Friday 24 April 2015

13 Things Facebook Would Rather You Didn't Think About

13 Things Facebook Would Rather You Didn't Think About

What's on your mind? Maybe it's the latest meme you've discovered or a piece of news you would love to share. But perhaps it's what is on Facebook's mind that really matters, as David Crookes explains

Facebook has 1.39 billion users, around five times the number of people using Twitter. It is the most successful social network in the world, an essential go-to each day for the latest happenings in your friends' circles. It lets you catch up with people who may have otherwise drifted, and it allows you to become aware of news you could so easily have missed. It introduces you to perfect family lives, gives you inspiration via lots of shared peppy quotes, and it can make you laugh and cry in equal measure.

Celestron NexStar 5SE GoTo Computerised Telescope

Celestron NexStar 5SE GoTo Computerised Telescope

Viewing the universe has never been easier or as much fun

We had a group test recently on computerised telescopes and how they have now matured into almost mini-home observatories. A modern GoTo telescope is an extraordinary device with the ability to connect to a computer regardless of the operating system, to allow the user a greater degree of control and to upgrade the scope's abilities when necessary.

OneClick Intelliplug AVC014

OneClick Intelliplug AVC014

Mark celebrates the return of the even smarter Intelliplug

Way back in late 2006 I reviewed the original OneClick Intelliplug and called it "A simple but effective means of electrical power control."

What it did was provide a means to slave the power of one device to others, so that when you turned off your PC, for example, all the peripheral devices had their power chopped too.

However, a couple of years later, I ran into problems with my Intelliplug, because as my PC became more power efficient, it started thinking it was turned off when I was still using it.

Netgear EX7000-100UKS Nighthawk Wi-fi Range Extender

Netgear EX7000-100UKS Nighthawk Wi-fi Range Extender

Another Nighthawk device has flown the coop from Netgear

The last Netgear Nighthawk hardware I saw looked like it was inspired by Darth Vader's Imperial Transport. Thankfully, those aesthetics have been toned down somewhat in this new EX7000-100UKS wi-fi range extender.

It retains the wedge profile, but the three antennas are less wing-like. But the EX7000-100UKS is much more about what is inside, and that's pretty impressive on paper.

Microsoft Band

Microsoft Band

David Briddock explains why the Microsoft Band has plenty of potential

These days, Microsoft is keen to drop surprises. A recent example was its new Microsoft Band wearable product and associated Health app.

The marketing blurb states that the Microsoft Band is a fitness and activity tracker with GPS, basic smartwatch functionality, multi-platform app support and much more. But what's the reality?