Master Lock 4400D Wide Bluetooth Smart Padlock

A smarter way to keep things safe

This padlock uses Bluetooth to ensure it only opens for you. You set it up by installing Master Lock’s app on your Apple or Android phone or tablet and pairing it with the lock. From then on, pressing the illuminated button on the 4400D will release its shackle – but only when your phone or tablet is close to it. You can pair more than one device, which is handy if you have kids who lose keys but are never separated from their phones. The app records who’s used the lock and notifies you if anyone else tampers with it.

Iiyama ProLite B2783QSU-B1

Same price, more pixels

Most monitors have a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels, matching a Full HD TV set. If your living-room TV is, say, 48 inches, and your monitor is 24 inches, the monitor will be twice as sharp. And it needs to be, because Windows shows you a lot of fine text and icons that Coronation Street doesn’t.

As monitors and TVs get bigger, Full HD is beginning to feel less crisp, and manufacturers would like to sell us all 4K or ‘Ultra HD’ displays, with 3840x2160 pixels. Not surprisingly, they cost more, starting at around £300 for basic models that give you the increased resolution but compromise in other areas.

Apple iPad Pro 9.7in

Another impressive iPad for those with deep pockets

Bringing the features of the 12.9in iPad Pro down to a standard 9.7in size, this slim, light iPad is hard to fault. Not only does the screen have extremely high resolution and the widest colour range of any tablet or laptop, but True Tone light sensors adjust its balance according to the time of day, so colours always look as they are intended.

The LCD panel is laminated so tightly to the front glass that you really feel like you’re touching what’s on the screen, and thanks to Apple’s iOS software – which is not as good as Windows 10 for advanced business apps, but superior on tablets to Android – everything responds instantly and smoothly.

Why does Apple hate Windows users?

The company ended support for a Windows program without telling anyone

Although it’s annoying when technology companies end support for products and services, at least they normally give you plenty of notice. When Google stops updating Picasa on 1 May, almost three months will have passed since the company announced the news. Microsoft meanwhile tells you years in advance when support for different versions of Windows will end (see the lifecycle page at www.snipca.com/20301).

Apple iPhone SE

The best-value iPhone yet

Finally, a cheaper iPhone. We’ve been waiting for this since Apple announced its first phone in 2007, but there’s an obvious reason why it hasn’t happened before. By only selling top-of-the-range phones, Apple has brought in fewer customers but more money. Today, it accounts for about 20 per cent of all smartphones sold, and about 90 per cent of the profit made in this market. It would be easy to conclude that iPhones are overpriced, but it’s a strong argument against going downmarket.

OnePlus X

A luxury budget phone

OnePlus is the mobile-phone company that skips everything else that other mobile-phone companies do, like sponsoring football teams and opening shops. Instead it just sells phones, initially only to customers who apply and wait for an invitation. Once a new model is in full production, however, it gets a ‘Buy’ button on the company’s website, and the OnePlus X is now available that way.

The End of Support: Is your tech about to be abandoned?

Companies can remove support for any device or service at any time, effectively leaving them unusable and unsafe. Mike Plant reveals whether time is running out for your favourite tech

There’s always a thrill about buying a new device like a laptop, tablet or TV. You’ve done your research, read all the reviews and are happy the device does everything you want. You hand over your money and take it home, eager to unpack it and power it up for the first time.

It works perfectly, with every feature and function working as you hoped. Soon you wonder how you ever lived without it. And then, without warning, the rug is pulled from under your feet. Your TV no longer supports your favourite streaming service, your ebook reader can no longer access its book store or your broadband provider drops its bonus offers.

Here, we uncover some of the most high-profile recent examples of disappearing support for devices and services, as companies abandon their devices, services, apps… and customers.

Dell Inspiron 24 5000

A desktop PC built into a touchscreen

With no boxy system case and a single mains cable, all-in-one PCs are an appealing alternative to desktop PC tower units, even if they lack the scope for expansion. Dell’s new Inspiron 24 5000 is a great advert for the concept. Its black plastic case has a pleasingly simple design, even if the bezel around the screen could be slimmer. A sturdy articulated stand lets you position that screen exactly how you want it – even lying almost flat.

Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 14

A bigger little laptop for less

It may sound like a South American football result, but ‘Acer Aspire One Cloudbook 14’ is actually the name of a nippy little laptop. It’s got a good brain on paper, even if it’s a bit off the pace for the big leagues. So should you snap it up while the transfer window is open, or would buying it be an own goal?