TechLife September 2021

I admit, Gandalf was not in fact thinking of personal computer security when he demands the above of Frodo Baggins in The Fellowship of the Ring, but his urgency in needing to know if the One Ring is safe and secure is certainly appropriate to the topic. It’s a sad fact that for every step forward in the effectiveness of the security tools at our disposal, the bad guys those tools are designed to protect us from make similar advances. It’s one of the reasons that we come back around to the topic with some regularity – there are a lot of threats to keep up with! So we’re once again here to keep your passwords secret, and your important data and systems safe. With a lot of us now using personal…

ASCOMP PDF Conversa PDF converter for PDF to Word and vice-versa. Whether you want to convert PDF documents into a Word format DOC/RTF or convert Word documents into PDF – PDF Conversa provides the necessary tools. PDF to Word: Convert existing PDF files into the Word file format DOC or RTF in no time at all. The graphics, tables and fonts associated with the basic layout remain unchanged. Password-protected documents can be easily converted and further processed in Word. Send documents in the format you desire or edit existing documents in your preferred file format. PDF Conversa processes the conversion with just one click. Download link: www.techlife.net/ exclusives Ashampoo Home Design 5 Plan with precision or get creative. What will your finished house look like? Ashampoo Home Design includes everything from doors, windows, balconies and carports to…

$11,999, www.sony.com.au Released in late 2020, the Sony VPL-VW590ES is an attempt to show just how well the cinema can be recreated at home with the best projectors for gaming and movies – something many of us have been trying hard to do in the last year. It replaces the consistently well-reviewed VW570, adding 300 lumens and memory for lens positions and aspect ratios to a model which had been a high benchmark for the best 4K projectors in recent years. But does it just replace it or become the new benchmark? Design & Features Out of the box, the most obvious thing about this projector physically is that it is very big. Imagine the best portable projector, and then imagine something at the opposite end of the spectrum entirely. Weighing in at…

More Google Pixel 5a details have been revealed via purported FCC filings, which mention three models and a few features we weren’t sure would make it to Google’s affordable phone. The Pixel 5a features? Sub-6GHz 5G, NFC, Bluetooth LE, and a 3.5mm headphone jack, according to Droid Life. Sadly, there’s nothing too exciting to glean from the filings, but some of these features (notably 5G) weren’t available in the standard Pixel 4a – so perhaps Google is committing to only releasing one model of its lauded mid-range phone, instead of both a 5G and a cheaper The Tor Project has released the latest major update to its Tor Browser, which now displays V2 onion warnings and makes bypassing censorship easier thanks to the inclusion of a new way to create Bridges. As reported…

There are improvements across the board in Windows 11, with Microsoft promising that updates will be 40 per cent smaller, and touting Windows 11 as “the most secure release yet”. The taskbar is optimised for touch as well as mouse peripherals, and is now renamed the dock. New multitasking features are also on offer thanks to a feature called Snap Layouts, which enables you to arrange multiple windows across the screen, not just side by side, but in columns, sections and more. Another feature is Snap Groups, where you can go back to previously snapped windows from the dock, so for example you can go to your email app, Edge browser windows or anything else without having to snap them back to the previous view again. There’s also improved multi-monitor support, so when you…

$449, sony.com.au There’s no doubt that Sony has a strong pedigree when it comes to premium noise-cancelling audio, with both its WF-1000X and WH-1000X product lines dominating their class (true wireless in-ear headphones, and wireless over-ear headphones respectively). With the WF-1000XM4, Sony has upped the ante once more, introducing an entirely new ANC (Active Noise Cancelling) processing chip, along with a redesigned earbud, and the results are stunning if somewhat pricey. Design As Sony has reliably done for past 1000X product launches, the WF-1000XM4 is available either in Black or Platinum Silver – both classy and understated colours with brassy, metallic trim that provides a subtle counterpoint to the matte and uniform tone of the plastic. This trim is most prominent in the cylindrical microphone housing protruding from each earbud and is seen again on…