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I broke the law every Sunday teatime as an eight-year-old. I wasn’t selling extra-strength Sherbet Dip Dabs on the black market, but obsessively taping Radio 1’s chart show so I could listen to my favourite songs whenever I wanted. Nobody told me it was illegal. I blame the parents. I’d have no excuse these days. Using criminal devices and software to dodge payments would rightly see me in trouble with the law. Backed by broadcasters, police are cracking down on a wave of online piracy across the UK. Thousands of people know that they’re breaking the law and are happy to risk it – wrongly assuming the authorities won’t catch up with them. But plenty of others are uncertain exactly what you can download legally – and from where. I’m…

HP has angered users after what’s being reported as a firmware printer update is preventing people from using ink made by other companies. One user on online forum Reddit complained that their device would print only when an HP cartridge was installed. They said that their printer showed the message: “The indicated cartridges have been blocked by the printer firmware because they contain a non-HP chip. This printer is intended to work only with new or reused cartridges that have a new or reused HP chip” (see screenshot). They added that previously the printer would show a message saying it couldn’t “guarantee quality”, but would still allow printing. When they contacted HP to complain, the company reportedly told them that it was “due to the recent update of all printers”.…

OUTLOOK APP NOW FREE ON APPLE MACS Microsoft has made Outlook available for free as an app for Apple Mac users. The ‘Outlook for Mac’ app was previously available only as part of a Microsoft 365 subscription or an Office licence. Users will be able to access Outlook.com, Gmail, iCloud, Yahoo or IMAP accounts through the app. Install it from www.snipca.com/45318 and read more about it on Microsoft’s blog: www.snipca.com/45319. GOOGLE WARNS ABOUT APPS THAT DON’T WORK Google’s Play Store has started to warn you about apps that might cause problems on your phone and tablet. Users have reported seeing a message on some app pages saying “recent data from similar devices show that this app may stop working on your device” (www.snipca.com/45320). Google is thought to be showing the…

Air fryers are all the rage (we’ve just bought one), so be careful about emails claiming to be from Argos saying you’ll receive a free one just by taking part in an online survey. If you click one of these links you’ll be directed to a website that contains the Argos logo and looks genuine. But here’s where you’ll smell a rat, because at this point it asks for your payment details. Why would they need those if the air fryer is free? It’s a blatant ‘too good to be true’ hoax, but sadly I expect enough people will fall for it to make it lucrative for the scammers. Warn your fellow readers about scams at letters@computeractive.co.uk…

I detected an element of surprise in your news story that the vast majority of Windows 7 users have upgraded to Windows 10, and not 11 (Issue 653, page 6). But this is exactly what I would have expected. If you’ve waited this long to switch from Windows 7, it’s likely you don’t take chances with technology, and stick with what you’ve got for as long as it’s reasonably safe to do so. I have a lot of sympathy with this ‘wait until the last minute’ approach because upgrading too early can be just as big a mistake as upgrading too late. I can think of several occasions where I updated software eager to use the new tools, only to regret the decision when they proved to be unstable and…

Recently I downloaded MailWasher Pro (www.snipca.com/45204), which you recommended a couple of years ago. Installation went fine, but when I tried to add accounts I hit a major snag. I have two email addresses: my Outlook one that comes with Microsoft 365, which I only ever use for contacting my dual fuel supplier; and my main Virgin Media email. MailWasher set up Outlook straight away, but for Virgin I kept getting the error message ‘Could not connect to server’. I contacted MailWasher and received several emails from them suggesting solutions. None worked, so they asked for my Virgin Media password to see if they could set an account up. I got a screenshot back with my account set up and advice to change my password. Virgin now works fine. MailWasher’s…

SYSTEM MONITOR SysGauge 9.3 www.snipca.com/45426 What you need: Windows 7, 8.1, 10 or 11 Free system-monitoring tools tend to focus on a specific aspect of your PC’s performance, such as background processes, memory usage or available drive space. SysGauge covers all these tasks and many more, in a feature-packed interface that this new version makes even smarter and easier to use. The program’s System Status tab provides an overview of your system, including how much CPU power and RAM it’s currently using, the data-transfer rate of your hard drive and the amount of free memory and drive space. The latter are displayed as colour-coded gauges – a clever design element that gives SysGauge its name. You can select individual options, including CPU Monitor, Process Monitor and Disk Monitor in the…

Avast’s Boost RAM app ‘killer’ Reader Peter Matthews recently emailed us having got a distinct whiff of rodent when he uses Avast Mobile Security, which came installed on his Android phone. The app has a ‘Boost RAM’ feature that promises to bolster the amount of free RAM on your phone (see screenshot 1). But Peter doubts its effectiveness because he ran it twice in quick succession and each time it claimed to have killed the same number of apps, but freed up a different amount of RAM (150MB in screenshot 2). “I’m not convinced that it does anything,” he reflected. We share his scepticism. These so-called Ram Boosters (also called Task Killers) are legion in Android security apps – and in Avast’s defence, Boost RAM does close any apps running…

PC | £1,099 from PCSpecialist www.snipca.com/45277 If you have around £1,000 to spend on a general-purpose PC, which is more than capable of working with Windows but also copes well with gaming software such as Microsoft Flight Simulator, you have a decision to make between Intel and AMD processors. Right now, we’d lean towards Intel, and the Tempest Elite demonstrates why. In Issue 650, we reviewed the similarly priced Cyberpower Ultra 55 Pro (£1,050 from www.snipca.com/44675), which works out slightly cheaper but has the same powerful GeForce RTX 3060 Ti graphics card – an essential piece of kit for great-looking 3D graphics when gaming. “Its powerful 13th-generation processor makes it noticeably quicker than rivals” To keep the price down, Cyberpower opted for an ageing Ryzen 5 5500 processor, which is…

Q I recently bought a Samsung Galaxy A53 smartphone, which lacks a traditional 3.5mm audio jack socket, and instead has a USB-C port. I like to listen to music via wired headphones, so I require a USB-C-to-audio-jack adapter. Could you suggest a suitable option? Joshua Stevens A There are basic adapters that will do the job. We like the look of this Jxmox adapter on Amazon (www.snipca.com/45368, pictured), which costs only £8 and has many positive reviews. If you want to charge your phone while you listen, you need to be able to split the USB-C to both a charging cable and your headphones. The Jsaux USB-C Headphone Adapter and Charger is a highly rated option on Amazon (www.snipca.com/45369) and costs only £16. If you’re a real audiophile, consider getting…

What is it? Previously, RAM capacity could only ever be doubled (8GB, 16GB, 32GB and so on). However, new chip technology allows for backwardly compatible 24GB and 48GB modules. This means some motherboards with limits of 128GB memory (4x 32GB modules) could now accept up to 192GB (4x 48GB modules). What does it do? The more RAM you have, the more your PC can store in its memory and work on instantly. If you don’t have enough RAM for a specific job, the PC uses space on your hard drive or SSD instead, which slows your PC. 16GB of RAM is fine for browsing the web and even complex office work. 32GB is overkill unless you play sophisticated games or edit home videos. Only professionals working with demanding graphics or…

Scientific Calculator Chromium www.snipca.com/45274 Although you can open the Windows Calculator whenever you need to perform some quick calculations, it’s more convenient to have a calculator in your browser. Scientific Calculator performs this function (and dozens more), and you can launch (and hide) it instantly by clicking its toolbar button or by pressing Alt+C. The extension’s chunky interface features large, easy-to-click buttons for numbers and essential functions, which can also be selected using your keyboard. Above these are smaller buttons for carrying out scientific calculations, as well as standard calculator options such as percentage, decimal and squared, and memory functions. There are also bracket buttons for equations, and Pi (see screenshot) for calculating the circumference and area of circles. It’s fast and easy to use, and saves your calculations so…

Slidebox Free* Android www.snipca.com/45295 iOS www.snipca.com/45296 Slidebox presents all your unsorted photos in a queue. As you browse them, you can swipe up to delete unwanted shots, tap labels to quickly organise pictures into appropriate albums and compare similar images. The iOS version usefully syncs with your iCloud account, but the Android version hasn’t been updated for a while. Best For Sorting photos into albums Remo Duplicate Photos Remover Free Android www.snipca.com/45293 iOS www.snipca.com/45292 This app scans your phone or tablet for exact duplicates or similar versions of photos, and tells you how much space they’re taking up. Tap an image to view its location and last-modified date, then delete the unnecessary copy from your device. You can adjust the ‘matching level’ to view more or fewer results. Best For…

Manage comments in Facebook groups There are two ways your club can have a presence on Facebook – either as a Page or as a Group. Pages tend to be better for making announcements, while groups are intended for discussions – where members can easily start their own or simply comment on your posts. But what can you do when members start to argue with each other, or use the group to sell things to others? You can keep on top of these kinds of issues using Facebook’s excellent Admin Assist feature, as we’ll explain. Decline posts that contain certain words What’s great about Admin Assist is that it lets you automate many admin functions, such as approving members and posts, and banning people for breaking guidelines. As with any…

Until 2016, a TV licence was required only for watching live broadcasts. Catch-up and on-demand TV shows were all exempt, so if you never watched live programmes, then you didn’t need a licence. Since the law changed, you need a licence to watch or record live TV (meaning as its broadcast) on any channel or service, and to stream and download shows and films on BBC iPlayer. This applies to any device you watch on, be it a TV, computer, phone, tablet or games console. However, you don’t need a TV licence to stream and download shows on-demand on other services - even if they were originally broadcast by the BBC. This means that if you completely avoid watching live TV channels and anything on BBC iPlayer, you can potentially…

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. AI Artificial Intelligence. Intelligence demonstrated by a machine rather than a human being. Aspect ratio A measurement of the shape of a screen. Traditional PC screens are 4:3. Widescreen displays are 16:9 or 16:10. AVCHD Advanced Video Coding High Definition. A standard for storing high-definition video. Benchmarking Comparing software and products with an accepted standard. BIOS Basic Input-Output System. Software built into every PC that connects the vital components. Blue screen of death This is…

Ofcom has proposed new rules that force internet providers to use the words ‘fibre’ and ‘full-fibre’ only when referring to fibre-optic cables that stretch from the exchange all the way to the home. Currently, providers can use the word ‘fibre’ to describe services that use fibre cables for only part of the network – such as fibre-to-the-cabinet (FTTC) connections. Instead, Ofcom is suggesting that on websites and contracts providers should include a “short description of the underlying technology of the network delivering the broadband service”, using terms such as ‘fibre’, ‘cable’, ‘full-fibre’, ‘copper’ or ‘part-fibre’. Selina Chadha, Ofcom’s Director of Connectivity, said that some of the jargon used by providers “can be unclear and inconsistent, meaning customers are left confused”. Ofcom cited research showing that only 46 per cent of…

What’s the threat? Scammers are listing fake authenticator apps on Apple and Google’s stores in the hope that you’ll be tricked into installing them. Authenticator apps are becoming increasingly popular because they’re seen as a safer way to receive a two-factor sign-in code than by text message. A thief doesn’t need to steal your phone to see a code sent by text. They can see it using a variety of hacks, such as by redirecting your messages or infiltrating your phone’s network. But if a code is sent to an app they would actually need physical access to your phone, which makes this a harder attack to carry out. Two of the most popular apps are Google Authenticator and Microsoft Authenticator, so scammers are buying sponsored results that show fake…

Does choosing ‘doesn’t fit’ mean I can’t get postage refund? LEAD CASE Q Following Issue 652’s advice on getting refunds from eBay (page 62), I’d like to point out an issue I had recently when returning a car part because the wrong size was sent. Because I put down ‘Doesn’t fit’ (see screenshot) as the reason to reject, neither eBay nor the seller will refund the return postage costs. EBay said my choice of reason implied ‘buyer regret’ and that I should have selected ‘Item is defective’ instead. Do you have to be this careful when selecting reasons to reject? Chris Kent A EBay is correct to say that buyer regret – meaning you’ve changed your mind about a purchase – allows the retailer to charge for postage. However, we…

O&O DiskStat www.snipca.com/45420 Price: £19.99 Free trial: 30 days What you need: Windows 8.1, 10 or 11 We’re big fans of the free programs O&O AppBuster and O&O ShutUp10++, and we know many readers are too. But the company also makes several paid-for tools, including the recently updated DiskStat, so we were interested to find out if this disk analyser offers good value for money. O&O DiskStat shows you which files and folders are taking up the most space on your hard drive, so you can remove those you don’t need, such as unused programs and duplicates. You don’t need to enter your payment-card details or email address to try the software for 30 days, which is a big bonus, though if you sign up for O&O’s newsletter you can…

WHAT THEY SAY Lenovo www.snipca.com/45310 “Lenovo’s latest ThinkPad laptops demonstrate human-centric innovations that are core to driving positive employee experiences, introducing and improving on features that encourage new ways of hybrid working more efficiently and nurture purposeful thinking all while making significant efforts to create more sustainable products.” WHAT THEY MEAN Our new laptops allow us to demonstrate jargon-centric deviations that encourage new ways to speak hybrid nonsense.…

PHONE | From £849 from Amazon www.snipca.com/45374 The S23 is the cheapest of the three phones in Samsung’s latest Galaxy series, costing £849 for the model that has 128GB of storage. There’s also a 256GB version that costs £899, which is arguably the best-value option of the two, though they’re both two of the more expensive Android phones around. If you want 512GB, you’ll need the S23+ (www.snipca.com/45376), though that’s a significant price hike to £1,149. It’s essentially the same phone with more storage, and a larger screen and battery. “An incredible screen and excellent camera – but it’ll cost you” All these phones are powered by an overclocked version of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, which we’ve previously seen powering the RedMagic 8 Pro Matte (reviewed in Issue…

Find out which other products we liked. Buy our new 2022 Back Issue CD: £17 from www.snipca.com/44660 LAPTOP Acer Swift 3 14in £799 from www.snipca.com/44367 Tested Issue 648 Comes with a powerful 12th-generation Intel processor and 1TB SSD to make Windows tasks feel incredibly fast. Also has a decent 2560x1440-pixel IPS screen and comes with plenty of ports, including two Thunderbolt 4-compatible USB-C. ALTERNATIVE Lenovo Yoga 6 Gen 7 Has a slower processor, and half the storage and RAM, but remains a good laptop for the price. £649 from www.snipca.com/44950 ANDROID TABLET Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 £749 from www.snipca.com/42211 Tested Issue 634 Samsung has replaced its own Tab S7+ to become our favourite Android tablet. It’s fast with a stunning 11in screen, and has a longer battery life than the…

I have three internet landlines: one for my business, one for personal use, and one ‘burner’ number that I use on web forms when I don’t want to give away my regular landline number. I’ve been using internet landline numbers only for 12 years now. Truth be told, I don’t have a clue what my home phone number is anymore. How do you use internet landlines? Please let us know: letters@computeractive.co.uk…

CHROME Reduce Chrome’s memory and power usage Chrome 110, which was released in February, introduced two useful features called ‘Memory saver’ and Energy Saver. Previously, these were available as ‘flags’ (experiments) that you needed to activate yourself (we covered them in Issues 649 and 647 respectively), but they can now be found in the new Performance section of the browser’s Settings. ‘Memory saver’ (1 in our screenshot below) stops Chrome hogging RAM and slowing down your PC, by freeing up memory from inactive tabs – Google claims it can reduce memory usage by up to 30 per cent. Inactive pages remain visible in your tab bar and reload when you click them. If you experience any problems, you can switch the feature off or stop Chrome ‘unloading’ specific websites. Click…

ANDROID Control audio and video playback in Vivaldi Vivaldi has updated its Android browser (www.snipca.com/45316) with two new features that give you more control over how it plays audio and video content. The first allows you to keep listening to audio playing on a website when you switch to another Vivaldi tab or to a different app. This is particularly useful when you’re listening to music or speech in a YouTube video, and don’t want it to be cut off while, for example, you check your WhatsApp messages. Indeed, background playback is one of the main benefits of YouTube’s paid-for Premium service. To enable the option in Vivaldi – for free – tap the ‘V’ menu button in the top-right corner of the browser and select Settings. In the General…

WINDOWS 10 & 11 Make a window active by hovering your cursor over it Control Panel’s days are numbered – Microsoft would much rather you used Settings instead. But it still contains many useful options that you won’t find anywhere else, such as the ability to make a window active simply by hovering your cursor over it (saving you having to click). To switch this on, search for and open Control Panel, then click ‘Ease of Access’ (or ‘Ease of Access Centre’). Now click ‘Change how your mouse works’, tick ‘Activate a window by hovering over it with the mouse’ (see screenshot below), then click OK at the bottom. WINDOWS 11 See updated results as you search in File Explorer The latest ‘Moments’ update for Windows 11, released in late…

Tablets, especially iPads, are another popular target for burglars and thieves. Although they don’t have security slots, you can protect your tablet using a cable lock that comes with adhesive pads. Stick one of these to the back of the device, paste the supplied anchor plate on to it, and lock it with the key. You can then loop the cable around a fixed object such as a table leg, as you would with a laptop lock. Amazon sells an AboveTek tablet lock for £24 (www.snipca.com/45414), and a combination-protected version for £2 more. Both have a six-foot, ‘cut-resistant’ steel cable and come with two adhesive pads. Another option is to secure your tablet in an anti-theft enclosure that you can mount on a wall or desk (pictured). These are often…

ROKU ENDS UPDATES FOR FIRST 4K PLAYER Roku has stopped adding new features and channels to its first 4K player – called Roku 4 – which it released in October 2015. In an email to users Roku said the device will “continue to stream and receive critical updates”, but that you may lose access to some channels over time. UK’S BROADBAND IS WORLD’S 76TH CHEAPEST The UK has the world’s 76th cheapest broadband, up from 92nd last year. The figure comes in the 2023 report from broadband-comparison site Cable.co.uk, which said the average UK price is $34.19 (£28.42) a month – cheaper than France, Germany, Ireland and the US, but more expensive than Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Broadband is most expensive in Burundi, and cheapest in Sudan. Visit www.snipca.com/45421 for…

VODAFONE ADDS 57 RURAL AREAS TO 4G Vodafone has extended its 4G service to 57 more rural locations across all four UK nations. It’s part of the Shared Rural Network, a £1bn scheme between the Government and the UK’s four mobile networks to share phone masts in order to boost coverage in remote areas. The aim is to cover 95 per cent of the UK landmass by the end of 2025. See Vodafone’s new locations at www.snipca.com/45342. ANKER RECALLS POWER BANKS OVER FIRE RISK Anker has recalled its 535 Power Banks (pictured) because they “may overheat and pose a fire safety risk”. To check whether your power bank is the 535, look at the bottom of the device and check whether it says ‘535 Power Bank (PowerCore 20K)’ and ‘Model:…

It’s not just tech giants like Google and Microsoft that are working on ways to incorporate AI into search results (see Issue 652, page 6). Smaller, more privacy-focused tools like Brave are also using it to boost results. Brave’s search engine, which doesn’t track what you search for nor any links you click, now has a ‘Summariser’ tool powered by AI to give “real-time information that is up to date with today’s events”. Brave claims this use of AI provides “more concise, accurate answers” than you’d find in other search engines. From our tests, it works best when you ask a question (1 in our screenshot), with a short answer shown in the box below 2. There are also links to the sites Brave used to get the answer 3,…

When did you warn about rip-off photo sticks? I think my father has accidentally bought one. Tony Sutton CA SAYS That was in Issue 646, page 60. I’m thinking of buying Sky Stream. When did you review it? Simon Worthington CA SAYS In Issue 645, page 24. Read it and the above feature on our Back Issue CD: www.snipca.com/44660. I seem to remember a question from a reader worried about Microsoft banning personal email addresses. I’m concerned too, so can you jog my memory? Liz Crenshaw CA SAYS It was in Issue 649, page 66.…

HP has replaced the faulty CMOS battery in Gary Kirby’s PC after he waited four weeks (see Issue 652), though it turned out that he shouldn’t have had to wait that long. Gary originally emailed us when HP told him that it didn’t have the replacement battery in stock, and that he’d have to wait for it to arrive. He was worried that this would affect his consumer rights, but it wouldn’t have. He told HP about the fault within 30 days of purchase and therefore was entitled to a full refund should the company take too long to find the replacement. How long is too long is an open question, though the law generally considers having to wait four weeks as a serious inconvenience, and entitles customers to change…

Through my grandmother I think I’m related to Guy Fawkes and have taken an AncestryDNA (www.ancestry.co.uk/dna) test to help establish this. Other family members won’t do this though. Can I do anything else to help prove it? Colin Mott If your grandmother’s birth certificate doesn’t name her father, DNA remains the next best option. Testing a family member is preferable, but otherwise try tracing the tree back several generations to around 1800, then track down distant cousins. If they’ve had a DNA test, they may turn up in Ancestry’s database. Read Issue 648’s column for more on AncestryDNA. Have a genealogy question for Chris? Email letters@computeractive.co.uk with ‘Grow Your Family Tree’ in the subject line.…

How can I catalogue CDs, DVDs and books? Q Have you ever recommended a suitable program for cataloguing CDs, DVDs and books? I’d prefer it to be free, if possible. Colin M Baker A Libib is a library-management tool that’s perfect for these jobs. Create an account by going to www.libib.com and clicking Get Started (top right). Select the free Basic account – this lacks some advanced features of the Pro account (£82 a year), such as marking items in your library as being loaned out, but it’s fine for most home users and lets you add up to 5,000 items (the Pro version extends this to 100,000 items). Next, grab your phone and install the mobile app (Android www.snipca.com/45251; iOS www.snipca.com/45250). Log into the app using the Libib account…

Former paramedic Scott Sutherland (pictured) stole several machines from the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), then made £235,000 flogging them on eBay. This raises two questions. First, how low must you be to rob from ambulances? And second, who on earth searches for defibrillators on eBay? The answer to the second query, apparently, is Norbert Simon, who lives in the Czech Republic. He sent thousands of pounds to Sutherland’s PayPal accounts between 2017 and 2020. Sutherland, 49, was jailed for three years in 2021. A recent Proceeds of Crime Act hearing recently decided how much he should repay in compensation to the NWAS: just over £32,500. If he can’t find the money, he’ll be serving an additional three years in prison. Let’s not start a whip-round, eh?…

What is it? Quad-band routers, such as the Asus Rog GT-AXE16000 (£699 from www.snipca.com/45381, pictured) have four radios that transmit data to and from the devices that are wirelessly connected to it. These are individual networks, usually designated to different purposes. How does it work? The latest Wi-Fi 6E quad-band routers usually have four networks: one on the 2.4GHz frequency; two on 5GHz; and a fourth 6GHz network. The 2.4GHz network is for older devices; 5GHz handles most modern devices; and the 6GHz network manages the very latest Wi-Fi 6E devices. These networks don’t interfere with one another, so you can manage which devices use which networks. This helps you reserve bandwidth for particular activities if you wish. What are the specs? If you want to use all the networks…

360-DEGREE VIDEO CAMERA | £459 from Amazon www.snipca.com/45385 Back in Issue 631 (page 26), a reader asked us about the kind of 360-degree video cameras used in TV programmes such as Yorkshire Walks and Taskmaster. We recommended the Insta360 One X2, which has recently been superseded by this new model – the X3. “Produces stunning standard and 360-degree footage on land or sea” It takes what made the One X2 special and turns it up a notch or two. You can use it handheld and see what you’re shooting via its superb screen, or simply attach it to a selfie stick, tripod, or any object on the move – from bikes and cycling helmets to your dog’s collar. Although it’s aimed at people looking to create the kind of omnidirectional…

Winner of a Recommended award in Issue 652, Edifier’s G2000 PC speakers have a professional sound processor that uses algorithms to achieve game, movie, and music modes – letting you easily adjust the sound to match your needs. These wireless subwoofer stereo speakers come in a column-shaped cabinet with a backward mega-bass port. It has 12 light effects to enhance the gaming experience, while the mechanical shift lever makes it easy to control volume. There are inputs for Bluetooth, USB sound cards and AUX. Its realistic sound delivers powerful bass, clear trebles, and sufficient volume to fill a small room. Now you can immerse yourself while watching movies, playing games or listening to your favourite music. To enter this competition, answer the question at www.snipca.com/45261 and submit your details. It…

Uber Free Android www.snipca.com/45279 iOS www.snipca.com/45278 Uber has redesigned its app to make it easier to book one of its taxis, hire a car, buy train and coach tickets, and more – all via a new Services tab. This also lets you access its takeaway and grocery-delivery service, Uber Eats. On iOS, you can now track your Uber journey from your lock screen without opening the app. Microsoft Translator Free iOS www.snipca.com/45291 Microsoft’s updated Translator app automatically detects the language being spoken so it can provide instant translation and let you talk naturally with non-English speakers. You can now switch seamlessly between text, image and speech translation in more than 100 languages. The Android app will be updated soon. CloudSEK BeVigil Free* Android www.snipca.com/45289 CloudSEK BeVigil exposes apps that compromise…

MICROSOFT EXCEL Calculate monthly totals Excel makes it easy to calculate totals, but producing them for specific time periods requires a bit more work. In our example (see screenshot), we have a spreadsheet with dated sales. Our aim is to get monthly totals from these figures. To achieve this, we need two formulas: MONTH and SUMIF. First, insert a column to the left of your dates – in our spreadsheet, this means clicking the header for column A, then selecting ‘Insert column to the left’. In this new column, type the following formula into the cell adjacent to the first date: =MONTH(B2) 1 (change ‘B2’ so that it matches the cell containing your first date). Now copy this formula into all subsequent cells in the new column. This column will…

Over the last year, with prices soaring, many of us have cancelled our monthly subscriptions to streaming services. However, some people have turned to more desperate measures by visiting sites that offer pirated TV shows and films, and buying IPTV boxes to watch paid-for TV for free. As we reported in Issue 653 (page 7), the police are cracking down on these illegal streams and devices, but this hasn’t stopped online piracy surging by almost 39 per cent since 2021 (see www.snipca.com/45378). Although we’re confident that Computeractive readers are law-abiding, you may rightly be concerned about stumbling upon illegal content online, and uncertain about which sources to trust. We all love a good freebie, but not if it means receiving a ‘cease and desist’ notice from the authorities. In this…

Would a system restore retrieve erased data? Q I was interested in Robert Irvine’s Cover Feature in Issue 650 on erasing personal data from your computer. But did he fail to address one critical point: couldn’t a determined ‘snooper’ simply use a system restore point (assuming it’s enabled) to return the PC to its pre-erased state? Mel Stone A System Restore is designed to roll back problematic software, driver and update installations by taking a snapshot of your registry and other system files before any changes. Restoring your PC reverts any changes made to your system files, but it doesn’t restore any personal files. Indeed, if you’ve used an eraser tool, such as those we mentioned in our Cover Feature, this data is no longer physically present on your hard…