Computeractive

I hate the idea of binning devices just because they’re past their prime, but sometimes there’s simply no choice. Recently the battery in my iPhone 7 had degraded so much that it would only stay charged for less than the time it takes Apple to earn £

Microsoft has lifted a “block” that was preventing some Windows 10 computers from upgrading to Windows 11. The problem stemmed from Intel’s Smart Sound Technology (SST) driver, which helps your computer recognise your voice, and makes sure you can he

Google will destroy the data of millions of users it collected while they were browsing the internet in Chrome’s Incognito mode. The move aims to resolve a class-action lawsuit brought in California, that accused the company of invading people’s priv

Amazon has stopped letting you use your phone or tablet as a TV remote or virtual keyboard to fix an alleged flaw that could allow hackers to infect your TV with malware. The problem affects a new feature in the Fire TV operating system that lets you

Virgin has resumed switching landline customers to digital phones, but is excluding vulnerable people and those using a telecare device. It paused the Digital Landline Switchover programme in December following numerous reports of telecare systems no

More than one in six people aged over 65 (2.3 million) never use the internet, according to Age UK. Almost half of these are over 75. It also said that more than 1 in 3 over-65s (4.7 million) lack the basic skills to use the internet successfully. Th

Most of the public are in favour of telegraph poles being used for broadband, according to the industry body that represents internet providers. ISPA (Internet Service Providers Association) said a nationwide survey of 2,500 people found that 75 per

Google is worried about AI, but not for the reasons most people are. Rather than fretting about killer robots or whether any jobs will still exist in 10 years’ time, it’s concerned that AI will spark the end of its dominance as the world’s most popul

Roku wants to show adverts on any device that you connect to your TV via HDMI, including TV boxes, game consoles, DVD/Blu-ray players, PCs and even other video-streaming devices. The adverts would appear only on TVs made by Roku, such as the new Logi

Scammers are infecting Android devices with malware hidden inside an app that appears to be an official product from McAfee. The scam begins when the victim receives a text message claiming there’s been an unauthorised transaction in their bank accou

In response to Issue 681’s ‘Question of the Fortnight’ (pictured right), one thing that digital payments will never replace is the thrill of opening a birthday card and seeing £10 flutter out. Watching my grandchildren’s eyes light up when this happe

Canada has long been a popular destination for Brits looking for work, land and a better life. If your ancestors were among them, you might find them in the country’s censuses. The first national survey was taken in 1871 and the seventh (1931) was re

www.snipca.com/50052 What you need: Windows 7, 8.1, 10 or 11 When we wrote about Uninstalr in Issue 679 (page 19), we were amused by its bold claim to be the “best Windows uninstaller”. The developer has even compiled a comparison table and lengthy v

Q I use ‘Snip & Sketch’ in Windows to capture screenshots of my PC when I want to show friends and family instructions, but I find it tricky to annotate them with pointers, numbers and text. I’ve tried a few programs like ShareX (www.snipca.com/49834

MINI PC | £190 from GMKtec www.snipca.com/49869 At less than £200, the GMKtec NucBox G3 is one of the cheapest mini PCs we’ve ever reviewed. It’s powered by a 12th-generation Intel chip called the Processor N100, which is less powerful than even the

LAPTOP | £799 from Very www.snipca.com/49878 Chinese firm Lenovo may have slotted the word ‘Gaming’ into the name of this Chromebook, but we suggest you take that with a pinch of salt. It simply doesn’t have the operating system or the graphical capa

TABLET | £250 from Honor www.snipca.com/49958 The Honor Pad 9 is a sleek and stylish device offering the same 16:10 aspect ratio screen as most of its Android rivals. That said, Honor has created the most iPad-like experience we’ve seen to date on an

VIDEO DOORBELL | £200 from Amazon www.snipca.com/49911 If this Ring doorbell seems familiar, it’s because it looks identical to the Ring Battery Video Doorbell Plus (£130 from www.snipca.com/46930, reviewed in Issue 664). Changes have been made on th

SMARTWATCH | £320 from Withings www.snipca.com/49914 The Withings ScanWatch 2 isn’t your typical smartwatch. While most offer modern, high-tech designs, this one has an elegant, timeless appearance. It’s made from stainless steel and topped with stur

TV | £200 from Amazon www.snipca.com/49979 This 32in model is the cheapest in Amazon’s Fire TV range, which also includes the 4-series (from £300, www.snipca.com/49980) and Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED (from £350 from www.snipca.com/47091, reviewed in Is

Acer Swift Go 14 £1,099 from www.snipca.com/49733 Tested Issue 677 With the 32GB Swift Go (£1,300) out of stock, we’re recommending the 16GB model instead. It’s great value and has one of Intel’s Ultra processors, making it the fastest laptop we’ve e

ON SALE NOW! Buy the CD from us at www.snipca.com/48860 Buy the Stick from us at www.snipca.com/48861 ■

What you need: Spacedesk Time required: 30 minutes What do you do if your monitor feels a bit cramped, but you don’t want to pay for a new, bigger one? Or you need to keep an eye on a website or video stream while working on something else? Fortunate

At the start of this feature, we downloaded Spacedesk to our primary PC (or ‘server’ in Spacedesk terms). This server handles the sharing of the virtual display connection with a secondary device (called the ‘client’). So far, we’ve only used a phone

What you need: Proton Pass Time required: 30 minutes Passwords are on the way out. Major tech companies like Google, Amazon and Microsoft are increasingly adopting passkeys, which let you unlock your account using a string of code stored on a device

Brave 164, released in March, makes further improvements to the browser’s AI assistant Leo. When you click the ‘Show sidebar’ button in the top-right corner, the chatbot now launches by default, which saves you having to open the sidebar first to cli

Microsoft redesigned Task Manager in Windows 11 22H2 by moving the tabbed options from the top to the left, and adding icons to represent each one. If you don’t like this design, you can easily go back to the old Task Manager – as still seen in Windo

When you’re working on a lengthy Word document with lots of headings, it’s a good idea to make them collapsible. That way, you can expand and read only the sections you want, rather than scrolling endlessly through the document to find what you’re lo

One of the drawbacks of buying tech products is that you assume devices will last much longer than the manufacturers do. When you spend hundreds of pounds on a new PC, phone or TV, you expect to keep using it for several years – or at least until it

For the first time in nearly 25 years Google is worried that it might be dethroned as the world’s top search tool. The reason – as we explore on page 10 – is the sensational rise of ChatGPT. Launched in late 2022, it’s an AI tool that answers typed q

BT’s plan to replace its ageing copper landline network with its VoIP service, Digital Voice, hasn’t gone as smoothly as intended. Originally due to be completed by the end of 2025, the rollout has been paused several times and may be postponed until

Email us your problem and we’ll try to help: noproblem@computeractive.co.uk Q I bought a refurbished Windows 10 desktop PC from Amazon, which I connected to the internet via Ethernet and is working fine for my needs. However, I’ve noticed that someti

A fellow technology journalist once mocked me for having a Yahoo email address instead of a then-trendy Google Mail one. “Other webmail services are available,” he sniggered. That was 15 years ago and I’ve since stubbornly clung on to my Yahoo Mail a