Friday 24 June 2016

Watch Dogs 2: Renegade Master

Watch Dogs 2

Ubisoft Montreal calls on the power of the crowd as Watch Dogs 2 heads out west to San Francisco

Ubisoft is rarely topical. This is a company that prefers to safeguard its future by borrowing from the past, be it the historical tourism of an Assassin’s Creed or the prehistoric stylings of Far Cry Primal. Where it does dip a toe in more modern waters, it either does so by escaping the trappings of 21st-century civilisation, as in Far Cry 3 and 4, or by simply destroying it, as in The Division. Yet in 2014’s Watch Dogs the company was almost achingly current, its tale of surveillance paranoia launching mere months after Edward Snowden had laid bare the shocking extent to which modern governments spy on their citizens. The intervening two years have  yielded the Panama Papers, the mass sharing of celebrity photos that were meant to remain private, and the rebirth of the Snooper’s Charter. Drone warfare is ever more prevalent, while the rise of the Internet Of Things means that everything from smartcars to children’s toys are susceptible to attack. As our relationship with technology becomes ever closer and more complex, so too grows the likelihood of it being exploited. The more connected we are, the more vulnerable.

Chillblast Fusion Nitro Family PC

Chillblast Fusion Nitro Family PC

A nice-looking, good all-rounder

The Fusion Nitro is a good example of an affordable desktop PC, with its own particular set of benefits and compromises. Its tower case is eye-catching, with Star Wars styling and the obligatory LED-lit window in the side. Chillblast – one of the leading system builders in the UK these days – has filled it with components that will satisfy a tight budget and broad requirements.

HP Elite x2 1012

HP Elite x2 1012

Yet another Windows 10 hybrid

Every PC manufacturer wants to compete with Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4, arguably the best example of a Windows 10 tablet that you can also use as a laptop. HP are so keen that they’ve done it twice. We reviewed the Spectre x2, a 12in Windows 10 tablet with a detachable keyboard. The Elite x2 is the ‘business’ version, with more attention to security and maintenance, and less to features like the cameras.

Sony Xperia X

Sony Xperia X

Flagship phone lacks firepower

We’ve had the Xperia Z3, Xperia Z4 and Xperia Z5 – so what has Sony called its latest Android smartphone? Xperia X. Yes, just X. We don’t yet know if there’ll be an X2, but there’s already an XA (which is cheaper) and an XA Ultra (which has a bigger screen).

Vodafone Smart Prime 7

Vodafone Smart Prime 7

An Android Marshmallow phone for £75

It’s not quite as cheap as the Smart Speed 6, but the Smart Prime 7 is strikingly affordable for a smartphone with all the features you’d expect, including the latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system. One of the best things about Marshmallow is that – unlike earlier versions – it lets you store apps (and their associated files) on a microSD card (available online from around £10). This means the meagre 8GB of internal storage on the Smart Prime 7 is no great problem.

Memory Cards Fast Fixes

Memory cards Fast Fixes

Recover lost files, revive AutoPlay pop-ups and remove write-protection

‘Property loss’ warning when copying files


If you’re copying content from your PC to a memory card, you may see a ‘Property loss’ message. This is because memory cards and hard drives tend to have different formats. For improved compatibility, memory cards are usually pre-formatted using the older FAT32 file system, but newer Windows hard drives use a system called NTFS. NTFS stores more metadata than FAT32, and the message is warning that you may lose some.

Create a hack-proof password

Create a hack-proof password

As Microsoft bans commonly used passwords, David Crookes reveals how you can create the most secure passwords ever

You should think of passwords in the same way as you think of the locks on your front door. Using a simple one is like leaving your door on the latch, while the most complex are comparable to a five-lever mortice deadlock. But with so many passwords for so many accounts to remember, there’s a temptation to either keep things short and sweet, or plump for a memorable skeleton key for the lot… but that’s where trouble can start.