Ghost emails

Mysterious messages from spooky senders are appearing on iPhones

What are they?

Emails dated ‘January 1, 1970’ being sent to iPad and iPhone users. They have perplexed thousands of people because they have no subject, sender or content, and can’t be deleted. Many users are worried that they are being hacked – or haunted.

Is Mozilla about to shut down Firefox?

The much-loved browser might soon be replaced by one that’s more ‘performant’

Is Mozilla about to copy Microsoft, and launch a new browser? It now seems possible, following confirmation from a Mozilla developer that Firefox’s new browser engine, called Servo, is being released in June.

It would be a significant development, because a browser engine is what all browsers – Firefox, Chrome, Internet Explorer and the rest – use to interpret the code of a web page, using this information to display it on screen. It determines a browser’s speed and stability.

Top 5 Ways To Waste Your Time Online

How to get caught in the sticky web of online distractions…

1 Wikipedia

In spite of its potential for inaccuracy, Wikipedia is generally a pretty good source of information. So how can it be a waste of time if you’re learning something? Well, the problem is even if you visit the site to look up something relevant to your current work, it’s almost impossible not to end up following link after link after link – until  eventually, you’ve strayed a proverbial mile from where you started. Then you look at the clock and realise you’ve lost over an hour, and you’ve no work at all.

Asus Transformer Book Flip TP200SA

A notebook/tablet that’s ‘flipping’ good

The 12" touchscreen laptop market is quite a busy place to get into these days. The likes of HP, Lenovo, Toshiba, Acer and Dell are all there, with each company pitching its own particular brand.

Asus, therefore, has to come up with something special to compete and make its mark. Well, it may have done so with the Transformer Book Flip TP200SA.

Asus 970 Pro Gaming/Aura

Asus reminds us all that AMD’s desktop CPU technology is overdue for replacement

For those people who like AMD’s desktop chips, the drought of new products in this sector has lasted very long indeed.

Checking back, I first reviewed the Asus M5A970 Evo AM3+ motherboard in 2011. And now in 2016, Asus has sent me another motherboard based on the identical chipset and socket. That’s nearly five years later!

AVG PC TuneUp v16.22

Roland Waddilove blows away the cobwebs on his system with this handy tool

AVG PC TuneUp is a collection of over 30 functions that can be used to tune up, clean up, repair and optimise your computer, whether you're still running Windows XP or the latest version of Windows 10. It is an impressive and comprehensive toolkit.

Instead of bringing out new products once a year, AVG has switched to continual updates. New features and tweaks are regularly added, and the latest version is pushed out as soon as it's ready. This is like the way Microsoft has made Windows 10 the last, and instead of new versions, it will continually update the current one. The version of AVG PC TuneUp on test is 16.22.1.58906, but by the time you read this, it could be different.

Asus ROG G20

One of the most extraordinary PCs we’ve ever seen

Asus’s Republic of Gamers (ROG) brand has produced some pretty impressive laptops, desktops and gaming peripherals. However, the ROG G20 is by far one of the most amazing looking products it's come up with.

The Asus ROG G20 is essentially a gaming desktop, with off-the-shelf PC parts shoehorned into a console-sized, futuristic-looking case. It’s a smallform-factor system that sits vertically with a uniquely designed chassis and a subtle selection of LEDs.

Secret Tips For… Screenshots

Capture the mouse cursor every time, grab a single window and save screenshots automatically

Capture anything with the Snipping Tool

Well, nearly anything. The Snipping Tool has been included with Windows Vista onwards. It will capture screenshots that seem beyond the reach of keyboard shortcuts – meaning specific parts of the screen, or a freehand area.

The Snipping Tool is hidden in different places but one way to launch it on any version of Windows is to press Windows key+R, type snippingtool.exe and press Enter. Click the New button before dragging a rectangle over the part of the screen you want to grab. But have you ever noticed the little down arrow next to this button? Click this instead to access four different ways to capture screens.

Graphics cards and graphics fixes

Stop errors and blue-screen crashes, fix a faulty cooling fan and diagnose low resolutions

Graphics freeze or blue-screen crashes

Symptoms like these point to a hardware problem. It could be that your card’s graphics processing unit (GPU) is getting too hot — games in particular make big demands on the chip, so it’ll heat up quicker. The cause is often built-up dust and grime on the card’s integrated fan and/or cooling fins (or ‘heat sink’). Remove the mains power, then open your PC. Cleaning is easier with the card extracted, so remove the retaining screw from the PC’s backplate and then slowly tease it free from its expansion slot. Use a can of compressed air to expel dust from the card’s cooling fan (and from your PC’s other fans), then use cotton buds to get into the nooks and crannies of the heat sink. If you’re really confident, you could dismantle the card to conduct a full deep-clean — see the next tip for help with that.

Brother MFC-J680DW

A do-it-all inkjet

This multi-function printer makes a neat and businesslike impression. Functions are controlled using a large colour touchscreen on the front panel, which is thoughtfully angled upwards. And if you’re working from your PC, Brother’s software makes things straightforward. The top of the unit has a flatbed scanner with a 20-page automatic document feeder (ADF) that makes scanning or copying multi-page documents stress free. Black-and-white and colour faxing are also supported. Wi-Fi is built in, but Ethernet isn’t, which won’t bother many home users.

Are Your Devices Dangerous?

Modern tech seems plagued by product recalls, security vulnerabilities and other flaws. Jonathan Parkyn explains how to protect yourself from dodgy devices

When you buy a PC, laptop, tablet or any another device, the last thing you expect is for it to spy on you, expose you to security risks or catch fire. But a recent spate of horror stories in the news points to a worrying trend for faulty product lines and devices that are sold with built-in vulnerabilities, effectively turning your computer into a ticking time bomb.

But why is this happening? Which manufacturers are the worst offenders? And what can you do to protect yourself from potentially dangerous devices? Read on to find out.

Iiyama ProLite XB2481HS-B1

A smaller, taller PC monitor

What most people seem to be looking for in a monitor these days – and what, therefore, monitor companies are most likely to try to sell you – is a huge widescreen display, typically 27 inches across the diagonal, with an ultra-slim bezel, a basic stand, and some fashionable features like high refresh rates to make games look smoother. But that’s not quite what some of us want. That size may be too big for a small study at home, and how comfortable the screen is to use depends less on whether it can update more than 60 times a second, and more on whether you can set it at exactly the right angle and height.

HP Envy 8 Note 5001na

Don’t laugh and point, it’s rude

There’s a fundamental conundrum with laptops. To make them more compact, you reduce the size of the screen. That reduces the size of the keyboard. The trouble is, our eyes can get used to seeing more or less information on a screen, but our fingers trip up when the keys get closer together.

For years, manufacturers have accepted that they can’t square this circle. Now HP has made a breakthrough. It’s based on one simple yet brilliant insight.

Protect Your Eyes From Screen Glare

If you suffer from tired eyes after using your laptop or tablet, don’t put up with the discomfort. Arren Sayers explains how to prevent eye strain

Ever notice how a few hours spent staring at your computer or tablet’s screen leaves your eyes feeling sore and tired? That’s because looking at the backlight behind a screen is like staring at a low-intensity light bulb for hours at a time.

What makes computer displays especially damaging is that they produce ‘blue light’– a type of light that suppresses the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin. This not only makes it hard for us to nod off at night, but also leads to a disturbed night’s sleep when we finally do.

Here we’ll show you how to limit the effects of harmful light to keep you, and your eyes, in fine fettle.

HP Envy 13

Should you covet this Windows 10 laptop?

One of the best YouTube videos about computers – as well as one of the simplest demonstrations of Newtonian physics – is the one that shows an astronaut ejecting a floppy disk under zero gravity (www.snipca.com/19928). If, like us, you’re old enough to remember floppy disks, you’ll know they popped straight out, with a brisk spring action. So, just as Sir Isaac would have predicted, the 3.5in packet emerges and floats elegantly across the room, like something out of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Dell Chromebook 13 7310

A pricey Chromebook misses the point

A thousand pounds? For a Chromebook? Google’s simplified web-based operating system, Chrome OS, is supposed to make laptops cheaper than those with Windows 10, not more expensive. To be fair, Dell’s Chromebook 13 range starts at a much lower price than the top model we tested: shop around and you can find the basic version for as little as £412. But that’s still a lot more than the £200-£250 you’d pay for the average Chromebook.

Wiki Links: How To Create Your Own Wiki

Chris Salter explores the Tiddlywiki software

Wikipedia is one of the top ten websites on the internet, in term of unique users. It has more than five million articles and pages in English, and a large number of these pages are also translated into different languages. The site allows easy access to the world’s knowledge and allows anyone to update specific articles as and when more information is available, presenting everything in a clear, concise format.

What Do You Do If You Share Your Twitter Name With A Brand?

Sarah Dobbs looks at the Twitter users who share their names with massive brands

Every Christmas, @JohnLewis receives a barrage of tweets about the store’s newest Christmas advert. The problem is, @JohnLewis isn’t a shop. He’s a man called John Lewis who lives in Virginia and works as a computer science teacher. The actual Twitter handle for the department store is @johnlewisretail, which is admittedly less obvious than @johnLewis, but, well, John Lewis got there first, and since it’s his actual name, he’s well within his rights to hang onto it.

Video Editors For Enthusiasts

If you need more video editing power than Windows’ built-in tool, take a look at these more powerful apps

Video editing is a something that anyone can try, but only a few get just right. It’s one of those tasks that many dismiss as easy, but then find is quite complicated if they want to create polished and professional results. The truth is you need imagination, and to develop an eye for design along with the technical skill to operate the software if you want to excel.

VAMPYR: Gothic British horror is all kiss kiss fang fang

The revered Parisian outfit behind Remember Me and Life Is Strange has made a dark-alley detour for its upcoming (and potentially fang-tastic) horror-RPG Vampyr.

Set in a London gripped by the Spanish Flu of 1918 (which killed more people than four years of the Black Plague), you play medical surgeon Jonathan E Reid, returning from the front lines of WW1 to find a city lost in grief and despair. Also – surprise! – he’s suddenly a vampire.

Common Networking Problems Explained

If you can’t get online or access shared files, we might be able to help…

Once you’ve set up your network, it instantly becomes essential to everything you do online. That’s why, when one goes wrong, it can be a source of near-infinite frustration. Troubleshooting a network – especially a wireless one – is hardly ever easy. If do you encounter a problem, the best way to fix it is to already know what’s wrong, or know someone who does.

Unfortunately, when your network is down, you can’t even get online to Google the problem. It’s just you, your wits, and a near-incomprehensible router administration page to guide you. Unless, of course, you’ve got this article handy…

5 Ways To Improve Network Security

Give yourself the best chance of keeping your network secure and private

Network security is more important than it has ever been, but since wireless routers now come with a level of security set up by default, many people are less aware than ever of the security issues they face, and what can be done to improve and manage network security in general.

That’s why, to help anyone wondering what they can do about their own network security, we’ve put together this list of 5 things you can do to improve it without making any major changes to your setup or hardware.

Persuasive Tactics

Where others rise and fall, strategy remains: powerful, ever-present, adored. We takes a look at the evolution of the genre that pre-dates all of gaming

It’s the oldest genre in the world, predating videogames, computer games, any form of organised game. It forms a base element of near enough all thought processes. Nations have risen – and fallen – because of good and bad use of it. Without strategy, there would be nothing – never mind Civilization, we wouldn’t have a civilisation as we know it. Strategy is, in short, quite an interesting genre.

Remembering… Donkey Kong

It’s all about apes, rolling barrels and rescuing damsels in distress this week

It may not be every gamer’s cup of tea, but Nintendo’s moustachioed plumber is one of the most recognised and successful characters in the history of the videogame world. However, he wasn’t always the star of the show. Many years ago, he had a pet ape.

Venturer BravoWin 10K

Mark reviews an inexpensive hybrid design that is surprisingly well featured

I’ve yet to be really convinced by hybrid laptop/tablet systems, as these generally seem to offer nothing special either way. However, spending Microsoft Surface levels of cash is one thing, and this the price of the Venturer BravoWin 10K is entirely another.

At less than £150 it's truly affordable, yet building a hybrid machine as this price was always going to be challenging for those designing it.

Lexar Professional 1800x microSD UHS-II 64GB

Lexar demonstrates well that the limits of SDXC are about to be breached

With people starting to transition to 4K video capture, the SD and micro-SD card really needs to up its game, given that it’s the most popular flash storage media for cameras.

The standards for SD cards were enhanced first by micro-SDHC and then micro-SDXC specs in 2009. SDXC supports speeds of up to 300MB/s and capacities up to 2TB on SD cards, and 200GB on micro-SDXC.

Minix NGC-1

Our favourite mini-PC just got a whole lot better

One of the best media centre PCs we’ve ever owned is the Minix NEO Z64, a wonderfully small and reasonably powerful machine that still sits in our AV cabinet hooked up to a TV. Now, though, Minix has upped the ante and released a new micro-sized media machine, the NGC-1.

Fake online reviews could be made illegal

Authorities are trying to clean up fake reviews on websites, to stop undeserving companies getting a good reputation online.

That practice isn’t new, but the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK has cracked down by rapping the knuckles of one online marketing firm, Total SEO & Marketing, which was revealed to have written 800 false reviews promoting 86 small companies, including mechanics and gardeners.

Our guide to 5G

We’ve only recently started using 4G but the mobile industry is already preparing for the next big speed boost, as David Crookes explains

What is 5G?

Take a look at the very top of your mobile phone screen and you’ll probably see 3G or 4G next to the signal-strength indicator, depending on the kind of contract you’re signed up to. These refer to the third- and fourth-generation stages of mobile-telecommunication technology. It follows, then, that 5G is the fifth-generation wireless system – and it promises to be much better than anything that has gone before.

Best free text-editing tools

Windows Notepad is a feeble text editor that doesn’t deserve its place on every Windows PC. Andy Shaw compares a selection of alternatives that offer much more, from spellchecking to tabbed interfaces

Turn your old laptop into a super-speedy Chromebook

If your old PC can’t handle Windows 10, install Chrome OS instead. Wayne Williams guides you through the process

Buying a laptop used to involve a straight choice between two operating systems – Windows or Mac OS X. But now there’s Google’s Chrome OS, which offers a low-cost third option. Chromebooks running the cloud-based operating system have become very popular and it’s easy to see why. They are affordable because as long as you’re happy to carry out most of your work on the web and in your browser, they don’t require much expensive processing power.

The same principle can be applied to an old PC, so although it may not be able to run the latest version of Windows, your old computer may still have more than enough power to run the Chrome operating system. CloudReady (www.neverware.com) brings the Chromebook experience to your PC, and can either replace your existing Windows installation or run alongside it. The OS is aimed commercially at schools but is being given away free to home users.

Secret new hacks for Netflix

With 80 million users worldwide, many of us now prefer watching Netflix to traditional TV. Robert Irvine explains how to get the most from your monthly subscription

Block ads that your ad blocker can’t

Ads keep web content free, but many are annoying, intrusive and even dangerous. Robert Irvine reveals how to block ads that dodge traditional filters

More than 22% of British web users now use ad-blocking tools such as Adblock Plus (adblockplus.org) and uBlock Origin (bit.ly/ublock393) – up from 15% in 2015. Rather than responding to this rising trend by making their ads less invasive, many advertisers are now employing devious methods to evade ad blockers. Here, we explain how to combat the worst offenders.

Stop Websites Spying On You

Ever get the feeling you’re being watched? Wayne Williams reveals who’s snooping on your online activities and explains the best ways to protect your privacy on the web

You’re never alone when you go online; there’s always someone or something observing what you do, even if you’re not doing anything particularly interesting. Many of these ‘spies’ are perfectly harmless, merely tracking your activities for analytics or advertising purposes, but others have more sinister and intrusive motives.

TP-Link AV500 Powerline ac Wi-Fi Kit

TP-Link’s latest kit provides an effective and affordable way to boost your Wi-Fi network

If you want to increase the speed of your Wi-Fi, upgrading your router is a good move, particularly if you’ve got an older model, because the latest Wi-Fi technologies are faster and reach further into your house. However, simply plonking a new router in the same spot as your old one can only do so much – if your problems are caused by Wi-Fi-blocking obstacles such as walls, your newly boosted network is still going to struggle.

Naim Mu-so Qb

The Mu-so Qb is Naim’s most affordable system yet. Ed Selley finds out if its small dimensions can produce a big sound

It’s fair to say that Naim’s product development over the last few years has taken the company in directions it would have been hard to imagine back at the start of the millennium. One of the most radical of the recent offerings is the Mu-so all-in-one network music system. This broke new ground by integrating the speakers into the main chassis and introducing an aesthetic that has more in common with the flagship Statement pre/power than the classic black and green livery of the rest of its familiar range.

Arcam FMJ C49

Arcam’s C49/P49 pre-power amplifier combination is an unsung hero of the affordable high end, says David Price

In hi-fi’s glory days back in the late seventies, it felt like there were more preamp/power amplifier combinations around than there were people to buy them. But some time around the late eighties, when everything began to downsize we saw the appearance of the ‘super integrated’ amplifier breed. Fewer people bought separate pre-power combos as a result, and now they’re scarce compared with back then.

Leema Xen 2

Leema Acoustics has reworked its classic speaker into the Xen 2. David Price finds out how it compares with the original

Once upon a time, two former BBC engineers decided to form a hi-fi company. Prior to starting Leema, Lee Taylor was the recipient of BAFTA and Palme d’Or awards for his work in recording and sound mixing for television, music and film, while Mallory Nichols was involved in the manufacturing of Magtrax monitors for recording studios and mastering companies from the early nineties.

Marantz HD-AMP1

Marantz has built on the success of its HD-DAC1 with an all-new integrated – and it’s a real star, says James Parker

Once upon a time, you could survey the shelves in your local high street hi-fi shop and choose between any one of a dozen or more amplifiers from the big Japanese brands, but the hi-fi landscape has changed. Now ranges have been pared back, and more than a few of those oncefamous names have withdrawn from the mainstream separates market.

Meridian Explorer2

Meridian has just brought improved sonics and MQA functionality to the Explorer DAC’s sleek alloy chassis, says David Price

Meridian’s original Explorer DAC, was a little out of the ordinary (not least because it was a new market sector for a traditionally high-end brand), but didn’t quite set the world alight. Perhaps its successor might have more luck.

Questyle QP1R: Gold standard

Combining high-end build with old-school design, this hi-res player does things a little differently as David Vivian discovers

Few current audio trends seem to be gathering pace with quite the urgency of personal high-resolution audio players. Considering how many consumer temptations the proliferating sector has snagged, it isn’t hard to understand why. Perhaps it was inevitable that the early aspirational appeal of Astell&Kern’s carbon fibre-clad, tech-dense luxury items would open the way for the skilfully compromised but high-achieving, cost-very-much-an-object Far East offerings that have grown the market and realised the idea that the sonic advantages of hi-res on the move are for every music lover and not just the diehard audiophile or well heeled.

HooToo Tripmate

HooToo isn’t exactly the first name that springs to mind when you think about networking technology – or anything else for that matter. However, the company does produce some interesting looking travel routers, of which is the TripMate.

The HooToo TripMate wireless travel router is a solid black device measuring 96 x 44 xx 28mm, with a 10/100Mbps Ethernet port on one side of its rounded body and a full-sized USB 2.0 port on the other. To one side, there’s a micro-USB port for power and on top you’ll find a power button surrounded by a set of LEDs indicating power and connection status.

TP-Link TL-MR3040

TP-Link’s contribution comes in the form of the TL-MR3040. This sleek-looking device has a number of interesting aspects to its credit such as a 200mAh rechargeable battery and a number of modes including support for 4G networks.

The TL-MR3040 measures 100 x 62 x 16mm and weighs just 94g. Its curvaceous lines house a 10/100Mbps Ethernet port, USB 2.0 port and a micro-USB port for connecting to a wall socket or other USB adapter/port for charging the internal battery.

Asus WL-330NUL

While other travel routers in the group offer something extra beyond the extension or conversion of wired to wireless networks, Asus has developed something a little different. Advertised as the world’s smallest router, the WL-330NUL is made with simplicity and size in mind, but is it any good?

First off, the Asus WL-330NUL really is very small. It measures just 65 x 20 x 15mm and weighs mere grams. On one end you’ll find a 10/100Mbps Ethernet port, and on the other there’s a USB 2.0 connector that fits into your laptop or PC.

Netgear Trek

Netgear has a wide range of networking products available and has done for as many years as most of us will care to remember. As with the other big networking names in the group, Trendnet, D-Link and so on, Netgear manages to include a little something extra with its travel router.

The Netgear Trek travel router offers a fair amount of connectivity and technology. There’s 802.11n 300Mbps wi-fi on the 2.4GHz channel, a pair of 10/100Mbps Ethernet ports, a single fullsized USB 2.0 port and a second micro-USB port. As with the other products we’ve looked at, there’s a physical switch to swap between accessing the internet via a wired or wireless signal, and it can function either plugged into a wall socket or powered via a laptop.

D-Link DIR-510L

The D-Link name is synonymous with networking products and has been for a lot of years now. It’s hardly surprising, then, to find that it has quite an impressive range of personal hotspot and travel router devices on offer.

The one we have to test here is the Dir-510L portable router and charger. This is a long, thin device measuring 140 x 59 x 16mm, which has a number of interesting features.

Trendnet AC750

Trendnet has stepped up its networking technology product line in recent years to the point where it’s one of the most popular companies for anything related to routing, switching and so on. It’s goes without saying, then, that what the company has to offer in terms of wireless travel accessories is going to be worth a look.

The Trendnet AC750 wireless travel router came out last year and aims to provide a good internet connection for those who want secure access to the outside world on the go.

15 Tips For Cross-Device Optimisation

Craig Sullivan presents the key rules to remember when optimising and testing your sites to ensure compatibility on a range of devices

I started messing around with HTTP log files and user agent strings over 15 years ago, analysing and attempting to understand all the different devices rocking up at the early John Lewis ecommerce websites. What advice would I give myself, if I could go back in time?

It would be this: Every website or product you work on from now on will be broken – you just don’t know where, on what device or browser, or how severely. If you hunt these defects down, you’ll make easier money for your clients than almost all your other work put together.

Internet Connection Troubleshooting

Having problems with your internet connection? Let us help you with some handy troubleshooting tips

When our internet connections evolved from clunky dial up connections to ADSL and fibre optic cable we not only got far greater speeds and data limits, but also much improved reliability. Internet connections no longer suffer from the same level of unpredictability dial up connections once had, and for the most part we can relax in our fully connected homes, able to socialise, play games and stream movies. It’s great, but it’s not perfect.

What Will Facebook’s New Reactions Mean For Online Interactions?

Sarah Dobbs looks into Facebook’s new ‘Reactions’

It’s hard to remember what online communication was like before the ‘Like’ button. Added to Facebook statuses back in 2009, that little thumbs-up icon has become a handy crutch for online interactions. While it’s obviously meant to convey approval – you’re meant to click it when you actually like something your friend has posted, whether that’s a flattering new selfie or a link to an article they think everyone should read – in practice, it’s grown to encompass more degrees of meaning than that.