PC Pro July 2022

Email engulfs me. I have my personal email, my PC Pro email, my Future Publishing email, my own company email, and numerous others that I auto-forward to the most relevant address. That’s quite aside from all the other ways that people get in touch. Perhaps in a throwback to Google+, one of Google’s many failed attempts to create a social network, I think of messaging as a trio of circles. There’s my personal, inner circle that communicates via messaging apps – primarily WhatsApp, that curse and blessing of modern times. Then I have a middle, professional, day-to-day circle centred on Slack. But my third circle, email, is the big challenge. Because editor@pcpro.co.uk has been around for all 28 years of this magazine’s existence, it’s on every database known to man, woman and…

When Russia launched its offensive on Ukraine, the reaction around the world was swift: governments imposed sanctions, businesses cut ties, and citizens took to the streets to protest the war. And then there was the unique response by developer Brandon Nozaki Miller. Miller, who is also known by his handle “RIAEvangelist”, is one of the key figures behind an open-source package called Node-IPC, which is a piece of digital plumbing that’s widely used to handle network communications at a basic level. It’s incorporated into software ranging from JavaScript developer tool Vue.js to the Unity video game engine that powers thousands of games. As a result, it was rather dramatic when Miller launched what was essentially a sabotaged update to the code – a move that he terms not “malware”, but “protestware”. Dubbed “peacenotwar”,…

The European Union has announced plans for a new Digital Markets Act that could tighten the screws on the big tech “gatekeepers” and force them to make their messaging apps talk to each other. Though the full details are not yet clear, the EU’s plan is that companies deemed “core platform services”, such as search engines and social networks (no prizes for guessing who they mean), could soon be forced to enable customers using one messaging app to send messages to users on other platforms. So, for example, it could make it possible to send a message on WhatsApp to iMessage, or a Google Chat message to someone on Facebook Messenger. “I think the principle is good,” said Amanda Brock, CEO of open technology advocacy group Open UK. “As a user, it’s…

The decision on whether Three and Vodafone would be allowed to merge is not a straightforward, binary decision for the regulators to make. There are plenty of alternative models for how the mobile market could be restructured – and different restrictions regulators could place on any newly merged company. In 2014, when German market leader Deutsche Telekom bought the smaller E-Plus network, regulators insisted that the newly merged company must support the creation of new MVNOs that use its network, so consumers would still have a wide range of choice. There are also more radical changes the government could make. In Mexico, the government created an entirely new phone network called Altán Redes. But this is purely a wholesale network, meaning it only exists to lease space to MVNO operators, similar to…

Can there be such as thing as too much competition? The UK having four major mobile networks might be one too many, if Three CEO Robert Finnegan is to be believed. In a recent financial results announcement, he characterised the UK market as “dysfunctional”. Why? Because the fierce competition between networks is making it harder to roll out 5G and improve Britain’s mobile infrastructure. “As things stand, the UK does not have the quality of mobile infrastructure it deserves,” said Finnegan, in a statement provided to PC Pro by Three. “Investment is spread too thinly across too many players, meaning our networks are sub-par by international standards.” Finnegan has a ready-made solution: consolidation. In his view, government regulators should allow two of the four major networks to merge. “Moving from four to…

PREMIUM LAPTOPS Apple MacBook Pro 14in Stunning creative power from £1,899 from apple.com/uk Alongside its 16in sibling, this is simply the world’s best laptop for demanding users. The amount of power on tap via the M1 Pro or M1 Max processor is staggering, and it’s backed up by a terrific screen and stunning battery life. With all the ports you could ask for, the only negatives are its relative bulk (especially compared to the Air) and high price. REVIEW Issue 328, p58 ALTERNATIVES Samsung Galaxy Book Pro (15.6in) A powerful laptop with a 15.6in AMOLED screen that weighs a mere 1.05kg? And with stonking battery life too? The Galaxy Book Pro is a winner. Core i7, £1,449 from johnlewis.com REVIEW Issue 323, p50 Apple MacBook Air If you don’t need the power of an M1 Pro or M1 Max, “make…