Computeractive 608

from the editor

When I’m planning to buy something online, my first instinct is still to check eBay before Amazon. It’s where I assume I’ll get a better bargain (though I also accept it will probably take longer to arrive). But this issue’s Cover Feature has shaken my assumptions. I had no idea that buried beneath Amazon’s confusing mass of categories, sub-categories and sub-sub-categories lurked so many ways to find cheaper prices. Robert Irvine’s tips should help me (and hopefully you) save several hundred pounds every year. I won’t abandon eBay though. I still like the challenge of tracking down auctions ignored by other shoppers, particularly for items like headphones, speakers, USB sticks and webcams. It’s incredible how many gadgets worth around £50 you can grab for a fifth of that price. It would be interesting…

whatsapp to let you send messages on four devices

You’ll soon be able to read and send WhatsApp messages on up to four devices, after Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg confirmed it was working on adding this feature. It means you’ll be able to read messages on one phone, then reply to them on another. In an interview with the website WaBetaInfo (https://wabetainfo.com), Zuckerberg–who bought WhatsApp in 2014 – said it’s been a “big technical challenge to get all your messages and content to sync properly across devices even when your phone battery dies”, but that this has been solved and it’ll be added to the service “soon”. Syncing accounts so messages can be read across different devices has long been one of top features requested by WhatsApp users. Currently, the only way to do this is through WhatsApp Web (https://web.whatsapp.com), a…

record 600 hours on bt’s new 4k hdr tv box

BT has launched its first set-top TV box that supports HDR, showing programmes in “up to four times the detail of HD, offering vivid, pin-sharp detail”. Called the TV Box Pro (pictured), it has 1TB of storage – double the capacity of BT’s previous leading box, the Humax DTR-T4000 – enough to record 600 hours of shows. For now it works only through an Ethernet cable connected to your router, though an update later this year will add Wi-Fi. It also has four tuners, letting you record up to three shows while watching a fourth at the same time. The Bluetooth remote control offers a “quicker, smoother experience”, allowing you to store the box out of sight if you prefer. However, to start with it’s available only to customers on BT’s VIP package (www.bt.com/packages/vip),…

microsoft to reveal ‘next windows’ on 24 june

Microsoft has promised to unveil the “next generation of Windows” at a major event scheduled for 24 June. Called ‘What’s Next for Windows’, it will be presented by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and chief product officer Panos Panay. It’s widely believed that Microsoft will reveal the most significant changes to Windows 10 since the operating system launched in 2015. The company has been working on a major redesign, codenamed ‘Sun Valley’, which is expected to be part of the 21H2Feature Update, due for release this autumn. The revamp is likely to be based on Microsoft’s ‘Fluent Design’ style, which will introduce more colour to sections within Windows, as well as rounded corners to boxes. It will also add depth to boxes, making them easier to click, while translucent boxes will be placed on…

take digital notes on kobo’s biggest ever ebook reader

Kobo has launched its biggest ever ebook reader, which is also the first that lets you take notes using a digital stylus. Described as a cross between an iPad and a Kindle Pro, the Kobo Elipsa has a “glare-free” 10.3in screen and 32GB of storage, which is more than any previous Kobo device. It has a ComfortLight setting that adjusts the screen’s brightness to make it easier on your eyes at night, and for the first time on a Kobo there’s a Dark Mode for white text on black. Kobo claims the Carta 1200 E Ink technology provides a “faster display, quicker page turns, and deeper contrast”. The stylus lets you take notes and draw diagrams within ebooks and PDFs, and also on blank screens. You can convert handwritten notes to typed…

in brief

THREE RAISES COST OF OVERSEAS CALLS Phone network Three is increasing the cost of calls from the UK to non-EU countries that fall outside your allowance. These will jump from £1.75 to £2.75 on 1 July (see www.snipca.com/38480), while sending texts to non-EU countries will rise from 35p to 65p. The cost of Three’s ‘Additional services’, such as making video calls, are also rising – visit www.snipca.com/38481 for the full list. BAGPUSS MAKES DEBUT ON BBC iPLAYER All 13 episodes of the much-loved children’s TV show Bagpuss are available on BBC iPlayer for the first time, though they’ll be removed on 29 June. It was first broadcast in 1974, and was last aired in 1986. Visit www.snipca.com/38490 to watch the episodes. ROYAL MAIL ‘SCAMMER’ CHARGED AFTER RAID A man from Enfield has been charged with…