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Computer Shopper - January 2019
Computer Shopper - January 2019
A WI-FI
DIGITAL
VERSION
DETECTOR
Build a wireless mapping tool to hunt out
Reviews • Advice • Projects • Opinion • News dead zones and signal obstructions p126
DON’T GET
HACKED
30
TIPS AND TRICKS TO LOCK DOWN YOUR
PC AGAINST THEFT, RANSOMWARE
AND UNWANTED INTRUSIONS p100
PROTECT YOURSELF
FROM FACEBOOK HACKS
GUARD AGAINST DODGY
WI-FI HOTSPOTS
TWO-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION
MASTERCLASS
CREATE UNBREAKABLE
PASSWORDS
WEIRD DREAM
SCIENCE MACHINE
The strange materials that could Top cases to house your perfect PC,
replace silicon in our computers p112 from just £40 p78
WELCOME PAGE
Contact us
Editor Madeline Bennet madeline@computershopper.co.uk
Reviews Editor James Archer james@computershopper.co.uk
Contributing Editor David Ludlow david@computershopper.co.uk
News Editor Roland Moore-Colyer roland@computershopper.co.uk
Senior Staf Writer Nathan Spendelow nathan@computershopper.co.uk
DESIGN & PRODUCTION
Design Bill Bagnall
Production Editor Steve Haines
Production Manager Daniel Stark
Production Assistant Lewis Small
Network Production Manager Kerry Lambird
CONTRIBUTORS
Mike Bedford, Jonathan Bray, Tom Bruce, Edward Chester,
Mel Croucher, Tim Danton, Kay Ewbank, Darien Graham-Smith,
Simon Handby, Mike Jennings, Christopher Minasians,
Edward Munn, Ben Pit, Vincent Teoh, Clive Webster
ADVERTISING
Email ads.shopper@dennis.co.uk
A
Group Advertising Manager Charlote Milligan
020 3890 3486 s editor of Shopper, I get to read all the
COVER GIFT CONTACT
Chris Wiles support@creativemark.co.uk
articles in the magazine as part of my job.
SUBSCRIPTIONS While I can atest to the high quality of
Tel: 0330 333 9493
Email: customercare@subscribe.computershopper.co.uk each article that appears (I would say that,
Web: ManageMyMags.co.uk
UK £44.99, Europe £70, Rest of world £90
wouldn’t I?), I have to admit I don’t carry out every
PHOTOGRAPHY project or buy every recommended product – with
Michael Pheasant 140 pages each month, that would be a prety time-
LICENSING AND SYNDICATION
Ryan Chambers 020 3890 4027 Ryan_Chambers@dennis.co.uk consuming and costly enterprise.
Anj Dosaj-Halai 020 3890 3816 anj_halai@dennis.co.uk
But most months, there are one or two articles that
MANAGEMENT
Tel 020 3890 3890 I put on my to-do list, to come back to once the
Managing Directoror John Garewal
Group Advertising Directoror Julian Lloyd-Evans madness of press week is out the way. This issue is
Newstrade Directoror David Barker
Group CFO/COO Bret Reynolds
one of those rare occasions where I found myself
Chief Executive James Tye carrying out the project during the editing stage.
Company Founder
under Felix Dennis
PRINTING
I’m sure I’m not alone in worrying about the myriad
Printed by Wyndeham, Bicester, Oxon security threats out there – everything from being spied
Distributors Seymour 020 7429 4000
LIABILITY
on via my webcam to having my bank details stolen to
While every care was taken preparing this magazine, the publishers having my mobile pinched by a moped thief. So proof-
cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the information or
any consequence arising from it. All judgements are based on equipment reading our ‘Don’t Get Hacked’ cover feature, I found
available to Computer Shopper at the time of review. ‘Value for money’
comments are based on UK prices at time of review. All prices include myself checking the 30 tips and tricks extra carefully,
VAT unless otherwise stated.
Computer Shopper takes no responsibility for the content of external
to make sure I was properly protecting myself.
websites whose addresses are published in the magazine. Turns out, for the most part I’m prety security-
COMPUTER SHOPPER INCORPORATES UPGRADE SHOPPER, GAMES
SHOPPER, INTERNET SHOPPER, MOBILE SHOPPER, PC SHOPPER,
conscious and was already following a lot of the
PORTABLE SHOPPER AND SOFTWARE SHOPPER advice. I was particularly relieved that my visit to
A DENNIS PUBLICATION
Computer Shopper is published by Dennis Publishing Ltd, haveibeenpwned.com revealed that, of my various email
31-32 Alfred Place, London WC1E 7DP. Company registered in England.
All material © Dennis Publishing Limited licensed by Felden 2018, and
addresses, there was just one breach, which means I’m
may not be reproduced in whole or part without the consent of the on a spam list somewhere, along with 711 million others.
publishers. ISSN 0955-8578
© Copyright Dennis Publishing Limited
But in other areas, such as my Facebook account,
I was leaving myself exposed to potential breaches
and so quickly locked these down.
My advice is, don’t put this article aside to follow at
some point in the future – turn to page 100 and check
as many of these steps as you can now. You’ll be
Contents
p126
p100
p112 p78
News
All the latest news and views from the
technology world, including:
14 News Round-up
Regulars Features
Intel releases its new generation of processors,
and Microsot plays to the cloud
Learn
Are foreign states inserting tiny chips in our vulnerable we are to malicious hackers. But
electronic devices in order to spy on us? fear not: David Ludlow has 30 foolproof tips
Cyber Insider asks whether such a scenario and tricks to protect yourself and your data
is technically feasible, and examines what 122 Business Help
the government can do to protect us Our expert answers your sotware queries
p78 p132
32 Storage
The iPhone XS Max
is Apple’s best-ever
74 Your Software*
Crucial’s BX500 SSD family ofers respectable smartphone, but not Boost your productivity with this
speeds at atractively low prices necessarily the one powerful, fully functional alternative
you should buy to Microsot Office
34 Laptops
The Microsot Surface Go ditches the Pro
series’ business aspirations for a cheaper,
52 Software
Incremental 6
PA
FULL
more afordable 2-in-1 experience improvements are CKAGES
the name of the game
39 Displays for Apple’s macOS Mojave update
The HDR-enabled Asus ROG Swit PG27UQ is
both the best-looking and the most expensive 54 Best Buys
desktop monitor on the market Looking for the best kit we’ve reviewed
recently? It’s all in our Best Buys section
40 Printers
The Canon Pixma TS8250 has its charms, but 70 How We Test * FREE SOFTWARE
EDITION ONLY
£150 is still a lot for an inkjet MFP Our tests, ratings and awards explained
Letters
With Windows 10 full of irritating features, would it be better if schools saved
their money and stuck with older versions of the operating system?
letters@computershopper.co.uk
Star letter
Education matters good scanner. I fact, I would We agree about not upgrading
I find it hard to understand why teach using Windows XP as it for the sake of it, but that might
fo
you think that schools put is so easy to follow. Just turnn not be the atitude of parents if
upgrading computers top of the list of the internet. their children are at risk from
the
(‘Rants & Raves’, Shopper 370). This leter If kids have the internet, hacks and other security threats
hac
is being writen on Windows 7, which they either search for porn or due to their school running an
has worked perfectly for years except play games. Programming can unsupported operating system.
uns
when the memory failed. be learnt on this platform Case in point: last year’s WannaCry
Primary schools do not need the latest very easily. I learnt basic on a Spectrum ransomware atack was blamed on the NHS
gizmos. My mantra is never upgrade and Pascal on a Prime minicomputer. running outdated Windows XP machines
(anything). It always leads to trouble. I should also say that it is most likely that were open to security breaches.
For Windows 7, you just turn of that funding in the school is controlled by It’s perhaps easier to take that risk when
automatic updates until you are ready. a headteacher and/or a bursar, not the it’s just us as individuals who we need to
The old black boxes you write about local authority. When the roof leaks, do take responsibility for – generally, when
will not run Windows 10. I read in the i you buy new IT stuf? students are involved, extra protection
newspaper that many of our schools Tony layers and safety checks are required.
are falling apart; money is shared out
among many fields.
Also, I have just read in your magazine ❱❱ Write in and win
about Windows 10: you can’t turn of Do you wish your computer was faster when booting and loading
automatic updates so they interrupt your applications? Thanks to Crucial, you can achieve your dream of a
work; there are no drivers for old printers faster PC or laptop with a 500GB MX500 SSD. The writer of our Star
and scanners (even for Windows 7); and Leter will be awarded one of these solid-state devices, which can be
many other niggles. Do you think that a installed in a desktop PC or a laptop.
poorly trained and overworked teacher This SSD is 45 times more energy efficient than a typical hard STAR
has time to sort out all these problems? drive and has sequential reads/writes up to 560/510 MB/s and random reads/ PRIZE
I keep an old Windows XP PC to run writes up to 95K/90K IOPS, making it the perfect replacement for the ageing 480GB
my excellent Epson Photo 740 and a hard drive in your sluggish PC. SSD
❱❱GPS turns 40
❱❱Better backups We look back at the development of sat nav
❱❱Small packages How to manage this ongoing tech burden and consider what might happen should it
The best mini PCs on test quickly and easily ever disappear
I HAVE BEEN thinking about world, going back thousands of women. Their graduates in
algorithms, and whenever I think years, and they both have, or had, computer programming are
about algorithms I think of young the magnificent oiled hair, curly among the best I’ve ever come
Al. Young Al is, or was, a lovely beard and love of purifying across, and I come across a lot.
bloke. I hope he is still alive, but eternal flames to prove it. To my mind young Al is, or
he seems to have gone missing was, among the best of the
and I am geting to be a bit EASTERN PROMISE bunch. I first met him on a
worried about him. He is, or he Our culture here in the west is fact-finding tour, and because I
was, probably the smartest afected in almost every way by am a fully paid-up member of the
computer programmer I have the algorithms pioneered in the satanic US/UK axis, I had to have
ever known. I last saw him in Middle East. We computer folk a government-appointed minder
the Cofee Cup Café just around have always known what they with me at all times that did not
the corner from his flat in Shiraz, are, what they do, and how involve a bed or a toilet. But
MEL CROUCHER the modern Iranian and ancient important they are. But now young Al is, or was, a smart
Tech pioneer and all-round good egg Persian city of poetry and wine, the mainstream media can’t cookie, and he rigged it so we
leters@computershopper.co.uk where Muslims, Jews and stop worrying themselves sick could slip of and have some
Christians live side by side in about them and the ethics of quality time together in the
mutual respect. how they are used. company of a Russian laptop and
Iran has many excellent Algorithms are named ater a hotel Wi-Fi connection. I was
computer programmers, who are the mathematician Al-Khwarizmi, mostly interested in geting a
all very atractive to a cheapskate who was knocking around Persia, user interface for a children’s
like me. They are atractive now known as Iran, in the 9th video game translated into
because they ofer to deliver century. Unless you are a Persian, Kurdish and Arabic, and
top-quality work at rock-botom Zoroastrian, in which case he was he was mostly interested in
prices. Amateur programmers probably knocking around Persia geting help to download the
have been churning out great in the 33rd century. Anyway, old latest death metal and heavy
work in Iran since the 1980s, but Al-Khwarizmi not only gave birth metal music. I remember he was
the business didn’t start booming to algorithms, he also invented particularly impressed with an
there until 2006. That was when the rules for computing all-female quartet from Nashville
the National Foundation for calculations, the decimal point, called Atomic Blonde.
linear and quadratic equations,
and Facebook. Well, maybe not METAL GURU
Nearly every aspect of maths and computing Facebook, but certainly all the
algorithms that suck it dry.
We did some good work that day,
and I didn’t think much about our
has its origin in Middle Eastern culture In fact, nearly every aspect of
maths and computing has its
session aterwards. In fact I only
thought about it quite recently,
origin in Middle Eastern culture. ater Donald Trump withdrew
Computer Games was set up by Even the terminology we use America from the Iran nuclear
the government, and began to today is mostly Arabic. Apart deal in his quest to make America
provide a surprising amount of from the obvious ones like great again. Perhaps our use of
seed money and support for algorithm and algebra, there are key words and search terms
developers like my friend young words like cipher, zero, average, involving heavy metal, atomics
Al. And that’s when people like degree, even cube. And let us not and death were not such a good
me started to get interested. forget the Arabic origin of the idea ater all. Maybe some of
In fact it was young Al’s line word alcohol, which most those pesky algorithms picked
manager who educated me to the programmer chums of mine them up, made the wrong
fact that nearly all mathematical regularly wash their wits in. assumptions and flagged young
and programming concepts I take The Iranian student alcohol Al as a wrong ’un. Or maybe
for granted have their origins in industry has had something of young Al has simply changed
his ancient culture. Young Al’s line a setback since the Islamic the style of music he favours,
manager is called Adarhoshang. Revolution of 1979, but back then and his non-response to my
Adarhoshang is a Zoroastrian they only had about 100,000 carefully coded communications
name meaning ‘fire of knowledge university students. Now they’ve don’t indicate anything more
and intelligence’, and in his case it got around five million of them. sinister than a new-found love
is, or was, highly appropriate. They are producing graduates at for Ed Sheeran or Kylie.
Young Al is, or was, also a a faster rate than almost any On second thoughts, that
Zoroastrian, a member of one of other country on the planet, and really would be a fate worse
the oldest religious groups in the a full 60% of those graduates are than death.
IT COULD HAVE been the plot don’t usually make detailed state-sponsored cyber atack.
of a James Bond film: tiny spy statements on this kind of thing, In a recent report, Martin said:
chips embedded in our electronic said in no uncertain terms that “I remain in litle doubt we will
devices, delivering secrets back there’s no proof of the hack, that be tested to the full, as a centre,
to the Chinese government. they hadn’t had to call in the FBI and as a nation, by a major
Yet far from being fiction, this and that no chips had been incident at some point in the
was a serious report delivered found in their servers. years ahead, what we would call
by Bloomberg, claiming that the Several tech experts have a Category 1 atack.”
Chinese government had come out to say that the hack is Category 1 atacks are those
embedded chips no bigger than a unlikely, including the UK’s defined as causing sustained
grain of sand into motherboards National Cyber Security Centre disruption of essential services
used by US companies including (NCSC), which said it had no or afecting national security,
Apple and Amazon. reason to doubt Amazon’s causing severe economic or
According to the report, detailed investigation and results. social consequences, or even
the chips were implanted on The truth is that although the loss of life.
motherboards manufactured technology undoubtedly exists, Both Russia and China have
by the Taiwanese-American firm implementation is quite hard. For been linked with state-sponsored
Supermicro, before being a tiny computer to interface with cyber atacks, but Martin warns
assembled into computers and motherboard chips and transmit that outside of these countries
used by some of the biggest data, the layout and control of the risk to the UK is still high. If it
tech companies in the world. the motherboard would need to sounds scary, then it is: the price
In many ways the story is be changed. In essence, a new of living in such a connected era
plausible. China manufactures a design would be needed to is that critical systems are now
high percentage of electronics, incorporate the spy chip. open to atacks in a way that
and its government isn’t While China certainly has the they weren’t even 10 years ago.
particularly shy about spying on technical nous, geting this
people. We know that the redesign done fast enough and YOU CAN BE SERIOUS
If anything, the good news is
that preparation for atacks is
The technology to create very small computers exists, and it’s improving, and the knowledge
and fear of state-sponsored
technically possible to build one that takes information at the atacks are making government
agencies and companies rightly
hardware level and sends it back to a central server paranoid. When Bloomberg
reported the spy chips, Apple
and Amazon performed rigorous
assessments of the risk. Both
technology to create very small without ringing any alarm bells companies perform security
computers exists, and that it’s becomes tricky. Not so tricky analysis of their entire supply
technically possible to build one that it would be impossible, just chain, looking for anomalies or
that takes information at the that there currently isn’t the things out of place. It’s this kind
hardware level and sends it back evidence to back up the report. of scrutiny that will help prevent
to a central server. a future where such spy chips
More than that, a hardware CHINA CRISIS could be inserted.
hack such as this would prove There is a general worry about Likewise, with government
to be much harder to detect Chinese companies, particularly agencies aware of this kind of
(and fix) than a sotware hack. those that manufacture critical atack, they can prepare, monitor
Indeed, it’s usually via sotware infrastructure components. and advise UK companies and
that such spying is achieved, Already, UK telecommunications individuals on the best course of
such as with backdoors companies have been warned not action and warn about using
programmed in for the likes of to use equipment manufactured technology from certain firms.
the US’s own PRISM programme. by ZTE (a state-owned It’s a brave new world out
company), for fears of having there, and what was once science
IT’S COMPLICATED too much Chinese equipment fiction and the stuf of exciting
However, ater the Bloomberg running critical infrastructure. stories is rapidly becoming
story came out, so came the very And now the CEO of the science fact. Yet the knowledge
firm rebutals from Apple and NCSC, Ciaran Martin, has warned of this helps prepare defences
Amazon. Both companies, which that we’re likely to see a major against such atacks.
w
David Ludlo
‘OK
‘OK’ back to someone isn’t exactly the right way to
end
endear yourself or avoid a future argument, is it?
Smarter analysis has now become the norm, with
the replies on services such as Gmail now based on
the text of the message sent to you. Yet the same
pro
problem remains. Get a long work email stufed full of
inform
information and Gmail might suggest something like
‘Very int
interesting!’ – where Google misses out on polite
COMPUTERS AND SMARTPHONES are making us ruder. I don’t responses, it’s surely mastered the art of sarcasm.
mean that in a heads-down-ignoring-all-human-contact kind of way, Even when it seems to get the point of a message, Gmail’s
I mean in a deliberate, ploted and calculated way, and it’s all thanks pre-set answers are terse: ‘Great!’, ‘Thanks!’, ‘Get stufed!’. Well, OK,
to AI. Google, Apple, Microsot and the like are all trying to be maybe not the last one, but it might as well be.
clever and save us time by suggesting automatic replies to our Far from bringing us together, automated replies are doing the
text messages, emails and instant messages. opposite: they’re stopping us communicating or reading the original
By scanning the content, the companies atempt to pull meaning message properly, and the canned responses are so bad.
out of the messages and then give canned responses to save us Then there’s the danger that you get in a loop with a canned
having to crat a reply. It sounds great in theory, but it’s fair to say reply to a canned reply. What’s next – taking humans out of the
that no algorithm has quite mastered the art of being nice. equation and just leting the computers send messages to each
It started with the Apple Watch, which had a bunch of dumb, other? On second thoughts, checking out my list of unread email,
pre-programmed replies you could use for text messages. Sending maybe that’s not such a bad idea ater all.
nd Mo ore - Colyer Then there’s the case of not having a Type-C port,
AS FAR AS bad names go, Microsot has nailed it “Our focus is on delivering an amazing added
with its Project xCloud, the moniker it’s given to experience to existing Xbox players and on
the service that aims to bring Xbox game empowering developers to scale to hundreds of
streaming to all manner of devices. millions of new players across devices.
First touted back at E3 2018 in June, Microsot “Our goal with Project xCloud is to deliver a
Xbox boss Phil Spencer talked of a game- quality experience for all gamers on all devices that’s
streaming service that would not only allow Xbox consistent with the speed and high-fidelity gamers
One games to be piped to Windows 10 devices experience and expect on their PCs and consoles.”
through the power of the internet, but also push The streaming will not be constrained to a
those games to smartphones and tablets. home broadband connection, as Microsot has
It sounded like a loty ambition that could be a plans to ofer support over 4G. So in theory, a
long way of, as while there are a good few gaming game could be started on a large 4K TV and Xbox
services around, they have limitations and haven’t One X, then when a person needs to take a trip
exactly seen people move away from the downloading and installing of into town, they could resume playing that game on an iPad or smartphone
games synonymous with traditional console and PC gaming. linked to an Xbox One controller.
But Microsot is planning public testing next year and even has custom This is a step up from many of the larger gaming streaming services
hardware in the data centres that support its Azure cloud infrastructure currently available or under testing, such as Nvidia’s GeForce Now service.
– the second largest public cloud service in the world – which means And Microsot’s ace up its sleeve not only looks to be its cloud
xCloud testing is coming sooner than we thought. infrastructure but also custom xCloud Blade servers. Details are thin on
“We’ll begin public trials in 2019 so we can learn and scale with the ground, but these servers look like they can squeeze in multiple takes
diferent volumes and locations,” said Kareem Choudhry, corporate vice on Xbox One hardware into a single blade server that’s then combined
president of the gaming cloud division at Microsot. into a server rack, many of which can be fited into a data centre.
30 MILLION
NUMBER OF FACEBOOK ACCOUNTS COMPROMISED
AFTER A HUGE SECURITY BREACH
259
People estimated to have
died while taking selfies
£92m 93%
65
Age of Microsoft co-founder
Paul Allen when he sadly passed
away in October
COST OF THE WANNACRY RANSOMWARE
ATTACK ON THE NHS
How much more cash
Apple’s App Store made over
Google Play in Q3 2018
RAY WHAT?
Ray-tracing in a nutshell is the process of rendering all
the paths of light rays in a computer-generated image,
including the way light bounces of and is refracted on
diferent surfaces.
Essentially, ray-tracing allows for the realistic
implementation of global illumination, which renders not
only the efects of direct light from a single source on
objects and graphics assets, but also the rays from the
same source, which bounce of other things in a virtual
environment. So a teapot in a virtual kitchen can
accurately reflect the light on it from an overhead lamp,
as well as render the light from the same source that is
being reflected at it from a nearby chrome ketle.
The use of global illumination with ray-tracing means
diferent objects and surfaces interact with light rays
bouncing all over the place, rather than just interacting
with direct light from one source. There are also techniques used to make ray-tracing less demanding,
You’ve almost certainly seen ray-tracing at work in films that use a with Nvidia using a process called reciprocity, which traces rays from a
lot of CGI, where pre-rendered graphics are used to create realistically person’s viewpoint or virtual camera out to objects, essentially
lit scenes. reversing the way light works its way to our eyes.
But real-time ray-tracing is a lot more demanding, which meant This means only rays that will contribute to what is being viewed on
it has previously been out of the reach of consumer PCs and graphics screen in real time will be rendered, and rays that don’t really add any
cards. As such, a technique called rasterisation was used to handle noticeable efects will be ignored. So while the end result might not be
lighting instead, which creates 3D images for 2D screens out of 100% accurate, it will allow ray-tracing to be delivered in a more
virtual triangles and polygons. efficient manner.
Rasterisation has improved vastly over the years – just look at AMD may not have any consumer-grade cards that currently
graphically impressive games such as Rise of the Tomb Raider and support ray-tracing, but its Radeon ProRender supports the technique,
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – but shaders were needed on top to so we can expect the next Radeon graphics cards to have some form
create lighting and its efects, which can’t replicate illumination and of ray-tracing capacity.
reflections as realistically as ray-tracing.
I’M SENSING A ‘BUT’ SOMEWHERE…
BUT THE FUTURE OF GRAPHICS? The power-hungry nature of ray-tracing means the games showcased
OK, there are a few areas that will drive beter graphics and visuals, on Nvidia’s new GeForce cards were running at 1080p resolution and at
with higher resolutions, smoother refresh rates and high-dynamic 60 frames per second (fps) at best.
range presentation. But seeing ray-tracing in full efect is very Now 1080p at 60fps is arguably a base target for graphical
impressive and makes CGI images look seriously realistic. performance for PC gamers; many prefer to go for 1440p or 4K
Nvidia is leading the way with ray-tracing, and some of its demos of resolutions, or to run games with frame rates suitable for monitors
the technique look superb. In one recent demonstration, rendering an with high 144Hz refresh rates.
elevator scene based on the The Force Running ray-tracing on a single card
Awakens era of Star Wars, the graphics giant
took a massively powerful $60,000 system The next generation of graphics means high resolution and frame rates
beyond 60fps are currently of the table, at
with multiple graphics accelerators packed
into it to render the visual snippet. cards will have the grunt to least in the demos that have appeared so far.
Optimisation and graphics card drivers ater
Tracing the path of vast amounts of light the new GeForce cards hit the market could
rays takes an awful amount of graphical power real-time ray-tracing improve ray-tracing performance, but it looks
grunt, and has therefore been something the as though people wanting the best lighting in
average PC gamer or computer builder isn’t likely to have access to. games will need to make do with Full HD resolutions, which some PC
gamers might find an unacceptable compromise.
SO IT’S OUT OF REACH? Then there’s the fact that most games are developed for games
It was, until Nvidia took the covers of its latest high-end GeForce consoles and PC simultaneously. The diference in graphical
graphics cards using the new Turing architecture (see ‘The Lowdown’, performance between the powerful Xbox One X and even a high-end
Shopper 370), which promises to deliver real-time ray-tracing on a single PC is fairly wide.
card, the £1,000 GeForce RTX 2080 Ti. Upcoming games such as Shadow So we’re not sure if any but the largest of game developers will be
of the Tomb Raider, Metro Exodus and Batlefield V showcase their willing to commit extra resources mastering their games for ray-tracing,
integration of ray-tracing, which ranges from impressive to stunning. if only a fraction of their target audience have the hardware to power it.
Ray-tracing also doesn’t seem to need game developers to change It’s still early days for ray-tracing, but we expect it’s here to stay and
their graphical assets to tap into the rendering technique; rather, some the next generation of Nvidia and AMD cards, as well as future games
tweaks are necessary, which could mean mastering a game to use consoles, will have the grunt to power real-time ray-tracing; ater all,
ray-tracing might not be a big strain for game makers. ray-tracing simply looks too good to fall by the wayside.
VERDICT
It has impressive core performance, but
Nvidia’s new top card is expensive, and its
headline features lack support
VERDICT
Its new CPU and graphics card deliver only modest
gains, but this is still a capable 4K gaming system
THE GAMER RTX has more cuting-edge Likewise, the RTX 2080 is massively
parts than most PCs, even past the loty powerful, but on performance alone
£2,000 mark: both its Intel Core i7-9700K doesn’t take the GeForce brand as far
processor and GeForce RTX 2080 graphics as the RTX 2080 Ti does. It will thrash
card are more or less brand new. This is also most older or less demanding games:
our first chance to see both parts in action Dirt Showdown had no trouble
outside of the trusty Shopper testing rig. averaging 144fps at both 1,920x1,080
and 2,560x1,440, and 3,840x2,160 only
POWER OF EIGHT produced a dip to 126fps.
The Core i7-9700K is an octa-core chip, like In the tougher Metro: Last Light Redux,ux,
the Core i9-9900K (page 28), running at a base it’s only on near-equal terms with the GTX
clock speed of 3.6GHz with a maximum boost 1080 Ti, a considerably cheaper GPU. With th the
of 4.9GHz. Scan has let these stock speeds Gamer RTX averaging 115fps at 1,920x1,080, the two M.2 slots on the motherboard), but
unaltered and, with the aid of 16GB of DDR4 68fps at 2,560x1,440 and 29fps at 3,840x2,160, its AS SSD results of 496.9MB/s sequential
RAM, they produced some very high scores in the diference between this and the best of read speed and 413.3MB/s are decent enough,
our tests. 173 in the image test points towards Nvidia’s last-gen cards is oten negligible. and it helps the system boot incredibly quickly.
excellent single-core performance, while 258 in In fairness, you also get ray-tracing and Internal expandability and external
the video test and 304 in multitasking indicate DLSS; the former has the potential to produce connectivity also both pass muster, with the
strong multicore prowess as well. Overall, the far beter-looking lighting efects in immersive rear I/O panel ditching USB2 entirely in favour
Gamer RTX scored 267, one of the highest games, and the later might just provide of four USB3 ports and two USB3.1 ports.
we’ve recorded from a pre-built gaming PC. anti-aliasing without a performance drop. There are also a couple of antenna mounts for
However, these scores only represent about However, both of these are still waiting to be the convenient onboard 802.11ac Wi-Fi, and
a 10% improvement on the Core i7-8700K. It’s implemented in games, so it will likely be a few we love how the graphics card has a USB
also worth noting that the Chillblast Fusion months before either feature becomes a truly Type-C port next to its HDMI and DisplayPort
Ryzen 2700X Custom (Shopper 369), which compelling reason to choose RTX over GTX. outputs. It’s designed to work with VirtualLink
uses the £300 AMD Ryzen 7 2700X, scored VR headsets, rather than being a monitor
291 overall. The Core i7-9700K still runs well COMPETITIVE EDGE output, but it also works as a regular Type-C
enough to suffice for media editing and other If all this sounds disappointing, it should be socket for data transfers and device charging.
content creation, but at £500, it’s not the big said that the Gamer RTX’s key parts ofer
leap we were hoping for. We suspect two performance bumps over their precursors, PASTURES NEW
culprits: Intel’s baffling decision to remove even if they’re not big ones, and because the We’re stopping short of giving the Gamer RTX
Hyper-Threading (leaving the Core i7-9700K CPU is unlocked, watercooled and installed in an award, partly because its two main
with eight total threads, half of the Ryzen a Z390 motherboard, you could squeeze out components aren’t amazing in themselves and
2700X’s); and the boost speed dropping to even more power by overclocking it yourself. partly to avoid jumping the gun; it’s early days
4.6GHz when all eight cores are being used. More impressively, some research suggests for both Nvidia’s RTX series and Intel’s 9th-gen
that £2,100, far from being a chips, and beter pre-builds could well appear
rip-of, is very competitive for in the coming months. But this is undoubtedly
what you get. Scan itself does a a well-crated PC that looks straight to the
Gamer RTX variant with a slower, future instead of clinging to the past.
non-overclockable Core i7-8700 James Archer
and an SSD that’s half the size of
the 500GB one we have here, but SPECIFICATIONS
it’s only £50 cheaper, so the
£2,100 is far beter value.
PROCESSOR Octa-core 3.6GHz Intel Core i7-9700K • RAM
16GB • FRONT USB PORTS 2x USB3 •REAR USB PORTS 4x
Chillblast’s Fusion Juggernaut, its USB3, 2x USB3.1, 1x USB Type-C • GRAPHICS ADAPTOR 8GB
cheapest RTX 2080 system, also EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 XC Gaming • STORAGE 500GB
SSD, 2TB hard disk • DISPLAY None • OPERATING SYSTEM
comes in at £2,050 but only has a
Windows 10 Home • WARRANTY Three years parts and
Core i5-8600K. For the Core i7/ labour including one year onsite • DETAILS www.scan.co.uk
RTX 2080 combo specifically, in • PART CODE Gamer RTX
other words, this is the best-
priced system we can find. Windows overall 267
The storage also deserves Multitasking 304
praise: in addition to the spacious
Dirt Showdown 144fps
500GB SSD, a 2TB hard disk
Metro: Last Light 115fps
provides oodles of extra space.
The SSD is only a SATA drive, not 0% -50 Reference +50 +100
See page 70 for performance details
NVMe (despite it taking one of
ACER Aspire S 24
★★★★★
£869 • From www.amazon.co.uk
VERDICT
This AIO is both stylish and cheap, though its
display and storage dampen enthusiasm
IdeaCentre 620S (Shopper 363) scored 80 10 Home • WARRANTY One year carry-in • DETAILS www.
acer.com • PART CODE DQ.BA9EK.004
overall with its Core i5-7400T, but this mini
PC cost £780 when we reviewed it and didn’t
come with a monitor, so the Aspire S 24 Windows overall 77
ofers similar value. The Acer seems Multitasking 65
comfortable being an everyday home PC Dirt Showdown 14fps
rather than an AIO workstation alternative, Metro: Last Light 4fps
which, again, for £900 is fair enough.
0% -50 Reference +50 +100
That said, just because it’s not made for See page 70 for performance details
hardcore workloads doesn’t make the
VERDICT
Intel’s most interesting CPU in years blurs the
line between mainstream and enthusiast
are in use at once, the highest possible boost (again using 1080p and the highest possible FINE NINE
clock is 4.8GHz, and using all eight cores will setings). Intel processors have always been Limited overclocking is fairly incongruous
drop this further to 4.7GHz. These are still slightly beter than AMD’s in gaming, but it’s with the Core i9-9900K’s positioning as a
high speeds for an octa-core chip, especially been a few generations since we’ve seen performance-lover’s component, but it’s still
compared to AMD’s flagship Ryzen 7 2700X, double-digit fps diferences like this. a prety good CPU, even at that high price.
which starts at 3.7GHz but only boosts to In terms of both cost and performance, it
4.3GHz at stock speeds. SOLDER BOY occupies the middle ground between
In AMD’s defence, the Ryzen 2700X is half Another under-the-hood tweak Intel has mainstream processors and the £1,000-plus
the price of the Core i9-9900K, the £600 cost made to the 9th-gen Core chips is replacing Intel X-series, so for content creators with a
of which makes Intel’s ‘mainstream’ definition the cheap thermal paste between the heat litle extra cash to spend, it’s a worthy choice,
stretch somewhat. There is some good news spreader and the processor die with solder. even if most people are beter of with Ryzen.
on the money front: you don’t need to pay In theory, this should produce beter thermal James Archer
extra for a brand-new motherboard as well. performance than on preceding chips, as
While the 9th-gen Core chips were designed solder is more efective at transferring heat. SPECIFICATIONS
for the new Z390 chipset, they still use Intel’s Unfortunately, when used with our Cooler
trusty LGA1151 socket, and are compatible Master MasterLiquid Pro 240 watercooler, the
SOCKET LGA1151 • CORES 8 • FREQUENCY (BOOST)
with 8th-gen Z370 motherboards. Core i9-9900K still runs slightly warmer than
3.6GHz (5GHz) • INTEGRATED GRAPHICS Intel UHD
We still opted for a Z390 motherboard to the Ryzen family, even if it’s just by a few
Graphics 630• WARRANTY Three years RTB • DETAILS
www.intel.com • PART CODE BX80684I99900K
conduct our testing, the Asus ROG Maximus degrees. Not to be too harsh on it, however:
XI Hero WiFi (see full review on page 30). at stock speeds, the idle temperature of 30°C
Windows overall 330
For such big money, we were hoping for big is just fine, and the absolute peak we recorded
performance, and the Core i9-9900K – for the of 74°C isn’t remotely cause for concern. Multitasking 390
most part – delivered . Under load, individual cores tend to flick Dirt Showdown 127fps
Multithreaded work is a particular strength, around the 68-70°C region, which is 8-10°C 0% -50 Reference +50 +100
even with lowered boost clocks: whereas the higher than the Ryzen 7 2700X with the See page 70 for performance details
Core i9-9900K’s image test score of 173 is same watercooler, but still decent.
VERDICT
It’s not cheap or beginner-friendly, but this
Z390 board does well by its higher-end features
ONE OF THE more unexpected strengths lighting throughout, but the out. The first we tried
of Intel’s 9th-gen Core series chips is their whole thing is visibly cleaner was loading a ‘CPU 5G OC
ability to work – socket allowing – with and neater than its predecessor. Profile’, which simply set the
motherboards that use either the new Z390 Once again, there are two M.2 slots for Core i7-8700K’s Core Ratio Limit
chipset or the previous Z370. With recent NVMe SSDs or Intel Optane Memory, but to 50 (resulting in a 5GHz target
generation changes, the new CPUs have now both of them – not just one – are speed). Without any accompanying
always demanded the very latest chipset, covered by a heatsink. The selection of voltage changes, however, this rough
which meant that upgrading was always that expansion slots is kept to a high standard in overclock led to our PC crashing under load.
much more expensive. general, with three PCI-E x16 slots, three PCI-E The second, more highly vaunted feature
Z390 boards, such as Asus’ ROG Maximus x1 slots and four slots for DDR4 RAM. Both is AI Overclocking Mode. It works thus: you
XI Hero WiFi, therefore have a lot of work to two-way Nvidia SLI and three-way AMD run a stress test benchmark at stock speeds,
do to prove they’re worth investing in over an Crossfire configurations are supported, so which gives the UEFI data on how far it can
older, cheaper Z370 model. In the case of this you’re not too limited by your GPU choice. safely auto-overclock your CPU. Ater enabling
specific motherboard, that means a fresh As mentioned, RAM overclocking has the AI Overclocking option and restarting, it
design, some new UEFI tricks and improved received a decent litle upgrade, with the should apply the overclock, which on our
memory overclocking support over the Z370 maximum speeds increasing from 4,133Hz to Core i7-8700K was a seemingly conservative
ROG Maximus X Hero (Shopper 365). 4,400MHz. That’s a fiting change for a 4.9GHz. Sadly, even this crashed during
motherboard that, judging from its price further benchmarking, and the only
SMARTEN UP alone, is clearly going ater the experienced suggested solution to fix any AI-related
Z390 itself doesn’t represent a massive leap overclocker crowd. This is further evidenced problems is to change setings manually
from the 8th-gen chipset, but it does ofer by the ROG Maximus XI Hero’s nicely yourself, defeating the purpose of an
some advantages. Support for integrated extensive cooling support, including eight automatic system in the first place.
802.11ac Wi-Fi is now included at the chipset 4-pin cooling headers for case fans and Things got even worse when we tried it
level, rather than being something watercooling systems alike. There’s also a with the Core i9-9900K. Not only did the
manufacturers must add in themselves, and highly convenient array of onboard tools that system once again crash, but the BIOS listed a
10Gbit/s USB3.1 support is built in as well. make experimenting and troubleshooting diferent post-AI clock speed to what we saw
Still, these additions alone don’t make the easier, particularly the integrated power and in the CPUID and Core Temp sotware (the
Z390 chipset a must-have; in particular, we’ve reset butons, and the POST code display. BIOS claimed a 5GHz overclock, the sotware
never seen a problem with manufacturers 5.1GHz). Considering AI Overclocking Mode
adding Wi-Fi to their motherboards via M.2 COUNTER INTELLIGENCE aims to make overclocking easier for
modules, so it’s mainly up to the ROG Equally OC-friendly is the UEFI BIOS, which is beginners, it can get awfully confusing.
Maximus XI Hero WiFi’s hardware and design. rammed with both CPU and memory options.
Fortunately, Asus has done a great job Since this is the first Z390 motherboard we’ve EXPERIENCE NECESSARY
with the later. It still has all the pronounced, tested, we don’t yet know how it compares to Still, at £296, we wouldn’t recommend this to
angular covers and heatsinks one would others in terms of pushing 9th-gen Intel chips first-time PC builders to begin with. The Z370
expect from a ROG-branded motherboard, to their limits, but ater a lot of trial and error Gaming Pro Carbon AC is a much beter deal:
not to mention the customisable RGB we were able to get the Core i9-9900K to run it’s nearly half the price, but is almost as well
all eight cores at 5GHz (up equipped, including 802.11ac capability.
from 4.7GHz) with an AIO Real enthusiasts, however, won’t be let
watercooler and a respectable down by Asus’s board. Besides the headline
core voltage of 1.38V. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0, it’s got everything
When tested with a 8th-gen required for a high-end PC, and while Z390
Core i7-8700K, we again found isn’t an essential upgrade it does have a
that the highest stable overclock small impact, even if here it’s just a couple
we could get with this board of extra USB3.1 ports at the back.
was 5GHz, the same as on our James Archer
current favourite Z370 model,
the MSI Z370 Gaming Pro SPECIFICATIONS
Carbon AC (Shopper 365).
To clarify, these results were
PROCESSOR SOCKET LGA1151 • DIMENSIONS 305x244mm •
CHIPSET Intel Z390 • MEMORY SLOTS 4 • PCI-E x16 SLOTS 3
all achieved manually; if there’s
a disappointment with the
• PCI-E x1 SLOTS 3 • PCI SLOTS 0 • USB PORTS 2x USB2, 2x
USB3, 3x USB3.1, 1x USB Type-C • VIDEO OUTPUTS 1x HDMI,
ROG Maximus XI Hero WiFi, it’s 1x DisplayPort • WARRANTY Two years RTB • DETAILS www.
that Asus’ new ‘one-click’ asus.com • PART CODE ROG Maximus XI Hero (Wi-Fi)
overclocking features don’t pan
CRUCIAL BX500
★★★★★
RECOMMENDED £40 • From www.ebuyer.com
VERDICT
Dirt-cheap and surprisingly fast, the BX500 is
everything you could want in an entry-level SSD
MICROSOFT Surface Go
★★★★★
£509 • From www.microsot.com
VERDICT
It’s not the most powerful or longest-lasting
2-in-1, but the Surface Go is still a charming
mobile companion
with the Signature keyboards costing £125 position. On the one hand, you’ll never get
VERDICT
A beautifully crated Chromebook, albeit one
with some display and storage issues
tabs open:
open the 2GB of RAM will see to that.
RAM 4GB • DIMENSIONS 341x236x17mm • WEIGHT 1.68kg
• SCREEN SIZE 14in • SCREEN RESOLUTION 1,366x766 •
GRAPHICS ADAPTOR Intel HD Graphics 400 • TOTAL
LONG T
TIME GOING STORAGE 32GB • OPERATING SYSTEM Chrome OS •
The good news is that batery life is WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.acer.com •
excellent.
excellent In our video rundown test, it PART CODE CB3-431
beats the HP’s Chromebook by over an
hour, lastin
lasting 10h 22m, and it beats many Batery life 10h 22m
more serious Windows-based laptops along 0% -50 Reference +50 +100
the way. Tha
That’s more than enough to get you See page 70 for performance details
through a fu
full working day.
CCL
COMPUTERS
WINDOWS 10 CONVERTIBLE
VERDICT
Lenovo’s latest flippy hybrid is weighed down by
poor batery life, despite successes elsewhere
HUMAN ERROR
It’s a shame, then, that the Yoga 530 is so According to our colourimeter, the Yoga At the same time, any disappointment is
humdrum on the outside. At 1.67kg and 530’s screen could cover only 54.6% of the tempered by the fact that it also beat the
328x229x17.6mm, it’s neither particularly light sRGB gamut. Brightness also peaked at a pricier Microsot Surface Laptop (Shopper
nor unusually thin, and you get only a fairly thoroughly average 250cd/m2; only the high 356), which scored 49 overall. Besides, for
basic selection of ports: two USB3, one USB contrast ratio could salvage things, hiting a £750, 70 isn’t even that low – it’s just not the
Type-C, one HDMI output and an SD card high 1,178:1. As such, it’s not a total disaster, best. Most users will be happy with how the
reader. Next to this card slot is the power but we expect beter for £750. Yoga 530 tackles everyday tasks, as well as
buton, placed rather awkwardly on the right At least it’s also a touchscreen, and as basic media editing and content creation.
edge; we repeatedly ended up pressing it by an input method, the display works well. The 256GB storage drive also showcased
accident. The fingerprint sensor, on the other We found it fantastically responsive to taps, some impressive speeds. Tested with AS SSD,
hand, is a great inclusion, capable of unlocking swipes and pinch gestures, and it works with we recorded sequential read and write speeds
Windows in less than a second. styluses, too, although the Lenovo Active of 1,334MB/s and 706MB/s respectively.
Audio-wise, the laptop has a pair of Pen isn’t included in the box, sadly. That’s much quicker than, say, the ZenBook
Harman Kardon-branded speakers, buried 13, which only scored 476MB/s read and
either side of the laptop’s keyboard, complete RYZEN DAMP 369MB/s write speeds.
with ‘Dolby Audio Premium’ processing. Moving on to the aforementioned Ryzen chip, Unfortunately, batery life is a disaster.
While these sound fine up close, they’re not it puts this particular Yoga 530 spec at the top The Yoga 530 only lasted a mere 3h 47m,
strong enough to fill a room; walk back several of the range. You can also find cheaper Ryzen making it unsuitable for mobile working and
paces and the quality drops of significantly. 5 and Intel Core i5 versions, and even an Intel use on long journeys. The only consolation is
Vocals and guitars pick up extremely well, but Pentium Gold 4415U model for £379, but this that the Swit 3 lasted even less, at 3h 16m.
when a heavy drum solo or bass drop kicks in, also only has 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD.
things get a litle fuzzy. It doesn’t cope well Our £750 model, by contrast, is equipped with SPUN OUT
with sharp increases in volume, either, 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. That doesn’t make the Yoga 530 a bad laptop.
crackling a tad through the transition. It finished our 4K application benchmarks It’s roughly as fast as or faster than most of
The keyboard, happily, is sensible and with an image score of 109, a video score of its closest rivals, the SSD is quick, the 360°
satisfying. The keys are well spaced and 75, a multitasking hinge works as well as any on the market, and
provide prety decent tactile feedback, score of 54 and the keyboard and trackpad are both excellent.
while a cool blue backlight makes the an overall score of Nonetheless, the Ryzen 7 2700U chip
Yoga 530 practical when working in 70. That puts it in a is clearly not as efficient as its Intel
dark conditions. very similar position counterparts, and that woeful batery life
The touchpad is prety good as to the HP EliteBook limits the Yoga 530’s flexibility as a mobile
well. It isn’t quite as good as a 745 G5: it’s a powerful device. Display quality is a letdown, too.
MacBook Pro touchpad and, laptop, although Tom Bruce
initially, it seemed to have perhaps not quite as
trouble diferentiating between powerful as could be SPECIFICATIONS
three-finger and four-finger expected, given the
commands, but it worked hardware. For one thing,
PROCESSOR Quad-core 2.2GHz AMD Ryzen 7 2700U•
RAM 8GB • DIMENSIONS 328x229x17.6mm •
well once we bumped up the Acer Swit 3 (Shopper WEIGHT 1.67kg • SCREEN SIZE 14in • SCREEN
the sensitivity. 364) – which we tested with a RESOLUTION 1,920x1,080 • GRAPHICS ADAPTOR Radeon
Vega 10 • TOTAL STORAGE 256GB SSD • OPERATING
Display quality could lower-spec Ryzen 5 2500U –
SYSTEM Windows 10 Home • WARRANTY One year RTB •
be beter, however. scored a slightly higher 74
DETAILS www.lenovo.com • PART CODE 81H90003UK
The 1,920x1,080 overall, while the Core i5
resolution is more 8250U-powered Asus ZenBook 13 Batery life 3h 47m
than fine, but (Shopper 367) scored 75 (although, 0% -50 Reference +50 +100
colours look unlike the Swit 3, this is more See page 70 for performance details
flat and dull. expensive than the Yoga 530).
VERDICT
Outrageously expensive, but the 144Hz IPS
panel and FALD backlighting provide the best
HDR gaming experience yet
VERDICT
The Pixma TS8250 is classy and fairly
capable, so long as you can aford it
UE Boom 3
★★★★★
£130 • From www.johnlewis.com
VERDICT
The Boom 3 looks and sounds good, and even floats
in water – it’s a worthy successor to the Boom 2
JBL Xtreme 2
★★★★★
£235 • From www.amazon.co.uk
VERDICT
With top-quality sound and a versatile design, this is a great – if expensive – rugged Bluetooth speaker
OWNING A WATERPROOF speaker has its of 20 metres. Batery life is good at around 15 extension, much more so than its predecessor.
advantages. Even if you’re not into hours’ playback time, although the Xtreme 2 The healthy 15Hz bass extension is lower than
watersports or regularly hiting the pool, a takes around three-and-a-half hours to charge. the original Xtreme, and it can be felt.
weather-resistance speaker is a lot more Unfortunately, there’s no Wi-Fi connectivity, The highs extend blissfully, and combined
versatile than a regular plug-in speaker that which means no Amazon Alexa or Google with a wide, 360° soundstage, the JBL Xtreme 2
sits next to your living room sofa. Assistant to answer your every call. That’s a is captivating. Vocals and instruments are
The Xtreme 2 is JBL’s second atempt at a slight shame when the UE Megablast (Shopper clearly separated and layered, adding to the
waterproof Bluetooth speaker, but it’s been 367) comes with Alexa built-in. depth and detail of each track.
built with confidence: not only is it IPX7- It’s also worth mentioning that the Xtreme The Xtreme 2 also goes extremely loud
certified, which allows it to be submerged to a 2, like its predecessor and the Boombox without distorting or clipping. It will suffice for
depth of one metre for 30 minutes, it also has (Shopper 369), doesn’t support the Bluetooth a garden party or a large living room, and due
two metal bars to hook on the bundled strap. aptX codec, so you won’t get CD-quality to its shape, can be used both horizontally or
This is more useful than it sounds, as while playback via Bluetooth. vertically – ideal if you’re cramped for space.
the Xtreme 2 can be taken out and about, it’s Still, JBL has a knack for fun-sounding
no UE Boom 3 (opposite) – it weighs 2.4kg and speakers, which more oten than not have BOOM TUBE
measures 136x288x132mm, so the ability to punchy bass and a warm sound signature. The Xtreme 2 may not have any smart
add a strap is a very welcome one. The strap’s The Xtreme 2 somewhat bucks that trend; it features, but it’s an excellent weatherproof
buckle also doubles up as a botle opener, still has the healthy bass punch that you’d Bluetooth speaker, from the design to its
adding to the speaker’s party credentials. expect from a JBL speaker, but it also has a sound quality. The only thing to give us pause
surprisingly good mid-range. is the price: at £235, it’s a lot more expensive
BACK IN GREATER NUMBERS than the UE Megablast, which is similarly
The Xtreme 2 is protected by a fabric mesh. NEW AND IMPROVED durable and capable of pumping out high-
There’s a large JBL logo at the front of the The issue with the Xtreme and the Boombox volume tunes but has dropped in price from
speaker, while at the top there are six physical is that both sufer from a heavily recessed £270 to just £180. It has full smart speaker
butons, two of which are illuminated – Power mid-range, which means vocals oten sound functionality, too, thanks to Alexa integration.
and Connect+. The Connect+ is an upgrade pushed back. The Xtreme 2, conversely, has That said, the Xtreme 2 does sound beter
over the previous iteration; you’re now able to much more forward-sounding mids. They’re (and beefier) to our ears, so it does at least
pair up to 100 JBL Connect+ enabled speakers, still a tad pushed back, but nowhere near the partly make up for that price diference.
in the unlikely event that’s needed. amount we were expecting. Both are great choices, so don’t be afraid to
At the back, JBL has ditched the zip-like The Xtreme 2 shines in songs with strong splash out on JBL’s speaker if you demand
design of the first Xtreme. Instead, the rear vocals and a punchy bassline, which are oten a the absolute best audio quality.
ports are protected from water by a rubberised harsh test of a speaker; case in point, the JBL Christopher Minasians
pop-out panel. Prise this aside and you’ll find a Boombox struggles to reproduce engaging
3.5mm headphone jack, a DC coaxial output, a mids. That’s not the case for the Xtreme 2; it’s SPECIFICATIONS
USB port capable of fast-charging your engaging and makes songs feel alive, yet
smartphone and a Micro USB port, the sole preserves a colourful sound.
DRIVERS 4 • RMS POWER OUTPUT 40W • DOCK
CONNECTOR None • WIRELESS Bluetooth • DIMENSIONS
purpose of which is for servicing. Bass tones are well represented, too. The 136x288x132mm • WEIGHT 2.4kg • WARRANTY One year
As for wireless connectivity, the speaker Xtreme 2 has a strong, punchy mid-bass with RTB • DETAILS uk.jbl.com • PART CODE JBLXTREME2BLKEU
connects via Bluetooth with a maximum range plenty of control, and a sumptuous sub-bass
LG OLED65B8
★★★★★
RECOMMENDED £2,299 • From www.johnlewis.com
VERDICT
LG has upgraded it’s ‘entry-level’ OLED TV,
and the results are sensational
APPLE
iPhone XS Max
★★★★★
£1,099 • From www.apple.com
VERDICT
Top of the class in both performance and
price, the iPhone XS Max is the best phone
you shouldn’t buy
FACE FRONT
It’s not as if this is a radical redesign of the
now-outdated iPhone X (Shopper 361), either.
The volume butons, power buton and
do-not-disturb switch have all been let
unmoved from their positions on the iPhone
X, and there’s still no 3.5mm headphone jack. damage – that’s twice as deep as
At the rear, the phone’s slightly protruding the iPhone X. The new model also
dual-camera module perches in the top-let copes beter with more troublesome liquids accuracy and sRGB colour coverage at 92.6%.
corner, with the quad-LED True Tone flash such as tea, cofee and sot drinks. In addition, you get Apple’s wonderful True
flanked by the twin lenses of the 12-megapixel Tone screen tech, which monitors the colour
camera. On the front, the screen fills most of SOUND CHOICE temperature of the ambient light and adjusts
the front panel, with a broad notch eating The speakers have also been upgraded, the screen’s white point to match, thus
into the top of the screen. It’s a shame Apple with noticeably more volume and a wider making it less of a chore for your eyes to
couldn’t find a way around this rather soundstage; nice for the odd occasion readjust when you pull them away from the
inelegant solution, especially when other when you’ve forgoten your headphones or screen for a moment or two.
manufacturers are already making tentative don’t have access to a Bluetooth speaker.
steps forwards in this regard. There’s also dual-SIM capability and a LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN
The lack of a fingerprint reader also leaves four-microphone array for positional stereo The biggest new addition by far is Apple’s
Face ID as the sole biometric sign-in method. audio recording, both firsts for the iPhone. hexa-core A12 Bionic processor. Until Huawei’s
It works, but again it’s something Apple hasn’t The screen hasn’t changed much, but in Kirin 980 appears in a consumer-ready
really improved over the past year: the fact Apple’s defence, the iPhone X’s OLED display handset, this is the very first smartphone chip
that you have to lit the phone, stare at it, wait was already outstanding. The screen in the that’s been built with a 7nm manufacturing
a second for recognition and then swipe up to iPhone XS Max measures 6.5in diagonally, process, allowing for more transistors to be
get past the lock screen is a pain when other with a resolution of 2,688x1,242 and a pixel squeezed into the same space as previous
manufacturers, such as OnePlus, have already density of 458ppi. It peaks at 628cd/m2, far chips. Typically, this leads to both faster
figured out facial recognition with fewer steps. brighter than the 502cd/m2 iPhone X, but this processing speeds and more efficient running.
Fortunately, there are some improvements. is the only significant improvement. The iPhone XS certainly lasts longer than
One of the bigger ones is an upgrade from There’s still support for HDR10 and Dolby the iPhone X: it called it quits in our batery
IP67 water- and dust-proofing to IP68, so the Vision, so movies and TV shows supporting test ater 14h 18m, thrashing the iPhone X’s
iPhone XS Max can be submerged in up to those standards look spectacular. Colour 9h 22m. However, it’s not quite up there with
two metres of water for half an hour without reproduction is excellent, with superb colour the best flagships, as the Samsung Galaxy
There’s also greater dynamic range in video you spend using the phone, something that • WIRELESS DATA 4G • DIMENSIONS 158x77x7.7mm •
WEIGHT 208g • OPERATING SYSTEM Apple iOS 12 •
capture; video stabilisation has been added to will likely worry the privacy-conscious,
WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.apple.com •
the front camera for the first time; and, in although it does have some useful tools, such PART CODE iPhone XS Max
Portrait Mode, it’s now possible to adjust the as the ability to set time limits for apps and
intensity of the bokeh efect. Once you’ve have those apps apply content warnings – Batery life 14h 18m
captured your portrait photo, just hit Edit parental controls by another name. 0% -50 Reference +50 +100
and you’ll be presented with a dial you can Another new feature is Shortcuts, which See page 70 for performance details
drag to increase or decrease the blur. lets you tap into third-party apps and create
VERDICT
Sony’s first OLED-equipped smartphone is a
success, but it still has a tough time standing out
VERDICT
The Moto E5 Play has its flaws, but a low
price and capable camera save it from the bin
The new generation provides the perfect case for silence enthusiasts and those who
want to master their PC build in the most convenient way. Silent Base case series
makes it unbelievably easy to set up your new system, almost like a puzzle with just
four pieces. Well-elaborated features like noise dampening vents, 10mm thick insula-
tion mats and the convenient PSU shroud support the fast and simple installation of
your whisper-quiet PC build.
APPLE macOS
10.14 Mojave
★★★★★
Free • From itunes.apple.com
VERDICT
Apple has added some neat desktop-focused
tools, but it’s no revolutionary overhaul
CUSTOM BUILD
There’s new magic once you’ve made
your capture, too: your snapshot instantly
appears in a thumbnail at the botom
corner of the screen, just as it does in iOS
11. From here you can drag it directly into an
app or to a location on disk – or single-click
to open it in the Finder’s markup window,
GAMING PCs
for immediate editing and annotating. It
may not be a feature you use every day, but
for anyone who regularly needs to capture
Free UK Shipping
desktop images, it’s a brilliant enhancement.
Some of Mojave’s core enhancements ⬆ You now have far more options when it comes to taking
3 Year Limited Warranty
aren’t immediately visible but are still very
much worth having. A new security feature
screenshots and videos of what’s on your display
Finance Options Available
(borrowed from iOS) requires you to grant bark the command at your screen without having
explicit authorisation before any app is permited to lit your fingers from the keyboard.
to operate your Mac’s camera or microphone, or Group FaceTime is also being ported across
to access personal information such as your from iOS, allowing you to conduct video chats
location and data from your messages or emails. with up to 31 of your closest friends, although
Apple has also focused on making it harder this is not in the initial Mojave release.
for websites to track your online activity.
The Mojave version of Safari provides only AUTUMN CLEANING
limited, generic information about you and your As well as these major updates, the new OS
computer to remote servers, to prevent sites brings a few lesser tweaks and upgrades. iMac
from ‘fingerprinting’ individual users and owners will be glad to learn that Mojave brings an
aggregating information across multiple services. updated version of APFS that works with Fusion
Finally, to protect you from yourself, Safari’s Drives, and for those coming from Windows, the
password manager can now automatically macOS migration utility has been souped up with
generate and store strong passwords for you, the ability to import information from third-party
and warn you when you’re using the same Windows apps such as Microsot Outlook.
password across multiple sites. Safari, meanwhile, now supports favicons –
those litle square graphics next to tab titles that
FAMILY BONDING all other browsers have had for 15 years. And
Apple likes to give iPhone users reasons to use a while the Mac App Store doesn’t gain any new
Mac, and vice versa. The new Continuity Camera features, it does get a new look, dividing apps into
feature is a neat idea along those lines, allowing categories such as Create, Work and Play. It feels
you to use your iPhone or iPad’s camera as if it a bit arbitrary, but the simpler layout makes it
were directly connected to your Mac. Thus you easier to keep track of which apps you’ve bought
can take a snap and immediately insert it in a and what updates are available.
Pages document or an email you’re composing. There are no downsides to installing Mojave:
You can also use your iOS device to scan text by it’s a free update, and adds lots of new features
simply selecting the Scan Document menu option while taking nothing away. At the same time, it
in Pages. The catch is application support: it hardly represents an exciting new chapter for the
remains to be seen whether this capability will Mac. Apple has assured us that macOS has a
make it into non-Apple applications such as future, in the sense of not being subsumed by
Microsot Word or Adobe Photoshop. iOS, but this latest release doesn’t point towards
And if you were hoping for Mojave itself to be any sort of inspiring vision for the desktop.
more similar to iOS, there’s good and bad news. It’s revealing, perhaps, that the feature Apple
While there are no plans to merge the desktop has chosen to focus on for this release is the
and mobile operating systems into a single ability to change the colour of the interface.
platform, Apple is working on frameworks that Still, the security enhancements are definitely
will make it easier to develop apps across both. welcome, as are Desktop Stacks and the new
As if to show how this might work, Mojave Finder features. And if 99% of the user
imports some new apps from iOS. Apple News, experience is identical to High Sierra, then that’s
Stocks and Voice Memos all seem rather hardly a bad thing. Mojave might not stir the
unnecessary, but thankfully they’re joined by blood, but it is another steady step forwards.
Apple Home, a long overdue addition. It’s not Darien Graham-Smith
completely equivalent to the iPhone app: most
notably, seting up new HomeKit devices still has SPECIFICATIONS
to be done on iOS. But you can at last control WWW.CYBERPOWERSYSTEM.CO.UK
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your lights, thermostat and other smart home
Integrated graphics • MINIMUM RAM 2GB • HARD DISK S
devices from your laptop. It works with Siri too, PACE 12.5GB • DETAILS www.apple.com • PRODUCT CODE Follow Us!
so next time you want to turn on the bedroom macOS 10.14 Mojave
lights or open the pod bay doors, you can simply
@CYBERPOWERUK
ISSUE 371 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | JANUARY 2019
@CYBERPOWER_UK
Choosing a... PC system
01 A basic PC costing around £350 will
be able to run everyday office,
multimedia and education sotware and will
03 All modern PCs come with at least
a dual-core processor and are
capable of most tasks. Anyone who
peripherals atach to these ports. Most new
PCs come with USB3 or the latest USB3.1
ports, which provide faster data transfers
easily cope with surfing the internet. It might regularly undertakes demanding tasks when used with supported devices than the
even be able to run some modern games. such as video editing and encoding older USB2 standard.
Many PCs can be sold either with or should consider a hexa-core or even
without a monitor. If you don’t like the
display the manufacturer is ofering, you
an octa-core processor.
06 Most new PCs now come with
Windows 10 pre-installed. Don’t be
can always use your current one, or buy
another one separately. 04 There are plenty of good reasons to
upgrade the PC’s memory or hard
disk. If you’ll use your PC for gaming, video
too easily swayed by the inclusion of other
sotware, though, as it may be that you’ll
never use it.
PCs
RASPBERRY
RRY PI LENOVO IdeaCentre 620S
LE
3 Model B+ ★★★★★
★★
★★★★★ £549
£54 • wwww.currys.co.uk
£32 • www.thepihut.com
.com
Mini PCs can be overpriced, slow
ow
The ultimate or even sold without RAM and
micro
ro PC gets storage, but the IdeaCentre 620S
0S
even beter is a complete system that’s both reasonably
with faster CPU clock speeds and dramatically improved powerful
pow and pleasantly afordable. The quad-core
core
Wi-Fi performance. The dif
diferences between
b this
th and the
th Intel
el Core i5-7400T handles office work well
standard Pi Model 3 probably won’t be enough to be worth enough, while an Intel Optane Memory drive gives
ves
a direct upgrade, but since this is no more expensive, it’s the the hard disk a speed boost, and there’s even a
best choice for new projects. GeForce GTX 1050 Ti for extra graphical capability.
ty.
PROCESSOR Quad-core 2.4GHz Intel Core i5-7400T • RAM 8GB • FRONT USB PORTS None •
PROCESSOR Quad-core 1.4GHz Broadcom BCM2837 • RAM 1GB • USB PORTS 1x Micro USB REAR USB PORTS 4x USB3 • TOTAL STORAGE 1TB hard disk, 16GB Intel Optane Memory drive •
(power), 4x USB2 • TOTAL STORAGE MicroSD card slot • DISPLAY None • OPERATING GRAPHICS CARD 4GB Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti • DISPLAY None • OPERATING SYSTEM
SYSTEM Raspbian • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.raspberypi.org • PART CODE Pi 3 Windows 10 Home • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.lenovo.com • PART CODE
Model B+ • FULL REVIEW Jun 2018 90HC0011UK • FULL REVIEW May 2018
LAPTOPS
APPLE MacBook Pro 13in ((2018)) ACER Aspire 5
★★★★★ NEW ★★★★★
ENTRY
£3,599 • www.apple.com/uk £630 • www.amzn.to/2MS5lqc
2MS5lqc
PROCESSOR Quad-core 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-7700HQ • RAM 16GB • DIMENSIONS PROCESSOR Quad-core 2.8GHz Intel Core i7-8305U • RAM 8GB • DIMENSIONS 354x235x16mm •
379x275x17.9mm • WEIGHT 2.3kg • SCREEN SIZE 15.6in • SCREEN RESOLUTION 1,920x1,080 • WEIGHT 2kg • SCREEN SIZE 15.6in • SCREEN RESOLUTION 1,920x1,080 • GRAPHICS ADAPTOR
GRAPHICS ADAPTOR Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 • TOTAL STORAGE 512GB SSD • Radeon RX Vega M GL Graphics • TOTAL STORAGE 256GB SSD • OPERATING SYSTEM Windows
OPERATING SYSTEM Windows 10 Home • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.asus.com • 10 Home • WARRANTY One year onsite • DETAILS www.dell.com/uk • PART CODE XPS 15 9575 •
PART CODE GX501 • FULL REVIEW Oct 2018 FULL REVIEW Oct 2018
SMARTPHONES
MOTOROLA Moto G6 SAMSUNG Galaxy S8
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£199 SIM-free; £24-per-month contract www.amzn. • £375 SIM-free; £27-per-month contract •
to/2P8PANk (SIM-free); shop.vodafone.co.uk (contract)
t) www.amzn.to/2qNy2fT (SIM-free);
www.tescomobile.com (contract)
The Moto G series gets back on form with
the Moto G6, a fast, fingerprint sensor-
r- The most powerful Android phone
equipped budget marvel. Of particular ever. The camera is superb, the
note are the dual rear cameras, which can take shots that
hat display is dazzling, and even the base
rival far more expensive handsets on overall quality. model comes in a beautiful, almost completely bezel-free, design.
PROCESSOR Octa-core 1.6GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 • SCREEN SIZE 5.7in •
SCREEN RESOLUTION 1,920x1,080 • REAR CAMERA 12 megapixels, 5 megapixels • PROCESSOR Quad-core 2.3GHz Samsung Exynos 8895 • SCREEN SIZE 5.8in • SCREEN RESOLUTION
STORAGE 32GB • WIRELESS DATA 4G • DIMENSIONS 154x72x8.3mm • WEIGHT 177g • 2,560x1,440 • REAR CAMERA 12 megapixels • STORAGE 64GB • WIRELESS DATA 4G • DIMENSIONS
OPERATING SYSTEM Android 8.0 • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.motorola.co.uk • 149x68x8mm • WEIGHT 155g • OPERATING SYSTEM Android 7.0 • WARRANTY One-year RTB •
PART CODE PAAJ0004GB • FULL REVIEW Sep 2018 DETAILS wwww.samsung.com/uk • PART CODE SM-G950FZKABTU • FULL REVIEW Jul 2017
HONOR 7X ONEPLUS 6
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£200 SIM-free; £27-per-month contract • £469 SIM-free; £10 up front plus £41-per-month
www.amzn.to/2KTlHgK (SIM-free); •
contract www.oneplus.com (SIM-free);
www.three.co.uk (contract) www.o2.co.uk (contract)
Don’t fancy paying tons of cash for an This is OnePlus’s finest work yet: it’s
edge-to-edge, 18:9 display? The Honor almost as powerful as any Android
7X is afordable but has a vast, vibrant handset around and has a great
screen, and comes with a great dual-camera array. batery lifespan, but costs much less than its rivals.
PROCESSOR Quad-core 2.8GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 • SCREEN SIZE 6.3in •
PROCESSOR Octa-core 2.36GHz HiSilicon Kirin 659 • SCREEN SIZE 6in • SCREEN RESOLUTION SCREEN RESOLUTION 2,280x1,080 • REAR CAMERA 12 megapixels, 16 megapixels •
2,160x1,080 • REAR CAMERA Dual 16 megapixels • STORAGE 64GB • WIRELESS DATA 4G • STORAGE 128GB • WIRELESS DATA 4G • DIMENSIONS 156x75x7.8mm • WEIGHT 177g •
DIMENSIONS 157x75x7.6mm • WEIGHT 165g • OPERATING SYSTEM Android 7.0 • WARRANTY OPERATING SYSTEM Android 8.1 • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS wwww.oneplus.net/uk
One year RTB • DETAILS www.hihonor.com • PART CODE 51092ADQ • FULL REVIEW Apr 2018 • PART CODE OnePlus 6 • FULL REVIEW Sep 2018
PROCESSOR Octa-core 1.6GHz Exynos 7870 • SCREEN SIZE 5in • SCREEN RESOLUTION 1,280x720 PROCESSOR Octa-core 2.4GHz HiSilicon Kirin 970 • SCREEN SIZE 6.1in • SCREEN RESOLUTION
• REAR CAMERA 13 megapixels • STORAGE 16GB • WIRELESS DATA 4G • DIMENSIONS 2,244x1,080 • REAR CAMERA 40 megapixels, 20 megapixels, 8 megapixels • STORAGE 128GB •
146x71x8mm • WEIGHT 160g • OPERATING SYSTEM Android 7.0 • WARRANTY One-year RTB • WIRELESS DATA 4G • DIMENSIONS 155x74x7.8mm • WEIGHT 180g • OPERATING SYSTEM
DETAILS www.samsung.com/uk • PART CODE SM-J350FZKABTU • FULL REVIEW Dec 2017 Android 8.1 • DETAILS consumer.huawei.com • PART CODE 51092FGU • FULL REVIEW Aug 2018
TABLETS
SAMSUNG Galaxy Book 10.6in APPLE iPad (2018)
★★★★★ ★★★★★
★★
£649 • www.amzn.to/2A9hljh £319
£31 • www.apple.com/uk
Good budget 2-in-1s are rare, but Apple has recalibrated its focus for
Samsung hits the mark with its the latest iPad, keeping the existing
10.6in Galaxy Book. The Full HD design but turning it into an
touchscreen display looks great and, unlike education
ed aid with Apple Pencil support and the
with the iPad Pro or Surface Pro ranges, the excellent keyboard and Smart Annotation sotware feature. Even if you’re not a teacher or in
stylus peripherals come included in the box. education, it’s still a powerful tablet at a decent price.
PROCESSOR Dual-core Intel Core m3-7Y30 • SCREEN SIZE 10.6in • SCREEN RESOLUTION PROCESSOR Quad-core Apple A10 Fusion • SCREEN SIZE 9.7in • SCREEN RESOLUTION
1,920x1,280 • REAR CAMERA None • STORAGE 64GB • WIRELESS DATA No • DIMENSIONS 2,048x1,536 • REAR CAMERA 8 megapixels • STORAGE 32GB • WIRELESS DATA None •
261x179x8.9mm • WEIGHT 650g • OPERATING SYSTEM Windows 10 Home • WARRANTY Two years DIMENSIONS 240x170x7.5mm • WEIGHT 469g • OPERATING SYSTEM iOS 11 • WARRANTY One
RTB • DETAILS www.samsung.com/uk • PART CODE SM-W620NZKAXAR • FULL REVIEW Nov 2017 year RTB • DETAILS www.apple.com/uk • PART CODE iPad • FULL REVIEW Aug 2018
PROCESSOR Hexa-core 2.36GHz Apple A10X Fusion • SCREEN SIZE 10.5in • SCREEN RESOLUTION PROCESSOR Dual-core 2.4GHz Intel Core i7-7660U • SCREEN SIZE 12.3in • SCREEN RESOLUTION
2,224x1,668 • REAR CAMERA 12 megapixels • STORAGE 64/256/512GB • WIRELESS DATA 4G (cellular 2,736x1,824 • REAR CAMERA 8 megapixels • STORAGE 512GB • WIRELESS DATA No • DIMENSIONS
version) • DIMENSIONS 251x174x6.1mm • WEIGHT 469g • OPERATING SYSTEM iOS 11 • WARRANTY 292x201x8.5mm • WEIGHT 784g • OPERATING SYSTEM Windows 10 Pro • WARRANTY One year
One year RTB • DETAILS www.apple.com/uk • PART CODE 9.7in iPad Pro • FULL REVIEW Oct 2017 RTB • DETAILS www.microsoft.com • PART CODE FKH-00002 • FULL REVIEW Sep 2017
PHOTOGRAPHY
SONY RX100 V FUJIFILM X-T2
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£699 • www.slrhut.co.uk £1,249 • www.jessops.com
It may be small, but the RX100 The X-T2 is a mirrorless
V is seriously fast, and because CSC capable of shooting
it also captures a surprising high-quality images at incredibly high burst speeds,
amount of light, image and video quality are both top-notch. making it ideal for wildlife and sports photography.
SENSOR RESOLUTION 20 megapixels • SENSOR SIZE 13.2x8.8mm (1in) • FOCAL LENGTH SENSOR RESOLUTION 24 megapixels • SENSOR SIZE 23.6x15.6mm (APS-C) •
MULTIPLIER 2.7x • VIEWFINDER Electronic (2,400,000 dots) • LCD SCREEN 3in (1,228,800 dots) • FOCAL LENGTH MULTIPLIER 1.5x • VIEWFINDER Electronic (2.36 million dots) • LCD SCREEN 3in
OPTICAL ZOOM (35mm-EQUIVALENT FOCAL LENGTHS) 2.9x (24-70mm) • 35mm-EQUIVALENT (1.04 million dots) • VIEWFINDER MAGNIFICATION (35mm-EQUIVALENT, COVERAGE) 0.77x,
APERTURE f/4.9-7.6 • WEIGHT 298g • DIMENSIONS 60x104x41mm • WARRANTY One year RTB 100% • LENS MOUNT Fujifilm X Mount • WEIGHT 507g • DIMENSIONS 92x143x51mm •
• DETAILS www.sony.co.uk • FULL REVIEW Apr 2017 WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.fujifilm.eu/uk • FULL REVIEW May 2017
SENSOR RESOLUTION 20 megapixels • SENSOR SIZE 17.3x13mm • FOCAL LENGTH SENSOR RESOLUTION 16 megapixels • SENSOR SIZE 17.3x13mm • FOCAL LENGTH MULTIPLIER
MULTIPLIER 2x • VIEWFINDER Electronic (3,680,000 dots) • LCD SCREEN 3.2in (1,620,000 dots) • 2x • VIEWFINDER Electronic (2,360,000 dots) • LCD SCREEN 3in (1,040,000 dots) •
LENS MOUNT Micro Four Thirds • WEIGHT 725g (with kit lens) • DIMENSIONS 98x146x88mm • LENS MOUNT Micro Four Thirds • WEIGHT 715g with kit lens • DIMENSIONS 79x137x130mm •
WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.panasonic.com/uk • FULL REVIEW Sep 2017 WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.panasonic.com/uk • FULL REVIEW Jul 2017
DISPLAYS
AOC G2460VQ6 BENQ SW2700PT
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£126 • www.pcworldbusiness.co.uk £623 • www.amzn.to/2j53dh
Once you switch it to Ater calibration, this
sRGB mode, this is one professional-grade
very good low-cost monitor has near-perfect
ect
gaming monitor. Its 75Hz refresh rate colour accuracy, so it’s ideal for photo and
nd
means you’ll benefit from higher frame rates video editing. The Quad HD resolution also ensures there’s plenty of
more efectively than on a standard 60Hz screen. room for Windows multitasking.
SCREEN SIZE 24in • RESOLUTION 1,920x1,080 • SCREEN TECHNOLOGY TN • VIDEO INPUTS SCREEN SIZE 27in • RESOLUTION 2,560x1,440 • SCREEN TECHNOLOGY IPS (AHVA) •
VGA, HDMI, DisplayPort • WARRANTY Three years collect and return • DETAILS eu.aoc.com • VIDEO INPUTS DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort • WARRANTY Three years RTB •
PART CODE G2460VQ6 • FULL REVIEW Jul 2018 DETAILS www.benq.com • PART CODE M352753 • FULL REVIEW Nov 2017
02 A 1,920x1,080-resolution TV can
display a 1080p image. You can still
buy TVs with a 720p (1,366x768) resolution,
you’ll need to use either HDMI or VGA
inputs. Be aware that some TVs only let you
use a PC on an analogue input, and others
Most Ultra HD TVs have Netflix built into
their smart TV systems, but only BT is
currently providing live Ultra HD video,
but they’re no cheaper and the image won’t won’t display the Windows desktop at the with BT Sport Ultra HD.
be as sharp. 3,840x2,560 Ultra HD resolution, TV’s highest resolution. Ultra HD Blu-ray players give you an
or 4K, TVs are finally available at reasonable amazing picture, and Amazon’s Fire TV
prices, although you’ll still pay a premium for
one over a 1080p model. 04 The contrast ratio tells you the
diference between the darkest
set-top box will stream its Prime Video
service and Netflix at Ultra HD resolutions.
HOME CINEMA
PHILIPS 55PUS6753/12
/ NEW SAMSUNG HW-MS750
W-MS750
★★★★★ ENTRY ★★★★★
£549 • www.amzn.to/2ROcWJp £649 • www.currys.co.uk
This Philips set The HW-MS750 750
doesn’t have doesn’t need a
the best bwoofer; it puts out a thunderous
dedicated subwoofer;
implementation of HDR we’ve amout of bass all by itself, and its massive soundstage is perfect for
seen on a TV, but otherwise, the films. It’s the best standalone soundbar around, although you will
55PUS6753/12 is a fantastic 4K screen for a relatively low price. need to pay a premium for it.
SCREEN SIZE 55in • NATIVE RESOLUTION 3,840x2,160 • VIDEO INPUTS 3x HDMI, 5x component • SPEAKERS 11 • RMS POWER OUTPUT 450W • WEIGHT 6.3kg • NETWORKING 802.11n Wi-Fi,
TUNER Freeview HD • DIMENSIONS 781x1,244x266mm • WARRANTY One year RTB • Bluetooth • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.samsung.com/uk • PART CODE
DETAILS www.philips.co.uk • PART CODE 55PUS6753/12 • FULL REVIEW Dec 2018 HW-MS750 • FULL REVIEW May 2018
SPEAKERS 3 • RMS POWER OUTPUT 150 • DIMENSIONS 100x500x333mm • WEIGHT Not SPEAKERS 7 • RMS POWER OUTPUT 150W • DIMENSIONS 813x340x101mm (soundbar),
stated • DOCK CONNECTOR None • NETWORKING Bluetooth (aptX) • WARRANTY Two years 366x118x366mm (subwoofer) • WEIGHT 1.76kg (soundbar), 3.68kg (subwoofer) • DOCK
repair and replace • DETAILS www.cambridgeaudio.co.uk • PART CODE TV2 (v2) • CONNECTOR None • NETWORKING 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth • WARRANTY One year repair and
FULL REVIEW Jul 2017 replace • DETAILS www.polkaudio.com • PART CODE MagniFi Mini • FULL REVIEW Sep 2017
AUDIO
SENNHEISER HD 660
60 S BOSE QuietComfortt 35 II
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£360 • www.hifix.co.uk £289 • www.sonicdirect.co.uk
While theyre inspired by The world’s best ANC
classic Sennheiser headphones get a Google gle
headphones such as the HDD Assistant upgrade: you u can
580 Precision, the HD 660 S bring a more search for songs, select playlists and set
modern, bassy sound of their very own. reminders all via the built-in microphone.
ne.
Being open-back, they’re best used at home. And, of course, they sound splendid.
HEADPHONES SUBTYPE Over-ear headset • PLUG TYPE 6.3mm/4.4
mm/4.4 jack plug • WEIGHT 260g • HEADPHONES SUBTYPE Over-ear headset • PLUG TYPE PE 3.5mm jack plug
CABLE LENGTH 3m • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS en-uk.sennheiser.com • PART CODE (optional) • WEIGHT 310g • CABLE LENGTH 1.2m • WARRANTY Two years RTB •
HD 660 S • FULL REVIEW Oct 2018 DETAILS www.bose.co.uk • PART CODE 789564-0010 • FULL REVIEW Apr 2018
UE Wonderboom UE Megablast
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£70 • www.currys.co.uk £180 • www.johnlewis.com
The Wonderboom may The Megablast brings Amazon Alexa
look small, and it is, but functionality to UE’s marvellous
this portable, waterproof wireless range, making it a rare
speaker is capable of blasting out sound smart speaker that can easily be taken outside or
that’s both incredibly loud and used in the shower.
satisfyingly rich.
SPEAKERS 4 • RMS POWER OUTPUT Not disclosed • DOCK CONNECTOR None •
SPEAKERS 2 • RMS POWER OUTPUT Not stated • DOCK CONNECTOR None • NETWORKING 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (SBC) • DIMENSIONS 237x88x88mm •
NETWORKING Bluetooth • DIMENSIONS 40x46x65mm • WEIGHT 425g • WARRANTY Two years WEIGHT 1.2kg • WARRANTY Two years RTB • DETAILS www.ultimateears.com •
RTB • DETAILS www.ultimateears.com • PART CODE 82343342 • FULL REVIEW Aug 2017 PART CODE 984-000923 • FULL REVIEW Apr 2018
VIDEO
AMAZON Fire TV with AMAZON Fire TV Stick
★★★★★
4K Ultra HD (2017) £40 • www.amzn.to/2s4qrKp
★★★★★
£70 • www.amzn.to/2B72FTN Don’t have a 4K
TV? No worries – the
Despite shrinking from a set-top box to an HDMI standard Fire TV Stick is a wonderful litle streamer
dongle, this is packed with new features, including a in its own right. The 2017 model has added Alexa, Amazon’s digital
remote that works with Alexa voice commands. assistant, so searching through the vast library is easier than ever.
VIDEO OUTPUTS HDMI 2.0 • NETWORKING 802.11ac Wi-Fi • DIMENSIONS 65x65x15mm • VIDEO OUTPUTS HDMI 2.0 • NETWORKING 802.11ac Wi-Fi • DIMENSIONS 86x30x13mm •
STREAMING FORMATS UPnP, AirPlay, DLNA, Plex • INTERNET STREAMING SERVICES Amazon STREAMING FORMATS UPnP (via apps) • INTERNET STREAMING SERVICES iPlayer, ITV Hub,
Video, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All 4, My5 • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www. All4, My 5, Amazon Prime Instant Video, Netflix • WARRANTY One year RTB •
amazon.co.uk • PART CODE Fire TV with 4K UHD (2017) • FULL REVIEW Feb 2018 DETAILS www.amazon.co.uk • PART CODE B01ETRIFOW • FULL REVIEW Aug 2017
WEARABLES
SAMSUNG Gear S3 APPLE Watch Series 3
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£220 • www.amzn.to/2ssXHv4 £279 • www.johnlewis.com
The Gear S3 isn’t the cheapest Much-improved fitness-
smartwatch, but it is one of tracking capabilities, together
ther
the best. It’s ripe with both with Apple’s knack for
everyday and serious fitness features, and its physical design, make this easily the most
rotating bezel is hands-down our favourite versatile Apple Watch yet. It’s just a shame it
method for navigating menus on a wearable. will still only work with Apple’s own iPhones..
PEDOMETER Yes • HEART-RATE MONITOR Yes • DISPLAY SIZE 1.3in • RESOLUTION 360x360 • PEDOMETER Yes • HEART-RATE MONITOR Yes • DISPLAY SIZE 1.65in • RESOLUTION 312x390 •
OS SUPPORT Android, iOS • BATTERY LIFE Five days • WARRANTY Two years RTB • OS SUPPORT iOS • BATTERY LIFE 18 hours • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.apple.
DETAILS www.samsung.com/uk • PART CODE M-R760NDAABTU • FULL REVIEW Apr 2017 com/uk • PART CODE Apple Watch Series 3 • FULL REVIEW May 2018
SMART HOME
AMAZON Echo 2nd Generation NEST Cam IQ Outdoor
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£90 • www.amzn.to/2DxFEuQ £329 • nest.com/uk
The updated Echo is both xpensive
While this is an expensive
smaller and cheaper than replacement for the old Nest
the original, and while the mage quality
Cam Outdoor, its image
souped-up £140 Echo Plus is beter for listening ecognition
is without equal. Facial and sound recognition
to music, this model’s blend of value and have also been improved, and it’s now w much
all-round quality makes it a beter buy. harder for thieves to remove the camera from its mount.
DRIVERS 2 • RMS POWER OUTPUT Not stated • WEIGHT 921kg • NETWORKING Bluetooth, VIDEO RESOLUTION 4K sensor, 1080p recording • CLOUD STORAGE Yes (subscription required) •
802.11n Wi-Fi • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.amazon.co.uk • PART CODE Echo NETWORKING 802.11ac • WARRANTY One year RTB • PART CODE Nest Cam IQ Outdoor •
2nd Generation • FULL REVIEW Mar 2018 FULL REVIEW Jul 2018
TECHNOLOGY Thermal inkjet • MAXIMUM PRINT RESOLUTION 4,800x1,200dpi • TECHNOLOGY Thermal inkjet • MAXIMUM PRINT RESOLUTION 4,800x1,200dpi •
SCANNER RESOLUTION 1,200x1,200dpi • DIMENSIONS (HXWXD) 307x445x585mm • SCANNER RESOLUTION 600x1,200dpi • DIMENSIONS 126x373x315mm • WEIGHT 3.9kg •
WEIGHT 15.5kg • MAXIMUM PAPER SIZE A3 (print only) • WARRANTY Three years RTB • MAXIMUM PAPER SIZE A4/legal • WARRANTY One year RTB • DETAILS www.canon.co.uk •
DETAILS www.hp.co.uk • PART CODE Y0S18A • FULL REVIEW Dec 2017 PART CODE 2226C008 • FULL REVIEW Jan 2018
NETWORKS
D-LINK DIR-842 TP-LINK Archer C5400
400
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£50 • www.amzn.to/2AyE8G6 £230 • www.currys.co.uk
This budget Although this isn’t
dual-band router the fastest £200-plus
is fast enough to router, it’s still speedy,
serve as an afordable upgrade and comes with an impressive array of
to your ISP router, and it’s easy features, from parental controls and
to set up, too. filters to BT YouView support and smart home integration.
WI-FI STANDARD 802.11ac • STATED SPEED 867Mbit/s (5GHz), 300Mbit/s (2.4GHz) • MODEM Gigabit Ethernet • WI-FI STANDARD 802.11ac • STATED SPEED 2x 2,167Mbit/s (5GHz),
USB PORTS None • WALL MOUNTABLE Yes • WARRANTY Two years RTB • 2x 1,000MBit/s (2.4GHz) • USB PORTS 1x USB2, 1x USB3 • WALL MOUNTABLE Yes •
PART CODE DIR-842 • FULL REVIEW Jan 2018 WARRANTY One year RTB • PART CODE C5400 • FULL REVIEW May 2018
STORAGE
SYNOLOGY DiskStation DS418j INTEL Optane Memory 32GB
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£281 • www.broadbandbuyer.com £44 • www.scan.co.uk
When a tiny two-bay NAS An interesting twist
won’t cut it, the fast, on M.2 SSDs,
high-capacity DiskStation DS418j sn’t
Optane Memory isn’t
is an excellent upgrade, especially as it can automatically convert old so much a dedicated storage drive as a
hard disks to be compatible with this NAS’s hardware and features. isk
large cache for your existing hard disk,
accelerating its read speeds to NVMe levels at a much lower price.
3.5in HARD DISK BAYS (FREE) 4 (4) • NETWORKING 1x 10/100/1,000 Ethernet • DLNA MEDIA
SERVER Yes • PRINT SERVER Yes • DIMENSIONS 184x168x230mm • WEIGHT 2.21kg •
WARRANTY Two years RTB • DETAILS www.synology.com • PART CODE DS418j • CAPACITY 32GB • PRICE PER GIGABYTE £1.38 • INTERFACE M.2/NVMe • WARRANTY Five years
FULL REVIEW Jan 2018 RTB • DETAILS www.intel.com • PART CODE MEMPEK1W032GAXT • FULL REVIEW Sep 2017
COMPONENTS
THERMALTAKE Versa H18 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060
★★★★★ ★★★★★
£40 • www.scan.co.uk £249 • www.geforce.co.uk
Budget PC cases are oten lacking in Based on the same Pascal
both features and capacity for upgrades. architecture as the fearsome
The Versa H18 isn’t entirely exempt, and GTX 1080 and GTX 1070, the
is limited to smaller motherboards, but it can easily cope mid-range GTX 1060 is unmatched when it
with basic components and ambitious water-cooled builds alike. comes to marrying price with 4K and VR-readiness.
It’s surprisingly power-efficient, too.
CASE TYPE Mini-tower • MOTHERBOARD TYPE MicroATX, Mini-ITX • SUPPLIED FANS 1x
120mm • MAX DRIVE BAYS 2x 3.5in, 2x 2.5in • DIMENSIONS 390x205x380mm • WEIGHT 4.5kg • GPU Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 • MEMORY 6GB GDDR5 • GRAPHICS CARD LENGTH 250mm •
WARRANTY Three years RTB • DETAILS www.thermaltake.com • PART CODE CA-1J4-00S1WN-00 WARRANTY Three years repair and replace • DETAILS www.geforce.co.uk • PART CODE GTX 1060
• FULL REVIEW Nov 2018 Founder’s Edition • FULL REVIEW Nov 2016
Vid sof
ADOBE Premiere Pro CC 2018 KASPERSKY Security Cloud
Sec ftwa
eo twa
so
uri re
-ed re
★★★★★ ★★★★★
ty
itin
• • www.kaspersky.co.uk
g
£20 per month www.adobe.com £50
There’s a lot to love in this update, especially the It’s just as efective as Kaspersky Total Security, but
improved support for collaborative editing and a host Security Cloud goes a step further by learning your
of new tools for producing VR-ready 360° content. bad security habits and warning you about them.
OS SUPPORT Windows 7/8/10, OS 10.11/macOS 10.12, Android 4.1 and later, iOS 10/11 •
OS SUPPORT Windows 7/8.1/10, OS X 10.11, macOS 10.12 and later • MINIMUM CPU Multicore •
MINIMUM CPU 1GHz • MINIMUM GPU None • MINIMUM RAM 1GB (32-bit), 2GB (64-bit) •
MINIMUM GPU Integrated graphics • MINIMUM RAM 8GB • HARD DISK SPACE 8GB •
HARD DISK SPACE 1,020MB (Windows), 1,110MB (Mac) • DETAILS www.kaspsersky.co.uk •
DETAILS www.adobe.com • FULL REVIEW Jun 2018
PRODUCT CODE Security Cloud • FULL REVIEW Jan 2018
pri
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OS ate
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★★★★★
d
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April 2018 Update
£9 per month • www.nordvpn.com ★★★★★
There are cheaper VPN services available, but
Free • www.microsot.com
none has the flexibility and multi-level security Besides some subtle visual tweaks, the latest major
features of NordVPN. It’s become much faster update for Windows adds some genuinely useful
than previous versions, too. features, such as Focus Assist and Timeline.
OS SUPPORT Windows 10 • MINIMUM CPU 1GHz or faster • MINIMUM GPU DirectX 9 or later
OS SUPPORT Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, DD-WRT router • DETAILS www.nordvpn.com • with WDDM 1.0 driver • MINIMUM RAM 1GB (32-bit), 2GB (64-bit) • HARD DISK SPACE 16GB (32-
PRODUCT CODE NordVPN • FULL REVIEW Sep 2018 bit), 20GB (64-bit) • DETAILS www.microsoft.com • FULL REVIEW Aug 2018
Em lient
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★★★★★ ★★★★★
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XBOX One S OCULUS Go
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★★★★★
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★★★★★
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NINTENDO Labo
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★★★★★ ★★★★★
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How we test
Find out how well products perform with the help of
Computer Shopper’s comprehensive tests
COMPUTER SHOPPER’S REVIEWS use some The actual scores in each test are shown
of the most exhaustive testing procedures inside each bar
you’ll find in any PC magazine. Every product
is subjected to qualitative and quantitative
tests that show how it performs in practical Bigger is beter for all
Normal speed 11ppm
use. Graphs for performance, batery-life bars except the red
scores and costs are used in the Reviews ones, which show
Mono costs 2.2p running costs
section, as shown on the right. Look in the
‘Summary of tests’ table (below) for details Colour costs 6.7p A product hiting the
of each test we run. +100 per cent mark
0% -50 Reference +50 +100
For PCs and laptops, we evaluate performed twice as well
performance using our own custom as our reference
benchmarking suite. See below right for a
This line represents the performance of a reference product in each
brief description of our benchmarking test. All graphs for components and systems are relative to our
sotware and game tests. reference PC (see below for specifications)
SUMMARY OF TESTS
PC SYSTEMS & GAMING LAPTOPS
Windows overall Average speed across numerous demanding tasks BENCHMARKS RATINGS & AWARDS
Multitasking Speed when running simultaneous applications
Computer Shopper rates
Dirt Showdown Frames per second at 1,920x1,080, 4xAA, SHOPPER BENCHMARKS products out of five:
(1080p) Ultra detail
Metro: Last Light Frames per second at 1,920x1,080, SSAA,
Our benchmark suite uses
Redux Very High detail open-source sotware that Avoid ★★★★★
LAPTOPS
runs on Windows, Mac OS X
Windows overall Average speed across numerous demanding tasks
Below average ★★★★★
Multitasking Processor-intensive multitasking test and Linux systems. This lets
Dirt Showdown Frames per second at 1,280x720, 4xAA, us use objective results to Good ★★★★★
(720p) High detail
compare PCs and laptops,
Batery life Run time in minutes for continuous video playback
no mater which operating
Very good ★★★★★
SMARTPHONES/TABLETS
Batery life Run time in minutes for continuous video playback system they run. It’s designed Excellent ★★★★★
PRINTERS AND MFPs
Mono text speed Pages per minute for correspondence-quality text
to test each computer to its limit, using a combination of
Mixed colour speed Pages per minute for presentable text and graphics intensive image-editing, video-encoding and multitasking tests.
The best products can win the
Mono page cost Running costs expressed as pence per page We ran the tests on our reference PC, which has an Intel
Colour page cost Running costs expressed as pence per page following awards:
DIGITAL CAMERAS
Core i5-4670K processor, 8GB of DDR3 RAM and an AMD
Batery life Number of shots from full charge Radeon R7 260X graphics card. We normalised our results
CAMCORDERS so this PC had a score of 100. This makes it easy to draw
BEST BUY
Batery life Run time in minutes for recording Products with outstanding
comparisons between test systems. quality and performance for the
ROUTERS
Laptop 2.4GHz 5m Mbit/s at 5m with 802.11ac laptop on 2.4GHz band The resulting overall score is shown at the botom of money win our Best Buy award.
Laptop 2.4GHz 1 floor Mbit/s 1 floor up with 802.11ac laptop on 2.4GHz band every PC and laptop review. As we use the same tests in our
Laptop 2.4GHz Mbit/s 2 floors up with 802.11ac laptop on
2 floors 2.4GHz band standalone and group test reviews, you can compare the
Laptop 5GHz 5m Mbit/s at 5m with 802.11ac laptop on 5GHz band performance of any computer, whether it’s a hybrid,
Laptop 5GHz 1 floor Mbit/s 1 floor up with 802.11ac laptop on 5GHz band
laptop or desktop, from both sections of the magazine.
Laptop 5GHz Mbit/s 2 floors up with 802.11ac laptop on
2 floors 5GHz band
NETWORK-ATTACHED STORAGE
Large files Average MB/s for read/write of 100MB large files
3D BENCHMARKS RECOMMENDED
Small files Average MB/s for read/write of 100MB small files Products that don’t quite qualify
HARD DISKS DIRT SHOWDOWN for a Best Buy award but are still
Huge files Average MB/s for read/write of a single 2.5GB file Dirt Showdown is a cracking racing game highly rated by our reviewers.
Large files Average MB/s for read/write of 2.5GB of large files
that makes good use of DirectX 11’s
Small files Average MB/s for read/write of 2.5GB of small files
PROCESSORS
fancy graphical efects. You’ll want at
Windows overall Average speed across numerous demanding tasks least 30fps for smooth racing.
Multitasking Speed when running simultaneous applications
Dirt Showdown Frames per second at 1,280x720, 4xAA, TOMB RAIDER
(720p) High detail
MOTHERBOARDS With the ultra-demanding Super-
Windows overall Average speed across numerous demanding tasks Sampling Anti-Aliasing (SSAA) enabled,
Multitasking Speed when running simultaneous applications 2013’s Tomb Raider reboot is a great
BUSINESS BUY
Dirt Showdown Frames per second at 1,920x1,080, 4xAA, The very best products
indicator of mid-range performance.
(1080p) Ultra detail for work win our
Dirt Showdown Frames per second at 1,280x720, 4xAA, Business Buy award.
(720p) High detail METRO: LAST LIGHT REDUX
GRAPHICS CARDS
Our most demanding graphics test
Dirt Showdown Frames per second at 1,920x1,080, 4x MSAA,
(1080p) Ultra detail uses tessellation, SSAA and massive
Tomb Raider Frames per second at 1,920x1,080, SSAA, Ultra detail textures to give even high-end cards a
Metro: Last Light Frames per second at 1,920x1,080, SSAA, thorough workout.
Redux Very High detail
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PRODUCT INDEX
Product Reviews
Our guide to all the products reviewed
129
in this month’s Computer Shopper
Hot Product
revi
Acer Chromebook 14
ews
Nvidia GeForce (2018) 36
RTX 2080 Ti 22 Lenovo Yoga 530 38
PCs Displays
Scan 3XS Gamer RTX 24 Asus ROG Swit PG27UQ 39
Acer Aspire S 24 26 Sony Xperia XZ3 48
Printers
Canon Pixma TS8250 40 Motorola Moto E5 Play 50
Components
Intel Core i9-9900K 28
Audio Software
Asus ROG Maximus XI
UE Boom 3 42 Apple macOS 10.14
Hero WiFi 30 JBL Xtreme 2 43 Mojave 52
Storage Home Cinema
Crucial BX500 32 LG OLED65B8 44 PC Cases
Cooler Master Cosmos
Laptops Handhelds C700M 80
Microsot Surface Go 34 Apple iPhone XS Max 46 Cooler Master Masterbox
K500 81
Wearables
Apple Watch Series 4 90
Fitbit Versa 91
Fossil Q Control 92
Garmin Forerunner 235 93
Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro 94
Moov Now 95
Samsung Galaxy Watch 96
CALL 0330 333 9493 OR SEE PAGE 120
Withings Steel HR Sport 97
www.drivingelectric.com
GETTING STARTED
The download instructions on the card
insert (opposite) show you how to
connect to the download site. Make
SoftMaker Office NX Home
sure you type in the web address exactly OFFICE NX HOME is a powerful
as shown. You’ll need your coupon code
productivity suite, providing an alternative
the first time you log on to the site.
to Microsot Office while keeping
ANY PROBLEMS compatibility with its key file types.
If you need help with any of the
sotware this month, please send an
The package includes a word processor
email to support@creativemark.co.uk. (TextMaker), a spreadsheet (PlanMaker)
We check this inbox regularly. Please and a presentation tool (SotMaker),
include the issue number of the
magazine and your coupon code.
and each of these can open both the
old-style and Office 365/2010 files for
WHY DOWNLOADS
In order to provide us with free their equivalent Microsot application
sotware, publishers now require us to (DOC and DOCX, XLS and XLSX, PPT
ofer the applications as a download
and PPTX, and so on). Conversion is
and require online registration. You
need to use the unique code printed in reasonably accurate, too, although
the box on the card insert to register there are occasional problems with
and download the sotware in this
more complex documents.
issue. The unique code means we
stop the deals leaking online, so only If you’re not a fan of the Microsot Office UI, this instead. There’s even a dark UI to match
Shopper readers get the sotware. then the SotMaker Office interface may appeal, Windows 10’s ‘dark mode’.
NO CODE?
as it ofers a classic style (a ribbon is available as The suite also has lots of useful extras, including
If you don’t have the card insert with the an option) to the more conventional menus a handy Export to PDF option on every File menu,
unique code, you must buy the £4.99 and toolbars. You also get the standard Microsot and the ability to be installed on a USB flash drive.
‘Free Sotware’ print version of the
magazine. If you have this edition and
Office flat-designed theme interface if you prefer The commercial version of Office NX Home
still don’t have a card, please contact gives you a whole host of additional features in
REQUIREMENTS Windows 7, 8, 10, 300MB hard disk space
leters@computershopper.co.uk.
WEBSITE www.softmaker.com
comparison to the Free version. We’re ofering
NOTES Get your registration code at softmaker.com/go/officenx1. you a whole year’s subscription to Office NX
REGISTER YOUR SOFTWARE Includes a one-year subscription
Home to take advantage of the additional content.
BY 13th DECEMBER 2018
Steganos Safe 19
STEGANOS SAFE IS a versatile tool that aims to If that’s still not enough, you can even create a
protect your most important files in a secure ‘hidden safe’, where a small safe (less than 3GB) is
encrypted vault. You could create this vault on a hidden inside an audio or video file. Snoopers might
system drive, but it’s also possible to use an external see an MPEG on your USB drive, for example, and
drive or USB key, enabling you to keep your files be able to play it as usual, but only you will also be
safe as you carry them around. able to access the data it contains.
The vault is protected by a password, and Cloud storage support enables you to use
Steganos Safe will warn you if your chosen password Safes with your Dropbox, Microsot OneDrive or
isn’t secure. Alternatively, you Google Drive accounts.
could use the built-in Set this up and your data
password generator to is encrypted in the cloud,
automatically create one so even if the provider gets
that’s truly tough to crack. hacked there’s still no way
Once your vault is anyone can access your files.
generated, it’s available in Steganos Safe completes
Windows Explorer, and acts its feature set with a
REQUIREMENTS Windows 7, 8, 10, like any other folder. The key comprehensive shredder,
30MB hard disk space
diference is that your data is securely deleting any
WEBSITE www.steganos.com
NOTES Get your registration code at encrypted as it’s saved, remnants of confidential files
www.steganos.com/specials/ ensuring only someone with on your hard disk to ensure
computershopper0119/safe19
the password can gain access. they can’t be recovered later.
Auslogics BoostSpeed 10
AUSLOGICS BOOSTSPEED IS a comprehensive application histories, and explore your drive to see
suite of tools that will improve performance in just which folders are consuming the most space. The
about every area of your PC’s operations. excellent Auslogics Disk Defrag will then rearrange
If your system is slow to boot, for instance, the your files to deliver the best possible performance.
Startup Manager can locate and disable unnecessary There are plenty of useful bonus functions, too.
Windows startup programs, Explorer extensions and These include modules to undelete files, discover
more. BoostSpeed can highlight ‘dangerous’ items, and fix hard disk problems, view system information,
programs it believes may be spyware, for an securely shred data or wipe entire disks to make sure
additional security benefit. any personal data they contained has gone forever.
BoostSpeed also makes it easy to speed up a If browsing all these modules sounds too much
sluggish hard disk. There are tools to remove junk like hard work, you can simply launch a System Scan
and letover files, clear your web, Windows and and BoostSpeed will automatically and quickly
identify Registry problems,
letover hard disk junk, file
fragmentation and more, fixing
all identified problems with a
single click.
Alternatively, System Advisor
can scan your PC for unwanted
programs, surplus services and
misconfigured setings,
recommending tweaks and
automatically applying them
on demand.
This latest build also brings a
host of smaller improvements
to enhance the program’s
efectiveness, fix bugs and
REQUIREMENTS Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10,
75MB hard disk space improve configurability, and
WEBSITE www.auslogics.com generally ensure it does an
NOTES Get your registration code at even beter job of helping your
boostspeed10.disc.computershopper.co.uk
PC run at its best.
Customisation
NEW VERSION iolo System Mechanic Windows 8 UX Pack 9.1
Free 18.0.1 Speed up your system with Get a glimpse of the Windows 10 UI without
iolo’s PC optimisation suite. commiting to a full OS upgrade.
Rainmeter 4.2 Windows 10 Transformation Pack 7.0
Customise the desktop with your choice Bring some of Windows 10’s new features
of tools and shortcuts. to your current operating system.
Windows 8 Transformation Pack 9.1 Winstep Xtreme 18.8
Emulate the look of Windows 8 on an Freshen up your system with this suite of
earlier version of the operating system. desktop and UI replacement applications.
General
Genie Timeline Free 2017 10.0.1.100 Screenshot Captor 4.29 Create and manage
Protect your most valuable files with this screenshots the easy way.
easy-to-use backup tool. UPDATED SUMo 5.8.2.404 Quickly scan your
Paragon Partition Manager 16 Free PC’s installed applications and find any
Create, format, split, merge and reorganise updates that are available for them.
all your hard disk’s partitions. ZipGenius 6.3.2.3116 A flexible file-
PeaZip 6.6.0 A tremendously powerful compression tool with support for a huge
archive-management tool. number of compressed file formats.
VERDICT
The Cosmos C700M is an eminently customisable
case with a big footprint and a bigger price
VERDICT
This mid-tower’s striking looks will grab your
atention; cooling and ease of use will keep it
NORMALLY WHEN WE’RE sent a Cooler enough space for a 280mm radiator or smaller
Master case for review, it’s some enormous (unfortunately, 360mm radiators are just a
thing like the Cosmos C700M or the tiny bit too tall). The roof of the case provides
MasterCase H500P Mesh White (Shopper an additional two 120mm slots, along with a
364), so it’s nice to see something as convenient magnetic dust filter on the top,
mainstream-friendly as the Masterbox K500. which is easy to remove and clean. There’s
It’s a mid-tower case capable of holding not enough clearance from the motherboard
motherboard sizes up to ATX, so it hits the to also make room for a radiator up here, but
sweet spot where it’s not so big that it takes if you’ve got a 120mm AIO watercooler, you
over your desk or floor but is still spacious could alternatively unscrew the rear fan,
enough for a multitude of hardware. install the radiator in the same place, then
reatach the fan on top of it.
SPIN DOCTOR You could get more extensive cooling
On that note, cooling gets of to an excellent support from a larger, more enthusiast-
start, with dual 120mm intake fans and one leaning chassis such as the Thermaltake
120mm rear exhaust fan; there’s certainly no View 37, but the K500 still manages to ofer
pressing need to buy more. The intakes are decent scope for future upgrades while
equipped with RGB lighting, too, and while granting users a very respectable three-fan
fully seting them up requires faffing around setup right from the start.
with additional cables, they can be easily
controlled with the bundled remote. FILLING TIME
This lighting isn’t the only thing that will Further building-friendliness comes in the Back on the outside, the K500 scores extra
atract atention. The entire front panel has form of a wide, deep main chamber, which points by including two USB3 ports on the
a protruding, angular design to it, which we is almost completely devoid of sharp edges front I/O panel, along with 3.5mm mic and
must say is strangely charming. When cases and annoying litle nooks for screws to get headphone jacks. In a neat touch, the USB3
so overtly aim towards the PC gaming lost in. More importantly, it allows for ports are grey rather than blue, in keeping
crowd, the results oten look naf, overly graphics cards to be a generous 400mm long, with the colour scheme of the chassis itself.
aggressive or both, but this front panel is the same as the Eclipse P350X. The NZXT This case would have benefited from
very well judged, being interesting to look H500’s equivalent clearance of 381mm some more comprehensive cable
at but not embarrassing for an adult to doesn’t seem like that much behind, but it management. There are no deep channels
have in their home. could wind up making the diference if you or easily reusable Velcro strips – just small
It’s not built with the most luxurious of end up with one of the new GeForce RTX metal loops to thread cable ties through.
materials. Most of the K500 is unremarkable cards, which use Nvidia’s largest GPUs yet. Unlike the NZXT H500, there’s no vertical bar
metal, and that front panel is plastic with a CPU cooler clearance, conversely, goes to to hide the chunkiest cables to the right of
metal grill for airflow. Nonetheless, it looks NZXT: the H500 has the space for heatsinks the motherboard, and at the top, the single,
good and doesn’t feel flimsy, especially with and fans to reach up to 165mm tall, whereas tiny routing hole – used for 8-pin power
a full-size tempered glass window jazzing the K500 (and P350X) can only claim 160mm. connectors – is positioned right in the very
things up even more. corner of the chamber. We found that
Storage-wise, the K500 includes when installing a motherboard with a
two 3.5in trays, which can also hold rear I/O cover, it would obscure the
one 2.5in drive each instead. In routing hole, making it tricky to pull
addition, there’s one spare 2.5in the cable through.
mounting bracket, which can be
placed either on the vertical wall of SPECIAL K
the main chamber or on top of the Even with some flaws, the Masterbox
PSU shroud. Unfortunately, this still K500 is our favourite of the three
means you can only install a total of mid-range mid-towers in this group
three storage drives out of the box test. The NZXT H500 is a prety good
(one less than the NZXT H500 or all-rounder but lacks standout features,
the Phanteks Eclipse P350X, both and although the Eclipse P350X has
mid-towers within the £60-£70 range). some beter cable management and
If Cooler Master had been less stingy RGB lighting of its own, it still feels
with the mounting brackets, including prety cheap in places and lacks a
one for every possible position, this pre-installed exhaust fan.
could have been doubled to six. The K500’s problems are simply
Cooling support is beter, even easier to live with, if not outright
discounting the included fans. At the ignore, and the RGB fans and atractive
front are a total of three 120mm slots styling ensure its practicality is
or two 140mm slots, with more than matched with some likeable flair.
VERDICT
It won’t suit more performance-based
setups, but the Satellite Plus is a handsome
candidate for living room PCs
NZXT H500
★★★★★
£70 • From www.scan.co.uk
VERDICT
It’s beter value than most H-series cases, but
the H500 still isn’t NZXT’s best work
IS SOMEONE AT NZXT a Shopper reader? H700i’s nity movable 2.5in trays, which can
We’ve previously complained that the be repositioned on top of the PSU shroud or
component maker’s H700i (Shopper 361) and behind the motherboard tray with relative
H400i (Shopper 363) PC cases had limited ease. Fan support is reasonable for the case’s
their appeal by massively inflating prices via size, too, with room for single 120mm fans at
the inclusion of dubiously useful ‘smart the back and in the roof as well as either two
devices’ – essentially souped-up fan hubs with 120mm or two 140mm fans at the front.
RGB lighting and built-in cooling controls. In Bonus points are also earned for having the
practice, the smart device doesn’t do much a rear and roof mounts already filled with
decent piece of system monitoring sotware pre-installed fans; a lot of sub-£100 cases
can’t do, leaving you with an otherwise good only include a single exhaust fan.
case that costs more than it should.
At least someone who’s aired this grievance WEARING THIN
is being listened to, as you can now buy On the subject of pricing, it’s worth reiterating
NZXT’s latest H-series mid-tower either with that the H500 is £30 cheaper than the H500i,
the smart device (the £100 H500i) or without, as well as less than half the price of the
hence the much cheaper H500. With support flagship H700i (which is, to be fair, a much
for motherboards ranging from Mini-ITX to larger EATX chassis). What, then, could
full-sized ATX, and an even lower price than prevent it from being the H-series case to buy?
the microATX-focused H400i, this chassis The first issue is build quality. To be clear, motherboard there’s a measly two plastic
might be the star all-rounder of the H family. the H500 is structurally sound, but its all-steel routing channels with just a couple of Velcro
construction feels somewhat basic compared straps. The cut-out routing holes are thinner,
A TOUCH OF GLASS to previous NZXT cases. It ratles when you too, and it’s particularly tricky to squeeze a
Unfortunately, a serious of follies gets in the tap it, almost every part of the interior is thin 12V motherboard power cable through the
way, but first let’s consider the H500’s enough to flex, and the plain, grainy finish uppermost hole compared to the H700i.
strengths. It’s a good-looking case, isn’t remotely as nice as, say, the smoother What’s more, as generous as it is to include
simultaneously sharp and understated; a mat panelling of the NZXT S340 Elite the 120mm roof fan, it would have been even
PSU shroud runs down the full length of the (Shopper 351). The Cooler Master Masterbox beter for that fan – or a couple of them– to
interior, hiding the majority of any cables, K500 is similar in this regard, but beter come at the front, for a more efficient cyclical
while a tempered glass side panel lets you disguises its non-premium materials with a airflow. Surprisingly, the front panel can’t be
admire the handiwork of your finished rig. more futuristic, eye-grabbing look. removed, and the only points of air intake are
This is removed by pulling it down vertically, Cable management has also taken a big a strip of dots down the front edge of the
which is slightly more practical than on step back from the H700i. The concealing right side panel and a tiny vent on the
most cases (including NZXT’s), where they vertical bar in the main chamber is still there, underside. Most disappointing of all is the
need to slide backwards – something that albeit noticeably slimmer, but behind the lack of an easily removable dust filter at the
can be difficult if your PC is positioned front, one of our favourite (and
up against a wall. most-used) features on NZXT cases
The main chamber isn’t massive, spanning the past few years.
having a fairly middling CPU height
clearance of 165mm, but its GPU length THIRD-PLACE CASE
clearance of 381mm is great, and NZXT This brings us back to not just the H700i,
has devised a clever new method for but the Source 340 Elite. This older case
installing intake fans and water-cooling costs £10 more than the H500, but
radiators: a 280mm bracket at the besides it being put together a litle
front. This can be removed so you more solidly, it also has one more 2.5in
can screw on the components outside drive bay, two more USB2 ports (the
the case, then simply replace the H500 only has two USB3 connectors)
bracket with everything atached – a bit and our beloved magnetic dust guard. If
like how, when building a PC, you’d that still doesn’t appeal, the Masterbox
install the CPU and RAM on the K500 costs about the same and has
motherboard outside the case before similar features, but includes more fans
adding it all in at once. It’s just a litle and has room for larger graphics cards.
something that makes puting it all There’s nothing stopping you from
together that bit easier. building a quality PC setup with the
Although storage capacity is H500 – as we say, it has its strengths.
nothing special – you can have either It’s just not a very compelling purchase
two 2.5in drives plus three 3.5in drives, when these other two cases are around,
or three 2.5in drives plus two 3.5in regardless of whether it has the smart
drives – the H500 does have the device or not.
VERDICT
It needs an extra fan, but otherwise the Eclipse
P350X is a good-value chassis for ATX builds
PHANTEKS IS NOT a blockbuster name cabled components; with the other two, you’d
like NZXT or Cooler Master, but just have to snip of and replace single-use zip ties
because it’s a less famous brand doesn’t to make these kinds of adjustments.
mean it can’t put out some great kit; the
Eclipse P400S (Shopper 351), for instance, MISSING PIECES
is a great mid-tower. Out of the box, storage capacity tops out
The P350X is ostensibly a slightly at two 3.5in drives and two 2.5in drives,
lower-end chassis, though it takes the Eclipse although both 3.5in trays can hold a 2.5in
line in an even more modern direction than drive instead. This puts the Eclipse P350X
the P400 and P400S, thanks to the addition dead even with the H500 and one ahead of
of built-in RGB lighting. Unlike on, say, the the Masterbox K500. It could have been
Cooler Master Masterbox K500, the lighting even further ahead, as a third 2.5in mounting
doesn’t originate from removable fans but is point exists next to the other two (positioned
part of the chassis itself. Thin, light-up strips on the rear of the motherboard tray), but
run along the top edge of the PSU shroud, as Phanteks just hasn’t seen fit to include the
well as down either side of the front panel; an required bracket for it.
altogether more subtle implementation than As with the K500, which similarly
many RGB-equipped cases go for. withholds mounting brackets, it’s a strangely
Regardless, it’s impressively flexible, and miserly design choice (surely tossing in one
can either be controlled directly from a buton more litle piece of metal wouldn’t raise
on the front I/O panel (cycling through costs that much?) but its omission foists
colours and efects with each press) or made on to users both the expense and hassle of
to sync with Asus Aura and MSI Mystic Light. having to order and install the bracket if customising their own fan configurations,
As long as you’ve got the compatible Asus or they want to add another SSD. meets expectations for a mid-tower. The front
MSI components, this could be a good way Speaking of omissions, there’s a surprising of the case doesn’t stretch to triple 120mm
to compensate for the lack of lighting inside lack of any rear exhaust fan on the Eclipse fans like the Masterbox K500 can, but can
the main chamber proper, where you’d really P350X. There’s a single 120mm unit at the still handle two 120mm or two 240mm fans,
want to show of your build through the front, so at least some cool air gets as well as water-cooling radiators up to
tempered glass side window. introduced, but it’s just as important, if not 280mm long. The top will also take doubled-
more so, to get rid of the hot air produced by up 120mm or 140mm fans, albeit without
EXTENDED CUT the processor, motherboard and graphics room for a radiator, while the empty rear
Oddly, Phanteks claims the Eclipse P350X can card. Until you buy and install another 120mm 120mm slot will accommodate a single fan
support EATX motherboards, but only those fan to act as the exhaust, most of that hot air or a fan/radiator combo.
up to 280mm wide – the standard width for will just sit around inside the case.
EATX boards being 305mm, which will not fit The good news is that overall cooling HEAD-ON APPROACH
in the case’s motherboard tray. However, support, for those who have no issue with However, while it is inconvenient to have to
there’s more than enough room for a provide your own rear fan, these can be
full-size ATX board, as well as microATX found very cheaply, and the price
and Mini-ITX. It’s simply a case of diference between this and the
moving the standofs to line up with H500 and K500 will cover a good
your motherboard’s screw holes. chunk of the cost.
Of the three mid-range ATX cases Also, while we’re not massive fans
we’ve got here, the other two being the of the Eclipse P350X’s plastic front
NZXT H500 and the Masterbox K500, panel – even with the lighting strips,
the Eclipse P350X is arguably the best it’s plasticky in a way that its two rival
for helping keep things neat and tidy. cases aren’t – we like how the two 3.5in
All three have a full-length PSU trays are accessible via removing it.
shroud, but the Eclipse P350X also has This is much quicker than having to
a deep, wide channel behind the main unscrew and slide of the right side
chamber for stashing the front I/O panel, like most tower-style cases
cables and most of the motherboard- require to access their drive trays.
connecting cables too. Because these The Eclipse P350X is a good case,
emerge from cutouts on the side of then, with some cool tricks. The
the channel, it serves the same Masterbox K500, however, is slightly
purpose as the H500’s ‘cable beter – even with its lower drive
management bar’, obscuring most of capacity and a higher price, it’s just
the unsightly wires, and a pair of Velcro more nicely made in general, with a
straps make it very easy to bundle less monolithic look and three times
cables, adjust their slack or add new as many fans, two of which are RGB.
VERDICT
While it doesn’t entirely escape budget limitations,
the Versa H18 is very capable for something so cheap
IF YOU WANT a small PC but perhaps aren’t airflow efect that cools much more
so comfortable building into a truly compact efectively than a single exhaust.
case like the Kolink Satellite Plus, the Versa Second, there’s no storage drive cage
H18 is a great compromise. Besides adopting as such. All 2.5in and 3.5in drives must
a more traditional tower form factor, it’s nice instead be screwed directly on to the
and wide, almost entirely built out of metal, chassis itself, which isn’t unheard of
includes a PSU shroud for tidiness, and can but is generally more of a hassle than
be fited with a good-sized side window: simply being able to drop them into
almost immediately, the Versa H18 positions a removable tray. This is especially
itself as a PC case for those who want more true of the 3.5in mounts, which are
from their budget components than the hidden underneath the PSU shroud.
usual basic, plasticky fare. Capacity is also modest, at two 2.5in
Being a mini-tower, it’s still limited to and two 3.5in mounts, although this is
builds based around either microATX or perfectly acceptable for a mini-tower
Mini-ITX motherboards, but it’s not so tight system, as microATX and Mini-ITX
inside that only the base essentials will fit. motherboards don’t oten come with
CPU cooler clearance comes in at a very more than four SATA ports anyway.
respectable 155mm, and you can use graphics
cards up to 350mm in length. That’s assuming LOOPS, I DID IT AGAIN
you don’t have any fans or radiators installed There’s not much in the way of cable
at the front, but even if you do – knocking of management, however: just a few tiny the entire front side of the Versa H18 is a
a few centimetres – that would still leave loops through which to thread cable ties. layered combination of perforated steel and
room for all but the longest of high-end GPUs. The essential routing holes are all there, if a mesh, so even without an intake fan, there’s
bit small, and without anything like rubber plenty of space for air to pass through.
CHILL OUT grommets to keep cables held in place. The fact that the ports are placed on the
Fan support is also decent for the form factor. Still, even if the Versa H18 is lacking many removable panel section (not the underlying
The top and rear of the Versa H18 can both of the comforts a more expensive PC case chassis) means that when you take it of,
hold a 120mm fan (the only pre-installed fan would provide, it’s all ultimately workable, either to clean the mesh of dust or to install
is, in fact, atached to this backmost mount), and there are some nice extra touches, too. fans and radiators at the front, you also end
while the front can be maxed out with either The front I/O panel, for instance, includes a up pulling on a bundle of wires. It’s therefore
three 120mm fans or two 140mm fans – and relatively generous three USB connectors best to leave a bit of slack on these rather
that means 240mm, 280mm and 360mm (split between two USB2 ports and one than cable-tying them as tightly as possible,
radiators will fit as well. A rectangular hole is USB3 port), plus separate 3.5mm microphone otherwise the panel simply won’t come away.
cut into the PSU shroud so that the whole of and headphone jacks. What’s more, almost
the front panel is accessible for SMALL REWARD
such upgrades, and we didn’t This design hiccup is at least
have any problems geting the made up for by the Versa H18’s
radiator and atached fans of a appreciably grown-up looks.
Cooler Master MasterLiquid Boxy in a good way, it’s neither
ML240R RGB to slip inside. tacky nor dull – like a lot of
In other words, it quickly entry-level cases – and the
becomes apparent that despite window/shroud combo allows
this being an entry-level case, for a clean build you can admire
it’s very possible to construct a any time. Thermaltake also
potent, potentially liquid-cooled makes a version with a full
system in the Versa H18. There tempered glass side panel,
are, however, some issues – or, although besides being more
perhaps more accurately, expensive, we can currently only
omissions – to be wary of. find this at US retailers.
For one, it’s a shame that only Regardless, this acrylic-
a single 120mm fan is included. windowed model ends up easy
Granted, it’s not as though there’s to recommend to budget buyers.
a huge cavern of space for this Many of its problems are part
one fan to keep cool all by itself, and parcel of geting a tower case
but particularly for first-time for such litle cash, and the Versa
builders it would have been H18 nails the fundamentals,
extremely handy to have at least resulting in a smart-looking litle
one intake fan at the front as case that’s easy to build a
well. This could create an in-out well-specced system inside.
THERMALTAKE View 37
★★★★★
£103 • From www.scan.co.uk
VERDICT
Bigger and beter equipped than its predecessor,
the View 37 is a supremely practical EATX chassis
WE STILL REMEMBER the View 27 catching couple of RGB controllers, but this adds
our eye a whole two years ago, when the an unappealing £60 to the price.
Cyberpower Ultra Elite FX system (Shopper Stuffing in larger radiators and more
347) arrived within it. It was hard not be taken fans might force you to remove the
with its distinctive ‘gull-wing’ side panel, which three-bay drive cage, but such
wrapped a curved acrylic window around the modularity is hardly a fault. The vertical
top let edge of the PC so you could peer in graphics card riser can also be taken out,
from the top as well as from the let. should you be happy with a single GPU.
The new View 37 isn’t so much a Speaking of which, one upside of the
refinement of this idea as an expansion of it. View 37’s considerable proportions is
The entirety of the curvy panel is now acrylic, that it can fit monster graphics cards up
rather than being a partially metal panel with to 410mm long, as well as large tower-
a window, so you can see all the way down to style CPU fans up to 180mm in height.
the PSU bay. It’s also significantly larger than Liquid cooling is also welcomed; again,
the View 27, measuring 525x261x538mm – the drive cage must be removed if you’re
that’s 22mm taller, 60mm wider and 59mm going to be installing the pipes and
deeper. As a result, the View 37 can now reservoir of an open-loop system, but
accept EATX motherboards, as well as ATX, AIO watercoolers can be installed easily.
microATX and Mini-ITX boards.
TRAYS ON END
ANOTHER ONE OPENS The potential loss of this cage wouldn’t
This bulking-up hasn’t spoiled the View 37’s even cripple the View 37’s ability to hold
style. Even if it’s mostly made of what is hard disks. In addition to these three trays
essentially plastic, to our eyes this is easily (which can alternatively hold 2.5in drives), the includes two USB2 and two USB3 ports, more
one of the most interesting-looking PC rear side of the motherboard tray is covered than enough for most users. The front panel
cases around, and not in the way that might in mounting brackets: four in total, each of is solid plastic, but vents have been cut down
make you feel embarrassed to show to which could hold either one 3.5in drive or two either side to allow air to reach the intake fan.
non-enthusiast friends. 2.5in drives apiece. That’s an enviable
The best thing about the panel, however, potential total of 11 drives, even more than DOWN TO THE WIRES
is the practical benefit. Functionally, removing the gigantic Cooler Master Cosmos C700M. The only real disappointment is a lack of
it also removes the PC’s roof, which on most There are no 5.25in slots, which you get on high-end cable management features.
tower builds can be an obstruction, both to Cooler Master’s ultra-high-end chassis, but Not that this has been ignored: there are
light and your hands, especially when the I/O panel is still decent: Thermaltake grommeted routing holes to keep cables in
tinkering with things near the top of place, with three sets of two
the motherboard such as power positioned side by side. This helps
pins and the CPU cooler. On the the cables thread through as
View 37, this obstruction is gone close to the motherboard as
completely, so it’s easier to see possible, even if you’re using a
what you’re doing without a torch tiny Mini-ITX board. Larger ATX
and easier to get your hands into boards will cover the first column
those litle nooks and crannies. of holes, leaving the second
This comes at the cost of not available. What this system lacks,
being able to install any fans or however, is any kind of channelling
radiators in the roof, but – unlike on to contain the cables before they
the View 27 – this is compensated go through to the main chamber.
for by a series of mounts on the All you can really do is zip-tie them
right side. This is an excellent together and hope they stay put.
addition, with support for 360mm In practice this is a minor
and 420mm radiators and up to letdown among a wealth of
three 120mm or 140mm fans. thoughtful design. Far from just
What’s more, this is matched by being an aesthetically minded
the front panel mounts, and show-of, the View 37 cleverly
surpassed with space for up to enables some painless PC building
two 200mm fans, although out while delivering fully on cooling
of the box, only two 140mm fans and storage support. It’s also a lot
are installed, one at the front cheaper than the Cosmos C700M,
and one at the back. These are proving that you don’t need to
lit up in blue; an RGB Edition is spend silly amounts of money for
also available, and includes a a top-quality EATX chassis.
Model Cosmos C700M Masterbox K500 Satellite Plus H500 Eclipse P350X Versa H18 View 37
HARDWARE
USB2 ports 0 0 0 0 0 2 2
Mic and head- Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
phone jacks
Front panel RGB controls, Reset buton Reset buton Reset buton RGB controls, Reset buton Reset buton
extras fan controls, reset buton
reset buton
Case type Full tower Mid-tower Cube Mid-tower Mid-tower Mini-tower Mid-tower
Motherboard EATX, ATX, ATX, microATX, Mini-ITX ATX, microATX, ATX, microATX, MicroATX, EATX, ATX,
compatibility microATX, Mini-ITX Mini-ITX Mini-ITX Mini-ITX Mini-ITX microATX, Mini-ITX
Max 2.5in 6 3 4 4 4 4 7
drive bays
Max 3.5in 2 2 3 2 2 2 11
drive bays
Max 5.25in 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
drive bays
Max CPU cooler 198mm 160mm 165mm 165mm 160mm 155mm 180mm
height
BUYING INFORMATION
Warranty Two years RTB Two years RTB One year RTB Two years RTB Five years repair Three years RTB Three years RTB
Prices correct at time of going to press
and replace
VERDICT
It’s been encouraging to see good cases at such a wide range of plenty more about its curvy, surprisingly practical side window, but
prices. The Thermaltake Versa H18 and Kolink Satellite Plus both the View 37 is far more than a transparent piece of plastic.
ofer high value for less than £50, while the Cooler Master For those who can’t stretch beyond the £100 mark, the
Masterbox K500 and Phanteks Eclipse P350X confidently Masterbox K500 and Versa H18 are our more afordable picks.
represent the mid-range. Cooler Master’s mid-tower is an all-rounder with a lot more visual
Our favourite chassis – the Thermaltake View 37 – is a bit more pizzazz than these types of cases tend to have, and the Versa H18,
expensive, but not to the extent of the Cosmos C700M. In fact, part although not without its shortcomings, delivers bang for your buck
of what makes the View 37 so desirable is that it has the features of that the Satellite Plus just can’t match. That’s not to say Kolink’s
an even pricier PC case, particularly its massive drive capacity, EATX cube lacks appeal; stick to simple internals, and it makes a lovely
motherboard support and heavy-duty fan slot supply. We could rave litle living room system.
Likewise, fitness tracker manufacturers have well. If it appears inaccurate, as is oten the Even fully fledged smartwatches such as
begun producing devices which borrow more case with the Forerunner 235, then you might the Apple Watch Series 4 and Samsung Galaxy
from smartwatches, such as the Fitbit Versa find it worth biting the bullet and just using Watch need to be paired with a smartphone.
– a tracker that can be loaded with apps, play your phone to provide GPS instead. With the Apple Watch, this will need to be
music and, of course, tell you the time. an iOS-based device, and Android isn’t
‘Pure’ fitness trackers still exist, however, CELL OF THE BALL supported; all the other wearables included
and can be a good choice, as the lack of As with any batery-powered kit, the longevity here can work with either iOS or Android.
‘smart’ features can help them stay light, of a smartwatch or fitness tracker will vary
cheap and long-lasting. If you’re specifically wildly depending on how you use it, with GPS ALL SYSTEMS GO
looking for something to wear while being a particular drain. The good news is that You should also take into account the
exercising, and not something to act as your most will last for several days of mixed use diferences between the wearables’ own
everyday watch, it’s still perfectly fine to go before needing to recharge, and the Moov Now operating systems and their accompanying
with a more specialised wearable. – which uses replaceable CR2032 bateries – mobile apps. Smartwatches should ideally be
Regardless of how it can be categorised, a can keep going for up to six months, with the supported by a well-stocked app store and a
wearable should always strive to be thin and drawback of you needing to buy fresh ones. good UI. Apple’s watchOS is arguably the best
light. We find anything that weighs more than To be fair, even with shorter-lasting in this regard, although both Android Wear
about 60g can produce an annoying weighing- wearables, anything that lasts for a day or so OS and Samsung’s Tizen are catching up.
down sensation when exercising, and even will suffice for exercising or simple watch use, Mobile apps are an integral part of fitness
when you’re idle, it’s not nice to be distracted as you can just recharge overnight. The tracking – these are where you’ll find the
by the lump of metal on your wrist. exception would be if you want to try sleep entirety of any data collected by the tracker
Comfort is also afected by things such as tracking, which naturally requires that the itself, and if yours doesn’t have an onboard
strap design and clasp mechanisms. Sot, watch or tracker be worn and powered on display, it’s the only place to find it at all.
flexible straps made from rubber or fabric while you slumber. In this case, only devices We’ll go into more detail on the strengths and
tend to be the most comfortable; metal bands with a multi-day batery life make sense. weaknesses of individual apps in the reviews.
look beter but don’t bend or breathe as well.
We’ll mention in the review if a product has
an uncomfortable design or a fiddly clasp. THE BEST WEARABLES FOR…
Another design trait worth focusing on is
waterproofing. You should never setle for a APPS
fitness tracker or smartwatch that isn’t at
least splash- and sweat-proof, and all the APPLE Watch Series 4
products featured here are fully waterproof to While its fitness-tracking capabilities are formidable, the Apple Watch
varying depths. This is obviously an essential Series 4 truly excels as a versatile smartwatch. This is partly down to its
feature for swim tracking, but it’s good to good looks and highly customisable watch face design, but mainly thanks
have the peace of mind that a sudden rain to it being especially well supported on the apps front.
shower won’t ruin your new toy. Much of the good stuf comes from Apple itself, such as the Music
app that lets you sync iTunes playlists with other devices, but there’s
GLOBAL REACH also a wealth of third-party apps. Email, fitness, to-do lists, sound
With a few exceptions – such as the Garmin recording and even Roseta Stone language tuition, among many
Forerunner 235, which focuses on running – others, can be found on your wrist with just a few taps.
smartwatches and fitness trackers will aim to
cover a variety of activities, and will also track SLEEP TRACKING
more general data such as the number of
steps you’ve taken and your heart rate. MOOV Now
Both general and activity-specific data will What makes the Now such an atractive choice for keeping tabs on
be useful for improving your performance your sleeping paterns isn’t insights provided by the mobile app; the
and maintaining your health, but both are data provided is helpful, but in terms of fine details it’s nothing special
reliant on certain sensing hardware, which compared to most other sleep-tracking apps.
not all wearables will share. The most Instead, it’s all about the hardware. For one thing, the Now itself is
common is a pedometer, which measures never going to get in the way of a snooze: it weighs almost nothing, and
steps taken and distance travelled, while there’s no screen to accidentally wake up and shine light in your face.
altimeters (which measure vertical travel, Best of all is the batery life, which allows for months and months of
oten indicated by an equivalent number of uninterrupted data-gathering during the hours when most other
stairs) and heart-rate monitors are likely – but trackers would be siting on a charger.
not guaranteed – inclusions. The later in
particular is good to have if your goals revolve GENERAL FITNESS
around improving your general health.
Built-in GPS is another feature worth having. FITBIT Versa
Smartwatches and fitness trackers use GPS to This is a tricky one: the Apple Watch, Garmin Forerunner 235 and
more accurately measure distance, as well as Samsung Galaxy Watch all have a similarly comprehensive set of
map your running, walking or cycling routes. tracking tools but with the added benefit of GPS, while the Versa needs
If one doesn’t have integrated support, it can to be tethered to a smartphone. However, Apple’s and Samsung’s
usually piggyback of the GPS capabilities of a smartwatches are heavier, more expensive and less singularly minded
paired smartphone, but this requires you to be on fitness, while the Forerunner 235 is primarily a running watch, and
carrying your phone when you go out its GPS integration could be much beter.
exercising; not ideal, as you don’t want it Besides, buying a Fitbit device also means access to the thriving
bouncing around (or out of) your pocket. Fitbit user community, giving you plenty of sources for support (or
Onboard GPS solves this problem, friendly competition) during your exercising eforts.
although not all GPS tracking works equally
VERDICT
The new Apple Watch is the sleekest and
slickest wearable Apple has ever made
FITBIT Versa
★★★★★
£200 • From www.fitbit.com/uk
m/uk
VERDICT
A versatile smartwatch with four-day batery
life and a compact design, all backed up by
the Fitbit community
SWAP TEAM
The Versa loses out to designer watches for
style as well, despite Fitbit sotening the
corners with a rounding efect. You can
choose between three colours – grey, rose
gold and black – but the greatest degree of you’ll need to bring your phone with you so still fewer than 100 apps from which to
customisation comes from downloadable the Versa can ‘borrow’ its GPS chipchip. choose
choose. There’s a handful of big names –
watch faces and a choice of straps. A silicone Without a phone in the vicinity it still Strava, New York Times, Hue Lights, Yelp –
strap comes in the box, and you can (for atempts to track how far you’ve been but, but in the main the third-party apps are
instance) buy a designer leather strap for naturally, it isn’t as accurate. The good news from individual developers. Most developers’
£50 or a mesh metal one for a rather is that it’s waterproof to 50m, so will track focus appears to be watch faces, with
excessive £70. Fitbit is doing its best to laps, calories burned and so on in the pool. hundreds on ofer to suit everyone from the
create the versatile black dress of watches, data obsessed to the minimalist.
transformed by accessories, and make a MOTIVATIONAL TALK The other app of note is for the music-
bit of cash on the side. While it has many elements of a fitness subscription service Deezer. This allows you
One inevitable consequence of dropping watch, the Versa is best thought of as a to synchronise playlists to your watch, and
down in size is a smaller batery, which is why lifestyle watch: one that not only fits in with with room on the watch for up to 300
the Versa lasts just over four days on a single your lifestyle, but also aims to improve it. songs you should have enough variety for
charge compared to the Ionic’s five days. That For instance, by default it nags you every several workouts. Deezer costs £10 per
seems a sensible compromise, not least hour to get up and do some steps. month, however, so you may prefer to take
because Fitbit’s batery life claims are true In that same spirit of life improvement, manual control and download your own
– judging by our week with the Versa – and there’s a Relax app that’s suspiciously tracks to the device instead.
that it recharges in under two hours. There’s reminiscent of the Apple Breathe app, and
even a neat charging station you can slip the you’re encouraged via the Fitbit phone KEEPING IT CASUAL
Versa onto, although this is (yet another) app to join its community of users for One premium-grade feature that hasn’t
proprietary charger from Fitbit and encouragement and support. been jetisoned is the NFC chip, which enables
incompatible with the Ionic. The watch’s Fitbit OS is incredibly easy to the Fitbit Pay app for contactless payments.
To keep the batery life high, the screen use. It supports all the usual smartwatch But don’t get excited: currently, only two
is of most of the time. You can activate it notifications – emails, texts, phone calls – and minor banks support it in the UK.
with a vigorous flick of the wrist, but we it’s obvious what action you need to take to While some small gripes mean it isn’t as
found this only worked about half of the silence a notification or respond. Navigation is slick as the Apple Watch, the Fitbit Versa
time; oten, we had to press a buton to mainly performed via swiping and pressing comes surprisingly close. Keen runners and
check the time instead. The 300x300 screen the big Home buton on the let of the screen, cyclists will be beter served by a GPS-
is lovely and bright, however, when you do but there are also two physical butons on the equipped tracker, but the Versa is something
manage to activate it. right that can be used in certain situations. you can wear every day without being
As the lack of GPS indicates, this isn’t a You shouldn’t expect a huge app store conscious of the lump of silicon, glass and
bona fide fitness watch. If you want to track to rival Apple’s. Fitbit only opened up its plastic on your wrist. With Fitbit’s community
your run or bike ride down to the last metre, SDK to developers last year, and there are to back it up, it’s a great buy at £200.
FOSSIL Q Control
★★★★★
£179 • From www.fossil.com
VERDICT
The Q Control is Fossil’s first fitness-
focused smartwatch, but it lacks several
key tracking features
MAINLY BY VIRTUE of including a Checking your heart rate can also feel
heart-rate monitor, the Q Control is like a chore, as you need to go all the
Fossil’s first Android Wear device to be way into the Google Fit app instead
described as a ‘Sports Smartwatch’. of just consulting a widget.
How, then, does it compare to other One of the few points in the
fitness-minded wearables such as Q Control’s favour is that it’s
the Apple Watch? waterproof to 5ATM, or
For one, it’s no less nice-looking. approximately 50m. There’s no
The chunky steel casing exudes a swimming mode in the Fit app,
certain degree of style and but you can keep track of your
sophistication, just as you’d expect pool workouts with the third-
from a brand that’s associated with party app MySwimPro.
fashion accessories. Once it’s on your The Q Control’s Snapdragon
wrist, however, you might become Wear 2100 chip and 768MB of
less enthusiastic about the chunky RAM is speedy enough to keep
design as it’s quite weighty, which isn’t everything running smoothly, but
ideal when you’re taking it out on a run. unfortunately, batery life was another
The optical heart-rate sensor does at letdown. Fossil estimates it lasting ‘all day’,
least sit flush with the back of the casing, and this is prety much spot on; if you
meaning it won’t become any more charge it overnight, the batery should last
uncomfortable when you leave it on until the following evening, but there’s no
your wrist for hours at a time. way it will make it through the night.
On the bright side, Android Wear is a
WHAT GOES AROUND prety good OS, though there’s no NFC for
To control the watch, there’s a 1.4in full- wireless payments, as you get on many other
colour OLED touchscreen and one buton Wear smartwatches. Agenda, Contacts, Fit,
on the right side, which lets you hop Keep Reminders and Weather are useful
between the app drawer and the home preinstalled apps that help you keep on top of
screen. The screen’s 450x450-pixel daily tasks without having to always reach for
resolution looks good, but an air gap your phone. The Android Wear Play Store is
between the front glass panel and the also much beter stocked with third-party
display means that it falls short of greatness. Like most smartwatches today, the Q apps than Samsung’s Galaxy Apps store, so
Another method of navigation comes via Control automatically logs metrics including you can install Telegram, Messenger, Strava
the watch’s ‘virtual touch bezel’, which lets step count and heart rate. These can be easily and Runtastic, among many others.
you scroll through apps, notifications or viewed via the Google Fit app, where you can Google Assistant is another boon. Just
emails without swiping up and down on the also set specific fitness goals. long-press the watch’s buton and you can
touchscreen. However, we rarely found When you want to log a workout manually, send a message, get directions with Google
ourselves using it, as in practice it doesn’t you just open the aptly named Fit Workout, Maps or start tracking your heart rate or run.
actually prevent errant fingers covering the which lets you choose from an enormous list
screen. Notably, Garmin found an excellent of activities, from cycling and running to LOST CONTROL
workaround for this problem with the strength training and downhill skiing. That’s not to say that Android Wear is
Vivoactive 3 (Shopper 362), placing a touch Unfortunately, because there’s no built-in perfect. The music controls worked really
panel on the side of the casing. GPS, you’ll need to have your phone if you well when playing Spotify from a phone, but
The Q Control uses a 20mm black silicone want to track your movements precisely. whenever we tried playing a song directly
strap, so you can easily swap it out when it This is a slightly less galling omission now that from the watch, the Spotify app simply
wears out or if you want to add a bit more the Q Control’s price has plummeted from wouldn’t play ball. The Q Control’s 4GB of
character. We found the strap comfortable, £270 to £179, but it’s still saddening when the built-in storage will let you store music
and there are plenty of notches for both Forerunner 235 ofers GPS tracking for similar offline, but only using Google Play Music.
bigger and smaller wrists. cash, even if it is prone to inaccuracies. The Q Control is a great-looking watch,
Fossil’s website claims that the Q Control but unfortunately, that’s where our
uses wireless charging, but in reality what BROKEN HEART endorsements end. It’s a minimally featured
you get is a small four-pin magnetic There’s also no barometric altimeter, so you and oten unreliable fitness aid, and a flawed
charging pad, on top of which you perch can’t count steps, and that heart-rate monitor everyday smartwatch as well. Android Wear
the Q Control. We ended up wishing for a – a first for Fossil smartwatches – is one of ofers plenty of great smart features and a
traditional charging cable: on three separate the worst we’ve ever used. For starters, it’s strong range of third-party apps, but to
occasions, we thought we’d let the device terribly inaccurate, somehow only measuring really compete with the current crop of
charging, only to come back and find its a peak of 90bpm during a brisk bike ride sporty smartwatches, the Fossil Q needs to
batery still totally empty. yet jumping to 200bpm at the end of it. ofer much, much more.
VERDICT
The Forerunner 235 ofers oodles of options,
but accuracy can be of the mark
VERDICT
It improves on its predecessors in nearly
every way, but the Ticwatch Pro falls down
in one crucial area: performance
EXTREME MAKEOVER
However, the Ticwatch E and S both lack the
kind of high-end build quality you’d expect
from bigger names such as Apple and Fitbit,
and neither model supports contactless
payments via NFC. Mobvoi has managed to is really low, you can also activate Essential three extra days of batery life to around a
right both these wrongs with the Ticwatch Mode and squeeze out a few extra days’ use. day and a half of normal use.
Pro, which is an altogether more robustly There is one downside to cramming in all Wear OS takes full advantage of this
designed smartwatch, swapping plastic for these new materials and features: the tiered display by integrating it into Mobvoi’s
stainless steel and introducing a ‘hybrid’ Ticwatch Pro weighs a mighty 78g with the own fitness apps. Whereas there was no
strap that’s silicone on the underside but strap atached, which is not far of double reason to use these instead of the Google-
covered with strips of leather. the 42g weight of the Ticwatch E. Even so, developed equivalents on the Ticwatch E and
There’s still no altimeter, but the watch has the Ticwatch Pro is surprisingly comfortable S, here the details of your workout can be
built-in Wi-Fi, GPS and an optical heart-rate thanks to its silicone strap and smooth kept on the low-energy LCD, giving you the
sensor, and while the Ticwatch Pro runs the stainless steel casing. There’s a slight essential data without puting unnecessary
same Wear OS 1.3 operating system as its protrusion where the optical heart-rate strain on the batery. The Ticwatch Pro is an
siblings, it’s built around the beter-known sensor is positioned, but this didn’t create accurate fitness tracker, too, with generally
Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 chip. any discomfort in our experience. spot-on GPS and a heart-rate sensor that
Waterproofing, meanwhile, has improved to consistently provided readings in line with
meet the IP68 standard, meaning you can TWO FACED what we expected.
submerge it in 1.5m of fresh water for up to It’s also not as stylish as the Apple Watch Google Assistant is also supported, for
half an hour. That said, Mobvoi itself doesn’t Series 4 or even cheaper watches like the convenient voice controls, and NFC finally
recommend that you swim with it, and there Fitbit Versa, but where the Ticwatch Pro enables the use of Google Pay. This remains
are no dedicated swimming tracking features has its flashier rivals beaten is the dual- a much beter payments app, in terms of
to speak of, so the waterproofing is mainly to screen display. how many banks support it, than Garmin
cover showers and accidental drops. It’s a clever concept, not least because it Pay and Fitbit Pay.
Broadly speaking, the styling of the lets you check the time without having to set
Ticwatch Pro mimics that of the Ticwatch S, the power-sucking OLED display to always-on. INACTIVE LIFESTYLE
with second numbers marked on the bezel As well as being more energy-efficient, the Sadly, one area in which we found the
around the edge of the watch face. However, FSTN LCD is also more easily visible in bright Ticwatch Pro distinctly underwhelming was
unlike the cheaper model, the Ticwatch Pro light. One downside is that the OLED times performance. The Snapdragon Wear 2100
has two butons on its right side as opposed out ater a few seconds if you don’t touch it, doesn’t turn out to be much of an upgrade
to one buton on the let. One of these which can oten feel too soon, and we at all; to give just one example, opening
opens the app list and doubles as a back couldn’t find an option to change this. Google Play Music took several seconds
buton, while the other is a dedicated However, a definite perk is that when the longer on the Ticwatch Pro than it did on
shortcut to Mobvoi’s Fitness app. Ticwatch Pro is running low on batery, it the Ticwatch S, and even in more general
The biggest change is the layered display, enables Essential Mode, where only the use, the newer model just feels sluggish.
which comprises a basic FSTN LCD display low-energy screen is used. You can’t check This is, unfortunately, a crucial point to
stacked on top of an OLED panel. This your notifications or use apps in this mode, stumble over. Unless performance is
innovation lets you check the time and date, although it still measures your heart rate significantly improved by sotware updates,
along with your step count at a glance, and at least you can tell the time until you’re beter of sticking with the cheaper
without needing to wake the power-hungry you get the chance to charge the watch Ticwatch E or S – a shame, as the Pro is
OLED screen underneath. When the batery again. We found that Essential Mode adds packed with improvements otherwise.
MOOV Now
★★★★★
£45 • From www.amazon.co.uk
VERDICT
It’s only a simple tracker, but the Now’s
unique technology and coaching set it apart
VERDICT
Samsung’s most accomplished smartwatch yet,
but some of the new features could be beter
ON THE TURN
The Gear series’ rotating bezel is here as well,
and still works brilliantly at scrolling through
menus and apps without your finger geting in
the way. The screen, too, is a familiarly superb
360x360, 1.3in AMOLED efort.
There’s also a smaller 42mm Galaxy Watch
model, which might appeal to those with small
wrists, but it’s still chunkier than the Gear a par with Samsung’s own estimate of seven more, practically every command you use
Sport (Shopper 361), so you’ll be disappointed days. Notably, that’s just for the 46mm model; requires permissions the first time you use it.
if you specifically wanted an Android- the 44mm model is only rated at four days, Voice recognition seems less sophisticated,
compatible smartwatch that competes with although that would still be very good. too, with Bixby sometimes requiring a name
the Apple Watch Series 4 on sheer slimness. be said several times (and for that name to
Like the Gear Sport, the Galaxy Watch HITS THE SPOT be tapped on the screen) before the Galaxy
features swim tracking and waterproofing to The Galaxy Watch runs Samsung’s own Tizen Watch would send a message or start a call.
50m – both big improvements on the Gear S3. operating system, and interfaces with the The Tizen UI is largely unchanged, however.
However, Samsung only recommends pool Samsung Galaxy Wearable and Health phone You still access the watch’s various widgets by
swimming rather than more extreme pursuits apps. All three work well enough, and the turning the bezel or swiping across the screen
such as scuba diving or waterskiing. Tizen platform is clearly very power efficient. let to right, and the watch’s apps list can be
Elsewhere, not a huge amount is new However, the downside of Tizen is that it opened by pressing the botom-right buton.
about the Galaxy Watch in terms of what you doesn’t ofer a huge selection of third-party Although this is all perfectly functional, it
can do with it. Automatic activity detection, apps. Spotify is the one major exception to comes up short when compared with Apple’s
stress tracking and sleep tracking are all this rule; unlike Wear OS and Apple’s brilliantly streamlined WatchOS UI, where you
features we’ve seen in Samsung wearables WatchOS, which only let you store music can now display up to eight complications on
before, and they’ve been included again here. offline in Google Play Music and Apple Music a single watch face and open any app in a
Sleep tracking is limited to summarising respectively, the Spotify app for Tizen is the second or two via the handy grid view.
the time you spend motionless, restless and perfect companion for runners who want to It’s not that Tizen doesn’t work well; on the
sleeping lightly, as well as giving you an leave the house without their phone but still contrary, it’s mostly highly intuitive, but with
efficiency score. We found it oten failed to accompanied by their favourite soundtrack. anything that’s more than a couple of taps or
measure diferent sleep stages, saying it The only significant limitation is that swipes away, it’s easy to end up forgeting the
‘couldn’t get a consistent heart-rate reading’. the Galaxy Watch still has a mere 4GB of feature exists and simply end up not using it.
The stress tracking feature is more at the storage, which means there’s enough space
forefront than before. It now automatically to save your favourite playlists, but you’ll SPACE AGE
detects when you’re too stressed and invites need to perform more regular housekeeping Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Watch improves
you to carry out breathing exercises to of what’s stored offline than you might on on the Gear S3 in every conceivable way.
combat this. Unfortunately, this too needs the Apple Watch, which has 16GB of storage Batery life in particular is stellar, and the
work: we never received a notification even on the Series 4 models. watch also fills the only significant hole in the
at times of moderately high stress. One noteworthy sotware change on the Gear S3’s feature set: swim tracking. Bar a few
Thanks to its new dual-core 1.15GHz Galaxy Watch’s sotware is the addition of annoying bugs, it’s a brilliant smartwatch,
Exynos 9110 processor, the Galaxy Watch is the Bixby voice assistant, replacing S Voice, especially if you have an Android phone and
more than sufficiently zippy, especially next to but we can’t say we’re impressed by it. thus can’t use the Apple Watch.
Snapdragon Wear 2100-powered watches Where you can launch Siri on the Apple At the same time, anyone who can opt for
such as the Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro. It seems to Watch by simply liting the device to your the Apple Watch should get that instead.
be a very efficient chip, as we comfortably got mouth, Bixby needs the screen to be turned While the Galaxy Watch makes many steps
a full working week’s use between charges. on before it will recognise its wake word and, forward, it’s still behind the best of the best,
That’s well ahead of the Apple Watch, and on even then, it can be a litle flakey. What’s especially on the sotware side.
WITHINGS
Steel HR Sport
★★★★★
£190 • From www.withings.com
withings.com
VERDICT
This athletic redesign of the Steel HR
res
gains a host of atractive new features
AFTER BEING BOUGHT by Nokia in The last big new feature is that
2016 and sold back to a co-founder the Steel HR Sport will now give
in 2018, you might have thought you a ‘fitness level assessment’
Withings would step back and via VO2 max estimation – a
consolidate before launching itself measurement you only usually
back into the harum-scarum of get on more serious fitness
the wearables market. Yet it’s tracking wearables. Slightly
wasted no time at all, recently annoyingly, this assessment is
launching the fitness-focused only delivered ater you go for a
onl
Withings Steel HR Sport. 10-minute
10- (or longer) run, but it’s
eel
Based strongly on the Nokia Steel nice to have nonetheless.
HR, which was also released in 2018, Plus,
Plu of course, there’s all the stuf
the Steel HR Sport adds much-needed ed that made
m the Nokia Steel HR so good
e,
extra features and ramps up the style, in the first place. You get continuous
but follows a similar template to the firm’s heart-rate monitoring that updates every
previous wearables. 10 minutes w when you’re not exercising for a
view of your resting heart rate (it updates
FORM AND FUNCTION every second during workouts).
Just like the regular Steel HR, the Sport It also has sleep tracking, which keeps
model is a watch first and a smartwatch
twatch tabs on your heart rate and how much
or fitness tracker second. It has a stylish, deep and liglight sleep you get in a night,
understated physical watch face with ith awarding you a ‘sleep quality score’
analogue hour and minute hands and d an aterwards. This appears to be mostly
analogue sub-dial to show progress to accurate, although
altho it thought we’d gone
your daily step count target. It also has back to sleep
slee one morning when in fact we
a small, circular monochrome OLED support for apps, which wasn’t available with were simply siting in bed. Still, if you notice
screen that shows more detailed info the Steel HR for nearly a year ater launch. this happening it’s prety easy to edit sleep
such as notifications. Paired to a smartphone, the Steel HR Sport events, and alter start and finish times.
It’s a classy-looking device, the idea behind was able to notify us of new email, Slack Despite all the new features, the Steel HR
which is not only to look like a normal watch messages and Twiter notifications, where the Sport still lasts for ‘up to 25 days’ per charge
but also to ofer much beter batery life than original Steel HR was limited to texts, calendar according to the specifications. The more
regular smartwatches. It tracks your steps, and calls. You can pick and choose which apps you use it for exercise tracking, the less time
your sleep and your heart rate, is waterproof to block and which to allow, in case you get the batery will last, but ater three-and-a-
to 50m, but doesn’t include built-in GPS, and tired of your watch buzzing every five minutes. half days (including around two-and-a-half
its notification-handling isn’t as advanced as The Steel HR Sport is beter at tracking hours of activity tracked), the watch still
on a proper smartwatch. your exercise than the original Steel HR, too. had 68% remaining on the gauge. That’s a
What, then, makes this Sport version First on the list is tethered GPS. Where the brilliant display of endurance.
worth splashing out on? Its looks, for a start, original Steel HR was limited to distance The big weakness is the small number
which are in a diferent stratosphere estimates based on your stride length, the of third-party fitness tracking apps the
compared with most fitness trackers and Sport allows you to track your runs more accompanying Health Mate app connects
smartwatch rivals at this price. It’s available accurately by piggybacking of your to. Only Google Fit (Android), Apple Health
with a white or black face (we prefer the smartphone’s GPS. You’ll need to have the (iOS), MyFitnessPal and Runkeeper were
later, but both look lovely), and comes with a app open on your phone to do this, however, available to us, although it is possible that
stretchy rubber sports wristband in the box. which is a bit of a pain and easy to forget in more will be added in the future.
This pliable design allows you to get the the rush to start a run or a ride.
watch comfortably tight without cuting of WELL FIT
the blood supply to your fingers. KEEPING DISCIPLINES Not everyone wants to wear a watch that
Whether you like the way it looks or not, And that’s not all. There’s also multisport looks like a bulky lump of assorted tech, and
there’s no denying that the Steel HR Sport tracking, which includes swimming, cycling, this delivers a spectacularly good compromise
is a superior smartwatch to the Steel HR, running and even activities such as volleyball, between traditional timepiece design and
as there have been a number of major Zumba, skiing and ice hockey. You can cycle fitness functionality. It looks great, tracks
improvements. The first of these is improved through these on the watch’s tiny screen, more than just steps and lasts ages on a
handling of notifications. The tiny OLED although because there are so many (30 in single charge. It might not deliver full-text
screen is still too small to show the full text total), the number shown on the watch is notifications, and it might be limited
of messages – you only see a snippet, but mercifully restricted to six. You can select compared with fully fledged smartwatches,
it’s enough to tell if you should get your which are displayed through the Withings but it ofers a compelling alternative for
phone out and read more – plus there’s now Health Mate app. those who prefer a more classic look.
Sleep tracking Yes Yes Yes (with third- Yes Yes (with third- Yes Yes Yes
party apps) party apps)
Waterproof Yes (50m) Yes (50m) Yes (50m) Yes (50m) Yes (1.5m) Yes (3m) Yes (50m) Yes (50m)
Weight 48g 38g Not stated 42g 78g 15g 63g 49g
DISPLAY
Display size 1.78in 1.3in 1.4in 1.77in 1.39in N/A 1.3in 1.3
Display OLED LCD LCD LCD LCD + OLED N/A Super OLED
technology AMOLED
SOFTWARE
Mobile OS iOS Android, iOS Android, iOS Android, iOS Android, iOS Android, iOS Android, iOS Android, iOS
support
BATTERY
Batery size 292mAh Not stated Not stated Not stated 415mAh 235mAh (non- 472mAh Not stated
rechargeable
CR2032
bateries)
Batery life 18 hours Four days One day Nine days Five days Six months Seven days 25 days
BUYING INFORMATION
Warranty One year RTB One year RTB Two years RTB One year RTB One year RTB One year RTB Two years RTB Two years RTB
Prices correct at time of going to press
Part code Apple Watch FB505RGPK-EU FTW7000P 010-03717-71 WF12096 M1508-w-mov SM- Steel HR Sport
Series 4 R800NZSABTU
VERDICT
It’s almost a shame that the most finely crated, fully featured in particular benefits from excellent batery life and a very stylish
wearable here is the Apple Watch Series 4 – anyone with an Android look. The Galaxy Watch has beter third-party app support; it’s much
smartphone will be missing out. In itself, however, this latest Apple more of a typical smartwatch in this regard, while the Steel HR Sport
Watch is a masterful mix of slick design, versatile app compatibility is more of a fitness tracker with some smart functionality added in.
and a surprisingly complete suite of fitness tools. We’d have liked it Speaking of which, the Fitbit Versa is another strong example
to have been cheaper, but this is Apple ater all. of the smartwatch/fitness tracker hybrid approach. Fitbit’s activity-
For Android-owning smartwatch fans, the Samsung Galaxy Watch tracking expertise is in full view, naturally, but the onboard FitbitOS
and Withings Steel HR Sport both make great alternatives. The later sotware is remarkably accomplished, too.
L
ife used to be relatively simple, central services that most of us use. You can
with only the odd virus to combat, see why this route has been used: by
which any half-decent security exploiting a big service like Facebook, the
sotware could do. Today, hackers have stolen millions of bits of data,
installing quality security sotware is only which will be valuable to them; writing a
the start of your protection journey. While virus and trying to atack individual
leading sotware, such as our recommended computers just doesn’t yield the same
package Kaspersky Security Cloud Personal, results (although there are still other
can prevent most direct atacks on your reasons to go for specific computers).
computer, they’re all useless when it comes What this means is that a diferent tack
to a greater threat: your online accounts. is required to deal with modern threats.
As we’ve seen from the recent Facebook Thinking outside of your PC and carefully
atack, which has seen up to 90 million planning your approach to security
accounts hacked, security sotware on everywhere is key to protecting your
your home computer can’t do anything personal information. In this guide, we’ll
when the hackers are focusing on atacking show you what to do.
CONTENTS
LOCK DOWN FACEBOOK 102 STAY SAFE ON WI FI 108
CREATE AND MANAGE AVOID SCAMS 109
SECURE PASSWORDS 104
PHYSICAL SECURITY 110
HOW TO USE TWO FACTOR
AUTHENTICATION 106 RECOVER FROM A HACK ATTACK 111
101
BEAT THE HACKERS
Don’t enter real Google has a similar system in place, leting ones that you’ve granted access to.
information for
you log into other services with your Google Select them all and click Remove. You’ll see
account. While Google hasn’t been hacked, if it a dialog box asking if you also want to delete
security questions were (or if your account is hacked), hackers
could then access all the sites linked to your
the posts these services may have created; it’s
up to you whether you want to do this.
or the
Don’t enter the first car you bought account. For this reason, we recommend never The downside of this step is that you’ll
y recovery
name of your first pet for securit using the option to log in with Facebook or now need to create a new account on any of
passwords
questions. Instead, create secure Google, and instead creating a separate the services that you’ve used, but that’s a
ther
(manually or with LastPass or ano account protected by a fresh password. price worth paying.
ead. This
password tool) and enter these inst Ultimately, what the Facebook atack
informa tion that a
increases security and is showed was that it’s a mater of when, not if, Turn of single sign-in
e these
hacker can’t find out or guess. Not one of your internet accounts gets hacked. The next thing to do is turn of the single
ly, so you
answers down somewhere secure
. The goal, then, is to make it as hard as sign-in option, which will prevent other sites
can reference them if needed
possible for hackers to gain access and, in the ever being able to access your information.
Account (you have to be signed into your LastPass icon turns orange, click the icon and
account in Chrome for this to work). you’ll see a warning about it, such as that
This feature lets Chrome create random you’ve used a duplicate password for another
combinations of characters and digits, website. This should be a good wake-up call
autofilling the information when you need it. to change your password for that site.
It’s a good start, and for people that only use
Chrome or Android could be everything you Adding secure passwords
need. However, Chrome passwords don’t with LastPass
synchronise with iOS or macOS. If you want to create a new account on a
The alternative is to switch to a password website, or want to change an insecure
manager such as LastPass. Available for password for a secure one, LastPass can help.
Chrome, Edge, Internet Explorer, Firefox, When you click a password box, LastPass will
Safari, Android and iOS, LastPass can show you a padlock icon with an arrow around
generate secure passwords and autofill them it. Click this for the Generate Password box.
in websites and apps. Cleverly, LastPass Click more options to choose more about the
securely synchronises passwords between password, including length; 12 digits should do
all of your devices, too. ⬆ Before switching to LastPass, you need to wipe all it, just in case you ever have to manually enter
When you first create a LastPass account, of your current Chrome passwords a password. Click the fill buton when done.
you initially need to create a master password. Password generation works when creating
Use the advice above to do this. For safety, Passwords, then click the icon next to a new account or when changing your
write this password down on a piece of paper Saved passwords and choose the Export password on another site. For the later,
and store it somewhere secure, such as a Passwords buton. Choose somewhere on LastPass will update the secure password it
safe or tucked away in the botom of a your computer to save your passwords. has stored.
drawer. That way, if you get stuck, you Next,
Nex click the LastPass icon
know where to look. in Chrome
Chr and choose More
LastPass is free for Options,
Opt Advanced, Import.
basic use, but if you Hide your Select Generic CSV file from
passwords
want to synchronise the drop-down menu.
between diferent device Now browse to the Chrome
types, it’s worth paying You never know who’s looking, passwords
pas file that you
the $2 a month fee for a so cover your key boa rd whe n created
creat earlier and open it in a
premium account. you enter passwords if you ’re text editor (not Excel). Select
Once you’ve finished out and abo ut. This will pre ven t all the
th text and copy it, then
creating your account, an observant person from bein g paste
pas this into the form in
you’ll be prompted to able to steal you r info rma tion LastPass
Las and click the Upload
download the appropriate and break into you r acc oun ts. buton.
but Verify the list of
extension for your usernames
use and passwords,
browser. We’ll show you and then click Import All.
how to configure this LastPass now has all your saved passwords.
with Chrome. To clean up Chrome and stop it from ⬆ LastPass can create secure passwords
remembering future passwords, you need to automatically for you
Manage LastPass in Chrome go to Chrome’s setings again. Go to Clear
Once LastPass has been installed, you’ll see browsing data and click the Advanced tab. Viewing your passwords
an icon next to the address bar in Chrome. Select All time from the drop-down menu There may be times when you have to enter a
Click this and you can log into your account. and then tick the Passwords box. Click Clear password manually. To view the password that
You can choose to remember your username Data. Next, go to the Passwords section of LastPass stored for a site, click on the icon and
and password, but only do this if your Chrome’s Setings menu and turn of the select Open my vault. You can use the Search
computer is securely locked with a password. Ofer to save passwords option. bar to find the site you want a password for.
For maximum security, you should just log in You may want to copy your exported Don’t click the main icon for a website, as this
when you start a new browsing session. Chrome passwords to a USB drive and will open the site, but click the spanner icon to
Next, you can import your usernames and store this somewhere safe, just in case open the edit form. Then click the eye icon
passwords. To do this, you first need to export you need them again. Delete the file from next to the password to reveal it.
your Chrome details. For security reasons, this your computer so that it doesn’t pose a
option is disabled by default. To turn on the security risk. Using LastPass on mobile
option, type Chrome://flags into the address The LastPass mobile app can be download
bar. Find the Password export option and Entering passwords from Google Play or the Apple App Store.
change it to Enabled, then click Relaunch. with LastPass Once signed in, your app pulls down any
In Chrome, click the three vertical butons Next time you go to a website and have to passwords shared in your LastPass account.
and choose Setings from the menu. Click on log in, you’ll see a LastPass icon in both the You can then autofill usernames and
username and password passwords using apps or your phone’s
fields. Click this to show browser (paid-for version only).
a list of usernames for LastPass doesn’t give quite the same options
that site (LastPass can for generating secure passwords directly into
remember multiple mobile browsers, although you can do this
usernames for each site). from the app and manually save a site (see
Select the one you want www.lastpass.com for detailed mobile browser
and LastPass will enter information). For this reason, we find it easier
your information to create accounts using a desktop computer,
⬆ You can enable an option to export your Chrome passwords automatically. If the relying on the mobile version for form filling.
ecure passwords are one thing, but ⬅ Google has a dedicated two-factor
we’ve learnt over the years, it’s more a mater Once you’ve installed the app,
of when your details will be stolen rather than tap the buton to add a new
if. Two-factor authentication (sometimes account. Choose the option to
called multi-factor or two-step) adds an scan a barcode. We’ll show you
additional layer of security to protect you. how to get started with your
As well as entering your password, Google account. Log into Google
two-factor authentication also requires you as usual, then visit the 2-Step
to enter a one-time code. This code typically Verification sign-up page (www.
refreshes every minute, and without this google.com/landing/2step) –
information your account can’t be accessed. 2-Step Verification is Google’s
There are three main ways of generating own name for two factor.
a code: being sent an SMS; using an app on (Android and iOS) is a great choice. With a You can read more on this page about the
your phone; or using a dedicated USB key, LastPass premium account, you can back up benefits and features of 2-Step Verification,
such as the excellent YubiKey 4 (Shopper 354). your code generators to your account, leting or just click Get Started to begin.
The later is the easiest way, but it only works you transfer phones more easily. On the next page, click Start Setup, enter
with the Chrome browser. And having an app a phone number to use for codes (if you
as a backup is essential. entered one at sign-up, Google will autofill the
Use an RFID information), and choose between voice calls
Using the LastPass wallet for cards and SMS. In most cases, it’s best to use a
Authenticator mobile so you can log in on computers when
Codes can only be generated by a single app and keys away from home; a regular non-smartphone
on a single device. So, if you change your will work fine. When you’ve provided a
It’s possible, alth
phone, you have to remember to transfer your ough unlikely, th number, click Send code. On the next screen,
contactless card at your
authentication to a new device, which is s can be charged you’ll need to verify your phone by entering
someone with a by
time-consuming. If that doesn’t bother you, mobile scanner. A the code you received and clicking Verify.
threat is someone bigger
the Google Authenticator app (Android and stealing your car If nothing’s happened ater a few minutes,
scanner. To protec using a
t both, RFID-block
iOS) is a great choice. If you want an easier wallets are a mus ing click Didn’t get the code? to go back a step
t, stopping any sig
way to transfer to a new phone (or restore to or from your ca nal and resend it or change your setup.
rds and keys.
your information should you lose your Once your phone has been verified, 2-Step
handset), then the LastPass Authenticator Verification has been enabled for your
Cover your
webcam
t want
ebcam, you don’
If you’ve got a w A small
m eo ne to hack it to spy on you.
so will do
laptop’s webcam
bit of tape over a at you’re
plug webcams th
the trick, and un
cebook’s
not using. Even Fa
covers his
Mark Zuckerberg
t crazy to
webcam, so it’s no
pe of
think that this ty
hack happens.
⬆ You can turn on multi-factor authentication to
protect your LastPass account
account. When you next log in, you’ll be sent a ⬆ You need backup codes just in case you lose your
code to your phone, although you can choose phone. Each code can be used only once these steps again to configure Authenticator
to trust a device for 30 days; this means you’ll on your new handset.
only be prompted for a code once a month. them somewhere safe: if you ever lose your For LastPass, go to your desktop computer
If you want to use the Authenticator app phone, you can use one of these codes to log and open your browser. Select the LastPass
(available in the Apple App Store or Google into your account. extension and choose Open My Vault.
Play store) to generate codes, click Setup When you get a new phone, you’ll need Click your user account (top right) and
underneath the Authenticator option. to transfer the Authenticator app to it. choose Account Setings, then click the
Open the Authenticator app on your phone Click Sign-in & security, and Multifactor Options tab.
and click the ‘+’ icon, then point the camera click 2-Step Verification. Choose
Cho the LastPass
at the QR code on your computer’s screen. Enter your account Update Authenticator
Aut option,
Click Next, enter the code your Authenticator
app has generated and click Next. Now, when
password, then click the
Pencil icon next to
firmware then follow the wizard
through,
throug scanning the QR
you need to enter a code to access your Authenticator app and Keep your sm code
cod on your phone when
art devices m
Google account, you just open up the app click Change. On your new secure by upd ore prompted,
pro and entering
ating them
and enter the code it displays. phone, scan the QR code re gu larly when pro your
you phone number as a
mpted. As wel
with the Authenticator as adding new l backup.
bac When done, next
features, firm
Add a security key app and follow the u p d ates can boost w ar
security. The
e time
tim you want to sign into
If you want to add a security key, such as the onscreen instructions. same goes fo your
you LastPass account, you’ll
r wireless rou
ters.
YubiKey 4, make sure that your key is not Your new phone can now also need to authenticate
als
connected to your computer. Then select Add generate your codes. usi the app (a push
using
Security Key underneath the Security Key notification
not lets you allow
option. Click Next on the dialog box that Use your Authenticator access without having to type in the code,
appears, plug in your security key and tap its app for other services although typing remains a backup option).
buton. When prompted, enter a name for the Google Authenticator and security keys are
security key. Security keys become the default also supported by a lot of other services, as Back up your codes
login option, and you just tap the buton to we mentioned in the introduction. Each To back up your LastPass Authenticator
generate a code. If you don’t have a key with service has to be configured individually, so codes, go to your app. You’ll need to have
you, Google lets you choose an alternative check its website for full instructions. enabled multifactor protection on your
two-factor option. However, the rough steps are the same for all. account (see above) first. Tap the Setings
For example, with Facebook, go to Security icon and slide on the Backup to LastPass
Generate back-up codes setings and click Login approvals. Click the option. Confirm your email address when
If you lose your phone, you’ll need to have Require a security code to access my account prompted and you’re good to go.
a way to log back into your account. from an unknown computer. Click Get Started Authentication accounts will now be
Google provides backup codes for this. to follow the wizard through, entering your saved online, and you can restore these
Click Setup underneath Backup codes and pho number to get an authentication code.
phone when you get a new handset.
you’ll see 10 codes. Print these out and keep To use Google Authenticator, click
Gene
Code Generator. There’s an option to
Faceb
use Facebook’s app for this, but it’s
not very good and it’s easier to have
everyt
everything in one place. Instead, click
Set up another way to use codes,
and Facebook will bring up a QR
code. In Google Authenticator, tap
the ‘+’ icon. Tap Scan Barcode and
point your phone’s camera at the QR
code on the screen.
Whe prompted, enter the code
When
tha your app generates into Facebook.
that
Similarly,
Sim select the Add key buton
to add a security key, following the
⬆ Using a security key is an efective and easy way wizard
wiz through. Finally, if you change
to use two-factor authentication your
you phone, you’ll need to go through ⬆ You can back up your accounts to LastPass
sing a wireless network when you’re free of malware. Using that computer can
U out and about may seem a good way
Don’t connect
make it easier for hackers to steal your data,
devices you
to stay connected, but do you really aided by hidden keyloggers and the like. For
know what you’re connecting to? Poor-quality that reason, we don’t recommend using
networks can leave you exposed and may
result in your private data being stolen. Here’s don’t need smart,
shared computers anywhere.
If you really have to use another computer,
o re d evices are becoming
what you need to know about staying safe More and m ork. However
, such as a friend’s computer, make sure you
when using public networks or computers. ec tin g to yo ur home netw sk use a private browsing session so your login
conn the added ri
ection comes
with this conn vice is that if details aren’t saved. Protect your accounts
Be careful using Wi-Fi ty b reaches. Our ad
of secu ri t functions, with two-factor authentication (see page 106)
n ot usi n g a device’s smar
Hackers have been known to set up free you’re me network. and log out at the end of your session.
t it to your ho
hotspots with the sole intention of stealing don’t connec
information, and in some cases you may not Protect your home network
even know what’s going on. The problem with Your home wireless network isn’t the best
Wi-Fi is that public networks tend to open should be connecting to. For example, airports, target for hackers, as they have to be in
without security, potentially asking you to sign cafes and hotels will usually have information range of it, but that isn’t a guarantee of safety.
up for access once you’ve joined. Once you’ve signs that show you the name of the network To protect your network, make sure that
joined a network, computers will remember it, that you should be connecting to. you’re using a secure password to prevent
and will try to reconnect. So if you joined the When you’ve finished using the network, unauthorised connections. Most new routers
‘free_hotel_wifi’ network when you were on forget the name and details so that your come configured with a secure, unique
holiday, the next time your computer sees that device won’t connect automatically in the password; older routers used default
network it will join it automatically, regardless future. For Windows 10 devices go to Setings, passwords across the whole range. In the
of whether it’s the real thing or a copy. Network & Internet, WiFi. Click Show available case of the later, avoid using the default.
Taking action to prevent this from networks, select a network and click Forget.
happening is key to staying safe. First, only With Android, go to Setings, Wi-Fi, select a
join a public Wi-Fi network if you really have network from the list and then click Forget.
to, and definitely verify the name that you
Use a VPN
A virtual private network (VPN) encrypts your
data and transmits it across the internet to a
secure endpoint. This prevents anyone from
being able to spy on what you’re looking at,
including Wi-Fi hotspot owners.
There’s a secondary element: a VPN can
also make it look as though you’re located in a
diferent country, which means that you can
do things such as watch BBC iPlayer when
you’re on holiday. We recommend ExpressVPN
(Shopper 347) as it’s fast and great value, and
you can choose to appear as though you’re in
any one of a wide range of countries.
Avoid scams
Criminals will often try to trick you into releasing your personal details, rather than
hacking you: it’s quicker and often easier to do. Here’s how to avoid these attacks
this step, aiming to trick people into giving The truth is that, even though
away their personal details directly. There are some banks and companies may
several ways this can happen, so here’s what phone you and ask security
to look out for. questions, all activity like this
should be counted as suspicious.
Telephone scams Really, banks should know beter.
Cold-calling telephone numbers is a prime If you’re cold-called by anyone,
scam. We’ve probably all had calls purporting refuse to give any information
to be from Microsot warning that our for verification. Instead, ask for a
computer has been hacked and we need to telephone number to call back on, and then from an email address using the company’s
install some sotware to fix it. It verify this number against the domain name, such as hsbc.co.uk.
goes without saying publicly listed ones on the
pub
Disable guest
that companies such as company’s website. If the
com Watch out for bad grammar
Microsot and BT don’t number is legitimate, you can
num 2 Phishing messages are oten sent from
phone customers with
this kind of advice. networks phone back and go through
pho
the verification process; if
abroad, by people whose first language isn’t
English. As a result, many messages are poorly
le th e gu es t network
More sinister are the Don’t enab ng the number isn’t legitimate, writen and litered with spelling mistakes.
tricks that hackers will ur ro ute r if you’re not usi you’ve avoided some trouble.
you Anything in broken English is likely to be a
on yo giving
s n o p o int in
use to try and extort it. There’ scam and should set alarm bells ringing.
r internet Phishing scams
Ph
details out of you, access to you ed.
hen not requir
which they can use to connection w Tricking
Tr
Tri cki people into entering Check links
get your personal details. Fo r ad ded security, add
a
details on a fake website is a
detail
det 3 Links in a phishing email will take you
is network.
For example, you may password to th ke
key tactic. Typically, the to a diferent destination that may look like
get a phone call from hacker will set up a fake
hac
hackers the intended one. For example, you may end
someone pretending to be web address
addre that looks very much like the up on a website that looks just like the login
from your bank, saying that there has been original, but when you enter your username page for your bank account. Before you click
an unauthorised atempt to transfer money. and password, nothing happens: all you’ve a link, hover your mouse over it in the email
They may then ask you some security done is provide your details to the hackers. and check it carefully. Most scam links are
questions to verify your account. This information can then sometimes be easy to spot, using a strange domain name;
Do not give this information out over the used with a cold-call scam to retrieve some use domains that are minor spelling
phone to a cold-caller. It’s very likely that the additional details, such as a two-factor mistakes of the original (hbsc.co.uk for
people calling are just ater answers to your authentication code. Here’s what to look out example), which are harder to spot.
security questions, which they may use to for in order to verify any email.
breach your accounts. In some situations, the Go direct
hackers may even have a certain level of Check the email address 4 Even if the message appears to be
access to your account, from a password leak 1 Email addresses can be spoofed so it legitimate, it’s best to visit the site in question
or breach, but just need extra details to log in. looks as though a message is coming from manually and log in from there. That way,
A more common issue is that hackers somewhere it’s not. Even so, many fake emails you’ll avoid any malicious sites and can verify
will phone you, saying that they’ll send a come from strange-looking emails, as faking the information that you were sent.
one-time code to your phone, which they details can make it easier for anti-spam Likewise, if an email asks you to call a
need you to read out for verification. What sotware to detect the messages. Check the phone number for more help, verify this
they’re doing is geting you to pass on email address and name that the message is number against the website and only call it
two-factor details sent via SMS. sent from: legitimate emails typically come if it is legitimate.
Physical security
Be very careful how you dispose of personal information in order
to keep your data out of hackers’ hands
Make regular
To reset your Android and which way you put the
phone go to Setings, paper in, some personal
System, Reset option.
The first option you might
backups information can remain.
inform
However, a strip shredder is
How
rotect
ackups can p
want to try is Reset app Regular file b fectio ns, beter than nothing and
bet
ag ai nst ransomware in
preferences. This puts all free increases the complexity of
increa
cover files for
apps back into their default leting you re e. M ake recovering personal data.
recov
pay a fe
w ithout having to e to
position, which can alleviate curity sotwar basic shredder should
A basi
sure you use se
⬆ Fresh start lets you wipe your computer prior to issues by disabling apps ction firs t. cost
cos around £30, but is
clean the infe
selling it or passing it on to someone else that you previously allowed money
mon well spent.
112
113
t seems reasonable to ABOVE: This might According to the University of it actually means, so it would be
be a common
assume that advances in Oxford, materials science is an helpful, right at the start, to explain
perception of a
computer technology come chemist, but chemists interdisciplinary subject, spanning why silicon has been the driver of the
about by the dedicated are playing a leading the physics and chemistry of matter, electronics revolution for so long.
role in developing
effort of electronics new semiconductor engineering applications and Silicon is the element with atomic
engineers and computer architects. materials industrial manufacturing processes. number 14. It sits in group 14 of the
While not wanting to detract from Here we’re going to investigate how periodic table (also known as
the contributions of these professions, research into new and exciting group-IV, especially among
we have to acknowledge that the materials is aiming to give our semiconductor researchers), between
continual quest to bring us ever faster computers a new lease of life. the metals to its lower left and
processors requires a much more Primarily this is by developing new non-metals to its upper right, and is
varied skill set. In particular, process semiconductor materials to replace classified as a metalloid. Metalloids
engineers, manufacturing experts, silicon if and when it can go no have properties intermediate
quality assurance professionals and further, although the potential of new between those of metals and
even physicists and chemists play materials doesn’t end there. So, if non-metals, most notably their
essential roles in bringing us the your image of a chemist or a physicist electrical conductivity.
advances in technology that we’ve is of a bearded Victorian scientist in a However, although silicon is a
grown to expect. dingy laboratory filled with glass mediocre conductor of electricity,
What’s more, if those experts who tubes, Bunsen burners and strange its conductivity can be improved
claim that silicon technology has contraptions, prepare to bring your significantly by adding small amounts
almost come to the end of the line perceptions into the 21st century. of impurities, a process called doping.
are correct in their gloomy prediction, Doping with an element from the
we are surely going to need some SILICON CHIPS group to silicon’s right – usually
major contributions from these The phrase ‘silicon chip’ trips off the phosphorous or arsenic – provides
other disciplines. tongue with barely a thought to what additional electrons that are free to
move around the crystalline lattice, transistors were less than two parts per
thereby improving electrical created using billion of the Earth’s
conduction dramatically. The result is germanium, and crust. It’s produced
called an n-type semiconductor. germanium devices mostly from the
Conversely, doping with an are still available mineral sphalerite,
element to the left – usually boron or for some specialist which is a common tin
gallium – allows conduction by the electronic applications. ore, but germanium
mobility of so-called holes; that is, So although we’re only occurs in
the lack of electrons. This is called a going to be looking at sphalerite as an
p-type semiconductor. potential successors impurity, so it’s a
To cut a long story short, let’s just to silicon, it would be by-product of
say that transistors can be formed informative to delve tin production.
by combining n-type and p-type into why it overtook Needless to say,
semiconductor material. As a germanium back in the silicon is much less
component that allows one electrical 1960s. There are expensive, costing $16
signal to be turned on or off by several reasons, but per kg, compared to
another, this is the building block of all let’s take a look at a $2,300 per kg for
digital electronic circuits, including few of the most significant. ABOVE: Silicon is germanium. Second, silicon readily
one of the metalloids,
microprocessors and memory chips. First, silicon accounts for 27.7% of forms a non-water-soluble oxide
pictured blue in
Silicon isn’t the only metalloid, nor the Earth’s crust by weight, second this portion of the layer which, as an insulator, is
is it the only one that can be doped only to oxygen. You can find it in periodic table, essential to the fabrication of
between the green
to produce n-type and p-type common minerals such as silica, a key metals and the integrated circuits. The process is
semiconductor material, which can ingredient of sand. Germanium, on orange non-metals not nearly as straightforward with
then be combined to make the other hand, is only the 53rd most germanium. And finally, while
transistors. Indeed, the very first abundant element, accounting for generalising from a comparison
THE ALTERNATIVES
With silicon apparently holding all the
aces, it’s worth considering why there
might be a need for an alternative.
Professor Thomas Vandervelde is the
director of the Renewable Energy and
Applied Photonics Laboratories and
the Tufts Interdisciplinary Advanced
Materials (TIAMAT) Center in
Medford, Massachusetts. His primary
area of research is in developing new
materials and devices for energy
conversion or optical components. ABOVE: Despite 50 that measures are already being “Over the decades, the primary
years of experience
His research directly involves several taken to overcome this drawback by mechanism by which computer
in using silicon, the
semiconductor materials systems, electronics industry adding other elements. chips have been made faster is by
including those that are most might soon need to “Some silicon devices presently shrinking the size of the transistors
start working with
commonly used in products today. alternative materials use germanium channels to improve and the spacing between them,”
Vandervelde cites the low their switching speed by using Vandervelde adds.
mobility in silicon compared to other germanium’s higher mobility. “The problem is that we have got
materials as a key problem for its Some even use silicon-germanium- to the point where we can no longer
future development (see the box on tin,” he says. continue this because of a number
page 118 for an explanation of However, there are other problems of factors, including thermal
mobility and band gap), adding ahead for silicon. management, and the insulator
SILICON SUBSTITUTE:
PROTECTIVE MATERIALS
Semiconductors is the area of materials and others at the leading edge – offer the yet, according to some reviewers, they can
science that looks most likely to affect the possibility of unprecedented levels of stop a bullet, quite literally.
world of computers and electronic devices, protection. Here we could mention And then there’s water. Sure, you can
but there’s more. Some of these new composites containing aramid. Already you buy phones that are advertised as
materials have electronic applications, can buy protective phone cases made waterproof or water-resistant, but they
even though they’re not semiconductors from this material. Manufactured by Hong don’t come cheap and not all manufacturers
– and here we could mention advances in Kong firm Pitaka, they are only 0.7mm thick will honour the guarantee if there’s
battery technology – but others have an evidence of water damage. In the main,
entirely different use. waterproofing is a result of the clever
Portable and handheld devices such mechanical design of the case and its
as smartphones and tablets allow us to various joints and openings, but adding all
lead an ever more mobile lifestyle while those gaskets and seals is the main reason
remaining in touch, but this level of for the high prices.
convenience isn’t without its cost. An alternative and potentially less
Whenever you take a piece of electronic expensive solution is to make the circuit
gear out of your home or office it board waterproof, so any water entering
becomes much more likely to suffer the case doesn’t trash the electronics, and
damage. Drenched tablets and cracked it’s here that materials science makes its
or scratched phone screens are appearance again.
testimony to this fact. Researchers at the National University
Yet it doesn’t have to be that of Australia in Canberra, for example,
way. Increasing use of advanced have developed a coating comprising a
materials – some of them with a layer of nanoparticles, which water just
long heritage in specialised fields slides off. But the necessary
nanomaterials are very fragile, so the
RIGHT: Not all modern materials are university’s coating is made of two
semiconductors. This ultra-thin phone case
from Pitaka contains aramid to provide a high materials, the other of which is able to
level of protection against damage provide protection to the nanoparticles.
Cap in hand
I regularly have to edit Word documents ⬅ You can replace text
that have entries scatered through them formated in upper case
that are all in capitals, and our company to be small caps in Word’s
policy is that these documents should be Find and Replace
formated as small caps.
At the moment I just scroll endlessly do a find and replace
through, making the change by the looking for:
somewhat tortuous process of selecting
the text in upper case, then selecting <[A-Z]{3,}>
‘capitalize each word’ from the options
on the Change Case icon in the Font area and replace it with:
of the Office Ribbon.
Once the text has been changed to ££££^&$$$$
lower case with leading capitals, I can then
select Small Caps from the Efects option This puts a marker round
that is displayed when I click the arrow to all the text that shows as
display the Font Dialog Box. upper case, because it
This process takes up far too much was either entered or
time; is there a more automatic way to do formated as upper case.
it without using a macro, as our company Next, you use Word’s
doesn’t allow us to use macros? Change Case tool (in the
Joe Cook Font section of the Home
tab of the Office Ribbon).
The answer is that it depends, and what it Select the entire document
depends on is how the words were and set it to Sentence
capitalised in the first place. Microsot Case. This sets all the text
Word has two ways to enter and set the The Replace entry is: to be formated with a leading capital leter
case of text: as upper case or using the for each sentence. Then do a Find and
Capitalized seting. ^& Replace where the Find option is:
If the person who originally typed the
document pressed the Shit buton or the This tells Word to use what was found for ££££*$$$$
Caps Lock buton and typed the words in the replace operation. You also need to make
upper-case leters, the text is stored in one sure that you’ve ticked the option to Use and the Replace option is:
way. If they entered the text without using Wildcards, and that the Replace font format
the Shit key or the Caps Lock key but used has the Small Caps option checked. To find ^&
Word’s Change Case tool (in the Font area this, click on More, Format, Font.
of the Home tab of the Office Ribbon) and Unfortunately, if the text was entered using Set the Font to be Small Caps. Finally, do
chose the Upper Case option, then that’s a the Shit key so is really in upper case rather two find and replace operations where the
diferent thing. We’ll describe the solution than formated as upper case, you can’t Find looks for:
for that first. change it because Word doesn’t support the
For this, you can use a Find and Replace use of wildcards in the Replace portion of the ££££
operation that uses wildcards. So your Find find and replace. So if that’s the problem, you
clause is: need another way of working. and replaces it with nothing (leave the
In general, most Excel experts say the only Replace box empty). Do the same thing for
<[A-Z]{3,}> way to do a replace operation where the text $$$$, and you should have all your
has been entered as hard upper case is to use upper-case leters appearing as small caps.
This tells Word to look for sets of upper- a macro, but there is a workaround. It has This has some drawbacks, mainly that
case leters where there are at least three some drawbacks, but you could try it on a you may change formating that you
upper-case leters in a row. The [A-Z] says copy of your original document and see if it shouldn’t have changed when you set the
look for any leter between A and Z, and the achieves the results you want. entire document to have its case changed to
{3,} tells Word to look for at least three of The process relies on carrying out a Sentence Case. However, without using a
them in a row. multiple stage replace operation. First, you macro, it’s the best you can manage.
Axes to grind
I have an Excel chart where the automatic One point to note is the surrounding
scaling on the axes doesn’t always work for of the cell by square brackets to make
my data. At the moment I set the axis scales Excel evaluate what’s in the cell to give
manually, but this is a bit of a pain when the you something to set the scale to.
data changes, as I have to go into the chart Another important point is that you have
setup to re-enter the manual scales if the to use the absolute cell references for the
values have changed too radically for my cells in the Case statement; if not, they
manual setings to work. won’t be recognised as a match by Excel.
What I’d ideally like would be to have a A final important point: this macro
way to enter the manual scales into some needs to be entered into the worksheet
cells on the worksheet then have those module area for the workbook that
values used for the manual scaling, and ⬆ You can use a macro to update chart axes in Excel you want it to work on, rather than into
either have a way to press a buton and the main set of macros that are more
have the chart updated, or to have the the Axis object, and it won’t work if you use a usually stored in the Personal macro
chart axes automatically change when the category-type X axis; if that’s the case, you’ll workbook that means the macro would be
values in the ‘scaling’ cells are changed. need to rework the macro to alter the available from any workbook.
Mandy Edge TickLabelSpacing and TickMarkSpacing.
The macro is set up to be entered as the Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target
You can certainly achieve this, but it will need a Worksheet_Change event, and to alter the As Range)
macro. The macro on the right assumes that axes when one of the values in K2:L4 is With ActiveSheet.ChartObjects("Chart 1").
the chart is called Chart 1 (the default name for changed. Worksheet_Change is triggered Chart
the first chart that is created in a worksheet), whenever a value is changed on a worksheet. Select Case Target.Address
and that the cells K2:L4 are used to hold the The macro is fairly simple. Worksheet_ Case Is = "$K$2"
parameters for the primary X and Y axis Change has a parameter called Target that .Axes(xlCategory).MinimumScale = [K2]
scales. If you want to store the parameters returns which cell was changed to trigger Case Is = "$L$2"
somewhere else, change the references to the macro being activated – the target cell. .Axes(xlCategory).MaximumScale = [L2]
those cells in the macro. The address of the target cell is used as the Case Is = "$K$3"
The macro will work whether the cells basis of a Case statement that checks whether .Axes(xlValue).MinimumScale = [K3]
hold static values that the user can change the cell was any of K2, K3, L2 or L3. Case Is = "$L$3"
manually or, if they hold formulas, an If any of those cells was changed, the .Axes(xlValue).MaximumScale = [L3]
axis-scaling algorithm. appropriate minimum or maximum value for End Select
It works by seting the .MinimumScale, . the X or Y axis is set to the new value entered End With
MaximumScale, and .MajorUnit properties of into the cell on the worksheet. End Sub
Unread alert
I’ve been trying to use the Filter option ➡ Use SQL rather than the
in Outlook 2010 to specify what emails I Outlook Unread filter to have a
see. In particular, I’ve been using the view that keeps working when
Unread email filter so I see any emails emails are marked as Read
that I’ve not answered rather than having
to hunt for them through the hundreds the filter, but that’s a rather
that appear every day. frustrating workaround.
It works well, but when I mark an email Fortunately, there is an
as being read, it stays in the list rather alternative way to achieve the
than disappearing. How can I make emails same thing. What you need to
disappear rather than hanging around do is to create a new view.
when I’ve marked them as read? Start by making sure you’re
Paul Dickinson in a mail folder such as the
Inbox. Go to the View menu, and
This is a useful option in Outlook that you choose Change View, Manage
apply by selecting the Filter Email drop-down Views. In the dialog that appears,
in the Find group on the ribbon and selecting choose Copy to get a copy of the current view ("htp://schemas.microsot.com/mapi/
Unread. It takes a while to work through if and give it a beter name than ‘Copy of xxxx’, proptag/0x10900003" > 1)
you’ve a lot of emails in your inbox, but once where xxxx is the name of the current view.
you’ve applied it, it shows only those emails In the next dialog that appears, click on Click OK, OK again and then Close.
that haven’t been marked as Read. Filter. Click on the SQL tab, and put a tick You should now have a new view that
Unfortunately, this option has the into the box labelled ‘Edit these criteria shows only those emails that are marked
drawback that when you mark an email as directly. All other tabs will be unavailable.’ as unread, and it will work on any mail
Read while the filter is applied, that email You now need to enter the following SQL folder. What’s more, unlike Outlook’s own
stays visible. You can make the email into the text box: Filtered view, if you mark an email as read
disappear as it ought to do by moving while the view is in use, the email will be
to view another folder or by re-applying ("urn:schemas:htpmail:read" = 0) OR removed from the view.
Wallpaper stripped
I’ve had a Chromebook for something like ⬅ Switching to a more stable Chrome OS
a year now, but ater a recent Chrome OS channel? You’ll need to Powerwash
update it replaced my long-term solid-
colour background with the default If changing the channel doesn’t fix
wallpaper. Assuming it was a one-of I the issue, or if you subsequently
reset it, but ater every reboot it’s gone want to switch back to a more
again – always replaced with the default stable channel, you will need to
image of a feather. perform a Powerwash. The nature
Reading online, the advice seems to of a Chromebook means that this is
be that I need to Powerwash the less onerous than it sounds, and it
Chromebook, but I’d rather not. Is there only takes a few additional seconds.
any other way to stop the computer Your data and setings are stored in
forgeting my wallpaper choice? the cloud and will reappear once
Simon Carter you’ve logged back in, but you will
lose any files in Downloads, and
There was an update to the way users Click the information panel at the right of any data downloaded by apps. We’d
select wallpaper around the time that the shelf, click the gear wheel icon, then in the recommend copying any downloads you
you contacted us, so it’s possible that you Setings app click the menu icon at the top want to keep into your Google Drive, or
fell foul of a bug as this was introduced. let. Click About Chrome OS, expand Detailed failing that to a memory card.
If so, there’s a fair chance the issue will build information and check which channel With that done, return to the About
resolve itself with the next update, but if you’re currently on; if you’ve never changed Chrome OS page, click Powerwash for added
you can’t wait you could try forcing an this, you’ll be on the stable channel. You can security then click Restart. Alternatively, if
update by switching to a diferent Chrome change from this to Beta, but we wouldn’t you’re returning to a more stable channel
OS release channel. Note that if you want recommend Developer, which can be unstable. ater trying a diferent one, you’ll be prompted
to switch to a more stable channel than Once you’ve selected your channel, wait for to Change channel and Powerwash; agree,
the one you’re on, you’ll need to Chrome to download and prepare the correct and you’ll need to restart when Chrome has
Powerwash the computer anyway. OS files, then reboot when it’s ready. prepared the correct OS version.
Search me
I’ve got an Android phone running the check that you haven’t inadvertently selected
Spotify app. For some reason, almost Offline mode; this is unlikely, given that
whenever I go to search for new music it streaming works. Assuming you haven’t,
tells me that it’s offline, regardless of scroll down to Delete cache, tap it and agree
whether the phone’s using mobile data or to the warning, then try the search again.
connected to my wireless network. Clearly If it still doesn’t work, and if you have a
it’s online: I can stream the tracks from my second storage location such as a microSD
albums or playlists even if they’re not card, you might try reseting things by
downloaded on to the device. moving Spotify’s data store. Return to the
I can’t find anything in the setings setings page, scroll to the very botom,
to force Spotify to recognise it’s online. tap Storage and switch to the SD card if
Its support pages seem to suggest I just available. Note that it will take some time
reinstall the app, but I’ve downloaded to move all your downloaded songs.
loads of music: will I need to download it Unfortunately, if the search still doesn’t
again and, if so, is there an alternative? work, you’ll need to remove and reinstall the ⬆ Deleting Spotify’s cache can occasionally
Malcolm Glover app as suggested. Using a file manager such fix an issue
as Solid Explorer, it’s possible to copy Spotify’s
This seems a reasonably common problem, downloaded music directory to a separate downloaded again. We can only suggest
but you may be able to cure it without having location and restore it ater you’ve re-installed that you start your downloads overnight,
to re-install the app. Open Spotify, go to Your the app, but we found that Spotify ignored or find a friend or a café with an unlimited
Library, tap the setings gearwheel, and first these files and that the content needed to be and fast internet connection.
Make
a Wi-Fi
detector
Locating the best place for a
multiroom speaker or Wi-Fi relay
could drive you mad. Luckily,
Clive Webster has two solutions,
one that’s fun and one that’s quick
WI-FI IS AN unreliable connection at times, with the internal
fabric of walls and floors interfering in unpredictable ways.
To map the best location of an internet device or Wi-Fi relay
is therefore not obvious: will a relay in the spare back
bedroom broadcast downward on to the patio, or are you
beter of puting the relay in the kitchen and hoping the
broadcast sphere will push through to the upstairs? Is it OK
to place that Sonos or Alexa device on the far wall of your
study, or does it need to sit further out into the room?
There’s a beter way than trial and error, as we’ll show you.
⬆ You’ll need
an inexpensive
microcontroller board
with embedded Wi-Fi
to build your detector
YOU CAN’T BEAT Wi-Fi for neatness drops below a certain level, and the Feather If you want to control a load of LEDs
and convenience: no wires trailing around Huzzah is such a low-power device that this independently, you would previously have
your house, no HomePlug devices flashing is likely to happen ater 20 seconds or so. had to run wires to each LED. With a set of
incessantly, you can place fancy network- The Feather, NeoPixel ring and LiPo batery NeoPixels, you just run one wire from your
enabled devices wherever you like, and you cost £39 altogether, but you’ll also need to microcontroller to the NeoPixel unit, and
can wander around your home or sit in the solder some wire to connect the NeoPixel you can control which LEDs turn on and of,
garden watching YouTube or Skypeing. ring to the Feather. their brightness, their colour, which order
Wi-Fi is freedom. Feather boards are best thought of as they turn on and of – almost anything.
Until it goes wrong, and then it’s an an alternative to small Arduino boards. The magic happens in the code, but for
absolute nightmare. Why does this device The processor of a Feather might be less neatness of build, single-wire programmable
work fine when placed at one end of a shelf, powerful, but the boards themselves LED units are unbeatable.
but not at all when nicely centred? Why must
you sit at the awkward end of the sofa to get
decent download speeds? What you need is
a Wi-Fi detector to trace the ethereal
To build a Ghostbusters’ PKE Meter-type gadget to wave
blockages and map your coverage.
about, you need only three things: a microcontroller board
THE FUN WAY
The fun way to measure Wi-Fi reception
with embedded Wi-Fi, a battery and some kind of readout
in your home is to build some kind of
Ghostbusters’ PKE Meter-type gadget to incorporate useful additions such as batery The only snag is that NeoPixels are
wave about the place (brown jumpsuits and input and charging, and on-board Wi-Fi to meant to operate at 5V, and the Feather
repainted hearses are optional). For that, make them really useful for building small only outputs (and operates) at 3.3V.
you need only three things: a microcontroller and cheap gadgets. However, we had no problems powering
board with embedded Wi-Fi, a batery and You might not have come across the NeoPixels from our Feather, either by
some kind of readout. We’ve used an Adafruit NeoPixels, however, despite them being LiPo or USB batery (although our USB
Feather Huzzah ESP8266 as the core of our prety ubiquitous in anything that needs batery shut of ater 20 seconds, as
Wi-Fi gadget, and a 12-LED, RGBW NeoPixel something to flash, blink or pulse. In fact, expected). The trick is to atach the 5V DC
ring; to power this combination we’ve used a they’re prety ubiquitous in things that Power input of the NeoPixel unit to the
2,000mAh LiPo batery. don’t need to flash or blink as well. BAT pin of the Feather, so the Feather is
You might be able to use a USB batery – The reason for the proliferation of blinky drawing power directly from the batery.
the kind that charges phones – but typically NeoPixel lights on everything from door If you’re using a USB batery, you might
these have a shut-of when the current draw hangings to hats is how easy they are to use. experiment with the USB pin instead, but
⬆ The pins of the Feather are clearly marked for ease of use
we found
found thathat our
ur NeoPixels
Neo flick
ickere
ickered
flickered d when
when just
jus tie one connector to the other, but tinyurl.com/371projects1 to download the
we did this,
this, which
wh is
isn’t
n’t an en
encou
courag
raging
ing sign.
encouraging sign. beware of threads touching and shorting
bew latest version for the Silicon Labs Serial chip.
Connec
Con nectt GND
Connect GND to the GND GND pin
pin of the your device. Once the driver and the Arduino IDE are
Feathe
therr ((or
Feather or CND as it apappea
pears
rs on our bo
appears board) installed, launch the later and open File, then
and the Data Input to pin 2 of the Feather CODE
CO DE TO
TO JOY Preferences. Add htp://arduino.esp8266.
(you can use other pins, but some don’t Once everything’s atached, you can get com/stable/package_esp8266com_index.
work for this project – pin 16, for example). coding. We’ve covered how to code a Feather json to the Additional Boards Manager URLS:
We’ve soldered the headers to our Feather, before, but it’s not an obvious process. box and click OK, then head to Tools, Board:
but you can solder wires directly into the First, download the Arduino IDE sotware and select Boards Manager. Search for
holes if you’d rather. If you’re not so keen from www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Sotware. esp8266 and install the result (provided by
on soldering, we’ve seen projects that use You might also need a driver so Windows ESP8266 Community). Finally, you’ll need to
conductive thread to connect electronics: can talk to the Feather properly: head to add the NeoPixels library. Head to Tool,
Manage Libraries… and search
for neopixel; install the Adafruit
NeoPixel library, by Adafruit.
Once everything’s installed,
open the Tools menu again.
Hover over the Board: menu
and select Adafruit Feather
Huzzah ESP8266. Windows
should have detected the
correct COM port in the Tools
menu, but you can check by
opening Device Manager
(search the Start menu to find
it quickly) and expanding the
Ports (COM & LPT) entry; the
Silicon Labs CP210x USB to
UART Bridge should have the
same COM number.
LIGHTEN UP
The code to make a Wi-Fi
scanner is fairly complex, so
we’ve provided it for you in a
Google Document, mostly
adapted from Adafruit
WiFiScan and Neopixel
tutorials. To copy and paste the
code from the document, visit
tinyurl.com/371projects2, but
we’ll talk you through the
⬆ Say goodbye to Wi-Fi connection misery by finding the strengths and weak spots in your network various sections so you know
what to do if you want to change anything. not; if it’s not, it will do a fancy patern of unpacking to understand. The problem we
For now, open a new file in the Arduino IDE circling lights until it is. At that point the solved with this int meter = map(WiFi.RSSI(),
(called a Sketch), delete the guide text and Feather will move on to the even longer -127, -1, 0, NUMPIXELS); line is that the signal
copy in the code from our download file. ‘else’ portion of the Sketch. strength of Wi-Fi (the WiFi.RSSI(), or
The first section of the code has a lot of We’ve been a bit fancy with our coding Received Signal Strength Indication) is on
#include and #define commands, which tells here, as the first line takes a fair bit of a scale of –127 to –1, where –1 is strongest,
the Arduino IDE to fetch other chunks of
code, called libraries, to include in the final ➡ The LEDs on your
‘compiled’ program that’s sent to the Feather. Wi-Fi meter will show
If your NeoPixel has more or fewer LEDs you at a glance how
than ours, change the #define NUMPIXELS strong your signal is
value to match. The lines that should now
be mostly in orange in the Arduino IDE are
basic setup code; you’ll need to change
the NEO_RGBW bit if you bought an RGB
NeoPixel unit (that is, one that can’t turn
its LEDs white).
While the WiFi.mode(WIFI_STA); line
probably won’t mean much at first, you can
probably guess what it does given that the
next line asks you for your Wi-Fi SSID and
password: this is where you tell the Feather
to behave like a Wi-Fi device and how to If you’re not keen on soldering,
connect to your network. The other section
within the void setup() section sets up the we’ve seen projects that use
NeoPixels so they’re ready to shine.
The main work of the code happens in the conductive thread to connect
void loop() section. The first test is an ‘if’
command with a load of baffling terms as its electronics: just tie one
logical test. The test is to tell whether the
Feather is connected to your network yet or connector to the other
ISSUE 371 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | JANUARY 2019 129
⬅ The final code – called a Sketch in Arduino
parlance – is lengthy, so we’ve provided it as a
download for you
COLOUR CODE
That’s only half the batle, as while we might
now know how many NeoPixels to light up
at any given time to show the strength of
the Wi-Fi signal, we’d quite like to colour
them in line with signal strength too.
So, while NeoPixel One might be dangerously
red, NeoPixel Two might be optimistically
orangey, and NeoPixel Nine might be
encouragingly light blue.
Rather than work out and code each
NeoPixel’s colour individually, we’ll make the
Feather do the work:
0
130 JANUARY 2019 | COMPUTER SHOPPER | ISSUE 371
ADVANCED PROJECTS
⬆ There are many Android apps available to measure the quality of ⬆ Apple doesn’t allow developers access to the Wi-Fi chip of iPhones and
your Wi-Fi signal in real time iPads, so Android is best for Wi-Fi detecting
or variable to create a colour rather than connection and click the Upload buton at NEXT MONTH
the standard three-value RGB code. It’s the the top let of the Arduino IDE. It looks like a
Wheel code that allowed us to use our rightward-facing arrow. If you want a more SORT OUT YOUR BACKUPS
i x (255/NUMPIXELS) maths to create our precise readout, try using large NeoPixel units A perennial item on so many people’s
per-NeoPixel colours. with more LEDs (though this might push the technology to-do lists, we’ll show you
To upload the code – once you’ve input Feather beyond its power delivery limits) or how to give yourself complete peace of
your SSID and password – plug the Feather even use the Serial output and a small TFT mind quickly and easily
into your computer by its Micro USB screen to get the raw RSSI data.
Interior
photography
If you’re selling a home or advertising
a business, high-quality interior photos
make a huge difference. We show you how
⬆ Squared-of geometry helps to give some impact to this image, as do the perspective lines that lead the eye towards the fireplace
MOST PHOTOGRAPHERS HAVE one or take it upon yourself not to mislead potential thorough clean. Make sure the furniture and
two subjects that they prefer to shoot: buyers, as it could come back to bite you. any rugs are square with the room (unless
perhaps portraits, wildlife or something Interior photography also has its uses if they’re clearly not meant to be). Try moving
more specialised such as macro or drone you’re promoting a business. It might be sofas away from the walls; it’s a common
photography. We don’t know many people something obvious like a hotel or restaurant, misconception that a big space in the middle
who specialise in interior photography – that where atractive interior shots are essential for of the room makes it seem bigger. In truth,
is, photographing the insides of buildings. your marketing materials, but prety much any space behind the sofas tends to give a more
It’s an interesting discipline, though, and one type of business can benefit from atractive spacious appearance. Arrange scater cushions
that presents a number of transferable skills. photos of the office, shop or factory floor. carefully, make sure curtains hang neatly and
High-quality interior photography is crucial They can make your Facebook and Google try to smooth out any ripples in bed covers.
when it comes to selling a home. The estate
agent industry is increasingly moving online,
with low-cost agents doing litle more than
uploading details of homes to Rightmove.
Pretty much any type of business can benefit from
With no-one actively promoting sales, it’s
down to the photos to grab people’s atention
attractive photos of the office, shop or factory floor
and convince them to arrange a viewing.
If you appoint a high-end estate agent Maps profiles look more inviting, giving A room that’s completely devoid of
that charges a big commission, they can existing and potential customers a more household objects can look sterile, so it’s
justify hiring a professional photographer personal connection with your company. worth adding a few choice items back into
with all the specialist skills and experience. If you’re short of reasons to take some the scene. When selling a home you don’t
If, however, you’re just paying a low, flat fee, interior photographs, why not practise on your want to impose too much of your own
you can expect only some basic snaps. own home? If nothing else, your cohabitees personality and tastes; the objective is to
Estate agents must comply with Consumer will appreciate how tidy everything is. encourage potential buyers to imagine
Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations, themselves living there. Flowers, books and
which state that photos can’t be misleading. SETTING THE SCENE fruit bowls are common, but be sure to go for
As a result, most estate agents won’t just Most buildings are filled with objects that may an atractive vase, interesting cofee table
take it on trust that any photos you submit be perfectly pleasant to look at in normal books and delicious-looking fruit rather than
are true representations of the property circumstances, but in a photo are reduced whatever you happen to have to hand.
you’re selling. However, they may be happy to the status of annoying distractions. Depersonalising is generally good, but then
to use them once a member of staf has Therefore, the first step when preparing a again, it may be worth adding a few items that
inspected the property. It’s worth discussing room for photography is to decluter. It’s could be described as aspirational. If you have
with the estate agent what their policy is probably best to start by removing everything a clear idea of who your potential buyer might
before you appoint them. You should also except the furniture and giving the room a be, consider dressing the room so it appeals to
⬆ ➡ The estate agent didn’t spend much time on the image on the right. The photograph above
was taken with a bit more TLC
that type of person. A city-centre flat for You can always show plates of food separately.
young professionals might be embellished Food photography is a skill in itself, and
with some Sonos speakers, an Amazon Echo something we will return to in a future issue.
and an orchid. Meanwhile, the kitchen of a The restaurant kitchen will look more
large family home may be beter of with a engaging with a chef or two at work. Cooking
herb garden on the windowsill, a KitchenAid ingredients could be placed carefully in the
food mixer on the worktop and some wine foreground, with the chef applying his or her
storage. If there’s a spacious landing with a trade further back in the frame.
big window, you could draw atention to it Long exposures of around half to two
with a carefully placed telescope. seconds can work well to anonymise people
Be careful only to include things you’ll be with some motion blur. It will give a sense of
able to keep hold of when people come to people going about their business without
view the property to avoid any sense of puting too much focus on them. It’s just
disappointment. The same goes for all the the thing for a warehouse or factory floor,
cluter you removed; try to find somewhere where you might want to give a sense of
out of sight to keep it for a few months. A few industrious activity. One or two people are
hundred pounds in storage bills will be worth probably enough; don’t overdo it with
it if it adds a few thousand to your sale price. dozens of blurry bodies moving around.
the scene above or below the virtual horizon. the trick if your lens’s focal length is plenty rotate the image by dragging the preview at
The shit control works in the same way for wide enough to take in the whole scene. diferent points. Use these controls to get
horizontal adjustments. It’s akin to panning If it isn’t, you could cheat with the help of the vertical lines straight, and also to find the
around a larger image. panorama stitching sotware to combine two best horizontal position to avoid excessively
This is the approach used by professional or more images. We use Microsot Image stretched geometry in the corners. You can
interior photographer Maciek Platek (see Composite Editor (ICE), which is free and has always crop the edges if the resulting image is
page 135). However, the Canon TS-E 24mm lots of useful features, including various too wide a view or includes lots of dead space.
f3.5L II he uses costs around £1,800, and not options for how the geometry is interpreted. A third option for achieving parallel vertical
everyone can justify spending that much. For wide panoramas it will use some kind of lines on the cheap is to use Lightroom’s
Fortunately, there are cheaper routes fisheye geometry in order to flaten a Transform controls. Click the Vertical buton
to achieve the same efect. One method is panoramic view on to a flat image. However, and it will automatically distort the image to
simply to keep the camera level to ensure for interior photography a rectilinear image straighten up any near-vertical lines. The Level
that vertical lines appear parallel in the shot, – in other words, not fisheye – is the norm, in buton does the same for horizontal lines,
and then crop the image so you only show which case you should choose Perspective as and Full does both. If Lightroom struggles
the part that you want to keep. You can’t the Projection type. You’ll then be able to to interpret the image, you can define which
add extra pixels, of course, but it might do adjust the vertical and horizontal axes, and lines you want to align in Guided mode.
⬅ Lightroom’s
Transform functions
deliver a similar efect
to a tilt-shit lens for
a lot less cash
Zygote
Mobile phone companies are ripping us off to the tune of half a billion pounds a year.
It’s enough to make you want to turn the air blue, says Zygote
SIM CITY has applied for several obscene Contrary to what Google million users of HP printers
The Citizens Advice charity is a trademarks based on extremely maintains, the www is not living outside of Australia who
highly respected organisation, so filthy text message unnecessary or trivial at all, and are sufering from the same
when it declares that British abbreviations, including FML, in many domains its inclusion glitch, and now awaits the
mobile phone users are being GFY and WTF. Perhaps it has or omission can lead to outcome of some very juicy
ripped of to the tune of half a taken a lead from the US completely diferent content class actions with great interest.
billion pounds a year, we need to Department of Commerce, being displayed, particularly
take the accusation seriously. which has just ruled that where one page name does not STONE ME
Ater a careful analysis of .us domain names can now redirect to the other. The oldest image created by a
more than 700 pay-monthly contain a whole host of ‘dirty However, a bigger problem human being dates back 73,000
phone tarifs, Citizens Advice words’, including sh*t, p*ss, lies in the fact that when a years to the Stone Age. This
concludes that customers are c*cks*cker and m*th*rf*ck*r – website uses Google’s optimised resets the evolutionary clock by
being overcharged an average of all previously banned for use mobile tech, the consumer has a mind-boggling 30,000 years
£22 a month and not being told as internet domains. no idea if they are looking at the earlier than was previously
they can get a far beter deal Zygote is braced for a deluge AMP cache or the actual thought for evidence of mankind’s
when their contracts end. of obscenity all brightly destination. Zygote suspects a first instruction manual.
Instead, the providers simply packaged for household use. Google plot to force-feed AMP The image has been
let the expired contracts run domains to the world while discovered in a deep cave on
on in the hope their victims are TRIVIAL PURSUIT hoping nobody will notice. the Southern Cape coastline of
too lazy or too dat to notice. When the likes of Google South Africa, along with the
When it comes to high-end developers ofer to help users HP SAUCE mixed media kit and graphics
devices such as the Samsung for free, there’s usually a Australian owners of HP tablet used to create it. The
Galaxy or recent iPhones, the hidden catch. This time round, printers have been awarded tablet is made of a neat slice of
rip-ofs are even worse. it’s the fact that Google compensation of about £28 each silica-rich flatened rock smeared
One big shock is that in 73% Chrome no longer displays by the Oz national watchdog for with ochre and clay, and the rest
of cases it would be far cheaper any ‘unnecessary’ or ‘trivial’ unfair competition. This was of the kit consists of charcoal,
to buy the phone outright and characters for website ater HP released a printer pigmented shells and a heated
take out a SIM-only deal, but addresses in its URL bar. sotware update, which had been seal bone scriber.
this is never properly explained The reason for this is given as deliberately programmed to It’s all very impressive, but
to the customer. And it comes as a desire to spare us from silly analyse and disable any print the real reason Zygote finds this
no surprise that it is the more old confusing character strings cartridge made by a third-party discovery astounding is the
vulnerable and elderly people such as ‘www’. manufacturer. As soon as the subject mater of the image. It
who sufer the most. They are But Zygote believes the real brainwashed printer recognised consists of two parallel diagonal
twice as likely to be charged for reason is not to save us from an unauthorised cheap unit, it lines followed by the leter W,
a phone they already own, straining our brains and eyes, displayed a fake message saying and thus provides clear evidence
paying an average of £263 more but to mask the fact that a that the cartridge was either that ancient humans were
than necessary before they specific web page may be under missing or damaged, and simply familiar with the URL protocol
either wise up or get conned the spell of Google’s AMP refused to print anything. htp://www but still had to
all over again. And the pay- system, which optimises Zygote has reason to believe resort to weighty user manuals
monthly merchants have few addresses for mobile phones. that there may be up to three to get a decent Wi-Fi signal.
scruples about flogging them
unnecessary handsets in the
first place, stufed with
gimmicks they don’t want and
extras they will never use.
KEEP IT CLEAN
Proctor & Gamble is a leading
producer of fine products
designed to remove the filth
from our lives. There is no
doubt in Zygote’s mind that
the world is a beter place
thanks to its mightily
muscled Mr Clean, frothy liquid
Fairy and atmospherically
refreshing AirWick.
In which case, it’s a litle bit
weird that Proctor & Gamble