Computer Shopper -julkaisun June 2015 -irtonumeron sisällysluettelo

BUILDING A PC may seem complicated, but in reality it’s something anyone with a reasonable-sized table, a screwdriver and some enthusiasm can do. If you caught our previous issue, you’ll already have all the information you need to choose the right components for your computer. This month, starting on page 102, we show you how to put it all together, from building basics to putting the finishing touches to your custommade PC. Even if you don’t have a copy of Shopper 327 to hand, our recommended systems on page 117 will show you the parts you need to build a Budget, Mid-range or High-end system. If you’d rather leave your PC building to the professionals, we’ve got you covered here, too. Our group test of £500 PCs – or £600…

ON SALE in newsagents from 14th May GOOGLE’S SECRETS There’s more to Google than just search. We show you how to get the most out of all Google’s services in our ultimate guide HOW PROCESSORS WORK They’re integral to computing, but how do processors actually work? We separate our NANDs from our NORs and XORs to explain IP CAMERAS Need to keep an eye on your house, car, kids or cat wherever you are? You need an IP camera. We test the best ERADICATE BLOATWARE New PCs are often chock-full of unwanted software. We show you how it’s slowing down your PC, and how to get rid of it for good CREATE VIDEO FAKES Amaze your friends with impossible stunts captured on camera – with a bit of help from…

Mel Croucher RANTS Just when you thought Barbie dolls couldn’t get any more sinister, they start extracting marketing data from your little darlings WHEN I WAS a little boy, and the world was still monochrome, I read a book that gave me the willies. It was called Brave New World. Written by Aldous Huxley in 1931, it was set 500 years in the future. Huxley prophesied the brainwashing of infants via softly spoken speakers in their pillows, and I’ve been suspicious of pillow-talk ever since. I was similarly spooked in 1969, when Brian Aldiss wrote his short story Supertoys Last All Summer Long, set in the late 21st century and the basis for Steven Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence. The mother of an android child finds it easier to communicate with…

APPLE HAS ANNOUNCED a new MacBook for 2015, replacing the MacBook Air as the company’s thinnest laptop to date. At just 13.1mm at its thickest point and weighing 920g, the new 12in model is almost 25% slimmer than the 11in MacBook Air. To achieve such compact dimensions, Apple has ditched almost all the ports from around the sides, leaving a single USB3 Type-C connector to act as power, video and network all in one. This means there’s no SD card reader or standard USB ports for flash drives; Apple expects customers to use Bluetooth and 802.11ac Wi-Fiinstead. Thankfully there’s still a 3.5mm audio jack on the other side for plugging in a pair of headphones, meaning anyone without a Bluetooth headset will still be able to listen to music. The…

£650 inc VAT • From www.currys.co.uk VERDICT Super thin and light with sprightly performance, the Zenbook UX305 is a superb-value ultra-portable INTEL’S CORE M mobile processors changed what we expect from ultra-portables in terms of performance and battery life. Even better, the chips can be found in laptops under £700. The stunningly thin 1.2kg Asus Zenbook UX305 takes full advantage of the low power consumption and low thermal waste of its 0.8GHz Intel Core M-5Y10c processor. While 800MHz may sound pathetically slow, it can Turbo Boost to an impressive 2GHz when thermal conditions allow. If we hadn’t known what processor was inside the laptop, we’d have guessed it was a Core i3. The advantages of such a low-power CPU are clear. First, the laptop has no fans, so it’s silent…

£80 inc VAT • From www.videostudiopro.com VERDICT Lots of small improvements, but not the ones we were hoping for VIDEOSTUDIO HAS BEEN a stalwart of consumer video editing since the 1990s. Now on its 17th version, it has accrued a mass of features but maintains its beginner-friendly appearance. The last update improved performance and the interface, but this time the focus is on new features and creativity. In practice, there’s no headline-grabbing new feature but a decent helping of smaller ones. New overlay options now sit alongside the existing Mask and Chroma key modes. Gray Key makes pixels on an upper layer more or less visible depending on their brightness. There’s precise control over the threshold using five handles on a greyscale bar (the Chroma Key effect gains these controls…

Your free gifts are now even easier to enjoy. Just download all the software from www.shopperdownload.co.uk/328 and register with your unique coupon code Ashampoo GetBack Photo ASHAMPOO GETBACK PHOTO is an undelete program designed to recover lost digital images. Simply direct GetBack Photo to the local, external or network drive that contained the pictures you deleted and it goes to work, scouring every sector for the missing files. There’s comprehensive format support. This program isn’t just for finding missing JPGs; GetBack Photo can also locate PNG, BMP, GIF and Raw files. It’s even able to detect and recover photos contained in common document formats, including PDF and Word, although this won’t happen by default (click Configuration, Settings and select Complex Scan to detect every format or Quick Scan for standard…

£279 inc VAT • From www.jessops.co.uk VERDICT The Hero4 is the perfect choice for motorsport and track day enthusiasts, but too impractical to use as a day-to-day dashcam THE GOPRO HERO4 isn’t really a dashcam, but as it’s arguably the best – and certainly the best-known – action cam on the market, many people may be wondering if it could double up as a dashboard model. The answer is yes, but with several caveats. The most obvious problem is that the Hero4 isn’t easy to mount in a car, even with its dedicated suction-cup holder. This is because the suction cup is designed to attach to the outside of cars and motorbikes travelling at speeds of up to 150mph. We don’t doubt its ability to grip, but with questions over…

£60 inc VAT • From www.audiovisualworld.co.uk VERDICT A no-frills budget camera that won’t block your view, but it doesn’t produce the clearest video we’ve seen THE 101 GO is the cheapest dashcam on test, and also one of the smallest. The dinky unit and its equally compact suction cup holder will do little to obstruct your view, even if you ignore the safety advice to place it behind your rear view mirror. It’s the lightest camera we’ve seen, too, weighing just 56g, so there’s little prospect of it falling off the windscreen when you go over a speed bump. The camera could hardly be easier to operate. It starts recording the moment you plug in the charger, and the menus are easy to navigate with the four substantial buttons on…

£109 inc VAT • From www.jessops.com VERDICT The CarCam 02 is a great little dashcam that’s seriously let down by a clumsy external GPS add-on THE RAC’S PREMIUM dashcam is curiously cumbersome. The main unit is a perfectly compact 2.7in widescreen device that slots easily into its equally slender suction mount, and if that were all there was to it, we’d be talking about a Best Buy contender. For reasons best known to itself, though, the RAC has made the GPS facility an external add on. The GPS unit is a 35x40x10mm block that you have to stick to the windscreen and plug into the main unit. This creates two problems. First, the reusable sticky patch that clings to the windscreen kept coming unstuck while we were driving, which was…

STEP 1 REMOVE THE SIDE PANEL(S) To get inside the case you’ll need to first remove the side panels. Some cases will use thumbscrews so this will be easy, otherwise grab your crosshead screwdriver to remove the screws. The priority will be the left side panel (when viewing the case front on). If you know there’s space to work behind the motherboard tray in your case for cable routing, remove the right panel as well. STEP 2 TAKE OUT ACCESSORIES Most case manufacturers will place all the accessories and instructions inside the case itself for easy transportation. Make sure you take all of these out. It’s not uncommon for the screws to be in a box mounted in one of the hard drive bays, so be sure to slide this…

STEP 1 IDENTIFY MOUNTING POINTS Most cases come with at least one fan pre-installed, and they normally have two (excluding the fan built into your power supply). Typically one is installed in the front as an air intake and another at the back as an exhaust. That way cool air is drawn into the system and across your components, with the warm air expelled out of the back. If you only have one fan, or are building a very powerful PC, then a second, third and even fourth fan might be a good idea. First you need to identify what size fans your case will support. Standard sizes are 80mm, 120mm, 140mm and occasionally 200mm, but consult the case’s manual or specifications. Some mounting points are able to support two…

STEP 1 FIT THE DRIVE Many new PCs and laptops no longer come with optical disc drives. If you want an optical drive for reading DVD-ROM or DVD and Blu-ray movies, you’ll need to make sure your case supports external 5¼in drives. The standard way to install an optical drive is to insert it from the front of the case, rather than the inside as with your hard disks. A The first thing you’ll need to do is to remove the case’s front panel. Chances are this will just pop off, but consult your manual if this isn’t the case. Slide the optical disc drive into the drive bay and push it back until the front is flush with the case. Screw-holes on the side of the drive should line…

STEP 1 TIE-OFF EXCESS CABLES Some cables, such as the front panel audio, branch into two connections when you only need to use one of them. This usually means that a second connection branches off just before the main cable terminates. Fold the excess cable back on itself and tie it down to the main cable so it’s out of the way. Do this for any other cables around the case, such as the PSU’s SATA power cables. STEP 2 BUNDLE TOGETHER CABLES Any cables close to one another should be bundled together to make one thick cable. Use several ties along their length. You can also group together several smaller bundles where possible. It’s not advisable to use zip ties as these are a nightmare to remove. If your…

STEP 1 CREATE A BOOTABLE FLASH DRIVE If you’re installing an operating system from a CD/DVD, such as a Windows 8 retail pack, you can ignore this step and proceed to Step 2. If you’re planning to install an operating system from a hard disk or USB flash drive, however, you’ll need to set it up as a bootable drive with an operating system installation on it. You’ll need to use another PC to set it up. Windows Windows 8.1 is the best operating system to install right now, and you’ll get a free upgrade to Windows 10 when it’s available. You’ll need to have a full retail copy to install it on your new PC; an old product key and restore disc from a previously bought PC or laptop…

Why can’t we vote online? It’s unlikely to have escaped your notice that on 7th May we’ll be heading to the polls for the 2015 general election. The issues, personalities and policies may (arguably) change, but the way we vote in the UK certainly hasn’t. We’ll be marking our choice on the ballot paper in the usual way – yet these days we can do everything else online. So why aren’t we choosing governments from the comfort of our laptops? In this feature we look at the technology of voting, and at the changes technology is bringing to elections and politics. Spoiled paper For most of us, it won’t be a great hardship to swing by a polling station on 7th May, but when we get there we’ll be presented…

NINITE HAS MORE than 80 applications available, but you’ll only need to install a fraction of them on your PC. We’ve handpicked our favourite free software so you won’t have to spend a penny. WEB BROWSERS The first program you’ll want on your new computer is a web browser to replace Internet Explorer. Ninite gives you the choice of Google Chrome, Opera and Mozilla Firefox. Chrome has its quirks but its integration with Google’s products and services makes it difficult to resist. Mozilla Firefox has improved a lot in recent years and is very fast, and you get peace of mind that this not-for-profit foundation isn’t trying to sell you anything. DOCUMENTS LibreOffice is an easy-to-use, open-source productivity suite. If you’re not an advanced office software user, you’ll find all…

PART1 IP CAMERAS ARE a great way to keep an eye on your valuables while you’re out, or to see which of your cats is destroying your sofa from the comfort of the office. While a £60 D-Link DCS-942L camera, such as the one we used for this feature, can connect wirelessly to your home network or D-Link’s cloud service, what if you want a bit more control? Perhaps you want to leave a camera recording for longer than the week’s video you can fit on a microSD card? Or maybe you just feel more comfortable storing sensitive video on your own machine rather than on a third-party cloud server, at possible risk from hackers? All this is possible using an old PC, a free copy of Ubuntu Server and…

LIGHT PAINTING INVOLVES taking a photo with a long exposure time and painting light trails with a torch or some other light source. The most common example is streaks of light from photographing cars at night, but you can take the concept much further. Light painting is an intriguing mix of photography and painting, and the process is a mixture of sculpture and performance art. Photography normally involves capturing a scene at a specific moment in time, but light painting turns that concept on its head: it condenses a period of time into an instant, capturing a subject that was never really there. There are some superb sources of inspiration online. Search Flickr, 500px or any other photo hosting site for “light painting” and you’ll find lots of examples. One…

Chris Finnamore “Satnavs to help them find their constituencies” David Ludlow “Explosive sci-ficollars so they have to stay in parliament for important votes” Katharine Byrne “Ultra-efficient smart duckhouse heating systems to burnish their green credentials” Richard Easton “Accounting software to help them pay the relatives they employ” Seth Barton “Automated hourly texts to remind the government how few people actually voted for them” Tom Morgan “Logan’s Run-style crystals embedded in their hands to remind MPs to retire before they become too right-wing” Michael Passingham “A Tesco Hudl so they can see how the other half lives”…

Software and systems developer letters@computershopper.co.uk LAST MONTH I was in the process of abandoning a bit of kit that had served me well for close to 15 years: my Tech-Air laptop rucksack. This month’s tale involves a piece of software I’ve had for even longer: 22 years, to be precise. What’s more, it’s a Windows 3.1 program that doesn’t look dated and, even more amazingly, it does some jobs in a superior manner to any current alternative. Unlike my poor old bag, this one certainly hasn’t outlived its usefulness. ECCO & THE FUNNY MAN I was introduced to Ecco Pro by former Shopper editor Jeremy Spencer in 1993, who said he’d just received the most wonderful program that you could use as a phone book, personal organiser, outliner, database, time…

MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS, the world’s biggest trade show dedicated to smartphones, tablets and all things mobile, took place in March and saw major announcements from all the big manufacturers. We were on the ground in Barcelona to see it all. SAMSUNG HAS THE EDGE Samsung was firing on all cylinders this year, as it announced two flagship smartphones. The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are both huge improvements on the outgoing Galaxy S5: each one has a 5.1in 2,560x1,440-resolution display, Samsung’s latest quad-core 2.1GHz Exynos 7420 chip, a 16-megapixel rear camera, wireless charging and a stylish metal chassis. Moving to a metal case is the best thing Samsung could have done for its new handsets, and it’s done a particularly fantastic job with the Galaxy S6. However, it’s the…

THE CONSOLE WARS have a new entrant with the Nvidia Shield, a 4K-capable games console that runs on the Android TV platform. Nvidia had previously released an Android tablet under the Shield brand, designed to stream games over the company’s Grid service. The new Shield console is designed for the exact same purpose, providing under-the-TV competition for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. The console is powered by the Nvidia Tegra X1 processor unveiled earlier this year. The 256-core chip is the first mobile processor to offer a teraflop of throughput, according to Nvidia, and will be completed by 3GB of RAM. That will allow the console to output at resolutions of up to 4K at 60fps. The console has a striking, angular design that’s unlike any other set-top box…

£57 inc VAT • From www.amazon.co.uk VERDICT Portable and rugged, but lacking in volume DIVOOM’S VOOMBOX OUTDOOR (see Reviews, Shopper 320) impressed us with its massive sound for the size. The Voombox Ongo can be considered its smaller sibling, but, disappointingly, it’s not quite as loud. This is a shame as it comes with a bike handlebar mount and tripod for taking it on the move. Sadly, it’s not quite loud enough to hear over the exertion of cycling or the movement of the wind if you’re pedalling at even a moderate speed, which negates its usefulness. The Ongo’s design is similar to the Outdoor’s, with the same rubberised exterior and choice of bright colours. It’s available in red, green, blue and orange, plus a more subdued black. Every model…

For more PCs, see the Group Test on page 78 Laptop computer 01 A basic laptop costing around £300 will run everyday office, multimedia and education software, but it won’t be suitable for 3D gaming. Many laptops at this price have a 15.4in screen and weigh around 2.4kg, so they’re best used around the house and for occasional journeys. 02 If you want to play modern games, you’ll need a laptop that has a dedicated graphics chip such as the Nvidia GeForce GTX 860M. Good gaming laptops tend to have large 17in screens and weigh around 3kg, so they’re best suited to the home. 03 If you want a laptop that you can take everywhere, look for a model that weighs less than 2kg. For the best portability, look for…

TOOLBAR TERMINATOR 2015 is a straightforward yet extremely useful tool that makes it exceptionally easy to find and remove even the most persistent of browser toolbars. The program doesn’t need any special configuration, and there are no complex options to consider. You don’t even have to click a Start button. Just launch Toolbar Terminator 2015 and it immediately checks Internet Explorer, Chrome and Firefox for add-ons. Anything the application discovers is presented in a list. Icons show whether the toolbar was installed in IE, Chrome or Firefox, and Toolbar Terminator 2015 also checks for remnants left behind in Windows, such as Registry keys. The toolbars displayed won’t necessarily be malicious, and it’s important to browse the report with care. Toolbar Terminator 2015 highlighted entirely safe and legitimate Avast and IObit…

2D performance Our benchmark suite allows us to compare Windows, Mac OS X and Linux PCs. The tests use open-source applications to gauge a PC’s performance, and comprise image-editing, video-editing and multitasking elements. These scores are combined to produce the overall score. Our reference PC is fitted with an Intel Core i5-3570K processor and 4GB of DDR3 RAM. We have normalised all its results to 100, which makes it easy to draw comparisons. We use the same tests in all our reviews. You can download the tests for free from http://bit.ly/shopperbenchmarks SETTINGS We run our application tests at native resolution WEB http://bit.ly/shopperbenchmarks 3D performance Dirt Showdown (fps) Dirt Showdown is a cracking racing game that requires relatively modest graphics hardware. We look for an average frame rate of 30fps to…

£90 inc VAT • From www.halfords.co.uk VERDICT The compact MiVue 518 is a bargain Full HD dashcam with great software THIS IS THE only sub-£100 dashcam we’ve tested that offers Full HD recording. You’ll have to buy a memory card to store all that HD footage, though, as the MiVue 518 comes with only the bare essentials in the box: the dashcam, the suction cup, the charger and a paper manual. There isn’t even a Mini USB cable to help you transfer your footage, so you’ll have to provide your own. Unlike its sub-£100 rivals from RAC and Nextbase, the MiVue 518 has software that you can download to manage your recordings. The MiVue Manager application is excellent, beating even the applications supplied with the premium cameras. A month-view calendar…

£180 inc VAT • From shop.roadhawk.co.uk VERDICT The DC-2 is a distraction-free dashcam that produces superb daytime footage THE DC-2 IS the only dashcam in this group test that doesn’t have an integrated screen. Roadhawk, which mainly targets the business market, says this is a deliberate decision that ensures its devices are both legal to use (see page 101) and don’t distract the driver. Having seen how the screens on other devices can divert your eye from the road, we agree this is the right approach. We were concerned that getting the DC-2 in the right position would be tricky without a screen, but in practice it’s not a problem. Roadhawk supplies two types of mount – one that sticks to the screen, and a suction-cup mount – and both…

STEP 1 FIT SUPPLY ON TO SHELF Increasingly, a lot of cases now position the power supply unit (PSU) in the bottom of the case. This can be preferable as the sheer weight of some PSUs means systems can be unbalanced when they’re mounted at the top. It can also make for neater cabling as the power cables don’t hang down into the case. Which way round you install the PSU could be dictated by the case you use, so be sure to consult the manual. In some cases, you can decide to point the PSU air intake fan up or down. With the PSU fan pointed up towards the case internals, the fan can help draw warm air in and then expel it out of the rear of the…

STEP 1 OPEN THE SOCKET LEVER AMD’s AM3, FM2 and FM2+ processors fit directly into a socket on the motherboard. The first step is to lift the metal lever to release the socket. The entire fixture will move slightly backwards and align the holes in the plastic socket with the connectors beneath.A STEP 2 FIT THE PROCESSOR The processor is a delicate component, so hold it from the edges and avoid touching the pins underneath. The processor will fit only one way into the socket so will require no force. There’s a small arrow on the corner of the processor and a matching arrow on the corner of the socket. Line these two up and the processor will simply drop into place with zero fuss. If it feels as if…

STEP 1 CONNECT CASE CABLES TO THE MOTHERBOARD There will be a number of different loose cables coming from your case that will need to be connected to headers on the motherboard. Connections for the power button, reset button and status LEDs are all grouped together. The cluster of headers you need might be labelled ‘Panel’ or ‘JFP1’. Consult your motherboard manual to be sure. Get the cables ready to be attached. They might have been tucked away behind the motherboard. You can see an example of what you should be looking for on the right .A If you have trouble connecting the fiddly headers by hand, use a pair of pliers to help you. STEP 2 CONNECT THE POWER CABLE One of the cables is the two-pin power cable,…

STEP 1 FINAL CHECKS Now that everything is attached, now is a good time to do a final check. Make sure all the motherboard connections are securely in place. One of the most common reasons for a boot failure is a loose cable, so it pays to double- or even triple-check. Similarly, make sure all the components, such as the RAM and graphics card, are seated correctly. Make sure there’s no loose cabling that could obstruct the fans. Go back to ‘How to route your cables’ (opposite) if necessary. STEP 2 ATTACH THE FRONT OF THE CASE With the final checks completed, you’re ready to re-assemble the case. If you removed the front of the case to install an optical drive or attach a fan, now is the time to…

So you’ve put everything together and excitedly turn on the PC… but it doesn’t boot up. Don’t panic, though. Go through the following troubleshooting steps and you may find that the solution is surprisingly simple. PC WON’T POWER ON OR BOOT UP Check the PSU is turned on This might sound obvious, but it’s happened to the best of us. There’s often a separate power switch on the PSU itself. Make sure this is switched to the ‘on’ position before attempting to boot up the system from the case’s front panel power button. Also check you’ve turned the PC on at the plug, and try a different socket. If you’ve checked everything else, try a different power cable (your kettle may use the same type) or check the fuse in…

Many of us will have been visited by party workers, councillors or even MPs in the run-up to an election, as they attempt to gauge support and mobilise voters in key constituencies. This year will be no different, but such face-to-face canvassing is part of a wider effort, one in which parties hope that the latest tools and platforms will give them an advantage. These days, social platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are a must for politicians seeking to engage with the electorate, with central party offices typically also using YouTube, Google+ and Instagram. We contacted Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and UKIP to ask for details of the teams manning such accounts, and whether – as is common with larger businesses – they were…

THERE ARE PLENTY of good reasons to wipe your computer and put it back to its factory default settings, including selling it and protecting your private information or simply clearing out the clutter. With Windows 7 and before, doing this would require a fresh install or using the manufacturer-provided disc image. With Windows 8 things are a lot easier, as we’ll show you. 01 START THE RESTORE UTILITY Go to the Start screen and type Remove to bring up the search box. In the results that appear, you’ll see an option called ‘Remove everything and reinstall Windows’. Click this to start the clean-up utility. 02 SELECT YOUR REFRESH OPTION The Windows 8 app gives you two cleaning options. The first is a refresh, which will leave your personal files alone,…

Serial numbers in Access Q I have an Access report where I assign numbers to forms for our sports club members. I have each member’s name and club number, but I want to have a serial number for each person that’s separate from their club member number. I want to start the numbers at 100, ideally, but if necessary I can start from 1. Owain Davies A Starting from 1 is fairly easy. All you need to do is to add an unbound text box to the report, and set its Control source to =1. You do this in its properties. Next, set its Running Sum property to Over All. Unfortunately, this only works to create an incremental value if you start from 1. If you want to have a…

COMPUTERS HAVE REVOLUTIONISED almost every creative pursuit, from music to photography to literature. They have also spawned a completely new medium – computer-generated graphics – but this is an area that has proved stubbornly awkward for the average home user to get into. 3D modelling software has a reputation for being expensive and impenetrably complicated. It’s a reputation that’s often well deserved, but not in the case of 123D Sculpt+. Available for free for iPad and Android tablets, 123D Sculpt+ (www.123dapp.com) is published by Autodesk – a major player in professional 3D graphics software with Maya and AutoCAD. Unlike those flagship programs, though, its 123D range of desktop and mobile apps are aimed squarely at hobbyists. 123D Sculpt+ specialises in character modelling. It’s a big download at 490MB and is…

CONTACT LETTERS letters@computershopper.co.uk London W1T 4JD THE PERFECT FILTER The microfilter separating my phone and broadband connections broke, probably due to a lightning surge affecting the phone line. After looking for information about these filters online, I discovered a minefield of conflicting reviews about how certain brands improve or degrade broadband speeds. Examining the circuit of the filter, I found that the broadband circuit goes straight through the filter, and that it’s the phone circuit that is actually filtered. I therefore made the ‘perfect’ broadband filter by prising open an old microfilter and snipping out all the components to give a straight-through connection for the broadband circuit. Obviously the phone couldn’t be used with this arrangement but it allowed me to test broadband speeds knowing the result was not affected…

With more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement, our retired cop gives a police officer’s perspective on the sticky subject of cybercrime letters@computershopper.co.uk RECENTLY I’VE BEEN working with some ex-colleagues, and I’ve been surprised at how easily we’ve all slipped back into the banter that comes from our shared experiences over 35 years of law enforcement. The office resembles the BBC’s New Tricks. I’m not a huge fan of the show, but I’ve caught a few episodes and the similarities between its characters and my workmates is quite marked. One colleague, who looks and sounds a bit like the Dennis Waterman character, raised his head the other day and uttered the words, “ ’Ere, what about them smart tellies that listen to you, Samsungs they are. Can listen…

INTEL HAS ANNOUNCED its first mobile system-on-chip (SoC) with an integrated modem: the Intel Atom X3, codenamed SoFIA. Previous mobile Intel chips, such as the Bay Trail range, have separate wireless modems for use in 3G and 4G tablets, as well as smartphones. Having two chips is less power-efficient and more expensive, and makes it harder for Intel to compete with companies such as Qualcomm, with its Snapdragon integrated-modem SoCs. There will be three Atom x3 models: the x3-C3130, the x3-C3230RK and the x3-3440. All three are 64-bit compatible, but their specifications differ significantly. The x3-C3130 is a dual-core chip running at up to 1GHz with a built-in 3G modem. The x3-C3230RK also has 3G, but is a quad-core processor and runs at up to 1.2GHz. Finally, the top-of-the-range quad-core…

HUMAX CLAIMS IT will be the first manufacturer to launch set-top boxes based on the forthcoming Freeview Play service. Freeview Play is, as the name suggests, a free-to-air on-demand and catch-up television service and is expected to launch this summer. The Freeview Play line-up will include BBC iPlayer, ITV Player and 4oD, and will allow viewers to browse backwards through the electronic programme guide (EPG) and stream shows on-demand if they missed the live broadcast. Humax says it will offer two versions of its Freeview Play set-top box: a 500GB model that stores 300 hours of television and a 1TB version that can store 600 hours. The boxes will include Wi-Fireceivers for accessing the internet television services. Details are otherwise sparse, with Humax saying it will reveal more details about…

£47 inc VAT • From www.uk.insight.com VERDICT Cheap, swift and inexpensive to run, the Officejet Pro 6230 is a no-nonsense office inkjet HP’S OFFICEJET PRO 6230 is a no-frills inkjet, aimed at small offices and the home. Support for wired and wireless networking makes it easy to share on a network, and there’s also automatic duplex (double-sided) printing. The only obvious omissions are a screen and a USB host port, which would enable direct printing at the device. This isn’t a small inkjet, and the grey plastic finish looks a little clunky. We could also hear a constant high-pitched noise from the mains adapter until we unplugged our review sample. The large top panel opens up for easy access to the paper path for clearing jams. This is also how…

Chat and Communication Digsby (Build 92) Access all your instant messaging services from one application; there’s support for Windows Live!, Yahoo!, AIM, Google Talk, ICQ and Jabber. UPDATED Evernote 5.8.4 Store your notes, ideas and plans in the cloud, and synchronise them between computers. UPDATED Mozilla Thunderbird 31.5 A powerful email client from the organisation best known for the Firefox web browser. Postbox Express 1.0.1 An email client that provides a comprehensive array of tools to help you manage your messages more easily. UPDATED Skype for Windows 7.2 Make internet voice and video calls for free, and buy credit to make calls to mobiles and landlines. Trillian 5.5.0.19 Use all your instant messaging accounts with one application; this program has support for Windows Live!, AIM, Yahoo! and Google Talk. Customisation…

£150 inc VAT • From www.halfords.com VERDICT A good-quality compact dashcam with built-in speed camera alerts, but the cheaper MiVue 518 is better value IF YOU’RE GOING to append the word Deluxe to a product, it had better have something to back it up. In this respect, the MiVue 538 has a feature that’s unique among the dashcams in this test: speed camera alerts. Mio promises that the camera will be supplied with free safety camera updates for “the lifetime of your device”, and in our tests it certainly gave us plenty of advance warning of all the cameras we know of in the Brighton area. The screen shows your current speed as well as the speed limit, giving you plenty of time to slow down if you stray over…

£80 inc VAT • From www.currys.co.uk VERDICT The CarCam 01 is a reasonably cheap, no-frills dashcam that struggles once the sun sets THE CARCAM 01 is one of the cheapest action cams we’ve seen. Although nominally it costs £20 more than the Nextbase 101 Go, the CarCam 01 comes with a memory card (albeit a limited 4GB model), which means it’s ready to go right out of the box. It’s not quite as compact as the 101 Go, thanks to a bulbous barrel at the bottom of the device that houses the camera lens. This rotates, making it easy to adjust the angle of the camera without fiddling with the mount. The camera starts recording as soon as it’s plugged into the charger, and there are buttons within easy reach…

IF YOU’VE GOT a high-end smartphone capable of recording Full HD (or even 4K) video in your pocket, you might be wondering why you should go to the trouble and expense of buying a dedicated dashcam, especially as the app stores are stuffed with free or cheap apps offering dashcam functions. However, there are several reasons why we wouldn’t recommend choosing a smartphone over a dedicated device. The first is performance: recording Full HD footage is a processor-intensive business and even high-end smartphones can struggle with continuous recording. If you’ve got other apps or notifications running in the background, recordings can stutter or freeze. Phones can also overheat when recording HD video for long periods, sometimes shutting themselves down to prevent damage to components. This means there’s every chance you…

MULTI-HEAD SCREWDRIVER A ratchet or electric screwdriver that supports a wide array of fitments will be more versatile than a typical crosshead screwdriver. They’re useful to have around the home for other tasks beyond building a PC as well. Choose one with a range of hex sockets that include at least 5, 6 and 7mm sizes. Magnetised tips will also help avoid losing screws down the back of the case. TORCH A good source of light, be it a dedicated torch or a flashlight app on your smartphone, will help avoid frustration when building inside your case, especially if it’s all black inside. It also brings peace of mind during intricate tasks such as making sure you’ve lined up the processor the right way and when connecting peripherals to a…

STEP 1 FIT STORAGE DISK INTO A BAY Solid-state disks (SSDs) are a popular choice for storage these days, and most new cases have dedicated 2½in drive bays to accommodate them. In older cases you might have to install your SSDs in a 3½in bay using mounting brackets. Many SSD retail kits include these, or you can buy them online separately. As a stopgap you can pretty much put your SSD anywhere in the case, as it doesn’t vibrate or create much heat. Some cases mount 2½in SSDs around the case. Consult the instruction manual to see if there are SSD vertical mounting points behind the motherboard tray, in the bottom of the case, or elsewhere. You’ll need to secure the SSD to these mounting points using the screws supplied…

STEP 1 CONNECT THE KEYBOARD AND MOUSE You’ll need to connect a keyboard and mouse before you get started. Older keyboards and mice use PS/2 connections, which your motherboard should have. Most new keyboards and mice use USB, or a USB dongle if they’re wireless. Connect either of these to the rear USB ports. STEP 3 CONNECT SPEAKERS If you have a set of speakers you want to connect, now is the time. If you’re simply connecting a pair of stereo speakers, connect the 3.5mm audio cable from the speakers into the green audio jack on the motherboard or into your dedicated sound card. Surround-sound speakers require a few more connections. Simply match the colourcoded cables with the matching coloured ports for the satellite speakers and subwoofer. STEP 3 CONNECT…

HIGH-END PC This high-end gaming system is housed in an attractive Corsair Obsidian Series 450D case that has plenty of room inside for a large graphics card. The Intel Core i5-4670K processor provides great performance, and you can overclock it if you want to squeeze a little extra out of it. A fast SSD for your system disk will keep things feeling responsive, and there’s a 2TB hard disk for your media. The XFX 850W PSU will leave you lots of headroom for future upgrades as well. Add the Best Buy-winning XFX Radeon R9 280X Black Double Dissipation Edition graphics card for playing games and you’ve got a top performer for the money that will handle most of today’s games. CASE Corsair Obsidian Series 450D £98 • www.scan.co.uk MOTHERBOARD ASRock…

For hours after an election we rely on exit polls, which are often wide of the mark – notably in 1992, when a hung parliament was predicted ahead of a Conservative majority. To address such inaccuracies, from 2005 the BBC and ITV agreed to pool their data for a single exit poll. Since then, you might as well have gone to bed at the close of voting, with the 2005 exit poll correctly predicting a 66-seat Labour majority, well before a single constituency had declared. In 2010, the poll correctly predicted a hung parliament with 307 seats for the Tories; in the event they won 306. Many commentators raised eyebrows at its forecast of a poor 59 seats for the Liberal Democrats, given their strong position in opinion polls immediately…

With DHCP servers, two is too many Q I have two PCs and a Western Digital WD TV Live HD media player, all cabled to a Netgear DG834 router, which doesn’t have Wi-Ficapability. I also have an HTC smartphone that connects to my PC with a USB cable for synchronisation, charging and so on. This was also how I connected my phone to the internet for updating apps, until a friend gave me a Senao wireless bridge, which is now plugged into the router’s fourth Ethernet port. When the bridge is switched off, the two PCs have internet access and the WD TV can stream movies without issue from my main PC. When I switch on the bridge, the PCs retain their internet access, the phone can access the network…