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Imagine if Microsoft stopped making operating systems and moved into the greetings-card business. Open a card and a little tune would play: ‘Happy Anniversary Update to you, Happy Anniversary Update to you, Happy Anniversary Update dear Windows 10, Happy Anniversary Update to you’. That’s why Microsoft will never move into the greetings-card business. As Ken Rigsby rightly said in Issue 478’s The Final Straw, Microsoft is rubbish at naming its products. Anniversary Update sounds like a PowerPoint presentation given by an accountant on the state of his 20-year marriage. But look past the humdrum name and you’ll see some excellent new features in this major update. For me, the most useful is ‘Active hours’ – a clever tool that lets you set a period of time every day during which…

Customers have reacted angrily to several leading PC manufacturers blaming Brexit for increasing the price of computers in the UK. Companies including Dell and HP said that they will be forced to raise prices as a result of the sharp fall in the value of the pound, which was triggered by the UK’s vote to leave the European Union on 23 June. HP, the world’s secondlargest maker of computers (behind Lenovo), confirmed that it would raise prices by 10 per cent due to the “unprecedented weakening of the pound-to-US dollar exchange rate”. Dell said that the cheaper pound “will have a direct impact on the price we sell at to our UK customers and partners”. Lenovo also appears to be considering price rises, saying: “To the extent that we need…

Isn’t it a bit harsh to call a Pokémon Go player a ‘villain’ for calling 999 to report “stolen Pokémon”, as happened in Gloucestershire a day after the app launched in the UK (www.snipca.com/21236)? Not if you’re someone else who’s trying to call for an ambulance. Emergency services are strapped for cash these days, and any game-fixated idiot who rings to report an AWOL figment of someone’s imagination stops a genuine emergency – or emergencies - getting help. I don’t care whether it’s a joke or plain stupidity. The outcome could be disastrous. I’d rather chew coal than wander the streets staring at a smartphone in search of Pikachu, but I’m not a total killjoy. Pokémon Go has been a glimmer of fun in an otherwise bleak summer. However, not…

How not to be ripped off at PC World I loved the article in Issue 479 (pictured) about not getting ripped off when buying tech. It’s interesting you mentioned Currys PC World because I’ve had a problem with them. My wife needed a new laptop, so I looked on PC World’s website to check out the best deals. I saw a laptop that was perfect for her needs. The price was good, and it was in stock at my local store, so we went there to check if there were any special offers. After looking around we decided to go for the laptop we originally saw online. The sales assistant asked us to sit down so she could check whether it was in stock. When she came back she said…

Home-delivery charges Amazon www.snipca.com/21164 Argos www.snipca.com/21171 Asda www.asda.com/deliveryslots B&Q www.snipca.com/21179 Boots www.snipca.com/21177 Currys www.snipca.com/21166 Debenhams www.snipca.com/21169 House of Fraser www.snipca.com/21178 Ikea www.snipca.com/21172 John Lewis www.snipca.com/21168 Morrisons www.snipca.com/21175 PC World www.snipca.com/21165 Post Office www.snipca.com/21167 Sainsbury’s www.snipca.com/21174 Tesco www.snipca.com/21173 WH Smith www.snipca.com/21170…

Barclays scam knows my account number I’ve received several emails from ‘Barclays Bank Alerts’, which give the last four numbers of my account in the subject line. Each email says it is a ‘Digitally Signed Message’, which supposedly verifies its authenticity. The email states that any problem with the security of the message would prompt a warning – and of course there’s no such warning. There are two ways you can fall foul of the scam – by ticking a box that says ‘Don’t show me this Help screen again’ and by clicking a ‘Continue’ button. You can report scam emails at internetsecurity@barclays.co.uk. Warn your fellow readers about scams at letters@computeractive.co.uk…

AKG Y23 £35 from Amazon www.snipca.com/21258 These earphones have a flat frequency response and bring a fair amount of detail out of your music, with punch where it’s needed but nothing overdone. They don’t sound very three-dimensional, though, and the build quality is just OK. They really are small, almost disappearing into your ears. Onkyo E300M £30 from Argos www.snipca.com/21260 Onkyo is another respected brand, and these earphones look the part, with aluminium bodies and twisted cables that include a mic and a remote. Other parts are plasticky, though, and those cables transmit a lot of bumps and rubs. The promised ‘vocal clarity’ made vocals a bit too prominent for us. Sennheiser CX 3.00 £30 from Amazon www.snipca.com/21261 Not to be confused with the bestselling CX 300 II, these newer…

Find out what other products we liked. Buy our new 2015 Back Issue CD: £15 fromwww.snipca.com/19124 LAPTOP Asus UX305 £570 from www.snipca.com/19439 Tested: Issue 447 13.3in is a practical size for a laptop, and this light but sturdy ‘ultrabook’ has a smart and slim design that does justice to its capable performance. Upgradeable to Windows 10, it’s limited mainly by its 128GB SSD, which makes it work fast, but might leave you needing more space. ALTERNATIVE Toshiba Satellite C40-C This 14in Windows 10 laptop looks like it costs a lot more. It’s not the most amazing PC, but it’s fantastic for the price. £210 from www.snipca.com/20245 DESKTOP PC Palicomp AMD Avenger £500 from www.snipca.com/20927 Tested: Issue 479 AMD’s Athlon X4 880K processor gives this PC solid performance with money left…

Email us your tips: letters@computeractive.co.uk TIP OF THE FORTNIGHT Shorten and copy long website URLs with one click I like to share with my family and friends interesting articles I read online. One thing that frustrated me in the past was that the links to articles were often very long – sometimes taking up to two lines. My daughter told me about the useful website www.bit.ly, which shortens any URLs you paste into it. You can then copy and paste the condensed link into another program (such as an email or Word document). Until recently, however, I didn’t know that the website has a useful Chrome extension that lets you shorten and copy long URL links with one click. To add the extension to Chrome, open the browser, go to…

AGES 0-5 Learning Time With Timmy 3 £2.79 www.snipca.com/21214 (Android) £2.29 www.snipca.com/21215 (iOS) Developed by the British Council, this game will help your toddler learn to read and write. Games include finding objects by tapping them and matching pairs. They win stickers and videos after completing each activity. AGES 6-10 The Robot Factory £2.99 www.snipca.com/21216 (iOS) This is the ideal game to introduce your kids to physics. They need to build their own robot by attaching various body parts and colouring them. After that, they can test their robot by making it walk, run or fly, then applying tweaks if needed. AGES 11-16 *Pokémon Go Free www.snipca.com/21217 (Android) Free www.snipca.com/21218 (iOS) Pokémon Go has become an overnight sensation with adults and children alike. Visit real-world locations (including parks and schools)…

Bolster TeamViewer’s security Following a recent security scare that led to hackers obtaining login details for some TeamViewer accounts (see Issue 478, page 7), now is the time to shore up your security. TeamViewer’s default password uses just four random digits (although hackers also need to know your computer’s TeamViewer ID to break in). However, it’s easy to strengthen your password. Select Options from the Extras menu, click the Security tab, choose a stronger password style from the ‘Password strength’ dropdown menu (see screenshot above right), then reset your password. We contacted TeamViewer for a comment on the security scare and it was quick to assure us: “Despite some of the recent talk, we still have no evidence to suggest a breach at our end. That said it is important…

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO WINDOWS 10 This 148-page book is the only guide you need on Microsoft’s new operating system. You’ll learn how to master all the new tools, lock Microsoft’s weak privacy settings and prevent future updates from wrecking your PC. It includes fixes for all the problems and bugs that have appeared in Windows 10 since it launched. Plus, you’ll discover how to make Cortana understand you, remove the apps you hate, fix the dreaded Reboot Loop problem, master the new Edge browser, and stop Microsoft sharing your personal info. BUY IT NOW FROM AMAZON at www.snipca.com/17716 THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO ANDROID If you use an Android tablet or phone, this book will tell you how to get the most out of your device. It explains everything you…

Apple users may not be surprised to learn that exporting their contacts is no easy task. The best way to create the CSV file you need (see page 58) is to use iCloud - Apple’s free backup service. First, back up your contacts to iCloud by tapping the Settings app on your iPhone, then tapping iCloud. If you haven’t already signed up for iCloud Drive, tap ‘iCloud Drive’ and swipe the slider to the left (if prompted, enter your Apple account details). Now click ‘iCloud’ at the top of your screen to go back and make sure that the slider next to Contacts is on. To activate an iCloud backup, tap Backup, move the slider to the right and click Back Up Now. Next, open a browser on your PC…

Where’s my Hibernate option? Q I have a desktop PC running Windows 10 Pro. Twice now, I’ve tried to follow your instructions on how to add Hibernate to the list of options when clicking the Power button on the Start menu. I’ve succeeded until I get to the ‘Shut-down settings section’ in the Power Options section of Control Panel. There is no tickbox for Hibernate, only an option for Lock. I previously used Hibernate in Windows 7. Is there any way around this problem? Cherie Bettison A We can’t say why it’s happened but Hibernate has been disabled on your system, which is why its tickbox isn’t available in Power Options. You can fix it by typing an instruction in a Command Prompt window. Click Start, type cmd then right-click…

The French privacy watchdog has ordered Microsoft to stop collecting “excessive” data on how people use their computers and browse the web. The National Data Protection Commission (CNIL) has given the company three months to comply, after ruling that Windows 10 breaks France’s Data Protection Act. It said that it has reprimanded Microsoft due to the “seriousness of the breaches and the number of individuals concerned”, claiming there are more than 10 million Windows users in France. The organisation also criticised Microsoft for showing personalised adverts without clearly explaining how users can opt out of them. It said it didn’t intend to prevent Microsoft from showing adverts, but wanted “to enable users to make their choice freely, having been properly informed of their rights”. Microsoft said it would “work closely”…

A deadly new piece of Android malware steals money from your bank account then stops you phoning your bank to tell them what’s happened. Spotted by security company Symantec, the malware is a new strain of the Android.Fakebank.B Trojan, first identified in 2013. Like the original form of the malware, the new version steals victims’ banking details by replacing genuine banking apps with fake ones. But it’s much more effective than its predecessor because it contains a database of banks’ phone numbers that victims could ring to report the attack, and blocks any calls made to them. Until the victim contacts their bank by another means, the hackers are free to access their account. It’s not known how many phones have been infected, but at the moment the malware seems…

Junk offender: EaseUS Partition Master Free Computeractive reader Andrew Flack battled through an installer’s trunk of junk so you and I don’t have to. “I’d like to nominate EaseUS Partition Master Free,” wrote Andrew. “If you successfully negotiate the upgrade offers during installation, you then face a dodgy dialogue box that offers unwanted extras, including a search engine.” Perhaps EaseUS is testing us? After all, partitioning your hard drive is a risky business. Maybe the junk-filled installer is meant to filter out less savvy users? (Clue: no, it’s not.) Or perhaps EaseUS accepted cash from junk-makers to distribute their unwelcome wares? (Clue: yes, it did.) EaseUS come, EaseUS go I downloaded and ran the installer (www.snipca.com/21233) and was immediately presented with a list of reasons to cough up $59.95 (£45.50)…

Can I get a refund from a Hong Kong seller? Q On 4 November 2014, I bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 from an Amazon Marketplace trader called SkynetShopping, which is based in Hong Kong. The tablet has a two-year warranty and in June this year, its power started to drain quickly after charging. The seller isn’t responding to my emails and Amazon has been no help. Samsung UK said I’d have to send the device to Samsung Asia, but it also said the tablet doesn’t have a warranty. What are my options? James Dunn A James will have to ask the Hong Kong Consumer Council whether he can make a claim against SkynetShopping at www.snipca.com/21159. He should also email the Community Legal Information Centre (www.clic.org.hk/en), part of the…

Windows-hacking printer flaw What’s the threat? A 20-year-old security flaw in Windows Print Spooler, the tool that controls printing in the operating system. It was spotted by US security company Vectra, which said that hackers could used it to infect computers with malware. Vectra discovered that Print Spooler doesn’t check whether a printer’s driver is legitimate, thereby giving hackers the opportunity to install their own malicious drivers. An attack would infect all PCs on the same network. The company’s chief security officer Gunter Ollmann compared the threat to so-called watering-hole attacks, in which hackers infect websites that are known to be visited regularly by people in a particular organisation or business. Once they’ve set the trap, they sit back and wait for their victims. Infected printers would form a similar…

FILE MANAGEMENT Free File Unlocker 4.0 www.freefileunlocker.com What you need: Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8/8.1 or 10 There are worse ways to spend an afternoon than being stuck in traffic in a heatwave. Really, there are - such as spending hours trying to delete files that won’t delete. Select the files, press Delete and see the message ‘Cannot read from the source file or disk’. OK then… right-click a file, select Delete and get a message saying ‘Cannot delete file: Access is denied’ or ‘in use by another program or user’. Now don’t wipe your hard drive in a fit of pique. Instead, use this much-improved free tool to override Windows when it refuses to let you delete, move or rename files and folders because they’re inexplicably locked or ‘busy’.…

Win 1 of 2 Arcam MusicBoost for iPhone 6/6s Available now for the iPhone 6/6s, the Arcam MusicBoost is a combined headphone amplifier and battery pack housed in a soft-touch sleeve. As well as boosting the battery life of your iPhone 6s, it greatly improves the audio quality of attached headphones. We’re giving away two MusicBoosts in this competition -to enter you need to email your address to cacomp@dennis.co.uk with ‘arcam’ in the subject line by midnight 16 August. The Arcam MusicBoost is available to buy from Amazon for £120 at www.snipca.com/21184. For more information visit www.arcam.co.uk/musicboost. Follow @ArcamUK on Twitter and ‘like’ Arcam’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ArcamUK.…

ANDROID, iOS, WINDOWS PHONE Use Skype’s newfeatures Microsoft recently updated its free Skype app for Android, iOS and Windows Phones (www.snipca.com/21207) with two new features. The most useful lets you share photos, videos and documents (up to 300MB) with friends and groups even if they’re offline. The recipient(s) will receive the file(s) as soon as they log into Skype. Previously, you could only send files to contacts who were online. We’ll show you how to send a photo on an iPad, but the process is similar on other devices. Select the contact/group you want to send a file to. Next, tap the photo icon at the bottom left of your chat window (see screenshot below). Now navigate to and select the photo you want to send. Tap Choose at the…

WINDOWS 7, 8, 10 Remove certain desktop backgrounds from your theme It’s easy to download and install different desktop themes for your PC. Various third-party websites offer free themes, but it’s better to stick with Microsoft’s official Desktop Themes website (www.snipca.com/21243), which organises them into neat categories on the left of the main page. Each theme contains a selection of desktop backgrounds that change automatically – every 30 minutes, by default. However, you can change this period, and also exclude any of the backgrounds you don’t like. To do this in Windows 7 and 8, right-click your desktop, then click Personalize. In Windows 10, press the Windows key, type change the theme and click the option that appears. Next, select the theme pack you want to use as your desktop…

What is it? The UK’s biggest tech company. Or rather it was the UK’s biggest tech company. Why, what happened? It has just been bought by Japanese telecoms company SoftBank for £24bn (subject to shareholder approval), provoking anger from some technology experts and MPs. What does ARM make? It doesn’t actually make anything. Instead, as befits its slogan (‘the architecture for the digital world’), it designs microchips for most of the world’s smartphones, tablets and ebook readers, which are then manufactured by companies like Apple, Amazon and Samsung. It also designs microcontrollers, which are small chips that perform a single specific task. These are found in everything from drones and electronic passports to hard drives and flash memory. Based in Cambridge, ARM was founded in 1990 and employs 3,000 people.…

LastPass Premium Format: Windows, iOS, Android Website: https://lastpass.com Price: $12 per year (around £9) My credit-card company’s login system is my nemesis. When I first set my password for it, the site asked me to think of a word with 10 characters, then add a number, an upper-case letter and a punctuation mark. I came up with what I thought would be a secure but memorable jumble of characters – and then duly forgot it. Since then, I must have repeated this process at least five times. I thought about saving the password to my Chrome browser, but Google knows more than enough about me already – I really don’t want it knowing my banking details too. So I decided to give LastPass a go because it seemed like the…

How do I find the MAC address for my devices? Q I’m worried that someone has hijacked my Wi-Fi, because my connection sometimes slows down. A shop assistant in PC World told me to log into my TalkTalk router and check how many devices are connected. Though I’m not very technical he gave me a few pointers, and I found the requisite section in the router’s admin page. It lists seven wireless devices, but I’ve counted and there should be a maximum of only six — two Windows laptops, my Android tablet, and my wife’s iPhone, iPad and Kindle Paperwhite. I went back to PC World and the assistant told me to check the MAC addresses of all my devices, but I got a bit lost at that point. I…

Here are the three most crucial privacy settings to tweak in Windows 10. Bear in mind, however, that how you carry these out may change in the Anniversary Update. 1 Disable targeted advertising Click Start, Settings, then Privacy. Click General on the left, then switch off ‘Let apps use my advertising ID for experiences across apps’. Also switch off ‘Let websites provide locally relevant content by accessing my language list’. Next, click ‘Manage my Microsoft advertising and other personalisation info’, sign in with your Microsoft account, then switch the ‘Personalised ads’ sliders to off. 2 Block location tracking Click Start, Settings, Privacy, Location. Next, click Change, then turn off the location tracking. To erase location data, click Clear under ‘Clear history on this device’. 3 Stop apps watching and listening…

FACEBOOK TESTS LASER INTERNET DRONES Facebook has successfully completed a test flight of its solar-powered drone Aquila, which it hopes will beam the internet to places on Earth that aren’t yet connected to the web. The solar-powered drone, which has the wingspan of a Boeing 737, flew at a few thousand feet for 96 minutes over Arizona. Facebook’s long-term plan is to have a fleet of drones that can fly for three months non-stop at 60,000 feet. NEW CHROME STOPS BACKSPACE ERRORS Google’s new version of Chrome (number 52) removes one of the browser’s most annoying features. Previously, you could use the backspace key to perform the return function, taking you back to your previous web page. This meant that if you pressed it to delete a word while completing…

BT should increase how much it invests in the UK’s broadband infrastructure or be forced to break up, a parliamentary report from MPs has said. In the report, titled ‘BT must put house in order or face split’, the Culture, Media and Sport Committee said “the shortfall in investment could potentially be hundreds of millions of pounds a year”. The committee warns that if funding doesn’t increase and services don’t improve, BT should be separated from Openreach, the division that runs the UK’s broadband infrastructure. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) that rely on Openreach, including TalkTalk and Sky, have repeatedly called for a split to improve speeds and customer service. Earlier this year, BT admitted that Openreach misses 1,000 customer appointments every week. The report follows a review of the market…

What they say Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom (www.snipca.com/21219): “This scale is not a badge on our uniform, but a signal of our ambition. If we can have a billion or a billion and a half, we get closer to capturing every experience in the world.” What they mean Instagram’s ambition is to have a photo of everyone’s dinner. That’s the terrifying message hidden in the words of the company’s co-founder, speaking to Forbes magazine after the app amassed 500 million users.…

Tell us what’s on your mind Email: letters@computeractive.co.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/computeractive Twitter: @ComputerActive www.twitter.com/computeractive Amazon Prime: not as good as Netflix or Spotify As a user of Netflix and Spotify Premium I thought I’d upgrade to Amazon Prime on a trial basis, as suggested by Mike Plant in Issue 479 (‘Is it Worth the Money?’, page 57). I have a Roku box connected to my TV, so the first thing I tried were Amazon’s films. Amazon has a fairly good selection of films, but not as good as Netflix. I then tried to play some movies on my tablet, but this wasn’t possible because the Amazon Movie App wasn’t installed. To get this I had to install the Amazon Underground Appstore, which I wasn’t happy about because it wanted lots of…

Credit-card company refunds reader after Fone Angels fails to This update highlights the importance of using your credit card for purchases of £100 or more. In Issue 479, Mike Johnston-Price told us how angry he was that Fone Angels (www.foneangels.co.uk) had taken nearly four months to repair his iPad 2. As an apology the company offered to knock 10 per cent off the price, reducing it from £149 to £134, but this refund never arrived. Mike said that while £15 wasn’t a lot of money, he was prepared to fight for it on principle. We told Mike that to proceed with a case against Fone Angels he needed proof of the 10-per-cent offer. He managed to find the email from the company that promised the discount, but instead of pursuing…

What’s happened to F-Secure Router Checker? Q In March (see Cover Feature, Issue 471, page 56), you recommended using F-Secure Router Checker to make sure our routers are protected. But the tool went offline and it still hasn’t returned. Is F-Secure working on an update? What can I use instead? Kenneth Heyes A F-Secure Router Checker is back! The free online tool reappeared days after we received Kenneth’s email. To use it, go to www.snipca.com/21142 and click ‘Check your router’. As before, it scans your router for unauthorised settings and DNS server activity that may be malicious. If all is well, you’ll see a green tick and a ‘No issues were found’ message. There’s no equivalent web tool you can bookmark in case Router Checker goes offline again. However, NirSoft…

What’s the best type of PC for gaming? Q I wouldn’t call myself a gamer, but I’ve tried some 3D games and I’d like to make sure the next PC I buy can run them, partly so that my grandchildren can play. What should I look for? May Gardener A Cutting-edge 3D games will need a dedicated graphics card. This is a circuit board inside the PC containing a graphics processing unit (GPU) and often a fan. AMD’s Radeon RX 480 and Nvidia’s GeForce GTX 1060 are the latest affordable cards for serious gamers, but the older RX 370 or GTX 960 will still cope with most games. These are common in desktop PCs from £500, but graphics cards are only found in pricier laptops. If your GPU struggles, you…

SUMMER 2016 As we went to press, Samsung confirmed that it would launch the Galaxy Note 7 on 2 August. With rumours suggesting that the price could top £700, it’ll need to work even harder than the Galaxy S7 Edge (pictured) to tempt buyers. AUTUMN 2016 The fifth version of Gorilla Glass should be on devices before the end of the year, although we don’t yet know which. Corning, which makes it, says it can now survive falls from 1.6m, covering the height you hold your phone while walking. AUTUMN 2016 According to reports, the iPhone 7 gains a better camera and waterproofing, while the Plus model gets a dual camera. Both could use an adapter to replace the headphone jack. The ‘iPhone Pro’ is still only a rumour. AUTUMN…

PULL OUT & KEEP Issue 481 What you need: Listary; Any version of Windows (XP to 10) Time required: 40 minutes After using the free search program Listary, you’ll probably stop using Windows’ search tool altogether. Unlike Windows, Listary provides all your search results instantly, lets you search specifically for folders on your PC and offers options to narrow your search by file format. It even lets you run searches on popular websites (including Google, Wikipedia and Amazon) without having to open your browser. STEP 1 To download the program, go to www.listary.com, click the Download Listary Free button and follow the instructions to install it. Launch the program, then click ‘No, thanks’ when you see the option to see Listary’s features. The program’s icon sits in your PC’s toolbar.…

Rio 2016 Free Android, iOS & Windows Phone: www.snipca.com/21210 This official app will ensure you keep up with all the news from the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. You can use it to brush up on the rules of each sport, see event schedules and view photo galleries of all your favourite events, although sadly there’s no live video. Motion Stills Free iOS: www.snipca.com/21211 Made by Google, Motion Stills lets you capture ‘live photos’ (two-second video clips). You can browse your clips in a tidy list and combine multiple clips into a montage. The app lets you share your clips as a video or as a GIF. Notebook Free Android: www.snipca.com/21212 iOS: www.snipca.com/21213 This beautifully designed app lets you create notebooks for a multitude of tasks. As well as taking…

WORD, EXCEL, POWERPOINT, OUTLOOK, ONENOTE Create a new tab with options you use often All Office programs have a toolbar with tabs, such as Home, Insert and so on. Each tab is divided into sections – for example, Clipboard, Font and Paragraph in the Home tab – which in turn contain relevant options for modifying your font, text size, colour and so on. You can also create your own tab containing the options you use most often. We’ll show you how to do this in Word, but the process is the same for the other Office programs. First click the Customize Quick Access Toolbar icon (see screenshot), then click More Commands. In the Word Options window that opens, click Customise Ribbon, which is on the left. You’ll see two sections…

We may live in a world where Nasa can receive photos from a probe orbiting Jupiter, and a hacker can launch a hostile takeover of your PC from China, but it seems nobody thought to create a convenient way to synchronise contacts across devices that use different operating systems. If you use an iPhone and an Android tablet, for example, it means you have to painstakingly add new contacts to each device separately. Wouldn’t it be so much better to have one safely stored account that can be shared across all your devices? Read on as we explain how to create just that. Create a master account Your first step is to create a new email account that you will use to collate all your contacts – we’ll refer to…

This is my broken old Moto G phone. A device I’ve paid out about £1,000 on over the years – through various contracts and monthly deals – to my provider Three. Figuring Three probably owed me by now I gave it a ring to see if I could wangle a new phone. “I’m a long-standing customer,” I explained. “Can I have a free phone please?” The guy on the phone was much more enthusiastic than I ever am at that time of the week (Friday lunchtime, when my thoughts usually turn to snoozing), and broadly ignored my question. He went into a spiel about a new iPhone 5S for £99 plus £8 per month. Hang on, pal. I saw that online (www.snipca.com/21189). That’s a two-year contract, and the £8 doubles…

PC has lapsed into sleep mode If you’ve ever left your PC unattended, only to be greeted by a blank and unresponsive screen when you returned to it, it’s probably lapsed into sleep mode. To wake your PC, first hold its power button down for 10 seconds (or until it powers down), then press the button again to switch it back on. Once Windows has loaded, click the Start button, type device manager, then press Enter. In the list of devices, double-click ‘Mice and other pointing devices’, then double-click your mouse’s entry. Click the Power Management tab and tick ‘Allow this device to wake the computer’ (see screenshot below), then click OK. Repeat the process for Keyboards. Now a nudge of your mouse or a press of a key will…

32bit A measure of how much information a computer can process at once. Most older computers are 32bit, more modern ones are 64bit. 4K Video with a resolution of at least 3840x2160 pixels. 64bit A technology that processes information in larger chunks. Most modern computers are 64bit. 802.11ac A standard for wireless networks that allows for much higher transfer speeds than 802.11n. Accelerometer A sensor that detects movement. Used in smartphones to decide whether or not to display a portrait or landscape screen. AMOLED Active-Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode. An alternative technology to LCD for creating flat-panel displays. Aspect ratio A measurement of the shape of a display. Traditional computer screens are 4:3. Widescreen displays are 16:9 or 16:10. Bandwidth A measure of how much data can be transferred through a…

Writing this column isn’t always a piece of cake. You might imagine that I crawl out of bed at noon, bash out some words while watching Bargain Hunt and then curl up on the sofa for a well-earned snooze. And OK, yes, it does quite often happen like that. Heck, post-snooze I sometimes treat myself to a celebratory cuppa – and a piece of cake. But not this issue. You see this issue I ended up rewriting the entire diatribe because of a stupid mistake. I misread a single word in a short discussion with the editor. “Hey Ken,” he emailed, “what are you going to rant about for the next issue? Tendring drives me mad. You?” “Yes,” I thought, “Tendring drives me mad, too. Livid, actually.” I immediately thought…