Computeractive 624

A friend told me recently that he loved Windows 11 because it looked so similar to Windows 10. Another said he couldn’t see the point of Windows 11 precisely because it looked so similar. Both have a point, but I agreed more with the former, and not only because it was his round next. After decades of trying I think Microsoft has finally hit the winning formula with Windows 11. It’s remarkably simple: add as many features as you like, but make sure a new version looks roughly the same as the system it’s replacing. That sense of familiarity removes the biggest reason people don’t upgrade, and gives them the confidence to try those new tools. It also helps when you’ve got an expert like Robert Irvine explaining what to do. Follow…

Openreach has offered a reward of £20,000 for information that will help catch thieves who stole copper cables providing phone and broadband. It follows a series of thefts in the Cambridgeshire villages of Swavesey and Witchford, which knocked out services to hundreds of homes. The company said that on the evening of 2 January criminals used 4x4 vehicles to drag large sections of live cable from a road in Ely. Thieves struck again two days later, stealing cables in Swavesey, damaging an RSPB nature reserve in the process. Openreach is offering the reward through Crimestoppers, which lets you submit information anonymously online (www.snipca.com/40697). You can also phone 0800 555 111 to give information without revealing your identity. Annabelle Goodenough, Crimestoppers’ South East Regional Manager, said the large reward “reflects the huge amount of damage…

Microsoft has started to force the 21H2 update for Windows 10 – released in November 2021 – on computers running version 20H2, which was released 12 months earlier. It plans to stop supporting 20H2 on 10 May, so needs to upgrade computers still running it to a more recent version. The company said it’s using machine learning to decide which computers are ready to upgrade to 21H2, helping to ensure a “smooth update experience” (see www.snipca.com/40703). Installing 21H2 should be fairly straightforward because it’s one of the lightest and least significant updates since Windows 10 launched in 2016. Microsoft will support version 21H2 until June 2023, as confirmed on its Windows 10 Home and Pro Lifecycle page: www.snipca.com/40702. To check which version of Windows you’re running, press Windows key+R, type winver, then click OK.…

Apple has removed several fake versions of the word game Wordle from its App Store, as imitators attempt to cash in on its sudden popularity. The game, which challenges players to find a five-letter word in six guesses, launched in October and now has two million users. Its creator, software developer Josh Wardle, designed the game as an alternative to phone apps that collect your data, are littered with adverts and constantly demand your attention with pop-up alerts. But that hasn’t stopped opportunistic developers mimicking the name to build their own games. Zach Shakked, for example, boasted that his game, called ‘Wordle – the App’, had been downloaded 12,000 times within hours of launching. Apple removed the app even though the genuine Wordle is available only as an online game (www.powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle, pictured), and not…

BT will reportedly release its first Wi-Fi 6 router to customers in the summer, helping to boost the speed of their home network and allow them to use more devices simultaneously. A “number of sources” close to the company told website ISPreview that BT will start sending the Smart Hub 3 router from July, replacing the Smart Hub 2 (pictured), which was released in late 2018. BT had been expected to release the router earlier, but was delayed because of the Covid pandemic and a global shortage of processors. It’s thought that the router will come with a new version of BT’s Complete mesh Wi-Fi system. The first edition of its Whole Home package remains our favourite mesh Wi-Fi system (see page 33). Some of BT’s biggest rivals have already sent Wi-Fi 6 routers…

GOVT OFFERS FIRMS £5K OFF SOFTWARE Small businesses can claim discounts of up to £5,000 on approved software under a new Government scheme. The ‘Help to Grow’ measures cover programs such as digital accounting and tools to manage customer relationships. To be eligible businesses must employ between five and 249 staff, and be buying the software for the first time. Apply at https://helptogrow.campaign.gov.uk. MICROSOFT SCRAPS AUDIBLE APP Microsoft has removed the Audible app from its store and told existing users that it will stop working after 31 July. It said the decision is based on “feedback we receive from our listeners”, suggesting not enough people were using it. Users should play audiobooks through their iOS and Android apps instead, Microsoft said, or in Audible’s Cloud Player (www.snipca.com/40692).…