We all need a digital time bomb

Barry Collins wants our data to be deleted the moment it reaches its sell-by date

Think of the all incredible things we’ve done over the past couple of decades to reduce waste. We go to extraordinary lengths to preserve energy - meticulously sorting our rubbish into eight separate colour-coded bins to ensure it’s recycled properly; pumping the walls of our houses with hamster bedding to prevent heat from escaping; spending the first 10 minutes at home on a winter’s night in toe-stubbing, shin-cracking darkness while we wait for the energy-saving lightbulbs to warm up. And yet, in other ways, we are incredibly wasteful.

How to Hack your router

Are you using your router to its full potential? Wayne Williams shows how to use the advanced features available on many models

Most people don’t give their router much thought until it needs a reboot or they connect a new device to it. But routers can do more than simply provide you with an internet connection and they often come with extra tools and advanced features. Exactly what you can do with your router will depend on the make and model, and the ports it’s equipped with. We’ll look at some of the possibilities.

Best Free Tech Ebook

Why waste money on expensive tech ebooks when you can get lots of useful titles for free? Rob Beattie selects eight of the best free examples, which will save you more than £100

Best Virtual Private Network

Virtual Private Networks - or VPNs, for short - are clever tools and services that allow you to surf anonymously and visit websites hosted abroad that you typically can’t access from the UK. Rob Beattie rounds up six of the best.

Download Banned Apps & Software

Google and Apple love to tell you what you can and can't download. Wayne Williams ignores their petty restrictions and reveals how and where to get (safe) apps and add-ons they've banned, and software that's been discontinued

If an app has been removed from the Google Play or Apple App Store, or been forbidden entry in the first place, there’s usually a good reason. It may have been found to contain malware or offensive material, or is buggy and unstable. However, there are also many examples of Google and Apple ‘banning’ apps for self-serving reasons, such as because they supposedly undermine their business model (advert blockers being a prime example), provide direct competition to one of the company’s own tools, breach copyright restrictions or don’t meet the store’s submission guidelines.

GoPro Cameras FAQ

Are you the type to throw yourself into extreme pursuits? Or do you prefer a leisurely stroll? David Crookes discovers that whatever your idea of fun, it’s better with a GoPro camera

What are they?

GoPros are a range of high-definition video cameras that have become popular among people who want to capture dramatic, extreme-action, point-of-view footage of thrill-seeking escapades. They are small and sturdy, which makes them easy to attach to anything from helmets and handlebars to skateboards and surfboards. Although they have been sold by a company called GoPro (gopro.madison.co.uk) since 2002, the name has become a proprietary eponym - used to describe similar products by rival manufacturers. ‘Hoover’ is probably the most famous example of such an eponym.

Windows 10

Windows 10 is finally here. Andy Shaw delves deep into its new features and reveals whether it’s worth installing

Windows is and always has been the world’s most popular operating system (OS), but Microsoft has frequently put its users through a bumpy ride. Each new generation of its OS has brought overhauls and redesigns, prompting strong reactions that veer from love (XP) to hate (Vista) and back to love again (Windows 7), and it was out of favour again with its most recent disaster - Windows 8.

Windows 10 accused of compromising users' privacy

What happened?

Windows 10 arrived at the end of July, with 14 million users installing it on the first day. However, the new operating system has already raised concerns about privacy.