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I don’t think I’m especially rude (and anyone who disagrees can get stuffed). But I’ve learned over the years to instantly hang up on callers who introduce themselves with “Hello Daniel, how are you doing today?”. It means one of two things: they want to sell me something I almost certainly don’t want, or trick me into revealing that my password is ‘pa$$w0rd’ (it isn’t by the way). But these calls have dried up in the past few months. I’ve almost begun to miss them. It’s clear the spam-blocking tools that for years were utterly useless have suddenly become effective. They work across all devices and services too, as Robert Irvine explains in his excellent Cover Feature, though you need to learn which settings to activate. Robert does such a…

Roku has announced its smallest ever streaming sticks, and adds a voice-controlled remote to the cheapest model for the first time. The new Roku Streaming Stick (£29.99) has HD streaming up to 1080p, while the Roku Streaming Stick Plus (£39.99) increases this to 4K (2160p). These are the same resolutions as the two models they are replacing – the Roku Express and Roku Express 4K. The cheaper of the new sticks has dual-band Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac), while the Plus supports the more advanced Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax), which is faster on busy networks and reaches further. Again, these are the same as the previous models. The major difference in the new models is their size, which Roku claims are 35-per-cent smaller than rival sticks, such as the Amazon Fire TV Stick.…

People saying pleaseand thank you when using AI chatbot ChatGPT (1 in our screenshot) is costing OpenAI millions of dollars, says the company’s boss. Sam Altman was responding on X to the question: “I wonder how much money OpenAI has lost in electricity costs from people saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to their models”. He replied: “Tens of millions of dollars well spent —you never know” (www.snipca.com/54637). Altman’s response was probably tongue in cheek, but it’s still an indication of how expensive it is to run AI chatbots. Each question asked requires vast computing power to process, so the longer the question, the more energy is needed. Some estimates put the cost at over $20m a month (about £15m). Being polite to chatbots trains them to give you more helpful…

I moved to Sweden six years ago, and recently – while visiting my daughter in Carlisle, Cumbria – I bought an HP Smart Tank printer from Currys. However, when we unboxed it back home in Sweden a week later it wouldn’t work. I couldn’t return to Carlisle to claim a refund, but discovered that Currys owns Elkjop Nordic AS (Norway), which in turn owns Elgiganten AB (Sweden). There’s an Elgiganten store in Kalmar, some 35 miles from where I live. I took the printer to the Elgiganten store in Kalmar, and was told there may be a charge for repair. Later I was told it may have to be returned to the original manufacturer for repair, again with a cost. Some time later I was told my repaired printer was…

Files Inspector Pro www.snipca.com/54635 Price: £12.60 Free trial: N/A What you need: Windows 7, 8.1, 10 or 11 Files Inspector is like a cross between drive-space-analysis tools such as WizTree (www.snipca.com/53811) and the Storage manager in the Windows Settings app. It displays the current storage usage of each drive on your PC, including external and network drives, and reveals how much space is being consumed by different data types. For example, click ‘Applications and Games’ (see screenshot) to list all the software installed on your PC and its size. You can sort the list to show the largest, newest or least-used items first, uninstall unwanted programs with a couple of clicks and remove leftover traces. The Pictures, Video and Music options show you the biggest folders containing media files, and…

PC | £1,900 from CyberPowerPC www.snipca.com/54503 Like the Wired2Fire HAL 9000 (£1,924 from www.snipca.com/54359) we reviewed in Issue 708, CyberPowerPC has chosen to fit its Infinity Z890 Air with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 graphics card. If you’re looking to play the latest games, such as Microsoft Flight Simulator, with high graphical detail settings, or get the best out of creative software, such as video editors, this is an excellent choice. “Lightning-quick graphics, top-quality components and an attractive case” One difference between the two PCs is that the Infinity is built around one of the latest Intel processors, the Core Ultra 7 265KF, whereas the HAL 9000 has an AMD Ryzen 7 9700X. Both are decent modern processors and ensured similarly, high levels of performance in our benchmark tests. The…

PHONE | £499 from Amazon www.snipca.com/54585 The Google Pixel 7a (£279 from www.snipca.com/53388, reviewed in Issue 660) has been our favourite Android phone for some time now, but it’s finally time for it to make way. Our new top dog is the Galaxy A56, which is the successor to Samsung’s mid-range A55 model, which we reviewed in Issue 688. To keep things simple, the A56 is only available with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage – all run by its Exynos 1580 processor. This impressive combination helps its performance nudge ahead of the Pixel 7a. In fact the A56 was faster in all our benchmark tests, whether it was navigating Android, handling everyday tasks such as email, or playing some casual games. “A vibrant screen, excellent camera and durable…

EBOOK READER | £280 from Amazon www.snipca.com/54612 This is Onyx’s follow-up to the original Boox Palma (reviewed in Issue 672). It’s a very similar proposition – namely an ebook reader with an E Ink Carta 1200 screen that’s smaller than a typical e-reader. In fact at 159x80x8mm (HxDxW) it’s closer in size to a smartphone, which makes it easy to carry around in a pocket and read with one hand. Like many phones it has a 6.13in screen, mic, speakers, a camera on the back and buttons on the side. Unlike most smartphones, the plastic case feels relatively cheap and the battery lasts for weeks rather than hours. “Runs Android 13, so you can download apps as well as read ebooks” The main physical difference between this and the previous…

Majority’s Little Shelford Portable Bluetooth DAB+ radio has a classic-looking, vintage design and can be powered both at the mains and by battery (four AA batteries). It has a carry handle and weighs just 760 grams, making it highly portable wherever you want to take it. It has a backlit and dimmable LED screen showing station information and settings, while the 20-plus presets and dual alarm let you save your favourite radio stations and wake up to them every morning. In this competition we’re offering eight Cream radios, but it’s also available in Midnight Blue, Black, Duck Egg, Red and Grey. It has a 3.5mm headphone jack and comes with a MicroUSB charging cable. To enter this competition, answer the question at www.snipca.com/54505 and submit your details by midnight Tuesday 20…

PHOTOGRAPHY Use a tripod to take high-magnification photos I take a lot of botanical pictures on my Android phone, using Hantorm’s ‘Magnifier & Microscope’ app for my Android phone (www.snipca.com/54537). At higher magnifications it’s difficult to hold my phone steady, so I bought the Lidasen Flexible Mini Tripod Holder (£8.99 from www.snipca.com/54538, pictured below). What a difference! This holder comes complete with a Bluetooth remote. The results have been amazing – see the attached picture of a leaf below. My wife has also commandeered my outfit for videoing her dog-training activities as well as group family pictures! Chris Adam APPS Double-tap songs to add to favourites It doesn’t have the best design, but I like Non Stop Radio (www.snipca.com/54016), which appeared in Issue 706’s best new apps box (page 44).…

Bookmarks clean up Chromium www.snipca.com/54497 Firefox www.snipca.com/54498 Whether you save bookmarks in one long list or organised into folders, it’s useful to give them a spring clean to remove obsolete entries. This extension makes that task easier by scanning your bookmarks for broken URLs and letting you delete them individually. It can also find and remove duplicate bookmarks (see screenshot) and empty folders, to keep your collection as tidy as possible. Click the Settings button top right to exclude specific folders from its scans. Sensibly, ‘Bookmarks clean up’ advises you to back up your bookmarks before you delete them, and provides instructions. Its developer also explains why it requires certain permissions to check your bookmarks. If you don’t like that, try… Bookmark Dupes Chromium www.snipca.com/54500 This extension also removes duplicate…

Picture Insect: Bug Identifier Free* Android www.snipca.com/54513 iOS www.snipca.com/54514 Take or upload a picture of an insect and this app will use AI to identify the critter. It provides information about common species, including whether they’re harmful to humans and plants, and advice about treating bites and stings. Subscribe for £28 a year, after a seven-day free trial, for extra features and unlimited identifications. Best For Identifying insects iNaturalist Free Android www.snipca.com/54515 iOS www.snipca.com/54516 This app also helps you identify insects, but iNaturalist’s main purpose is to record and share observations about different species of all flora and fauna. You can use it to report sightings of insects in your garden and area, find out when and where they’ve been spotted near you by the iNaturalist community, and learn more…

Schedule posts on Facebook Facebook’s Meta Business Suite is a helpful set of tools for managing pages. Many of its features, such as those that let you post adverts and attract customers, are aimed at businesses, but there are several free tools that are useful for running clubs, such as scheduling posts to go live on a set date. It’s a great way to promote events, though you can’t schedule more than 30 days ahead. We’ll explain how to do it, using this issue’s on-sale date of Wednesday 7 May as an example. Choose your date and time Log in using your personal Facebook account, then select your club’s page. Now visit https://business.facebook.com or click Meta Business Suite in the left-hand menu on your club’s home page. Next, click Planner…

WHAT YOU GET ✔ Real-time malware protection ✔ Secure VPN ✔ 75GB PC Cloud Backup PLUS Monitors the dark web for your personal information Norton is made by NortonLifeLock Inc – a standalone company dedicated to consumer cyber safety. It has always performed strongly in Computeractive antivirus tests, so we highly recommend it. 10 devices for two years NOW ONLY £19.99 * Normally £179.99 Buy it from our Software Store at www.snipca.com/33247 * while stocks last…

1080p High-definition video: 1920x1080 pixels. 2FA Two-factor authentication. A system that uses two different means to identify the user. For example, a code sent to your phone in addition to a password. 2K A screen with 2048x1080 pixels. 3G/4G/5G Technologies that deliver faster mobile broadband. 4K Video with a resolution of at least 3840x2160 pixels. Accelerometer A sensor that detects movement. Used in smartphones to decide whether or not to display a portrait or landscape screen, control games or even work as a spirit level. Add-in Microsoft’s name for tools that can be added to Office software. Administrator Someone who can make changes to a computer that will affect others who also use it. AMOLED Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode. An alternative technology to LCD for creating flat-panel displays. Most commonly…

Microsoft has warned about a new type of tech-support scam where fraudsters use the Quick Assist tool to offer help. Built into Windows, Quick Assist lets you connect remotely to another computer to give or receive help. In the scam cybercriminals contact you by phone or email posing as support staff from a major tech company, such as Google or Microsoft. They then persuade you to give them access via Quick Assist to fix what they claim is an urgent problem. But rather than helping you they install malware that gives them complete control over your computer. It’s thought to be the first time scammers are exploiting Quick Assist, having previously used third-party software like TeamViewer and AnyDesk. To combat the threat Microsoft will now show warnings when someone uses…

Can I refuse delivery of laptop that took ages to repair? Q Last November, I bought an Honor MagicBook X 16 laptop (pictured). It became faulty in December and none of Honor’s suggested fixes worked. I sent it back under warranty for a repair, but when it came back to me the screen was damaged. I asked for a replacement, which Honor refused. The company’s now trying to return the original laptop after an alleged second repair. But I’ve since had to buy another laptop because it’s taken so long. Can I refuse delivery? Paul Vismeg A Honor’s level of service has been unacceptable, so we think Paul would be allowed to refuse delivery of the laptop. However, the situation is less clearcut than it would have been had he…

Search freemason membership registers Freemasonry began in medieval times as part of the traditions of the stonemasons who built our great churches and cathedrals. They would use hand grips, signs and words to identify themselves as qualified tradesmen. There has been a Masonic Grand Lodge in England since 1717, which merged with a rival Grand Lodge to form the United Grand Lodge of England in 1813. Masonic lodges were required to return annual lists of members to the Grand Lodge from 1768. These returns were used to compile the membership registers described below. If you get stuck or want more resources visit the Museum of Freemasonry: www.snipca.com/54623. Browse Ancestry’s lodge membership registers Ancestry subscribers can search membership registers held by the Museum of Freemasonry (www.snipca.com/54621). Most are for lodges in…

How do I make a searchable database? Q I’m a member of my local museum, and I’m trying to help them move into the 21st century. They’ve been scanning and saving lots of photographs of local history but they’ve saved them in date order only. Some don’t even have a file name. I need to organise them into a searchable database, with descriptive file names and perhaps some text I can attach to the file. What’s the best way to index and edit all the scanned photos? Alan Buxton A It sounds like you need a photo-library management tool. We’d recommend Darktable, free from www.darktable.org. Once you’ve imported your photos, click the first one you want to index, and make sure ‘lighttable’ is selected at the top of the screen. Next, click…

LAPTOP | £999 from PCSpecialist www.snipca.com/54519 We review plenty of PCs that have been made overseas, so it’s always good to see a British-built laptop for a change. The case and components of PCSpecialist’s 16 Fusion VI model still come from abroad, but it’s assembled in Wakefield. This is also where the tech support team is based, should you ever need it, and the laptop comes with an excellent three-year warranty. Note, however, that parts are only covered for the first year and you’ll have to cover the cost of sending the laptop back to PCSpecialist if something goes wrong after the first six months. “A classy design, superb screen and great at performing advanced AI tasks” The chassis looks particularly classy, and we like the robust all-metal build. It…

What do they do? Connecting additional monitors to your PC can dramatically improve your productivity and is popular with creative professionals and office workers. It lets you keep your primary monitor or laptop screen for your main workload, then display your email and messaging apps, for example, on other screens, so you can keep an eye on them without getting distracted from your main task. How do they work? The easiest setup involves simply connecting a monitor to any available port on your laptop, desktop PC or mini PC. The other option is to ‘daisy chain’ monitors, whereby you link the first monitor to your PC, then connect a second monitor to the first, and so on. To do that, however, you have to make sure you have the correct…

HEADPHONES | £70 from Amazon www.snipca.com/54533 This pair of over-ear headphones from Chinese manufacturer 1More sets out to do it all – high-quality audio, effective noise cancelling and an attractive design at a great price. They even throw in a decent battery life for good measure. While it would be unrealistic to expect a pair of sub-£100 headphones to rival the audio quality of premium models aimed at audiophiles, these do a commendable job nonetheless. Sound is crystal clear and avoids tinniness, even at higher volumes. The default sound profile is fairly bass-heavy, but this can be adjusted in the 1More app’s EQ settings if you prefer a lighter touch. With noise-cancelling switched on we found the sound of chatter on public transport, the click of nearby keyboards and the…

What is it? Like Onyx’s Boox Palma 2 (left) the Readmoo mooInk V Fold (pictured below, www.snipca.com/54633) is a pocket-sized ebook reader. However, this has a larger 8in screen that folds in half. How does it work? It’s the first device to use a foldable version of E Ink’s new Gallery 3 colour display. When open it’s a similar size to an iPad mini, but folded up it’s more like a smartphone. What’s the catch? Chinese manufacturer Readmoo hasn’t announced prices or launch dates yet. And it may soon have competition. E Ink already makes screens for all the popular brands of ebook reader, so manufacturers are probably already planning their own folding devices. So can I do without it? Yes. We think most people will still be happy to…

CHROME Add page-sharing options to your toolbar When Google redesigned Chrome in late 2023, it quietly removed the ‘Share this page’ button from the address bar. Clicking this button provided several ways to share the current web page, including copying its link, sending it to other devices on which you were signed into Chrome, and creating a QR code you could scan with your phone’s camera. These options were moved to the ‘Cast, share and save’ section of the browser’s main menu, which is harder to access – in fact, you may not even know they are there. Thankfully, you can now restore these sharing options, either individually or in bulk, by adding buttons for them to Chrome’s top-right toolbar. To do so, click Customise Chrome in the bottom-right corner…

ANDROID & iOS Delete your backed-up photos from Google Photos Google Photos has added an interesting option to its Android app (www.snipca.com/54507) that was already available in the iOS version (www.snipca.com/54508). It lets you undo backups of photos and videos you’ve made, without deleting the originals from your phone or tablet. This is useful if you want to start using a different photo-storage service, without losing your precious memories or leaving them in the ‘cloud’ with Google. To undo the backup from your current device, tap your profile picture in Google Photos and choose ‘Photos settings’ then Backup. Switch off the Backup setting at the top of the screen (1 in our screenshot below left) and tap ‘Undo backup for this device’ 2 – you won’t see this option until you…

WINDOWS 10 & 11 Control laptop brightness with your mouse wheel NirSoft’s Volumouse has been a favourite program of ours ever since Issue 442’s Workshop, back in 2015. It’s a clever little tool that lets you increase your computer’s volume by scrolling your mouse wheel. A recent update (2.20) adds the option to control your laptop screen’s brightness level. Visit www.snipca.com/54596 then scroll down and click one of the download options below the Feedback heading (make sure you don’t click any of the adverts on NirSoft’s page). If Windows throws up a warning, click ‘More info’ then ‘Run anyway’. Now open the program and click one of the ‘Use the wheel when’ dropdown menus to decide which combination of key press and mouse scroll will change the brightness. We’ve chosen…

What is it? A folder that was unexpectedly added to Windows 10 and 11 computers in April’s Patch Tuesday update (KB5055523 and KB5055528 respectively), released on 8 April. It appears on the root C drive (see screenshot 1) and is empty when you open it 2. Nobody seemed to know why it had been added. Not even Microsoft? Presumably it did, but it failed to give any information when releasing the update, baffling users everywhere. Many thought it was a bug Microsoft hadn’t spotted. What’s it for? It’s associated with Microsoft’s Internet Information Services (IIS) and has been around for years. It’s normally created when you start hosting websites or building programs on your PC. It stores data generated by the sites and programs (at C:\inetpub\logs\LogFiles). If you don’t do…

Why can’t I reinstall classic Outlook? Q I can’t reinstall the classic version of Outlook, despite following Microsoft’s instructions (www.snipca.com/54211) as described in Issue 706 (page 6). The first download did nothing. The second showed the message ‘Mantenha-se online enquanto a sua aplicacao e tranferida’. What am I doing wrong? John Harris A As we noted in Issue 708’s Reader Support, the installer for Microsoft’s classic Outlook is confusing, whether you download it or opt to ‘Install from Store’. One quirk of the Microsoft Store version is that some elements of the installer are in Portuguese. A rough translation of the message you’re seeing is “stay online while your application is installed. The process will complete shortly.” Microsoft knows about the problem and is presumably working to fix it. But we…

Netflix is adding an option to see subtitles for dialogue only, removing audio descriptions such as ‘phone ringing’ and ‘dramatic music plays’.This reduces the amount of words on screen, showing only what’s been spoken and nothing else. To turn it on, first open the settings for subtitles. How you do this depends on the device you’re watching Netflix on – see www.snipca.com/54669 for instructions. Now choose ‘English (Original)’ (1 in our screenshot) followed by English 2. To keep audio descriptions choose ‘English (CC)’ 3. At the moment it’s available only on the fifth and final series of psychological thriller You, but Netflix says it will be eventually added to all its original shows, and in all languages it supports. However, Netflix didn’t say whether it will be added to shows and…

CREATE AI VIDEOS USING ADOBE FIREFLY Adobe has revamped its image-creating AI tool Firefly (www.snipca.com/54653) to generate faster and more accurate images. It also now lets you create images using AI models from other companies, including Google and OpenAI, while its video-generation tool is now out of beta. Firefly offers an unspecified number of free creations every day. To use more you need to pay from £9.98 a month. Read more at www.snipca.com/54652. DON’T BUY THESE ‘ENERGY-SAVING’ PLUGS Consumer group Which? has warned that illegal ‘energysaving’ plugs are still being sold on Amazon, eBay and Temu despite being recalled by the Government in 2022. The devices falsely claim to cut your bills by “stabilising” voltage and “balancing” electric current. In reality they do nothing and often fail basic electrical safety…

WATCH OUT FOR… ‘Free bus travel’ Facebook scams What’s the threat? There’s been a rise in scammers advertising “smart cards” on Facebook that provide free bus travel for towns across the UK. They typically claim to be posted by a company that has the town in its name, and show photos of a local bus and the card itself. One of the most recent scams is for an Arriva card providing six months of free bus travel (1 in our screenshot) in Darlington. It’s posted under the name ‘Darlington Public Transport’ 2 and claims it marks Arriva’s 90th anniversary 3. Arriva was founded in 1938 so will celebrate its 90th birthday soon, but the offer is fake. Another recent scam promoted 500 bus cards for “unlimited travel” in Blackpool, while…

We’re happy to say that MacKiev has refunded John Axford after it failed to send him the 2024 upgrade of genealogy software Family Tree Maker (FTM) – see Issue 707. He had pre-ordered it last October for £39.95 and was told the final version would be ready by the end of 2024, but it still hasn’t been released. Other MacKiev customers haven’t been so lucky. We’ve received several emails from readers who have been waiting over 12 months for FTM 2024. The company has missed many deadlines over the past year and there’s still no firm news on when or even if it will be released. Some readers have tried to get their money back through the payment platform FastSpring (https://fastspring.com), but MacKiev didn’t give it authority to give refunds.…

IMAGE EDITOR Photo Variants 1.5 www.snipca.com/54636 What you need: Windows 7, 8.1, 10 or 11 When we recommended GIMP 3.0 (www.gimp.org) on this page in Issue 707, we warned that the image editor’s many advanced tools can make it seem daunting. Photo Variants offers many of the same features but in a much friendlier interface that doesn’t require you to read a manual to get started. Quietly launched at the end of last year by a Canadian developer, then updated in April with new tools and filters, Photo Variants has clearly had a lot of thought put into its design. A toolbar across the top of the main window gives you easy access to essential editing options, while further tools are available in a panel on the right – all…

SOFTWARE WARNING! Never search for ‘Photo Recovery & File Recovery’ If you’re looking for an app to recover lost photos, don’t bother searching for one. I recently made the mistake of searching for ‘photo recovery app’ on the Google Play Store and came across ‘Photo Recovery & File Recovery’ (www.snipca.com/54619) by Bangladeshi developer PixelArmor. It was the 10th most popular free tool on the Play Store at the time of writing, which was odd considering it had been downloaded only 100,000 times and had no star rating. I foolishly clicked Allow when it asked for permission to send notifications, and it proceeded to bug me every few minutes, urging me to recover files – even though I was already using the app! It even pestered me (1 in our screenshot…

1 Right-click a tab in Brave’s tab bar and select ‘New split view’ 1. This will split the main browser window into two parts, with the current tab displayed on the left. If you only have one tab open, the right half of the window will show a New Tab page. 2 To swap the two halves, click the ‘Split view menu button’ positioned between them at the top of the window1 and choose ‘Swap tab positions’ 2. Select ‘Unsplit tabs’ 3 to close the opposite tab and make the current one fill the whole window. 3 If you don’t see the ‘New split view’option when you right-click a tab, type brave://flags in the browser’s address bar and press Enter. Find the entry Enable split view 1, select Enabled in…

ClassiPod Free Android www.snipca.com/54512 This brilliant retro music player recreates the look of an iPod Classic, complete with a click wheel and Apple-style interface. Go into its Settings and choose Change Directory to select a folder containing audio files. You can then browse and listen to artists, albums and songs without an internet connection or streaming subscription. Organic Maps Free Android www.snipca.com/54502 iOS www.snipca.com/54501 This excellent open-source alternative to Google Maps has been updated to improve its cycling routes and add extra detail to its maps, including communication towers, lifeguards and minor powerlines. The iOS version has a handy new split-screen view which lets you view the map and your search results side by side. Proton VPN Free* Android www.snipca.com/54504 iOS www.snipca.com/54532 Proton VPN has redesigned its iOS app to…

MICROSOFT EXCEL Calculate compound interest of your savings The =FV function in Excel is perfect for calculating how much your savings will grow over time with compound interest. Type your interest rate in cell A1 as a decimal, so for example three per cent annual interest would be 0.03. Next, in A2 type how many months you want to calculate for, and in A3 type your monthly payment. In A4 type your starting balance. And finally, in A5 type the formula =FV(A1/12,A2,-A3, -A4) (1 in our screenshot). This formula divides the annual interest rate by 12 to calculate the monthly rate. In our example, we’re starting with £1,000 and will be saving £100 a month for 36 months, at a rate of three per cent. It gives us a compounded…

Scam calls are a scourge of modern times. We’ve all experienced that heartsinking moment when we answer our phones to hear a detached voice claim we’re being fined by HMRC, have a virus on our PC or were recently involved in a car accident. UK residents reportedly receive an average of four nuisance calls a month, but in our experience it’s much higher. Gone are the days when you might get the occasional cold call from a local double-glazing firm or market-research company. Spam calls now come from all over the world from a motley variety of telemarketers, fraudsters and opportunists – both human and robotic. Although caller ID makes it easier to see if it’s a friend, business or stranger phoning you, unless you wilfully ignore all numbers you…