Are Expensive Screen Protectors Worth It?

Keir Thomas splashes the cash to see if screen protectors costing more than a few quid are worth it – plus, what’s the best way to keep your screen clean?

Screen protectors are cheap. In fact, they’re often entirely free, given away with other products such as phone cases. For larger items like tablets and laptops you’ll have to hand over cash, but that’s when you discover there are hundreds of different makes and price points. Some prices can be eye watering.

Hive Of Activity

Not many companies like to take on the might of Google but with Nest recently unveiling its latest, thinner smart thermostat, David Crookes talks to a well-known British company aiming to claim it own sizeable share in the connected home market

The Next Big Thing, we have so often been told, is not the latest smartphone, wearable or revamped operating system. It’s the connected home – or smart home, as some like to call it. Research by Time showed that 84% of people in the UK are interested in buying at least one smart home device, with 58% considering smart lighting, 56% household utilities and 54% security.

Microsoft’s Sting In The Tail: Updategate

Mark Pickavance looks at Microsoft’s foray into making friends and influencing people

Afew months ago, Microsoft drew some flak for installing an app onto Windows 7 and 8 users systems that was intent on pushing Windows 10 on them.

What was rather odd about this was that it offered to reserve a copy for you, despite there being absolutely no chance whatsoever that Microsoft would run out of them, as they weren’t boxed items.

Encrypting Portable Storage

We look at how to protect your data when you take it on the move

Whether it’s in the form of an SD card, USB thumbdrive or external hard drive, portable storage has never been so cheap. But oddly, in a world where everything has passwords – and sometimes extra security verification procedures on top of that – all that most people need to get access to the data on your portable drive is a spare USB port.

The Dark Web. What Is It, And How Does It Work?

There’s a seedy underbelly operating within the depths of the internet you use every day, but it’s not easy to access and you probably won’t want to

It doesn’t matter how much of a technophobe you are and how hard you try to avoid computers, there’s no escaping the internet. It’s everywhere, about as pervasive as anything you can think of in pop culture and is inextricably intertwined into society. Every company has a website, every store has an online presence and a mammoth proportion of the populace has some form of social media presence. Not having this can turn you into a social pariah; that’s just the way the world is these days.

How Gamification Is Changing The World

It’s a word that pops up a lot, but what does it actually mean? And how exactly is it used? Rob Leane investigates gamification…

You might have heard the term ‘gamification’ bandied about a fair bit in recent years, especially if you work in the realm of technology. It might one day be a household term, but for the time being you could be forgiven for not quite understanding what it means or what the point of gamification is.

It’s changing the world in some interesting ways, though, so now’s the time to learn more.

Motherboard Buyer’s Guide

The base on which you build your PC deserves some careful attention…

Whether you’re planning to build or upgrade a PC, choosing the right motherboard is important in making sure you can get the most out of your CPU and GPU. As well as unlocking the capabilities of your most expensive components, motherboards dictate how upgradable your current system is. With the wrong motherboard, you can run out of space for RAM or lose compatibility with the latest processor releases. Upgrading your motherboard isn’t just about getting immediate results; it’s about the results it allows you to get in the future.

CPU Buyers Guide

If you’re in the market for a new processor, this guide is for you…

Buying a processor can be a difficult task. A fast-changing market coupled with a constant flow of new innovations and technologies (some real, some just for marketing purposes) can leave you struggling to even understand the options available to you.