‘x’ across it). PAGES PALETTE A useful navigation aid within your Publisher document – especially if it swells beyond a few simple pages. DOCUMENT Shown here, with useful space around it for putting objects you haven’t placed yet, or text that’s too long for its frames. WALLPAPER The default background image can be changed to another preinstalled one, or to one of your own pictures. LAYERS PALETTE Every object has its own layer, and you can use this palette to find them, and to change their stacking order. TEXT STYLES Set up some text styles – headline, body text, and so on – and you can apply them to text with a…

ONE OF PHOTOSHOP Elements’ greatest strengths is its ability to turn photos into stylised artworks with a few quick clicks of the mouse. With some of the guided effects, all of the work is taken out of the process for you. However, the outcome of applying just one filter or style to an image can be very hit and miss; some effects require a more hands-on approach to get the best result. This posterised style is a great example. To get an accurate representation of the face in limited tones with smooth edges requires a combination of filters with carefully selected values. The setting of each filter will vary depending on the start photo. We have supplied the start image used in this tutorial so you can follow along exactly.…

The TechLife team finds the best budget, value and performance products, and the latest releases in the top technology categories. If you believe there are other products that deserve the title in any of the tech categories, let us know and give us your reasons why in 50 words or less. Equally, if there’s a hot new product that’s worthy of attention, we want to know. Send your email to techlife@futurenet.com. PROUDLY BROUGHT TO YOU BY…

FOR US THE PRICE WAS THE MAIN KILLER, WHILE MANY OF US IN THE OFFICE ALSO PREFER THE PIXEL 3’S CAMERA - I’M LOOKING AT THAT AS MY NEXT UPGRADE, IN FACT. What about video? Hi, I read your magazine on a tablet. I enjoy each issue and also that you include topics that are a bit left field. I do not know what proportion off your sales are paper or electronic , but has there been consideration about including video in your magazine. I seem to recall your predecessor magazine that had video in its last year Just a thought. PAUL CAMFORD David says: Hey Paul, thanks for getting in touch, and we’re all very glad you enjoy our at times ecelectic mix of content! We have…

THE COMPANY HAS “REVIEWED RELEASING THE FOLDABLE SMARTPHONE WHEN LAUNCHING [ITS] 5G SMARTPHONE BUT DECIDED NOT TO PRODUCE IT.” DESPITE BEING RESPONSIBLE for the world’s first rollable OLED television display, LG is playing the ‘wait and see’ game with regards to foldable smartphones, according to the company’s TV division boss, Brian Kwon. Kwon, who was handed the reins to LG’s struggling phone business late last year, told reporters at a press conference in Seoul on Friday that the company has “reviewed releasing the foldable smartphone when launching [its] 5G smartphone but decided not to produce it,” as reported by The Korea Times. Stating that “LG’s main issue in [the] smartphone business is to regain its market position” and that “it is too early for LG to launch a foldable smartphone,”…

YOUR DOG REALLY did eat your homework, and you have no idea who took the last biscuit from the sweet jar. Lying is in your nature, but don’t worry – it’s in the nature of most humans. It’s a technique that has evolved over billions of years, so it turns out you might not actually have that much to feel bad about. Humans are social creatures, and we have our giant brains to thank for this. They evolved to be so large because we needed the extra space to be successful at communicating with others and keeping our social group happy. This has a lot of advantages. If you can build bonds with other humans you can access more resources because your friends and family will share food and shelter,…

Innovations in chocolate HOW ARE FOOD TECHNOLOGISTS BRINGING THIS HOUSEHOLD FAVOURITE INTO THE FUTURE? Reduced sugar Though it’s what we love about the taste of chocolate, its sweetness and high sugar content means it is not a particularly healthy snack choice. The desire for ‘healthy’ chocolate has inspired chocolate manufacturer Nestlé to produce a ‘structured sugar’, reducing their sugar content in chocolate by as much as 40 per cent. Spraying milk, sugar and water into warm air produces a substance similar to the sugar used to make cotton candy. The structured sugar is more porous than typically used sugars and therefore dissolves on the tongue faster. Rather than simply reduce the amount of sugar in chocolate, Nestlé has engineered the sugar crystals to form in a different way to reduce…

Moon Minute Monday A WEEKLY REMINDER OF HOW AWESOME THE MOON IS. moonmonday.space If you’ve ever been remotely interested in the Moon beyond its vague crescent presence in the night sky, then this site will give you the fix you so desire. The passion project of sole creator and curator, Jatan Mehta, Moon Minute Monday offers up a weekly digest of Moon-related content, taking inspiration from NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day (apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix). Each post he makes (on a Monday, funnily enough) focuses on one particular geological or topographical feature of the Moon and explores it in a variety of ways – recounting its history, formation, scientific significance, or any combination of interesting tidbits. These posts also include imagery of the feature as well as a “you are here” map…

IT’LL BE INTERESTING TO SEE HOW THIS UPDATE AFFECTS OVERALL TEAM COMPOSITION. FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER, TEAM VALOR HAS BEEN THE MOST POPULAR TEAM, WITH TEAM MYSTIC SLIGHTLY EDGING OUT TEAM INSTINCT. Pokemon Go will finally add the ability to change your team in an update coming next week, developer Niantic announced. You’ll be able to purchase a Team Medallion for 1,000 Pokecoins (which can be earned for free or purchased with about $10 of real money) from the shop which you can use to hop between Team Instinct, Team Mystic, or Team Valor. The catch is that you can only use a medallion once, and not only that, you can only buy one medallion per year – as in, every 365 actual days. It’ll be interesting…

From $99.95 | PC, PS4, XO | www.metrothegame.com IT’S BEEN A very long six years since the last entry in 4A Games post-apocalyptic Metro series, but if Exodus is the result, the Ukrainian developer has undeniably used that time wisely. This third entry in the first-person shooter series switches from a largely linear design to a more open-world approach, and continues the story of Artyom, survivor of the nuclear holocaust, who for the last 20 years has managed to eek out the resemblance of a life by sheltering in the network of train tunnels underneath the ruins of Moscow. With Exodus, 4A Games has successfully taken the gorgeously-gritty environs and strong storytelling that were the hallmarks of the first two games and expanded the playing field, providing players with a…

THIS KEYBOARD IS SKIRTED BY A PAIR OF SUBTLE SPEAKER GRILLS THAT COMBINE WITH AN ADDITIONAL TWO UNDERCARRIAGE SPEAKERS TO CREATE DOLBY ATMOS THREE DIMENSIONAL SOUND — WHICH ISN’T BAD FOR PERSONAL CINEMATIC PLAYBACK. RAZER HAS ALWAYS offered some of the best looking laptops money can buy, and the 2019 black-anodised aluminium Razer Blade Stealth is no exception. Returning to the 13-inch form factor, we’re continually surprised by how small modern ultrabooks can be. Sliding in at a 1.48cm thickness, the new stealth earns its Razer name and the 30.5 x 21cm footprint and 1.28kg weight mean this device is just about as portable as a laptop can be. Despite being so compact the Blade Stealth manages to maintain a nicely weighted keyboard that has a decent travel distance for…

IF YOU DO TRACK YOUR RUN, WALK CYCLE, OR SWIM THEN YOU’LL HAVE SPEED, HEART RATE, MAP AND TIMING DATA TO LOOK AT — YOU JUST HAVE TO DIG A LITTLE IN THE MOBVOI SMARTPHONE APP MENUS TO REALLY FIND THE DETAILS YOU WERE AFTER. AFTER A COUPLE of hugely successful Kickstarters in 2016 and 2017 Mobvoi carved out a market for affordable smartwatches that can do almost everything a premium smartwatch can – but Mobvoi seems to have outdone itself with the new even-more-affordable TicWatch E2. Coming in at just $239, the TicWatch E2 is priced more like a premium fitness band than a fully-fledged smartwatch, but with Wear OS, GPS tracking, voice assistant integration and access to the entire range of Wear Play Store applications, it’s pretty clear…

LENOVO’S LEGION SERIES of gaming desktops have grown up. The latest C-series Cube desktops look classy enough to belong in your home entertainment setup while still being able to throw down at LAN parties. Although it fits into the small form-factor niche, the Lenovo Legion C730 Cube packs full desktop internals into a compact chassis with a volume of just 19 liters. Although it fits into the small form-factor niche, the Lenovo Legion C730 Cube packs full desktop internals into a compact chassis with a volume of just 19 liters. It’s definitely got a bit of a markup for the small build, but it’s not small enough to get a heartbreaking price hike. Instead, you’re looking at a beefy little build that’s ready to get up and go. But, because…

WE'D BET THAT even the staunchest proponents of physical media will stream at least half their music. It isn't just simpler, or more convenient, it's been properly embraced by hi-fi manufacturers to the point you can enjoy your favourite albums in hi-res pretty much anywhere. These seven class-leading products run the gamut from a $60 bolt-on to your existing hi-fi in the shape of Google's Chromecast Music, to our most expensive choice for streaming in the shape of Moon's Neo MiND. We also take the opportunity to showcase everything in between. Cambridge Audio's Azur 851N is a real performer, and will justifiably tempt anyone with a generous budget, while the same company's CXN (V2) caters for those aiming to spend a little less. Completing that quartet of trophy winners is…

FOR A MOMENT, just put to the back of your mind the fact that the Node 2i wireless streamer is part of Bluesound’s multi-room family, and avert your eyes from its strong features list. In our view, this is simply the best sounding product of its type you’ll get your hands on for less than a grand. The new and improved Node 2i marks quite the return to grace, given that the original Node 2 has found itself overmatched by more recent competition. FALL AND RISE The arrival of Arcam’s rPlay streamer last year was a further spanner in the works. It offered improved sound in a similarly compact unit at a substantially discounted cost, and consequently, the Node 2 dropped from five stars to three. “There’s no two ways…

“THE AZUR 851N IS THE IDEAL HIGH-END STREAMER IF YOU’RE AFTER SOMETHING TO SIMPLY SLOT INTO YOUR EXISTING SYSTEM” ONCE THE DADDY of Cambridge Audio’s network streamers, before that spot was taken over by the Edge NQ, the Azur 851N is part of the company’s premium Azur 851 Series. It’s a step up from the midrange CXN, which also features in this test, and as you’d hope for the price, it’s a pretty giant step at that. Like the CXN, it doubles as a preamplifier and can plug straight into a power amp thanks to a volume output controlled by a 32bit Blackfin digital signal processor. Music signals pass through two 24-bit Analog Devices DACs in dual differential mode, meaning each stereo channel processes information separately for, Cambridge says, greater…

01 SET UP A NEW DOCUMENT To start a new document, either open a template or choose File > New. The New Document window is fairly straightforward, asking you the paper size, whether it’s a spread or a single page, and what the margins are. You also get the choice of whether to link to or embed image files (so you don’t ‘lose’ them). Here we’re making a simple A4 colour page at 300dpi. 02 ADD SOME TEXT In DTP apps, text lives in frames that can be moved around and coloured as you wish. Choose the Text Frame tool that lives about two-thirds of the way down the toolbar, and drag a frame that will contain your text. You can move and resize the frame once you’ve drawn it.…

TODAY WE ANSWER one of the most asked questions: How can I sync my computer’s Outlook or Windows 10 Calendar and Contacts with my Android smartphone calendar? Your computer may have come with a pre-installed version of Microsoft Office that suits your purpose just fine, or you may be using the Windows 10 Mail and Calendar apps. Most likely you don’t need Word or Excel on your smartphone, just your email, contacts and calendar. And of course, you want these to sync so they are always up to date on all devices. This is a particularly big need for self-employed freelancers and small business operators, yet the only official way to do it seems to be with an Office 365 subscription. Office 365 provides the entire Office suite, but there…

SYNCING, AS YOU’VE probably discovered, is an incredibly useful tool. It allows you to share your key files with all of the roughly three million devices you now own, acting as both a backup solution and way to make sure your photos, music and documents are available on whatever device you’re using. Most people use a cloud service like OneDrive, Google Drive, or Dropbox to accomplish it. That has its advantages. They’re easy to set up, and there’s always a copy of your files stored in the cloud for you to recover. But they have their downsides as well: namely a monthly or annual cost for any volume larger than a few gigabytes; and the fact that your files are stored on somebody else’s servers, with the inherent security risks…

LoveSync bonk button NOTHING SAYS INTIMACY LIKE AN ON OFF SWITCH. US$57 | lovesync.com People have been successfully having sex for a while, but this small detail hasn’t stopped a new Kickstarter from addressing this problem once and for all. LoveSync is a pair of connected buttons that you and your partner push when you want to have sex. If only one is activated then nothing happens, but if the other is already engaged then lights swirl and you take it from there. Now all we need is a button for making dinner, one to know if you’re ready to get a dog and one that’ll show your desire to immediately watch a b-grade rom-com and we can get rid of pesky relationship conversations forever (please note: this is the…