Serif PagePlus X9

Ignore the rumours. Desktop publishing is not dead

Desktop publishing (DTP) was all the rage in the 1990s, when home computers and laser printers gave everyone with a PC the chance to produce newsletters and magazines that looked almost as good as the ones in the shops. Although it’s unfamiliar to most users, DTP software is still the best and easiest way to do these kind of tasks, and you’ll find it’s suited to a surprisingly wide range of other projects.

Rock Jaw Alfa Genus V2

Listen the way you like

How do you choose earphones? In an ideal world, you’d want to try several and pick the ones that sounded best to you. In the real world, it’s unlikely you’ll have the opportunity: even if you have a local shop that sells a suitable variety, they won’t usually put samples out to try. It’s not very hygienic to wedge gadgets inside your earholes, after all.

Palicomp i3 Aurora

A PC with a splash of colour

Like many desktop PCs we’ve reviewed, Palicomp’s i3 Aurora is not only good for gamers but also for anyone who wants a capable generalpurpose system with scope for future expansion. Its simple black cuboid case comes decorated with smokey swirls in red, blue or green, which makes a striking change, and is less distracting than LED lights.

Windows 10: Should You Upgrade? 100 days to decide

With just weeks before Microsoft’s free upgrade offer runs out (possibly), Jonathan Parkyn asks – is now the right time to switch to Windows 10?

Nobody likes deadlines, but for PC users everywhere there’s a very big one looming. July 29 this year marks not only Windows 10’s first birthday, but also the date when Microsoft’s latest operating system stops being free (unless the deadline is extended). Upgrading afterwards would cost as at least £100.

Cubot X17

A budget phone that isn’t technology’s finest hour

This is, according to its press release, ‘the world’s first V for Victory smartphone’. We can only admire the Dunkirk spirit that inspires marketing people to come up with this kind of Churchillian nonsense. Faced with the odds against finding something new to say about a phone – especially one assembled by a Chinese manufacturer from generic parts at a knock-down price – the truly heroic response is a strategic retreat into gibberish.

Samsung Galaxy S7

Best Android phone ever?

At first glance, Samsung’s Galaxy S7 looks almost unchanged from 2015’s S6. For several reasons, however, it’s actually a significant upgrade. Perhaps the most important is the microSD card slot, which lets you add up to 128GB for around £30 whenever you need to. The S7 runs Samsung’s TouchWiz version of Google’s Android 6 ‘Marshmallow’ operating system, which helpfully makes it easy to move your stuff to a microSD card.

Picasa survival guide

Google is closing its long-running photo organiser Picasa. Mike Plant explains what you need to do now to preserve your photos

What’s happening?

Google is closing Picasa. Support for the desktop program ended on 15 March – so it will receive no more updates – while Picasa Web Albums will be “retired” from 1 May, meaning that though your photos will remain online you won’t be able to create or edit albums.

HP Deskjet 3630

A bargain in every way but several

When inkjet printers were first introduced, they cost a small fortune. Then they started to get cheaper. Then they got really cheap. Eventually, they were practically being given away. Eventually, of course, we began to twig what was going on. They weren’t charging us much for the printer, but they were charging us a small fortune for the ink.

Dell Inspiron 11 3000 (2016)

A low-cost laptop worth having? Hmmmm…

When Apple Senior Vice President Phil Schiller introduced the new 9.7in iPad Pro, he said he hoped it would appeal to all the poor Windows users who were stuck using older PCs. This was a pretty daft thing to say.

People using older PCs are probably doing so because they get along just fine with them, and not because they’re waiting expectantly for someone to offer them a £499 tablet that can’t run desktop software and then charge them £129 on top for the keyboard. In fact, if you spend £628 on a laptop, you’ll rightly expect it to still work in a few years’ time.