Tech Advisorの January 2025 の目次

Google has warned of a new cyberattack, known as UNC5812, which affects Android and Windows users. It was discovered in September 2024 and through a Telegram channel called ‘Civil Defence’, the hackers are spreading the malware under the guise of a mapping tool. Google Threat Analysis Group (TAG) states that the malicious code is being distributed to both Android and Windows devices via Telegram messenger, a rival to WhatsApp, and a similarly named website, reports Forbes (tinyurl.com/5z5ja972). The malware is spread specifically for the respective operating systems and is masked as a legitimate application. “UNC5812 is also active in advocacy campaigns,” explains a Google TAG spokesperson, with the goal of undermining support for Ukraine’s mobilisation efforts. It seems the threat actors are buying posts in established Ukrainian-language Telegram channels to…

Google recently launched the Android 15 mobile operating system for its Pixel phones, but it won’t be too long before it’s time for another upgrade. The company has announced (tinyurl.com/23pwzbn9) on its developer blog that Android 16 will be launched in the first half of 2025. At most, there will be just under nine months between the launch of Android 15 in mid-October this year and the planned launch of Android 16 before the end of June next year. We could see as soon as April. “We’re planning the major release for Q2 rather than Q3 to better align with the schedule of device launches across our ecosystem, so more devices can get the major release of Android sooner,” said a Google spokesperson. In addition to the release of Android…

Back in late 2021, Lenovo launched the Tab P12 Pro, a rare premium Android tablet that offered a lot in terms of polished media-friendly specs, but disappointed with its high price. Now, coming up to two years on, we have the non-Pro Lenovo Tab P12, which promises to hit many of the same main talking points at half the cost. For just £399 you’re getting a tablet with a large, sharp 12.7-inch 3K display, a promising quad-speaker set-up, a classy design, and a solid bundled-in stylus. What’s more, Lenovo is offering an optional package that includes a full mechanical keyboard case, which turns the Lenovo Tab P12 from an affordable media machine to an affordable portable productivity machine. It comes in at a reasonable £499 – a lot less than…

The Pixel Watch 3 answers two common complaints that even we had about its predecessor, a small screen area, and short battery life. Now, for the first time, the watch comes in two sizes: 41- and 45mm models with the larger option on test here. Google’s smaller model this year costs from £349 while opting for the bigger size will set you back at least £399. The question is, can it compete with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7, Apple Watch Series 10 and OnePlus Watch 2. Let’s find out… DESIGN The design is the same as the Pixel Watch 2, with a deliciously rounded glass surface at the top (which is custom 3D Corning Gorilla Glass 5) and shiny chrome aluminium at the bottom. You get a…

I always thought that buying a 4K webcam was only something that streamers and influencers should care about. I mean, how much better am I really going to look when I’m on a Teams call with my editors, or on a Skype call with my mum? It seemed quite silly to think about. But I’ve been playing around with several webcam options to see what difference they actually make to everyday video calls and meetings – and as it turns out, there are some real positives with 4K webcams. There are some negatives, too. (And I don’t just mean that suddenly everyone can see that pimple you didn’t bother to cover up.) Here’s what I’ve learned about why 4K webcams can be worth buying (and why they might not be)…

Back in 2021, when Windows 11 was first announced, there was an interesting feature called Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) that was teased, then publicly released in 2022. WSA allows users to run Android apps directly on Windows 11 PCs. Unfortunately, on March 5, 2024, Microsoft officially deprecated the feature (tinyurl.com/yfyvx7zv) and announced that the Amazon Appstore plus all its apps and games will stop working come March 5, 2025. If you have the Amazon Appstore or Android apps installed on your Windows 11 PC using WSA, they’ll stay operable until the deprecation date. The problem is that WSA is actually quite popular, and the move to deprecate the compatibility layer has been met with harsh criticism on Microsoft’s Feedback Hub (tinyurl.com/6h66fdc5). According to Windows Latest (tinyurl.com/yep8kf87), numerous users are…

With Vision Pro failing to set the market alight-and being officially labelled as ‘not a mass-market product’ – the big question is how Apple plans to build a commercially viable product in the VR/AR space, if that’s even possible. Ultimately, the most appealing option for a mainstream audience would probably be a slimline pair of glasses with smart tech built in, but the state of technology and Apple’s own developments mean this isn’t likely to appear for some years yet. There are signs of progress, however. In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter (tinyurl.com/yhk7hamw), knowledgeable Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman claims that Apple recently commenced focus-group research to explore its options in the smart glasses market, in a sign of real intent. (This follows what was described as a…

Xiaomi has been in the business of foldable phones since 2021. However, this is the first time one of these models has officially launched on UK shores, and it’s also a first stab at the clamshell-style build from the Chinese tech giant. This flip smartphone doesn’t come cheap, and with tough competition from the Motorola Razr 50 Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, there are some areas where the Mix Flip falls short – though it is still a solid smartphone. DESIGN The Xiaomi Mix Flip shares some similarities with the designs of the competition. It has a curved body and folds up to a neat square, measuring just 85mm once folded. The outer display is also the largest on a clamshell foldable at 4.01 inches, besting the…

At Tech Advisor Towers we love gadgets. We live and breathe them and spend all our time testing them out to tell you which phones, tablets, smartwatches and other types of devices to buy. Now it’s that time of year when we look back at the past 12 months and decide which new models deserve to be crowned the best of the year in their respective categories. These are the crème de la crème, or in other words, the tech we love the most and use – or wish we were using – ourselves on a daily basis. We’ve deliberated long and hard about the winners and awarded titles in 9 different categories from smartphones to fitness trackers. You’ll also find honourable mentions for two runners-up when you click through…

Nowadays, it’s easy to get fooled by AI content on the web. Whether it’s a picture of the Pope sporting a puffy Balenciaga jacket or Trump getting tackled and arrested, these AI-generated images appear super realistic (as long as you’re not looking too close), so it can be hard to separate fact from fiction. This is because AI doesn’t really understand context in the cultural or historical sense. While some AI-generated images are harmless and do not spread misinformation, others, especially ones involving celebrities or politicians, can cause a great deal of damage and brain rot. Heck, I consider myself to be a relatively tech-savvy person and even I’ve been fooled once or twice. We’re already in an era where even political leaders use AI images in misleading or emotion-provoking…

Android users will soon be able to get some AI help before downloading new apps to their phone or tablet from the Google app store. A few lines of code in the latest version of the Google Play Store suggest the app store getting new AI features, reports Android Authority (tinyurl.com/3jhje6fe). With the new AI feature, you will be able to ask questions about the apps in the Google Play Store, which AI will then answer. Whether this runs on Google Gemini remains to be seen. However, it is unclear whether the AI will only retrieve information from the application’s store page in its answers, or whether it will also go online to find the answers to your questions. It’s unclear when Google will launch the new AI feature in…

Samsung’s biggest and most powerful tablet is back with a 2024 refresh, and although it may look almost identical to its predecessor, there are, in fact, various changes this year. The Korean tech giant has opted for a flagship MediaTek chip this time around, rather than the usual Qualcomm affair, and there’s plenty of new Galaxy AI goodness to sink your teeth into as well. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra, as the name suggests, is designed to be the best of the best. It’s massive, powerful and loaded with top-of-the-line specifications. The question is, is it really worth the hefty £1,199 asking price? And is any tablet, for that matter? I’ve been using it for the past week in an attempt to find out. Note the Tab S10 series…

Motorola has been resurgent in the premium phone market of late, turning out high-quality efforts like the Motorola Edge 50 Ultra and the Razr 50 Ultra. However, the company clearly hasn’t forgotten that it built its reputation on solidly built yet incredibly cheap phones. The Moto G35 is Motorola’s latest phone in this mould, offering ostensibly moderate specs for a sub-£150 price tag. But has it got the balance of components right this time? DESIGN Motorola has given its latest cheap phone a slightly larger footprint than the preceding Moto G34 5G at 166.07x75.98mm. It’s also a tad heavier at 188g (or 191g for the eco leather model), though this still makes it relatively lightweight. On the plus side, the Moto G35 is even slimmer than before at just 7.79mm…

I'm not saying Windows is a terrible operating system, but it’s definitely no longer the one I choose to use on a day-to-day basis. After 30 plus years of using Windows in its various forms (starting with Windows 95), I have moved on, but not to macOS! In fact, I’ve switched from Windows to ChromeOS and I’m loving every minute of it. Now, I want to be fully transparent: I admit that I still own an all-in-one Windows PC (currently running Windows 10 because Microsoft doesn’t think it’s capable of Windows 11), and I’m also likely to buy a new Windows PC before support for Windows 10 officially ends. However, my Windows PC only exists as a backup for those increasingly rare times when my Chromebook isn’t right for the…