Computeractive 630

One of the best ever marketing slogans was Apple’s ‘1,000 songs in your pocket’, which impeccably captured the iPod’s appeal (read this essay on its marketing brilliance: www.snipca.com/41578). It comes to mind every time someone asks me why a device as supposedly outdated as the USB stick continues to thrive. You may not be able to (or want to) install 1,000 programs on your stick, but you can certainly get enough on there to create a computer in your pocket. And I don’t just mean carrying Windows around with you. Our Cover Feature also explains how to run Linux and Chrome OS from your stick, as well as the best software to build PC-repair kits and entertainment hubs. Until you can fold up laptops like handkerchiefs (HankieBooks?) and slip them into your…

Windows 11’s File Explorer will soon get tabs, after Microsoft announced that the much anticipated feature will be added to the operating system. Tabs were part of a preview build of the operating system released in March, available to users signed up to the Insider Program. They now look set to be added to the full version in order to make Windows 11 more “inclusive, accessible and intelligent”. The tabs appear along the top of File Explorer, letting you have multiple folders open in one window. In our screenshot you can see the Downloads 1 and This PC 2 folders open as tabs. You’ll be able to reposition them by dragging and dropping, and have the option to open a tab or window when you right-click. Tabs are part of a wider redesign…

Avast has admitted that in certain cases CCleaner can remove your software without your permission. It confirmed the flaw in response to a complaint from a Windows 10 user, rounakr94, who wrote on a Reddit forum (www.snipca.com/41603) that CCleaner removed essential MSI files when they tried to uninstall the tool through the ‘Programs and Features’ section in the Control Panel (see screenshot). CCleaner failed to uninstall some programs, including Adobe Reader and HDSentinel, leaving them corrupted, rounakr94 claimed. Reinstalling these and scanning for malware took two hours, they said. Avast, which owns CCleaner’s developer Piriform, said that the problem may have been caused by the user installing CCleaner in their D:\Applications folder. When CCleaner was uninstalled, it removed all other programs in that location. In a statement to the website BetaNews, Avast said: “CCleaner’s…

Google has removed six fake antivirus Android apps from the Play Store after they were caught stealing banking details from people who had installed them. The apps, discovered by US-Israeli security firm Check Point, were infecting phones and tablets with the Sharkbot malware. This works by showing fake online forms that trick victims into entering sensitive data. The removed apps are Antivirus, Super Cleaner; Alpha Antivirus, Cleaner; Atom Clean-Booster, Antivirus; Center Security – Antivirus; and two called Powerful Cleaner, Antivirus. Check Point pictured the icons for the apps on its blog (see screenshot, and www.snipca.com/41589) Check Point said that the apps had been downloaded more than 15,000 times. Over a third of the victims (36 per cent) were in the UK, with most of the rest (62 per cent) in Italy. Researchers warned that…

FIX GOOGLE PIXEL PHONES YOURSELF Google has teamed up with tech-repair site iFixit to sell spare parts for its Pixel phones, meaning you’ll be able to fix them yourself. The service will be available in the UK later this year from www.ifixit.com/google (pictured above). IFixit already sells official repair kits for iPads and iPhones – just search for your device at https://store.ifixit.co.uk. iDRIVE ADDS 1TB PC STORAGE Online-storage company iDrive (www.idrive.com) has added 1TB of PC data to its subscription package, which costs 99 US cents for the first year, then $9.99 a year (around £7.64) after that. It will continue to offer unlimited mobile photo and video storage as part of the package. The service launched in June 2021, soon after Google Photos ended its free unlimited plan. Read more at www.snipca.com/41596.…

SKY LAUNCHES 900MBPS BROADBAND Sky has launched its fastest ever broadband, hitting a top speed of 900Mbps, which is fast enough to download an HD film in five seconds. The Gigafast package costs £55 a month on an 18-month contract, rising to £60 thereafter. Sky says you’ll be able to claim back money if speeds dip below 600Mbps. Visit Sky’s site for details: www.snipca.com/41573. UBER TO SELL TRAIN, COACH & PLANE TICKETS Uber will soon let UK users book train, coach and plane tickets through its app as it plans to become a “one-stop shop” for transport. The tickets will be available as QR codes within the app. You’ll also be able to book Uber drivers to take you to and from the station or airport. The service will be launched this summer.…