Inhoudsopgave van September 2023 - Tech Advisor

People who keep their computers up to date and regularly install the updates offered for Windows hope to have a secure PC. But it has now become known that 133 drivers officially signed by Microsoft (fave.co/46V8dML) contain malware. It’s a particularly dangerous problem because these drivers are loaded and installed by the operating system without prompting. MALWARE WITH A CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY? Microsoft has been familiar with the problem for a while and reacted as part of the most recent monthly Windows update. The 133 affected drivers were blocked and the accounts of the respective developers were locked. But how could it ever come to this, that officially released drivers contain malware? STOLEN CERTIFICATES According to Microsoft, all drivers had a valid signature. This allowed them to secure administrator rights.…

Intel has decided to stop making its Next Unit of Computing (NUC), but the company will encourage partners to keep making the small form-factor (SFF) PCs, the company said recently. Intel’s NUC championed compact PCs, while leaving larger chassis options to partners like Dell and HP. But Intel’s decision seems like a natural one, given that Intel has refocused on its core businesses during a period in which it also invested heavily in its own manufacturing operations and foundry business. An Intel spokesman confirmed an initial report by Serve The Home (fave.co/3XS7Kqp), saying that Intel will continue to support the existing NUCs it has already shipped into the market. “We have decided to stop direct investment in the Next Unit of Compute (NUC) Business and pivot our strategy to enable…

Price: Free With Twitter seemingly imploding in a new, spectacular way on a weekly basis, Meta has moved in with its own Twitter clone, Threads. The app for the new social media platform is now live for both Android and iOS. Threads looks much like Twitter. Very much. You get to type 500 characters per post (versus 280 characters for Twitter), but your ‘thread’ is aligned in a vertical hierarchy of posts, just like Twitter, and the user interface feels right at home. Naturally, you have the option of replying to and liking individual posts following others and responding to their own threads, too. And, of course, you can post photos. Threads leverages your Instagram followers – which is important, because there are at least a few other apps named…

Price: £1,749 from fave.co/3D5LiR3 Google’s folding phone has been a long time coming. Rumours that the company was developing one began several years back and in a surprise revelation during a recent Made by Google podcast episode, the world found out that the Pixel Fold wasn’t the first. A previous design hadn’t made the grade and was cancelled because it wasn’t good enough. The Pixel Fold, then, must have passed muster and it’s taking the fight to various rivals but mainly Samsung. The South Korean company has a big lead on Google, having released its first Galaxy Fold in 2019 and is on track to launch its fifth-generation foldable phone soon. The history lesson is relevant here because the Pixel Fold doesn’t exist in a vacuum. And while there’s a…

No operating system is without its positives, and that includes Windows 11, even as much as I complain about Microsoft’s latest operating system. Its handful of useful features continues to grow as time goes on, with more and more being teased for future release (like native RGB lighting controls). But with helpful utilities and settings having trickled out slowly, it’s easy to miss a few here and there, especially when flashier tricks hog the news headlines. We’ve pulled out 10 features that we don’t think get enough love – if you’ve heard of them and haven’t tried them yet, now’s the time. NOTEPAD TABS Notepad actually predates Windows, but it’s still fully relevant (and useful) today. The streamlined app lets you open a window to make quick notes. And in…

Closing every possible program can help you eke out more endurance when your laptop is running low on battery. But not every program fully closes when you exit its window, and sometimes background processes can suck up a surprising amount of computing power. Fortunately, the Task Manager in Windows 10 and 11 includes tools that let you quickly identify the power hogs on your computer, though the information isn’t straightforward to locate. You can use its insights and these three crucial Windows settings tweaks to conserve energy when power’s running low, to ensure your laptop lasts long enough to reach an outlet. (If you’re constantly struggling with notebook endurance, it might be time to consider a new laptop.) Start by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc to summon the Windows…

Google has released a what it calls its biggest expansion to date of its AI assistant, Bard, with new, useful features such as pinned conversations and more flexible output selections that include a ‘long mode’ for more detailed replies. The ongoing war between Bard, Microsoft’s Bing and OpenAI’s ChatGPT has expanded on several fronts. To date, Bing is one of the only chatbots that you’ve been able to interact with via a mic, using the mobile version of Bing. Google has taken the opposite approach: now Bard will talk to you, orally pronouncing words. Bard will also communicate in not just English, but also in Arabic, Chinese, German, Hindi and Spanish, and access to the Bard chatbot has opened up inside Europe, now, too. For most users, the three most…

Microsoft has announced that it has begun shipping its AI-powered Windows Copilot in a test build for Windows, along with a revised Settings menu that uses a card‑based dashboard to allow users to make quick adjustments without needing to dive deeper. Microsoft’s latest build is a major one, even excluding Copilot. The Settings revamp continues the work Microsoft has done to streamline how Settings displays information and allows users to control various aspects of their PC. The build also extends Microsoft’s Restore features for setting up new PCs, enhances the volume mixer, and even takes Snap Layouts a bit further by offering suggestions on how app windows should fit together. WINDOWS COPILOT IS HERE The headline feature, of course, is Windows Copilot, which Microsoft announced at the end of June.…

Price: £2,243 from fave.co/46P5lRo Lenovo has a history of experimental dual-screen laptops. The current range includes the ThinkPad X1 Fold‘s flexible, folding OLED display and ThinkBook Plus Twist‘s has an extra e-ink screen on the screen. Looking further back, 2009’s ThinkPad W700ds had a slide-out second display. The Yoga Book 9i builds on these ideas to deliver a versatile, functional 2-in-1 that packs maximum display real estate into a 13.3in chassis. It’s a fascinating device, albeit not one many people should buy right now. Here’s our full review. DESIGN The Yoga Book 9i’s exterior looks just like regular Yoga Slim 9i (just Yoga 9i in North America) when unfolded, with the only exception being an eye-catching blue option. It’s a refreshing change from the usual black, grey or silver. A…

Price: £1,049 from fave.co/44B4P7t The Motorola Razr 40 Ultra is more than just yet another flip phone. For one thing, it up-ends the form factor with its over-sized exterior display, vastly increasing how much you can do with the phone without ever opening it up. More than that though, the company’s fourth attempt at a foldable phone is the first to feel like it captures the charm and cool factor of the original noughties flip phone. Best of all? It also happens to be really, really good. DESIGN It’s hard to talk about the design of the Razr 40 Ultra without addressing that eye-catching cover display. I’ll cover how it works later, but what you need to know is that it stretches from near the top of the phone right…

Picture the scene. You sit down at your computer, ready to spend a few hours completing important tasks. But as soon as you turn on the device, in comes a stream of notifications. There are emails to look at and a few messages to respond to. Once that’s done, you might as well check social media and your favourite news sites. Before you know it, an hour has passed and you’ve not made any progress. Sound familiar? It’s something almost all of us have experienced at some point, but that doesn’t mean we should be at the mercy of these distracting tools. As much as some Windows 11 features can get us off task, others are specifically designed to help you focus. By utilising these, you can get done what…

In most cases, Windows will recognize new hardware you install in your PC and you can just start using it. This works for internal components, such as a network or graphics card, as well as external devices like a scanner. Usually, the operating system will identify the device, then load and install the correct driver. This can be checked in the Windows Device Manager (right-click the Start button > Device Manager), which normally lists all entries without further instructions. But what do you do if Windows marks a component with a yellow exclamation mark and attempts to find the right drivers via Windows Update also fails? It is not always immediately clear which hardware is having issues, since a Device Manager entry like as ‘Other devices – Unknown device’ doesn’t…

Razer is investigating a potential data breach that may have affected everything from its user database to its source code, while reportedly requiring all users to reset their passwords, according to a report on 9 July. Razer provided some more detail on 11 July, acknowledging that the hack involved Razer Gold. “We were alerted to a potential hack on 9 July, 2023 impacting Razer Gold,” a Razer spokesman said in an email. “Upon learning about the breach, the team immediately conducted a thorough review of all Razer’s websites and have taken all necessary steps to secure our platforms. Razer is still in the midst of investigations, and we remain committed to ensuring the digital safety and security of all our customers. Once investigations have concluded, Razer anticipates that we will…

Price: Free Windows Copilot is one part Bing, one part Windows. It’s a ChatGPT AI assistant who can perform tasks for you one moment, but then pleads ignorance the next. Microsoft’s AI assistant within Windows 11 certainly has potential, but during my time with it, achieving a consistent experience was one of its unexpected challenges. Windows Copilot, the migration of Microsoft’s AI-powered Bing Chat into Windows, debuted as part of the latest Windows Insider build for the Dev Channel; Microsoft announced Copilot at the end of May, with a promise to bring it into testing by the end of June. It’s now here, though it hasn’t reached its full potential yet. To experience Copilot, you’ll need to sign up for the Windows Insider Dev Channel, download the build, and make…

Price: £1,799 from fave.co/3K0o9U7 Huawei’s premium MateBook X Pro laptops have long been among the best high-end Windows machines on the market, and the 2023 edition – while a minor revamp – does little to change that. The slender, lightweight design and beautiful 90Hz display of last year’s laptop return, this time bolstered by an upgrade to more powerful 13th-gen Intel chips. With no discrete GPU option and only USB-C ports, this won’t work for creative power users, and battery life remains a sticking point – but if you need a sleek machine for general productivity and can afford the steep asking price, this is one of the few machines out there to really rival Apple’s options. DESIGN Huawei hasn’t updated the physical design of the MateBook X Pro for…

At any stage of education, a laptop is one of the most valuable tools you can buy. That’s true despite the return of inperson lessons and lectures after the pandemic, with work outside of the classroom key to your success. Whether you’re writing up an essay, revising for test or keeping in touch with teachers and classmates, a laptop can do it all. But remember, you’ll also want a device that’s suitable for your spare time, which may include watching videos online or video calls with friends and family. Here, we’ve included a range of options that suit different types of students. There should be something here for everyone, but don’t be concerned if your favourite device is lower on the list – we can recommend all these devices for…

If you’re working from home longterm, you’ll almost certainly need more than one display. A second (or third) screen can transform your productivity, even if it’s just to separate email and messaging apps from the main task you’re working on. But getting multiple monitors set up properly on Windows 11 requires more than just plugging them in. There are a few steps needed to make sure everything runs smoothly, although it’s only usually necessary once. Once you’ve connected the external monitor/s (usually via HDMI or DisplayPort), here are the settings worth tweaking. MAKE SURE ALL MONITORS HAVE BEEN DETECTED Before proceeding, it’s important to ensure that each external monitor has been connected properly and has been recognised by Windows 11. Head to Settings > System > Display and make sure…

Is nothing working on your Windows 10 or 11 computer? Is an application hanging, or is your PC unresponsive? Most people will reach for the hallowed Ctrl + Alt + Del keyboard shortcut, which has been used since the earliest days of DOS to revive a stuck computer. You can also use the shortcut to call up the task manager (although Ctrl + Shift + Esc is faster at that). What many people probably aren’t aware of, however, is the emergency restart function Microsoft hid inside the Ctrl + Alt + Del screen. ACTIVATE THE WINDOWS EMERGENCY RESTART To get to the hidden emergency restart function, first press Ctrl + Alt + Del on your keyboard. The usual ‘lock’, ‘switch user’, ‘sign off’ and ‘Task manager’ options will appear in…