Fake your online identity

Sharing your real personal info over the web leaves you open to spam and scams. Hayden Parkes (aka Robert Irvine) explains how to be someone else online

Secret New Tools For Google

Think you know Google inside out? Well, think again. David Ludlow lifts the lid on 30 of the search giant’s newest and most useful hidden features in the services you use every day

Google tools such as Maps, YouTube, Chrome, Drive and of course search have become so integral to our lives - both online and off - that it’s hard to imagine how we’d survive without them. And although there are valid concerns about what Google does with our data, no other company can claim to offer so many sites and so much software of such good quality and ease of use.

Much of Google’s success is down to the fact that it never stops improving its existing tools and developing new ones, so there’s always something new and useful for us to try. Over the following six pages, we round up our favourite new and lesser-known features from the search giant, spanning all its most popular products and a few that have launched more recently.

Battle Of The Virtual Assistants — Microsoft vs Apple vs Google

As predicted by Star Trek, it looks like we‘ll be talking to our computers soon. Or, more specifically, an AI personal assistant. Roland Waddilove compares the current crop

The digital personal assistant would appear to be one of the next big battlegrounds in tech, and many companies are pouring a lot of money, time, and talent into developing them. These are apps and services that are intelligent, interactive, can perform tasks that make life easier, and keep you updated with the latest information on things that interest you. The names are now pretty well-known: Microsoft has Cortana, a key component of the Windows 10 operating system; Google has Now on Android and iOS, and also Assistant in the latest Pixel phone; Apple has Siri, which is on iOS and also in macOS Sierra, the latest Mac operating system. Other companies are getting into digital personal assistants, too, such as Amazon with Alexa.

Bagging A Bargain

It’s time to whip out the credit card: Black Friday and Cyber Monday are back

If you have snapped up this copy of Micro Mart on the day it made it to the shops – that is, 24th November 2016 – then let us be the first to wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. It may seem odd for us to do that given we don’t actually celebrate this particular American festival here in the UK. But it’s getting to the point where it’s just about the only US event that we don’t mark. Not yet, in any case.

Fantastic new uses for your old laptop

You may struggle to teach old dogs new tricks, but that’s not true of old laptops. Mike Plant explains how to get more out of a laptop you thought you’d never use again

Many of us have an old, long-forgotten laptop squirreled away in a cupboard or the loft gathering dust. It probably became too sluggish for everyday use, prompting you to replace it with a swankier, speedier model. Perhaps you put your laptop through our recent ‘When will your PC die?’ benchmark tests and realised it was on its last legs.

Before you send it off to your nearest landfill site, why not try giving it a new lease of life? Read on as we explain how to convert it into anything from a second PC screen to an amplifier.

Stop online advertisers tracking you

The web is tracking you without you even knowing. Mike Plant explains how to shield yourself from online advertisers that want to sell your browsing habits to the highest bidder

Are you being watched right now? Probably not because you’re reading this! But the next time you go online your activity will be closely monitored. Every website you access employs trackers designed to see how you reached it, which bit of the site you interacted with, how long you stayed put and what site you leapt to afterwards.

Samsung 960 Pro 1TB

Samsung makes some scorching hot hardware, but not in the Galaxy Note 7 way

Dо you recall when the PC transitioned from IDE to SATA? Then most motherboards came with both ports, and I recall looking at IDE and wondering why they still existed.

SATA was so superior that, other than for legacy reasons, IDE became pointless practically overnight. I'm saying this since the new Samsung 960 Pro M.2 makes me view SATA ports in precisely the same way.

Have Router, Will Broadband

What's the best approach to a new ISP if you already have a modem/router?

If you've spent any amount of time browsing around for a new broadband package or leafing through the endless bits of junk mail that contain the most recent broadband deals you'll notice one thing: all broadband suppliers seem to be very keen to throw in a new modem/router with the deal. Sometimes these units are off-the-shelf models you'll see in you local computer store, and others are bespoke models designed specifically for certain vendors.

Secure Your Online Banking (And Personal Data)

Tesco Bank customers were powerless to prevent hackers stealing hundreds of thousands of pounds from accounts, but there are still ways you can secure and protect your money and data

There was a time when people implicitly trusted banks. They certainly seemed to be a far better alternative to stuffing your cash under the mattress, and they had an air of authority about them. How how times have changed, though. Many of the grand old branches of yesteryear have long gone, and we've lived through a period of such great insecurity that many banks have had to be restructured. One - Northern Rock - even collapsed after becoming the first in 150 years to suffer a run.

Mini Doom

A tiny version of a much loved classic this week

Doom is quite possibly one of the most infamous games in the PC's history. When it was released, it took the world by storm and generated both controversial news pieces as well as scores of pages of hints, tips, secrets.

The game catapulted the PC into the mainstream gaming market, where once the PC was a niche gaming platform, post-Doom found a PC in nigh-on every bedroom in the connected world.

Keeping Your Smartphone Charged On The Move

Struggling to keep your phone charged all day? Sarah Dobbs finds ways to give it some extra juice when you're not at home

If you could talk to your 2006-self about your mobile phone, Past You would probably be pretty amazed. The phone in your pocket today probably has a touchscreen, no keyboard, the ability to surf the web, GPS, and all sorts of other awesome things. On at least one count, though. Past You probably has a phone that outperforms yours: battery life.

Yup, while mobile phones like the old Nokia 3210 or even the swanky-at-the-time Motorola Razr V3 could go days without needing to be charged, your smartphone is probably starting to struggle by mid-afternoon if you've dared to actually, you know, use it. Make a few calls, check Twitter, use Google Maps to find your way somewhere, play a bit of Candy Crush, and you're probably looking at 40% battery left at best.

How to use an old PC and webcam to create a home-security hub

Wayne Williams shows you how to set up a home-surveillance system that stores its footage in the cloud

The most sophisticated home-security cameras don’t only alert you when an intruder is detected - they also save the footage they record to the cloud. This means you can view it from any device at any time, and your evidence is safe, even if thieves make off with your security cameras and other hardware.

There are plenty of great security-camera systems to choose from, but you don't have to spend a fortune on the latest setup if you already have an old computer and a camera or two to build your own.

In this article we look at the hardware and software you need to put together your own, modern cloud-based security system.

Are Cheap SSDs A False Economy?

Is it wise to stick to the cheaper side of the expensive solid-state market?

Although prices are dropping for SSDs and have dropped quite some way over the last couple of years, compared to the prices of traditional spinners or HDDs, solid state is still very expensive. This isn’t by a small margin, either. The price difference is large, and you can buy spinner hard disks with three or four times the capacity as a same-priced SSD. If you’re looking for storage, this makes the older hard disk option by far more attractive.

Do Non-Gamers Need Discrete GPUs?

We all know that gamers need graphical power, but what about other users?

If you visit any graphics card website you’ll quickly be bombarded by images and screenshots from all sorts of games and gaming-related media. Specifications for graphics cards are usually focused entirely on how well they can deliver the latest graphical performance in the latest games, and many of the features of a card are designed to appeal to those who play games on a daily basis. Even a card’s physical appearance these days is often made to look sleek and attractive, much like something out of one of the games to be run using it.

Ultimate Phone Photos: Part 2

In the second part of this series, Mark Pickavance looks at different photographic techniques and how to best achieve them using your phone

Last week, I covered generally taking better pictures and video with your phone. Building on that, I’ll be talking about special situations this week.

What’s really interesting about some of the methods is that because of the software technology of the phone, it is easier to do some of these things on a phone than with an actual camera.

If you’ve ever wanted to move beyond the occasional family snap and selfie stage of phone photography, then you might want to consider trying some of these alternatives.

Say! Goodbye! To Yahoo!

After the massive hack in 2014 that saw millions of customers’ personal details stolen, has Yahoo betrayed your trust for the final time? Mike Plant explains what you need to do before ditching the email service for good

Yahoo has been in hot water of late. First, it admitted – after two years – that hackers had breached its security and stolen the account details of 500 million of its customers in 2014. Then there were allegations that the company secretly scanned its customers’ emails on behalf of US intelligence (www.snipca.com/22184).

These two calamities have seriously dented users’ faith in Yahoo – to the point where many are closing their accounts (www.snipca.com/22191). If you are a Yahoo customer and have decided you want to move to another email service you might be concerned that you’ll lose all your emails and contacts. You needn’t worry. Here we’ll explain how to close your Yahoo account, while transferring your emails, contacts and calendar entries to an email service of your choice.

Who's Hacking Your Wi-Fi?

Is someone secretly hacking your home Wi-Fi connection? Jonathan Parkyn shows you how to block the leeches and make your Wi-Fi hackproof

Have you ever checked your mobile phone while parked in front of your house, and noticed that you’re still connected to your home Wi-Fi network? The irony is that, even if you suffer from wireless black spots inside your own house, it’s often still possible to access your network from neighbours’ houses and gardens, or from outside on the street. And thatmeans somebody could be hacking into your Wi-Fi right now, without you ever knowing.

Refurbished Laptops Guide

How can you get the best deal on used systems?

Buying a refurbished system or refurbishing your own, is fairly simple when you’re talking about desktop PCs or simple consumer electronics like tablets and phones. But what about if you’re after a cheap laptop? They’re harder to repair and clean, and virtually impossible to outfit with new hardware outside of a few small elements. So what can you do, and what should you look for?

Over the next few pages, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about getting your hands on a refurbished laptop – and what you should expect to find if you want one.

Ultimate Phone Photos: Part 1

In the first of a two-part feature on phone photography, Mark Pickavance looks at taking better pictures and choosing the right phone

I remember when cameras first appeared on phones, and while most people were impressed that it was even possible, the results weren’t great. Early sensors had low resolution and very poor low light capability, and they were usually borrowed from cheap compact cameras that produced equally abysmal results.

But as new phone generations appeared they got better, driven mostly by social media, and the compulsion of capturing important moments to share with others. Soon phones had better sensors, then built-in flashes and eventually decent optics and image stabilisation.

Understanding Graphics Cards

If you’re thinking of buying a new graphics card, it pays to understand all of that jargon

One of the most high profile upgrades in the PC market has to be the graphics card. If you’re into games it’s an essential purchase, and one that requires inevitable upgrades as the technology and games become more and more advanced. Other users like graphic designers and animators also need good visual hardware, albeit often specialised, and not the same breed as most consumer models.

31 Chrome Add-Ons (That Are Actually Useful)

Mark Oakley rounds-up the Chrome extensions that make a difference

Google Chrome has become the go-to web browser for much of the Internet-using world. Such is its dominance, it is now used by over half of all desktop users. For the longest time, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer was the browser of choice for desktop users but as Microsoft dabbled close to the Edge, so Google Chrome surpassed all its rivals.

Chances are, then, that you’ll be using Chrome, but are you making the most of Google’s browser? Here are 31 of the add-ons that will genuinely make a difference to your browsing experience. Find all of them over at the Chrome Web Store, of course.

Nitro Concepts E200 Gaming Chair

Ergonomics, comfort and style. What’s not to like?

We’ve seen and sat on a fair number of computer, workstation and gaming chairs in our time, some of which have been constructed from rich Corinthian leather or boasted a fascinating array of technical additions. One thing we have learned in that time, there’s more to a computer chair than just a list of features.

How to make your old tablet last longer

There’s no need to upgrade your tablet with every new release. Wayne Williams shows how to extend the life of an old tablet

Every year, tech manufacturers like Apple and Samsung release shiny new tablets to tempt us to upgrade, but there’s often no need to ditch your old model for a fancy new device. An iPad you bought years ago will run the same apps as today’s hardware, and may even run iOS 10, the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system. Some older, cheaper Android tablets might not fare so well but with a bit of care and attention, they should still provide a few more years of use. Here’s what you need to do to extend your tablet’s lifespan.

Take your free software with you

Saving your favourite software as portable apps to a USB means you can use them on any PC. Edward Munn rounds up the best ones

Beat EVERY Web Restriction

Websites seem to take a perverse pleasure in blocking what you can see and do online. Wayne Williams is having none of that. Here, he explains how to beat unreasonable restrictions

There’s nothing more frustrating than coming up against a brick wall when you’re browsing the web. We’ve all been faced with videos “unavailable in your country”, ISPs blocking websites and warnings that “your IP address has been banned”. Sadly, this is becoming increasingly common as web companies decide exactly what we can and can’t access online. In this feature, we reveal how to beat unfair blocks so you can do whatever you want (within reason!) on the web.

We’ll show you how to access sites blocked by your ISP, watch your favourite iPlayer programmes from abroad, download apps not yet available in your country, overcome geographical video restrictions, and more. We’ll also show you how you can get locked forum and social-media accounts reinstated, and read news stories that Google has removed links to.