Error messages

Isuppose I should be pleased that error messages are getting friendlier. Sure, Windows 10’s stability (or lack thereof) hasn’t always filled me with confidence, but at least when things go pear-shaped it tells me something that sounds like it’s been written by a human being.

‘The server stumbled, page could not be loaded’ is easier to take than ‘Windows store error, exception xxxgetstuffed’, even if it means you’ll be jumping through hoops for the next two hours just to get a few updates to download. And while I’m not a big fan of ‘We couldn’t complete the updates. Undoing changes. Don’t turn off your computer’, at least it explains roughly what’s gone wrong.

Magix Music Maker 2016

A quick way into all kinds of music

There are plenty of affordable Windows programs for digital music enthusiasts – including Steinberg’s Cubase Elements, Cakewalk Music Creator and Ableton Live Intro – but nothing quite like Apple’s GarageBand for those of us who just want to dabble without a lot of complications. Music Maker includes some of the kinds of features you’d find across all of these, at a relatively basic level.

Remembering… Acorn BBC Master 128

We look back at a classroom computer and an old friend

Those of us who are old enough to recall sitting in a classroom in the mid-80s will undoubtedly also remember the sudden swarming around one of the school’s limited computers.

At the teacher’s signal, the students would race over to one of the few BBCs and sit around arguing whose turn it was to sit at the keyboard and whose turn it was to read out from the hastily written BASIC listing in the exercise book. It was a pretty remarkable time to be growing up, although we never realised it at the time.

Top 5 Things We Learned From Black Friday

A few lessons that only rampant consumerism can teach us…

1 Friday Lasts All Week

And the week before. And the week after. The whole idea of Black Friday is that it’s a sales period that comes after Thanksgiving, an American celebration that has nothing to do with us, and now we can’t even stick to the day that’s actually in the name. Instead, retailers declare long in advance that ‘Black Friday lasts all week!’, then when the Friday in question arrives, ‘Black Friday lasts all weekend’, and then when it’s over, we’re told it’s Cyber Monday. No doubt we’ll soon be told that it lasts all week, then retailers will probably just give a special name to every day of the year, all with the explicit intention of making people spend money they don’t have.

SteelSeries Stratus XL for Windows and Android

SteelSeries promote the console experience for PC and tablet owners

Eighteen months ago, I reviewed the original SteelSeries Stratus and was critical of it for a number of reasons. My top two complaints where how small it was for anyone with large hands and that while it used Bluetooth technology, it only worked with Apple iPads and iPhones.

Therefore, I’m delighted to report that the Stratus XL is not only a similar size to a typical Xbox/PS4 controller, but it's also available in a model that supports Windows and Android machines.

Razer Diamondback

The legacy continues…

The Diamondback is, frankly, a stalwart of the Razer product line. First launched in 2004, the model has remained in the company’s range and stays in the market as one of the most popular (and versatile) mice available. The reason for both is obvious: its ambidextrous design. It’s a legacy Razer has rejuvenated for the 2015 model, so again the Diamondback welcomes left- and right-handed users alike.

UP Mini 3D Printer

Proof that 3D printing is alive and well

3D printing never really caught on quite as well as most of us expected it to. By now, we thought 3D printers would be as popular as regular 2D, paper printers. But they're not.

There are a number of factors that contributed to the lack of a 3D printing revolution, but we won’t get into them all here. However, two of the main contributing factors were cost and ease of use.

Asus MG278Q 27” Gaming Monitor

Is this high-end display worth its high-end price?

As a tech journo, you might expect me to own a top-of-therange PC plugged into a pin-sharp display the size of Norway. But alas, no. Currently, I do the majority of my work on a 15” laptop with a resolution of 1280 x 800 and my gaming on a 1080p 21” inch monitor, so it was difficult not be impressed when I unboxed this screen from Asus. At 27 inches, it’s a significant upgrade to what I’m generally used to, and if you’re in the same boat, you might be tempted to think that this is what counts. The bigger, the better right?

Netgear D6400 AC1600 Modem Router

The Netgear D6400 comes in any colour you’d like, as long as that’s black

Sometimes it is better not to be at the front of a queue, oddly enough. A good example of why is the Netgear D6400, which when it launched earlier in the year cost roughly £150.

If it had crossed my reviewer inbox, then I’d have torn it a new one for being overpriced, but given an adjustment, it now seems like a much more realistic prospect.