WINDOWS 8’S MODERN interface didn’t go over well out of the gate. Although the live tiles and touch-friendliness offered a lot to like, usability experts panned many of the design choices, and power users felt abandoned. But beyond bridging the gap between PC and tablet, Windows’ immersion in the interface formerly known as Metro may … Read more
Tech and trends that will affect you today and beyond. Microsoft rocked Build 2014 with an abundance of announcements. Best Build ever? » The keynote address that kicked off Microsoft’s Build 2014 developers conference may have lasted a punishing three hours, but the event was packed with product reveals aimed at consumers. The latest Windows … Read more
YOU’LL NEED THIS SOFTPERFECT RAM DISK. Get the free download from http://bit.ly/MPC_RamDisk. The concept of taking unused memory and turning it into a lightning-fast virtual drive that also reduces the wear and tear on your hard disk is nothing new, but using RAM has traditionally had one major drawback: its volatile nature means all data … Read more
iOS 8 under the microscope. A HOST OF FEATURES TO GET EXCITED ABOUT. If you remember anything much about last year’s launch of iOS 7, it will surely be the fact that it consigned Apple’s previous love affair with skeuomorphism – the practice of making certain software functions physically resemble their real life equivalents – … Read more
From file wrangling to housecleaning, these tips will help you get the most out of your supercharged storage. IF YOU’RE STILL using a mechanical hard drive, you might consider upgrading to a solid-state drive—it will give your PC a speed boost on everything from boot times to game loading screens. SSDs aren’t the perfect replacement … Read more
Leo Maxwell decides to increase his resolution for the New YearMany of us are interested in the versatility of a media PC (sometimes called a home theatre PC, or HTPC for short), but is it worth building your own? If you only want a comparatively simple PVR, there are many hardware based solutions, some more … Read more
What happened? Apple is letting iTunes users who live in the EU return paid-for items such as apps and songs after 14 days, without having to give a reason. European laws for online sales currently give web shoppers a “right of withdrawal”, but alow companies to refuse refunds once an app has been used or … Read more
bit.ly/linux362 A new add-on called Crouton Integration lets Chromebook owners run Linux in a window, making it much easier to use than having to constantly switch between virtual terminals, as was the case before. You’ll first need to enable Developer Mode on your Chromebook; type “put chromebook in Developer Mode“ into Google and you’ll see … Read more
A very cheap mini PCThe MSI Wind Box DC111 is an incredibly cheap mini Windows 8.1 PC that’s roughly the size of a router. Although we’ve seen even smaller mini PCs, this is still impressively compact. The DC111 comes with a stand as it needs to be kept upright due to the cooling vents on … Read more
Can Acer make the hybrid PC an affordable option?Having recently covered the high-end Dell Latitude 7350, I’ve been interested in seeing a similar concept that doesn’t cost nearly a grand.The Acer Aspire Switch 11 has many design similarities but costs just a third of the Dell. The Acer might be more affordable, but does it … Read more
Organise and edit your digital camera and phone photosZoner Photo Studio has grown from a simple image organiser into a multi-function toolkit with a wide range of features. The idea is that it’s a one-stop shop for all your photo requirements. This latest version packs in more features than ever, but it has a price … Read more
Tired of large external drive caddies? Time for something smaller and fasterWe often have the problem of suddenly coming across an old hard drive, found in the bottom of a drawer, and wanting to know its contents without having to open up a PC case and fit it. Similarly, we have a few spare, smaller … Read more