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Contributors
roberta_alidori@idg.co. uk
Windows 10 is here
Martyn Casserly, Aryeh Klein, Mikael Ricknas. Agam Shah, Mohamed Wahid
After all the waiting Microsoft's latest OS has arrived
Advertising
Business Director Helen Clifford-Jones helen_cIifford-jones@i dg.co.uk t last, t he countdown is at an end: Windows 10 is here. Whether
Account Director Tom Drummond
Account Director Jonathan Busse
Campaign Support Manager Chris Brown
tom_drummond@idg.co.uk
jonathan_busse@idg.co.uk
chris_brown@idg.co.uk
A you're reading this just a few days before it launches or in the
days and weeks after, the new operating system represents a
big mi lestone for Microsoft.
Marketin
Not only does the company need to repa ir its reputat ion damaged
Marketing Manager Ash Patel ash_patel@idg.co.uk
Head of Marketing Design James Walker james_walker@idg.co.uk by Windows 8, it also needs to get bus inesses on board. It's a milestone,
Marketing Software Manager Letitia Austin letitia_austin@idg.co.uk t hough, because it's the first opera t ing system it's effectively giving away
Subscriptions Customer Services pcadvisor@subscription.co.uk
for free. Yes, you' ll get Windows 10 when you buy a new PC, laptop or tablet,
Online but upgrades have never been free for users wanting to move to the latest
Online Development Manager Adrian Black webmaster@pcadvisor.co.uk version of Windows on their existing hardware.
Web Developer Victor Chong Junior Developer John Copsey
Web Developer Dominik Koscielak As you'd expect, we've dedicated a big chunk of this month's issue to
everyt hing Windows 10. As well as our fu ll review - starting on page 50
Accounts
-we explain everything you need to know about the hardware you need
Financial Director Chris Norman chris_norman@idg.co.uk
Credit Controller Dawnette Gordon dawnette_gordon@idg.co.uk to run Windows 10, which version you're entit led to and the differences
Management Accountant Parit Shah parit_shah@idg.co.uk bet ween Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro.
We've covered everything from downloading and install ing the OS
Publishing
Publishing Director Simon Jary sj@idg.co.uk to using its new features inc luding Cortana- the helpful new assistant-
Managing Director Kit Gould kit_gould@idg.co.uk plus vi r tual desktops, the new Edge web browser and how to customise
the new Start menu so it's arranged j ust the way you want it.
You can find out about the features you'll lose by upgrading (page
68) and how to downgrade back to Windows 7 or 8.1 if you decide you
prefer your old operating system (page 67). If you're running XP or Vista,
t here's still a way to upgrade: find out how on page 66.
There's also Windows 10 Mobile, which wi ll launch later this year on
phones -you can find out al l about it on page 54. If you can't wait, the
Subscribe online: Subscribe to digital editions: preview version is availab le for a wide range of Lumia handsets and we
tinyurl.com/subscribepca pcadvisor.co.uk/ magazines show you how t o inst all it on page 64.
Subscribe by phone: Subscription enquiries:
Talking of phones, they're becoming our go-to device for photography
0844 844 0232 pcadvisor@servicehelpline.co.uk
and video. So it pays to choose a phone with a great camera that you can
CWO DD use every day as wel l as on special occasions: holi days, birthdays and
12 issues 37.99 35.88 weddings, for example. We gat hered together nine of the best smartphones
Six issues 24.99 19.99 around right now to find out how their cameras performed in varying
Europe (12 issues) 100 100 cond itions, including se lfies. You can see the results start ing on page 92.
Rest of world (12 issues) 125 125 If you haven't already upgraded your laptop or PC with an SSD, now's the
t ime. We've reviewed six of the best drives on page 82, with capacit ies up to
lTB and prices starting at just 69 so even if your budget is sma ll, you can
What do you think of this issue of PC Advisor? We welcome feedback
- email Jim Martin at jim_martin@pcadvisor.co.uk and include the stil l have this super-fast storage tha t wil l give any PC a big speed boost. And
issue number in the subject heading if you're about to install Windows 10, it rea lly is t he ideal ti me to buy one.
N ATIONA L
U N I T E D
KINGDOM August 2015 www.pcadvisor.co.uk 3
B CONTENTS
11 Meet Fairphone 2
12 Sony's 4 K camera
14 Fingerprint sensors
20 New Products
26 Schenker XMG P505 66 How to upgrade from Windows XP or Vista
112 Cover Disc+ 28 App le MacBook with Retina 67 How to downgrade from Windows 10
display (15in, 2.5GHz, mid 2015) 68 Missing features in Windows 10
30 Apple iMac with Retina 69 How to get tech support
5K display (m id 2015) 70 How to customise the Start Menu
32 EE Harrier 72 How to use Continuum
34 EE Harrier Mini 74 How to use Co r tana
35 Samsung Galaxy A3 76 How to use Universal Apps
8nmpoo ~ 36 Ulefone BeTouch 78 How to use the Edge web browser
WlnOptlmlzcr 11
SCpr.cd up J'<lUI )'( "' l,lptop 38 UMI eMax 80 How to use Virtua l Desktops
FUlL PROGRAM
40 LG Watch Urbane
41 Nintendo 3DS SOLID-STATE DRIVES
42 Raumfield One S 84 Crucial MX200
116 Subscribe 43 TP-Link 300Mb/s AV500 85 Intel SSD Pro 2500
Wi-Fi Powerline Extender 86 Kingston HyperX Savage
146 0utbox 43 RHA MA750i 87 OCZ Arc 100
44 Creative Sound Blaster JAM 88 Samsung 850 PRO
45 Emie Power Note 5200mAh 89 SanDisk Extreme Pro
45 Emie Power Blade 8000mAh
46 Project CARS
48 The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
WINDOWS 10 SUPERGUIDE
50 Windows 10 review
54 Windows 10 Mobile
58 Windows 10 vs Windows 8
60 Wi ll my PC get Windows 10?
62 How to install Windows 10
64 Install Windows 10 on your phone
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50 TOP 5 CHARTS:
BUYER'S GUIDE
119 Laptops
120 Budget laptops
121 Ultraportable laptops
122 Chromebooks
123 Gaming laptops
124 Family PCs
127 Gaming PCs
128 All-in-one PCs
129 Smartphones
130 Budget smartphones
131 Phablets
132 7- and Sin tablets
133 9- and 10in tablets
134 Smartwatches
135 Activity trackers
136 Budget printers/Printers
137 Wireless routers/
Powerline adaptors
~ 138 NAS drives/External hard drives
Wh'IO p t!"'l :tCif 1l
'><.~I J.'? ft" I"" '" .....,.,~
139 SSDs/Projectors
140 Budget graphics cards/
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Graphics cards
141 Budget f lat-panel displays/
Flat-panel displays
142 e-book readers/Media streamers
143 Games console/
Budget portable speakers
106 144 Budget headphones/Headphones
82 92 145 Power banks/Desktop chargers
All change at Redmond as former Nokia CEO leaves tech giant for pastures new
Intel announces that its first chips based on the new architecture will arrive in the first week of August
Fancy a Mac or Windows 10 PC with Intel's convenient. With that in mind, Intel has
new processors codenamed Skylake? That talked about 'wire-free' technologies in
will soon be possible: Intel is set to launch Skylake, so PCs could charge and transfer
its first chips based on the new architecture data to peripherals wire less ly.
in the first week of August. De ll, HP and Asus wil l ship Windows 10
The first Skylake chips will be high-end PCs based on Skylake in the second half of
gaming processors that can be overclocked, this year. It's not clear when the new chip
and will be launched during the Gamescom will reach Apple Macs.
conference in Cologne, Germany, which runs Some Skylake features are already known.
from 5 to 9 August, according to a source Asus recently showed off ail -in-ones and
familiar with the company's plan. mini-desktops based on Skylake, with support Skylake also has new virtualization, boot,
Intel will also shed more technical details for the new DDR4 memory and USB 3.1 data system management and lockdown features,
about Skylake at its Intel Developer Forum transfer protoco l. PCs based on Skylake wil l which will be detailed in technica l sessions.
(IDF), due to be held between 18 and 20 also have ports based on Thunderbolt 3, a Intel has hurried to get Sky lake to PCs,
August in San Francisco. The chipmaker new technology that runs on USB Type-C so it can close the curtains on the troubled
will talk about how Skylake wil l improve the cables and can transfer data at 40Gb/s. predecessor Broadwel l chips, which were
experience of using Microsoft's Windows 10. One interesting technical session at IDF delayed due to manufacturing issues on the
The first Skylake chips will be branded will detail overclocking the Skylake gaming 14-nanometer process.
'Sixth Generation Core' processors and desktop chips. In other sessions, Intel wi ll Skylake will take on AMD's chips -
offer "great performance and reduced demonstrate Sky lake PCs running Cortana codenamed Carrizo - which are now reaching
power consumption," Intel said on an IDF and Windows Hello, a new Windows 10 PCs. AMD is rushing to release its next-gen
technical session page. The company's goal biometric feature in which faces, fingerprints chips based on a CPU core codenamed Zen,
with Sky lake is to make PC usage more or eyes can replace passwords. which will be in PCs next year.
Chipmaker, AMD, has unve il ed a new range space. " It gives our partners the chance to
of graphic cards that aim to revolutionise the sel l something different, and the channel
gaming industry. This announcement comes is keen to have something new. This range
off the back of the recent launch of its new changes the type of PC you can build and
graphics processing unit, the Radeon 'Fiji' it's also a place in the market that nothing
GPU chip. Prior to this, its last major release else competes," he said.
in this segment was in October 2013. According to Huddy, there are plenty of
This new array of graphic cards, opportunities for the company's channel
consisting of the Radeon R9 Fury X, R9 partners to build PCs but also to move
390X, R9 390, R9 380, R7 370, and R7 into the virtual reality space. "It goes
360, all address the demands placed on beyond traditional gaming methods and
newer graphic cards. there's opportunities beyond the typical
VR gaming, HD virtual reality, and 4K demographic. Imagine what virtual reality
video are just some of these demands. AMD can do in the education space, for example.
chief gaming scientist, Richard Huddy, said You don't have to explain to them the
the products wil l be sold through the channe l, world from the ancient romans to how the
giving these businesses an opportunity to pyramids were built; you just have to give
differentiate in a fast-changing graphics card them a VR headset and show them."
.-
VI IV I
Rowena Heal reveals how we could be using wearable tech to help the elderly and save lives
or many consumers, wearab le tech notifications, roadside assistance and the detect motion in the room. It can then phone
is sti ll a gimmick, sitting somewhere 'Family Guardian,' which notifies parents an emergency number for assistance and
between the realm of trendy fashion when the driver exceeds the speed limit. is enhanced by a voice-activated function
items, kids' toys and fitness accessories. The US and Japan have so far led the asking the user how they are feeling. If
For years its role focused on the way on developing and adopting wearable they respond, the alarm will cance l, so it
lucrative fitness markets, meaning it has tech in healthcare, aimed at helping won't go off if they decide to just take a nap.
largely missed out on opportunities to offer chronically ill and older people. In the UK, For older people, the cost of going into
positives in healthcare and law enforcement. however, the elderly are only now being a home can be startling. Residential care
It's no rea l surprise, as the va lue of wearab le properly included in the debate. for older peop le costs tens of thousands
tech in the fitness market alone could exceed Wearable technology has a huge part of pounds each year, and anything that
$16.1bn this year, but around a third of people to play in helping people in later life, but can help them stay in their own home for
buying a wearab le product will likely abandon it will be up to developers to capitalise on longer can only be a positive thing.
it within six months. Suggesting a new this and appeal to the older demographic. Wearable technology has a huge part to
approach is needed to ensure consumers Panic buttons, wearable emergency cal l play in helping them in later li fe and it wi ll
continually use their products. bracelets and neck chains already save be up to the developers to help capitalise
UK police have been wearable video lives and are vita l for older peop le living on this and prove it can play a key role in
recording devices for the past 10 years and on their own. This technology, however, benefiting lives. Whether it's reminding
the New York Police Department have been has been around for a long time and has someone to take medication, monitoring
pi loting Google Glass since last year, largely far-reaching potential; helping the elderly their sleep patterns, knee braces with
due to an increased need for accountability - live longer and more independently, a stress sensors or movement recorders, the
highlighting two great examples of extremely trend often called 'aging in place.' potential of wearable tech in healthcare is
positive uses of wearable technology. Auto-dialling panic alarms fitted into vast. Techno logy developers clearly want
Volkswagen recently announced an app the phone, can then by activated by Wi-Fi to target lucrative markets and fitness
for the Apple Watch allowing parents to pendants, which are cheap and useful. A step certainly is that, but as the population
monitor the driving habits of their teenage up is fall-detection systems, that use ceiling ages, more people could benefit from a
children. Car-Net offers automatic incident mounted optica l and acoustic sensors to refreshed focus from developers. [ill
r
One of HP's first products to get Windows 10 will be the Sin Pro Tablet 608 G1. Agam Shah reports
cting quickly to move away 10 on its PCs from 29 July, while Acer and The PC maker is pa rticu larly keen on
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airphone, the Dutch company that be addressed for upgrades to be possib le, Positives inc luded that it's easy to open
aims to sell socially responsible Hebert said without delving into the details. up the device and access the components.
smartphones, is work ing on a A second goa l was to build a device However, the glass is fused to both the
second mode l that can be repaired with little that doesn't easily break. Most current display and the disp lay frame, which
hass le and won't easi ly break. The company smartphones are simply too fragile, increases repair costs - a mistake t hat
is also sticking with its goa l of using conflict- according to Hebert. The Fairphone 2, on Fairphone has learned from.
free or fair trade minera ls. the other hand, should survive a drop of In general, today's high-end smartphones
One of t he company's key aims with t he about 2m on to concrete. The robustness is are a mixed bag when it comes to ease of
Fai rphone 2 was to extend t he longevity of in part possible t hanks to a rubber rim t hat repair. Apple has a reputation for build ing
the product. Making it easy to repair is part wraps around the screen. Fairphone decided products that are difficult to fix, but the
of that. Fo r example, it wil l be possible to against making the phone comp lete ly sealed iPhone 6 and 6 Plus both got a 7 out
replace the disp lay on the Fairphone 2 in to keep out water and dust. as doing that of 10 score on iFixit. The company stil l
less than a minute, the company prom ises. conflicted with other design goals, especially uses proprietary Penta lobe screws, and
After removing the case and ba t te r y, the the ability to open and repair t he device. it doesn't share repair information wi t h
two clips that lock the display in place are The aim is sti ll to manufacture a independent repa ir shops or consumers.
slid towards each other, and then the entire smartphone that doesn't use minera ls from But the disp lay assemb ly comes out easi ly
unit can be taken out, CTO Olivier Hebert conflict zones, is recyclable, and is made by and the battery is easy to access.
said in a blog post on Tuesday. workers who are treated we ll. The Fairphone For people who want a high-end Android
The receiver, rear came ra and speaker 2 wil l be avai lable for preorder before the sma rt phone tha t 's easi ly repaired, the G4
units can be repa ired with the he lp of a end of August. and t hen ship during the from LG is a good option. It was awarded an
screwdriver. To gu ide users, each unit is following coup le of months, the company impressive 8 out of 10. The on ly drawback
connected to t he chassis wi t h a set of said. Pricing wasn't announced. is that the glass and LCD w il l need to be
colour-coded screws. Fai rphone is betting Hardware specs include a Qualco mm replaced t ogethe r if one or the other breaks.
that buyers wi ll sacrifice slimness for a Snapdragon 801 processor and a 5in, Fu ll HD Two othe r top-of-the-range smart phones,
smartphone t hat's easier to repair. The screen. The camera has an 8 Mp resolution the Ga laxy S6 from Sa msung Electronics and
resu lt is a phone that's llmm thick. and there is 32GB of storage that can be HTC's One M9, didn't fair as well, scoring 4
The hardware architecture also opens the expanded using a microSD card. The LTE and 2 out of 10, respective ly. Strong adhesive
doo r for future upgrades. All of t he individua l smartphone also has 2GB of RAM and two on the rear glass makes it very di ff icu lt to
components can be replaced, provided they SIM slots. The OS wi ll be Android 5.1. gain entry to the S6's innards. On the One
fit within the des ign of the original unit and The first model, of which Fairphone sold M9 adhesives make many components
can use the ex isting electrical interfaces. 60,000, scored 7 out of 10 for repai rability difficu lt. and even dangerous, to remove
However, software complexities need to in a teardown test by repair website iFixit. and replace, iFixit sa id. IZl
Sony has a new Exmor sensor chip that will bring 4K to more of its cameras Agam Shah reports
f operators are to build 5G mobile Technologies and Samsung Electronics both combination of good physical characteristics
networks with download speeds at talked up pilot studies of other technologies and good prospects for international
10Gb/s and above, they are going they have conducted. harmonization, while taking into account
to need a lot more spectrum, but getting it For the potential of spectrum above 6GHz current use, according to Hudson.
won't be easy. to be realised, a new generation of antennas A final decision on what - if any - bands
The amount of spectrum allocated to will be required, capable of directing multiple will be allocated isn't expected until 2019.
5G will determine how fast networks based beams of data to different users at the same After technical and regulatory challenges
on the technology will eventually become. time. New systems will likely also need new have been overcome, the networks also
Until recently, only frequencies below 6GHz modulation schemes to encode the data on have to be rolled out. If extreme speeds
have been considered for mobile networks, the radio waves more efficiently. are the upside of frequencies over 6GHz,
mostly because they are good for covering There are ways for mobile networks poor coverage is the downside. These
large areas. But there's now a growing to increase download speeds using high frequencies don't have good reach
need to unlock new spectrum bands in existing spectrum, including using carrier and aren't very much use if you want
the 6- to 100GHz range too, attendees aggregation or sharing spectrum with Wi-Fi to penetrate walls. To get around these
at the recent LTE and 5G World Summit networks. But at the end of the day, none of weaknesses, mobile operators will have
conferences in Amsterdam heard. these options come close to the potential to install lots of smaller base stations,
The use of spectrum in these bands is that as-yet-unused frequency bands above but finding enough places to put even
immensely important for 5G networks to be 6GHz offer. There is nowhere else to go but the current generation of small-cell base
able to offer multiple gigabits per second, up, according to Samsung. stations has already proved difficult.
Robert DiFazio, chief engineer at wireless Rolling out networks isn't just about So taking full advantage of spectrum
R&D company lnterDigital Communications, hardware and software, according to bands above 6GHz won't be easy, but
said. By raising communication speeds, they regulators. "We have made clear our if equipment and device vendors want
are also expected to help lower latency in intention to make large quantities of 5G to become something more than an
mobile networks. spectrum available in these frequencies, incremental upgrade over the LTE networks
Even though spectrum from 6- to which is increasingly also the view of other that exist in 2020, all technical and political
100GHz won't be used in cellular access regulators around the world," said Andrew challenges have to be overcome.
networks for at least another five years, Hudson, director of spectrum policy at The first commercial networks using
vendors are keen to show they can handle all British regulator Ofcom, who spoke on the 5G technologies are expected to go live in
the technical challenges those frequencies subject at the Amsterdam conference. 2020, but will initially use spectrum below
present. The development of WiGig, which The current focus of Ofcom's work isn't 6GHz because the infrastructure is already
uses the 60GHz band, has already showed whether to make spectrum available, but out there for those bands, according to
that using such high frequencies works, and how to identify the best spectrum in this DeFazio: Networks using the new frequency
on the show floor in Amsterdam, Huawei range. This involves finding bands with a bands will only arrive later. [8]
Cheaper sensors and broader software support will make fingerprint authentication
more accessible to app developers and service providers, reveals Mikael Ricknas
ingerprint authentication will " The market is hot, and the adoption of the sw ipe sensors Fingerprint Cards and
become a lot more com mon on rate across a broader range of products Synaptics had deve loped. It took six- to nine
smartphones of all prices as sensors will grow faster now," said Anthony Gioe li, months to regroup, Lantto sa id.
get cheaper, and Google's integration of t he vice pres ident of marketing for Synaptics Beyond App le and Samsung, many
techno logy in the next version of Android wi ll biometrics business unit. Chinese vendors have been adding
make it much easier for app deve lopers and Goog le adding native support for fingerprint sensors to their smartphones.
service provide rs to make use of them. fingerprint senso rs in And roid M is a major Huawei wi ll certain ly offer it in more future
Today, fingerp rint sensors are main ly reason why the technology has started mode ls, accord ing to a spokesman at t he
ava ilable on high-end mode ls from Apple and to take off on a larger scale. The native company. Using fingerprints as opposed to
Samsung Electronics. But that is about to support wil l make it easier for sma r tphone PI Ns or patterns has proved idea l fo r heavy
change, according to sensor manufacturers manufacturers to integrate fingerprint smartphone users, he said . Fingerprint
Synaptics and Fingerprint Cards. sensors in their devices. It will also make life Cards has recently added Yu long and
The latter has seen a growing interest easier fo r developers, who can use Andro id Gionee to it s list of customers.
in its technology from smartphone AP is to integrate f ingerprint recognition Many of the more estab li shed vendors,
manufacturers in recent months, as wel l as in their apps instead proprietary ones such as LG Electronics and Sony, are stil l on
a strong increase in orders. As a resu lt, the developed by the senso r makers, Lantto said. the fence. HTC recently launched t he One
company has raised its revenue est imate Deve lopments on the hardware side M9+ for the Chinese market.
for the yea r from about 1.5bn- (115m) to are also lowering the bar for finge r print Mobile payments wi ll also like ly
2.2bn Swedish Krona (191 m). recognit ion . Pr ices have co me down by help fuel the availab ili ty of fingerprint
"This market is rea lly starting to take off," about 25 percent in the past year, and recognition on more devices. If Goog le
said Jurgen Lan t to, CEO at Finger print Cards, they wil l continue to drop as volumes wan t s its upcoming Android Pay serv ice
who anticipates tha t ha lf of all smartphones inc rease, Gioe li said. It 's already poss ible to take off, it needs to convince mo re
so ld next year will have the feature. to build a 75 smart phone with fingerprint vendors t o integrate the technology.
Finger print Cards sensors are already recognition, according t o Lantto. Allowing Google to offe r the same
used in the Ascend Mate 7 from Huawei The launch of the iPhone 5s with Touch functionality as Apple Pay. Just adding
Technologies and Oppo's R7 Plus, which ID proved to be a blessing and a curse, at fingerprint recogn ition to this year's Nexus
was launched in May. Synaptics, which least a short-term one. On t he plus side, smart phones won 't be enou g h. The same
makes the sensor in the Samsung Galaxy it helped increased awareness. But many goes for Samsung. If the company wants
56 and 56 Edge, is equally sure that competing smartphone vendors wanted a Samsung Pay to be successf u l, more dev ices
smartphones with fingerprint sensors touch sensor, j ust like App le had got f rom than t he Ga laxy Sand Note product s wi ll
wi ll become more popular. its 2012 acquisition of AuthenTec, instead need to be equ ipped with the techno logy. 181
,
An increased focus on affordable smartphones running Android
has left smaller operating systems behind. Mikael Ricknas reports
Asian and US operators are more aggressive than their European counterparts. Mikael Ricknas reports
arriers around the world are its announcement last year, it said GSM devices shipping today rely on GSM, Machina
-
Petrolhead Jim Martin enjoyed switching to battery-powered racing. But the tech needs to improve
ecently something new and never look that quick on track. Even less so on TV It would have made more sense - to me
Get the best of work and play with the new Windows.
)
Series
..___ _./
Finance Available on Built by award Fully soak tested Fully 3XS Ready to ship 2 Year Warranty
PCs above 300 winning 3XS team compatible Part + Labour
Some features require Windows 8.1. Update available through Windows Store. Internet access required; fees may apply.
Some apps sold separately; vary by market.
Prices correct at time of print and are subject to change.
PG II PG
AWARDS 2014 AWARDS20 14 AWARDS 2014 EDITOR'S
Best Editor's Choice Highly Commended CHOICE
PC Manufacturer Best Desktop PC Retailer
***** 2014
The LG 157 is a 15.6" mid-range gaming laptop that The LG1720 is a 17.3" high-end gaming laptop that
includes a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960M graphics card includes a choice of powerful NVIDIA GeForce GTX
plus an Intel Core i7 4720HQ CPU, up to 16GB of RAM 970M or 980M graphics card, ensuring silky
and multiple hard disks and SSDs. The LG157 is ready smooth frame rates in all games. The LG1720 is
for next-day delivery and is protected by a 2 Year ready for next-day delivery and has a 2 Year
Premium Warranty. Warranty.
Some features require Windows 8.1. Update available through Windows Store. Internet access required; fees may apply.
Some apps sold separately; vary by market.
Prices correct at time of print and are subject to change.
NEWPRODUCTS
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' ' ' << Microsoft Surface 3 4G
'l. ~0."'~'\ ~~~~<e\.!...~'\":. Tablet/ laptop hybrid
It might not make for the most exciting
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This time round it's got 4G LTE support so
you can get data on the go without finding a
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Price TBC
surface.co.uk
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Three USB 3.0 ports are joined also recorded for 512kB size data, Display
by a fourth on the backplane that 644- and 778MB/s respectively for The 2880x1620 IPS display available
doubles as an eSATA port. For audio reads and writes. to this laptop is an unusually fine
there are three 3.5mm jack sockets, In the important 4kB random example of the technology. In lab
designed for S/PDIF, mic input and read/write tests we saw speeds of measurements it may not look too
headphone output. Sound quality 24- and 76M B/s respectively for remarkable, its 94 percent sRGB
from the built-in stereo speakers reads and writes, rising to 326- and coverage missing the full coverage
with 2W amplifier is perfunctory, but 275MB/s using a 32-depth queue. some IPS panels provide, and
sufficient for lo-fi music playback. These are great results, unheard contrast ratio reaching a middling
of from a single drive, though still best of 510:1.
Performance behind what we've seen from a Colour accuracy was good but
The Core i7-4720HQ is a popular RAID'd pair of SATA SSDs. again nothing exceptional with Delta
choice for gaming laptops at the E average of 1.34. What impressed
moment -four out of six machines Graphics with this Panasonic-made display
in our last group test all used the As we found with the last gaming was the subjective impression of
same Intel chip. Our benchmark laptop using the top nVidia GeForce image quality. Despite the measured
results for the P505 followed the GTX 980M graphics processor, it results, black looked very deep
scores from those laptops, returning is possible to play graphics-heavy and inky, type and images were
3545 points in Geekbench 3, and action games up to their highest incredibly detailed; and, of course,
13,336 with eight Hyper Threading detail, and usually even beyond with clear viewing angles as wide as
virtual cores engaged. fuii-HD 1920x1080 resolution. the screen.
Cinebench 11.5 scored this laptop Our simplest test for gaming
with 1.58 points single-core, and 7.38 laptops of Batman: Arkham City Verdict
points multi-core, which is at the at 1920x1080 and High detail was The Schenker XMG P505 is a
top end of scores we've seen with quickly dispatched at an average very accomplished game player,
laptops using this quad-core chip. framerate of 95fps. This fell to fuelled by its top-of-the-range
Similarly, Cinebench 15 returned 89fps at Very High and 80fps at nVidia mobile graphics processor.
figures of 139- and 681 points, which Extreme detail settings. The Cleva platform to support
is just above results of comparable Given the nVidia chips clear this is standard chunky games
gaming laptops. fluency, we rose resolution all the machine fare, although the all-up
For OpenGL graphics way to screen native 2880x1620, weight of around 2.6kg is modest
performance, version 11.5 played at where the game averaged 72fps by the standards of the breed.
59.5fps while Cinebench 15 rose to at High detail and only fell to This laptop is distinguished by its
90fps. The latter score is good, but 62fps at the Extreme setting. premium IPS display, solid build
some way behind the 108fps we saw Tomb Raider 2013 sped by with and the graphics chip required
from the Gigabyte P37X using the even greater ease, at 217fps with to drive modern Windows games
same CPU/GPU combination. Normal detail and fuii-HD screen at their highest settings without
PCMark 7 rated the P505 with resolution. We ratcheted up the fuss. And as a general PC, it feels
6217 points, an exceptionally high detail to High (150fps) and Ultra commensurably quick, helped along
score for any PC. The PCMark 8 (111fps) before hitting Ultimate by its 1GB/s-class PCie solid-state
Home results of 2771 (conventional) and a still remarkable 76fps. drive. 121 Andrew Harrison
and 3276 points (accelerated) were Having proved its mettle, we
more disappointing, when the again went up to native '3K' panel
Gigabyte P37X scored 3300 and resolution. This time Tomb Raider
4049 points in the same test. The averaged 79fps with High detail,
Work results of 3018- and 4328 57fps at Ultra and an accomplished
points were also some way behind 41fps at maximum Ultimate preset.
the 3478- and 5156 points of the Presented with Metro: Last
latter gaming machine sporting Light, the XMG P505 could
the same Intel and nVidia parts. It's play at an average framerate of
worth mentioning that the Gigabyte 108fps in our standard fuii-HD
resolves its performance storage in High test, tumbling to 36fps at
a different way, using two mSATA our top Very High settings.
SSDs in RAID 0 rather than a single
PCie x4 SSD, which give broadly the
same level of performance.
Storage
Thanks to the Samsung XP941
PCie solid-state drive, the P505
we benchmarked was capable
of very fast data transfers, up to
977MB/s sequential reads in our
tests. Sequential writes were close
at 891MB/s, and high speeds were
LAPTOP
Apple MacBook Pro with Retina display (15in, 2.5GHz, mid 2015)
The new 15in MacBook Pro for 2015
has arrived, picking up a trio of
component upgrades on the way.
Specifications App le's best laptop features the
15.4in (2880x1800, 220ppi) same design and layout as the first
LED-backlit widescreen Retina notebook that launched in
display; OS XYosemite; 2012, and once again two models
512GB PCie-based flash are available- here we focus on the
storage; 2.5GHz quad-core top model with 2.5GHz processor
Intel Core i7 processor and AMD graphics.
(Turbo Boost up to 3.7GHz) Apple pioneered the trackpad
with 6MB shared L3 cache; on laptops back in the early 1990s,
16GB of 1600MHz DDR3L when Windows laptop factories
onboard memory; Intel were still fitting upside-down-
Iris Pro Graphics; 720p mouse trackballs or little rubber
FaceTime camera; pointing sticks in the middle of Apple does not seem too partisan Comparing the AMD chip with
802.11ac Wi-Fi networking; the keyboard. The trackpad is when it comes to favouring either of nVidia's graphics is not easy, as its
4 IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n now al l but ubiquitous as the way today's two makers of PC graphics architecture is slightly different,
compatible; Bluetooth to interact with every notebook processors, tending to oscil late with a specification listing shading
4.0; 1x Mag Safe; Zx computer of any faith. between fitting either nVidia or units (384) and render output
Thunderbolt 2; Zx Under Apple's stewardship, the AMD's graphics adaptors. Since processors (16) besides a count of
USB 3.0; 1x HDMI; lx concept has seen trackpads grow the 15in MacBook Pro with Retina 32 texture mapping units. However,
headphone; SDXC slot; larger in size, increase in precision disp lay was introduced back in the previous nVidia GTX 750M did
18x358.9x247.1mm; 2.04kg and sensitivity, and notably gain 2012, there has been a build using have a slightly faster core-clock
multi-point touch recognition to discrete nVidia graphics in addition speed of 926MHz, the same size
allow new hand gestures to guide to low-power integrated Intel 128-bit memory bus, and a faster
the user through a computer's GUI. graphics, starting with the nVidia memory clock of 1254MHz.
The new Force Touch trackpad GeForce GTX 650M for the Mark I; Apple reports that the new
is something of a departure and for the past two refreshes, the AMD graphics are faster than
though, and even though the slightly better GTX 750M. the outgoing nVidia solution, and
trackpad looks identical on Now we see the pendu lum swing these claims were borne out in
Build:
the surface, it is now a fixed back to AMD, with the inc lusion our testing in every instance, up
Features:
unmoving construct, relying on of a Radeon R9 M370X graphics to and including a 70 percent
Performance: strain gauges, electromagnet processing unit. It is fitted with 2GB performance increase in one game.
Value: solenoids and additional processors of GDDR5 video memory, the same Before the graphics benchmark
and algorithms to do its work. quota as the outgoing nVidia part. results, it's worth reiterating that
Superficially, the same as it was in the CPU is the same as when we
the first Unibody MacBook of 2008 Graphics last tested the breed in summer
it may be, but still waters run deep. You won't find this AMD graphics 2014. We ran the usua l processor
As we found with first the 13in processor on other laptops though tests anyway as part of our
MacBook Pro and then the new as the part seems to be custom- comprehensive routine to ensure
little MacBook, the Force Touch built for Apple. Note that like all nothing unexpected had arisen ,
trackpad allows you to control the GPUs that Apple has fitted to its and found figures that were within
strength of the 'click' for normal professiona l-labe l MacBook Pro 1 percent tolerance of last year's
clicks (Light, Medium, Firm); and notebooks ever since the line was results. This means a single-core
additionally to register an extra , launched in 2006, the 2015 MacBook Geekbench 3 score of 3717 points,
deeper click when you press Pro takes a consumer-grade rising to 14,325 points in multi -core
slightly longer and more firmly. graphics adaptor, here bearing the mode; Cinebench 11.5 with resu lts of
The Force Touch concept works Radeon name. 1.54- and 6.41 points respectively for
well on the MacBook Pro, all owing The AMD Radeon R9 M370X the two modes; while Cinebench 15
you to deep click on the fast-forward looks to be based on a 28nm reported 132- and 602 points.
and rewind buttons in QuickTime architecture codenamed Cape For reference, Dell's comparable
Player, for example. The harder Verde that dates back to 2012, copycat computer is the Precision
you press, the faster the speed- and this particular version runs M3800, which runs an Inte l Core
up. Another useful benefit, if one an 800MHz GPU clock, 1125MHz i7-4712HQ at 2.3GHz, and g ives
that takes some mental training to memory clock (4500MHz effective benchmark scores around 5 percent
get used to if you've been driving speed, after the quadrup ling slower in Cinebench, and up to 18
trackpads for years, is that you can properties of GDDR5 RAM) and percent slower in Geekbench.
press anywhere on the trackpad 128-bit memory bus. It has 640 Cinebench will also test
surface with equal pressure to stream processors for parallel graphics rendering performance
elicit a click, rather than along processing and 40 texture with an OpenGL routine, and
just the front edge. mapping units. in our tests of the mid-2015
MacBook Pro with its new AMD improvement) and from 31- to 49fps of 2000MB/s, peaking at 2077MB/s,
graphics we found 12.5- and 16 at High detail (or a 58 percent lift). and averaging 2050MB/s for data
percent improvements over the With the help of QuickRes sized 20- to 100MB. Sequential write
previous nVidia model. Specifically, (quickresapp.com,) we also pushed speeds were lower as is typical for
Cinebench 11.5 framerate rose from the graphics to their size limit, SSDs and averaged 1542MB/s.
48- to 54fps, while Cinebench 15 expanding screen resolution Small-file random reads were
advanced from 54- to 63fps. beyond what OS X normally allows, almost disappointing, the weakest
Turning to gaming, we started to the MacBook Pro's native in measurement at 37MB/s for 4kB
with Batman: Arkham City and 2880x1800 pixels. At this point, random reads, while 4kB random
found it would play around one- you cannot expect to have playable writes hit 118MB/s. Averaged across
third faster. At the low setting of framerates from anything but the all small files from 4- to 1024kB,
1280x720 pixels and Medium detail, best graphics cards. For the nVidia random reads were 533MB/s and
nVidia gave us 61fps, while AMD 750M, it averaged 9fps in Tomb random writes averaged 948MB/s.
played at 83fps (36 percent faster). Raider, while the AMD R9 M370X Compared to 2014's best, which
Set to 1440x900 size - arguably showed us a much better, if still too came in at 199MB/s for averaged
the best resolution for this MacBook slow, 18fps. That's what statisticians random reads and 351MB/s for
Pro's 2880x1900-pixel display -the and marketeers would call a 100 averaged random writes that's
game rose from 50fps through percent improvement. roughly a three-fold increase since
nVidia GeForce GTX 750M, to 66fps the last refresh, and one that will
through the AMD Radeon R9 M370X, Performance really make the Retina MacBook
for a 32 percent improvement. We've already seen some Pro fly in real-world usage.
Unigine Heaven is a synthetic significant improvements in storage We have seen a clear evolution
gaming benchmark, and here the performance in this year's Apple in Mac storage performance in the
AMD graphics showed around Mac refreshes, building on the past two years; a revolution in terms
20 percent improvements on the 2013 refresh when Apple kicked of the shake-up to the PC industry.
previous nVidia- moving from 35- to out SATA and introduced PCie- Up until the MacBook refreshes of
42fps (1280x800, Medium), and from attached flash drives to the world. 2013, the best SATA SSDs had read
29- to 35fps (1440x900, Medium). This year saw this strategy speeds capped by SATA interface
Most impressive gaming developed again by the use of four at little over 500MB/s.
performance lifts were found in the rather than two lanes of PCI Express. Then Apple replaced SATA with
2013 reboot of the classic Tomb So in the case of the new 13in PCie, giving a 50 percent read speed
Raider game. In our experience MacBook Pro with Retina display, increase to 750MB/s. Then earlier
testing Windows machines, this sequential read speed from the this year it used twice as many PCie
game typically works better through PCie-attached flash drive doubled lanes, doubling that 750 figure to
AMD graphics hardware- right down from around 750- to 1500MB/s. 1500MB/s. And now the lanes have
to the added TressFX graphics API This year's 15in Retina MacBook been widened to expand the top
for DirectX, which optionally shows Pro also gains from the doubling in speed to 2000GB/s.
Lara's hair more realistically, each PCie bus lanes, again from two to Last year's MacBook Pro (Retina,
strand rendered separately with four. But it also adds another trick 15in, mid 2014) with the same
the help of the AMD Graphics Core that takes sequential read speed 2.5GHz Core i7 processor lasted
Next architecture. Sadly this feature up to a staggering 2000MB/s. In for seven hours 57 minutes, in our
has not been ported to the OpenGL place of the venerable PCie 2.0 test of streaming an MPEG-4 HD
version of Tomb Raider for Mac. standard, we now have a flash film over Wi-Fi, with screen set to
Set to a modest 1280x800- drive using four lanes of PCie 3.0. 120cd/m 2 (an 11.75 setting on the
pixel resolution and Normal detail, The newer standard has nominal 0-16 brightness range available
framerate was lifted from 40fps speed of 8GT/s (giga transfers through OS X).
under nVidia to 65fps under AMD per second), a bump up from the This year's model with the same
(63 percent faster). At 1440x900, previous 5GT/s of PCie 2.0. CPU ran for eight hours 58 minutes,
Normal detail moved from 33- to Using QuickBench, we measured which we're happy to call 'nine-hour
56fps (the vaunted 70 percent storage transfer speeds in excess battery life'. If we had to guess
the 'how', we'd wager it was either
improved power-saving techniques
in the Samsung-made flash drive
controller; reduced quiescent
current draw from the AMD graphics
processor; or it could be a little of
both, combined with some under-
bonnet changes in the OS.
Verdict
Apple's latest 15in Retina MacBook
Pro maintains its place as a premium
mobile workstation laptop, with
great performance and a stylish
design. E1 Andrew Harrison
ALL-IN-ONE
Specifications
27in (5120x2880) Retina
display with IPS
technology; 3.3GHz quad-
core Intel Core i5
processor (Turbo Boost
up to 3.7GHz); 8GB (two
4GB) of 1600MHz DDR3
memory; four SO-DIMM
slots. user accessible
(configurable to 16GB or
32GB); lTB (7200rpm)
hard drive (configurable
to 3TB hard drive). 1- or
3TB Fusion Drive. or
256GB. 512GB or lTB of
flash storage (SSD);
FaceTime camera; lx
headphone; 1x SDXC; 4x
USB 3.0; 2x Thunderbolt
2; gigabit ethernet;
802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless
networking; IEEE
802.11a/b/g/n compatible;
516x650x203mm; 9.54kg
When Apple launched the first iMac and slot for SD cards up to SDXC SO-DIMM modules, and you can
with Retina display last October, it specification and a headphone jack. easily upgrade this yourself from
Build:
stood alone in terms of competition In place of the 3.5GHz Intel a removable hatch on the back
Features:
from the usual Windows suspects, Core i5 quad-core processor is a In our tests of the main
Performance: since no PC maker had anything slightly slower processor clocked processor, we saw close to the
Value: **"*** close in design and performance.
But it was also launched as
at 3.3GHz. It's from the same
generation, a Core i5-4590 instead
same speed as from the 3.5GHz
processor, with benchmark scores
a solitary mode l in the Apple of Core i5-4690. Both chips have around 5- to 6 percent lower.
catalogue, listed as just one separate processor cores on the From Geekbench 3, the new iM ac
standard configuration, although same die, and include Intel Turbo with 5K Retina scored 3699 points
there was some limited scope Boost 2.0 technology which here with one core, and 11,792 while
to upgrade to better processor, mildly overclocks up to 3.7GHz, running four cores. Those figures
graphics, storage and memory.
Now we have an additiona l off-
the-shelf Retina 5K iMac with 400
shaved off the 1,999 (now reduced Your 1,599 can buy an iMac with the same ultra-
to 1,849) price of the original. Your
1,599 can buy an iMac with the
high resolution screen and all the usual trimmings,
same ultra-high resolution screen with savings made this time in the main Intel chip
and all the usual trimmings, with
savings made this time in the main where the faster processor can are around 5 percent lower than
Intel chip, the storage and graphics. reach up to 3.9GHz. the 3877- and 12,418 points from
These are regular four-core the original iMac 5K.
Build and design chips. In both cases, the processor Cinebench 15 scored the 3.3GHz
In every respect this is the same is fixed at working on four threads, iMac with 134- and 515 points for
iMac with Retina 5K display, using in contrast to the mobile-class its two modes, this ti me 6- and 5
the same chassis with the same processors found in most variants percent behind the first model's
formidable bui ld quality, and the of Apple MacBooks, which include scores (143- and 544 points
same line of ports and connectors Hyper Threading Technology to respectively). The earlier version
along the back. There's two give the effect of doubling the of Cinebench 11.5 reported the
Thunderbolt 2 ports for high-speed number of real cores. The memory same story, dropping 5- and 6
peripherals and externa l displays, quota and specification is the percent (1.64 down to 1.56 points,
four USB 3.0, gigabit ethernet, same as before, 8GB from two 4GB and 6.15 down to 5.79 points).
At first glance, we have the same older 11.5 benchmark (56.3- beating Compare this to the PCie-
graphics processor driving all those 45.1fps, for a 20 percent better attached flash drives in other
14.7 million pixels with 60 refreshes score in the cheaper Mac). Macs, which would average
each second. But there's something around 300MB/s in the same
different in the designation, a Storage latter test - a tenfold difference
certain X missing from the end of As standard the original iMac with in speed , which would be even
the device's name. Where the first 5K Retina display comes with a 1TB marked when the queue-depth
iMac 5K has an AMD Radeon R9 Fusion Drive, a hybrid flash and disk (number of paralleled storage
M290X, the second has an R9 M290. system that works seamlessly to 1/0 operations) is increased.
Technical differences between them give you most of the benefits of a That 's not to say the disk-
are not revealed and we've asked fast solid-state drive, and the bulk only iMac is too retarded to use
Apple if it can explain how they capacity of a traditional hard disk. comfortably. However if you're
are different. Until we hear more, The new entry-level version used to using a MacBook Air,
and based on the tiny measured iMac is equipped with just a simple for instance, you may find a
differences in performance between 1TB disk, which does make this disk-based iMac even with its
GPUs, we'd guess it could be model feel slower in general use. 3.3GHz quad-core processor
something as minor as a difference Start-up time is lengthened, even may feel subjectively a little
in the core or memory clock speeds. if this yardstick from the Windows slower in daily use.
Graphics processors can be PC world is almost insignificant
'binned' by selecting the best silicon here since Macs excel at sleep Verdict
from the fabrication process at time mode; and don't demand restarting For a pound under 2,000
of manufacture, and setting these every Tuesday to apply weekly the first iMac with 5K
parts to run with the highest clock security patches from Microsoft. Retina display
speeds. Those parts that don' t work But there is some inevitable actually
with stability at the top speeds lag in the system interface, offers
are set at slower clock speeds, noticeable when applications take decent
and used in lesser graphics cards. a few more bounces in the Dock value, especially
before they launch. with nothing like it to
Graphics The Seagate hard disk inside compare, short of gaffer-taping a
As with Intel processor performance, this new iMac is fast though as 4K UHD display onto a Windows
the change of graphics processor disk technology can allow. With the tower PC. The new entry version
see a small drop in the results we drive nearly empty, it could reach undercuts it by a useful 400,
measured from the original 3.5GHz sequential speeds up to around bringing only around 5 percent
iMac 5K. Batman: Arkham City at 210MB/s (with reads and writes slower application and 10 percent
1920x1080 pixels and High detail effectively the same speed); the graphics performance. It does lose
still played perfectly at 84fps, where drag really starts to show when out with the slow disk-only storage
first model managed 89fps. multiple demands are made upon though, so you might like to consider
When pushed to a Retina-mode the disk drive, and in small-file configuring it with a Fusion Drive
resolution of 2560x1440 however, random read/write speeds. Averaged or pure 256GB flash drive, either
we saw a more significant drop in with data from 4- to 1024kB, we saw option adding 160 to the price.
framerate, even if 66fps instead of speeds of around just 30MB/s. IEl Andrew Harrison
85fps is still perfectly usable to play
the game without visible glitches.
Tomb Raider was strangely faster
at fuii-HD resolution when played on
the new 3.3GHz model, averaging
64fps against 59fps, for a nearly 7
percent improvement. But pushed
to 2560x1440 size again it fell back
by 10 percent, hitting 42fps instead
of 46fps from the original 5K iMac.
The Unigine Heaven synthetic game
benchmark was similarly around
10 percent down, but still able
to play the test at 27fps even at
2560x1440 and Medium detail.
Cinebench's OpenGL test
pushes the graphics processor
while rendering an animated car-
chase scene, and here the new
iMac was just 1.4 percent behind
the original in version 15 (90.4
versus 91.7fps); and again we saw
an anomaly where the non-X-rated
iMac turned in a higher score in the
SMARTPHONE
EE Harrier
The fact the 199 Harrier is available
on EE's 4G network is exciting not
only because it's fast, but because
Specifications later this year the phone will also
5.2in fuii-HD (1920x1080, benefit from EE's Wi-Fi Calling
424ppi); 1.5GHz Oualcomm service. This eliminates mobile signal
Snapdragon 615 octa-core problems by allowing you to route
processor; 2GB RAM; 16GB calls and texts over Wi-Fi, without
storage; microSD slot; 13M p you even realising it's happening.
rear camera with LED At this price, you can't expect a
flash. 1080p video premium build. On the plus side, the
recording; 2Mp front bezels are extremely thin, the phone
camera; Android Lollipop; is reasonably slim for a budget
4G up to 150Mb/s; Micro- model and also lightweight, and the
SIM; Wi-Fi Calling coming 5.2in fuii-HD (1920x1080, 424ppi)
soon; 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi; screen is fantastic under 200.
Bluetooth 4.0; NFC; With an IPS display, the EE
2500mAh non- Harrier offers realistic screen
removable battery; colours, decent viewing angles
74.5x8.9x147mm; 145g and it's usefully bright. At 5.2in -
large but not too large - it 's also
a great fit for watching movies
and viewing photos, which isn't operate the Harrier. Sadly, for EE, are significantly cheaper than the
often something we can say about this reviewer is right-handed, but Harrier, but while you might save
phones at this price point. (Gaming, lefties will love it. money buying phones from China
not so much, but casual games will (the EE Harrier is also made in
play fine on the Harrier.) Hardware and performance China, but sold in the UK through
EE has made an effort to spruce On the inside, the Harrier is EE), you could also get hit with
things up, with a brushed-metal- equipped with a 1.5GHz Qualcomm additional customs charges, and if
effect rear (it's still plastic) and Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor, you need to return a faulty device
Build:
a gold camera surround; as an 2GB of RAM and 16GB storage, which you could have trouble. By buying
own-brand phone you'll also find a can be expanded via a microSD slot direct from EE, you should be
Features:
silver EE logo on the back cover. The -and you'll want to do so. Having able to get any problems sorted
Performance: slightly curved rear and rounded installed our benchmarks less than relatively quickly and easily.
Value: **"*** corners make the Harrier fit
naturally in the hand, too.
half the capacity was available
(and they really aren't that big). A
In Geekbench 3, which measures
processor performance, the EE
But a few things give away 2500mAh non-removable battery Harrier recorded 640 points in the
this phone's mid-range price. First keeps it all going. single-core test, and 2042 in the
and foremost, it's entirely plastic, That sounds like a reasonable multi-core one. That makes it a little
and that brushed-metal-effect specification for a mid-range phone, slower than the ZTE Blade S6 (2420)
rear does little to conceal the but during testing we found that and 56 Plus (2095), but faster than
fact. The removable cover adds to the Harrier would take a second or the Doogee F1 Turbo Mini (1947) and
this cheap feel, with the Harrier two to think before doing whatever Bluboo X6 (1940). Comparing it to
creaking a little in use. Given that you had asked of it, whether that some other phones with which you
the battery is not removable, we'd was launching an app or opening may be more familiar, it's slower
have preferred to have seen a side- the Settings menu. Remember, than an LG G2 (2271), but faster
loading tray for the Micro-SIM and though, that this is a 200 phone. than the HTC Desire 816 (1503) and
microSD card, and a fixed rear. We're used to reviewing super-fast new Moto E 4G (1463). Importantly,
The button placement is bizarre. handsets such as the Samsung it's much faster than EE's previous
Unusually, EE Harrier is far more Galaxy 56, which cost three own-brand 4G phone, the Kestrel,
comfortable to use in the left hand times the price, and what seems which recorded 1152 points (at half
than it is in the right. Held in your like an interminable wait to us the price, mind).
left hand, the thumb falls naturally an average user wouldn't batter Next up is SunSpider, which
over the power button and fingers an eyelid at. For that reason, we measures JavaScript performance
over the volume rocker; held in the also measure performance using (and in which a lower score is
right hand, the distance between several benchmarks. better). We run this benchmark in
the two is simply too great, and all In our benchmarking of the Chrome to ensure a fair test across
the steps EE has taken to make the Harrier, we found performance phones, and saw 1275ms for the
phone comfortable to use in one similar to that of Chinese phones Harrier. That places it very much in
hand quickly become forgotten as such as the ZTE Blade 56 and 56 Microsoft Lumia or Windows Phone
you struggle to adopt the awkward Plus, Doogee F1 Turbo Mini and territory, with the 640 scoring
hand contortions necessary to Bluboo X6. Some of these devices 1201ms, the 7351217ms, the 435
1284ms and the 535 1295ms. In you which apps might be causing select Auto, Night or Panorama
comparison to Android phones, excessive battery drain. modes, while HDR is on or off, and
it's in the Huawei P6/P7 and HTC no real-time filters are availab le.
Desire 610's domain - not amazing, Connectivity The resu lts, as you can see in
but by no means atrocious (the Sony A key selling point of this phone is our test shots below, aren' t bad. But
Xperia Tipo stil l wins that award with its 4G connectivity. At 100 that you' ll want to switch on HDR (as
5781ms). wou ld be impressive; at the 200 the seen in the second shot), and even
A new test for us is AnTuTu, Harrier costs, it's a nice extra - not then detail is lacking. Colours are
in which the Harrier recorded all phones at this price have it, but natura l, though , and for the money
29,154 points. We have few neither is it a surprise, and especially the resu lts are acceptable.
inhouse results with which to not in an own-brand EE handset. We also ran a video test using
compare this, but according One of the perks of buying an EE the primary camera, but found the
to othe r results in the An TuTu phone, though, is Wi-Fi Ca lling. This footage to be jerky.
database that makes it faster than is not yet available to the Harrier, When it comes to its operating
the original HTC One (M7), but but it wil l be later this year. Wi-Fi system, the Harrier runs a very plain
slower than the Nexus 5 and LG G3. Calling is a god-send if you often implementation of Android Lollipop,
Graphics performance comes find yourself without mobile signal, and even uses the Nexus launcher.
next, for which we use GFXBench allowing the Harrier to route your There is, however, a lot of bloatware
3.1. In the T-Rex test, EE Harrier ca lls and texts over a Wi-Fi- rather slapped on top, and none of it can be
recorded 15fps, which is slight ly than a mobile network. You won't uninstal led. Additiona l extras include
faster than the Kestre l (14fps), and even notice the difference, and the Lookout, My EE, Amazon Kind le,
on a par with the HTC Desire 610, minutes and texts you use simply Local, Music and Appstore, Deezer
LG G2 mini and Sony Xperia M2. In come out of your month ly all owance. and Games & Apps. By the time
Manhattan we saw just 6fps, which In other respects all the usual we had installed our benchmarks,
is the same score we saw from connectivity bases are covered. just 7.89GB of the Harrier's 16GB
the new Moto E 4G. This phone There's 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth of storage was available.
hasn' t been designed with gaming 4.0 and NFC but, unlike many
in mind, but you shou ld find it Chinese-made phones, the Harrier Verdict
capable of handling casual titles. is not dua i-SIM . At 200, EE's Harrier offers 4G
Finally, we measure battery On paper, the 13Mp camera connectivity, a great 5.2in fuii-HD
life performance, and for this we fixed to the rear of the Harrier is IPS screen and the promise of Wi-Fi
again turn to Geekbench 3.0. As excellent. It has an LED flash, and Cal li ng. For many that will make
with AnTuTu, this is a relatively a gold camera surround makes it it an excel lent deal. But a number
new test to the PC Advisor lab, and all seem a little bit specia l. It can of issues prevented us gett ing too
we have few scores with which to capture 1080p (fuii-HD) video, and excited about this smartphone:
compare the Harrier's performance. there's also a 2Mp se lfie/Skype there's a load of bloatware,
However, of the scores we do have, camera at the front. re latively sluggish performance,
the phone turned in by far the Very few camera contro ls are unremarkable battery life, some
worst performance with 1424 points available, but you do get smile-, awkward ly placed buttons, a plastic
(03:33:20). Even its little brother, voice- and touch-activated capture, build, and the camera performance
the Harrier Mini (see page 34), plus a countdown timer. You can isn't great. 181 Marie Brewis
performed better, with 2163 points
(05:24:10). While you might assume
this difference could be put down to
the lower-spec hardware on the Mini,
the phone that scored the highest
in this benchmark was the Samsung
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SMARTPHONE
EE Harrier Mini
At 99, the Harrier Mini offers although there is still
a cheap entry point for a phone the same interminable
capable of fast 4G data download wait when launching
Specifications speeds. It's identical in design to its the camera or other
4.7in (1280x720, 312ppi) bigger brother, the Harrier (see page apps, or even just
IPS HD screen; 1.2GHz 32), but with smaller dimensions waking the screen.
processor; Android 5.0 and a more modest spec. We ran the Harrier
Lollipop; 1GB RAM; 8GB Both are plastic phones, although Mini through our usual
storage (3.69GB available); the manufacturer (BenQ) has benchmarks, starting
microSD card slot; attempted to add a tou ch of flair with Geekbench 3, which
Bluetooth 4.0; Wi-Fi with a brushed-metal-effect rear measures processor
Calling; 8Mp rear (with cover. There's also a gold camera performance. In the
LED flash), ZMp front surround, shiny silver EE logo and multi-core component
camera; ZOOOmAh non- a silver speaker grille at the rear. It it recorded 1549 points,
removable battery; pulls off the look much better than making it faster than
138x67.9x9.5mm; 124g its bigger brother, and on looks its predecessor, the
alone you wouldn't easily guess EE Kestrel (1152), but cutbacks, although its 8Mp rear- and
that this was a 99 phone. slower than the Harrier, which 2Mp front camera setup with LED
The screen bezels are similarly recorded 2042 points. flash is very good at this price.
slim, but as with the Harrier there Geekbench 3 also includes a HDR is not on by default.
is a rather large vacant area below battery life test, which we have although in our experience you will
the screen. Rather than using this to recently begun using for the phones want to switch it on. Our first shot.
house the three Android-standard that pass through our lab. We were taken without HDR, was very dark
Home, Back and Options buttons, interested to find that the Harrier and underexposed on what was a
these occupy the bottom row on the Mini performed better in this test relatively sunny day for the UK.
screen itself. Even so, with smaller than did the Harrier, despite its Although the results were much
overall dimensions the Harrier Mini smaller-capacity battery (2000mAh better with HDR, it's clear a lot of
is far easier to operate in a single vs 2500mAh). This is more than detail is sti ll missing.
hand, and even the sli ghtly odd likely due to the less demanding The Harrier Mini can also shoot
button placement that felt awkward hardware. We recorded 2163 points fuii-HD (1080p) video from its rear
Build:
on the Harrier feels natural here. for the Harrier Mini, and just 1424 camera, although we found it jerky
In the hand, the Harrier Mini feels for the Harrier. Don't expect to get and strugg ling to focus, with the
Features:
good. The slight ly curved rear is a more than a day's usage from that same exposure issues as sti ll shots.
Performance: good fit for the palm, and it doesn't battery before needing a top-up. The camera app itself is basic,
Value: **"*** creak under pressure. You can prise
off this panel to reveal microSD
You get the same power-
management options as with the
matching that found on the EE
Harrier. Very few camera controls
and SIM slots, but it's a shame the Harrier, which means you can turn are available, but you do get
battery isn't also removable. off Wi-Fi and mobile data when the smi le-, voice- and touch-activated
Given that the Harrier Mini costs screen is off, or schedule this to capture, plus a countdown timer.
half the price of the Harrier, some occur only during a set period, such You can select Auto, Night or
cost-cutting has been necessary. as overnight. If you want people to Panorama modes, but no real-
Whereas the Harrier is fitted with a be able to get hold of you then it's time filters are available.
5.2in fui i-HD pane l, the Harrier Mini perhaps not the best so lution to The software setup is identica l to
has a 4.7in HD variant. Both are IPS prolonging battery life, however. that of the Harrier. You get a very
panels with good viewing ang les Another test we run is GFXBench, plain implementation of Android
and generall y realistic colours, but within which we use the T-Rex Lollipop, comp lete with the Nexus
while the Harrier Mini's screen is and Manhattan benchmarks to launcher. However, there is a lot of
very sharp for a budget phone you gauge graphics performance. bloatware slapped on top, and none
will notice the difference between The Harrier Mini recorded 10- and of it can be uninstalled. Additional
it and the Harrier. We also found it 4fps respectively, which is by no extras include Lookout. My EE,
a little dull without turning up the means great. but the phone wi ll Amazon Kindle, Loca l, Music and
brightness, but doing so had the be capable of casual gaming. Appstore, Deezer and Games &
negative effect of making co lours With the exception of NFC, Apps. By the time we had installed
seem a little washed out. the Harrier Mini has the same our benchmarks, only 3.69GB of the
Don't expect to be blown away connectivity options as the Harrier. Mini's 8GB of storage was available.
by this phone's performance, with That means you get 802.11b/g/n
a lowly 1.2GHz processor and just Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0, plus the Verdict
1GB of RAM. Oddly, the Harrier promise of Wi-F i Ca lling- it's on ly We're much keener on the Harrier
Mini felt faster than the Harrier in a shame it wasn't available to the Mini than we are its bigger brother.
real-world use, with no lag when Harrier and Harrier Mini at launch. Performance is slower and the
switching between home screens Photography is another area screen isn't as good, but it's still a
and scro lli ng through menus, in which the Harrier Mini sees great deal. 0 Marie Brewis
Samsung Galaxy A3
We've already reviewed the Galaxy A5, but you 'd be
A5, which turned out to be a nicely wrong. Yes, there's
built mid-range Android phone, but the same Snapdragon
Specifications too expensive given the mediocre 410 processor with the
4.5in Super AMOLED components inside it. But what Adreno 306 GPU, but
(960x540, 244ppi) screen; about its smaller brother, the A3? you get only 1.5GB of
Android 4.4.4 KitKat; Not everyone wants a phone with RAM instead of 2GB and
Oualcomm Snapdragon a huge screen and the A3 offers a only an 8Mp camera at
410; 1.2GHz quad-core 4.5in qHD Super AMOLED display. To the rear instead of 13Mp.
processor; Adreno 306 unpack the acronyms, this means it Wi-Fi is single-band in the
GPU; 1.5GB RAM; 16GB has a resolution of 960x540 pixels, A3, so unlike the A5 it
internal storage; microSD which is a quarter of the number in won' t be able to connect
card slot (up to 64GB); a full HD screen (1920x1080). to 802.11n routers on
13Mp rear camera with LED Many phones have LCD displays, 5GHz. It's a non-issue for
flash; SMp front camera; but Super AMOLED is completely most people, of course.
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (single- different. Like other OLEO displays, The front camera is
band); Bluetooth 4.0 individual pixels emit light rather the same at 5Mp, and
LE; non-removable than there being a backlight which there's Bluetooth 4.0,
1900mAh battery; illuminates an entire LCD screen. GPS and NFC. There's
130x66x6.9mm; 110g This means contrast is better also 4G LTE support
and AMOLED screens also have as well as 3G. The A3
more vivid colours, in general. is one of few phones
So, given its price, the A3 has with built-in ANT+
a relatively low resolution but support, which could be
good-quality screen. Some will think useful if you have any
it looks a little blocky or fuzzy if ANT+ fitness gadgets.
coming from a phone with a higher- U ns u rpri singly,
resolution screen, but the 244ppi the A3 is more or less
pixel density means it's acceptable. exactly as fast as the A5.
As with the A5, the A3 has an In our tests, it returned iPhone 6's 8Mp camera, but snaps
aluminium unibody much like an roughly the same scores and in are respectable enough to share
Build:
iPhone. It looks stylish and is slim general day-to-day used proved with family and online.
Features:
and lightweight at 6.9mm and fast enough. The problem is that Bear in mind that both cameras
Performance: just 110g. There's a physical home it's not really good enough for the default to a 16:9 aspect ratio, which
Value:
**~ button, with touch-sensitive back
and recent buttons either side of it.
price: you can buy the Motorola
Moto E for just 109, which has
means they take lower resolution
photos (6Mp rear, 3.7Mp front)
Micro-USB and headphone sockets the same processor, supports 4G unless you change the settings to
can be found on the bottom edge and has basically the same screen use their native 4:3 aspect ratios.
and iPhone-style trays hold a nano size and resolution. Also, the front camera defaults
SIM and up to a 64GB microSD The battery is rated at 1900mAh to selfie mode which itself
card on the right-hand side. The which is a lot less than the automatically retouches your face
sleep/wake button is above the 2300mAh cell in the Galaxy A5. In giving a strange plastic look. With
trays, and the volume rocker is on general usethough,wefoundthe this disabled, photos from the front
the left. Mounted centrally on the A3 would last a full day with no camera are very good. Along with
back is a camera that's flanked by an problems. There's the same Ultra the handy options for automatically
LED flash and the main speaker. Power Saving mode as the A5, which taking selfies when holding up your
You get the same choice of four extends standby time for over a day palm and a wide-selfie mode, the A3
colours: white, black, gold and silver. even if you're down to 10 percent. is a good choice if you take a lot of
Like the A5, the A3 runs Android In our battery test, the A3 photos of yourself.
KitKat. That's strange given that lasted just a couple of minutes shy
the new version - Lollipop has been of six hours. That's only quarter Verdict
around for six months now. However, of an hour less than the Galaxy Samsung's RRP is 249, but you
an update to Android 5.0 for both A5, despite the smaller battery. can buy the Galaxy A3 SIM-free for
phones is rolling out right now. Overall, it 's a decent result. a little under 200 if you search
Samsung's TouchWiz interface One area where the Moto E around online. If you do want it
masks most of Android anyway, so 4G shows its budget nature is the on contract, there should be no
the upgrade won't be as noticeable plastic body. But the low-resolution up-front cost. But as we've said, it 's
as on a phone running plain Android. cameras also let it down. In this possible to get a phone with similar
It's still worth having Lollipop respect the Galaxy A3 is much specifications for a lot less, so it's
though for its other features. better. Photos have a decent hard to justify spending the extra
You might expect the A3 to amount of detail and are sharp. on the A3 for its cameras or even
have the same internals as the Don't expect quality to rival the Samsung's software. [] Jim Martin
SMARTPHONE
Ulefone BeTouch
Ulefone's BeTouch is a Chinese
phone that's available to buy in
the UK through Geekbuying for
Specifications just 147 at the time of writing.
5.5in HD (1280x720, 267ppi) Bear in mind that Geekbuying
IPS 2.50 Arc screen with ships the BeTouch from China, so
Corning Gorilla Glass 3; you may also incur import duty. If
Android 5.0 lollipop; 1.7GHz you do decide to take the plunge
MediaTek MTK6752 (ARM and purchase the Be Touch, you
Cortex-A53) octa-core absolutely won't regret your choice.
64-bit processor; 3GB With a 5.5in HD (1280x720)
LPDDR3 RAM; 16GB storage screen, the Ulefone is a large
(plus microSD up to 64GB); phone and what we refer to as
Mali-T760 MPZ dual-core a phablet - somewhere between
GPU; 4G FDD-LTE/3G a phone and a tablet. However,
WCDMA/GSM; duai-SIM the aviation-grade stainless steel
dual-standby (1x full-size. frame and aluminium-magnesium
1x Micro-SIM); dual-band mid-frame help keep down the
802.11b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi; weight to just 160g, while the curved
Bluetooth 4.0; OTG; GPS; screen edges and slim bezels make
A-GPS; GLONASS; one-handed use possible.
fingerprint scanner; 13Mp Despite the metal frame, the
Sony Exmor IMX214 rear Ulefone's rear cover is plastic. It's
camera. dual-LED flash. 4K a removable cover that, usefully,
video recording; 5Mp front affords access to an also-removable The beauty of this fingerprint only by the fastest Android phones
camera with 80-degree battery and the duai-SIM and scanner, and something we haven't we've ever tested, the Samsung
wide-angle lens; 2550mAh microSD slots. It sits flush to the been able to say about any of the Galaxy 56 and 56 Edge. (And the
removable battery; case, which prevents it feeling fingerprint scanners found on rival UMI eMax, although the Ulefone
77.4x8.6x158.1mm; 160g cheap or creaking in the hand. cheap Chinese phones, is that it shows better performance in other
The 13Mp camera protrudes works. Using touch- rather than tests.) In the single-core component
Build:
a little from the rear - it's not swipe input, we found the BeTouch the Ulefone scored 794 points,
something we particularly like, but recognised our fingerprint every which places it in between the UMI
Features:
it is becoming increasingly common single time, and that means we're eMax and UMI Hammer.
Performance: with today's ever-slimmer flagships. actually likely to use it. It's fast, In SunSpider, which measures
Value: While the BeTouch isn't as skinny too, recognising your fingerprint in JavaScript performance, the
as some phones on the market, at a fraction of a second, even when BeTouch did a good job for
8.6mm it's thin for a budget phone. your hand is wet. an Android phone, with this
Our sample came in metal Six small holes on the Be Touch's benchmark's scoreboards dominated
grey, although the BeTouch is also bottom edge allow sound to escape by the various iPhone models.
available in silk white. The fully from the built-in speaker. It's a We ran SunSpider both on the
laminated display is prone to picking preferable approach to a rear- browser that came preinstalled
up fingerprints, but the HD IPS mounted speaker that can fire on the Ulefone, in which it scored
display below looks good. At this sound into your palm, although 915ms, and in Chrome, which we
size and resolution, the screen is a front-facing would be even better. use to ensure a fair test across all
good fit for viewing media, and it With a 1.7GHz octa-core Android phones, in which it scored
displays realistic colours and useful processor from MediaTek, 3GB of 975ms. In SunSpider a lower score
brightness, with good viewing angles RAM and Mali-T760 MP2 graphics is better, which means it actually
to boot. You can also invert the inside, the Ulefone BeTouch is a did a better job here than did the
screen colours if you find the display capable smartphone. In real-world aforementioned S6 and 56 Edge.
easier to read in this manner. use, we found it very smooth, and GFXBench is used to measure
The power button and volume this is no doubt thanks to not only graphics performance, and the
rocker are found on the phone's left the hardware but a lack of bloatware Ulefone recorded 25fps in T-Rex
edge, which can be a bit of a stretch slowing it down. and 12fps in Manhattan. Both are
for right-handed users. However, one We ran the Ulefone BeTouch very good scores for a phone at
of several useful gestures allows you through our usual benchmarks, this price point, and in line with
to wake the screen with a double- and the results make for pleasant flagship phones such as the LG
tap, so we didn't find the positioning reading - particularly in Geekbench G4 and Nexus 6.
a problem in real-world use. Options 3, which measures processor Two new tests we've recently
and back software buttons sit performance. In the multi-core begun using in the PC Advisor lab
below the screen, either side of a component of this test, the Be Touch and for which we currently have
home button that incorporates a scored a staggering 3817 points. And few scores to compare are AnTuTu
fingerprint scanner. that really is incredibly fast, beaten and the battery life test built into
Geekbench 3. In An TuTu, the Be Touch Be Touch stretches to ISO 1600 for fit on a single page of the Nexus
recorded 41 ,661 points, which is better low-light pictures, while the launcher app tray- amazing.
a little below Ulefone's claims of rear camera also supports up to 4K The only changes Ulefone has
45,000 points-plus, and put its video recording at 30fps and has made are for the better: there's
performance somewhere between a tracking autofocus for capturing the aforementioned option to
the Samsung Galaxy 55 and Nexus 5. moving objects. Around the front invert screen colours in the Quick
In Geekbench 3's battery test is a 5Mp selfie camera with an settings drop-down, plus you can
the Ulefone recorded 2540 points 80-degree wide-angle lens. set custom gestures that allow you
(04:38:40), which is a little behind Both cameras support real-time to launch an app of your choice
the LG G4. Arguably, though, even application of filters, plus various from standby simply by drawing a
the best phone battery will quickly modes including picture in picture, letter on the screen. The ability to
be drained by a heavy user, so how live photo, motion tracking, beauty, wake the screen with a double-tap
fast the phone can recharge its flat panorama and multi-angle. You can also eases managing this phablet
battery is also important. Using trigger a shot with a gesture, smile in a single hand.
the included charger the Be Touch or voice command, although in
can reach 35 percent in just 15 doing so the camera switches off its Verdict
minutes. This is a two-pin plug, but anti-shake feature. Face detection is Ulefone's Be Touch is an unrivalled
Geekbuying will also supply a UK also supported. deal at 147. It's fast, it's dual-
adaptor in the box upon request. HDR is not automatic, but we S 1M with 4G connectivity, it has a
Also pleasing is the fact the found photos look better with it working fingerprint scanner for
Ulefone BeTouch's 2550mAh battery turned on (see our test shots above). security, the screen is large and
is removable, which means you The Android Lollipop operating with an HD resolution plenty crisp
could carry a spare. system preinstalled on this phone is enough for the money, and there
With the exception of NFC, the exactly as Google intended, and that is absolutely no bloatware. A few
BeTouch has all connectivity bases makes a refreshing change. There is minor quibbles aside, it's genuinely
covered, with dual-band 802.11ac zero bloatware preinstalled, and we difficult to fault this phone at this
Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, A-GPS and found all but one of the shortcuts price. [] Marie Brewis
GLONASS and OTG. Plus, not only is
it duai-SIM, with one slot supporting
a full-size card and the other Micro-
SIM, it supports 4G. And, unlike
some Chinese phones, wireless
updates are available, making it
easy to install software updates.
.,0
Slapped on the back of the >
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Be Touch is the same 13Mp Sony TO O' IOT A :;-
o
Exmor IMX214 camera that is found -
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on the rear of many Chinese phones.
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and the photos it takes are much >
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better than you have any right to ~
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expect at 150.
The camera is quick to focus
once you've launched the app,
although a dedicated camera button
would make doing so even faster.
There's a dual-LED flash and the
SMARTPHONE
UMI eMax
We've been impressed by what we've
seen from Chinese phone maker
UMI so far, having recently reviewed
Specifications both the Zero and Hammer. This UMI
5.5in fuii-HD (1920x1080, eMax is an altogether more powerful
401ppi) IPS display; beast, with an octa-core processor,
Android 4.4 KitKat with a standout 5.5in fui i-HD screen and
Rootjoy; 1.7GHz MediaTek a massive 3780mAh battery that
MTK6752 octa-core 64-bit can even serve as a power bank for
processor; 2GB RAM; 16GB other phones.
storage, with microSD The best bit about the UMI
support up to 64GB; ARM eMax is its price, and right now
Mali-T760 MPZ GPU; duai- it's available for just 115 from
SIM: GSM 850/900/1800/ Coolicool.com. That's amazing value
1900MHz, WCDMA 900/ for money. Bear in mind, though,
1900/ZlOOMHz, 4G-FDD that this phone ships from China,
800/1800/2600MHz; dual- so you may also incur import duty
band 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi; when purchased in the UK.
Bluetooth 4.0; OTG; GPS; Unlike the Zero and Hammer
A-GPS with EPO; HotKnot; before it, the UM I eMax is a
13Mp rear camera with relatively plain-looking, unassuming
LED flash, f/2.2 aperture, device. With a 5.5in screen this is a We're not so keen on the way battery life test. The eMax aced
dynamic HDR 0.3s fast phablet, but it's sti ll just 148g and the phone's 13Mp camera sticks out both - and the latter is certainly
autofocus and six-piece with slim bezels reasonably easy to at the rear, but this is becoming no surprise, given the capacious
lens; 5Mp front camera, operate in a sing le hand. increasingly common in today's 3780mAh cell found inside. With
f/2.2 aperture, 1.12um pixel From the front, the phone is ever-thinner phones. And this is one OTG support (and an adaptor
size; 3780mAh non- marred only by the always-visible of them: at 7.9mm thick, you'd never included in the box), the eMax can
removable battery; legends for the Home, Back and guess the eM ax costs just 115. As is even be used as a power bank to
152.3x7.9x76.5mm; 148g Options buttons. Switch on the the case on the Samsung Galaxy S6, charge another phone- it wil l fill
screen, though, and you instant ly though, this camera is centred and an iPhone 6 twice, says UMI. So,
don't care: with a fu ii-HD resolution squareish, so it won't rock nearly so you can expect several days' life
Build:
this IPS panel is crystal clear, and as much when placed f lat on the table with normal use.
Features:
sharp as many flagship Androids at as, for example, the iPhone 6. The reigning champions of our
Performance: 401ppi. You absolutely should not Also at the base of the rear is a Geekbench 3 tests are the Samsung
Value: expect a fui i-HD screen at this price. speaker grille. Usually this is a no-no Galaxy 56 and S6 Edge, with the S6
Colours are bright and rea listic, even for us, muffling sound as it fires scoring 4438 points in processing -
with the brightness turned down, it into your palm , but th is phone's and 4136 in battery performance,
and viewing angles are very good. phablet dimens ions stopped this and the S6 Edge 5076- and 4011
From the rear, the eMax is less being a problem in our testing. points. The UMI eMax got incredibly
attractive, but by no means ugly. close to those scores performance,
We're confused by the Chinese- Hardware and performance with 4101 points in processing-,
Eng lish translation in the eMax's Insid e the eMax is a 1.7GHz MediaTek and 4006 in battery performance.
marketing materials, which states: MTK6752 octa-core 64-bit processor, By comparison, in processing
" The one piece art of frame battery 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage and performance the UMI Hammer
cover is made by Polycarbonate an ARM Mali-T760 MP2 graphics recorded 2203 points and the
with 200 times processing brushed processor. We have seen this setup Kingzone Z1 3689. We also ran the
stainless steal [sic]." This phone before, such as in the Kingzone Z1, Kingzone through the batt ery life
looks and feels very much like while the Ulefone BeTouch (page test, and it scored 3074 po ints.
a plastic device to us, although 36) adds an extra gig of RAM. But An TuTu is another new test to
there is a subt le brushed-meta l the eMax appears to have put its the PC Advisor lab, and with few
effect to the rear. hardware to the best use - at least if resu lts with which to compare
The rear cover is non -removable, our benchmarks are to be believed. devices for now it's rather difficu lt
with side-loading trays for the And therein lies the catch: to understand what the scores
two SIM slots and microSD card. A benchmarks can't always be trusted. are telling us. However, through
power button and vo lume rocker Nevertheless, we found the UMI An TuTu's own database we can see
are also found on the eMax's r ight eMax smooth and responsive in that the UMI eMax's 41,799-point
side, while there's a headphone jack real-world use, with no sign of lag . score is faster than both the Nexus
at the top and Micro-USB charging In Geekbench 3.0, the eMax gave 5 and LG G3, but slightly below last
port at the bottom. Despite its its standout performance. We use year's flagship Samsung Galaxy S5.
plastic feel the eMax feels very this test to measure processing It also performed better than the
sturdy - not as tough as the performance, but have also recently UM I Hammer (32,506) and Ulefone
Hammer, but tough nonetheless. begun including results from its BeTouch (41,661).
Graphics performance in The UMI eMax is a duai-SIM there's no need to stick with the
GFXBench showed something to be phone that operates in dual-standby Android 4.4 KitKat OS preinstalled
desired, and rather than delivering mode, accepting two Micro-SIMs. out of the box unless you want to.
scores to match the flagships the It's a 4G phone, which is very An upgrade to Lollipop is available,
UMI eMax put in a performance good at this price, but if you're or you can load up Rootjoy on a
similar to that of other budget- and buying the eMax in the UK, check Windows PC or laptop, hook up
mid-range phones, including the EE that it will work on your network your phone and then install a
Harrier, Sony Xperia M2 and Moto first. The eMax operates on GSM custom OS of your choice. Rootjoy
E 4G. Casual games will be easily 850/900/1800/1900MHz, WCDMA also lets you load updates, install a
playable on the eMax, but scores of 900/1900/2100MHz and 4G-FDD custom Uland back up your data.
15fps in T-Rex and 6fps in Manhattan 800/1800/2600MHz. Stick with KitKat, though, and
are nothing to shout home about. you won' t be disappointed. This
Our final test is SunSpider, which Cameras is a stock implementation of the
measures JavaScript performance. As with virtually every Chinese Android operating system, with
We ran this test both in the phone we see, the UMI is fitted with full access to Google Play and
preinstalled browser, in which it a 13Mp camera at the rear, with Google apps. Very little bloatware
recorded a very good 734ms, and in f/2.2 aperture and an LED flash, is preinstalled, and you may find
Chrome to ensure a fair test across and a 5Mp selfie camera with f/2.2 additional apps such as ToDo and
Android phones. Its Chrome score aperture and 1.12um pixels. File Manager useful. SuperCieaner's
of 840ms is still very good (lower The primary camera focuses effect is debatable, but it aims
scores are better), and in line with in 0.3 seconds, and we found it to clear away junk files, help you
the likes of the Honor 6, Sony Xperia did a decent enough job when we manage your apps and startup items
Z3 and Samsung Galaxy S5. switched on HDR, although some and more to boost performance.
detail is missing when you zoom in. In common with the majority
Connectivity You can see our test shots with and of Chinese phones we review,
Connectivity-wise there's support without HDR above. customisable gestures are present.
for dual-band 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi Real-time filters are available Not only can you double-tap to
and Bluetooth 4.0. For positioning, at the composition stage for both wake the screen, but you can draw
you get both GPS and A-GPS with cameras, and both also benefit a letter onscreen in standby mode
EPO, with the separate GPS sensor from a Beauty mode and Picture-in- to automatically launch an app
claimed to offer faster results and picture. Switch to the main camera of your choice. The sooner this
improved accuracy. and you get more options, including becomes a standard feature of
NFC is missing, but you do HDR, live photo, motion tracking, Android, the better.
get HotKnot, which is MediaTek's panorama and multi-angle capture.
equivalent. This lets you share There's support for smile-, gesture, Verdict
files and web pages, play games and voice-activated capture, too, The eMax offers superb value for
and more with other HotKnot- plus a 40-shot burst mode. money. It's not as good-looking as
connected phones. Note, however, that the full other UMI phones we've reviewed,
OTG support is perhaps more 13Mp is available only in 4:3 but it has a big and bright fuii-HD
useful in the UMI eMax than it is format; in the phone's default screen for enjoying media and
other Androids, given the large- 16:9 stills top out at 9.5Mp. more, and showed very capable
capacity battery. You could even use We also tested the video camera. performance in the majority of our
the eMax as an emergency charger Playback was fine on the phone, benchmarks. Photography is decent
for powering other devices. OTG also but developed a stutter when we at this price, and enthusiasts will
lets you hook up external storage downloaded it to our computer. appreciate the Rootjoy support.
devices, and an adaptor is handily Given that the UMI eMax is sold At 115, you can't go far wrong with
supplied in the box. rooted and with support for Rootjoy, the UMI eMax. 0 Marie Brewis
SMARTWATCH
LG Watch Urbane
With its design and build superior to read it easily indoors '*
most Android Wear smartwatches, and out. However, t
the LG Watch Urbane fetches you'll probably
Specifications a higher price. While most cost want to switch the
Android Wear; lZGHz between 150 and 200, the Urbane always-on feature
Oualcomm Snapdragon will set you back 259, although it's to save battery
400; 4GB storage; 512MB still cheaper than the entry-level since there's no
RAM; Wi-Fi; Bluetooth 4.1 Apple Watch, which costs 299. ambient light
LE; 1.3in POLED screen Looking very much like its sensor for
(320x320, 245ppi); Voice predecessor, the G Watch R, the automatically
mic; stainless steel cover; Urbane has been upgraded to a adjusting
genuine leather strap; full metal casing, and is available brightness.
Corning Gorilla Glass 3; in a silver option and a more There's
410mAh battery; IP67- blingtastic gold. also 512MB
rated; 46x52x10.9mm; 67g A watch like this is supposed of RAM, the
to be big and heavy, and if that's same heart-rate
what you're looking for then great, monitor on the '
but some may find this device underside and other J
too bulky and unwieldy for their sensors including 1
wrist. Weighing 67g and measuring a barometer, l
46x52x10.9mm, the Urbane is hardly accelerometer and
~
svelte, though it's thinner than the compass. The Watch
G Watch R because it doesn't have Urbane lacks GPS, though. i
the dished bezel around the screen. As with other heart-rate monitors
The silver model comes with a on watches, taking a reading is very
black leather strap, while the gold much hit-and-miss, so you often
option is paired with a brown strap. need to press the watch firmly on
You can swap them out for any strap to your skin to help it out. of battery life, you'll get just over a
with 22mm pins, which is handy. A big new addition is built-in day, but if you turn off the 'always-
As expected, the leather is stiff at Wi-Fi, which means you can still on' function, then the screen will
first but softens over time making use the Watch Urbane even without consume less power and you'll get
Build:
it more comfortable. having it connected to a companion a couple of days from the Watch
Features:
Like its sort of predecessor, device- minus any phone-specific Urbane if your usage is light.
Performance: the Urbane has an IP67-rated notifications such as calls and text As well as Wi-Fi connectivity,
Value: **~ design meaning it's waterproof. messages, of course. You can select the Watch Urbane has more tricks
LG warns that you shouldn't keep this option when setting up the up its sleeve thanks to the recent
it submerged longer than 30 watch with the Android Wear app. Android Wear update. The menu is
minutes though, or take it to a The 410mAh battery is the same now split into three sections, which
depth greater than 1m. size as that found in the G Watch R contain apps, contacts and available
The design is the big change here and is charged via a magnetic dock commands. It's a welcome change
when compared to the G Watch R. -that 's why there are five circu lar and makes using the operating
The hardware and specs remain the metal contacts on the rear. In terms system a lot easier than previously.
same, so you'll get a 1.3in (320x320) The apps menu will display
P-OLED screen, a Qualcomm recently used ones at the top, but
Snapdragon 400 processor and don't get too excited about the
4GB of internal storage. LG Call apps because the watch
The screen is crisp and has doesn't have a speaker so it's
decent brightness, so you can just for initiating a call on your
connected phone.
Verdict
There's a lot to like about the
LG Watch Urbane with it's Wi-Fi
connectivity and the new version of
Android Wear. Since in essence, it's
the same device as the G Watch R in
terms of hardware, your purchase
hinges on the design. It's expensive
and bulky, and we can't see it
appearing to the masses, so the G
Watch R is still our recommended
choice. 0 Chris Martin
Nintendo 3DS
The new 3DS might not look too
different from its predecessor ~new :
at first g lance, but several small NINTENDB3 DSN
Specifications hardware changes make this hand-
Lower screen. 3.33in held gaming console everything the
(320x240) touchscreen original 3DS shou ld have been.
LCD; 253g Upper screen. When we first picked up the new
3.88in (800x240); 0.3Mp conso le, which Nintendo says has 3D
resolution cameras; Wi-Fi; face tracking to help improve the 3D
stereo speakers; infrared experience, we were dubious. This
communication; NFC; feature worked on the o r iginal 3DS
microSD slot; AC only if you sat directly in front of
adaptor; audio jack the device. Within seconds, however,
80.6x142x21.6mm (when we found ourselves cranking the 3D
closed); 253g slider up to maximum. It's fantastic.
The 3D improvements have
been made possible thanks to the
introduction of a tiny camera next
to the main front-facing camera, buttons into their games t hey could different games to help you add new
which tracks where your face is and be a real boon and offer fur t her characters or customise them, get
adjusts the image accordingly. control and gameplay features. special bonuses, level up characters
The second of the main changes and more. The number of compatib le
is the introduction of the C Stick Performance games is growing, wi t h Super
and two new buttons: ZL and ZR. The new 3 DS is much faster than Smash Bros for 3 DS and Xenoblade
Many garners have been cr ying out its predecessor. Opening and Chronicles 3D set to arrive soon.
for a second joystick on the 3DS, closing apps is now incredibly fast. Aside from the aforementioned
particularly for games that require That's thanks to improved CPU new buttons and C Stick, the
you to rot ate the screen in addition performance, which means loading overall design of the 3DS is in
to moving your character - it can get times have been reduced, too. essence the same. There are two
tiresome having to reposition your What's more, Nintendo says that mode ls available: the 3DS with
hand to use the touchscreen for "several upcom ing ga mes" wil l be a 3.53in top disp lay and a 3.02 in
Build:
screen rotation, that's for sure. bu ilt from scratch specifica lly for the bottom disp lay, and the 3DS XL
Features:
Nintendo offered a solution new 3DS t o t ake advant age of t he (p r iced 179), which is slightly less
Performance: for owners of the original 3DS in power boost it's been given. port able but offers bigger screens
Value: **"*** the form of the Circle Pad Pro, an
attachment that added a second
Nintendo has also updated
the 3DS's web browser to all ow
at 4.88in and 4.18in, so arguab ly a
better experience ove rall.
joystick and two add itiona l buttons, for a better browsing experience The 3DS is ava ilable in white or
but also added bulk and weight when using the internet. You' ll be black. There are also replaceable
to the otherwise supe r- portab le able to use the ZL/ZR buttons t o cover plates available to al low you
device, so it's less than idea l. switch tabs, and use the C Stick to to comp letely customise your device.
The new 3DS, however, has a tiny zoom in on pages, which we found The other slight difference
C Stick bu ilt in, something we wish to be int uitive. between the original 3DS and the
Nintendo had thought of four years The original 3DS' camera isn't new mode l is the coloured buttons,
ago when the 3DS came out. br illiant and nor is the new conso le's repositioned game slot, stylus and
The ZL and ZR buttons, wh ich offering, t hough it has been sl ightly vo lume slider, and repos itioned
you' ll find fal l beneath your index improved for photos in low-light Start and Select buttons.
fingers beside the already present conditions. There's a camera on the
L and R buttons, are anothe r extra front of the device for 2D images, or Verdict
that isn 't particularly useful right you can capture 3D images viewable If you consider the new 3DS's price
now, but we imagine t hat when on the device's display using the from a broader perspective, taking
developers begin integrating the dua l rear-facing cameras. into consideration the price of other
The device now has games consoles, it does seem a bit
NFC built in, which pr icey. You can buy the Sony PS
means you' ll be able Vita (2014 edition) for around 150,
to play with Amiibo and even the Nintendo Wii U for
f igures on you r 3DS 160. For most ga mers, though, its
as we ll as your Wi i value lies in the games ava ilable, so
U, simply by placing for Monster Hunter fans, Pokemon
the f igure on the fans or fans of Nint endo's many
lower 3DS display. classics, paying the 150 or 180
These figures for the new 3DS is a no-brainer.
work with various 0 Ashleigh Allsopp
SPEAKER
Raumfeld One S
Raumfeld is an audio brand that
you might not have heard of
before, but it's now owned by the
Specifications long running German loudspeaker
90mm mid-woofer; specia list, Teufel. Whether you've
20mm tweeter; 2x 95mm heard of either, Raumfeld products
passive bass radiators; are now easily avai lable in the UK
2x Class-D amplifiers; and we've taken a look at the firm's
ethernet port; USB port; pint-sized multi-room speaker.
Spotify compatible; Although the Raumfeld One S is
Tidal compatible; small, that doesn't mean it's cheap.
Tuneln Radio compatible; This little speaker will set you back
180x130x110mm; 1.4kg 199, although it's the most budget
of the brand's wire less speaker
line-up. You might want to make a
stereo pair with two and you can
save 50 if you buy this way. speaker and adding more as and a few, Amazon Music, Google Play
The price, size and features mean when you choose (or can afford Music and Deezer are all missing.
that the One S has some tough to). If you have more than one If you're happy with Spotify
competition in the ever expanding Raumfeld speaker, you can place and/or Tidal, then the sound
multi-room audio market. Sones them in different rooms around quality of the One S is very good.
is recognised widely as one of the your house and choose what music Although Teufel has been making
leading brands and is something of to play on each - or synchronise loudspeakers for decades, the
a benchmark. Its latest speaker- the them to play the same tunes. speaker uses a Class D amp, which is
Play:1 - costs 169 and is a fantastic We found that the system works a shame but also not a surprise.
little speaker, so let's see whether we ll, and you can control everything The One S uses a two-way coax
it's worth paying extra for the One S. with the free app for iOS and system with a 90mm mid-range
Like the Sones range, the Android. The app is decent but not driver and a 25mm tweeter. These
Raumfeld is availab le in black or a patch on the polished Sones app. are joined by side-mounted 95mm
white, with the latter being the It's intuitive to use and we like the passive bass radiators (one on either
Build:
company's classic opt ion. The design virtua l volume dial and the addit ion side). The resu lt is we ll -rounded
is square and industrial with straight of an EO, even if it is limited to and suits the vast majority of music
Features: ic. ic. ic. ic. U lines, which is different from Sones' simple bass, mid and treble sliders. genres but sounds muddy at times.
Performance: ic. ic. *~ approach but may fit in better with There are physical buttons on the With the two Class D amps
Value: the style of your home. top of the Raumfeld One S, which output a maximum of 40W RMS, and
The One S measures just 18cm are under a rubber cover (to keep we were impressed with how loud
wide and weighs 1.4kg, so if space any moisture out if you're using it in you can pump the One S without
is limited, then it 's well suited a bathroom or kitchen). You've got losing sound quality and introducing
to squeezing into narrow and volume control as you would expect distortion. Even with a lower quality
tight gaps. We like the simplistic and four other buttons simply radio stream, you' ll won't believe the
appearance with the fabric wrapping labelled 1 to 4. These work like a sound is coming from this tiny box.
around to the sides. The build car stereo and al low you to create Pairing two speakers into a stereo
quality is exce llent and there are pre-sets. Long pressing one while pair creates a huge sound stage.
some nice details such as the spun listening to a radio station, album or With the EO you can tweak
finish on the power button. playlist wil l assign it then in future the sound to suit your taste, the
A major advantage of the One you can just press the button to room your in or the music you're
S is that's it's designed to work in start it up. It's a shame not to have listening to, but most of the time we
bathrooms and kitchens thanks to a play/pause or skip buttons, though. found little need. The mid and bass
humidity resistant design. A rubber Whether you connect your One frequencies tend to dominate at
cover seals all the physical ports on S to the network via ethernet or default settings, so we recommend
the rear, although you won't be able Wi-Fi, you can stream music from boosting the treble a little.
to use any apart from the power various different sources including
cable when this is attached. computers on your network or Verdict
There's an ethernet port that is the device you have the Raumfeld The Raumfeld One S is impressive
part ly for set up, but you can use it app installed on. It's much more with its sleek design and decent
for connectivity if you like. There's clunky than Sones, but works. sound performance. Preset buttons
also a USB port, but it's downward It's easy to listen to radio are handy and the humidity
facing which is something of a stations with Tuneln, but things are resistant design make it perfect
design flaw since there's not enough somewhat limited when it comes for the kitchen . However, it's more
room for a normal sized flash drive. to other services with just Spotify expensive than the Play:1, lacks
Like other multiroom systems, and Tidal available, both require some music services and the app
you can simply start by buying one subscriptions. This means, to name cou ld be improved. 0 Chris Martin
HEADPHONES
RHA MA750i
RHA impressed us with its budget Like some high-end headphones,
MA450i headphones tha t punched the MA750is have moulded cab les
above the ir weight for sound quality. that are shaped to be looped over
Specifications The MA750 is are almost tw ice the the top of your ears to help prevent
Frequency response: 16- price, taking RHA well out of budget the extra weight pu lling the tips out.
to 22,000Hz; nominal territory, but again you get a lot Some peop le find this fidd ly and less
impedance: 16 ohms; for your money. comfortable than standard in-ear
sensitivity: lOOdB; three You can fee l t he quality the headphones, so it's something to
button in-line remote and instant you unwrap the thick, consider before buy ing. We quickly clear and well-defined, but if you're
microphone; lOx pairs of heavyweight 1.35m cable from its got used to it, but note that the after the kind of punch you get
ear tips; carry case; 1.35m home in the box. The stainless steel slider to keep the wires together with Bea ts, you're certainly looking
cable; driver enclosure driver housing is similarly strong can only go up as far as the bottom in the wrong place.
made from 303grade and heavy, plus t he gold-plat ed of the remote control, so you can't Theses headphones are all about
stainless steel 3.5m m connector has a spring to hold the wires in place behind you r flat response, so no frequency
help prevent cable damage. head as with Shure's. Not that you're overpowers any other. Because
The drivers are handmade, say likely to be using t he MA750i live on of this, sound quality is fai rly
RHA, and there's no doubting the stage, but it's worth know ing. neutral, and that 's exact ly what
stylish, purposeful design. We'd far As with a new pair of shoes, you you want if you're after reference
rather be seen with the MA750i than have to use the MA 750i for a while sound on a budget.
some of garish cans out there. to get used to them. For examp le,
In the box, you get a metal holder bass is dependent on using tips that Verdict
Build:
and zip case for the 10 pai rs of tips. are a snug fi t for you r ears. This We like the MA750i, wh ich
Th is is a lot more than you usually app lies to most in-ear headphones, are well made and offer great
Features:
see, and should ensure you can get but it's especially noticeable wit h clarity. We'd prefer more bass,
Performance: the ideal fit for your ea rs. Most are these. Unless there's a good seal, but that wou ld go against t he
Value: silicone, but there are two pairs of you won't hear any bass. natural sound reproduction that
memory foam tips, so you' ll have to But even with the best-fitting RHA has striven for with these
try them to see which suits you best. tips, bass isn't t hat powerfu l. It 's headphones. 0 Jim Martin
BLUETOOTH HEADPHONES
Verdict
The Creative Sound Blaster JAM
Bluetooth headphones offer
fantastic value for money as they
outperform expectations on both
audio quality and comfort. Incredibly
lightweight, you'll hardly notice
you're wearing them, and while they
don't fold for ultra portability they
are small enough to fit in a coat
pocket. IZI Simon Jary
POWER BANK
GAME
Project CARS
Project CARS is a driving game for
PS4, Xbox One, Wii U and PC that
had a very interesting development
Specifications process - it was crowdfunded by
Available for PlayStation gamers and driving fans. Slightly
4, Xbox One. Wii U and Mad Studios, the developers of the
PC; 60 tracks; dynamic game let backers decide highly
time and weather important aspects of the game
system; 60fps including the cars and tracks. The
result? A highly diverse driving
simulator that stands separate
from the likes of The Crew. looking to progress throughout the Snetterton, Oulton Park, Brands
Though referred to as a game, ranks of motor racing. The mode is Hatch and, of course, Silverstone.
we'd class Project CARS as more of classed as a 'career', and one would Many tracks also have alternate race
a racing simulator. Why? Because assume that means starting from layouts that bring new challenges to
games usually include some kind of the bottom and working your way courses you may know well.
story mode where you unlock cars, up, but instead Project CARS lets One aspect of Project CARS
parts or new tracks - Project CARS you select whatever class of racing that everyone mentions is graphics.
doesn't have this. There are no car you want from the get go. There is We were teased with a series of
upgrades, unlocks, story line or progression as you move up from beautiful clips and screenshots
extras for doing a race particularly the selected tier after winning prior to the release, depicting
well, much to our disappointment. championships and unlocking new beautifully high definition cars and
We like to notice progression when contracts, but we're not too sure if the most realistic weather system
playing a game, and while this is we like the idea behind this. we'd ever seen in a game. This
evident by moving up in classes, As you'd imagine, the better the got us very excited to go hands
this isn't earned - you can join any class, the more fun the cars are to on, but when we did we were met
racing class, even if you've just drive. It's also true of the opponents with an overwhelming feeling of
started playing for the first time. in our experience - lower class AI disappointing. Don't get us wrong,
There are four racing modes: drivers seem to be extra sluggish, the graphics are far from terrible,
Solo Race, Online, Career and Driver with one of our wins coming with a but they're far away from what was
Network. The Solo Race is where 30-second lead without adjusting shown prior to its release.
you have complete freedom over the the AI difficulty. It shouldn't be as You can tell that a lot of work
conditions of the race - you choose easy as it was either, as we rarely has gone into the car models, as
the car, track, restrictions, settings saw another competitor once they're hands down the best-looking
and even the weather conditions. we reached first place. It's only element of the simulator. It's a
It's where you can practice with after you progress through the shame that this level of attention to
any car and is where you can really various vehicle classes that the AI detail wasn't applied to the tracks,
hone your driving skills. becomes more challenging. as we noticed that certain elements
Online is where you'll be facing The Driver Network is where of tracks were surprisingly low-
real-life opponents from around you can get an overview of your res as we drove around them. We
the world. It brings a whole new Project CARS activity, including know that many people won't pay
aspect of gameplay as you have to your performance in races and your attention to background models
look at what cars your competitors online reputation. If you've saved like trees and bushes, but we think
have selected and decide what can any photos or replays during races, it makes a difference whether they
keep up (or beat) them. But it's not this is where you can find and share are pixellated or not.
just about speed - you have to take them. The best part is the Time The in-car POV view is a favourite
into consideration other things Trials, as the network stores both of racing-sim fans, so it was
including how many turns there the lap record for every player on important for Slightly Mad Studios
are, how long the course is and every track and the ghost data that to get it just right. We think the
even the current weather. details how they achieved it. This developers hit the nail on the head
The only frustrating part of the is then used in time trials, meaning with the in-car graphics, as every
online experience is, oddly, the other you can race a player's 'ghost' to dial is responsive, mirrors actually
players. For those of us that like improve your own lap time. show you what's behind you (unlike
to play racing games properly and other driving games where it's
enjoy the precision of racing, having Tracks blurred) and you can appreciate the
someone ram into the side of you As we mentioned earlier, backers level of detail available.
to cause you to spin out and loose of the simulator had a huge say However, we noticed that the
your lead is incredibly frustrating. It in certain elements, including graphics varied between consoles-
doesn't happen with every race, but which courses would be featured the PS4's graphics were acceptable,
it's rage inducing when it does. in Project CARS. It has over 60 but those produced by the PC
Career mode is where you courses, including popular UK version were much better. There are
assume the role of a racing driver courses Cadwell Park, Donington, reasons behind this, mainly down to
GAME
OPERATING SYSTEM
Free Windows 10
Windows 7 and 8.1 users
99 inc VAT (Home)
START MENU
189 inc VAT (Pro)
Contact
microsoft.com/engb
Specifications
1GHz or faster processor;
1GB for 32-bit or 2GB for
64-bit Windows 10; 16GB
drive space for 32-bit or
20GB for 64-bit; DirectX
9 or later graphics card;
1024x600 pixels or
higher display
In late 2014, Microsoft took the apps, as they used to be called. Or could pin a particular email or
wraps off the Technical Preview of Metro apps, if you want to go right conversation thread from Mail or
its next Windows operating system, back to the beginning. Facebook, or pin a certain journey
and in doing so it took everyone But this time the Start menu is (your commute, typically) in a travel
by surprise. We expected the next improved, and it may even make app. It saves a lot of time, believe us.
generation of Windows: we just Windows apps useful. Look to the
didn't expect it to be called Windows left and you'll see a list of your Search and Cortana
10. None the less here is Windows most-used apps, just as in Windows Instead of placing a search box
Ease of use:
10: the next operating system for 7. At the bottom we see an 'All apps' in the Start menu, or hiding it
PCs and laptops, smartphones and shortcut, plus shortcuts to File completely as is the case in Windows
Features:
tablets. And, indeed, an OS for Explorer, Settings and - conveniently 8, Windows 10 sticks it front and
Performance: servers and all points in between. - shut down and standby. centre on the Taskbar. This is a
Value: Microsoft said that Windows 10 And Microsoft has retained the smart move, as it's always there
is built from the ground up for a functionality of the Windows 8 ready to serve up whatever you
world in which mobile- and cloud Start screen over on the right, with need to find or what to know.
computing are key. Execs from the resizable Live Tiles, so that you can The first time you click on the
company said it was committed to immediately check unread mail or box, you' ll see a prompt to enable
making Windows 10 friendly for the Calendar appointments. The Start Cortana. That's because Cortana
enterprise, ideal for keyboard and Menu is customisable, too- you and search are pretty much one
mouse users, but also optimised can resize it, and rearrange the and the same in Windows 10. In
for touch. Oh, and the operating tiles, create groups of tiles, and fact, search is just part of the
system will put the same interface also revert to the Windows 8 Start virtual assistant's remit.
on devices with displays ranging Screen, should you wish to. If you've ever used a phone
in size from 4- to 80in. "One The full-screen start menu is running Windows Phone 8, you'll
product family, one platform, one really meant for tablet use, where probably know Cortana already.
store," says Microsoft. it makes most sense, but you can The beauty is that you can type
Given the lukewarm reaction to choose to use it on a PC or laptop or talk to her and it's the same in
Windows 8, these seem like bold without a touchscreen if you like. Windows 10. It's much faster to tap
claims. They are necessary, though. We're fans of the tile concept, the microphone button (or even say,
Also necessary was Microsoft's if not the inelegance with which "Hey Cortana ") and reel off your
decision to make Windows 10 the they're currently presented. As request than to type it.
most beta-tested product it has with Windows Phone, it's what Sticking with search for a minute,
ever released. The operating system you can pin that matters. Instead you can type in a single word and
was tested by over 4 million people of merely adding shortcuts to Windows 10 will return a list of
around the world before its launch. apps, you can pin tiles which are matching apps, settings and files,
shortcuts to specific functions or plus apps in the Windows store. It
What's new? features within apps. will also show a list of web results.
Critically the Start Menu is back. It This makes life a lot more But there's lots more you can do,
contains standard Windows software convenient when you begin pinning as all the features from Windows
and Windows apps. Modern Ul the right stuff. For example, you Phone are now in Windows 10.
daily routine
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the weather going to be like this daily commute, sports scores and find your recently used fi les and
weekend?" and Cortana will more. If you allow it, Cortana can frequently visited folders. Th is is
display a forecast. You can also access information from emails, because File Explorer replaces the
say "Remind me to fi ll in my tax such as fl ight numbers and warn Favourites section in the left-hand
return tomorrow night" and you'll you if there's a delay or if there's pane with Quick Access.
get a reminde r at the appropriate heavy t raffic on the way to the This makes finding fi les you've
time. Reminders go even further, as airport and you need to leave earl ier wo rked on faster and easier, without
Cortana can tie them to people and than you might have. If Cortana having to manua lly pin things to
places. So you can also say "Remind can't answer a question directly, the Taskbar or add folders to the
me to ask James about that money it wil l launch the new Edge web Favourites section manual ly. It also
he owes me" and Cortana will ask browser and display search results. means you don't have to use the
whether you want to be reminded at Finally, Cortana can set alarms, 'last modified' colu mn to sort and
a specific time or place. record notes, play specific music, find that fi le you j ust downloaded or
For places, you can say "Remind launch apps and give you directions edited yesterday.
me to get milk and bread when I get on a map. We think Cortana is
to Tesco" or "Remind me to water great, and one of Windows 10's Task View and
the plants when I get home". biggest draws. Lea rn how to use virtual desktops
Cortana wi ll show the top news her capab ilities, and you'l l sure to To the right of the search box you'l l
stories, identify music playing and be more productive. notice an unfamiliar icon. Click it
has a 'Daily Glance' which displays a Ret urning to sea rch and staying and Task View wi ll open. It's a lot like
summary of your meetings, today's with the productivity theme, the view you get in Windows 7 or 8
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when you press A it+Tab. You can still you've snapped an app, Snap Assist unique features. As well as the
use A It+Tab in Windows 10 but the will display an AI+ Tab view of some reading mode you may already be
shortcut for Task View is Win+ Tab. of the remaining open apps so you familiar with from other browsers,
Along the bottom of the screen, can quickly fill the entire screen. which strips away page furniture so
beneath the app thumbnails is a new You can still snap apps to fill the you can focus on the content, there's
bar showing virtual desktops. This is whole screen, or the left- or right- a new annotation feature that lets
a feature that many Windows users hand side, and the same shortcuts you high light things and add notes
have hankered after, but been forced apply as with Windows 7 and 8. and crop to a certain area of the
to resort to third-party software page before sending them to others.
such as Dexpot in previous versions Notifications Having these capabilities natively
of the operating system. Although Windows 8 had pop-up in the browser is a compelling
Now in Windows 10, you can notifications, things are much reason to use it over Google
create virtual desktops right out better in Windows 10. There's the Chrome or Firefox. It has also been
of the box. It 's a simple case of equivalent of Windows Phone 8's a decent performer in our testing.
clicking the Add desktop button and Action Centre, complete with toggle Edge has been designed to
you've got a new, blank desktop buttons for common settings. have a minimal interface, leaving
on which to launch apps. Then you If you miss a pop-up notification as much screen real estate as
can quickly flip between desktops - they appear in the bottom-right possible for web pages: the whole
using Ctri+Win+left cursor or corner - you can swipe in from the reason you're using a browser is
Ctri+Win+right cursor. This is much right on a touchscreen to display the to view them, of course.
faster than using A it+Tab and trying Notifications bar. Like most similar
to find one Word document from systems, it divides notifications Built-in apps
20 open windows. What's important by app and you can clear them Some may mourn the loss of
to note is that unlike in Windows individually or in one fell swoop, Windows Media Centre in Windows
8.1 you can use the new-style apps the latter being one feature that's 10, but few people have PCs with
from within the Desktop area. This frustratingly absent in iOS. built-in TV tuners and few laptops
removes some of the pointless Buttons at the bottom of the (and no tablets) come with optical
division in Windows on X86 systems. bar include toggles for tablet and drives for playing DVDs.
It also helps Microsoft make good desktop mode, brightness, battery You do get media playback
on its claim that Windows 10 will feel saver mode, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, rotation apps, of course. Instead of the
familiar to Windows 7 users. lock, location, flight mode and more. Xbox branding which proved a
You can expand or collapse the menu little confusing in Windows 8 ,
Snap Assist depending on how much room you the apps are simply called Music
Unlike in Windows 8- where a want it to occupy. and Movies & TV.
snapped app takes up half the The Music app combines your
screen - with Windows 10 up to four Microsoft Edge local music with any stored online
apps can be snapped per screen, There's a new web browser in in your OneDrive Music folder. Plus,
each occupying a quarter. When Windows 10, and it offers some it also integrates Microsoft's music
streaming service called Groove- isn't included - it was only ever feature in Windows 7 or Windows
formerly Xbox Music - whi ch you can bundled with Windows RT - you do 10 that you can't live without (see
access by buying a Music Pass. This get the Mail and Calendar apps. page 68) then the new features
costs 8.99 per month, or 89.90 Mail is a clean -looking email combined with the familiarity of
for an annual subscription, making client, which has the ability to Windows 7 make the new operating
it a bit cheaper than Apple and handle multiple emails accounts system very attractive.
Spotify 's alternatives. including Outlook.com, Google, It's even better if you have
The Movies & TV app allows iCioud and Exchange (plus pretty several devices that can run
you to buy or rent videos from much anything else, as long as you Windows 10- particularly a phone-
the new Microsoft Store but, like can configure the settings yourself). as the tight integration means you
Apple, Microsoft currently lacks a OneNote is also part of Windows can set reminders on the go and pick
streaming service to rival Netflix 10. If you haven't used it, you them up on your PC, say, when you
and Amazon Prime Instant Video. should certainly try it out. It's a get home or into the office. That's
The app is split into three sections: powerful Evernote-style app which just one tiny example, of course.
Movies, TV and Videos, the latter of lets you create notes that are If you use OneDrive to store your
which monitors your Videos folder a mixture of text, lists, images, music, photos, videos, notes and
and shows them in the same easy- maps and more. Again , OneDrive documents, you'll be able to easily
to-use interface. integration means that you can access them from anywhere.
Photos has been updated, but access your stuff from other devices Bear in mind that the 'final'
will be familiar to Windows 8 users. -even if it's an Android or iPhone. version of Windows 10 Microsoft
The old Windows Photo Viewer is Maps has been improved, too. launches on 29 July isn't final at
still there if you prefer, and you're Microsoft has added Streetside -the all. It's just the beginning: new
prompted to choose a default app equivalent of Google's Street View features, including DirectX 12
the first time you open a JPEG. -so you can take virtual tours of support, will be added over the
It's worth using the Photos app, places, as well as getting directions next weeks and months.
however, as in addition to a decent and finding nearby places of interest. The bottom line is that Windows
viewing interface, it also lets you For directions, you can choose 10 is a great operating system.
edit photos and pulls in photos driving, walking or public transport. Indeed, it's fair to say even at
from your OneDrive. this early stage that it's the best
It should be no surprise that Verdict Windows yet. It's not perfect, of
Skype is preinstalled, now it's owned For the majority of home users, course, and there will undoubtedly
by Microsoft. This means it's easy Windows 10 is free and this means be bugs that need fixing, so expect
to call or video chat with friends, that there's really no reason not to patches and updates soon after
family and colleagues. While Office upgrade. Unless there's a specific launch. 0 Jim Martin
Top movie rentals New TV shows Featured collections Your video library
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With the launch of Microsoft's upcoming operating system, we'll soon be waving goodbye to Windows
Phone. But how do the two compare? In our preview, Chris Martin explains everything you need to know
One-handed mode
For phones with 5in screens and larger, you Bluetooth Cellular data All scUit'9S
can now hold on the Windows button and the
screen will slide down to bring things at the Dear a 1 X Expaod v
link to all settings and you can still select ACTION CENTER
which four you wish to be the primary ones.
Brand new is a much-requested Quick Action rid of one on your phone, then you shouldn't
for turning on the LED flash so you can use it have to deal with it again if you switch to
as a torch without needing a separate app. Windows 10 on another device. That's a real Verdict
Action Center is also where you pick up boon and something that we've been wanting There are some nice user interface tweaks
all your notifications and whi le they are on iOS and Android for some time. in Windows 10 Mobile which make it much
displayed in the same manner, they are now easier to use, but we're not talking about a
interactive. This means you can do various New Settings menu massive departure from Windows Phone 8.
things straightaway. For example, you can Long suffering Windows Phone users wil l Key to its success are universal apps, which
dismiss an alarm, and when it comes to be pleased to hear that the Settings menu will- supposedly- work seamlessly across
things such as text messages, you can reply has received a much needed overhaul. The all Windows 10 devices. That sounds great if
inline via the keyboard or voice. existing one has been split into 'system' you're going to jump in headfirst and commit
Another new features is that you won't and 'applications', which is no bad thing as to Microsoft's new operating system. 121
need to dismiss notifications twice. If you get the massive list of options was extremely
difficult to navigate with no apparent order
or method.
The new Settings menu is divided into
10 sections for things such as system ,
personalisation, accounts and privacy. It
makes much more sense, and under each
heading you can see what type of things
you'll find there. A search bar at the top lets
you type in the first few letters to quickly find
what you're looking for.
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What's the difference between Windows 10 and Windows 8? Matt Egan explains
indows 8 isn't everyone's cup of outright, you wil l have to shell out. A standa rd about upgrading now. Even if you jump
t ea. We use it day in, day out at Windows 8.1 upgrade li cence wi ll cost you only to Windows 7, Windows 10 wi ll be free.
PC Advisor, generally avoiding around 100, while a Windows 8.1 Pro licence Upgrading to a newer PC or laptop may be a
the modern interface and sticking to the is priced 190. better option, however, as machines running
trad itional desktop. We think it's a perfectly When we went to press, Microsoft had XP and Vista are already long in the tooth.
good and usable OS, but Windows 10 is said only that Windows 10 will cost the same
markedly better. Here's why. as Windows 8 does now. Those prices are Devices
from Microsoft's on line store, but you' ll There are three different types of operating
Price pay less if you shop around - Amazon is system t hat cou ld reasonably be cal led
If you buy a new PC or laptop before the end cheaper, for example. 'Windows 8'. Fou r, if you count 64- and 32-bit
of July 2015, it wil l almost certainly come Of course, most peop le won't have to versions. Windows 8 itse lf is x86 software
wit h Windows 8 (version 8.1 these days). As pay thanks to the free upgrade for existing bui lt fo r use with PCs and laptops, as we ll
an end user, you will not know how much Windows 7, 8.1 and Wi ndows Phone 8 users as some tablets. Then there is Windows RT,
your PC's manufacturer paid for the OS, but (many of them, anyhow). So if you are a which is for use on other tablets. Finally,
if you purc hase an upgrade or buy a licence Vista or XP user, you may want to think there is Windows Phone 8 (which exp lains
itself). Windows 10 will, at least in principle,
do away with these divisions.
Microsoft claims that its new OS wi ll run
on al l Windows PCs, laptops, tab lets and
phones. More importantly, all Windows 10
apps will work across al l of t hose devices.
It's a bold claim, and an exciting one. As of
launch day, though, Windows 10 mobile won't
be availa ble except in a beta form, and very
few 'universal ' apps are availab le to test out.
Start Menu
The Start Menu is back in Windows 10, in
more of a way than it is within Windows
8.1. This is a key change to the desktop.
In Windows 10, it's been improved, in such
a way that it may make Windows apps
useful, even without the ab ility to use them
across all Windows devices. The Start Menu
includes a list of frequently used apps and
sho rtcuts to PC sett ings. Here you wi ll also
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Cortana
Another key new feature of Windows
10 not available in Windows
8 is Cortana - Microsoft's
semantic digital assistant.
A kind of super Siri, which can engage you
in conversation. More than simple speech
recognition, Cortana constantly scours the
Windows 10 is coming on 29 July and here's everything you need to know about reserving your copy,
the minimum hardware requirements and how the upgrade will work. Jim Martin reports
ome Windows computers are of its launch. What does this mean, we hear or 8.1 Update as shown in the next section,
already nagging users to upgrade you ask? Put simp ly, the new OS will be right. Enterprise versions, or volume
to Windows 10, while others haven't downloaded in the days before 29 July, so licence versions, don 't count.
made so much as a peep about it. Here that you're guaranteed to be able to update
we'll explain which versions of Microsoft's on that day. There won't be any overloaded Which versions of Windows will get
operating system are eligible for the free servers, nor delays in down loading and a free upgrade to Windows 10?
update and which aren't. Plus, we'll outline upgrading. The download is 3- to 4GB. To find out which version of Windows you
the system requirements, so you can tell To reserve Windows 10, click on the white have, open Control Panel and go to System.
whether your PC or laptop is powerfu l Windows logo, which will appear near the The precise Windows version will be listed. It
enough to run Windows 10. clock in the Taskbar (be low left) and then doesn't matter if it's 32- or 64-b it.
follow the instructions on screen. Only the following versions are eligible
How to reserve Windows 10 If you don't see the icon, make sure that for the update:
If your PC or laptop is running one of the Windows is up to date by using Windows
qualifying versions of Windows, you'll be able Update and installing all the available Windows 7 SPl (Service Pack 1)
to reserve your copy of Windows 10 ahead updates, including optional ones, but not Windows 8.1 Update
the optional language packs. The update Windows Phone 8.1
responsible for the icon (and GWX.exe
program) is KB3035583. You' ll also need These versions are not eligible (some just
to be running a genuine copy of Windows 7 require updating to the versions above):
Windows 7 RTM (this can be updated to Windows 10. However, if you wiped your hard speech experience' you will need a 'high
SP1 for free) drive to install the preview, you'll have to opt fidelity microphone array'.
Windows 7 in to the updates, or reinstall Windows 7 or 8.1 Windows He ll o is a new way to log
Windows 8 (this can be updated to 8.1 in order to get the upgrade to Windows 10. into the operating system using facial
Update for free) recognition or a fingerprint. For that,
Windows 8.1 RTM (this can be updat ed to What are the system you 'll need either a specia l infrared
8.1 Update) requirements for Windows 10? camera or a fingerprint reader which
Windows RT (the version of Windows Just because your computer, tablet or supports Windows Biometric Framework.
used on the Microsoft Surface and phone runs one of the eligible versions of Continuum is where Windows 10 will switch
Surface 2 - cannot be updated) Windows this doesn't guarantee it will get between laptop and tablet modes (see our
Windows Phone 8.0 (updates may be the update. There are some hardware and feature on page 72). There will be a manual
available from your mobile operator software requirements as well. switch in all Windows 10 editions, but on some
or Microsoft) These are the minimum hardware devices it will switch automatically, or be
specifications needed to run Windows 10: configurab le to switch automatically.
In terms of specific versions, the
upgrade will work on a 'like-to-like' basis: Processor: 1GHz or faster processor Windows 10 Home vs Windows
RAM: 1GB for 32-bit or 2GB for 64-bit 10 Pro: what's the difference?
UPGRADE FROM WINDOWS 7: Hard disk space: 16GB for 32-bit or Alongside Education and Enterprise
From Edition To Edition 20GB for 64-bit versions wi ll be Home and Pro editions. All
Windows 7 Starter Windows 10 Home Graphics card: DirectX 9 or later versions of Windows 10 include Cortana
Windows 7 Home Basic Display: 1024x600 pixels or higher but will lack Windows Media Centre- and
Windows 7 Home Premium (virtually all devices have this) therefore the ability to use a TV tuner in
Windows 7 Professional Windows 10 Pro your PC - and you will need to download
Windows 7 Ultimate Willi lose my files and programs third-party software if you want to watch
by upgrading to Windows 10? DVDs on your machine.
UPGRADE FROM WINDOWS 8 : Your files, settings and app lications will be For the majority of users, the differences
From Edition To Edition kept, but some settings and applications between Windows 10 Home and Pro will
Windows 8.1 Windows 10 Home won't be 'migrated' as Microsoft puts it. For be negligible, as both provide pretty much
Windows 8.1 Pro Windows 10 Pro example, anti-virus software won't be moved. everything you need for everyday computing.
Windows 8.1 Pro Student Windows 10 should keep your anti-virus While Windows 10 Home is focused firmly
Windows 8.1 Pro WMC Windows 10 Pro settings and install the latest vers ion of on the consumer, the Pro version is more
Windows Phone 8.1 Windows 10 Mobile your AV software after the update, assuming for power users, and those running small-
your subscription is current. If it isn't, to medium businesses. This can be seen
Windows Defender will be enabled instead. in the advanced security features found
What about Windows 10 Insiders Other apps which may not be moved in the Pro package.
testing the preview builds? include those installed by your computer Bitlocker has been an integral part of
Microsoft has announced that people running manufacturer, as well as those which aren't the professional-level Windows operating
the preview version of Windows 10 will be compatible with Windows 10. systems since Vista. In Windows 10 Pro
upgraded to the final version for free. There As before, you'll get a li st of any such Bitlocker allows users to encrypt individual
are two options here. If you clean installed issues before beginning the actual update, so files and keep them alongside unencrypted
the Windows 10 preview, then you'll need to you can choose whether or not to proceed ones. Plus they can now be used in the
continue on the Insider program and receive with it. Most applications that run in Windows same way on USB sticks, improving the way
future builds and updates to test and try out 7 and 8 will work fine in Windows 10, so there in which files can be shared between those
before the are released to the genera l public. shouldn't be many problems in this area. with the proper clearance to read them.
As you would expect from a Pro version
there is also support for Remote Desktops,
Hyper V virtua lization, Group Policy
For the majority of users, the differences between Windows Management, and access to the Windows
10 Home and Pro will be negligible, as both provide pretty 10 Business Store. Microsoft also lists the
abilit y to join Azure Active Directory, with
much everything you need for everyday computing a single sign-on to cloud hosted apps,
plus support for Domain Join, Assigned
This means there is a kind of loophole Which features will Access 8.1, Enterprise Data Protection, and
by which you can have a copy of Windows I lose during the update? Windows Update for Business which Microsoft
10 even if you don't own a version of the You will lose some apps, games and features. claims wi ll reduce management costs.
operating system that qua lifies for the free For a full list see our Worst Windows 10 Ultimately, Windows 10 Home edition
upgrade. You will have to install a Windows sacrifices article on page 68. will suffice for the vast majority of users
10 preview build before 29 Ju ly, though. who just want to browse the web, do a
Microsoft's blog clarifies that this is not Willi get Cortana, Windows little work, and manage their media files.
intended to be a path by which you can freely Hello and Continuum? There's certainly plenty of benefits for the
upgrade your XP or Vista machine, though. Cortana will be available on Windows 10 Pro version, with its focus on security and
If you upgraded a genuine qua lifying for the United States, United Kingdom, compatibility, but, of course, the va lue of
version of to the Windows 10 preview, you China, France, Italy, Germany and Spain. these features will come down to whether
can get the final version on 29 July and then For speech recognition, you will need you actually intend to use them or not. 0
opt out of future preview bui lds and enjoy a microphone of course, but for 'better
You can install Windows 10 in two different ways. Jim Martin explains your options
or the first time, you won't need With Windows 10 you'll be ab le t o onscreen instructions and you shou ld
to buy a licence to upgrade to download the ISO file and keep it handy for see the option to remove eve rything
Windows 10 - so long as you future reinstalls. However, you can't wipe and reinsta ll Windows.
have a genuine ve rsion of Windows 7 or your ha rd drive (or use a new one) and
8.1 of course. That means you don't have insta ll Windows 10 from the ISO fi le. Before you upgrade
a licence key, which in turn makes things a Instead, you'l l need to run the EXE Since even an in-place update is a major
little complex when it comes to insta ll ing file once you've turned the ISO file int o a operation, you must back up any and al l
(or reinstalling) Windows 10. boatable drive (or disc) and upgrade your files that you can' t afford to lose. Clearly,
existing operating system. When Windows you wi ll lose everything if you do a clean
Windows Update 10 is instal led it wil l act ivate onl ine. inst all, so make sure you 've successfully
A lot of people will have reserved Windows Then and only then can you begin the cop ied your fi les, emai l, music, photos,
10 and this means the upgrade wi ll happen clean insta ll by us ing the Reset function videos, deactivated any software t hat
t hrough Windows Update. Even if you in Windows 10. You'l l find it at Start> requ ires it (suc h as Adobe Creative Su ite)
haven't reserved your copy, you st ill have Settings> Update & Security> Recovery and exported any settings and favourites
t he choice to let Windows 7 or 8.1 upgrade > Reset this PC (Get Sta r ted). Follow the from web browsers and the like.
itse lf using Windows Upda te to download
and insta ll the necessary files.
The process is simi lar to the regu lar
HOW TO INSTALL WINDOWS 10 FROM ISO
Windows updates in that you won't have # Rufus 2.:.2.668 L= I J!! ~ Head to Microsoft's website
to do much except allow the upgrade Device .. (windows.microsoft.com) and
to happen. Your fi les, appl ications and IJ_CCSA_l(64FRE_EN-GB_DV5 (F:) [8GB) I look for a link to download
settings will be preserved, and everything Partit ion scheme and target system type Windows 10. There are 32- and
should work fine when Windows 10 is I MBR partition scht mt for BIOS or UEfl-CSM I 64-bit versions, so make sure you
Ale system
instal led, since even Windows 7 drivers are get t he r ight one. Most peop le will
compatible w ith the new operat ing system.
INTFS I need t he 64-bit version. If you're
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When Windows 10 is installed, you will unsure, go to Control Pane l > System
end up wit h a Windows.o ld fo lder on your
14096 bytes (Default) I and Security> System and look at
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C: drive containing your old operating J_CCSA_)C64 FRE_EN -GB_DV5 the System type fie ld to see which
system. You can remove th is wi t h t he Format Options [<v) version is currently insta lled on
Windows Cleanup too l if it's t aking up [] Check device for ba d blocks [1Pass ... ] t he computer you 're upgradi ng. The
10 Quiclc format
too much space. 64-bit version is roughly 4GB, while
10 Create a bootable disk using [!SO Image 1[.2. ]
fl] Create extended label and icon files t he 32-bit is a bit smaller.
ISO file
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Accept the licence ~ Click install and your PC will reboot. You'll see a Windows logo,
terms and if you ~ followed by a language selection. Keep an eye on the install
chose to, the installer as it will reboot your computer and if you don't remove the DVD or
will download the latest flash drive, it might try to boot from it instead of your hard drive.
updates. Then, it will
check to make sure
your system meets the
minimum requirements,
and if it does, will show
a 'Ready to install'
screen explaining that
your settings, files and
apps will be kept.
You may see a 'What needs
your attention' screen explaining
any reason why Windows 10
can't be installed and what
you can do about it. For us, it
was just a warning that the
language would be changed.
~ Windows 10 will boot, ask you a few questions and then ask
aill you to sign in with your Microsoft ID.
If you have the right Lumia, you can get Windows 10 on your phone now. Chris Martin explains how
Head to the Store on your Windows Phone device and ~ Once it's installed, launch the app and select the 'Get preview
download the Windows Insider app. . . . builds' option.
Insider programme to
get preview builds of the
phone you have to accept
the terms and conditions
confirm
You are installing experimental and early prerelease
software and you have two of the Insider Programme. software and services, which might not be fully
tested .
options, Insider Slow or Most importantly, it could
Insider Fast. Fast will get void your warranty and You may void your warranty (check with your
device/service provider)
you updates quicker but have bugs that make your
It is not intended as a substitute for your primary
they have the potential to device unusable in some means of telecommunications .
In some circumstances, you may not be able to
be more buggy and crash. ways. We don't advise
place cal ls (including calls for emergency services).
The Slow option will involve installing it on your main It may damage your device, causing it to stop
working permanently.
you waiting longer but phone. If the device is your
You may experience increased data charges .
receiving a more stable main phone and you really You might experience crashes, security
build. Select the one you want to install Windows 10,
prefer and hit the arrow button at the bottom of the screen. opt for the Slow Insider option to ensure a more stable build.
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Windows XP is still running on many PCs around the world. If you're one of the people realising that it's
probably time to upgrade, Jim Martin shows how you can get Windows 10 on your PC or laptop
et's get the bad news out of the Another great upgrade is an SSD. such as Magica l Jellybean Keyfinder to
way first. Windows XP and Vista Solid-state drives are much, much faster search the Windows Registry for these
aren't eligible for the free update than traditional hard disks and can give a codes, and then write them down.
to Windows 10. That means you will have to new lease of life to a system you thought If you keep your email inbox or any
buy a licence. was destined for the scrap heap. (See our archives, be sure to back these up as well,
The second piece of bad news is that round-up of the best SSDs on page 82.) and export internet bookmarks and other
you'll have to do a clean installation of If you have a machine that's over seven settings that you want to keep.
Windows 10, as there's no way to upgrade years old, it may be a better idea to save the Then , and only then, can you begin the
and keep your fi les, sett ings and applications. money on a Windows 10 licence (and an SSD) actua l installation of Windows 10. There's
It isn't a limitation of Windows 10 but of XP and put the cash towa rds a new laptop or PC. no guarantee that all your programs
and Vista: even if you wanted to upgrade to will be compatib le with the new version
Windows 7 from XP you'd have to wipe your Update XP to Windows 10 of Windows, nor your old peripherals-
hard disk and start again. If you decide it is worth splashing out specifically printers and scanners- so it's
on Windows 10 Home or Pro, you'll have worth checking online to see if there's any
Price the option of a physical disc or a digital information about their compatibility with
For versions older than Windows 7, or non- download. It's unclear whether you will be Windows 10. If a Windows 7 driver exists
genuine versions, you'l l have to buy Windows ab le to run the downloaded version from for your particular mode l, it should work
10 Home or Professional, which will set you within XP, but even if this is an option, it will in Windows 10.
back 100 and 190, respectively. erase everything on your PC's hard drive
before installing Windows 10. Upgrade to Windows 10
Should you buy So, before you begin the upgrade, you wil l from XP or Vista for free
a new PC or laptop? need to copy everything you want to keep Microsoft has said that everyone testing
As we often say, you'd be surprised at how to an externa l hard drive, USB thumb drive Windows 10 on the Insider program wil l get
much your PC appears to speed up when or a cloud storage service such as Dropbox, to keep on using Windows 10 after the 29
you instal l Windows afresh. Starting from a Google Drive or OneDrive. July launch date since the program isn't
clean hard disk means there's no bui ld-up of Also, you'll need to f ind your software stopping. This means you can sign up to be
programs that start with Windows, slowing installation discs and licence keys. If you an Insider before 29 July, insta ll the preview
it down and using up precious memory. have misplaced the keys, use a free program and get upgraded to the final version (and
subsequent preview versions) without
.
paymg a penny.
This wil l be good news for some, but
Microsoft has said that everyone testing Windows 10 on the bear in mind that you'l l be using what is in
Insider program will get to keep on using Windows 10 after essence beta software again when the next
preview build is installed after the launch
the 29 July launch date since the program isn't stopping. version of Windows 10. G1
If you've upgraded to Windows 10 and want to return to Windows 7 or 8, there's a built-in tool that
makes the process effortless. Martin Casserly explains how to return to your old version of Windows
he preview of Windows 10 has on the icon in the bottom left of the screen. Before Windows starts the process, it
drives, thumb drives, or some of the various Click 'Get started' to begin. If you're using
on line cloud storage such as OneDrive, a laptop you'l l also need to connect it to a Windows will now rol l back your system to
Google Drive, Dropbox or Tresorit, that offer power source or the option won't work. how it was before the preview was installed.
lots of space for free. When you've safe ly
removed any documents, video, photo, or Remove everything and rei nstall Windows Tidying up
other important data you need, you're safe If you want to recycle your PC or start over completely, you can
On our test machine, which had very little
reset it to its factory settings.
to begin. Remember that this may also take installed on it, the whole process took about
Get started
a little time, so don't start if you have plans 10 minutes and was pretty much trouble
for the immediate future. free. The on ly thing we needed to change
Go back to a previous version of W indows
You can go back to the version of Windows that used to be on this
was the shortcut to Windows Explorer in
Using the Update PC without losing your documents, photos, and other personal files. the taskbar, which had stopped working. To
and Security settings Get started
fix this, we simp ly right-c licked on the icon,
When you install the Windows 10 technical unpinned it from the taskbar, then searched
preview on a PC that already has a Windows, You' ll now be presented with a blue screen for Windows Explorer in the Start menu,
the old version is stored away in a folder (no death involved) asking you why you're dragged it to the taskbar, and everything was
called 'Windows.old'. While this takes up downg rading? Take a moment to fill this in, as working again. All of our data was intact and
space, it also means that you can restore t he it's a he lpful tool for Microsoft in gauging the in the right place, and the on ly other reboot
version via Windows 10 itself. To do this first user 's experience with Windows 10. Click Next needed was for Windows to install a few
open the Windows Start menu by clicking when you're done. updates. Fine work Microsoft. !Zl
Windows 10 will introduce a raft of exciting new features, but some will also be lost. Matt Egan reports
e are excited about Windows saying goodbye to Windows Media Center. yourse lf for a loss. In Windows 10, t here
10: a free upgrade for virt ually The largely unloved entertainment centre of are no Desktop Gadgets. None.
all Windows users, and one that your PC wil l be despatched, to be replaced by
will bring with it a raft of new featu res and a series of native media -playing capabili ties Discs are destroyed
functiona lity. But there are some down sides and apps that don't requi re a separate This may not be the biggest issue, but if you
to the upgrade, and it is like ly to be a tough 'Center'. In almost all ways this is unlikely are currently using floppy disks on Windows,
one to avoid. Here, we outline t he five worst to be too much of a pain, but we have heard you wi ll have to install new drivers when you
Windows 10 sacrifices. You wil l miss them f rom peop le testing the beta build that in the upgrade to Windows 10. I rather expect that
when they are gone. current iteration of Windows 10 there is no this wi ll affect only a few people.
support for TV t uners, for instance. Perhaps more users wi ll be distressed
Automatic updates This sounds plausib le. As we outl ine to know that according to Microsoft anyone
Not a missing feature, but a change few will below DVD playback capability is not native who wishes to watch a DVD on their
welcome. Although the Pro and Ente rprise to Windows 10, and it is likely that on ly a few Windows 10 PC or laptop will have to install
editions of Widows 10 wi ll both give the end people use a TV tuner in a world in which separate playbac k software. Microsoft has
user or network admin the opportunity to most television content is available online. hinted that it will address this issue at some
decide when updates are installed , Windows But tha t doesn't mean no-one wil l miss point , but fro m t he get-go if you wan t to
10 Home users have no control. Windows those features. watch a disc, you wil l need to install VLC
Updates will be downloaded and installed player or something si milar. A pain, but
au toma t ical ly as soon as they're ava ilable. No more Hearts probably a minor pa in. 0
This probably makes sense for the entire Look. There is no other way of te lling
herd to be immune from security flaws, but you this. It's not you, it's Microsoft. The
end users wil l not like being forced to install tech giant has removed the card ga me
updates at Microsoft's wi ll. Hearts from Windows. That's right: install
We will reserve judgment until we see Windows 10 and you wi ll no longer be able
how it works, but for now we wil l say that to play Hearts. We're Heartsbroken.
the idea of automatic Windows Updates
sounds like a rec ipe fo r horror and disaster. Desktop Gadgets begone
Remember Windows 7's Desktop Gadgets?
Goodbye Windows Media Center No. The chances are you probably don't.
Less painful than automatic updates to But if you are the one person who uses
the operating system , upgrading will mean Desktop Gadgets, you need to prepare
Having problems with Windows 10? Matt Egan shows how to get help after you've installed the OS
launches, in just a few quick clicks you will be connected by Windows PC, laptop, tablet or phone. Our
experts will be delighted to he lp with any
chat or phone to Microsoft Answer Desk Windows problems you are having. IZl
The Start menu is back in Windows 10, and this time it is much more customisable than in Windows 7.
You can change its colour, organise shortcuts and even group apps together. Mohamed Wahid shows how
any people hated the Start screen on the Windows logo at the bottom-left you want to remove. You should see four
PERSONALISATION
Bact-ground
lhem~
Start
Choose a colour
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RESIZE A TILE
Windows 10 has a clever feature called Continuum that knows which device you're using and switches
the user interface to make it suitable for PCs, 2-in-1 devices, tablets, or even turns your phone into a
PC. Martyn Casserly explains how it works and why it's so useful
t's fair to say that Microsoft made versa. It's simple and keeps out of the way, or mobile interface without the need to
some bad choices in Windows 8, just like good software shou ld. launch a separate version.
paramount of which was the touch- It isn't just Windows itself that changes
optimised interface. Forcing this strange and to suit your hardware; applications will How to use Continuum
clunky method of control on the user was, also adjust to offer the best way to interact As Continuum comes bui lt in to all versions
in the most part, unwanted and certainly with them on the platform you're using. of Windows 10 there isn't much to do in
unwelcome. Windows 10 fixes most of these Microsoft has made this possible in a terms of setup. If you have a traditiona l
issues with a new feature called Continuum, large part by the introduction of Universal desktop or laptop your system will always
which makes sure you always have the best Apps, which share the same underlying use the same interface. For owners of tablets
interface for your device at all times. In this code (as do the various version of Windows and hybrid devices there are options for
article, we explain what Continuum is and 10) and are ab le to adapt to either a desktop controlling how your device responds to a
how to use it on your tab let, touchscreen
laptop, and Windows phone.
I
1-=-'
Settings 0 X
@ SYSTEM I Find a settmg P I
What is Continuum? Display
Tablet Mode
Continuum is a way for Windows to detect the Notifications & actions
Optimise the system for tablet and touch usage by enabling Tablet
Mode
hardware you are using and ensure that you Apps & features
~ Off
always have the optimum interface on your
Multi-tasking When I sign in
machine. If you are using a desktop with no
touchscreen , then Windows wi ll now know Tablet Mode
I Keep the mode I was in previously v I
I
Never prompt me and always stay in my current mode
this and present the traditional mouse and Battery saver
Apps & features lmmediatety enter Tablet Mode Apps & features Immediately enter Tablet Mode
Keep the mode I was in previously Keep the mode I was in previously
Tablet Mode Tablet Mode
Banery saver When my device wants to switch modes Banery saver When my device wants to switch modes
change of hardware, such as removing or setting where you are asked every time if you very quick, easy to use, and feels a long way
adding a keyboard_ want to switch modes, and the third is the from the pain of Windows 8.
In Windows 10 when you remove a automatic switching option. Experiment with
keyboard, for example, the system will which one works best for you , and of course Turn your phone into a PC
pop up a dia log box asking if you want to you can change it at any time. One of the most exciting parts of Continuum
enter tablet mode. Tapping this will then The other setting in this menu allows you is the way it can turn a Windows Phone
adjust the interface. Of course, the reverse to instruct Windows 10 which interfa ce is the into a PC. Microsoft recently demonstrated
is true when you reattach the keyboard . default one you want when you sign in. how connecting a phone to an external
Rather than be prompted every time, you monitor, keyboard, and mouse turns the
can select an automatic response so that Switching between modes universal apps on the phone into fully
Windows knows what you want it to do. Whenever you switch between modes you'll fledged versions of Office, Out look, or other
To find this open the Start Menu and go find that the interface has different options. Microsoft applications. You can even run
to Settings > System >Tablet Mode. Under Entering tablet mode will mean that tapping two things at once, independently on the
the heading 'When my device wants to switch the Start button (the Win dows icon in the phone screen and external display, so your
modes' you'll see a drop-down menu. Tap this bottom-left corner) will launch the Window kids can watch Netflix while you answer a
and you'll see the following three options: 8 style fully-expanded Start Screen. Menus call or catch up on emails.
are also available by swiping in from the left Due to the new Qualcomm chips required
Never prompt me and always remain in or right. The Charms bar is no longer around for this advan ced feature, Continuum on
current mode in Windows 10, so swiping in from the right Windows Phone will be restricted to new
Always prompt me to confirm reveals the Notification Centre instead. device models set to be launched with
Never prompt me and always switch modes To exit tablet mode you eit her reatta ch Windows 10. Expect to see reviews of
a keyboard or tap the Tablet Mode option at these devices, and a full explanation of
The first is in essence turning off t he the bottom of the Notification Cent re, which how Continuum works on them, as soon
Continuum feature, the second is the defau lt then asks you if you want to switch. It's all as they are released. IEJ
Microsoft's digital assistant is now on the desktop. Jim Martin shows how to use Cortana in Windows 10
STEP 1
eat+ drink
Get suggestions for places to go at meal times
finance
news
~ headline news food
Jilll Extra! Extra! Read all about it!
lifestyle
sport
travel
weather
~k me anythong
STEP 2
Next type in your name or a nickname and stories to begin with. You can then type typed "What's the weather going to be like
click 'Use that'. You'll then see Cortana's or tap the microphone icon to enter a this weekend?" and Cortana displayed the
default view, which displays the top news question or command. For example, we forecast for Saturday and Sunday.
STEP 3
For Cortana to be truly useful- and
personal - she needs to know more
about you. Click the hamburger (the
three horizontal lines) at the top-left
corner of the Cortana window to show
the menu. In fact, the menu is always
on display; clicking the hamburger just
shows you what each icon does. You can
see the menu descriptions in the left-
most image below.
To tell Cortana about your interests,
click the Notebook section. Each item in
Note that I left my car on level 3 in the
here is customisable, and you can include area.
more categories by clicking the '+' button
at the bottom. When you do, you'll see a You can add as many of these as you like. notifications. However, this is still (as it is
list of categories. We clicked 'food' and got Click Sport in the category menu and in Windows 8) very limited in the UK. You'll
the two options shown on the far right. you can add your favourite team to get find football teams but not much more.
STEP 4
STEP 5
A ham sandwich walks into a bar My name comes from Curtana, the
and the bartender says, "Sorry, we legendary sword.
If you want to know what music is
don't serve food in here." playing, tap the musical notes icon
Try saying 'Surprise me!' to help wrap up the and Cortana will listen and identify the
mystery! I> See more results on Bmg.com
track. Previous searches are shown in a
f> See more results on 81ng.com list, too (below, right).
As on Windows Phones, you can have
a bit of fun with Cortana as well. You can
ask her to tell you a joke, or even ask
about her. Oddly, her answer was different
from that on a Windows Phone when
asked what Cortana means. You can also
get it to set alarms, which will sync with
What does cortana mean? your Windows Phone (as long as it too
has Cortana), ask for directions to places
and search the web. 121
Windows 10 Universal apps work on PCs, laptops, Windows Phones, tablets, and even your Xbox One.
Martyn Casserly takes a look at these cross-device apps explains how to use them
Windows core across all the new devices, Mail, and Calendar will all come preinsta lled
Calibri (Body) 11
B I u
Universal apps (or Windows Apps as Microsoft recently
renamed them) are ones that can work on any Windows 10 V Highlight
machine- be it a PC, tablet, phone, or even your Xbox One A Font Colour >
which makes it a lot easier for developers to on new devices once Windows 10 is launched, Font formattino >
create apps without needing to rewrite them with Word, Excel, and PowerPoint included
for each platform. This could quickly close up on mobile devices. PC users will also have At the moment, One Drive seems to be the
the perceived app gap on Windows Phone, the simplified tablet versions of Office glue that holds many of these apps together,
and see a thriving ecosystem evolve on available to download for free from the with the Office suite saving to the cloud
Microsoft's mobile platforms. now unified Windows App Store, although service by default. Whether this remains true
The principle behind Windows Apps is the fully featured Office suite will still be a for non-Microsoft software remains to be
one of convenience. Let's say, for example, paid for option - one compatib le with the seen, although Dropbox has already re leased
that you're out and about and you have a mobile versions. its universal app and obviously that uses its
Home
B I -u A - 1-
11 v -
-
:z -
J-
- v Heading 1 Heading2 No
own cloud storage service, so the indications Apple also has a similar 'universal' system
are that it could be an open platform. that it calls Continuity, and at the moment
_ Universal apps test :~: A. ~
Edge is Microsoft's replacement for Internet Explorer in Windows 10. Fast performance and smart looks
combine with advanced features such as web page annotation and reading lists. Martyn Casserly walks
you through how they work and reveals why you'll want to use them
n Windows 10, Microsoft has away the distractions when you're trying to Reading List
broken with tradit ion and read an artic le, and this si mple tool opens Keeping up with all the interest ing articles
included a brand new browser up a reformatted version of the page you're you find, or that people share with you,
to accompany Internet Explorer. The Edge reading, removing everything except the text can be a Herculean task. Leaving various
browser is a fast, modern, feature-enhanced and associated images. It doesn't work on browse r tabs open so you can come back
approach to the internet, which could tempt every site, but you'll see an icon when it is. to them later is one way to keep trac k, but
users back from Google's increasingly To access t he mode, you' ll need to click on it's hardly ideal. In recent years apps such
popular Chrome browser. Edge was st ill in an art icle - remembe r th is won't work on a as Pocket and lnstapaper have given you
beta when we wrote this, but it wil l in clude home page, as that has lots of links to other the ability to save these art icles until you
Microsoft's Cortana search assistant, content and wi ll just confuse the browser have time to read them; now you can do
alongside read ing list and reading mode - t hen go to the upper right section of the t hat directl y from the Edge browser t hanks
capabilities, plus the ability to annotate browser where you'l l see an icon t hat looks to the Reading List feature.
and share web pages. like an open book. If the Reading mode is To use it, navigate to the web page that
avai lable it wi ll be in bold , otherwise it wil l interests you, then click on the star at the
Reading Mode be greyed out. Cli ck on this and you 'll now far right of the search/add ress bar. A pop-up
One of the most useful new fea t ures is t he have a clean and easy to read window with box wil l appear with two options along the
Read ing mode. Somet imes you want to strip the artic le inside. top - Favourite and Reading List. Click on
m* ra121
X One looks has arnved ahead of E3 2015
Add to
New Xb ox One 2015 1TB r elease date, price How to watch Mlcrosoft's
Xbox Brtefm' at 3 2015
an d sp ecs
The new Xbox One will have a !TB hard dn,-e and a new comroller
Name
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wluu we know about the COJ\Sole's release date. price and sp~ of
lhe Xbox one tTB.
TB drive ant Today
here's what wt know about it releue date, price and tpea. what we know about the console's
ox One continues to banlt Sony's PS4 in the console market but
SAVED ARTICLES
New Xbox One 2015: Release date and price leaked tnformaoon from Amazon suggested that the new Xbox One 2015 would go on
)saleon 15 june. but MJcrosoft tn tile US and Restore deleted text
The leaked tnformatton from Amazon suggested that the new Xbox One 2015 would go on 'selected markets' wlU get It later Uus
,---on 15 june, bur Microsoft has confirmed the release date as 16 june tn the US and The rernov.d Us:U.ng quot~d a prtce of S400 (2&2 conv~rted} forth~ new Xbox One 2015
'selected markets' wlll get tt later this month. whKh IS bang on as Mu;rosoft has confomed hlllT8 model will co" S399. h also said the Remember to put money
$349 price for the exi.sung SOOGB model will now be permanent Ul the US and 'selected aside!
The removed Ustlng quoted a pr!~e of S400 (262 converted) for the new Xbox One 2015 regions'.
which Is bang on as Microsoft has confirmed the 1TB model wlll cost S399. It also satd the In tile UK tile Xbox One 118 coos ~9 and will li<gln slupptng 'fmmedlately' and tile 299
How speech recogmoon
S349 pnce for the exlsnng 500GB model will now be permanent m the US and 'selected
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of the 500GB model is permanent. W~ndows w1U go on sale dus autumn pnced at .S24.99. h \.\'111 also be the new
Xbo...: One controller (see below) for S19.9S. Once agam. we're waulng for UIH ><alls.
New Xbox One Adapter
Along with the Xbox One lTB announcement, Microsoft said its Xbox ~~~~ter for
sale this autwnn priced at S24.99. It wlll also be hnn,~loil
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Reading List, give the article a name you'll of Reading List, which looks like a square Using the Highlighter
remember, then click Add. with a pen inside. You'll see that the top In similar fashion to the Pen , the Highlighter
Then when you find you've got a few bar has now turned purple (no doubt to has a drop-down menu with colour and sty le
minutes to spare, click the icon to the right emulate Microsoft's OneNote colour scheme) options. It also operates in the same way,
of the Reading List (the one that looks like and a few new icons have appeared on the marking anything you drag the cursor over
a folder with a star). At the top of the box left-hand side. We'll look at each in turn.
that appears you' ll see four icons - a star, a Using the Eraser
pile of lines, a clock, and an arrow- click on Using the Pen feature When we tested the browser, the Eraser was
the pile of lines to access the Reading List The first option is a pen that allows you to rather erratic. In principle, you treat it as you
and you'll find your saved articles. scribe whatever you please on the web page. would expect, by selecting the tool then using
Clicking on the icon brings down a menu from it to remove any erroneous annotations. We
Annotate and share a web page which you can select the colour and thickness expect this to be fixed by the fina l release.
Another impressive feature of Edge is of the lines the pen will make. When you've
the ability to annotate web pages without made your choice, you can scribble things on Using Typed Notes
needing a plug-in or add-on. If you want the page. If you have a touch-enabled device, To the right of the Eraser, you'll see a speech
to highlight and share something, or or a Microsoft Surface, then you can draw box with an 'A' inside. This is a useful way to
maybe just a particular detail you want to using your fingers or a stylus; otherwise your make notes on a page without drawing all
remember, then click on the icon to the right mouse or trackpad will work just fine. over it. Select the tool and your cursor will
turn into a cross. Click in the position that
you want the marker to appear, then add
Add to
your thoughts in the linked text box.
FAVORITES READING LIST
Ht
Using the Clipper
pnce X1
Name The last annotation tool is a straightforward
new Xbox One 2015 would go on I f#eb Notes on New Xbox One 201 5 1 x clipper. With this selected you can highlight
any part of the page and copy it into
date as 16 June in the US and RE
Create in the clipboard. Then you can paste it into
pae1 will cost $399. It also said the Ht Cceate new foldec Saving your annotated web page
nont in the us and 'selected or On the right-hand side of the purple bar you'll
ta
Add Cancel find a couple of icons. The first is a diskette
'immediately' and the 299 with which you can save your annotated web
How speech recognition page. Click on this and you 'll be given the
technology can uansform
your working life choice of adding it to either your Favourites
folder or Reading List. !Zl
If you're constantly switching between apps, virtual desktops will help. Martyn Casserly reports
access to them required special soft ware. ... OneNote -. .......... _..,._
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AccuWeather tor Wondows 8 Microsoft Sol1tare Colle<tlon
new desktop, one that looks and behaves features and hopefully some of these
identically to your normal one, but has no limitations will be removed.
apps running on it. How to use Snap Assist
The benefits When it comes to arranging what's on your
How to switch between desktops People use virtual desktops in a variety screen, Windows 10 has improved 'snapping'.
You can easily switch between these different of ways, and by experimenting with them In Windows 7 and 8 it was possible to
environments by either clicking on them in we've no doubt you'l l find your optimum automatica lly res ize windows to cover half
the Task View menu or using the combination arrangement. We've often seen setups that the desktop by simply clicking and holding
of Ctri+Win+either the left- or right arrow have productivity apps -such as Office, on the top part of a window and dragging
key. Jumping straight to an app is the same OneNote, and email - in one desktop, and it either to the left, right then letting go.
as it ever was, with the A It+ Tab combination then a browser, music app, or even gaming In Windows 10 the feature is cal led Snap
showing all apps open on al l desktops. in another. Remember that while you can't Assist and has new tricks.
At the moment, you can create multiple have two copies of a web browser open in Now when you're in an app and press
desktops, but functionality is somewhat different desktops, you can always drag Win+either the left- or right arrow, you'll see
limited. You can't change the wa llpaper of an open tab down until it turns into a new the app take up half the desktop and show
one desktop without all of them changing, window, then open the Task View and drag you all the other open apps that can join it
and clicking on an app that is running the new window to the other desktop. on the other side of the screen. To select a
in another desktop will simply ta ke you Another option is to install another type of partner just click on it and you'l l have a split
there rather than launch a new instance. browser, such as Opera, Firefox or Chrome, screen with the two apps nestled side by side.
Microsoft wil l no doubt continue to add and run that in your other desktop. If you prefer to use a mouse, click and
drag an app using its top bar to the middle
-~ , .,. = lt<hnG x 'ICNol [l ~ x M l~ x ~~----1
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.
::: PC ADVISOR Q. window selected you can also press WIN+up,
down, left, or right and it wi ll resize to either
the whole side of the screen or a quarter, and
you can move it around to the different sides
of the screen using the keys. This allows you
to create a grid that has four windows open,
~ I filt bpiOttr - 0 X each one occupying a quarter of the display.
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of a modern PC operating system is with the between the flash and your computer is now juggle the value factor rather than best-in-
incessant background reading and writing an increasingly narrowing bott leneck. class performance figures.
of small files of 4kB or less. It's the random Pioneered by Apple, and now finally When buying an SSD, look out for long
access to these all over the platters that can trickling into the Windows world are solid- warranties and high write limits if you
choke old disks that need to physically move state drives that put SATA in the waste bin, prize data integrity, although with the
a pickup head across spinning platters. f lash storage drives that hook more directly help of proper backup routines, data loss
We have reached a point where just about into the PC's native PCI Express bus. But is less of an issue today. Different SSDs
any SSD you put into a computer to rep lace a App le Macs take a proprietary version of demand more or less power in active use
hard disk wil l transform your experience. But these cards that are not availab le to buy or when idle, and there are different power
for performance seekers such as professional or upgrade; and Windows PCs that are ratings again for when a laptop is in a
workstation users, there's still a case for now available with the necessary M.2 PCie sleep or hibernation mode. Unfortunately,
finding the fastest. And that fastest metric is attachment are current ly thin on the ground. we don't have the capability to measure
now more about smal l-file transfers, which So for the moment, if you're building power consumption in-house, and each
we can measure by the number of input and or upgrading a PC, chances are you' ll manufacturer has its own way to present
output operations capable in one second - be turning to the old tried-and-tested its numbers in the best light, so we can't
otherwise known as lOPS. The best SATA- Seria l ATA Revision 3.0 interface; often give a meaningful rundown of which has
based flash drives are returning peak figures mistakenly cal led SATA Ill. This bus has a the best power economy.
around 100,000 lOPS, made possible by 6Gb/s (750M B/s) nominal speed, but circa- Do look out for manufacturers that
the way that datastreams can be paralleled 550MB/s real-world ceiling. provide accessible support with firmware
together, a major asset of flash over disks. Despite current SATA SSDs' shortcomings updates possible on the platform of your
and converging performance specs, we have choice. Most storage brands are still firmly
Buying an SSD for your computer tested the speed of this group of six, both in routed in the Wintel world, although with the
Performance - in terms of the speed with large-file sequential transfers and small- decline of that platform more drive makers
which data can be read and written - has now file random access, as differences do exist are making cross-platform upgrade tools
in effect plateaued among the best SSDs. between brands and models. Our selection avai lable, in the form of boatable ISO images
It's not that flash memory has reached its covers the highest-performing SATA SSDs you can download from their support sites.
~
.
Support
Performance
CRUCIAL MX200 lTB Value
301 inc VAT uk.crucial.com Overall
Crucial has become one of the go-to brands for SSD upgrades since we tested; presumab ly because additional parallelism and over-
the technology became relatively affordab le around five years provisioning make it unnecessary he re.
ago. Over that time, we've seen the C300 launch in 2010, the M4
the following year, then the M500 in 2013 and M550 in 2014. More Performance
recent ly, the MX100 was quickly foll owed by this year's MX200 In basic sequential data t ransfers the Crucia l MX200 comfortably
and BX100 toget her- splitting the single line into two products. exceeded the 500MB/s ma rk, reaching 548MB/s for reads and
The BX100 is aimed at the budget end of the market; the MX200 514MB/s writes using the simple ATTO disk benchmark test.
meanwhi le now stands as the brand's best SSD at this time. A run with CrystaiDiskMark confirmed what has long been
A winning formu la was devised ear ly on in al l the above drives, apparent with Crucial's choice of Marvell contro ller, that there is no
using NAND flash chips from the brand's parent Micron Technology, slowdown in performance when faced with incompressible data like
run by a Marvell cont roller, and with Crucial's own fi rmware on the MPEG and JPEG files: when writing randomised data, the Crucial
control ler. In the case of the MX200, we have the same Marvell cou ld read and write at around 438- and 480MB/s respective ly.
88SS9189 controller that powered both the MX100 and the M550, Tested with 4kB random data, the Crucial showed reads at the
now allied to 16nm Micron mu lt i-layer cel l (MLC) NAND f lash. typica l 29 MB/s leve l, while 4kB random writes were the highest in
As with the previous generation there is Adapt ive Therma l our tests at 131MB/s. When stacked up to 32 queue depth the drive
Protection, which wi ll reduce performance when internal sensors didn't scale as we ll as others, turning in just 102MB/s reads where
detect high temperatures, while Power Loss Protection is des igned other models cou ld reach 300- or 400MB/s. This transla ted into
to reduce the chance of data loss in the event of a sudden switch-off, weak read lOPS results of around 26,100, although the 90,100 write
using sma ll onboard capacitors t o maintain power long enough to lOPS resu lt was closer to the rest of the pack.
write data f rom DRAM cache to NAND. Turn ing to AS SSD, which uses 64 threads of incompressible data,
Redundant Array of Independent NAND (RAIN) is said to protect the Crucial reported slightly better results of around 68k read lOPS
your data at the component level, simi lar to how RAID is used with and 79k write lOPS. The benchma rk's final nomina l sco re of 954
mu ltiple hard drives. The need for this may be greater than ever points is good but here in the lower half of resu lts in th is group of six.
with the tiny 16nm-process NAND, since the downsizing process also
leads to lower re liabi lity. VERDICT: When we tested the Crucial M550 last year, it had a price/
New to the MX200 series is Dynamic Write Acceleration, a way storage quotient of 37p/GB. The latest MX200 is avai lab le for around
to include a faster write cache using single- layer cell (SLC) f lash. 30p/GB, but other than that li ttle has changed, except the newer
This is availab le on the sma ller 128- and 256GB capacity drives drive has smaller process 16n m flash. It's stil l a good drive, but it's
only though, and not included on 512GB nor the largest 1TB sample lost a little headway against higher-performing compet itors
Support
Performance
INTEL SSD PRO 2500 240GB Value
126 inc VAT intel.co.uk Overall
Intel was an early prime mover in solid-state drive technology, ATTO and 530MB/s write speeds. CrystaiDiskMark showed relatively
applying its semiconductor know-how to make some respected SSDs fast results here too in its zero-data mode, just shy of 500MB/s for
in the days before they became more affordable and popular. Today's reads and writes. When the benchmark was set to its default random
Intel SSDs have forsaken innovation and are more derivative, and in dataset we saw the usual slowdown experienced by SandForce-based
the case of the SSD Pro 2500, we find that Intel is no longer using drives, with sequential write speed dropping to 291MB/s.
its own silicon anywhere. For the main NAND flash chips it is buying With the small 4kB random tests the Intel was reading at 31MB/s,
from South Korean Hynix, while the key controller technology is a typical result, with writes reaching 70MB/s, which is at the lower
supplied by Seagate SandForce. end of what's possib le with moderns SSDs. When loaded with 32
The SSD Pro 2500 is aimed at business users and consumers that threads these figures swelled to 302MB/s reads but just 252MB/s
want to add an extra layer of security with a self-encrypted drive writes, where most drive we test tend to exceed 350MB/s.
(SED). This is available with most SSDs as an encryption routine that Looking at input/output operations per second, CDM gave us
is accessed through the BIOS of PCs running Windows or Linux, but 77,300 read lOPS and 64,600 write lOPS, while AS SSD reported
is perhaps not the easiest way for an unskilled user to secure their even lower with 50,100 and 52,900 lOPS respectively. This led to
computer. Microsoft is making this easier for Windows users with the latter benchmark returning an overall nominal score of 721
its eDrive initiative, which allows Bitlocker to work with hardware points, the lowest on test.
encrypting SSDs built to the later TCG Opal 2.0 and IEEE 1667 It's worth remembering that the poor benchmark results are a
standard. Drives like the SSD Pro 2500 here, which is available in a d irect result of the SandForce control ler and its low write speed when
wide range of capacities, namely 120-, 180-, 240-, 360- and 480GB. processing incompressible data. This would be most manifest in real-
Furthering its business credentia ls, Intel tells us is designed to world use if you were working heavi ly with media files such as JPEG,
meet an Annualized [sic] Failure Rate of below 1 percent, and like or even plain ZIP files. For general office tasks this may be less of an
many modern drives it is covered by a five-year warranty. issue and the drive should perform at closer to its headline speeds.
The drive can be managed by Intel's SSD Toolbox software for
Windows. This allows diagnostic scans, SMART reports and secure VERDICT: The Inte l SSD Pro 2500 is designed for Winte l business
erasure, as well as firmware updates. For Linux and OS X users, there computing, where its Opal 2.0 compliance may interest IT managers.
are just boatable ISOs for firmware bug fixes. However this security feature is not unique to business SSDs and
can be found on, for example, Crucial and Samsung drives too, at a
Performance lower cost. Where the Intel SSD may excel is in its use of older but
In straightforward sequentia l testing with synthetic benchmarks the well-tested components, promoting reliabil ity and freedom from
Pro 2500 proved to be a fast mover, reaching up to 555MB/s reads in issue inherent with newer hardware and firmware.
Support
Performance
KINGSTON HVPERX SAVAGE 480GB Value
185 incVAT kingston.com/en Overall
Kingston Memory has been catering for the general user with its Where many modern SSDs are simple constructions fashioned
SSDNow drives for several years, providing decent perfo rmance f rom li ghtweight pressed aluminium, the Savage has a heavier case in
with entry-leve l pricing. But the company also knows how to market ma tt black metal, with a red and silver design covering its top skin.
to PC garners and computer enthusiasts with its more raci ly named
si licon memory components. We've seen macho names like Ballistix, Performance
Predator, Impact and Beast bandied around by Kingston. Now, under It's far from t he most important metric of overall performance,
the HyperX performance-tuned banner, we have the Savage SSD. but the HyperX Savage returned the joint highest sequential read
It stands at the top of Kingston's range of performance SATA speed on our PC test rig, reaching 564MB/s, and nudged into the
storage, although if you have a desktop PC you cou ld also take highest write speed, too, of 543MB/s. It's here that we can sense
advantage of the full-size PCie card Predator drive, boasting up to the limiting effect of the SATA interface, nominally 6Gb/s (750MB/s)
1400MB/s read speeds. The Savage though takes the traditiona l but in effect around 560MB/s in real -world data transfers.
SATA Revis ion 3.0 connection with its nominal 6Gb/s speeds, in the The simi lar results from CrystaiDiskMark with and without
usual slim 7mm enclosure. compressible data showed the Phison control ler is not using any
What is less usual, even unique in our testing experience, is the data-reduction techniques, both tests returning resu lts of around
choice of contro ller in the Savage. Th is is an S10 controller from 490MB/s (read) and 480MB/s (write).
Taiwan flash-memory specialist Phison, now infamously known as the At the high 32-thread queue depth, we saw random 4kB reads at
maker of USB controll er ICs that can be comprom ised by t he BadUSB 358MB/sand rando m writes at 370MB/s, t ranslat ing into good ove rall
explo it. The controller here is based on a quad-core ARM processor lOPS figures of 91,600 and 94,800 lOPS respectively. Turning to AS
with eight data channels, with 19nm NAND flash supp lied by Toshiba. SSD and its ve rsion of t he test wi t h 64 threads, the Kingston showed
To maintain its SSDs Kingston makes its own SSD Toolbox a st ronger bias towa rd read perfo rmance as it just nudged the
software for Windows, although this only supports its older drives 100,000 lOPS figure, while random writes fel l slight ly to 83,400 lOPS.
based on SandForce contro ll ers. At time of testing the re was no The AS SSD benchmark gave this drive an overa ll nominal score of
software avai lab le for th is Phison-based SSD. 1140 points, just behind the leading Samsung 850 PRO drive.
The Hyper X Savage is avai lable as just a bare drive, or an
install ation kit with various accessories to help migrate from an VERDICT: The HyperX Savage turned in a so lid performance among the
existing drive. This includes a portab le drive enc losure with USB 3.0 leaders of the pac k, and the flashy looks may appeal to those wishing
with support for UASP mode in Windows 8 and OS X, SATA cable to pimp up their rig. Its overa ll performance is just behind best from
and screws fo r desktop PCs, and a screwd river with interchangeable Samsung and San Disk, and with a price t hat exceeds these drives, it
Phil ips 00 and 1 cross-head tips. just loses out on any overa ll recommendation.
Support
Performance
OCZ ARC 100 240GB Value
Overall PC ADVISOR
69 inc VAT ocz.com BEST BUY
The OCZ company appeared early in the history of SSDs as a OCZ offers its own software for Windows and Linux with which
specialist in performance drives, and still makes high-specification to update and optimise the drive, SSD Guru. For Mac users there's
drives under its new owners Toshiba. But the ARC 100 is a value- a boatable ISO for down load, which can be written to an optical
focused so lid-state drive, bringing enough of the virtues of PC flash disc or USB drive.
storage to woo potential disk upgraders, at a most attractive price.
We were sent the 240GB version of the ARC 100 to review, which Performance
at the time of writing could be found for just 69. Even in this smaller We were not expecting the fastest speeds from this budget drive, so
capacity that represents a price of just 28.8p per gigabyte, making it were pleasantly surprised by some of the results that placed the ARC
the best value in this group of six. You can also f ind the ARC 100 in 100 ahead of more expensive products. In the simple sequential test,
120- and 480GB sizes. the OCZ did prove to be the slowest, the only drive not to peek above
Before going bankrupt in 2013, OCZ had a reputation for dying the 500MB/s parapet, although this should be of little concern on
and defective SSDs. However, since Toshiba bought the company in dai ly use. Sequentia l reads reached 489MB/sand writes 447MB/s.
2014, it has been groomed into a professional, consumer-focused As promised by OCZ, the lndilinx Barefoot controller does not
company with an impressive after-sales policy. use any on-the-fly compression tricks to accelerate speed, and
OCZ calls this the ShieldPius warranty, extending for three years Crysta iDi skMark reported practica ll y the same speeds for random
for this model. In the event of a fault, there's no need for your and compressible data: to wit, 426- and 427MB/s for reads, and 431-
receipt, just quote the serial number, and if the support team deem and 432MB/s for sequential writes.
the drive as defective you'll get an advance replacement SSD sent Small file performance was very good, with 4kB random reads at
out with free shipping, before you need to return your dud unit. 27MB/s - a little lower than most but only by a megabyte or th ree per
Whi le most SSDs are using controllers made by Marvel l, with second- whi le 4kB random writes were actually the highest on test
Sand Force still popular with some brands, OCZ is pressing into at 127MB/s. That's a clean-drive result which will likely drop once the
service the expertise it bought with the acquisition of lndilinx. drive reaches steady-state leve l, but still impressive.
Variants of the lndilinx Barefoot 3 are used in al l its SATA-based For lOPS t he ARC 100 was in good company, approaching 100,000
drives, and here it is backed with 512MB of DDR3 DRAM as cache; lOPS for random writes at 90,300 lOPS, and around 80,000 lOPS for
although OCZ has not revealed this latter specification. random 4kB reads at the same 32 queue depth.
This controller is designed to deli ver good sustained performance
in long-term use, and does not suffer from slowdowns when VERDICT: This may be only OCZ's budget drive but it offers great
presented with incompressible data. For flash-memory silicon, OCZ is performance with plenty of all-important support to provide peace
using its parent company's toggle NAND with a 19nm process size. of mind to anyone concerned about moving to solid-state storage.
Support
Performance
SAMSUNG 850 PRO 1TB Value
PC ADVISOR
365 inc VAT samsung.com/uk Overall
GOLD
Samsung has two series of SSDs available for computer upgraders, to offer one of the longest guarantees avai lable, 10 years, matching
both designated 850 and then divided into 850 PRO and 850 EVO the offer first made by SanDisk with its Extreme PRO SSD.
ranges. As may be evident f rom the naming scheme, the former PRO Samsung has also been working on the power efficiency issue,
mode ls are designed for highest performance, while the EVO range and with the help of a specia l sleep state that can be used by some
trades a little speed and endu rance for a lower entry price. laptops, publishes a lowest-in -class power consumption figure of just
What both have in com mon is the core silicon architecture that is 2mW when in this DEVSLP mode.
now based on 3D NAND, or V-NAND, where the Vis for vertical. This
is the application of three-dimensiona l integrated circuit construction Performance
techniques, which just like human cities overcome the problem of The 850 PRO stro ll ed through our read/write tests, reach ing
over-crowding by building not sideways, but upwards. 564MB/s for reads and 534MB/s writes in the ATTO benchmark test.
Using 3D lithography, flash cells are built layer by layer on top of Compa ring t he CrystaiDiskMark results for standard random and
each other, 32 layers high here, giving a higher density of storage compress ible zeroes, we see the same leve l of performance at around
that means that even for the 1TB sample we tested, for examp le, the 510MB/s sequent ial reading and 480MB/s writing.
PCB inside on ly takes up two-thirds of the large 2.5in SATA case. The 4kB single-thread random 10 test s place the Samsung ahead
As with the 840 Series, the difference between PRO and EVO in the 4kB random-read list with 36MB/s, whi le the 89MB/s write
models is the type of flash cell employed; the 850 PRO uses more speed is impressive, a trend that continued when the SSD was
res ilient mu lti-layer cell (MLC, and in particu lar the two-bit vers ion) stretched when field ing t he high queue-dept h test- t he 403 MB/s
whi le the 850 EVO takes the latest three-layer cell (TLC), which random reads and 366MB/s random writes makes the 850 PRO the
allows more storage pe r square cent imetre of si licon wafer, but top of the lOPS with 103,200 read lOPS and 93,700 write lOPS.
loses out in long-term longevity and is slower to write to. When running the comparable test fro m AS SSD it remained in t he
The 850 PRO is a great example of how Samsung can build an over-achievers class with 96,800 read lOPS and 81,400 write lOPS.
ent ire SSD with pa r ts it makes itself to its own specification. So The AS SSD benchmark awarded the Sa msung 850 PRO an ove rall
we have a Samsung-made MGX Controller chip based on a three- nom ina l score of 1145 points, the best overa ll resu lt in this group.
core ARM processor, 1GB of Samsung low-power DDR2 RAM and, of
course, t he NAND f lash pi led up to in Samsung 's new semiconducto r VERDICT: The 850 PRO arrived j ust too late for last year's round-up
process, st ill unique in f lash memory. of SSDs, but even a year later it st ill has little serious competit ion. It
The process size has actually gone up, from the 19- or 20nm may be left for dust by more modern PC ie drives like Samsung's own
common to other brands, up to 40nm, potentially conferring greater XP941, but if you have a SATA-based PC and want to fit it with the
longevity wh ile de livering better speed. This has inspired Samsung best storage, ta ke the closest look at the 850 PRO.
Support 1c 1c A. A. -k
Performance
SANDISK EXTREME PRO 480GB Value
A lc A A1:? PC ADVISOR
172 inc VAT sandisk.co.uk Overall
RECOMMENDED
Like Crucial/Micron, Samsung and Toshiba, SanDisk sits at the updates are easily executed here, too. One feature will not work
big table for flash memory dealers. It has a range of SSDs for though, Crypto Erase, since the Extreme PRO does not include
consumers and business, with the Extreme name reserved for the any onboard hardware encryption. SSD Dashboard just needs
top solid-state drive for persona l computers. The SanDisk Extreme a tick-box setting to switch off in-line advertisements, since we
PRO builds on the already excellent Extreme II SSD, adding a larger use the program to operate the SSD, not shop for more SanDisk
DRAM cache and revised firmware. products and those of third parties.
Like the previous Extreme II it replaces, the Extreme PRO San Disk stands behind its top consumer SSD by being the
relies on the Marvell 88SS9187 control ler running SanDisk's own first company to offer a 10-year guarantee. Whether there will be
custom firmware. This combination is backed with a generous 1GB many PCs supporting SATA Revision 3.0 drives in another decade
of DDR3 memory for the largest 960GB capacity model, and also is another question.
the 480GB size that we tested.
The main flash chips are again San Disk's own, the second Performance
generation of its 19nm-process NAND. And now sitting between The San Disk Extreme PRO easily clears the low hurdle of high
the volatile dynamic RAM cache and the more permanent NAND sequentia l speeds as measured by ATTO Disk Benchmark, with
storage chips is a new version of the non-volatile cache that 556MB/s reads and 525MB/s sequential writes. It also pul ls off a
SanDisk now calls nCache Pro. similar feat with CrystaiDiskMark, which is usually a tougher judge
SanDisk's nCache Pro is based on fast and resilient single-layer here, with 511MB/s reads and 478MB/s writes; mirrored closely in
cell (SLC) flash and acts as a halfway house for saving up smaller speed when using random data here, too.
chunks of data at high speed before consolidating and then flushing When presented with 4kB single-threaded datastreams it kept
them out to the main MLC flash banks. up the pace, just behind the Samsung with 32MB/s 4kB random
Three capacities of drive are again offered, only this time they've reads and 88MB/s random writes. As the queue depth increased to
been moved up in size by a factor of two - so the entry-level SSD is 32 threads the SanDisk remained unfazed, ending in a read lOPS
now 240GB rather than 120GB, and a 960GB is the new large. Only figure just shy of the nominal watershed of 100,000 lOPS, and
the traditional 2.5in SATA form factor is offered at present. in the write performance at around 79k lOPS.
now-standard 7mm height. so no mSATA or M.2 SATA alternatives.
To maintain and oversee this San Disk SSD, the company VERDICT: San Disk's top consumer SSD is backed by a confident 10-year
offers its SSD Dashboard program for Windows. We found this guarantee, and its clear high performance a great value at around
to be simp le yet we ll -featured, clearly laid out and able to 36 pence per gigabyte make this one of the top SSDs you can find
secure erase, sanitize and TRIM the drive on demand. Firmware today, even a year after its launch.
Conclusion
In the earlier days of solid-state upgrade random read/write figures, for instance, if best value drives we've seen, it also turned
drives, Intel was one of the prime movers, this drive wasn't the most expensive on test in some great performance resu lts.
but the silicon specia list seems to have lost after the Intel. Its support is also lacking The two leading SATA SSDs of today are
its interest and early lead, and now recycles somewhat, both in availability of software both a year old, but have not been surpassed
other company's components. The Pro 2500 and in length of warranty. by anything in the same category since. The
Series is based on a rel iab le platform, using Crucia l's SSDs have been a favourite for SanDisk Extreme PRO was the first SSD to
an old but still reliable SandForce contro lle r, PC upgraders, although with the MX200 receive a 10-year gua rantee, which shou ld
adding hardware encryption as a near- we can't help fee ling the rea l benefactor in give any user the confidence to go solid-
necessity for a drive that otherwise wou ld this season's upgrade is Crucial alone. The state; the Samsung 850 PRO launched a few
be slowed t oo much due by its compression drive performs little better and in our tests weeks later in June last yea r and was also
dependency in a sole ly software-encrypted typically just behind the previous M550 upgraded to a 10-year support scheme.
OS. The result is the rather poor value Pro model. Its construction quality is visibly Both offer state-of-the-art performance
2500, which nevertheless was found to cheapened and the flash stock has shrunken , on a SATA connection , and can be found
perform confidently well in most areas, and both moves to maximise corporation profits. for around 36p/GB, depending on capacity.
is backed by a five-year guarantee. In its favour the Crucial MX200 is good value We highly recommend the SanDisk drive,
Kingston's performance-inc lin ed HyperX in price-per-gigabyte terms and the brand's and award the Samsung our Gold Award
Savage continues the company's marketing SSDs are ably supported with firmware and for its breakthrough in 3D semiconductor
theme of brash colours and brasher names, tools to apply it on any platform. manufacture, which combined with the larger
but there is a little less substance below this The erstwhile enthusiast brand of OCZ 40nm process should ensure this drive is
gamer-friendly styling. We would be less has a surpr ising cracker in its portfolio with going fast and going strong even after the
concerned about the relatively poor 4kB the ARC 100, which is not only one of the decade counter rol ls over.
Other capacities 250-, 500GB 120-, 180-, 360-, 480GB 120-, 240-, 960GB
Flash 16nm Micron MLC 20nm SK Hynix MLC 19nm Tosh iba A19 MLC
PERFORMANCE
ATTO
533-/514M B/s 555-/53 0M B/s 564-/543M B/s
(peak sequential)
CrystaiDiskMark
413-/466M B/s 499-/495MB/s 494-/479MB/s
(Seq OxOO)
CrystaiDiskMark
438-/480MB/s 485-/291MB/s 489-/478M B/s
(Seq rnd)
CrystaiDiskMark
29-/131 M B/s 31-/70MB/s 26-/59MB/s
(4kB rnd)
CrystaiDiskMark
102-/352MB/s 302-/252MB/s 358-/370M B/s
(4kB QD32 rnd)
AS SSD (lOPS) 67,700/79,100 50,100/52,900 100,000/83,400
0
Crucial Intel Kingston ocz Samsung SanDisk
50,000
25,000
0
Crucial Intel Kingston ocz Samsung SanDisk Crucial Intel Kingston ocz Samsung SanDisk
19nm Toshiba A19 MLC 40nm Samsung V-NAND MLC 19nm SanDisk MLC
OCZ SSD Guru for Linux and Windows; Samsung SSD Magician for Windows; SanDisk SSD Dashboard for Windows;
bootable ISO for OS X boot able ISO f or OS X and Linux boot able ISO fo r Linux and OS X
; .
/
,
'
These days being able to take decent photos is a must for smartphones. With
this in mind, Jim Martin has put nine flagship models through their paces to
find out which performs best for photos, videos, selfies, macro and in low light
or many people, a phone's cameras of even a budget DSLR lens because they're in good light outdoors, poor light indoors,
are one of the biggest priorities so small, and you'll only be able to get in close-ups, for video and also for selfies
when choosing a new handset. blurred backgrounds using software effects. using the front camera .
Since you carry your phone everywhere, However, phones have their own special Around half of the phones here can
you're more likely to use it to take photos effects. They vary from model to mode l, but shoot video at 4K, though you' ll need a 4K
than a separate camera. Thanks to the fact you can expect to find burst shooting, slo-mo monitor to view the video clips at their full
that phones have become rather talented at video, time-lapse, automatic selfie capture detail. However, you'll still benefit from the
taking photos and videos, they might even when you smile or say "cheese", and even extra reso lution even on a 1080p screen,
be better quality than your current camera. light painting on the new Huawei P8. but beware that you need a fairly powerful
There are, of course, a few downsides, We've gathered together as many of the laptop or PC to play back 4K video smoothly.
one of which is that you won't get a zoom latest flagships as we could lay our hands Note that the Xperia Z3 and Z3 Compact
lens for getting in close when you can't on, including the Samsung Galaxy 56, LG G4, share the same front and rear cameras, so
physical ly move. Even the best phone Huawei P8 and both of the current iPhones, you can use the photo examples here to
cameras struggle to match the quality so you can see how their cameras perform judge both phones.
iPhone 6 Plus 8Mp 1.2Mp 1080p at 60fps Yes Dual-t one LED No
Nokia Lumia 930 20Mp 1.2Mp 2160p at 30fps Yes Dual-LED Yes
Sony Xperia Z3
20.7Mp 2.2Mp 2160p at 30fps No LED Yes
Compact
Apple iPhone 6
Most phone cameras excel in bright conditions and low
contrast, so it's no surprise to see the iPhone 6 performing
well here. We also like the aspect ratio and wide-angle lens.
Google Nexus 6
The Nexus 6's white balance is a bit off, leading to a cooler-
looking photo compared to the warm iPhones. Where it shines
is the high-resolution sensor which captures lots of sharp
detai l, and the lens is sharp to the edges.
.
I
Samsung Galaxy 56
If we had to pick a winner for the St Pancras photo, this wou ld be
it. Despite having a 16:9 sensor, the wide-angle lens means more of
Huawei P8 the scene is captured than the LG G4, and there's more sharp detai l
This is a well-exposed image with reasonably accurate colours. The throughout the photo. White balance is also spot on.
wide field of view means it captures more than most phones, too.
Plus, there's very little evidence of compression artifacts with plenty
of detai l in the brickwork of St Pancras hotel.
t '
iPhone 6
One of the iPhone's strengths is that colour accuracy is always
excellent. There's a lack of detail when you zoom in due to the low-
resolution sensor, but they're fine for printing out or sharing on line.
Google Nexus 6
It doesn't have the bright greens of the iPhone photos, but
the Nexus 6 does a decent job here. Highlights are clipped,
but it's far from the worst photo in this group.
Samsung Galaxy 56
Once again, the 56 flexes its photographic muscles and delivers a
Huawei P8 stunning photo with great co lours, lots of sharp detai l and good
In attempting to avoid losing detail in darker areas, the P8 has over dynamic range. Yes, the clouds are blown out, but no phone's
exposed this photo and the clouds are blown out and lack detail. camera here can do better without using its HDR mode.
White balance and detail are both good though.
Apple iPhone 6
It doesn't have the best macro capabilities of our group of phones
here, but the iPhone 6 can easily hold its own. Detai ls are sharp
and- just as importantly- colours are wonderful.
Google Nexus 6
The Nexus 6's macro photo shows poor white balance, but it's able to
focus slightly closer than the iPhones.
Apple iPhone 6
Low light is one of the areas where you can clearly see the difference
in the capabilities of the two iPhones' cameras. It isn't as obvious
unless you zoom in and look at the images at 100 percent, but
suffice to say that the 6 simply isn't as good as the 6 Plus.
Google Nexus 6
You might think we haven't tried hard enough with the Nexus 6,
but no matter what we did, we couldn't get a sharp photo in these
li ghting conditions. It does a good job of suppressing noise, though.
Apple iPhone 6
In selfie land, the iPhones show their weakness: the low-resolution
1.2Mp camera. Although well exposed, there's a distinct lack of detail.
I ;A- I
i
..
'
---111
-----
(CONT NUED)
Samsung Galaxy 56
This was taken with the 56's Beauty mode at level 2 (fairly low), but
it still smooths out detail too much for our liking. The 56 has a very
capable front camera, however.
--..
r ......
..I
Apple iPhone 6 HTC One M9 capture 4K at 30fps with the update, though.
Considering it has no optica l stabi lisation This was the most disappointing 4K Even so, the 1080p footage was mediocre
and is limited to 1080p, the iPhone 6's footage. Not only does the HTC One M9 at best. There was a surprising lack of detail
footage is very good. It has a good level lack stabilisation, which led to shaky video and colours weren't as natural as we'd like.
of detail, but more importantly it doesn't - don' t forget this will be magnified on
struggle to focus thanks to its magical a large TV- but it also showed up poor Samsung Galaxy 56
Focus Pixels and has natural-looking colours white balance with a strange magenta cast. The Samsung Galaxy 56 comes in a close
second to the G4 here. Its 4K video looks
Apple iPhone 6 Plus Huawei P8 great on a large TV, with realistic, life-like
No surprise that the 6 Plus's footage is The P8's video is much poorer than we'd colours and good stabi lisation.
virtua ll y identical to the 6's. The advantage is expected. It's limited to 1080p but even
that it has optical stabilisation, which gives a so, there's much less detail than the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
more cinematic feel, just as Apple claims. iPhone 6 and 6 Plus capture. The Z3 Compact's 4K footage is also detailed
but the lack of stabilisation lets it down.
Google Nexus 6 LGG4
Like all phones capable of shooting 4K The best on test for video, capturing loads
video, the Nexus 6 captures a lot of detail of sharp detail and overcoming shaky
considering how highly it compresses hands thanks to great stabilisation.
footage. While exposure and colour
accuracy are good, it was annoying that Nokia Lumia 930
the camera kept refocusing even though Our 930 didn't have the Denim update, so
we weren't moving the phone. was limited to shooting at 1080p. It can
There are two clear winners here: the LG To make this comparison fair, we set up many Android phones default to 16:9,
G4 and Samsung Ga laxy S6. Both take each phone to the highest resolution which chops the top and bottom off the
excel lent photos and videos, and are also avai lable for photos and videos. We also photo for phones with 4:3 sensors. (Note,
great phones. If you want us to declare took each shot within a minute or so of we made a mistake with the HTC One M9,
only one winner, then the G4 narrowly pips each other to ensure lighting conditions shooting at 16:9 instead of 10:7 because
the S6 to the post by virtue of its excellent were as similar as possible. it isn't obvious which is the highest
three-axis stabilisation. All photos and videos were taken resolution. Rather than reshooting later
There's a lot more to consider than just handheld, rather than on a tripod because in different light conditions, we decided to
photo and video quality when picking the that's how you'll use the phone in real life. use the cropped images instead)
best phone camera, of course. The screen It also allowed stabilisation systems to One of the most interesting
resolution and brightness play a part, as prove their worth, and we ensured they observations during the test was how
does the camera app itself, which determines were all turned on where present. We much the experience of taking photos
the features and settings on offer. selected automatic modes and didn't tap and videos differed with each phone.
Only two phones here have dedicated the screen to choose focus or exposure For example, the Samsung Galaxy S6's
shutter buttons: the Sony Xperia Z3 Compact since none of our test shots was designed bright AMOLED screen made it easy to
and Nokia Lumia 930. However, neither can to trick the cameras: they shou ld all frame photos in sunny conditions.
challenge the best cameras here, so it isn't a perform well with automatic exposure. The LG G4's screen wasn't as easy
reason to choose them instead. Again, most people will rely on auto mode to see, but the ext ra resolution meant
Naturally, you shouldn't only consider to capture the moment. it was easy to see whether a macro photo
the camera when buying a phone: the As you can see in our shot of St would be blurry or not before taking
operating system, screen size, battery life Pancras, the field of view varies between the shot. By contrast, the Z3 Compact's
and price will also be factors. phones. These were all taken from 720p screen made it impossible as the
We can't tell you which phone is best for precisely the same spot, so it's easy to detail simply wasn't there.
you, but hopefully these comparisons have see which have 16:9 and which have 4:3 All the photos in this group test
proved helpful in making your choice. sensors. In each case, we made sure we can be viewed on the PC Advisor website
used the highest resolution available - at tinyurl.com/opq2ghj.
With new versions of iOS and Android due this autumn, we've decided to compare the two. Matt Egan reports
n June, Apple announced iOS 9, then see a rapid roll out to all compatible Compatibility
the next-generation of its iPhone devices: Android M will appear first on other This is one of the fundamental differences
and iPad operating system. It will Nexus devices, and within a few months make between iOS and Android. Because Apple
go head-to-head with Google's Android M at the move to flagship phones and tablets makes both software and hardware, it roll s
the top of the Android phones and tablets made by third-party OEMs such as Samsung, out its new software in a quick and efficient
market, so we decided to compare and LG and Sony. Unless you are a Nexus guy, manner. Thus every iPhone and iPad that
contrast the two leading mobile platforms. don't expect to get Android M on your now runs iOS 8 wil l be able to upgrade to
device until late 2015 or even early 2016. iOS 9, the day it comes out. And un like
Release date previous iOS updates, Apple promises that
We now know definitively that both iOS 9 Betas this time around, the update file won' t be as
and Android M are in the works. What we For the first time I can remember, Apple is big as your iPhone's availab le storage. Older
don't know is when exactly they will launch. running a public beta of its iOS update. You iPhones won't all get some features, though.
But we can make some good guesses: iOS 9 can try out the iOS 9 beta in a few months, (If your phone doesn 't have an NFC chip, you
will launch in 'Fall 2015', according to Apple. but you can sign up now by signing up at won't be able to use Apple Pay, for instance.)
It wasn't specific because it doesn 't want to beta.apple.com. Developers can download the Android M's compatibility will be more
give away the date of the next iPhone and first beta of iOS 9 immediately, though. scattered. Because Google can make the
iPad launches, which will like ly be the same Similarly, if you want to get your hands software available to its OEM partners, but
day. But expect a new OS in September 2015. on Android M now, you can down load the they are not forced to push the upgrade out
Meanwhile, at 1/0 2015 Goog le unvei led Android M Developer Preview, but only if to end users. So whi le Nexus devices are
an Android M Developer Preview, confirming you have a Nexus 5, 6, 9 or Player. As with pretty much guaranteed an over the air (OTA)
the existence of the next flagship Android the iPhone equiva lent, it should be said that upgrade to Android M, those with phones
OS. The final version of Android M will launch developer preview software is really only for, made by other people have no guarantee.
with a new Nexus phone in October or er, developers. Expect bugs and frequent However, if you have a flagship phone from
November this year. But un like iOS, we won't updates, as well as missing features. 2014 or 2015, it is most unlikely you won't get
the upgrade at some point.
preview software is really only for, er, developers. Expect bugs new feature: NFC-enabled contactless
payments. With Apple Pay and Android Pay,
and frequent updates, as well as missing features you wi ll be able to use your phone like a
contactless credit or debit card . (Your wal let when it launches iOS 9. App le says its feature runner game. Wel l Android M is going to
will now have a batte r y life, but at least you shou ld provide up to t hree hou rs of extra change that with the abi lity to pick and
have to carry on ly one device.) use, on t op of the extra hour or so you'll get choose wh ich permissions you're happy with
Apple Pay is first out of the blocks. At the simply from updating to iOS 9, which is more for each individual app. You'l l also be able
time of writing, it was due t o hit the UK on power efficient than iOS 8 (Apple says). to accept or deny a specific permission as
14 July, with support from eight major banks Turning to Android M and we find and when an app requests it.
and retailers such as Costa, Boots, Waitrose something similar in what Google calls If you send links, photos or files to
and the London Underground. Apple Pay 'Doze mode'. Doze monitors when the device the same contacts, then And roid M wil l
first launched in the US on 20 October 2014 isn't being used to put it into a deep sleep, start adding them to the Share menu to
and now it is coming here. This despite a which uses less power and can double your speed up the process. It's a bit like having
new set of regulations from the European battery life - according to Google. favourite contacts when you open the
Union Council of Ministers that some thought The SystemUI Tuner in Android M allows Dialler app to call someone.
cou ld throw a spanner in the works. (These you to customise t he Quick Settings to the Not only is Do Not Disturb (DND) part
t ighter regu lations could require additional ones you want to you the most and in the of Quick Settings in And roid M, the vo lume
authorisation processes.) layout which suits you. Another small but contro l has been tweaked for the better. You
Despite this, Apple said that 70 percent handy change is the ability to uninsta ll apps can now easily control the volume of cal ls,
of credit- and debi t cards in the UK will straight from the home screen. You now get notifications and alarms with three separate
be supported by Apple Pay at launch. At the choice between simply removing the sliders- simple but effective.
WWDC 2015, it showed a graphic which shortcut/icon or actua lly uninstalling the Okay, it's a hardwa re feature but Android
name-checked all the major high street app from the device entirely. M supports USB Type C, which is good news
banks, with the exception of Barclays. In Google Now is a great feature of Android for future devices - potentially starting with
terms of retai lers, the origina l list inc ludes and it gets even better in Andro id M. Now the Nexus 5 2015. You can plug it in either
McDonalds, Lid l, Marks & Spencer, Boots, on Tap means you can long press the home way around, it wi ll charge your device quicker
Wa itrose and Costa Coffee. button wherever you are you call up Google and even allow you to charge other devices.
This is very much a score for Apple Now. Better st ill, you don't need to navigate
Pay, as there is no news as yet as to when away from the app you're using and it wi ll Verdict
Android Pay will make it to the UK. At al ready have a good idea of what help you It is too early to make a definitive judgment
present al l Google has said is that t he service need based on what you've been doing, but the old truths are likely to remain. If
will be launching in the next few months, such as Directions to a specific location after you want ultimate polish, and are prepared
though this wi ll apply to the US rather, wit h chatting to a f riend about meeting up. to sacrifice your freedom to shop for apps
the UK to fol low some time la ter. We've already got fingerprint scanners on and media outside of Apple's wal ls, then iOS
At the Google 1/0 presentation in which numerous devices so it might not seem like a 9 is for you. It is a prison, but a beautiful,
Android Pay was announced all of the new feature, but Android M natively supports comfortable one. Meanwhile on the Android
companies listed as partners - either banks, them. This means you'll be able to use them side of the house the days when Goog le's
shops, or mob ile phone carriers - were US- to authorise payments via Android Pay and platform was hard to use are long gone.
based, and there was no mention of a UK or confirm Play store purchases. Deve lopers can But it is probab ly still fa ir to say that iOS is
European version. It wi ll happen, but it wi ll also use the functiona lity within the ir apps. a margina lly more shallow learning curve
take a while. So if contactless payments is One annoying thing about Android is for beginners. If you asked me to choose,
your t hing, the iPhone is the device for you . tha t down loading an app requi res you to I would plump for Android, but it real ly is
agree to al l its permissions, which might a personal choice. And Apple Pay being
New features inc lude things you don't agree with, such as available is a big win for iOS 9. Let's see
Let's take a look at some of the ot her new access to you r contacts when it's an endless what the autumn brings. []
features that may tempt you into the arms
of eit he r iOS 9 or Android M. Key features
iOS 9
of iOS 9 include a major Siri update and
deep-links in search results.
Apple says it has made Siri more
proactive. The new features are intended
to give iPhone users the same sort of
functiona lity as Android owners already
have in Google Now. And this new proactivity
isn't only part of Siri but also of sea rch.
Spotl ight search wil l display information
such as imminent events from the Calendar
app, locations nea rby that might interest
you, boarding passes for f lights you' ll be
boarding that day and more.
Split-screen multitasking is part of iOS 9,
too and there's a picture-in-picture mode that
allows you to watch videos while you do other
t hings, though these features are iPad only.
As we wi ll see when we discuss Android
M features, lots of Apple's competitors offer
softwa re-based battery-saving modes for
their devices, and Apple will do the same
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Search engines Google is complete your business will show up on Goog le Maps as
First up, this isn't an article explaining every last detail about well as in search results.
sea rch engine optimisation (SEO). There are ent ire books on It's also good to get listed on the big directories includ ing
the subject, and it is we ll worth reading up on SEO to more ful ly Thomson Local and Ye ll. Both sites offer free listings - tinyur l.
understand it. Here, we'l l explain the basic principles of how to com/q2zf5o7 and tinyurl.com/ob2edan, respect ively. However, you
ensure your website gets found by more customers. can pay for a more prominent list ing in Yell's listings. The cost will
Most search engines wil l automatically pick up your site, so depend on the prominence you want and the loca l areas you want
there's no need to manually add it using their online forms. But if to reach. It's possible to hagg le on price, so you may be able to save
you want to be listed at the top of the search rankings, it's most on the figure you're quoted online.
important to ensure that your site meets the current requirements. One way to ensure your listing is always up to date across
For examp le, Google recent ly started penalising sites that don't multiple directories is 1&1's List Local service (tinyurl.com/qgvnejx).
work properly on mobile devices. So if you haven't checked how The basic 9.99 per month package doesn't include Thomson loca l
your site looks on a phone, you should. and the Pro version isn't cheap at 29.99 per month. You'll also
If it doesn't work, you'l l need to put things right. The website need the Pro package if you have more than one business location .
builder tools included with most hosting packages shou ld be up
to date and will make your site compatible with all screen sizes, Your website
but if yours doesn't it could be ti me to change hosting providers Given that many sma ll businesses have no website at all, it's worth
or change the settings in your provider's online dashboard. having even a basic site with your contact information, a photo
Yet another important factor is having lots of links to your of your office, unit o r shop front, opening hours and any ot her
site from other websites. If there are none, you may have to relevant details. It isn't hard to produce a modern-looking site using
submit your site to Google manually. the site-bui lding tools we mentioned earlier. Some, including 1&1
MyWebsite 8 (tinyurl.com/ph3y3tj), will even pre-fi ll a lot of the text
Local searches for you, so it won't take long to make it specific to your business.
For some types of business, attracting local custom is your top Even more important than the site looking good is to make
priority. There's little point in a London-based driving instructor sure you give each page a title that describes the page properly.
being found by someone searching for driving lessons in Edinburgh. This will help to improve your Google ranking. Look for an option
That's where business directories come in, as well as Google's or setting somewhere in your site builder dashboard for title and
local listings. You can submit or correct details held about your meta descriptions: this is the information which will be shown in
business by going to google.co.uk/business. When you profile on Google listings, which is why the description is also important. !Zl
Windows makes it surprisingly easy to work with multiple monitors, Since you want to duplicate the screens and have the same
but in most cases you'll be working with two, or perhaps three at image on both, make sure 'Duplicate these displays' is selected in
a push. Two is great for having several applications visible at once, the Multiple displays drop-down menu (see bottom-left image).
while three is great for gaming- if your graphics card is up to the Note that duplicating disp lays is often a compromise if the
job. Here we're using Windows 8.1, but the process is almost identical screens have different resolutions or aspect ratios. For example,
in Windows 7. if you hook up a 1024x768 projector to a laptop with a 1366x768
screen, both will run at 1024x768, and you'll end up with black
Duplicate screen on multiple monitors bars on the left and right on your laptop screen.
When you first connect a second monitor, Windows should detect
it and automatically duplicate the screen on both displays. This is Extend the desktop across multiple monitors
the case regardless of whether you have a PC with two monitors Assuming you're not using a projector, which is when it makes
or a laptop with a screen or projector attached . sense to duplicate the screen, then you probably want to extend
If you don't see an image on the second screen, look for a the desktop to have different things on each screen. To do that,
function key on the top row of keys on your laptop which shows choose 'Extend these displays' instead of ' Duplicate these displays'.
two monitors. Press the Fn key and the appropriate function key
(F5 on the laptop below, for example) and it should toggle through p
the various configurations: laptop display only, laptop and external Change the appearance of your displays
screen, and external screen only. You can also try pressing the
Windows key and P at the same time for the same effect.
If you still have no image, go to the Windows desktop, right-click
and choose screen resolution. If you see only one screen in the drop- Oisptey: 2. Philtps 272.P.o~ ""
w ( Detect
l
G) 1 tdentay 1
OK
- II You can select a monitor in the diagram at the top and drag
Displ~ [ 1. Mobile PC Oisptay v it to the position it's in on your desk. Here we've put the second
Resolution: [1366 x 768 (Recommended) v] monitor on the left of the laptop because it defaults to the right.
Orientation: [Landscape You can move the smaller screen up and down, too.
You'll also notice you can select different resolutions for each
Advanced settings screen , but you have to se lect each screen in turn. Only one of
the monitors can be your main display. In Windows 7, that means
Make text and other items larger or smatl.et
What dlsplay setbngs should I c hoo-se?
it will be the only monitor with a task bar and start button. In
Windows 8 .1, you get those on all screens, but on ly the notification
OK Cancel ] Apply
area and clock on the main screen . [8]
Using applications such as Skype, Netflix, YouTube or online Ideally, you would connect your PC or laptop via an ethernet
gaming requires a fast internet connection to run smoothly. This cable into your router, looking to see if there is a Gigabit port
can be hard to maintain if you share your connect ion with family marked on the unit. It's on ly worth looking for a Gigabit port if
o r flatmates who also want to download large files, stream music your laptop or PC has a Gigabi t network adaptor of course.
or watch iPiayer. Here we'll show you how to get all, or at least a This tip won't give you priority over other users, but will
premium slice, of the bandwidth on a shared network. eliminate random elements in your house that cou ld cause you
to have a reduced service. Qu ite obviously, it's not relevant for
Ask others to stop using the internet smartphones or tablets without ethernet ports.
Before you delve into the technical solutions fo r these problems,
you cou ld always talk to the people you live with. If you want to Use Powerline devices to
call someone on Skype, but find that the video keeps freezing extend the range of the network
because Tom in the next room is mainlin ing the new series of Routers aren't always positioned in conven ient places, and rea ll y
House of Cards, you can always arrange beforehand to have the should be in the centre of the house to prov ide the best coverage
connection free for a whi le. for everyone. So if you can't plug directly into the router itself,
Of course, t his works both ways, so you 'll have to stay offline you cou ld always use powerline adaptors, which use the mains
at some point to return the favour. Do consider the fact tha t the wiring in your home to communicate.
connection is shared, so expect ing others to keep off the internet The princip le is simp le, you buy a couple of powerline devices
every night just so t hat your ping rate on Call of Duty stays as (pict ured right), plug one into the wa ll socket nearest t he rout er
low as possible won't make you a good f latmate. and the other in the socket nearest your computer, then connect
each adaptor to t he router or PC with an ethernet cable. Now
Switch from Wi-Fi to ethernet it's like you're plugging direct ly into the router, even though you
One way to improve the consistency of your connection is to plug might be on the other side of the house.
d irectly int o the router. Wi-Fi may well give you freedom, but an
ethernet cable gives you stabi lity and avoids the various obstac les, Tweak your router settings for quality
such as walls, which can hamper your Wi-Fi experience. To get of service, prioritisation, and dual-band
technical , ethernet is full duplex, but Wi-Fi is only half-duplex. In It's a sad truth that most of us will spend many hundreds of
essence Wi-Fi is much slower than ethernet. pounds, thousands even, on our electronic equ ipment and then
connect to t he internet via the free router that was given to us by movies/TV, while also streaming music, playing games or surfing
our ISP (or was already in the house). Don't get us wrong, some are the internet at the same ti me.
very good, but often these devices are old technology and certain ly Replacing your cheap or old router with a newer, more powerfu l
not top of the line. Getting the optimum performance out of them mode l is an obvious choice, especially if you can convince your
is essentia l then, and can be done with a few tweaks. family or flatmates to chip in as everyone wi ll benefit. This part
First, you'll need to ascertain the various capabilities of your of the market is often changing, so it's best to read up on reviews
service and equipment. To check your connection speed open to see which routers offer the best bang for buck. Bear in mind
a browser and go to speedtest.com. Here you' ll be able to run a though, that to get the best out of the latest 802.11ac standard
simple test that wi ll show you how fast your net connection is. A that new models offer, you' ll need to check that your computers
recent report stated that the average speed for home broadband and devices support 802.11ac otherwise they'll behave pretty
in the UK was a little over 10Mb, so if you find you're in that bracket much the same way they did on the old router.
you should be able to use video, gaming and streaming services In fact, it's even more complex, since it isn't enough to merely
wit hout too many issues. If you're below 5Mb, then it might be support 802.11ac. There's also t he number of antennas and streams
worth see ing if there are any services, such as BT Infinity or Virgin to consider. Your new router might support as many as four
Media, that are offered in your area as there isn't much that a simultaneous streams, but you r laptop, say, won't be able to take
router can do if t he supply it receives is slow. advantage if it has an 802.11ac rad io t hat supports only one stream.
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DISC INSTRUCTIONS
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PC ADVISOR
RECOMMENDED
Price 1,720 inc VAT 1,100 inc VAT 1,599 inc VAT 2,116 inc VAT 999 inc VAT
Processor
****' ****j
2.4GHz Intel Core i74860HQ 2.4GHz Intel Core i75500U
****'
2.2GHz Intel Core i7
****
2.1GHz Intel Core i54600U
***~
2.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
RAM 16GB DDR3 8GB (2x 4GB) DDR3 16GB DDR3L 8GB DDR3L 8GB LPDDR3
Storage 1TB HOD, 3x 128GB SSD 256GB SSD 256GB SSD 256GB SSD 128GB SSD
Screen size 17.3in matt 13.3in matt 15.4in matt 14in matt 13.3in matt
Graphics 2x nVidia GeForce GTX 860M nVidia Geforce GTX 860M Intel lris Pro Graphics Intel HD Graphics 4400 Intel Iris Graphics 6100
Bluetooth
USB 3x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 3x USB 3.0 2x USB 3.0 2x USB 3.0 2x USB 3.0
Fire Wire X
Thunderbolt X X X
DisplayPort X X
HOM I X
DVI X X X
VGA X X X X
eSATA X X X X
Audio Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic
Extras HD webcam 2Mp webcam 720p Face Time 0.9Mp webcam 720p Face Time
Operating system Windows 8.1 64-bit Windows 8.1 OS X Yosemite Windows 7 Professional OS X Yosemite
Gaming scores 189/157fps in Tomb Raider 89/64fps in Tomb Raider Not tested 49/33fps in Tomb Raider Not tested
Battery 74.7Wh lithium-polymer 52Wh lithium-polymer 74.9Wh lithium-ion 42Wh lithium-polymer 74.9Wh lithium-ion
Battery life 1hr 48 mins 10 hrs 20 mins 8 hrs 58 mins 5 hrs 41 mins 17 hrs 5 mins
Warranty 2-year return-to-base 1-year collect-and-return 1-year return-to-base 2-year return-to-base 1-year return-to-base
PC ADVISOR
RECOMMENDED
Price 399 inc VAT 269 inc VAT 219 inc VAT 239 inc VAT 410 inc VAT
Build rating
***-.j **** **** ****" ***
Features rating
**** **** **** ****
Performance rating
***i ****-.j **** **** ****
Value rating
***-.j ****i **** ****
Overall rating
Processor
****
1.7GHz Intel Core i34010U
****-.j
Intel Celeron
****
2.1GHz nVidia Tegra K1
****
1.4GHz Intel Celeron 2955U
****
2GHz Intel Core i34158U
RAM 4GB DDR3 4GB DDR3 4GB DDR3 4GB DDR3 4GB DDR3
Storage 1TB HOD 16GB SSD 32GB SSD 16GB SSD 500GB HOD with 8GB flash
Screen size 15.6in gloss 13.3in IPS 13.3in 11.6in glossy 13.3in matt
Graphics nVidia GeForce 820M Intel HD graphics nVidia Kepler Intel HD Graphics Intel Iris Graphics 5100
Bluetooth ./
US B 1x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0 2x USB 3.0 2x USB 3.0 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0
FireWire )C )C )C )C )C
Thunderbolt )C )C )C
Display Port )C )C )C )C )C
HDMI ./
DVI )C )C )C )C )C
VGA )C )C )C )C
eSATA )C )C )C )C
Audio Headphone minijack Headphone minijack Headphone minijack Headphone minijack Headphone minijack
Optical drive DVD Writer None None None None
Extras
None Webcam Webcam Webcam None
Operating system Windows 8.1 Google Chrome OS Google Chrome OS Google Chrome OS Windows 8.1
Battery life 4 hrs 58 mins Not tested 660ms 7 hrs 17 mins 6 hrs 35 mins
PCMark 8 Home score 1959 Not tested Not tested N/A 2358 (3396 Work)
Price 999 inc VAT 2,116 inc VAT 849 inc VAT 1,099 inc VAT 639 inc VAT
Build rating
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Features rating
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Performance rating
**** ****j **** ***~ ****.
Value rating
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Overall rating
Processor
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2.7GHz Intel Core iS
****
2.1GHz Intel Core i5-4600U
****
1.6GHz Intel Core iS
****
2.4GHz Intel Core i7-5500U
****
Intel Haswell Core i3
RAM 8GB LPDDR3 8GB DDR3L 4GB LPDDR3 8GB DDR3 4GB DDR3
Storage 128GB SSD 256GB SSD 128GB SSD 256GB SSD 64GB SSD
Screen size 13.3in matt 14in matt 13.3in glossy 13.3in IPS 12in ClearType
Graphics Intel Iris Graphics 6100 Intel HD Graphics 4400 Intel HD Graphics 6000 Intel HD Graphics 5500 Intel HD Graphics 4400
Bluetooth
USB 2x USB 3.0 2x USB 3.0 2x USB 3.0 2x USB 3.0 1x USB 3.0
FireWire )C
Thunderbolt )C )C
DisplayPort )C )C )C
HDMI ../ )C )C )C )C
DVI )C )C )C )C
VGA )C )C )C )C )C
eSATA )C )C )C )C )C
Audio Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack Headphone jack, mic
Extras 720p FaceTime 0.9Mp webcam 720p FaceTime 720p webcam 5Mp webcam
Operating system OS X Yosemite Windows 7 Professional OS X Yosemite Windows 8.1 64-bit Windows 8.1 Pro
Bundled software None None None Microsoft Office 2013 Trial None
Gaming scores Not tested 49/33fps in Tomb Raider Not tested 40fps Batman: Arkham City Not tested
Battery 74.9Wh lithium-ion 42Wh lithium-polymer 38Wh lithium-ion 52Wh lithium-polymer 8000mAh lithium-ion
Battery life 17 hrs 5 mins 5 hrs 41 mins 12 hrs 49 mins 6 hrs 12 mins 9 hrs
PCMark 7 score Not tested 4783 Not tested Not tested Not tested
Warranty 1-year return-to-base 2-year return-to-base 1-year return-to-base 1-year next business day 1-year return-to-base
PC ADVISOR
RECOMMENDED
Price 269 inc VAT 219 inc VAT 239 inc VAT 259 inc VAT 249 inc VAT
Build rating
**** **** **** **** ****
Features rating
**** **** **** **** ****
Performance rat ing
****j **** **** **** ****
Value rating
**** **** ****
Overall rating
Processor
****~
Intel Celeron
****
2.1GHz nVidia Tegra K1
****
1.4GHz Intel Celeron 2955U
****
1.4GHz Intel Celeron 2955U
****
1.4GHz Intel Celeron 2955U
RAM 4GB DDR3 4GB DDR3 4GB DDR3 4GB DDR3 2GB DDR3
Storage 16GB SSD 32GB SSD 16GB SSD 16GB SSD 16GB SSD
Screen size 13.3in IPS 13.3in 11.6in glossy 14in glossy 11.6in glossy
Graphics Intel HD graphics nVidia Kepler Intel HD Graphics Intel HD graphics Intel HD graphics
Bluetooth ./
USB l x USB 3.0, lx USB 2.0 2x USB 3.0 2x USB 3.0 2x USB 3.0, lx USB 2.0 lx USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0
Fire Wire )( )( )(
Thunderbolt )( )( )( )(
DisplayPort )( )( )( )( )(
HDMI ./
DVI )( )( )( )( )(
VGA )( )( )( )( )(
eSATA )( )( )(
Audio Headphone minijack Headphone minijack Headphone minijack Headphone minijack Headphone minijack
Optical drive None None None None None
Extras
Webcam Webcam Webcam Webcam Webcam
Operating system Google Chrome OS Google Chrome OS Google Chrome OS Google Chrome OS Google Chrome OS
Battery life 9 hrs 9 hrs 20 mins 7 hrs 17 mins 7 hrs 50 mins 6 hrs 7 mins
PC ADVISOR PC ADVISOR
RECOMMENDED BEST B UY
Price 1,720 inc VAT 1,100 inc VAT 1,299 inc VAT 1,750 inc VAT 2,100 inc VAT
Build rating
**** ***~ **** ***j ****
Features rating
****j **** **** **** ****j
Performance rating
****j **** **** ***j ****j
Value rating
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Overall rating
Processor
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2.4GHz Intel Core i7-4860HQ 2.4GHz Intel Core i7-5500U
**** ****
2.6GHz Intel Core i7-4720HQ 2.6GHz Intel Core i7-4720HQ
****
2.4GHz Intel Core i7-4860HQ
RAM 16GB DDR3 8GB (2x 4GB) DDR3 16GB (2x 8BG) DDR3 16GB DDR3 16GB DDR3
Storage 1TB HOD, 3x 128GB SSD 256GB SSD 1TB HOD, 128GB SSD 2x 128GB SSD, 1TB HDD 2x 256GB SSD
Screen size 17.3in matt 13.3in matt 15.6in matt 17.3in matt 17.3in matt
Graphics 2x nVidia Geforce GTX 860M nVidia Geforce GTX 860M nVidia Geforce GTX 965M nVidia Geforce GTX 980M 2x nVidia GTX 870M
Bluetooth
USB 3x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 3x USB 3.0 3x USB 3.0 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 3x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0
FireWire )C )C
Thunderbolt )C )C )C
DisplayPort )C
HDMI ../ )C
DVI )C )C )C )C
VGA )C )C
eSATA )C )C )C )C )C
Audio Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic Headphone jack, mic
Operating system Windows 8.1 64-bit Windows 8.1 Windows 8.1 Windows 8.1 Windows 8.1 64-bit
Gaming scores 189/157fps in Tomb Raider 89/64fps in Tomb Raider 123/82fps in Tomb Raider 221/153fps in Tomb Raider 221/170fps in Tomb Raider
Battery 74.7Wh lithium-polymer 52Wh lithium-polymer 48Wh lithium-ion 78Wh lithium-polymer 74.7Wh lithium-polymer
Battery life 1hr 48 mins 10 hrs 20 mins 2 hrs 49 mins 4 hrs 2 mins 1 hr 48 mins
Warranty 2-year return-to-base 1-year col lect-and-return 2-year return-to-base 2-year 2-year return-to-base
Price 799 inc VAT 668 inc VAT 799 inc VAT 799 inc VAT 780 inc VAT
Build rating
**** ****' **** ****' ***"1
Features rating
** ***.._ ***** ****"1 *~
Performance rating
****"1 ****.._ ***** ****"1 ****"
Value rating
**** ****~ ****
Overall rating
Processor
****"1
3.2GHz Intel Core i5-4570
****"1
3.4GHz Intel Core i5-4670
****"1
3.5GHz Intel Core i5-4690
****
3.4GHz Intel Core i5-4670
****
3.5GHz Intel Core i5-4690
RAM 16GB DDR3 8GB DDR31600MHz 16GB DDR3 1600MHz 16GB DDR3 1600MHz 8GB DDR3 1600MHz
Storage lTB HOD+ 120GB SSD lTB HOD lTB HOD+ 120GB SSD ZTB HOD+ 120GB SSD lTB HOD+ 128GB SSD
Motherboard Asus B85M-G Asus B85M-G Asus B85M-G MSI B85M-E45 Gigabyte H97M-D3H
CPU cooler Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro Standard Intel Cooler Standard Intel Cooler Standard Intel Cooler Standard Intel Cooler
Power supply 600W CiT SOOW FSP 500W FSP SOOW FSP 500W CIT
Screen 23in liyama X2377 24in AOC E2495Sh 23in Asus VS239HV 24in liyama E2483HS-B1 24in liyama E2483HS-B1
Optical drive LG BO-ROM/OVORW LiteOn OVO RW Lite On BO-ROM/DVO RW 24x OVO RW None
Operating system Windows 8 64-bit Windows 8.1 64-bit Windows 8.1 64-bit Windows 8.1 64-bit Windows 8.1 64-bit
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DOWNLOAD THE LATEST ISSUE TODAY
ISSUE 97
Price 999 inc VAT 999 inc VAT 999 inc VAT 749 inc VAT 999 inc VAT
Build rating
***** ****~ ****~ ***~ *****
Features rating
***** *** ic. ****~ *** ****~
Performance rating
**** **** ****~ ***~ ****j
Value rating
**** ***~ ***j
Overall rating
****j
3.5GHz Intel Core i5-4690K
****j
3.5GHz Intel i5-4670K
****~ ****j
3.5GHz Intel Core i5-4690K
****j
3.5GHz Intel Core i5 4690K
Processor 3.5GHz Intel Core i5-4690K
(OC 4.4GHz) (OC 4.6GHz) (OC 4.2GHz) (4.2GHz OC)
Memory 16GB HyperX Savage 8GB DDR3 8GB DDR3 8GB DDR3 8GB DDR3
Storage 2TB HOD + 250GB SSD 1TB HOD + 120GB SSD 1TG HOD+ 120GB SSD 1TB SSHD 2TB HOD + 240GB SSD
Power supply 550W XFX Core Edition 450W Corsair 600W Cooler Master 600W Corsair 600W Aerocoollntegrator
Motherboard Asus Z97-K Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 3 Gigabyte H81M-S2H Gigabyte Z97-HD3 MSI Z97M-G43
Operating system Windows 8.1 Windows 8.1 Windows 8.1 Windows 8.1 64-bit Windows 8.1
Screen 26in HKC 2615 24in liyama GE2488HS-B1 24in AOC E2470SWDA None supplied 23.6in AOC 12476VWM
Connectivity Gigabit ethernet Gigabit ethernet Gigabit ethernet Gigabit ethernet Gigabit ethernet
6x USB 3.0, 4x USB 2.0, 2x 6x USB 3.0, 3x USB 2.0, 6x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, 2x
Ports 6x USB 3.0, 4x USB 2.0 6x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0
PS/2, D-Sub, OVI-D, 6x SATA 2x DVI, HDMI, DP DVI, HDMI, DP, PS/2
Case XFX Type 1Bravo NZXT Source 340 NZXT Source 340 Black NZXT Source 340 CIT Kube Case
Sniper Elite V2
(Low/Medium/Ultra) 292.1/106.8/26.5fps 285.6/123.6/28.9fps 281.1/192.9/48.1fpsfps 289.3/123.8/29fps 429.4/204.3/49.1fps
2-year parts, 3-year return- 5-year labour (2-year 1-year RTB (3-year labour
Warranty 3-year return-to-base 3-year PromoCare
to-base, 30-day C&R collect-and-return) only), 90-day C&R
PC ADVISOR
RECOMMENDED
Price 1,999 inc VAT 799 inc VAT 1,299 inc VAT 799 inc VAT 900 inc VAT
Build rating
***** ***j *** ***j ****
Features rating
* **j ** **** *
Performance rating
**** ***j ***** **j **j
Value rating
***~ **** ***
Overall rating
Processor
*****
3.9GHz Intel Core iS-4690
****
2.7GHz Intel Core i5-4460T
****
4GHz Intel Core i7-4790S
****
2.6GHz Intel Core i5-4200U
****
3.2GHz Intel Core i7-4785T
RAM 8GB DDR3 8GB DDR3 16GB DDR3 6GB DDR3 8GB DDR3
Storage lTB Fusion Drive lTB HDD lTB SSD lTB HDD lTB HDD
Graphics card AMD Radeon M9 M290X nVidia GeForce GT 840M nVidia GeForce GT 750M Intel HD Graphics 4400 Intel HD Graphics 4600
Bluetooth X X X X X
USB 4x USB 3.0 2x USB 3.0, 3x USB 2.0 4x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 3x USB 3.0, 3x USB 2.0 2x USB 3.0, 4x USB 2.0
Fire Wire X X X
Thunderbolt X X X X
HDMI X
Optical drive None DVD Writer Blu-Ray Combo DVD Writer DVD Writer
Operating system OS X Yosemite Windows 8.1 64-bit Windows 8.1 64-bit Windows 8.1 64-bit Windows 8.1 64-bit
Power consumption
(idle/max) 46/215W 46/91W 35/177W 33/69W 43/81W
Sniper V2 Elite
Not tested 47.7/18.7/S.lfps 91.5/41.2/10.5fps 31.4/7.8/Sfps 27.7/7.4/5 fps
(Low/High/Ultra)
Price 349 inc VAT 349 inc VAT 500 inc VAT 479 inc VAT 579 inc VAT
Build rating
****j ***~ **** ****j ****j
Features rating
****j **** **** Jc...J
****
Performance rating
***~ ****j **** ***~ ****
Value rating
**** ****j ***""
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OS (out of box)
****j
Android 5.0 Lollipop
****j
And roid 4.4 KitKat
****
Android 5.1 Lollipop
****j
Android 4.4 KitKat
****
Android 5.0 Lollipop
Processor 2.1GHz Exynos 7420 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 Snapdragon 808 six-core 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 Snapdragon 810 octa-core
Graphics Mali-T760 GPU Adreno 330 Adreno 418 Adreno 330 Adreno 430
Rear camera 16Mp, LED flash 20.7Mp, LED flash 16Mp 13Mp, LED flash 20Mp
Video recording 4K 4K 4K 4K 4K
Cellular connectivity 4G 4G 4G 4G 4G
Duai-SIM as standard No No No No No
Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.1 Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.1 Bluetooth 4.0 (aptX) Bluetooth 4.1 (aptX)
GPS GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass GPS, Glonass
Battery 2550mAh, non-removable 2600mAh, non-removable 3000mAh removable 3000mAh, removable, Qi 2840mAh, non-removable
Price 109 inc VAT 79 inc VAT 99 inc VAT 140 inc VAT 117 inc VAT
Build rating
**** ****j **** **** ***~
Features rating
**** **** ***-.J **** ****
Performance rating
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Value rating
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OS (out of box)
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Android 5.0 Lollipop
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Android 5.0.2 Lollipop
****
Android 5.0 Lollipop
****
Android 4.4 KitKat
****-.J
Android 4.4 KitKat
Processor 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 1.2GHz 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400
Graphics Adreno 306 Adreno 306 Not stated Adreno 305 Adreno 305
Rear camera 5Mp 8Mp 8Mp, LED flash 8Mp, LED fl ash 5Mp, LED flash
Cellular connectivity 4G 4G 4G 3G 4G
Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.0
GPS GPS, A-GPS, Glonass A-GPS A-GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass
NFC No No No No No
Battery 2390mAh, non-removable N/S, non-removable 2000mAh, non-removable 2390mAh, non-removable 2070mAh, non-removable
""
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Price 599 inc VAT 500 inc VAT 479 inc VAT 229 inc VAT 499 inc VAT
Build rating
**** **** ****~ **** ****
Features rating
****~ **** ****~ ~ ****
Performance rating
**** **** ****~ **** ****
Value rating
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OS (out of box)
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Android 4.4 KitKat
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Android 5.1 Lollipop
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Android 4.4 KitKat
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Cyanogen 11S (Android 4.4)
****
Android 5.0 Lollipop
Processor 2.7GHz Snapdragon 805 1.82GHz Snapdragon 808 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 2.7GHz Snapdragon 805
Graphics Adreno 420 Adreno 418 Adreno 330 Adreno 330 Adreno 420
Rear camera 16Mp, LED flash 16Mp, LED flash 13Mp, LED flash 13Mp, LED flash 13Mp, LED flash
Video recording 4K 4K 4K 4K 4K
Cellular connectivity 4G 4G 4G 4G 4G
Duai-SIM as standard No No No No No
Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.1 Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.0 (aptX) Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.1
GPS GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass GPS, Glonass GPS, Glonass
Battery 3220mAh, removable 3000mAh, removable, Oi 3000mAh, removable, Oi 3100mAh, non-removable 3220mAh, non-removable, Oi
Price 199 inc VAT 319 inc VAT 299 inc VAT 239 inc VAT 319 inc VAT
Build rating
**** **** **** ****" ***~
Features rating
****~ ****~ ****~ **** ****
Performance rating
****~ ****~ ****~ ****~ ****~
Value rating
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OS (out of box)
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Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
****j
Android 4.4 KitKat
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Android 4.4 KitKat
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iOS 8.2
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Android 5.0 Lollipop
Processor 1.5GHz Snapdragon 54 Pro Exynos 5420, octa-core 2.5GHz Snapdragon 801 Apple A7, Apple M7 2.3GHz nVidia Tegra K1
Graphics Adreno 320 ARM Mali-T628 MP6 Ad reno 330 Apple A7 192-core Kepler
Rear camera 5Mp 8Mp, LED flash 8.1Mp 5Mp 8Mp, LED flash
Cellular connectivity 4G version available 4G version available 4G version available 4G version available 4G version available
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band
Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.1
GPS GPS, Glonass GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass GPS, Glonass
Waterproof No No Yes No No
PS4 Remote Play,
Extra features None Stereo speakers None BoomSound speakers
stereo speakers
Geekbench 3.0 (single) Not tested Not tested Not tested Not tested 1904
Geekbench 3.0 (multi) Not tested 2765 2708 Not tested 3352
Battery 3950mAh, non-removable, Qi 4900mAh, non-removable 4500mAh, non-removable 6470mAh, non-removable 6700mAh, non-removable
Price 399 inc VAT 399 inc VAT 369 inc VAT 319 inc VAT 389 inc VAT
Build rating
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OS (out of box)
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iOS 8.2
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Android 4.4 KitKat
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Android 4.4 KitKat
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iOS 8.2
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Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
Processor Apple A8X, Apple M8 Exynos 5420, octa-core 2.3GHz Snapdragon 801 Apple A7, Apple M7 1.7GHz Exynos 5250
Graphics Apple A8X ARM Mali-T628 MP6 Adreno 330 Apple A7 ARM Mali T604
Rear camera 8Mp 8Mp, LED flash 8.1Mp 5Mp 5Mp, LED flash
Cellular connectivity 4G version available 4G version available 4G version available 4G version available No
Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n, dual-band 802.11b/g/n, dual-band
Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.0
GPS A-GPS, Glonass GPS, Glonass GPS, Glonass A-GPS, Glonass GPS, Glonass
Waterproof No No Yes No No
Geekbench 3.0 (single) 1816 Not tested 967 1487 Not tested
GFXBench: Manhattan Not tested 3fps Not tested Not tested Not tested
Battery 7340mAh, non-removable 7900mAh, non-removable 6000mAh, non-removable 8600mAh, non-removable 9000mAh, non-removable
4
Price 195 inc VAT 199 inc VAT 189 inc VAT 199 inc VAT 159 inc VAT
Overall rating
****~ ****~ ***~ ***~ ****
Operating system Android Wear Android Wear Android Wear Android Wear Android Wear
Display 1.3in 320x320 P-OLED 1.56in 290x320 LCD 1.6in 320x320 LCD 1.6in 320x320 AMOLED 1.65in 280x280 IPS
Processor 1.2GHz Snapdrgon 400 Tl OMAP 3 1.2GHz ARM V7 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400
Price 179 inc VAT 1251nc VAT 1691nc VAT 991nc VAT 260 inc VAT
Overall rating
**** **** ****' **** ***~
Operating system Proprietary Proprietary Tizen Proprietary Tizen
Compatibility iOS, Android Android Samsung phones iOS, Android Samsung phones
Display 1.26in 144x168 E-Paper 1.6in 220x176 LCD 1.6in 320x320 Super AMOLED 1.01in 96x16 OLEO 1.6in 320x320 Super AMOLED
Processor Not specified Not specified Dual-core Not specified 1GHz dual-core
PC ADVISOR
RECOMMENDED
Price 119 inc VAT 199 inc VAT 79 inc VAT 169 inc VAT 99 inc VAT
Overall rating
****~ ****~ ****~ ***~ ****
Compatibility iOS, Android, Windows iOS, Android, Windows iOS, Android iOS, Android, Windows iOS, Android, Windows
Dimensions, weight 21.1mm, 26g 34mm, 51g 35.5x28x9.65mm, 8g 11x33mm, 60g 21.1mm, 24g
Price 169 inc VAT 29 inc VAT 89 inc VAT 39 inc VAT 99 inc VAT
Overall rating
***~ ****~ **** **** ***~
Compatibility iOS, Android iOS, Android iOS, Android iOS, Android iOS, Android
Display E-lnk No No No No
Dimensions, weight 33x43x10mm, 51g 157-205mm, 13g 220x11.5x3-8.5mm, 25g 27.6x27.6x9.8mm, 6.8g S: 19g, M: 22g, L: 23g
PC ADVISOR
GO, -l
Price 100 inc VAT 60 inc VAT 91 inc VAT 68 inc VAT 70 inc VAT
Overall rating
****~ **** ****~ **** ****
Technology Mono laser Colour inkjet Mono laser Mono laser Colour inkjet
Actual print speed B=17.1ppm B=11.8ppm C=8.7ppm B=22.2ppm B=18ppm B=9.7ppm C=3.8ppm
Scan/fax facilities 1200x1200 scans 1200x2400 scans None None 1200x2400 scans/fax
Supported interfaces USB 2.0, 802.11b/g/n, NFC USB 2.0, 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0, 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0, 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0, 802.11b/g/n, AirPrint
Cost per page B=3.8p B=2.4p C=4.8p B=2p B=5p B=2.7p C=4.8p
Input capacity 150 sheets 100 sheets 250 sheets 150 sheets 100 sheets+ 30-sheet ADF
-
Price 200 inc VAT 320 inc VAT 330 inc VAT 548 inc VAT 275 inc VAT
Overall rating
****~ ****~ **** ****~ ****~
Technology Colour inkjet Mono laser Colour inkjet Colour laser Colour inkjet
Actual print speed B=18.9ppm B=24ppm B=8.5ppm C=4ppm B=30ppm C=30ppm B=42.9ppm C=15.8ppm
Scan/fax facilities None 600dpi scanner, 33.6Kb/s fax 1200dpi scanner, 33.6Kb/s fax None None
Supported interfaces USB 2.0, ethernet, 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0, ethernet, 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0, 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0, ethernet, 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0, ethernet. 802.11b/g/n
Cost per page B=1.1p B=1.5p B=0.2p C=0.4p B=lp C=5.9p B=1p C=4.3p
Input capacity 250 + 80 sheet 250 +50 sheet + 50 ADF 100 + 30 sheet 750 sheets+ 50 sheet 500 + 50 sheet
Price 169 inc VAT 150 inc VAT 108 inc VAT 90 inc VAT 160 inc VAT
Overall rating
Standards supported
****
802.11a/b/g/n/ac
****-1
802.11a/b/g/n/ac
****
802.11a/b/g/n/ac
****
802.11a/b/g/n/ac
****
802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Frequency modes 2.4GHz/5GHz (concurrent) 2.4GHz/5GHz (concurrent) 2.4GHz/5GHz (concurrent) 2.4GHz/5GHz (concurrent) 2.4GHz/5GHz (concurrent)
Built-in modem X X X X X
WPS X .(
Por ts Gigabit WAN, 3x gigabit LAN, USB Gigabit WAN, lxUSB3.0, 1xUSB 2.0 Gigabit WAN, lx USB 3.0, lxUSB2.0 Gigabit WAN. 4x gigabit LAN. 2x USB 2.0 Gigabit WAN, 4xgigabit LAN, 2x USB2.0
Dimensions, weight 98x168x98mm, 945g 285x186x45mm, 750g 247x190x47mm, 745g 32.5x243x160mm, 508g 160x83x220mm, 640g
..
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Price 43 inc VAT 41 inc VAT 119 inc VAT 88 inc VAT 88 inc VAT
Overall rating
No of adaptors in kit
****-1
1(2 required)
****.._
2
****-1
2
****
2
****
2
Price 320 inc VAT (diskless) 83 inc VAT (diskless) 190 inc VAT (diskless) 205 inc VAT (diskless) 270 inc VAT (diskless)
Drive bays 4
****
1
****~
2
****
2
****
4
Processor ZGHz Marvell single-core 800MHz Marvell Armada 370 1.6GHz Marvell single-core 1.3 GHz Marvel Armada 385 1.2GHz Mindspeed Concerto
Memory 1GB DDR3 256MB DDR3 512MB DDR3 1GB DDR3 512MB DDR3
Remote access ./ ./
eSATA 2x X X 1x
USB port 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 2x USB 2.0 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0 2x USB 3.0 1x USB 3.0, 1x USB 2.0
I
PC ADVISOR
B EST BUY
4
Price 70 inc VAT 76 inc VAT 90 inc VAT 99 inc VAT 269 inc VAT
Capacity test ed
****"1
2TB
****
ZTB
****
2TB
****
500GB
***"1
1TB
Capacity range 500GB, 1TB, 2TB 500GB, 1TB, 2TB lTB, 2TB 500GB 500GB, 1TB, 1.5TB, 2TB
Encryption 256-bit AES 256-bit AES 256-bit AES N/A 256bit AES-XTS
Other interfaces USB 3.0 USB 3.0 USB 3.0 USB 3.0 USB 3.0
Software Transcend Elite None WD Drive Util ities Seagate Dashboard Security utilities
Price 338 inc VAT 125 inc VAT 155 inc VAT 320 inc VAT 202 inc VAT
Overall rating
Capacity tested
****'-J
1TB
****
240GB
****~
480GB
****~
750GB
****
480GB
Memory cac he 1GB LP OOR2 512MB 512MB OOR3 1GB LPOOR2 NIA
Cont roller Marvell 88SS9189 lndilinx Barefoot 3 MOO Marvell 88SS9187 Samsung MEX (3-core ARM) Link A Media Device
Encryption AES 256-bit AES 256-bit AES 256-bit AES 256-bit None
Flash Micron 20nm MLC NAND Toshiba 19nm MLC Micron 20nm MLC NAND Samsung 19nm Toggle NAND Toshiba 19nm MLC
Firmware updated via Boatable CD OCZ Toolbox, boatable ISO boot disc SSD Magician for Windows Seagate Firmware, boatable
ATTO peak sequential R: 563MBis; W: 514MBis R: 557MB1s: W: 534MBis R: 539MB/s; W: 433MB/s R: 554MB1s; W: 537MB/s R: 555MBis; W: 474MB/s
COM peak lOPS 100 I 91.7 92.9 I 94.7 89.8k (read) 104K (read) 96.8 I 88.6
Price 512 inc VAT 730 inc VAT 4581nc VAT 5251nc VAT 778 inc VAT
Overall rating
Projection technology
****
DLP
****
OLP
****
DLP
****
OLP
****
OLP
Brightness, Cont rast 800, 120,000:1 2000, 10,000:1 3400, 15,000:1 3300, 15,000:1 3500, 10,000:1
Supported aspect rat ios 16:10 native 16:9 native 16:10, 16:9, 4:3 16:10, 16:9, 4:3 16:10
Noise levels (dB) 34 (32 eco) 33 (30 eco) 29db 32db (30 eco) 33 (39 bright mode)
Connections VGA, HOMI, USB VGA, 2x HOM I, USB, 30 VGA, HOMI, Mini-USB, 30 2x VGA, HDMI, USB, ethernet 2x VGA, 2x HOMI, USB
Lamp/la mp life 90WI30000 hrs 240W/6000 hrs 190W/10000 hrs 278WI3500 hrs 278WI8000 hrs
Price 130 inc VAT 125 inc VAT 91 inc VAT 110 inc VAT 120 inc VAT
Overall rating
Graphics processor
****
AMD Radeon R9 270X
****j
AMD Radeon R9 270
***i
AMD Radeon R7 260X
****
AMD Radeon R7 265
***i
nVidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti
Installed RAM 2GB GDDR5 2GB GDDR5 2GB GDDR5 2GB GDDR5 2GB GDDR5
Texture units 80 80 56 64 40
Digital interface 2x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort 2x DVI, HDMI, DP 2x DVI, HDMI, Mini-DP 2x DVI, 1x HDMI, lx DP 2x DVI, 2x HOM I
Price 200 inc VAT 200 inc VAT 280 inc VAT 28Sinc VAT 680 Inc VAT
Overall rating
Graphics processor
****i
nVidia GeForce GTX 770
****j
AMD Radeon R9 280X
****~
AMD Radeon R9 290X
****
nVidia GeForce GTX 960
****
AMD Radeon R9 295 X2
Installed RAM 2GB GDDR5 3GB GDDR5 4GB GDDR5 2GB GDDR5 8GB GDDR5
DirectX 11 11 11 12 11
Digital interface 2x DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort DVI, HDMI, 2x Mini-DisplayPort 2x DVI, HOM I, DisplayPort DVI, HDMI, 3x DisplayPort DVI, 4x Mini-DP
./
PC ADVISOR PC ADVISOR
BtST B UY RECOMMENDED
Price 130 inc VAT 130 inc VAT 194 inc VAT 175 inc VAT 108 inc VAT
Overall rating
Screen size
****~
23in
****
23in
****
23.8in
****
27in
****
24in
Panel type IPS matt IPS matt IPS matt VA semi-matt TN matt
Ports HDMI, HDMI/ MHL, DP, VGA 2xHOMI (OHAB) or 1xHOMI (OOAB), VGA DP, OVI-D, VGA 2x HDMI, VGA OVI-D, VGA
Price 760 inc VAT 750 inc VAT 1,455 inc VAT 855 inc VAT 540 Inc VAT
Overall rating
Screen size
****
34in 21:9
****
27in
****
31.5in
****
24.1in 27in
Ports HDMI. DP, Thunderbolt. USB3.0 HDMI, DP. USB 3.0, USB 2.0 HDMI, DP, Mini-DP, 4x USB 3.0 DVI, DP. HDMI, VGA, 3x USB 3.0 HDMI, DVI, Mini-DP, 4x USB3.0
_
CHAPTER I
_
T ...._... _....
Hf, -
........... _........
.CA _, ......... 't ,
_PROLOGUE
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I '"
Price 169 inc VAT 59 inc VAT 109 inc VAT 89 inc VAT 139 inc VAT
Screen size
****
6in touchscreen
***~
6in touchscreen
****
6in touchscreen
****
6in touchscreen
***
6.8in touchscreen
Book store Amazon Kindle Amazon Kindle Amazon Kindle Nook Kobo
Battery life Six weeks Four weeks Eight weeks Eight weeks Two months
PC ADVISOR
RECOMMENDED
Price 49 inc VAT 99 inc VAT 30 inc VAT 59 inc VAT 79 inc VAT
Overall rating
Type
****i
Dongle
****
Set-top box
****
Dongle
****
Set-top box
****
Set-top box
Ports HOMI, Micro-USB HDMI, USB, ethernet HDMI, Micro-USB HOMI, ethernet, Micro-USB HDMI, USB, ethernet
Processor 600MHz single-core 900MHzsingle-core Single-core Apple AS single-core 1.7GHz Qualcomm quad-core
Graphics Not specified Not specified Not specified Not specified Ad reno 320
Storage None 512MB plus microSO slot None 8GB (not user-accessible) 8GB
Price 349 inc VAT 349 inc VAT 249 inc VAT 249 inc VAT 199 inc VAT
Overall rating
Processor
****
Octa-core AMD x86 1.75GHz octa-core AMD x86
****
IBM Power multicore CPU
****'-J
IBM CPU
*****
IBM Xenon CPU
Graphics 1.84TFiops AMD Radeon GPU 1.31TFiops AMD Radeon GPU AMD Radeon GPU 256MB nVidia RSX 512MB ATI Xenos
RAM 8GB GDDR5 8GB DDR3 Not specified Not specified 512MB GDDR3
Optical drive Btu-ray, DVD, game discs Blu-ray, DVD, game discs Wii U, Wii discs only Btu-ray, DVD, game discs DVD, game discs
Ports 2x USB 3.0, AUX, HOM I USB 3.0, HOM I 4x USB 2.0, HOM I 2x USB 2.0, HOM I 5x USB, HDMI
Connectivity Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n 802.11b/g/n Ethernet, 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth Ethernet. 802.11b/g/n
PC ADVISOR PC ADVISOR
RECO MMENDED RECOMMENDED
Price 231nc VAT 411nc VAT 39 inc VAT 99 inc VAT 23 inc VAT
Overall rating
Speaker(s)
****'-J
2x3W
****i
2x3W
****j
1x 5W
****'-J
Not specified
****
1x5W
Bluetooth Bluetooth 3.0 + EDR Bluetooth 2.1 Not specified Bluetooth 4.0 Bluetooth 4.0
Frequency response 20Hz to 20kHz Not specified Not specified Not specified 90Hz to 18kHz
lmpedence 4 ohms Not specified Not specified Not specified Not specified
Extra features MicroSD slot. lanyard None IPX4 splash proof, LED lamp IPX4 splashproof None
Price 39 inc VAT 45 inc VAT 41 inc VAT 25 inc VAT 12 inc VAT
Overall rating
****~ ****~ ****~ **** ***~
Type In-ear Circumaural over-ear In-ear Circumaural over-ear In-ear
Frequency response 16Hz to 22kHz 18Hz to 22kHz 20Hz to 20kHz 18Hz to 20.5kHz 20Hz to 20kHz
Extra grommets Yes N/A Yes, and fil ters N/A Yes
Price 229 inc VAT 259 inc VAT 59 inc VAT 169 inc VAT 39 inc VAT
Overall rating
Type
****~
Circumaural over-ear
****~
In-ear
****j
Over-ear wireless buds
****~
On-ear, foldable
****~
In-ear
Frequency response 8Hz to 25kHz 20-21kHz 5Hz to 25kHz 10Hz to 20kHz 16Hz to 22kHz
PC ADVISOR PC ADVISOR
RECOMMENDED RECOI.IMENOED
Price 33 inc VAT 13 inc VAT 22 inc VAT 10 inc VAT 17 inc VAT
Overall rating
Capacity
****-.j
6000mAh
****-.j
3200mAh
****j
11200mAh
****
3000mAh
****j
10400mAh
Outputs 1x 10.5W USB 1x SW USB 1x 10.5W USB, 1x SW USB 1x SW USB 1x 10.5W USB, 1x SW USB
Price 20 Inc VAT 2Sinc VAT 34 inc VAT 1Sinc VAT 8 inc VAT
Overall rating
Max output
****
sow
****
40W
****
sow
****
3SW
***
30W
Outputs: USB1 12W USB 12W USB 12.5W USB 10.5W USB 10W USB
USB 2 12W USB 12W USB 12.5W USB 10.5W USB 10W USB
USB 3 12W USB 12W USB 12.5W USB 5W USB lOW USB
en r en r en
all owing Apple's recent and rather when entire nations are buying things they can't
underwhelming WWDC keynote, afford, from other nations, who are making a mint ' ' Tech companies
the aspect that most excited one of from manufacturing (and then lending them the are now offering
my Macworld col leagues was the imminent money back to buy more stuff). On a very broad
us the ability
introduction of Apple Pay to the UK. I suspect level, the credit crunch was caused by the West
he isn't alone - not least because I too felt the borrowing money from the East in order to pay
to borrow more
frisson of excitement at the idea of being ab le to for products manufactured in the East. money, more
wave a phone at a barista in order to purchase The trouble is that tech companies are now quickly, to pay for
an over priced coffee. That App le has massively offering us the ability to bo rrow more money,
more quickly, to pay for more stuff. (If you are
more stuff ' '
trumped Google with its race to contactless
payment feels like a big win. spending your overdraft in Starbucks, you are
But why? It is undeniably convenient to be borrowing money for stuff, trust me.) What's
able to pay in a contactless way. And the tech is more, the hardware on which we are making
futuristic and sexy. But it is kind of weird that the those purchases is- yes- manufactured in the Far
ability to spend money quickly now constitutes an East. That's right, in the countries from whom we
exciting feature. Not least because the ability to are borrowing the money, in the end.
spend money we don't have is what got us in all I'm not being a killjoy. Or, at least, I am not
that nasty troub le in 2008. on ly being a killjoy. I like a pointless purchase
I'm not complaining. When I was a student and as much as the next man. And I am certainly
the bank handed me a credit card in lieu of an not blaming Apple or any tech company fo r
overdraft, I was only too happy to spend its money giving the customer what we want.
on CDs from Our Price (different times, reader, But it does concern me that in this time
different times). It took me a decade to pay off all of peak smartphone, we are being sold new
the debt I accrued from such fripperies, but I didn't devices on the basis that they enable us to buy
have to take the rope when the bank offered it. more stuff, more quickly. It's a more efficient
Indeed, I happily threw my head in the noose. way of getting ourse lves into further credit
Of course, we now know that buying things crunchery, and we are welcoming it - nay
on credit is a bad thing, by and large. Especial ly demanding it - with one voice. 121
9 9 41 AM 100% -
- . ... ..
Balance Rewards
More Points. More Rewards'".
~ FANDANGO
0 Yes2You Rewards
POINTS
1,527
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u 1n eatures,
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The new Quad HD panel ensures that users can enjoy a full view of a website at a single glance without
image distortion. IPS technology is one of the highest performing panel technologies currently available for
displays. This way, AOC makes sure users will greatly benefit from high accuracy in colour, contrast and
wide viewing angles. In order to give users a variety of options for connecting different input sources, the
AOC 02577PWO comes with DisplayPort, HDMI, DVI and VGA. Also comes with a feature that ensures a
zero-flickering viewing experience.
/'-~,
www .aoc-europe.com e buyer.com OVERCLOCKERS UK \ SCAN
computers TECHNOLOGY