Table of contents for 656 in Computeractive

Pressing the Print Screen (PrtSc/PrtScn) key in Windows 11 may soon open the Snipping Tool instead of automatically taking a screenshot. Microsoft has made the change in a preview build of the operating system, available to users signed up to the Windows Insiders Program (www.snipca.com/45695). Ever since it was added to keyboards in the early 1980s, the Print Screen key has copied a screenshot to your clipboard that you can paste into another program such as an image-editing tool. You can also set it to automatically send screenshots to a folder on OneDrive (see Microsoft’s instructions at www.snipca.com/45694). But the change means that by default the Snipping Tool will open when you press Print Screen, letting you edit the screenshot before saving it. Microsoft confirmed this in its notes on…

WATCH ALL BBC LOCAL TV IN HD ON SKY You can now access all the BBC’s 19 regional channels in high-definition (HD) on Sky Stream and Sky Glass. It means you can watch local news from any area no matter where you live. The channels are available between 951 and 969 on your remote control. They’re also available on Freesat and Sky Q. GET DOUBLE PAYG PHONE DATA FROM O2 O2 is doubling the data in all its ‘pay as you go’ (PAYG) ‘Big Bundle’ tariffs (£10-£30), and some ‘Rolling Plan’ (£10-£20) plans. For example, the £10 Big Bundle will give you 20GB, double the normal amount. All PAYG plans include unlimited calls and texts. The offer is available for both new and existing customers who sign up by 28…

If you want to get a sense of why scams are so rampant online, look no further than Genesis Market. Before international police action knocked the site offline last month, it was a thriving marketplace where thousands of criminals could buy and sell the online identities of two million people. Up to 80 million passwords and email addresses were available for as little as 56p a batch. In fact, buying stolen details from the site was so easy it was dubbed the ‘Amazon for crime’. Criminals didn’t need to visit a shadowy forum on the dark web. They simply searched for the site, created an account, then paid for a ‘self-starting’ kit to commit scams. These kits contained customers’ online fingerprints, which is data unique to a computer. Scammers used…

LAPTOP | £1,199 from Currys www.snipca.com/45558 When you buy a laptop designed to do everything – suitable for Windows work and gaming – what are you really looking for? That’s the question you’ll need to ask yourself before considering the MSI Katana 15. Because while it’s a solid performer, it falls short in a few key areas. These may be deal breakers for some, but that depends on how you’re looking to use it. “A fast chip and plentiful connections are let down by its screen and battery” The Katana 15 is built around Intel’s Core i7-13620H processor, supported by 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. In processor benchmark tests it’s up there with the fastest laptops we’ve tested to date, so it’s a great choice if you want…

MEMORY CARD | £120 from Amazon www.snipca.com/45600 You might think one microSD card looks very much like another, but this little unit manages to squeeze an astounding 1TB of data into its tiny plastic case. It comes in a small box with a card adapter, and it’s completely blank with no bundled software installed. It has an A2 V30 rating, which is an industry performance standard for minimum speeds. In technical terms, A2 means it should achieve 4,000 IOPS (input/output operations per second) on random read tasks and 2,000 IOPS on write tasks. The V30 rating means it will hit at least 30MB/s in sustained write speeds. In less technical terms, it’s fast enough to support 4K video recording on whatever device you slot it into. Additionally, it’s certified UHS-1,…

What is it? It’s the keyboard shortcut in Windows that lets you see which folders, programs and web pages (in Edge) you have open. You can easily switch between these by keeping the Alt key pressed, then pressing the Tab key. You can also press the arrow keys to switch. If ‘Tab’ isn’t marked on your keyboard, look for the two arrows pointing in opposite directions (pictured below right) and press that. It’s been a popular shortcut with users ever since Microsoft added it in Windows 2.0, way back in 1987. Yes, it’s very useful. Is Microsoft changing it? It seems so, but potentially for the better. Because Alt+Tab lets you instantly switch to programs and start using them, Windows needs to keep them running in your PC’s RAM. Therefore,…

Charges 3 devices at once: phone, AirPods/AirPods Pro and Apple Watch (all series) Plugs into power with a USB-A to USB-C cable (1m cable included) Compatible with AirPods in wireless charging case Compatible with most phone cases (non-metal) up to 5mm thick Compatible with iPhone 8 and later models ORDER SECURELY ONLINE Visit our website or scan the QR code with your phone for quick access to our online store. www.magazinesdirect.com/CAC/B74M 0330 333 1113 QUOTE OFFER CODE: B74M Please allow 28 days for delivery, UK only. Future Publishing Limited reserves the right to limit offers of this kind to one per household. SCAN ME Other great reasons to subscribe.. Benefits of subscribing to the world's handiest technology magazine include.. Every issue of ComputerActive delivered direct to your door. Save up…

Artificial intelligence (AI) is undoubtedly the biggest tech trend of 2023. Since the AI company OpenAI launched its ChatGPT language model last November, the web has gone AI-mad, even though plenty of machine-learning tools were already available. AI is designed to make our lives easier by performing tedious tasks for us, but while many of the latest tools are very impressive, others are gimmicky and even creepy. Here we recommend the best new AI tools you can try for free, and explain why they’re worth using. Find online information much faster The biggest new AI tool of the year (so far) is undoubtedly the Chat mode in Microsoft’s Bing search engine. It’s powered by the same GPT-4 AI language model as ChatGPT (www.snipca.com/45655) but is more focused, topical and convenient…

1080p Of the common types of high-definition video, this is the best quality: 1920x1080 pixels. 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. Administrator Someone who can make changes to a computer that will affect others who also use it. Aggregator A service that brings together information from different sources, such as news or malware detection. 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. Bandwidth A measure of how much data can be transferred through a connection at one time. Benchmarking Comparing software and products with an accepted standard.…

Amazon has shared tips on how to avoid online scams after revealing that it helped to take down more than 20,000 phishing websites last year. The company also identified 10,000 fake phone numbers that were being used to scam people, and referred hundreds of suspected criminals to police forces around the world. It reported the figures in a newsletter to customers warning them about a rise in scams that impersonate the company. In one ongoing scam, fraudsters phone victims to tell them their Amazon Prime subscription is increasing in price or about to end. If you ask to cancel your subscription, you’re transferred to another scammer who attempts to persuade you to install software on your computer that allows them to access your machine. Amazon’s newsletter gave several tips on…

The US Government is planning to take “enforcement action” against Russian antivirus company Kaspersky, according to sources speaking to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ). It comes a year after the Federal Communications Commission declared Kaspersky a “national security risk” to the US following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In 2017 the US banned Kaspersky’s security products across the federal government over concerns that it could aid Russian spying, with or without the company’s knowledge and cooperation. Sources told the WSJ that action against Kaspersky could be used as a model for regulators to follow against Chinese-controlled companies like video-sharing app TikTok. In March the US passed laws that would allow the White House to ban foreign-based technologies if it’s thought they pose a national security risk. It’s not known what kind…

All “populated areas” of the UK will be able to get standalone 5G by 2030, the Government has said. The ambition is part of the new Wireless Infrastructure Strategy (WIS), which aims to “blanket the country with the fastest, most reliable wireless coverage available”. Around 77 per cent of homes can already get basic 5G, with the figure expected to rise to 99 per cent by 2030. But current 5G services are hampered by their reliance on existing 4G hardware and systems. Ministers want to roll out faster standalone 5G – also called 5G+ – which uses end-to-end 5G technology to provide ultra-low latency and improved upload speeds. The Government is supporting the scheme with a £40m innovation fund to promote investment and adoption of 5G by businesses and public…

Amazon is closing the Book Depository website after nearly two decades in business. An announcement on the site (www.bookdepository.com, pictured) confirmed that it would stop taking orders at midday on 26 April. It will continue to deliver purchases and provide support until 23 June. The site was founded in 2004 in Gloucester by former Amazon employee Andrew Crawford and his business partner Stuart Felton. Amazon bought the company in 2011. It had offices in London, Gloucester, Madrid, Cape Town and Chennai. Book Depository claimed it offered more than 20 million books with free delivery worldwide. Its vision was to provide “all books to all” by improving range, access and affordability of books. The closure is part of Amazon’s plans to cut 27,000 jobs worldwide in the largest redundancy programme in…

I won’t ditch my Chromebook for ‘semi-skimmed’ Windows I struggle to understand the logic of Microsoft building different operating systems for both basic and more powerful computers (‘Question of the Fortnight’, Issue 655, pictured right). If its strategy with a basic version of Windows is to take on Chromebooks, then I’m afraid it has already lost that battle. Chromebooks have millions of devoted fans who appreciate how Google has kept ChromeOS simple, fast and familiar. I use both my Chromebook and my Windows desktop PC every day. They compliment each other perfectly. The former is a great device for browsing the web. The latter is the best device ever built for running advanced programs like image and video editors. I’m not going to ditch my Chromebook in two years just…

The Royal Air Force was formed on 1 April 1918 from airmen in the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Navy Air Service, instantly becoming the largest air force in the world. In February 1919, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office started publishing lists of people serving in the force. It could be bought at bookstores for one shilling and sixpence. These monthly lists ran until 1922, and included information on those serving in the Air Council, as well as Air Ministry staff and even as ‘Airship Officers’ and ‘Kite Balloon Officers’. Each volume shows when ranked officers were appointed, and those who had resigned, had relinquished their commissions, were made unemployed after leaving the service, or who had died. These early editions also list ‘Officers of Overseas Contingents serving with the…

Monitor screen sizes may have been creeping up in recent years, but prices have stayed reasonably low. As our group test here shows, for £300 or less you can buy decent screens that are 27 inches (and more) across the diagonal. And while these may not come with the kind of extras you’d find on more expensive models, they have all the ports you need to connect your devices. Here, we compare and contrast five of the best budget monitors around, including a 29in Lenovo model whose width feels like having a second monitor. On the other hand, if you’d prefer something smaller, check out the 24in Dell monitor with a handy built-in webcam. What you don’t get at this price is the very latest screen technology. All the monitors…

What you need: Icecream Photo Editor Time required: 30 minutes Taking pictures is fun, but editing them can be a chore if the tool you use is too complex. That’s not a problem you should have with Icecream Photo Editor, which is free to download from www.snipca.com/45607. It works with the most common photo formats, and its latest version (1.25) adds sliders to quickly and easily correct lighting, colour, framing and more. You can also use it to compile multiple images into a collage, which would be a great starting point for homemade greetings cards. STEP 1 Launch Icecream Photo Editor and click ‘Browse for images’ 1. Navigate to the photo you want to work with, select it, and click Open. Although we’ll be using the software to edit less-than-perfect…

1 Before you try picture-in-picture mode, ensure the feature is enabled in Firefox. Click the three-line menu and choose Settings, then General 1. Scroll down to the Browsing section and tick ‘Enable picture-in-picture video controls’ 2. 2 To switch to picture-in-picture mode, hover your cursor over a video on a site such as YouTube and click the icon that looks like a big screen pointing at a smaller one 1. Alternatively, press Ctrl+Shift+] (right square bracket) on your keyboard to activate PiP. 3 The video will pop out into a floating window you can move around your screen. Use the controls to play/pause, fast-forward and rewind the video 1, and mute the volume. To exit PiP mode, click the ‘Back to tab’ button in the top left 2.…

Change your TV’s settings We’ll start with the cheapest way to improve your TV’s audio: tweak its settings. Grab your remote control, then open the Settings menu to see which adjustments you can make. You may find that your TV’s default setting is ‘movie’ mode, which is ideal for explosions and car chases, but not for mumbled dialogue. To change this, look for a setting called ‘Clear voice’ or something similar. This mode accentuates speech, making it more prominent against background sounds. Many LG TVs have this option, as do TVs from Samsung and Sony. Some TVs also have settings for customising the audio to suit the room. On LG TVs, for example, select One Touch Sound Tuning (pictured below), then Start New Sound Tuning. Sit where you normally would…

DeepSwap www.deepswap.ai This site uses AI to swap your face with that of a celebrity in a photo, video or GIF. It’s undoubtedly clever and the results look great, but the novelty soon wears off and sharing your face with an online service requires a huge degree of trust. Boomy https://boomy.com Who needs musical prowess or songwriting skills when Boomy can generate tracks for you in a matter of minutes and submit them to streaming services such as Spotify? The results are impressive but it has worrying implications for ‘real’ artists. Random Face Generator www.snipca.com/45668 Created to highlight the capabilities of AI, this site generates instant photos of fake people, which you can customise by gender, age and ethnicity. It’s not only creepy but expensive too – downloading an HD…

I’m not one to criticise people I’ve never met, but I make an exception for Lucian from the Google Pixel 7 advert (www.snipca.com/45553). It’s not just sour grapes that he’s much younger than me, but his assertion that a Pixel phone is the only logical way to access your favourite Google tools. “You use Google Chrome, you use Gmail, you use Google Maps,” says Lucian. “So why would you not use a Google phone as well? It just makes sense having it all in one convenient place.” “I tried several workarounds, including converting to PDF and swearing at my phone” For someone who knows so much about technology, I’m surprised Lucian isn’t aware that every Android phone has those Google apps installed (Android being owned by Google) – even budget…

Can I watch camcorder footage via a Fire TV stick? Q I’d like to watch footage I’ve shot on my camcorder on my TV, via my Amazon Fire TV Stick. Which software will do this? Norman Donnell A You could download footage from your camcorder, then use ES File Explorer to transfer it to the Fire TV Stick. We explained how to do this in Issue 600 (page 35). However, the stick has limited space, especially if you’ve installed lots of apps. That means you’ll need to copy across and wipe your videos frequently if you want to watch different videos. It’s more efficient to install Plex Media Server on your PC, and the Plex app on your Fire TV, and then stream your video from the computer. Plex has…

ALL-IN-ONE PC | £950 from Lenovo www.snipca.com/45549 One of the biggest downsides of desktop PCs is that they take up so much room, either on your desk or below it. An all-in-one PC, on the other hand, puts all the computing components into the back of the monitor, cutting out the need for a space-hogging box entirely. The IdeaCentre AIO 5i is Lenovo’s take on the concept. The model we’re reviewing here includes a 27in screen and offers a choice of two processors: the Intel Core i5-13500H (£950) or the Intel Core i7-13700H (£1,250). We tested the former, which also comes with 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. It’s a decent specification for the price, particularly the generous screen size. “Space-saving PC offers everything you need for everyday Windows…

Q Have you ever recommended a battery backup, into which you can plug a router and landline that use regular three-pin plugs? I’d like it to be able to power my devices for as long as possible during power cuts. Peter Evans A You need a UPS (uninterruptible power supply). This is a black box that sits between your power socket and your devices, a bit like an extension lead. However, a UPS has a battery, which can keep your devices going when there are fluctuations in the mains power supply. How long it can power your devices depends on the power of the UPS’s battery and the draw of the devices connected to it. For relatively low-powered devices like modems and telephones, the CyberPower Brics series (www.snipca.com/41552, pictured) is…

KEYBOARD & MOUSE | £26 from Amazon www.snipca.com/45599 Don’t be sceptical when you see the incredibly low price tag of this keyboard-and-mouse combination – given what you get for your money, it represents fantastic value. Setting up the two devices is simple because a single USB dongle is used to communicate with both. In fact, they are ready to go to work immediately after plugging the dongle in. The keyboard is slim and has a remarkably sophisticated design, with flat, well spaced-out keys. It doesn’t have mechanical switches, using membrane technology instead. This helps to keep it virtually silent while you type, without any of the clatter you typically get with more expensive models. The wrist rest is hard plastic rather than padded, however, so it’s not exactly comfortable. The…

What is it? PC peripheral manufacturer Razer has designed this mouse mat – a large slab of strong, smooth, tempered glass – as the perfect surface to slide your mouse across. How does it work? Unlike many of Razer’s products, there are no flashing lights, just a high-quality, nicely finished piece of glass. It has a rubber base, so it won’t slip around your desk. It’s also micro-etched, which helps the lights on the base of mice work out where they are. What’s the catch? You need a large desk. Measuring 450x400mm, it takes up a lot of space. It’s also fairly expensive for a mouse mat, costing £100 (from Amazon at www.snipca.com/45647). So can I do without it? Yes, because you really don’t need to spend this much money…

What you need: Windows 10 or 11 Time required: 30 minutes Microsoft included a new energy-saving section in its ‘Moment 2’ update for Windows 11, released in March. It lets you apply quick fixes to cut your power consumption and, as a result, reduce your electricity bill. We’ll explain how to use these new options, and also reveal how to make similar energy-saving changes in Windows 10. And because we all do so much online these days, we’ll also show you how two popular browsers can help you use less power, and extend the time between each laptop charge. 1 Save energy using Windows 11’s new settings You can access the new energy-saving options by pressing Windows key+I to open Settings, then clicking System in the sidebar. Next, click Power…

TIP OF THE FORTNIGHT Add spam filters to Thunderbird Outlook’s Quick Steps are extremely useful, as you rightly claimed in Issue 655’s How To feature (page 35). But you can do something similar in Thunderbird. First, open its filters by clicking the top-right three-line menu, then Tools followed by Message Filters. Next, select the filtering conditions using the dropdown menus. For my example I want to block spam, so I leave the first condition as it is (with ‘subject’ selected – 1 in our screenshot) and change the second to ‘contains’ 2. Then, in the box at the far right, I type ***SPAM*** 3. This is what my email provider adds to the subject line of any message it has identified as spam. In the ‘Perform these actions’ box specify…

LetyShops Chromium www.snipca.com/45571 Firefox www.snipca.com/45572 With prices still rising, it’s useful to get some money back when you shop online. LetyShops lets you earn cashback from hundreds of retailers, including Boots, Currys, Expedia, Wish and Zavvi. Once you’ve signed up for a free account, the extension’s toolbar button will ‘blink’ when you visit a site that offers cashback. Click the LetyShops icon to view the cashback percentage, then choose ‘Activate cashback’ and make your purchase. You can also click the button on sites that don’t provide cashback to view the last offers from recommended stores (see screenshot). The money you earn can be transferred to your PayPal account once you reach the minimum withdrawal limit of £10. Note that you’ll need to disable your ad blocker, or add letyshops.com to…

Byebye Free* Android www.snipca.com/45649 iOS www.snipca.com/45650 Use this app to create an inventory of old clothes, gadgets, books and other items, including photos and (optionally) the purchase date and price. Add labels such as ‘barely used’, ‘essential’ and ‘sentimental’, and mark items as ‘favourites’ or ‘regrets’, to analyse your hoard and help you decide what to bin, sell or donate to charity. Best For Creating an inventory Tody Free*/£6.99 Android www.snipca.com/45651 iOS www.snipca.com/45652 Tody lets you create a cleaning schedule for your home – room by room, including tasks such as decluttering, dusting and sweeping the floor. You can specify how urgent each task is, assign tasks to other family members and even turn cleaning into a game. The iOS version is pricey, though. Best For Managing cleaning tasks Adobe…

Present a free webinar to members Having a video chat with one or more people is technically known as video conferencing. In a conference all members can speak, interact and have equal access to whatever features the software provides. A webinar is different. It’s more like going to a virtual seminar. A single person does all the talking, and usually only their video camera is turned on. Only the speaker can choose who else can talk and when – to ask questions, for example. It’s an effective way to host an online presentation to club members. Because webinars are popular in the business world (sometimes people even pay to attend), it’s hard to find a service that will let you run one for free, though most offer free trials. Some…

As good as these devices are, you might want to also turn on subtitles to make sure you don’t miss a single word of dialogue. Most streaming services now let you customise subtitles to suit your eyes. Back in 2021 the BBC added five text sizes to iPlayer (see www.snipca.com/45687). Netflix went further earlier this year by introducing four colours to its TV app: the default white text, drop shadow (white text with black background), light (black text with white background), and contrast (yellow text with black background, pictured). Amazon Prime Video gives you similar settings – click the Subtitles button to see them – but YouTube has the most advanced options. Play a video, then select the Settings cog at the right of the player’s controls. Now click Captions,…

PROBLEM OF THE FORTNIGHT Will my new hardware break my Windows licence? Q I have Windows 10 Pro on my computer, upgraded from my retail copy of Windows 7 Pro. I am planning to install a new motherboard and processor into my computer. I understand that Microsoft would require that I buy a new licence, because it would see an upgraded system as a new computer. However, I seem to remember reading that as long as it’s a retail copy of Windows, there’s a way to transfer the licence. Is this correct and if so, given that I used the free upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 10, would this still apply? Mike Youngson A We’ve noted many times in these pages that Microsoft’s software-licensing terms are complicated. As such,…