Webuser - Issue 341, 26 March 2014

NEW BBC iPLAYER WHY ITS BETTER THAN EVER
ISSUE
341
IS
For people who love the internett
+ GOOGLE
CHROMECAST
Finally its here! p11
GREAT
2
VALUE
26 March 2014
Best software New websites Expert tips
Software
YouShould
StopUsing
NOW!
Fantastic new websites to use instead
PLUS
RECORD WHAT YOU

DO ON YOUR PC SCREEN
Capture, share and

replay everything
Send files INSTANTLY

WHICH PROGRAMS
between all your devices SLOW YOUR PC?
Faster than email and syncing
Get early crash warnings
BUSINESS BROADBAND COMES IN VARIOUS

SPEEDS: FAST, FASTER AND FIBRE.
Fibre broadband from BT Business is up to 10x faster than average UK standard broadband.
So its worth spending a few minutes getting up to speed.
1. SUPERFAST IS SUPER-EFFICIENT.
Youve got better things to do than sit around waiting for downloads. And so has everyone who works for you. BT Innity
for business is up to 10x faster than average UK standard broadband. Which means a big 200MB le will take less than
half a minute to download. Web pages appear faster, and you can upload photographs and even videos in no time at
all. So everyone makes better use of their time.
2. A FAST LANE FOR BUSINESSES.

You know how slow it can get when the whole worlds online at the same time. Well, with BT Innity for business, its no longer
a problem. Its consistently fast, even at the busiest times. Think of it as an internet fast lane for businesses.
3. FIBRE BROADBAND SPEEDS UP INNOVATION.

The business that doesnt move forward gets left behind. Research shows that superfast bre broadband fuels innovation
in companies like yours.* People are using high quality video conferencing on their laptops to cut down on travelling to
meetings, no fancy equipment required. And free, unlimited access to our network of over 5 million wi- hotspots opens
the door to blue-sky thinking, wherever you are.
4. TECHNICAL SUPPORT, ROUND THE CLOCK.

Our network is 99.99% reliable, and youll have a technical expert to speak to 24/7. They can help with technical niggles
like setting up email or wi- connections. And theyre specialists in businesses like yours.
5. THE COST? 35 A MONTH.

Its simple to switch, you can have BT Innity for business installed for free by our experts, and have it up and running
for 35 a month. Time is money, they say. So a quick calculation shows that the faster your internet, the more time and
money you can save.
Call today and join the thousands of businesses that choose us each month.
0800 345 7958

bt.com/superfastbusinessbroadband
*Getting up to speed: making superfast broadband a reality, NESTA policy brieng, January 2009. 10 times faster is based on BT Innity for business Option 2 average customer speed (24 hours) and UK average standard (ADSL)
broadband speed from Ofcom broadband report, May 2013. Broadband speed can be affected by a number of things: how far your business is from the bre cabinet as well as the wiring in your building. Not all lines in an Innity-enabled
area can support the service. BT Innity for business may require a BT line or similar and a bre compatible router such as the BT Business Hub provided with Innity. Terms and conditions apply. The speeds provided by BT Innity for
business are more consistent than standard broadband, giving you prioritised trafc with 16Mb assured throughput at 90% of the internet busy period. Youll need to be in range of a BT Wi- hotspot, have a wireless device and register
for BT Wi-. Our Fair Use Policy and terms and conditions apply. Network reliability as at September 2013. 35 a month is based on BT Innity for business Option 2 with a 24 month Minimum Period.
HOME PAGE
Ditch your downloads
ou may have glanced at this

issue of Web User and
thought: What a cheek! Ill
use whatever software I want to,
bossy boots. But our cover feature
(page 42) isnt about telling you
how to run your PC, but directing
you to free online tools that offer
the best features of software
without the hassle of downloading
or installing, or the frustration of
hogged resources and a slow
system. Weve chosen our
favourite cloud-based alternatives
to popular programs, all of which
you can access from anywhere.
They might not be exact matches
for the software you use every day,

but they have many advantages.
Also in this issue, to celebrate
the 25th anniversary of the World
Wide Web, weve compiled a
fiendish 25-question quiz to test
the extent of your internet
knowledge. Turn to
page 55 to find out if
you know your HTML
from your elbow.
Robert Irvine
robert_irvine
@dennis.co.uk
#webuser
ISSUE 341
2
3
THINGS YOULL
TH
LEARN THIS ISSUE
How to stop your phone pausing

music when a message arrives
p35
How to speed up Chrome by
compressing data in web pages
p36
How to browse the web in

Firefox by dragging and
dropping
4
5
p60
How to disable the ClickPad on

your laptop
p66
How to upgrade the firmware on

an old router to give it a new
lease of life
p70
26 MARCH 2014
ON THE COVER
webometer
we
like
dislike
WE LIKE...
Free cloud space
Just days after Google
cut its Drive cloud-storage
prices by a whopping 80 per cent,
Microsoft made its OneNote
syncing service free and unlimited.
11
42
Free phone calls

Now its Facebooks turn
to give us something for
nothing. Its Facebook Messenger
iOS app now includes free internet
calls, and Facebook-owned
WhatsApp will add free calls soon.
WE DONT LIKE...
Mobile phone bill
shock
Citizens Advice has
demanded more openness from
mobile providers to avoid
unexpectedly high bills. Bill shock
is driving thousands of people into
debt, the charity said.
iOS 7.1 battery woes
Apples latest mobile
software update makes
iPhone and iPad batteries drain
faster than ever, according to users
on the companys support forum.
52
58
Average sales, Jan-Dec 2013,
29,408 copies per issue
Get more tips in our newsletter at www.webuser.co.uk/newsletter
61
GET THE FREE WEB
USER NEWSLETTER
Go to www.webuser.co.uk/newsletter
26 March 2014
CONTENTS
ISSUE 341
ER
COVTURE
FEA
26 MARCH 2014
FREE
R
SCREWDRIVE
SET!
SUBSCRIP
I TIONS
Turn to page 56
for special subs
offers
SOFTWARE YOU SHOULD

STOP
USING
NOW
Try doing everything online instead
p42
WEBSITES & APPS
Get to grips with the

revamped BBC iPlayer p6
Essential Masterclass
BBC iPlayer
12 Best New Websites

The fortnights best new and relaunched sites
34 Best Free Apps
Our top new smartphone and tablet apps
50 Best free read-it-later tools
Six apps that save articles to read later
Capture and share whats

onscreen
p52
52 Capture anything on your PC

Record, edit and share onscreen actions
54 Grab it before its gone
Seven super discounts to snap up today
55 25 years of the web quiz
Test your knowledge of internet history
SOFTWARE
Get half-price rail travel and other
time-sensitive deals
p54
22 Group Test
Image-editing software
30 Best Free Software
This fortnights top free software downloads
36 Best New Add-ons
The 10 most useful tools for your browser
42 COVER FEATURE:
Software you should stop using now
Do everything online instead
26 March 2014
CONTENTS
forum.webuser.co.uk
www.twitter.com/webusermagazine
www.facebook.com/webusermagazine
Keep an eye on every corner

of your home
p20
HARDWARE
20 Product Test
KGuard EL421 Easy Link
Combo Kit
Sharp XLHF202 Hi-Fi
ADVERTISING
Tel: 020 7907 6672
Advertising Director Andrea Mason
Senior Sales Executive Jessica Arnold
REGULARS
Check out the latest devices
from MWC 2014 p40
EDITORIAL
Group Editor Daniel Booth
Deputy Editor Robert Irvine
Technical & Reviews Editor Andy Shaw
Senior Staff Writer Jane Hoskyn
Art Editor Jenny Huynh
Production Editor Miki Berenyi
Editorial Tel: 020 7907 6000
Visit www.webuser.co.uk/forums
for technical and buying advice
8
10
15
16
18
26
37
38
40
Need to Know
Whats New Online
Kate Russells Web Calendar
Keep Your PC Safe
Build a Better Site
Web Users Best Buys
Inbox
Crossword
Instant Expert
Mobile World Congress 2014
69 Broadband Deals
74 Save Money Online
ADVERTISING PRODUCTION
Fax: 020 7907 6066
Group Production Manager
Stephen Catherall, 020 7907 6054
Production Controller Ebony Besagni, 020 7907 6060
MARKETING
Marketing and Editorial Executive Paul Goodhead
Subscriptions Manager Sarah Aldridge
Marketing Production Manager Gemma Hills
MANAGEMENT
Tel: 020 7907 6000
Group Managing Director Ian Westwood
Managing Director John Garewal
Deputy Managing Director Tim Danton
MD of Advertising Julian Lloyd-Evans
Commercial and Retail Director David Barker
COO Brett Reynolds
Group Finance Director Ian Leggett
Chief Executive James Tye
Chairman Felix Dennis
SYNDICATION
Syndication Senior Manager Anj Dosaj-Halai
Tel: +44 (0)20 7907 6132
Email: anj_dosaj-halai@dennis.co.uk
14 pages of workshops, tips,

projects and problem solving
58 Workshop 1
Send anything between your PC
and movile devices
Instantly move data between your

PC, phone and tablet
p58
PRINTING
Printed by Polestar Bicester, Oxon
Distributors Seymour 020 7396 4000
61 Workshop 3
Get alerts for memory hogs
PERMISSIONS
Material may not be reproduced in any form without
the written consent of the publisher. Please address
such requests to: John Garewal, Dennis Publishing,
30 Cleveland Street, London W1T 4JD
62 Readers Tips
The best tips from our readers
66 Ask the Experts

Solutions from our technical team
Get warnings for

imminent crashes
Give you router a

new lease
ease of life
LIABILITY
While every care was taken preparing this magazine,
the publishers cannot be held responsible for the
accuracy of the information or any consequence
arising from it. All judgments are based on equipment
available to Web User at the time of review. Value for
money comments are based on UK prices at time of
review. Web User takes no responsibility for the
content of external websites whose addresses are
published in the magazine.
Copyright Dennis Publishing Limited. Web User is a
trademark of Felix Dennis.
68 Advanced Tips
Registry editors
70 Weekend Project
Supercharge your old router
LICENSING, REPRINTS, EPRINTS

Wrights Media: 0800 051 8327 (Toll Free)
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Tel: 0844 322 1289
Email: webuser@servicehelpline.co.uk
You can manage your existing subscription through
www.subsinfo.co.uk. This should be your rst port of
call if you have any queries about your subscription.
Fax: 01795 414555. A subscription to Web User for one
year costs 52 for UK subscribers, 90 for Europe and
146 for the rest of the world. Call 0844 322 1289 to get
the next issue, delivered free to your door.
60 Workshop 2
Speed up browsing in Firefox
64 Readers Helpdesk
Answers from our reader forums
INTERNATIONAL LICENSING
Web User is available for licensing overseas.
Licensing & Syndication Assistant Nicole Adams
Tel: +44 (0)20 7907 6134
Email: nicole_adams@dennis.co.uk
p61
p70
A DENNIS PUBLICATION
Web User is published fortnightly by Dennis
Publishing Ltd, 30 Cleveland Street, London W1T 4JD.
Company registered in England. Material mayy nnot be
reproduced in whole or part without
the consent of the publishers.
ISSN 1473-7094
26 March 2014
ESSENTIAL
MASTERCLASS
Your top priority this fortnight
BBC iPlayer | www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer

The BBC has revamped its popular video-ondemand service with a new look and improved
browsing options. Heres what you need to know
aunched on Christmas Day 2007,

the BBCs iPlayer is now available
on more than 1,000 devices across
four types of screen mobile, tablet,
computer and TV. It serves up around
10 million programme requests a day
(10 billion in total since its launch) a
number set to grow in the near future,
thanks to the Beebs plans to make

original content available on the service.
The latest revamp is described as the
first step in reinventing iPlayer, and is
designed to make finding content simpler,
with more advanced recommendations,
smarter search, curated collections and
improved playback.
1
6
3
2
5
2
To access the new iPlayer, click the

banner at the top of the page. The
redesigned homepage highlights a
selection of the TV shows and movies on
offer. 1 Use the arrows on the right 2 to
scroll through the programmes. Hover
over a show to find out more about it or
click to start watching. 3
Each BBC channel has its own page,

which you can access via its logo in
the top bar. 1 The colour scheme
matches the channels branding. 2 You
can tune in to the channel live, 3 and find
out whats on now 4 and whats on next.
5 You can also browse a selection of its
top shows available on catch-up. 6
2
2
1
3
2
3
The iPlayer lets you browse

programmes by category. 1 This isnt
new, but the labelling is now more
specific, with choices such as Food,
Drama & Soaps, Documentaries and
Science & Nature. Click a category 2 to
see the shows it contains. You can switch
between Highlights and the Full List. 3
26 March 2014
Select a show, then click Play 1 to

begin watching it. You can also
download it (if you have the iPlayer
program installed), watch it in HD or AD
(Audio Described), add it to favorites or
share the page. 2 The iPlayer will
suggest other shows you might like. 3
Click one to find out more about it.
If youre enjoying watching an

episode and want to see more in a
series, mark it as a favourite. Click the
Favourites link 1 to view programmes
youve liked. The iPlayer automatically
adds new episodes when they become
available, 2 and you can watch them
individually or in sequence. 3
Get more practical advice at forum.webuser.co.uk
ESSENTIAL MASTERCLASS
A-Z PROGRAMME
LIST
You can browse the full list of
shows by their first letter.
Click a programme to open
its page
RECENTLY
WATCHED
This panel shows the last
programmes you (or your
family) watched on iPlayer
PARENTAL
CONTROLS
You can manage what
younger family members are
able to view by setting up a
parental-guidance lock
BACK TO THE
PREVIOUS
VERSION
If youre not ready to make
the leap to the new iPlayer,
click the link to return to the
current incarnation
2
3
You can search, as well as browse,

for content. Start typing the name of
a programme into the search box, and
iPlayer will refine the results 1 as you
type. Since its likely that youre looking
for the latest episodes, it will display (and
refine) those too. 2 You can also view
possible matches in the A-Z. 3
The TV Guide 1 shows whats coming

up later that day or seven days in
advance. You can also jump back in time
to see when programmes you might have
missed were aired, then watch them on
demand. Click the strip at the top to jump
to a date, 2 then use the left 3 and right
4 arrows to move through the guide.
The iPlayer now groups programmes

by series, season, event and theme
into collections. 1 You can see the
number of shows in a collection and
watch them individually or in sequence.
When you get to the end of a show, youll
be prompted to watch the next in line or
you can pick a different episode.
26 March 2014
NEED TO KNOW
Top news stories and how they affect you
BT accused of leaking
customer data to spammers
What happened?
BT found itself in hot water with the

UKs data watchdog after a
whistleblower claimed that its
customers email accounts were being
compromised by spammers.
BT recently switched its seven million
email customers from Yahoo Mail to BT
Mail, its own-branded email provided by
US company Openwave Messaging,
formerly known as Critical Path. The
switchover has apparently led to a wave
of spam, which a whistleblower at
Openwave told tech-news site The
Register (bit.ly/register341) was due to a
data leak at the firm.
During the switchover to BT Mail,
which is described as fast, free and
secure, the whistleblower told The
Register that customers usernames and
passwords were exposed en masse in
clear text, giving spammers a large set
of accounts to target.
The data leak has been reported to
the UKs data watchdog, the Information
Commissioners Office (ICO, ico.org.uk),
which is investigating whether BT has a
case to answer for failing to protect its
users data. An email seen by The
Register suggested the ICO believes its
unlikely that BT has complied with the
requirements of the DPA [Data
Protection Act] and that customer
accounts were at risk of compromise
by way of the transmission of the login
and password information over the
open internet. The ICO can fine
companies as much as 250,000, but
the watchdog hasnt yet released its
official findings into the incident.
ditching Yahoo Mail as its

email provider, centred on
weight-loss products. This
is a typical subject for a
message that could
compromise your inbox,
whether or not youre
customer of BT or Yahoo.
Use common sense when
opening unexpected
emails, and dont click links
youre not sure of.
If you think you may
have been hacked, change
your password
immediately. As always,
dont use the same or
similar usernames and
passwords across several
sites, because this makes it
easier for hackers to access
your online accounts.
What do we think?
Both BT and Openwave have said

theyre working with the ICO, and state
theres no evidence any data was
leaked. They claim that although there
was a security problem, it was fixed
before the service went live.
This isnt the first time BT email users
have complained of spam. Last summer,
a security firm said a tenth of emails
sent from BT accounts were spam, with
as many as 50,000 customer accounts
hacked to send the messages. However,
that was while BT was still using Yahoo
to provide its email service, and many
users complained about the frequent
hacking and spam messages. Indeed,
BT told the BBC that the recent spate of
spam was a Yahoo problem, and not
limited to its own customers.
How will it affect you?
If you have a BT Mail account, you

should be especially wary of messages
you receive from unknown senders. The
spam problem, which partially led to BT
26 March 2014
This is embarrassing for BT,

Openwave and Yahoo.
Regardless of what the ICO
investigation reveals, BT Mail users are
receiving more spam than normal,
leaving them at higher risk of their
security being compromised and their
PCs being infected by malware.
BT Mail users have been complaining
about the spam problem for months.
While BT has taken steps to solve the
problem, notably by ditching Yahoo, it
seems to have failed to pick a company
with better security, though the jurys
still out on whos truly at fault.
In our opinion, this simply isnt good
enough. Email is the centre of our online
lives: we use it to receive messages, but
also to log into accounts and reset
passwords. If hackers have access to our
email, they can do a lot of damage. So
far, this security breach seems limited to
sending spam; thats not ideal, but it
could have been much worse.
We hope BT doesnt simply wait for
the ICOs verdict, but takes quick action
to protect its customers and maybe
finds a better email provider, too.
NEWS
Tim Berners-Lee
proposes web bill
of rights
What
happened?
Twenty-five years
after Sir Tim
Berners-Lee first
submitted his paper
outlining his vision
of a global
information
network, the
British scientist has called
for action over online
privacy and complacence.
Berners-Lee has worked
for two-and-a-half decades
to promote an open web,
free of corporate and
government controls. He
told the BBC it was time
for all web users to make
a big communal decision
about the webs future.
Its possible that people
end up taking the web for
granted and having it
pulled out from under
them, he warned.
In front of us are two
roads which way are we
going to go? Are we going
to continue on the road
and just allow the
governments to do more
and more and more control
more and more
surveillance? Or are we
going to set up a bunch of
values? Are we going to set
up something like a Magna
Carta for the web and say,
actually, now its so
important, so much part of
our lives, that its on a level
with human rights?
He called for this Magna
Carta for the web to
address three
areas:
connecting
people who
arent yet online;
deciding who can
collect
our data;
co
and keeping the
webs
architecture
we
open, so it will
work on any device.
How will it affect

you?
If you agree with BernersLee (and its hard not to),

you can get involved by
joining his Web We Want
campaign (webwewant
.org). Much of what hes
calling for requires an
understanding of how the
web works and the debates
currently going on about
its future, so read up on
net neutrality, understand
the surveillance threat
from government and tell
your friends and family
what they need to know.
Most Web User readers are
pretty tech-savvy, but
many people who use the
web every day understand
little about how it works.
What do we think?
One of Berners-Lees best

ideas was to make the web
free, so that all of us can
use it without having to
pay anyone (aside from
paying for a broadband
connection, of course).
That openness is why the
web is the amazing place it
is today. Were
glad to see
Berners-Lee
continuing to push
for openness, and
hope his ideas
continue to hold
sway.
Go to page 55 to
take our 25 years
of the web quiz.
Warning over
cancer email hoax
What happened?
Phishing emails took an

even nastier turn when
messages pretending to
come from the National
Institute for Health Care
Excellence (NICE, www
.nice.org.uk), told the
recipients they have
cancer. Thousands of
people are thought to have
received the fake emails,
which direct them to open
an attachment with test
results that likely contains
malware. This malicious
email is not from NICE and
we are currently
investigating its origin,
said Sir Andrew Dillon, the
chief executive of NICE.
We take this matter very
seriously and have
reported it to the police.
How will it affect

you?
No doctor would send test
What do we think?
We didnt think much of

spammers and phishers
before, but this is a new
low: we hate to think of
someone who is genuinely
awaiting health-test results
receiving such an email
and thinking the worst.
Smartphone chargers
to be universal
What happened?
European politicians have

voted for a new law to force
phone manufacturers to use
one type of charger, to make
it easier to charge devices
and to cut down on waste.
The plans are expected to
come into force in 2016, after
which phone makers have a
year to start offering the new
charger. Its likely that the
design of choice will be Micro
USB connectors already
used by many devices. The
one sticking point could be
Apple, which uses its own
proprietary design, although
the company supports
the universal idea.
How will it
affect you?
No more fiddling
Discuss web news at forum.webuser.co.uk
results in this way, just as

no bank would ask you to
email your account details
to check validity. Dont let
the alarming subject matter
panic you: ignore it and
dont click the links or open
any attachments. If you
already have, run an
anti-virus scan immediately.
with connectors to figure out

which charger is the right
one for your phone. Its also
likely that smartphones will
stop coming with a dedicated
charger, because youll
already have one meaning
you wont have old chargers
clogging up your drawers.
What do we think?
Its a fantastic idea. Our only

complaint is how long its
taken to approve. The
common charger idea has
been in the works since
2009, and the shift wont
happen until 2017. Think of all
the wasted plastic and
electronics sitting in landfill
and the wasted time
spent searching for
the right
connectors.
26 March 2014
WHATS NEW ONLINE

10 brilliant things to do on the web this fortnight
Play Hitchhikers Guide to the

Galaxy web game
rab your towel and

dont panic as you
play the updated
version of the Hitchhikers
Guide to the Galaxy online
game, which the BBC has
released to celebrate the
30th anniversary of the
original computer game.
Its actually a new HTML5
version of the 2004 edition of the
online game, providing an interface
thats easier to use, and with much
better graphics and sound effects.
As before, its a funny, slightly surreal
text-based adventure, beginning with
the words: You wake up. The room is
spinning very gently around your
head. Or at least it
would be if you could
see it, which you cant.
Its not for the easily
frustrated, though. As
the game admits, it will
kill you frequently, and theres a lot of
trial and error involved. When you get
stuck (and you almost certainly will), its
Use BBCs beta mobile search

bit.ly/bbcsearch341
The BBC has improved its search function on the mobile
version of www.bbc.co.uk, optimising it for phone and tablet
screens. Previously, you had to pinch and zoom the searchresults page to resize it. Click the link above to read more
information on the BBCs Internet Blog.
See polar bears in

Street View
bit.ly/bears341
Google recently put on its thermals to take stunning
Street View images in Churchill, Canada, the polar bear
capital of the world. Youll spot some of the animals by
clicking the link above and exploring. Once youve
finished, have a look at some new underwater images
(bit.ly/oceans341), including superb shots of the San
Francisco shoreline.
10
26 March 2014
best to seek help in the Game hints

section.
bit.ly/hitch341
Make Skype video calls in HD

www.skype.com
You can now make
HD video calls in the
PC version of Skype,
though both users
must have
compatible HD
displays, webcams, messaging clients, and broadband
internet. The official Skype blog has more information:
bit.ly/blog341.
Use the faster Gmail iOS app

bit.ly/gmail341
Google has updated its iOS
app for Gmail by adding
background refresh, which
means your messages will be
automatically loaded and
synced. This makes the app
faster because, when you get a
notification for a new message,
you can tap to read it straight
away without waiting for the inbox to refresh. To make it
work, youll need to turn on Background App Refresh in
iOS 7. You can read how in Apples iOS Support section:
bit.ly/ios341.
WHATS NEW ONLINE

Celebrate 25 years of the web
www.storyoftheweb.org.uk
This brilliantly designed
site marks the 25th
birthday of the World Wide
Web. Created by Nominet
(www.nominet.org.uk), it
presents the history of the web as a
scrollable timeline, with landmarks
such as the arrival of Mosaic, the
Fly through
3D galaxies
bit.ly/galaxies341
You can recreate Star
Treks warp speed effect on your
PC by watching this amazing 3D
video made by researchers at
Durham University. It flies past
every galaxy in the known universe
in just 90 seconds.
Watch time-lapse
bird videos
bit.ly/starling341
These beautiful
videos, created by
US-based animation
professor Dennis
Hlynsky, use time-lapse effects to
capture the trails left by birds, including
sparrows, swallows, crows and starlings.
He has also filmed snow, water striders,
flying bugs, carp and ants.
See the
International Space
Station orbit Earth
livefromspace.com
Get an astronauts view of Earth in
this new map from National
Geographic, which follows the
International Space Station as it
orbits the planet. Click the icons on
the right to see whats popular
online in each country as it passes
over.
birth of Google
and the rise of
social networks.
The webs
inventor, Sir Tim
Berners-Lee, also
marked the anniversary by posting
online his 1989 document proposing
the World Wide Web (bit.ly/tim341).
T FOLLOW
TO
O TWITTER
ON
@flightradar24
Updates on significant flights from
the plane-tracking website
@bbcgoodfood
Recipes and tasty-looking photos
from the BBC Good Food magazine
@maryjofoley
Get 100GB free

storage through
Virgin Media
Windows blogger, often first with

rumours and leaks about the OS
@hughlaurie
bit.ly/virgin341
Virgin Media customers
can get 100GB of free
storage until 31 May. The offer marks the
launch of Virgin Media Cloud, which
gives you 5GB free permanently. Paidfor accounts start from 3.99 a month
for 50GB, rising to 26.99 for 500GB.
FIRST LOOK
Wry, quirky comments from the

actor, who joined Twitter late last
year
@aceruk_official
Fast responses from Acers UK
team to questions and problems
from its customers
Google Chromecast
google.com/chromecast
oogles Wi-Fi TV dongle is

nally on sale in the UK,
eight months after its
launch in the US. We were a
bit annoyed by this delay, but
its been worth the wait.
The Chromecast is a tiny,
simple device that doesnt
quite do what it says on the box.
The easiest way to watch online
video on your TV, says its minimalist
packaging. Actually, it turns your TV
into a networked media centre.
Set-up is very easy and you only
need to do it once. Stick the dongle
into your TVs HDMI port, let it find
your Wi-Fi network and pair it with
any phone, tablet or PC on the same
network. Android, iOS, Windows and
Mac are all supported. You then use
your device as a remote control. You
dont stream content from your
device to the TV the Chromecast
does the streaming, via Wi-Fi but
you do need your device to get the
streaming started, along with a
supported app.
To see it in action, we paired an
iPhone with the Chromecast, opened
a video on the phones YouTube app
and tapped an icon to tell the
Chromecast to start streaming the
video on the TV. We were then able to
Discuss web news at forum.webuser.co.uk
use the phone as a playback remote,

and continue using it for other things.
Supported apps currently include
YouTube, Netflix and Google Play
Music, with more to come. In the
meantime, you can expand your
streaming options with the third-party
Google Cast extension for Chrome
(bit.ly/cast341).
Well review the Chromecast in
more detail soon, but we can already
recommend it heartily. As with other
budget superstars such as the Moto G
and Hudl, the Chromecasts
usefulness, simplicity and
performance punch far above its 30
price tag. Just buy one - in fact, buy
two and give one to a friend!
26 March 2014
11
BEST NEW WEBSITES
We review this fortnights best new and relaunched websites
SITE OF THE
FORTNIGHT
GAMES
OnLive
RELAUNCH
www.onlive.co.uk
OnLives revamped homepage shows real footage from games
on a tablet that morphs into a laptop and then an HD TV. It
looks fantastic and reflects that the game service is making a
major effort to attract new users, while satisfying existing
ones, through increased versatility. OnLives new CloudLift
subscription, which costs 9.99 per month, lets you stream
games from your Steam library to your smart TV, computer or
Android device (theres no iOS app yet), so you can play
games youve downloaded at home on the move. Theres also
a PlayPack option with 250 cloud-based games for 6.99 per
month. Streaming quality has improved and the OnLive
interface is simpler and smarter, giving you easier access to
features such as Brag Clips (shared videos of your gaming
achievements). OnLive is free to try, and has an impressive
choice of games including Lego and Batman Arkham titles.
Our rating
NEWS
RELAUNCH
Time
time.com
IDEAS
TED
RELAUNCH
www.ted.com
TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design), the global community of ideas, has been
redesigned to make watching its short, incisive talks a more interactive and enjoyable
experience. On the surface, the biggest changes are a larger video player with a new
watch later option and a streamlined homepage, both of which display perfectly on
mobile devices. Other additions include an auto-scroll transcript that lets you read
along with speeches, and further resources to help you learn more and take action
about specific topics. TED remains free, accessible and unstuffy, and we love hearing
its experts insights into a diverse range of subjects.
Our rating
12
26 March 2014
The reimagined website for the news

magazine uses WordPress to deliver
stories in a fresh, fast-moving fashion. Its
based around The Brief, a constantly
updated digest of the 12 most important
stories of the moment, which provides a
continuous news feed no matter where
you are on the site. Sections are now
tidily tucked into a single Menu button to
speed up navigation, especially on
mobile devices, and you can easily switch
between the latest and most popular
articles and videos. Its far superior to the
cramped old design, and conveys a
palpable sense of urgency.
Our rating
Reviews by Robert Irvine
BEST NEW WEBSITES

RATINGS GUIDE
5
Superb. Impossible to fault in

terms of design, content and
features. Bookmark it now!
Very good. Combines a smart

design with appealing content.
Definitely worth a visit
Good. Lacks some

functionality. Have a look if
the subject interests you
Web User looks at hundreds of

websites, but only those we award
three stars or higher appear in Best
New Websites
NEW
SCIENCE
Mosaic
SHOPPING
Poundshop
NEW
SOFTWARE
LibreOffice
RELAUNCH
mosaicscience.com
poundshop.com
www.libreoffice.org
This excellent site from the Wellcome

Trust is dedicated to exploring the
science of life. Its updated every week
with in-depth stories about aspects of
biology and medicine that affect our
lives and society. Content is organised by
topic, such as environment, infection and
the brain, and presented in a clean,
easy-to-read format with striking
illustrations and a Creative Commons
licence, so it can be republished for free
(with a few exceptions). When we
visited, there were interesting articles
about the hazards of city cycling and the
search for an Alzheimers cure.
Last issue, we reviewed Here For a Pound

(www.hereforapound.com) and now
heres another online pound store, from
the high-street chain Poundworld. This
one sells a much larger range of stock,
with categories such as House & Home,
Food & Drink and Medical, from brands
including Duracell, Tetley and Lemsip.
Naturally, everything costs a quid and
standard delivery is 3.65, with a
minimum order total of 10. The orange
background is a bit headache-inducing,
but we like that you can save favourite
items for future shops and view your
order history online.
LibreOffice has long been our favourite

free office suite, but until now its website
was nothing to write home about. With
this relaunch, LibreOffices online home
has been transformed by a bold green
design and livelier content that make it
seem like the saviour of software: its
about people, culture, creation, sharing
and collaboration! Each page integrates
tweets from the team to provide a
friendly feel, and you can discover
individual tools and download different
versions via drop-down menus. Theres
also an extension Get Help section, in
case you run into problems.
Our rating
Our rating
Tell us about your website via webuser@dennis.co.uk
Our rating
26 March 2014
13
CYCLING
Bikmo
NEW
NEW
CLASSIFIEDS
The Great British List
ENVIRONMENT
NEW
Global Forest Watch
bikmo.com
thegreatbritishlist.co.uk
www.globalforestwatch.org
Cyclists can save money on bikes, kit and

clothing by comparing prices using
Bikmo. You can either browse the
categories or enter a few keywords to
view matching products in a smart grid
layout, then refine the results by price,
manufacturer and other criteria. Usefully,
the site tags the best deals with a saving
percentage, and each product page
includes a detailed description, video,
reviews, related items and a map
showing local retailers. This attention to
detail makes Bikmo more focused than
other price-comparison sites, although
clicking through to external stores to buy
gear takes a few seconds.
If you dont mind the rude word in the

title bar (referring to a dogs dangly bits),
you can find some great bargains on this
classifieds site, and advertise your own
goods and services for free. It lets you
list second-hand vehicles, property (for
sale or rent) and any other stuff for
sale, which when we visited included a
leaf blower, a leather sofa and a vintage
sewing machine. Sub-categories and
search filters make it easy to find items
of interest, and although the ads arent
particularly detailed, they include
good-sized photos, clear prices and an
option to reply to the seller. Its certainly
worth a look.
This site tracks deforestation around the

world on a Google map, using
information sourced from satellite
imagery and people on the ground. You
can view colour-coded data showing
forest cover, change and use, as well as
protected conservation areas, either as a
global overview or by country. There are
also stories submitted by users about
illegal logging, forest fires and other tree
tragedies. With its accessible data and
community spirit, Global Forest Watch
puts a positive spin on a grim subject,
helping to identify problem areas so
something can be done to save and
replace trees before its too late.
Our rating
Our rating
Our rating
FACILITIES
Airpnp
NEW
airpnp.co
BOOKS
Mills & Boon
RELAUNCH
www.millsandboon.co.uk
Even if youre not normally tempted by romantic fiction, you may be seduced by the
revamped Mills & Boon site. Get past the garish colour scheme and theres a wealth of
content both for and by readers, including a new Socialise section that lets M&B
authors and fans interact, and where romance is the topic of the day every day.
Impressively, the publishers entire back catalogue has been digitised and for each
ebook there are recommended stories that share a similar pace and theme. You can
also read extracts and even whole books online for free, and browse new releases,
best sellers and top-rated titles. Its sure to set your heart aflutter.
Our rating
14
26 March 2014
We like the idea behind this lavatory

logistics site, which lets businesses and
residences across the world advertise
their loos to tourists in need of a trip to
the toilet, but its clearly still a work in
progress. Unless there really are only four
places to take a leak in the UK, including
a luxurious loo in Launceston and an
open-air toilet with sea views on
Lowestoft beach. You can add your own
home or workplace to the map to earn
some extra cash, but youll need to
connect your Facebook account. Some
of the comments about conveniences are
rather crude, but if people take Airpnp
seriously, it could eventually prove useful.
Our rating
Tell us about your website via webuser@dennis.co.uk
BEST NEW WEBSITES

ALSO NEW
Sing It Kitty
www.singitkitty.co.uk
Create your own version of Threes
We Built This City advert, with you
as the lip-syncing star.
The Smiths
www.officialsmiths.co.uk
The bands website is now an
interactive timeline that lets you
explore their five-year career.
Apprenticemakers
NEW
SHOPPING
El Corte Ingls UK
apprenticemakers.org.uk
Small businesses can get advice
about taking on apprentices at this
government-backed site.
MakeLunch
www.elcorteingles.eu
You no longer need to go to Spain or Portugal to shop at El Corte Ingls because the
huge department store has launched a UK site. Its deceptively minimal design houses
departments for clothes, homeware and sports gear, each stuffed with items you
cant find over here at low Spanish prices. Our favourite section is undoubtedly
Gourmet, where you can buy lots of lovely Iberian grub, including ham, biscuits and
olive oil. The site is easy to browse, with familiar filters and shopping tools, and we
didnt spot any translation mistakes. Delivery costs 4.95 and takes 3-7 days, but is
free when you spend over 50. Es muy bueno!
Our rating
makelunch.org.uk
The charity that provides kids with
free lunches during the school
holidays has relaunched its site.
MyPet
www.mypet.guru
The online community for pet
owners has relaunched with a new
web address and an app to follow.
KATES WEB CALENDAR
Kate Russells top websites and apps for the next 14 days
TURN OFF THE LIGHTS

FOR EARTH HOUR
www.earthhour.org
Its time to switch off our lights for an
hour on 29 March as the World
Wildlife Fund encourages us to
support the environment. As well as
individual commitments, there are
many Earth Hour events involving
large cities around the world going
dark in support of the cause. You can
find out if there is one near you by
visiting the website. This year, the
charity has set up a crowd-funding
platform, Earth Hour Blue, that lets
you pledge support for one of the
many excellent
conservation
projects, from
protecting
pandas in China
to saving forests
in Madagascar.
HELP PEOPLE GET ONLINE

FOR THE FIRST TIME
digitalunite.com/
spring-online
You cant teach an
old dog new tricks,
so the saying goes,
but Spring Online
thinks thats a load
of bunkum, as the
award-winning digital-inclusion
campaign kicks off again this year on
30 March. The initiative has so far
helped thousands of older and less
confident computer users take their
first steps online and get to grips with
PCs and tablets. Whether you want to
join a Spring Online event or set one
up yourself to help disadvantaged
people in your area learn the joy of
browsing, youll find everything you
need to know on the Digital Unite
website.
PLACE YOUR BETS FOR

THE GRAND NATIONAL
www.thecrabbiesgrandnational.co.uk
The riders and runners head to the
stalls for the most famous horse race
of the year as the Grand National
goes under starters orders on 5 April.
600 million people around the world
will watch live on TV and the web as
40 horses and jockeys fly around the
track jumping notorious fences such
as Beechers Brook and The Chair.
You can learn about the history of the
event, check out this years runners,
and enjoy photos and news on the
redesigned website. There is also a
Jockey Blog, where Sam TwistonDavies has
been sharing
his views in the
run-up to the
race.
Kate presents Webscape for BBC Click and blogs at workingthecloud.biz
Read more site reviews at www.webuser.co.uk/websites
26 March 2014
15
KEEP YOUR PC SAFE

Expert tips, latest threats and jargon-free info
XP
SPECIAL
SECURITY Q&A
Yo questions answered by security

Your
specialists.This issues expert: Luis Corrons of
Panda Security (www.pandasecurity.com/uk)
Is it still safe to use

Windows XP if you
have up-to-date
anti-virus software?
David Robinson, Facebook
First, we have to remember
that there is no such thing as
100 per cent safe, whether
youre using Windows XP, Windows
8.1 or Linux. Anti-virus software will be
able to protect Windows XP users
against some new threats, but when
and not if new security holes in
Windows XP are discovered, a new
entrance door to your computer will
open. A decent anti-virus program will
be able to stop most of the new
threats trying to get through that
hole, but not all of them.
With most
cashpoints and NHS
computers still
running XP, wont our
banking and health data
be severely compromised
when XP support ends?
Brian Collins, via email
What security
advantages does
Linux have over XP?
Fred Trimble, Twitter
Firstly, XP will no longer be
updated, so security holes will
begin to show. Meanwhile
Linux will continue to be updated to
patch holes. Secondly, Windows is
used by millions (thats why cybercriminals target it) while Linux is used
by far fewer people, so the number of
threats is lower. Finally, while most
Linux users are not logged into their
computers at system-root level, most
XP users log in as administrators,
which makes it easier for malware to
perform malicious actions.
Do you think many

PC users will carry
on using XP
regardless?
Caroline Biggs, Twitter
Yes. And thats not all; take a

look at the rail and air
information systems, or even
in-flight entertainment platforms.
Many of them run Windows XP and
will continue to do so for a long time
to come.
Yes. In Europe and the US, the

numbers may go down faster,
but in other parts of the
world, such as South America and
Asia, we will see a significant number
of people using XP for a long time.
Email us your security questions at webuser@dennis.co.uk
DECODED | Security jargon explained

Corkow
Bitcoin and Russia have both been hogging headlines recently, so the Corkow
Trojan (bit.ly/corkow341) is ripe for media attention. This Russian malware pilfers
money from virtual currency-trading platforms such as Bitcoin, and from banking
apps and websites. The good news, for most of us, is that its only interested in
corporate customers with big bank balances. Researchers at ESET describe it as
modular malware because hackers can use it in various ways, such as logging
keystrokes to steal passwords and grabbing any data typed into online forms.
16
26 March 2014
SECURITY
ALERT!
Twitter fixes privacy bug
Around 93,000 of Twitters 240

million users opt to tweet privately to
approved followers only, but an
undisclosed number of these tweets
have been publicly visible since
November 2013. Twitter fixed the bug
when it was discovered, and insisted:
The scope of this bug was small.
bit.ly/twitter341
Malaysia Airlines scams
Scammers have posted conspiracies

and fake prophetic adverts online
following the disappearance of
Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. No
associated malware had yet been
reported, but security expert Graham
Cluley warned: Think and check your
facts before sharing content online.
bit.ly/malaysia341
Morrisons payroll hit
Staff at the supermarket chain

Morrisons had their payroll details
published online after thieves
ransacked the companys database.
The stolen data, which has now been
removed, included the names,
addresses and bank account details
of employees from all levels of the
company. See its Facebook page for
updates (www.facebook.com/
Morrisons).
bit.ly/morrisons341
PATCH TUESDAY:
March
In the second-to-last scheduled patch

release that XP users will ever see,
Microsoft issued five bulletins and
they all affect XP. Two of the bulletins
are marked critical, including one that
fixes a zero-day hole in Internet
Explorer that works in conjunction
with a flaw in Adobe Flash. All the MS
patches are included in the latest
Windows Update, and the Flash
Player flaw is patched in the latest
automatic updates for IE 10 and 11,
and Chrome.
bit.ly/patch341
Email us your security questions at webuser@dennis.co.uk
With APC Back-UPS, your

digital life goes on...
even when the

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Preserve whats most important to you
Reliable power backup for 24/7 availability
Whether DVRing your favorite show, updating your Facebook status, or playing
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day. Thats why APC by Schneider Electric has designed battery backup
solutions that protect the constant availability and connectivity you expect and
depend on.
Peace-of-mind protection on two levels
When the power goes out, our popular Back-UPS units go to work. They
instantly switch your home technologies to emergency power, allowing you to
work through brief power outages or safely shut down your systems so you
wont lose valuable files such as digital photos and media libraries. They also
feature surge outlets to guard your electronics and data from dirty power and
damaging power surges even lightning. So you get two levels of protection in
every APC Back-UPS unit!
Energy-saving insurance for what matters most
Our Back-UPS units protect your home office, digital living and home media
applications, notebook computers, DVRs, and gaming application. And since
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BUILD A BETTER SITE

Specialist tips, top tools and practical help
WEB DESIGN & HOSTING Q&A

Your questions answered by professional experts.
This issue: Richard Stevenson, spokesperson
for 1&1 Internet (www.1and1.co.uk)
I would like to get a

.photography
domain for the
website where I host my
photos, but will it confuse
my existing visitors if I
switch web addresses?
James Franks, via email
The new gTLDs (generic

top-level domains) offer lots
of great new options and they
promise to make the internet a more
exciting and less crowded
environment. A .photography or
.camera domain would be a fine
addition to your website because it
offers instant context. For now, I
recommend that you clinch a new
domain and add it with a redirect,
keeping your existing domain until its
the right time to reassign your primary
domain choice. In time, a small
portfolio of domains that refer to your
subject area, along with your locationbased domain, could be very useful.
If the Welsh and Scots

get a domain for their
countries, why is there
no .england?
David Smith, via email
No formal application was

submitted for .england, so it
is way behind in the process,
and would now take a number of
years to reach fruition. Geographical
identity is a powerful boon on the
internet. As a registrar, we are seeing
strong interest for .scot, .wales and
.irish domains.
There would be benefits in being
able to localise a website to England
specifically, as opposed to the UK.
This could, for example, be valuable
for English tourism, farming, legal
sectors and personal websites.
However, with about 10 million
registrations to date, the existing
.co.uk is still doing a great job as a
beacon for identifying British
websites.
<TOP TIPS>
Sell your things online
1&1 has updated its eShop packages

(www.1and1.co.uk/eshops) and is
now offering the service from just
1.19 per month. With an eShop, you
can set up a site from scratch in just
six steps, using some great-looking
templates, and take payment by
PayPal or credit card. Your site will
also look as good on phones and
tablets as it does on a PC screen.
Keep WordPress up to date
A botnet of over 160,000

compromised WordPress (www
.wordpress.org) sites has taken down
other sites using denial of service
techniques. It exploits a security flaw
in WordPress that was fixed in
January 2013, so make sure you keep
your own site updated. From the
Dashboard, click Updates. If theres a
new version available, you can
download and install it from there.
Deal of the fortnight

Fasthosts (www.fasthosts.co.uk) has
a sale on its Business packages.
Business Bronze is half price for six
months, costing 2.99 per month
instead of the usual 5.99.
MINI WORKSHOP Get professional Getty Images photos for free

Getty Images: www.gettyimages.co.uk
5 mins Any website
1
1
2
2
Getty Images was one of the first

online digital image libraries. It has a
huge selection of licensed images, and
has just started allowing them to be
embedded on websites for free. Go to
www.gettyimages.co.uk and search for
the type of image you want by typing it
into the search box 1 or browse
through the categories below. 2
18
26 March 2014
You can Refine this search 1 using

the toolbar on the left, which lets you
choose filters such as the number, age,
gender and ethnicity of people in the
photo. You can also further refine the
keywords 2 and select the type of
composition, choosing things such as
orientation, background and more. 3
When youve found the image you

want, hover your mouse over the
picture and click the Embed button. 1
A window will pop up with the code

you need to cut and paste into your
site. 2 Click Show image preview to
see how it will look. The free version
includes a Getty logo and links to
Gettys social-media networks. 3
Email us your website building questions at webuser@dennis.co.uk
PRODUCT TEST
Sharp XLHF202 Hi-Fi

Andy Shaw tests a Hi-Fi that will make your music sound great,
whether its on a CD, phone or tablet
ost music is now

purchased digitally
and stored on phones
and tablets. But there are still
plenty of us who own CD
collections we cant live
without and still want to play.
This compact Hi-Fi system
from Sharp offers the best of
both worlds. It looks like a
standard mini Hi-Fi, with a
control box that contains a
CD player, and a pair of
decent-sized speakers. But
under a hatch on the top of
the unit is a Lightning dock to
connect a compatible iPhone
or iPod, and a Pair button to
get the Hi-Fi connected to
other types of device using
Bluetooth.
We tested the dock and the
Bluetooth connection with
both Apple and Android
devices. Everything worked
superbly, pairing quickly and
playing through whatever app
we chose, including radio
apps, Spotify and audio from
websites such as YouTube.
Most of the controls are
accessed manually on the
device, although the supplied
remote can be used to pause,
play or skip through tracks, if
these functions are available
in the app.
The Hi-Fi has a USB port
that can be used to charge a
device thats otherwise
connected by Bluetooth, or it
can seek out and play music
from a storage device.
However, theres no facility for
browsing folders and, when
the stereo was presented with
a single album during our
tests, it didnt manage to play
the tracks in order.
The device comes with two

NFC (Near Field
Communication) pads you
can stick on or near it. These
are compatible with Android
4.1 (Jelly Bean) or better
devices that include the
technology. With these, you
can connect to the Hi-Fi by
simply laying the phone or
tablet directly on the pad,
rather than having to turn on
and connect Bluetooth
manually. However, it doesnt
connect to your network, so
you cant use it to stream
music from a NAS or similar
device.
OUR VERDICT
This stereo is perfect for
anyone who wants to
upgrade their Hi-Fi to play
music from phones and
tablets, but still likes to
listen to their CD collection.
Its good value for money
and has enough power to
Discuss this review at forum.webuser.co.uk
One huge bonus is that the

sound is great. Each speaker
is 50W, giving a combined
output of 100W. This might
not be enough to shake your
house to its foundations, but
it can fill a room with sound
without distortion. If youre
used to playing music on your
phone or tablet through a
standard Bluetooth speaker
(or even the speakers on the
device itself) youll find a
significant improvement in
quality. Its also good enough
to do justice to your CDs,
which makes it an excellent
all-rounder.
FEATURES
PERFORMANCE
EASE OF USE
VALUE FOR MONEY
fill a room with high-quality

sound.
PRODUCT INFO
SHARP XLHF202
HI-FI
www.sharp.co.uk
Price: 199.99
SPECIFICATIONS
CD player
Lightning dock
A2DP, AVRCP Bluetooth
2.1 +EDR
USB port plays MP3
and WMA files
FM radio
335 x 215 x 96mm
2.6kg
FOR
Play music from any
Bluetooth device
You can still play CDs
Better sound than most
Bluetooth speakers
AGAINST
Cant stream music
from network
Not easy to navigate
music files on USB devices
26 March 2014
21
PHOTO EDITORS GROUP TEST

X 6 47.99
COREL PAINTSHOP PRO X6
SERIF PHOTOPLUS X
X6
6 71 .48
www.paintshoppro.com
www.serif.com
PERFORMANCE
FEATURES
VALUE FOR MONEY
EASE OF USE
PERFORMANCE
FEATURES
EASE OF USE
VALUE FOR MONEY
SILVER
AWARD
PaintShop Pro uses three

tabs to help organise the
way you work. The Manage
tab is the organiser, which
is well integrated into the
main program; Adjust is a
quick-fix zone you can use
to tweak your photos; and
Edit is where youll find the full set of tools. When you start,
the Edit screen is cluttered and cramped with little space for
editing, particularly on small screens. However, its very
configurable, so you can rearrange panels, and save and
restore layouts, eliminating the space problem once you know
your way around. The tools are as sophisticated as those in
Photoshop Elements, but the software isnt as easy to use.
Guided edits teach you how to use the tools manually, but
they are more like step-by-step workshops and offer no
shortcuts. Still, its a powerful program, once you get used to
it, and we were impressed with our finished images.
VERDICT
You have to be able to hit the ground running with PaintShop Pro because its
not particularly suited to novices. But once you know your way around, youll
find that its well-equipped and performs very commendably.
MAGIX XARA PHOTO & GRAPHIC

DESIGNER 9 69.99 www.magix.com
BRONZ
AWARDE
A new version of PhotoPlus

is just around the corner,
but it wasnt available at the
time of writing so weve
reviewed PhotoPlus X6 in
this Group Test. Its a
traditional photo-editing
program, which crams the
screen with miniscule icons and tiny text, using a standard
Windows interface that everyone will be familiar with. This
means you get more space for the photo youre editing but
Serif has still fitted a lot of tools on screen. However, you need
good eyesight to distinguish between all those little buttons.
The software doesnt have as many sophisticated guidedediting tools as the other award-winners. You can fix the same
problems, but youll need to learn how to use the software
and do it manually. PhotoPluss How To window helps a lot
with performing these tweaks but its harder to find your way
around than in Adobe Photoshop Elements.
VERDICT
You can get a lot done with this software, and it handles most photo-editing
tasks. However, it doesnt have as many modern tools for removing blemishes
and scratches and relies on traditional photo-editing brushes to do the job.
CYBERLINK PHOTODIRECTOR 5
66.99 www.cyberlink.com
FEATURES PERFORMANCE
EASE OF USE
VALUE FOR MONEY
PERFORMANCE
FEATURES
VALUE FOR MONEY
EASE OF USE
Most of the photo editors

weve reviewed here can
also perform varying
amounts of additional
design work, such as
dropping in text or
creating extra design
elements. Xara Photo &
Graphic Designer approaches this from the other end its
essentially a design and drawing tool that also edits photos.
As a result, the photo tools play second fiddle to a wealth of
design features and are restricted to a single pop-out icon on
the left-hand toolbar. Despite this, we were impressed with its
abilities, particularly the way it removed unwanted objects
from pictures and closed gaps between subjects.
Unfortunately, all the extra tools make it confusing to use as
a photo editor, so unless youre keen to use a range of design
and drawing tools as well as retouching your photos, this is a
bit sprawling for a single program.
PhotoDirector has a built-in

photo organiser but you have
to import your photos into it,
which seems unnecessary. As
with Photoshop Elements and
PaintShop Pro, it organises
your path through the
software, from Library (the
organiser), through Adjustment and Edit, then onto Slideshow
and Print. The way that tools are spread across the
Adjustment and Edit tabs is confusing, though, with both
detail and whole-picture editing tools under Adjustment, then
a selection of beautifier and object-removal tools under Edit.
Some tools are excellent, such as Smart Patch, which lets
you remove unwanted objects from photos by dragging in
other sections of background. However, the Edit tab is overly
focused on beautification tools, such as Eye Blinger and
Body Shaper, which may not be of much use when youre
tweaking your holiday snaps.
VERDICT
The graphic-design tools are the main attraction in this software, leaving the
photo editing in the shade. However, it has powerful tools and, if you need a
program that will perform both design and editing tasks, its a strong contender.
VERDICT
There are sparks of brilliance in PhotoDirector but we dont like the way its
organised. Splitting the editing process into stages seems to be based more on
categorising its tools than helping you organise how to edit your photos.
26 March 2014
23
GROUP TEST PHOTO EDITORS

BRONZ
AWARDE
SILVER
AWARD
GOLD
AWARD
Adobe Photoshop
Elements 13
Corel PaintShop
Pro X6
Serif PhotoPlus X6
Magix Xara Photo &

Graphic Designer 9
CyberLink
PhotoDriector 5 Ultra
WEBSITE
www.adobe.com
www.paintshoppro
.com
www.serif.com
www.magix.com
www.cyberlink.com
PRICE
54.71
47.99
71.48
69.99
66.99
OPERATING SYSTEM Windows XP,

Vista, 7, 8+
Windows XP,
Vista, 7, 8+
Windows XP,
Vista, 7, 8+
Windows XP,
Vista, 7, 8+
Windows XP,
Vista, 7, 8+
64-BIT VERSION?
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
ORGANISER
Included but
separate
Built-in
Included but
separate
No
Built-in
GUIDED EDITS
Yes
Step-by-step
Step-by-step
Web-based tutorials
Yes
CONTENT-AWARE
EDITS
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
PEOPLEBEAUTIFIER TOOLS
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
RAW SUPPORT
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
OUR VERDICT
With a big brother like Photoshop to provide
all its best tools, its little wonder that Adobes
Photoshop Elements is the best
amateur photo-editing program. That
its also extremely well presented and
easy to use means that its a deserving
winner of our Gold Award.
Corels PaintShop Pro is snapping at
Photoshop Elements heels and wins
our Silver Award. It can do anything
Photoshop can, but its not as easy to
get started with.
Our Bronze Award winner is Serif
PhotoPlus X6, which has a more
traditional Windows look and feel than
its rivals. It will appeal to those who
prefer to keep all their tools to hand, but
still want to maximise the space
available for editing.
24
26 March 2014
GOLD
AWARD
READER SURVEY
Tell us what you think

about Web User
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GIFT CA N
RD
ere at Web User, its important that we continue to give you brilliant and
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Weve posted a short survey on our website (bit.ly/webusersurvey) to give you
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Were also interested to hear which browser, operating system and devices
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Thanks to everyone whos already taken part in the survey, and we hope
you continue to enjoy Web User.
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TAKE PART IN THE WEB USER READER SURVEY AT bit.ly/webusersurvey
WEB USERS BEST BUYS
Web User and its sister titles test over 2,500 products every year. Heres the pick of the bunch
HARDWARE
NAS DRIVE
ROUTER
Western Digital My Cloud 2TB
BT Home Hub 5
119.98 from www.dabs.com

Date tested: February 2014
129 from www.shop.bt.com

Date tested: February 2014
This solid NAS drive, which comes with a 2TB

drive pre-installed, is great value for money
and is reasonably straightforward to set up. It
lacks advanced features, such as RAID, but
should prove ideal for most home users.
With excellent overall performance and a

great set of features, the BT Home Hub 5 is one of the
most capable 802.11ac routers around. Whatever you need
to connect it to, now or in the future, its up to the job.
KEY SPECS
KEY SPECS
650MHz Marvell Armada XP processor 256MB RAM
2TB capacity Android and iOS apps One USB 3 port
One drive bay External device support UPnP/DLNA
and iTunes media server functions 170 x 139 x 49mm
BLUETOOTH SPEAKER
MULTIFUNCTION PRINTER
Cambridge Audio Minx Go
Canon Pixma MX925
99.95 from
www.richsersounds.com
Date tested: January 2014
120 from www.ebuyer.com

Date tested: January 2014
The Minx Go has excellent battery life, is great value

for money and is very easy to use. Although it doesnt have
the extra features of other, more expensive speakers, its
sound quality is excellent, producing powerful volume with
no distortion.
KEY SPECS
Two speakers 3.5mm stereo Bluetooth (SBC) input
3.5mm headphone input 237 x 123 x 60mm 1.1kg
One-year return-to-base warranty
All prices correct at time of review
Works with ADSL, Ethernet and fibre connections

Dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz 802.11ac 1,300Mbps
theoretical maximum speed 4 x Gigabit Ethernet ports
1 x USB port One-year return-to-base warranty
236 x 116 x 31mm
Oustanding quality combined with

good print speeds and impressive specifications
make this an excellent inkjet device. Its not cheap but its
five-cartridge system makes it economical to run.
KEY SPECS
9,600 x 2,400dpi print resolution 2,400 x 4,800dpi scan
resolution 7.5cm colour screen 250-sheet tray capacity
USB, 10/100 Ethernet and 802.11n Wi-Fi 11.5 pages-perminute mono print speed 3.5 pages-per-minute colour
print speed 491 x 396 x 213mm 11.7kg
BUDGET LAPTOP
E-READER
Toshiba Satellite C50-A-156
Amazon Kindle Paperwhite
349.99 from www.argos.co.uk

Date tested: December 2013
109 from www.amazon.co.uk

This no-nonsense laptop has a standard keyboard and a

matt screen, but its lack of external frills is more than
made up for by its fast processor and graphics, large 1TB
hard drive, DVwD rewriter and USB 3.0 port.
The updated Kindle Paperwhite is still the best

ebook reader, with a superb, paper-like screen, a long
battery life and the biggest selection of titles to download.
KEY SPECS
6in screen 758 x 1,024 pixels resolution Eight-week

battery life 802.11b/802.11g/802.11n Wi-Fi Built-in light
2GB internal memory for 1,100 books 169mm x 117mm
x 9.1mm 206g Supports AZW3, AZW, TXT, PDF, MOBI
and PRC ebook formats.
Windows 8 2.5GHz Intel Core i3-3120M processor 4GB

memory 15.6in standard (non-touch) screen 1,366 x
768 pixels resolution 1TB hard drive 10/100 Ethernet,
802.11n Wi-Fi 380 x 240 x 32mm 2.3kg
26
26 March 2014
KEY SPECS
WEB USERS BEST BUYS

FULL-SIZE TABLET
SMART TV
Apple iPad Air
LG 42LA690V
From 399 from www.apple.com/uk

649 from
www.coopelectricalshop
.co.uk
Date tested: November 2013
The iPad Air is Apples best tablet so

far. Its slim, light and beautiful to look
at and use, with a better battery life
than previous models. It also has a
super-fast processor and an amazing
touchscreen.
KEY SPECS
9.7in screen 2,048 x 1,536 pixels
resolution 16-128GB internal storage A7
dual-core processor 5-megapixel and 1.2-megapixel
cameras Dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi Bluetooth
240 x 169.5 x 7.5mm 469g
WI-FI EXTENDER
Although the LG 42LA690V

doesnt have ITV catch-up,
it offers a good selection of
subscription-based alternatives. The TV is easy to set up
and picture quality is excellent.
KEY SPECS
42in screen 1,920 x 1,080 pixels resolution 3D support
2 x 12W speakers 3 x HDMI ports 1 x SCART (RGB)
socket 3 x USB ports Ethernet Freeview HD and
DVB-S2 tuners Eight-day EPG
7in TABLET
TP-Link TL-WA850RE
Google Nexus 7
27 from www.currys.co.uk
Date tested: October 2013
199 from play.google.com

Date tested: September 2013
This Wi-Fi extender is easy to set up and

use, with an informative display and a
clean, sleek design. It managed to treble
reble
the speed of our wireless network,
boosting a weak signal to every corner
er
of our house. Best of all, its very
cheap, making it a superb choice all
round.
The latest Nexus has a sharp screen

and runs the latest Android software
smoothly. Its a perfect balance of
price and performance, and is the king
of Android tablets.
KEY SPECS
Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS) Fast Ethernet (10/100)
Single-band 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi WEP, WPA/WPA2
security 110 x 75 x 66mm
KEY SPECS
1.5GHz quad-core processor
16GB/32GB internal storage 7in
screen 1,920 x 1,200 pixels resolution 5-megapixel and
1.2-megapixel cameras Dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n Wi-Fi
200 x 114 x 8.5mm 290g Android 4.3 GPS NFC
Bluetooth
LAPTOP
SMARTPHONE
Acer Aspire S3
HTC One
390 from
www.saveonlaptops.co.uk
Date tested: September 2013
480 SIM-free from www.htc.com/uk

Date tested: July 2013
The super-stylish Acer Aspire

S3 looks far more expensive
than it is. Although its
internal specification is slightly out of date, its performance
and battery life are impressive. It also has a clear, bright
screen and a compact case, which makes it much lighter
than most other laptops.
The HTC One is a top-of-the-range

smartphone with an excellent design.
It works smoothly, is capable of taking
impressive photos and features all the
latest technologies for connecting to
Wi-Fi and mobile phone networks. Its
also cheaper than the Samsung
Galaxy S4.
KEY SPECS
KEY SPECS
Windows 8 64-bit 1.4GHz Intel Core i3-2377M processor

4GB DDR3 memory 13.3in screen 1,366 x 768 pixels
resolution 500GB hard drive 1.38kg Dual-band
802.11n Wi-Fi No touchscreen 323 x 219 x 18mm
4.7in screen 1,920 x 1,080 pixels resolution 1.7GHz

quad-core processor 2GB memory 32/64GB storage
3G/4G/Wi-Fi 4-megapixel camera 137 x 68 x 9mm
143g Android 4.1.2
26 March 2014
27
TECHNOPOP IS COMING...
A POP-UP FESTIVAL OF SCIENCE,

TECHNOLOGY, DESIGN & INNOVATION
Look out for new Autumn dates!

Stratford, London
Launching at TIQ Stratford City (The

International Quarter), Technopop
London will pop-up with a fully immersive
technology exhibition alongside an
interactive programme of educational
workshops and events.
WHATS ON AT TECHNOPOP?
LOOKING UP
INSPIRING WOMEN
IN TOUCH WITH TECHNOLOGY
BUILT ENVIRONMENT
SPORT SCIENCE & THE HUMAN BODY
CELEBRATING INNOVATION
FAMILY FUN TIME
@
@
WWW.TECHNOPOP.CO.UK
Register your details at WWW.TECHNOPOP.CO.UK

for all event news, updates, involvement and ticketing information.
For commercial opportunities, please contact HELLO@TECHNOPOP.CO.UK
@TechnopopLondon
facebook.com/TechnopopLondon
PARTNERS
Women in Sustainable
Construction & Property
WEB USERS BEST BUYS

SOFTWARE & SERVICES
PHOTO EDITING
Adobe Photoshop
Elements 13
NEW!
54.71 from www.adobe

.com/uk
Date tested: March 2014
VIDEO EDITING
Adobe Premiere Elements 12
62.34 from
www.ballicom.co.uk
With its tidy, uncluttered interface and pop-out trays,

Adobe Photoshop Elements is a pleasure to use. The
software provides everything an amateur photographer
could need and helps you quickly find the right editing
tools, depending on how you want to work.
Premiere Elements 12s superb

interface means its many
features are accessible, but neatly tucked away. It works
equally well for beginners and experts, with instant access
to two editing modes and lots of help and guidance. For the
price, you wont find better video-editing software than this.
KEY FEATURES
KEY FEATURES
Compatible with Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8+, including 64-bit

versions Bundled with photo organiser Guided edits
Content-aware edits People-beautifier tools RAW
support
Automatic editing Image stabiliser Export to multiple

video formats Upload to Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo
Surround-sound support DVD and Blu-ray disc-burning
Unlimited timelines Stop-motion capture
WEB FILTER
ONLINE BACK-UP
Norton Family
SquirrelSave
Free from www.symantec.com

61 a year from
www.squirrelsave.co.uk
Date tested: August 2013
This family-friendly software

provides everything you need to keep the worst of the web
from your PC. It has all the most important filtering
features and does an excellent job of blocking potentially
harmful sites. Best of all, its free to download and use.
KEY FEATURES
10-PC licence Compatible with Windows XP/Vista/7/8,
Mac OS X 10.7+ Category filters Customisable profiles
Whitelist/blacklist Remote management IM and
social network monitoring Blocks chat, newsgroups and
P2P Email support
With its unlimited storage, ability to

handle back-ups from multiple PCs and retention of old
versions of your files, SquirrelSave is an excellent choice for
backing up loads of data. Its very easy to use and great
value for money.
KEY FEATURES
Automatic back-up Unlimited storage Recover deleted
files for up to 32 days 256-bit AES encryption Back up
any combination of files and folders UK-based Copies
of files kept forever Back-up logging
WEB DESIGN
ANTI-VIRUS
Serif WebPlus X6
Kaspersky Internet
Security
81.69 from www.serif.com

Date tested: August 2013
Serif WebPlus X6 is a winning
combination of functionality, ease
of use and value for money. Its combination of tools,
templates and flexibility, and the ease with which it lets you
add extra features, make it an excellent choice for home
users who want to create their own sites.
KEY FEATURES
30 templates PayPal, Romancart, Mals E-commerce
payment systems Social-media support Allows
hand-coded HTML SEO tools Widgets included
Graphics included Overall site-structure view
24 (one year, three PCs) from

www.amazon.co.uk
Date tested: July 2013
Kaspersky strikes the right balance between solid
protection and a good understanding of what is safe and
what is not. The software blocked 99 out of 100 threats
and only reported one false positive. Its a powerful
security tool to have watching over your PC.
KEY FEATURES
Firewall Email scanning Parental controls Game
mode Personal data protection Social-networking
protection Vulnerability scanner 30-day free trial
26 March 2014
29
BEST FREE SOFTWARE

This fortnights top FREE software downloads
19 F
DOW
IMAGE EDITOR
FastStone Image Viewer 5
REE
N LO
A DS
www.faststone.org
Min requirements: Windows XP/Vista/7/8+
File size: 5.4MB
This excellent free program is
much more than a simple
image viewer, despite what
its name implies. Its also a
photo browser, converter and
editor packed with powerful
tools and features.
The interface is similar to
Windows Explorer in that you
browse folders on the left
and view thumbnails on the
right. Theres also a preview
window you can resize and
zoom into and out of. A
folders contents can be
sorted by various criteria
including file name, size,
date, dimension and type,
and you can filter the view to
show just images, just videos
or both. You can also edit
images.
Double-clicking a
photo will open the
softwares full-screen
mode, and moving
your mouse to an edge
reveals different
menus. From here, you
can view the file and
photo attributes;
perform editing tasks
such as rotate, resize,
clone and heal; and
remove red eye, adjust
colours and lighting,
and add effects.
FastStone Image Viewer
lets you batch convert and
rename multiple images,
which is handy if you have a
lot of BMPs you want to
convert to JPEGs, for
example. You can apply
batches of changes using the

same settings, including
rotating and cropping all the
images, adding borders and
watermarks, and adjusting
the brightness, contrast, and
saturation.
Version 5 of the software

introduces several changes
including a larger thumbnail
size (260 x 195 pixels) and a
Crop to Fit full-screen
option in the slideshow
creator.
GAME
Umbragram
bit.ly/umbra341
Min requirements: Windows XP/Vista/7/8+ or Mac OS X
File size: 38.6MB
Umbragram is a perception-based puzzle game. Each level

shows two silhouettes and the aim is to create the structure
that casts those shadows by stacking bricks on a central area.
You can rotate the area, switching the silhouettes from one
wall to the other, and undo previous moves. It takes a while to
wrap your head around it, but once you do its great fun.
CACHE VIEWER
ImageCacheViewer
www.nirsoft.net
File size: 74.8KB
Your browser caches content from all the web pages you visit,
so they load faster when you return to the site. Any unchanged
content is loaded from this local cache, instead of having to
be downloaded again from the site. The tiny program
ImageCacheViewer lets you explore all cached images. You
can see which browser a picture was found in (all the main
ones are supported), as well as the image type, size, and date
and time when it was cached. Click an image to view it.
30
26 March 2014
BEST FREE SOFTWARE

NEW WINDOWS 8 APPS
PS
Here Maps
bit.ly/heremaps341
Min requirements: Windows 8+
File size: 45.1MB
This mapping app provides walking,
driving and public transport directions,
and can be used online and off. It offers a
choice of map views satellite, public
transport, local traffic, street level or
regular street map.
DRIVER UPDATER
Driver Fusion
treexy.com
Min requirements: Windows XP/Vista/7/8+ File size: 5.7MB
When you connect a piece of hardware to your computer whether its a
mouse, a monitor or a printer Windows needs a driver to use it (to drive
the hardware). Driver Fusion lets you manage all the drivers on your PC and
uninstall old ones. You should only delete drivers you know you dont need.
Make sure you select Custom install and decline the bundled extras.
App Social
bit.ly/appsocial341
File size: 4.3MB
App Social lets you discover apps
recommended by other users. You can
browse the popular choices or create an
account and share your own finds with
others.
IMAGE RESIZER
JPGmini
www.voralent.com/download
Min requirements: Windows XP/Vista/7/8+ File size: 2MB
This tool comes from the same developer as PNGmini, which we covered in
last issues Best Free Software (bit.ly/webuser340). Its designed to reduce
the file size of JPEG images without compromising image quality. Drop your
image(s) onto the main window and it will compress them. Make sure the
Backup option is ticked to avoid overwriting the original file.
COMPETITION
CyberLink Director Suite 2
WIN!
Available now priced 239.99, Director Suite 2 includes four awardwinning applications PowerDirector 12, ColorDirector 2,
AudioDirector 4 and PhotoDirector 5 working
together to provide an unrivalled video- and photoediting package. You can convert videos and photos
into stylish 3D-animated slideshows and personalise
films using different styles and templates.
Sophisticated colour-grading tools let you adjust the
tones and colours. To enter, email your address to
webusercomp@dennis.co.uk with director in the
subject line. Find out more at www.cyberlink.com.
Recommend free downloads at www.facebook.com/webusermagazine
Spotlite
bit.ly/spotlite341
File size: 3.6MB
Spotify is one of the best musicstreaming services around, and the
Spotlite app provides an attractive
interface for enjoying songs, playlists and
Spotify Radio Stations. It works with
both free and paid-for versions.
26 March 2014
31
WINDOW MANAGER
Preme for Windows
www.premeforwindows.com
File size: 18MB
Switching between open windows isnt
exactly difficult, but Preme aims to make it
even easier and gives you more control over
what you see on your screen. You can assign
useful commands to each window corner
(move your mouse to the bottom-left to hide
the window, for example, or top-right to open
the task switcher), and dock windows to
screen edges. You can set a window to
always be on top, and scroll the contents of
any window not just the current one by
hovering your mouse over it. Tapping Esc
twice will close an active window.
Preme offers loads of other useful options
and its highly configurable.
ENCRYPTION TOOL
Advanced File Encryption

Pro
jarvas.ca
File size: 4.5MB
If you have files on your hard drive that you

want to hide from prying eyes, try this free
program. Just drag the files onto the window
and choose the settings to apply. The
software offers a selection of encryption
methods including AES, Blowfish, DES,
Skipjack and Twofish. You can choose a
compression level, split the file into sections,
disguise the file name and hide the item. The
software can also securely delete the original
data afterwards.
You can use the software for 30 days, after
which youll need to register it, but this is free
to do.
PROGRAM LAUNCHER
PhotoSun 14 v2
micranes.weebly.com
File size: 43.9MB
This photo editor lets you tidy up your images

by adjusting exposure, brightness and
contrast; fix problems such as red-eye; and
apply a range of effects, filters and frames.
Filters on offer include black and white, sepia,
antique, boost colour and recolour.
This second incarnation of version 14
(rather confusing, we know) lets you add text
to pictures, and straighten crooked images. It
also fixes bugs, and improves the image
viewer. Edited images can be shared by email
or posted on Facebook in a couple of clicks.
Each time you launch PhotoSun, a donation
page opens, but you can simply close it.
32
26 March 2014
BEST FREE SOFTWARE

GAME
Ridiculous Glitching
READER
RECOMMENDS
bit.ly/glitch341
Min requirements: Windows XP/Vista/7/8+,
Mac OS X or Linux File size: 9.6MB
This game is based on the hugely popular
(and now deceased) Flappy Bird. You control
PacMan and have to collect cherries and pills
while avoiding the paywall, ghosts and other
threats. Like Flappy Bird, its ridiculously
hard. Up to four players can compete
simultaneously on a single keyboard.
BootRacer (www.greatis
.com/bootracer) is a
useful free tool that
calculates and rates your
Windows boot time so
you can identify
problems and speed
things up. It is also quite
amusing. I have been
using it for just over a
month and it has already
helped me to improve
my start-up time.
FratPark, Web User
Forums
SYSTEM TOOL
WSUS Offline Update
download.wsusoffline.net
File size: 2.2MB
This tool lets you update Microsoft Windows
and Office without an internet connection.
Choose which updates you want to download
(youll need to be online for this stage,
obviously), then click Start. You can copy the
updates to a memory stick or have them
written as an ISO file ready for burning to
disc.
UPDATED New tweaks and fixes for your favourite programs

CLEAN-UP TOOL
CCleaner 4.11
www.piriform.com/ccleaner
Min requirements: Windows XP/
Vista/7/8+ or Mac OS X
File size: 4.5MB
The latest update to CCleaner
improves the File Finder tool, so you can locate duplicate
files based on their content and set a maximum file size
when searching. It also adds support for Opera 15 and Torch
Browser, and improves the way the Drive Wiper tool
detects SSD drives.
MUSIC SOFTWARE
MusicBee 2.3
getmusicbee.com
File size: 15.1MB
The marvellous music manager-cum-organiser now lets you
browse thumbnail images of artists, albums and genres. The
Now Playing list has been improved to show album covers
for each track, and the podcast directory has been tidied
up to make it easier to search.
BROWSER
Chrome 34
www.google.co.uk/chrome
Min requirements: Windows XP/Vista/7/8+, Mac OS X or
Linux File size: 35.1MB
The big new feature in Chrome is hands-free voice search,
which is now built into the

browser so you can search
by saying OK Google into
your microphone. In the
beta version, this only
worked with www.google
.com but its due to be updated for www.google.co.uk.
DISC-BURNING TOOL
CDBurnerXP 4.5.3.4643
cdburnerxp.se
File size: 8MB
The powerful disc-burning software has been updated to
add support for Apples ALAC lossless audio codec. It also
changes the default file system back to ISO/Juliet for
compatibility reasons and fixes a problem that stopped
error messages displaying properly.
COMPRESSION TOOL
PeaZip
peazip.sourceforge.net
Min requirements: Windows
XP/Vista/7/8+ or Linux
File size: 6.1MB
PeaZips help system has been improved to give users
better access to online and offline resources, and to
translated documentation. It also adds support for
Microsofts OneDrive online storage service and applies
various improvements to the programs interface.
GET FREE SOFTWARE FIRST subscribe to Web User at subscribe.webuser.co.uk
Recommend free downloads at www.facebook.com/webusermagazine
26 March 2014
33
BEST FREE APPS
This fortnights top FREE smartphone and tablet apps
MESSAGING
Telegram
telegram.org
Min requirements: Android 2.2, iOS 6
Size: 8.9MB
The rise of free messaging apps could soon
spell the end for old-fashioned SMS. The
best-known
messaging app is
WhatsApp, which we
featured in issue 336
(bit.ly/webuser336),
but Telegram is our
new favourite.
Like WhatsApp and
Apples iMessage,
Telegram lets you
send messages and
attachments, but
theres far more to it
than that. Unlike its

rivals, Telegram is
truly multi-platform.
It backs up all your
messages and
media to the cloud
for free, with no
limit on space, and
lets you access
them from all your
devices, including
Android, iOS and
Windows PC.
You can also
make group chats,
send videos (up to 1GB), share multiple photos
from the web and forward any media you
receive. If privacy is your priority, the Secret
Chats tool lets you encrypt messages and set
them to self-destruct.
FILES
PHOTOS
WeTransfer
Spaceselfie
www.wetransfer.com
Min requirements:
iOS 7
Size: 6.5MB
This new mobile version
of the online file-sharing
tool lets you select
photos and videos from
your iPhone or iPad
Camera Roll and send
them to any email address. Its simple, efficient
and frees you from iTunes on iOS. You can send
up to 10GB of files at once, pause and resume
downloads, and switch automatically between
Wi-Fi and mobile data as needed.
bit.ly/selfie341
Min requirements: Windows Phone 8
Size: 5MB
Astronaut Mike
Hopkins is so far
the only person
to snap a selfie
in space (bit.ly/
hopkins341),
but now you, too, can be photobombed by
Planet Earth. Take a self-portrait with your
phones front camera, add a filter if you want
and choose your favourite cosmic background.
Nokia wants you to share your best pictures on
Twitter using the hashtag #spaceselfie.
SECURITY
PHOTOS
Kaspersky Safe
Browser
Adobe Revel
bit.ly/kaspersky341
Min requirements:
Windows Phone 8
Size: 3MB
Kaspersky follows up its
security apps for Android
(Kaspersky Internet
Security, bit.ly/
kaspdroid341) and iOS (Kaspersky Safe
Browser, bit.ly/ikasp341) with this new
browser for Windows Phone 8. Its main aim is
to block phishing sites, but you can also set it
to block specific types of content such as
games and social-networking sites.
34
26 March 2014
bit.ly/revel341
Min requirements:
Android 4, iOS 7
Size: 17MB
Adobes cloud-sharing
app lets you sync your
photos and videos
online and access them
from all your devices,
including your Windows
8 Desktop. As well as
organising your content
into albums and sharing them, you can edit
them from inside the app, using filters and basic
editing tools similar to those in Adobes
Photoshop Express app (bit.ly/photoshop341).
QR codes
Telegram
WeTransfer
Spaceselfie
Kaspersky Safe
Browser
Adobe Revel
BEST FREE APPS

MUSIC
PARKING
Dont Pause
Auto Finder
bit.ly/pause341
Min requirements: Android 4.1
Size: 1.4MB
If youre listening to music on your Android
device and you get a text message, email or
other notification, the alert will normally
interrupt your music.
This app stops that
interruption by
switching your
notifications to vibrate
automatically. Its as
simple as that theres
nothing to set up or
configure, and the app
runs continuously
once you start it.
bit.ly/autofinder341
Min requirements: Android 4
Size: 2.1MB
Most parking apps depend on you to mark your
cars location, but Auto Finder does it all on its
own. It uses your
Androids hardware
sensors to detect when
youre getting out of your
car, even if your phone is
in your bag or pocket, and
tags your cars location on
a map so that you can find
it again. Theres no set-up
required, and the app
looks great and is very
easy to use.
GAME
FOOD
Top Gear: Race

the Stig
Greggs
bit.ly/stig341
Min requirements:
Android 2.3, iOS 6,
Windows Phone 8
Size: 26MB
This simple racing
game pits you against
elusive Top Gear
mascot The Stig as
you race through
famous locations from the BBC TV show.
Choose your car from the Top Gear archive
which includes Jeremy Clarksons Italian police
car with Ben Hur wheels and James Mays
amphibious Triumph Herald customise your
outfit and share your scores online.
QR codes
Dont Pause
Auto Finder
Top Gear:
Race the Stig
bit.ly/greggsapp341
Size: 14MB
Pick and pay for your pastry purchases on the
go with this excellent app
from the hugely popular
bakery chain. You can
browse the full Greggs
menu, which includes
nutritional information; get
exclusive offers; pay with
your phone via PayPal;
collect coffee tokens; find
your nearest Greggs shop
and win free food. Whats
not to love?
Greggs
NEW APPS WORTH PAYING FOR
TOOL
Type Machine
bit.ly/type341
Min requirements: Android 4
Size: 463KB Price: 1.24
Finally, theres a Ctrl+Z for mobile
sort of. Type Machine runs in the
background and backs up everything
you type, so you can go back to a
previous stage if you make a mistake.
GEOGRAPHY
Elevation Earth
bit.ly/earth341
Size: 116MB Price: 1.81
Explore a 3D exaggerated terrain
model of the planet in this huge app
that offers stunning views from any
angle and zoom. You can even adjust
the sea level to see how floods would

affect different parts of the world.
MUSIC
Musyc Pro
bit.ly/musycpro341
Min requirements: iOS 7
Size: 64.9MB Price: 2.99
Create music by drawing shapes on
screen, then export your creations as
high-quality compressed recordings to
apps including iTunes and SoundCloud.
HEALTH
My Pain Diary
bit.ly/pain341
Min requirements: Android 4.2, iOS 6.1
Size: 2.1MB Price: 3.04
Track chronic pain with this awardwinning app created by a fellow
Recommend free phone apps at www.facebook.com/webusermagazine
sufferer. Its simple, powerful and

flexible, letting your record details
about your pain and symptoms in a
way that makes sense to you. You can
export graphs to show to your doctor
and discover trends that might
otherwise have gone unnoticed.
GAME
Countdown
bit.ly/countdown341
Min requirements: Android 2.3.3
Size: 37MB Price: 69p
Channel 4s iconic word game finally
has an official app. Just as on the TV
show, youre challenged to find the
longest words possible and solve
maths problems. It includes a full
Oxford English Dictionary and lets you
play alone or against a friend.
26 March 2014
35
BEST NEW ADD-ONS

This fortnights 10 most useful tools for your browser
CHROME
Link Revealer
bit.ly/link341
Chrome no longer shows you the
full URL when you hover your
mouse over a link, but this add-on
fixes the problem. It displays the
web address as a tooltip or in a
corner, at the side or in the centre
of the browser, so you know exactly
where a link will take you before you click it.
Data Compression Proxy
bit.ly/data341
This add-on brings the data compression that ensures
pages load quickly on mobile devices to the Desktop
version of Chrome. It works
by routing web traffic
through the same proxy
server used by the Chrome
mobile app. You simply
click the toolbar button
to turn the extension on
and off.
Talk and Comment
bit.ly/talk341
Forget typing Facebook
comments and use this
extension to speak them
instead. Click and hold
down the microphone icon
in a comment box to
record your piece. Its then
converted to an audio link
that plays without needing the add-on installed.
New Tab Reloaded
bit.ly/newtab341
If youre annoyed that Chrome removed the option to revert
to the old-style New Tab
page, try this add-on. It
restores the familiar design
without the Google logo
and search page, although
you dont get the extra
options offered by the
original New Tab page.
OPERA
FIREFOX
Paint It Black
bit.ly/black341
Paint It Black fixes sites that use faint or
coloured text on a white background. The
add-on forces text to be black whenever
possible, and you can either toggle it on
and off, or set the add-on to work automatically.
Only Minor Update
bit.ly/minor341
This add-on lets you install minor Firefox updates without upgrading to
the next big release, which is useful if you want to stay secure, but dont
want the changes imposed by a major update. You can still download the
new version of the browser when youre ready.
AllTube Download
bit.ly/alltube341
There are loads of YouTube downloaders for
Firefox, but AllTube covers other video sites, too,
including Vimeo and Dailymotion. Click its icon in
the Add-on Bar to go to AllTube Download, where
you can choose a video format and quality.
Auto-Refresh Twitter
bit.ly/auto341
Twitter addicts who resent having to refresh the page every few minutes
to show new tweets should install this add-on, which does the hard work
for you. It automatically refreshes your Twitter timeline after a minute, so
you dont need to click 54 new tweets or press F5.
36
26 March 2014
SingleClick
Cleaner
bit.ly/single341
As its name
suggests, this
handy Opera
add-on lets you
clean up the
browser in a single click. Just click the
dustbin icon on the toolbar to empty the
cache, delete cookies, clear your download
history and much more. Go to the add-ons
Options to decide exactly what to remove.
Edit This Cookie
bit.ly/cookie341
Get more control over the cookies that sites
install in your browser using this add-on. As
well as deleting all or individual cookies, you
can block future cookies from a specific
domain, protect cookies so theyre not
accidentally
deleted and
even change
the date a
cookie is
due to
expire.
Tell us your favourite add-ons at www.facebook.com/webusermagazine
INBOX
INBOX
INBOX
CONTACT US
You can let us know your views and opinions

via webuser@dennis.co.uk, www.facebook.
com/webusermagazine, www.twitter.com/
webusermagazine and forum.webuser.co.uk
Share your views!
STAR EMAIL
How dare Dell charge to install Firefox!
was horrified to read about Dell

charging its customers 16.25 to
install Firefox on new computers
(read the story at bit.ly/dell341).
Once people cottoned onto the
scam, Dell was quick to drop the
charge, but it makes you wonder
how long they would have tried to
get away with it if no-one had publicly
complained.
Mozilla has always prided itself on
being a non-prot organisation, which
doesnt earn any money from products
such as Firefox and Thunderbird or,
unlike Google, through rampant
advertising and spying on its users. So
for some big greedy company to start
boosting its prots by charging for a
free browser is morally reprehensible.
Apparently, Dell has defended the
How to solve the

Windows XP crisis
While I fully sympathise with

the plight of anyone running Windows
XP left unsupported from 8 April, I also,
after thirty years in the IT industry, see
the other side.
Its extremely difcult to maintain an
ageing operating system in an industry
that is so fast moving. I personally
believe that Microsoft has removed
support for XP three years too early,
because any OS should be fully
supported for up to 10 years after the
products last ofcial sales. Microsoft is
apologetic and allegedly sympathises
with the aggravation and expense
caused by the end of XP support. That
said, it doesnt seem to be going out of
its way to offer a viable solution.
The crazy thing is that there is a simple
solution that Microsoft could adopt to
show that it cares about its customers.
Almost every XP system is 32-bit
technology, so the vast majority will be
capable of running Windows 7 32-bit,
even if the performance suffers a little.
If Microsoft truly cared about its
customer base, it could make the Update
version of Windows 7 32-bit available as
a free download for XP customers. It
wouldnt take much for them to do this
and, to be frank, most of those
fee by saying it was for the time and

labour involved. But it hardly takes more
than a few minutes and a bit of clicking
to download and install Firefox, or
indeed any browser, so why should Dell
be able to get away with a 16.25 price
tag? If we assume that it takes no longer
than 10 minutes to install Firefox, then
Dell is making nearly 100 an hour from
its customers. For a free browser!
customers will replace their machines

with another Windows system in due
course, anyway. This means that the loss
of upgrade revenue should be offset by
the fact that those users will stay on a
Microsoft-based system for the
foreseeable future.
Taff Lovesey, via email
Electric cars are not so

economical
With respect to the idea of a pure

electric car, mentioned in your review of
Go Ultra Low, Best New Websites, Issue
339 (bit.ly/webuser339), there is a
critical factor missing and that is the
energy transfer efciency from the
generating station to the car. We must
also consider the charging efciency, in
terms of how much of the electrical
energy is actually converted into stored
energy in the battery.
Add the observation that most of the
electricity generated within the UK
originates from fossil fuel-based power
stations, these being signicant
greenhouse gas emitters, and the whole
concept becomes somewhat
questionable. Add up to 100 miles
maximum per full battery charge for the
Volkswagen e-UP electric car, and the
result is anything but efcient and clear,
and certainly not green!
Air your views, write to us at webuser@dennis.co.uk
25er
winn
Nobody wants their new

PC or laptop to come
pre-installed with loads of
software theyll never use. But
nor should we have to pay for
extra programs that are free on
the web. Im assuming that the
Dell computers ran Windows 8.1,
as this now comes as standard on
all new machines, so customers
would have been able to download
Firefox using Internet Explorer. Unless,
that is, they were complete PC novices,
in which case Dell was clearly taking
advantage of their lack of knowledge.
Im delighted that the charge has
now been exposed and scrapped, but
Dell shouldnt have been so cheeky in
the rst place.
Damien Brigstocke, via email
In comparison, the Volkswagen Polo

Blue Motion offers 91.1 miles per gallon
and has a 45-litre fuel tank, a similar
acceleration speed to the e-UP and a
notably higher maximum speed,
conrming the notable limitations of the
electric car.
Perhaps a better approach would be to
use embedded software, as per railway
locomotives, with an internal combustion
engine running at maximum efciency.
This would turn an electrical generator
whose output power would then move
the car. With biofuels starting to become
viable, this would be a more energyefcient option.
Andrew Porter, Hitchin
No excuse for poor

customer service
There seems to be a worrying trend at

the moment with big companies not
having contact forms or email addresses
26 March 2014
37
on their websites. This means the only

option is to phone them.
Whenever I have worked for a
company, I have answered the phone
within four rings. Last week, I had to
phone Vodafone on a non-0800 number
and was made to wait for more than 20
minutes. This annoyed me so much that I
cancelled my phone contract with them.
Today I phoned Npower and I was on
the phone for over an hour with no
answer from the customer service team,
despite being promised a call back within
22 minutes. Dont these companies
realise that this bad service means you
wont do business with them in future or
recommend them to your friends?
Adrian Bonnington, via email
App permissions cant be

trusted
I was interested to read your article

about app and add-on permissions in
Issue 339. I have often been alarmed by
the permissions required by many
Android apps, which go far beyond what
they actually need to do. Why does
Angry Birds need to prevent phone
from sleeping or the Argos app need to
control vibration? And even good old
BBC News wants to nd accounts on
the device. Why?! The problem is that
Your Vote Counts
ON WEBUSER.CO.UK THIS FORTNIGHT WE ASKED
Will WhatsApp
replace text
messaging?
34%
No
Maybe
47%
NEXT FORTNIGHT
Do you feel safe using

public Wi-Fi? Vote online
at www.webuser.co.uk
you either have to accept

these permissions and let
the app do what it wants
on your phone or tablet, or
you dont get the app at all
because, as you point out
in your article, you cant
pick and choose its all or
nothing.
This seems ridiculously
unfair: how hard would it be for Android
developers to make permissions optional,
so you didnt have to grant access to
anything you felt uncomfortable with?
Clues marked with an asterisk are cryptic and refer to sites

and software featured in this issue of Web User. All other
clues are literal. Answers online at www.webuser.co.uk/
crossword
ACROSS
4. Front part of the lower leg (4)
6. *Twist politest music-streaming interface app (8)
8. Made a mistake; wandered (5)
9. Dennis, Moody or Howard (3)
10. *Radiate back for news magazine site (4)
11. *No updates ordered for music app that wont be
interrupted (9)
13. Brian, of Roxy Music (3)
14. Covet (6)
16. *(With 9 down) Show the full Chrome URL by
scrambling a nerve killer (4,8)
18. *Shade of green holds new games service (6)
19. Capital of Brittany (6)
DOWN
1. Narnia author Lewis (1,1)
2. *Northern Irish area loses yen for words and
numbers game (9)
3. Childrens author Enid (6)
4. Stalk (4)
5. *Michael Stipes band in piles for app that gives
directions (4,4)
7. *Beloved are maltreated for cloud-sharing photo
app (5,5)
26 March 2014
Yes
3%
THIS FORTNIGHTS CROSSWORD
38
16%
Whats
WhatsApp?
Basically, its just giving

carte blanche to malware
creators to exploit
permissions that youve
been forced to accept for
their own sinister
purposes. Well, not on my
device they wont,
because I intend to
remove every app that has
unreasonable or inscrutable permissions,
and I strongly recommend that your
readers do the same!
Brian Bannerman, via email
7
8
10
11
12
13
14
16
15
17
18
19
9. See 16 across (8)

12. *The easiest designs initially produce a global
community of ideas (3)
15. Eyes colored area (4)
17. Kesey, Livingstone or Dodd (3)
18. Operating system (1,1)
Crossword created using Crossword Compiler software,
from WordWeb Software (www.wordwebsoftware.com).
INBOX
INBOX
What you
say...
ILL YOU BUY ONE OF

THE NEW NOKIA
PHONES RUNNING ANDROID
(bit.ly/nokia341)?
Yes I would. Nokia phones are well

built, but let down by the software.
Phil Graham
If Nokia released their Lumia with the
41-megapixel camera and full Android,
I would have it in a heartbeat. But
this? They are having a laugh.
Kevin Meliak
No. Making you use their app store
and blocking Google Play is precisely
the reason I am with Google.
Chris Armstrong
Never. HTC phones have the best
Android interface.
Jack Laurence Gold
Better late than never! Shame,
because I now have a great Android
phone and wont need another for
some time.
Wolf Simpson
RE YOU ANNOYED THAT

AMAZON PRIME NOW
COSTS 79, BUNDLED WITH
THE INSTANT VIDEOSTREAMING SERVICE?
Yes. They should at least offer a Prime
service without the video. Lovefilms
selection is just garbage.
Derek Murray
Very! Lovefilm isnt very good. I only
use Prime for next-day delivery.
Rarely do I use it to borrow books on
the Kindle.
Dale Taylor
HE BBC WANTS PEOPLE

WHO ONLY WATCH TV
VIA CATCH-UP ON THE
iPLAYER TO PAY THE
LICENCE FEE. DO YOU
AGREE?
Predominantly, no. The iPlayer should

be free for everyone regardless
whether they have a licence or not. Its
annoying if they watch programmes
for free that Im paying for with a
licence to watch on TV, but thems the
breaks!
Emmy UpTo-NoGood
If you watch TV live or not, you should
still pay. The licence fee is great value.
Alan McClean
The BBC needs to get rid of the
antiquated TV licence completely.
Then theyd be forced into advertising
and would be accountable for profit
and loss.
James Benstead
How would they tell who was
watching online? People can hide their
IP address. Also, would this idea bring
down the licence fee for everyone, as
more people would be forced to pay
for it?
Ursula Vasey
I believe they should because I dont
watch live TV, but I do record shows
on my TiVo box to watch later, and I
still have to pay the licence fee.
Stephen Scotford
IRGIN MEDIA HAS

LAUNCHED 152MBPS
BROADBAND. ARE YOU
TEMPTED TO SWITCH?
Ive already got 100Mbps from Virgin,

so dont think I need the extra
52Mbps!
Don Rhule
Customer service was shocking last
time I used them. My stepson has just
signed up so Ill await his feedback.
Richard Squires
Yes. Im not interested in the

streaming service. It would be nice to
have a choice.
Pamela J Anderson
Most download sites cant cope with

100Mbps, so whats the point?
Alan Peyto
I dont need their Prime service. It

rarely takes more than a couple of
days to receive my order anyway.
Jenny Francis
80Mbps from BT is already overkill.

Fast internet is good, but do you really
need it? 30Mbps will do as much.
Ian John Nee
Air your views, write to us at webuser@dennis.co.uk
YOUR ONLINE
NE
RIGHTS
Jane Hoskyn answers all

your consumer questions
Stay safe when selling

on eBay
ou probably know that there

are potential pitfalls to buying
stuff on eBay. But it turns out
that selling products from the site
can be riskier.
College lecturer Vishal Vora, 32,
recently made headlines when he
took eBay to the small claims court
after it left him out of pocket over a
vanished iPhone. Vora had sold his
wifes phone to a buyer who claimed
that the box arrived empty.
Instead of investigating, eBay took
17 from Voras PayPal account,
blocked his eBay account and
demanded that he repay the selling
price. Vora is currently awaiting the
courts decision.
The case follows an investigation
by The Observer, which found that
eBay is unfairly weighted in buyers
favour, with eBay unquestioningly
refunding buyers who claim that
items turn up damaged or not at all
(bit.ly/observer341).
So if youre planning a spring
clear-out, should you avoid selling on
eBay and take it all to the charity
shop instead? That would be an
easier option, but there are ways to
protect yourself when selling. First,
when youre listing an item on eBay,
use the Buyer requirements section
(bit.ly/require341) to block buyers
who are new to eBay or who have
any policy violations. Accept
payment by PayPal only, and dont
offer to post outside the UK.
Take detailed photos of the item
while youre packing it. When you
take it to the post ofce, choose
Signed For or Special Delivery (bit.ly/
delivery341) and scan the receipt to
keep with your packing photos.
Standard rst- or second-class postal
receipts arent accepted by eBay or
PayPal.
If you get into a dispute with a
buyer and/or eBay, you can nd
information about the small claims
process at bit.ly/smallclaims341.
SEND YOUR EMAILS TO

WEBUSER@DENNIS.CO.UK
26 March 2014
39
AN INSTANT EXPERT GUIDE TO
Mobile World
Congress 2014
A host of new devices were unveiled at the
Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona.
David Crookes selects the cream of the crop
SAMSUNG GALAXY S
S5
5
Why is it interesting?
As the successor to the Galaxy S4, the

new high-end phone from Samsung is
not a revolutionary step up, but it does
enough to make it arguably the most
desirable handset of 2014, so far. With a
16-megapixel rear-facing camera and a
sharp 415ppi, 5.1in
screen, the phone
takes inspiration
from its rivals, most
notably an iPhonestyle fingerprint
scanner that unlocks
it and allows for
touch-verified
payments online and
in high-street shops.
The Galaxy S5 runs
Android 4.4.2
SAMSUNG GEAR SERIES

Samsung also unveiled its Gear 2, Gear 2

Neo and Gear Fit wearable devices at
Mobile World Congress (MWC), all of
which you can strap to your wrist.
Intriguingly, they dont run Android, but
use an open-source operating system
based on HTML5 called Tizen OS (www
.tizen.org). The Gear 2 smartwatch works
in tandem with Samsung smartphones
and allows for notifications to be
displayed on its screen. It has a
2-megapixel camera, a heart-rate sensor,
stress and sleep tools, and a pedometer.
The Gear 2 Neo offers the same features
except for the camera, while the Gear Fit
is a sleeker, curved wearable device thats
primarily for fitness tracking.
40
26 March 2014
bit.ly/galaxy341
(KitKat), is waterproof and dustproof, and
has a talk time of 21 hours. Samsung has
also been making a big noise about the
phones health features, which include a
heart-rate monitor and a fitness tracker.
Whens it out?
Its due to go on sale in April.
How much will it cost?
At the time of writing, the price had yet

to be announced but we expect the S5 to
cost at least 500.
Do I really need one?
Yes, if you want to own the latest, most

innovative Android phone available. But if
youve just bought a Galaxy S4, its
probably worth waiting until the S6 is
inevitably released next year.
bit.ly/gear341
Whens it out?
HTC DESIRE 816

www.htc.com
With a 5.5in screen, the Desire 816 is

edging into phablet territory a
cross between a phone and tablet
and its as big on features as it is in
size. It features a 13-megapixel rear
camera (with an amazing
5-megapixel camera on the front), a
whopping 8GB of storage, a speedy
1.2GHz Snapdragon processor and
1.5GB of memory. For a mid-range
HTC device, it has certainly pulled
out the stops with its high-end
specifications.
Whens it out?
Its already available in China, with a

worldwide release planned for April.
Given its mid-range tag, we expect

around 250.
You should be seeing

them on wrists from
April.
The plastic case feels a little cheap

but if you want a reasonably-priced
phone with a larger than normal
screen, which runs Android Kitt
(albeit with a HTC Sense 6.0 skin),
this is the handset to get.
How much will

they cost?
We expect them to
cost between 100
and 200.
Do I really need it?
Essentially, theyre
accessories for Samsung phones rather
than standalone devices. But the Pebble
(getpebble.com) has proven there is a
demand for smartwatches and they can
be very useful, not to mention stylish.
Discuss the latest phones at forum.webuser.co.uk
MWC 2014
NOKIA XL
www.nokia.com
SONY XPERIA Z
Z2
2
bit.ly/xperia341
Its good to have something different knocking around.

Nokia has for a while pinned its fortunes on the Windows
Phone OS, but with the Nokia XL, it has turned to Android
(there were no flagship Windows Phones on show at this
years MWC). Like the Nokia X, which we reviewed in First
Look last issue (bit.ly/webuser340), the XL uses the Nokia
X Software Platform, which actually makes the handset
look as if it is running Windows Phone. At the same time, it
lacks a lot of the features youd expect from either OS. It
doesnt have a lot of built-in storage (4GB) or offer much
power, but its cheap and has an impressive 5in screen.
The Xperia Z2 has lots to recommend it, from a waterproof

case to a 5.2in screen. The stunning 1080p display uses Live
Colour LED technology to produce colours that have never
been so real, more natural or so true to life, and the speedy
quadcore processor zips through tasks with ease. But for us,
the incredible 20.7MP camera is what makes this handset really
stand out. It has a 0.04in sensor, SteadyShot image stabilisation
and can record in Ultra-HD.
Whens it out?
Like most other new phones, it should be out in April.
A very affordable 90.
It will cost a wallet-busting 600 but

then its intentionally high-end.
Whens it out?
You can buy the Nokia XL now.
Yes, if you enjoy photography and

recording video. The Samsung Galaxy S5 is
a great cameraphone but this eclipses it for us.
Its a great spare handset and ideal for

people who want some smartphone
capabilities without the hefty price tag.
Its a decent, entry-level phone but
dont expect the moon on a stick.
YOTAPHONE 2
UBUNTU MOBILE
www.ubuntu.com/phone
yotaphone.com
The original YotaPhone had a dual display: a normal screen on

the front and an E Ink, Kindle-style screen on the back for
reading ebooks. The YotaPhone 2 increases the size of the front
screen from 4.3in to 5in, but the biggest improvement is that
the 4.7in E Ink display and has a battery life of up to 50 hours.
Canonical has been trying to bring Ubuntu to mobile

phones for a while, and at MWC it showed off the latest
version on a Nexus 4. Two prototype devices were also on
display, created by the Chinese company Meizu, and BQ of
Spain. Youll be able to plug the phones into a large screen,
the idea being that they replace desktop computers.
Whens it out?
Sometime in 2014.
Whens it out?
It is due out toward the end of the

year. However, the original
Yotaphone was only available in
Russia, Germany, Austria, France and
Spain.
Do I really need it?
The price of the handsets has

not been announced.
Because Ubuntu is open
source, it may be possible to run it on Android phones.
The price has yet to be confirmed.
If you like reading on your phone, the E Ink display reduces eye
strain, and you neednt fret about running out of power before
the end of the chapter.
If youre looking for an alternative to Android, Windows

Phone and iOS, then Ubuntu Mobile could hold the answer.
If not, the list of mobile operating systems is growing,
including seeing Tizen, Firefox OS (bit.ly/firefox341),
Sailfish (sailfishos.org) and many more.
TALKBAND B
B1
1
Huawei showed off a smartband

that you can wear on your wrist.
It lets you talk using a
detachable Bluetooth headset,
if you feel silly speaking to your
arm, and pairs with your tablet or
phone using an app. The Talkband
bit.ly/talkband341
also monitors your
health and can keep
going for two weeks
on standby.
Whens it out?
It should be out this

summer.
Indications are that it will be around

100.
The wearable market is about to become

very crowded, so you might want to wait
to see what else comes along.
26 March 2014
41
ER E
V
O
C TUR
FE A
Software
YouShould
StopUsing
NOW!
Instead of downloading bloated software that slows you down, try

doing everything online instead. Wayne Williams reveals the best
web tools for everyday tasks, which can be used wherever you are
ed be lost without software how else would

we browse the web, protect our PCs and fill our
Best Free Software section every issue? But
thanks to faster broadband and increasingly sophisticated
web technology such as HTML5, its now possible to
perform lots of tasks online that once required hefty
downloads and often expensive Desktop programs.
Chromebooks laptops running Googles Chrome OS
dont even run traditional software; instead, you install
web apps and work in the cloud (although you can work
offline too, if needed). Of course, you dont need to buy a
Chromebook to take advantage of sophisticated online
tools. In fact, no matter how old or new your current
computer, you can switch to the cloud today.
In this feature, we look at the latest free web-based
alternatives to software, which let you do (almost)
everything in the cloud, from editing photos and videos to
optimising your PC and scanning for malware.
R
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SOFTWARE TO STOP USING

SOFTWARE TO SKIP
Microsoft Office
office.microsoft.com
Price: 109.99
Whats wrong with it?
Microsoft Office is expensive and

bloated. Most of us only ever need to
learn the basics, and will never use the
more advanced tools and functions on
offer. Including these just makes the
software more confusing than it needs
to be, and the ribbon toolbar, which
was introduced in 2007, is a pet hate for
many of us. How many times have you
had to hunt through the different
tabbed sections and still not managed
to find the tool you wanted?
WHAT TO USE INSTEAD

Google Drive
drive.google.com
Why you should use it
Googles excellent free online office
suite is now built into

its storage service,
Drive, and includes a
word processor (Docs),
spreadsheet tool
(Sheets) and
presentation creator
(Slides). It provides all
the features youre
likely to actually use
at work and home,
including a
spellchecker, word
count, research panel, translator,
headers and footers, and more. It also
makes it very easy to collaborate on
documents with other users. You get
15GB of storage space for free (shared
across Google Drive, Gmail and Google+
Photos) but you can now get 100GB of
additional space for just $1.99 (1.20)
per month, or simply open a new
account to gain another free 15GB.
You dont have to worry about saving
files, because Docs automatically
handles this for you. So if your computer
crashes midway through writing
something, you just need to restart it
and continue where you left off.
Files are stored on the web, but you
can also save an always-in-sync copy on
your hard drive (using Google Drive for
Windows bit.ly/gdrive341). You dont
have to be online to use the office suite,
either. Just open it Chrome and enable
offline access.
Google recently introduced add-ons
for Google Docs and Sheets that let you
add more features to the suite. These

include the ability to print address
labels and send customised emails. See
the Google Drive blog for more details
(bit.ly/driveaddons341) and our Mini
Workshop, below, to find out how to use
Google Docs add-ons.
ALSO RECOMMENDED
Zoho Docs
www.zoho.com/docs
TeamLab Office
personal.teamlab.com
MINI WORKSHOP How to use Google Docs add-ons

3
2
1
4
5
Google Docs works like any

standard word processor. You can
format text, 1 add links, access tools
2 and add tables. 3 You can also look
up information in the Research sidebar,
4 and filter your searches by category.
5 To find and install extras, click the
Add-ons menu, 6 then click Get
add-ons.
A new window will open displaying

all the extras available. You can
browse through the add-ons 1 or filter
the list by type. 2 You can also search
for an add-on by name. 3 The number
of users suggests how popular that item
is. 4 To find out more about an add-on,
just click it.
Add-ons are installed in the same

way as Chrome extensions. Review
the requested permissions, then click
Accept to install. Once installed, you
can launch and use new features
through the Add-ons menu. 1 You can
access the options for add-ons, and
remove any you no longer need
through the Manage add-ons menu. 2
26 March 2013
43
SOFTWARE TO
SKIP
GIMP
fun retro filters and effects to

photos. There are iOS and
Android apps for the latter two
available, too.
With Pixlr Editor, images are
loaded locally, so you dont
need to upload them to make
changes. The web app looks
and behaves like any Desktop
photo-editing application, with
a familiar set of tools. It offers
an extensive collection of filters
and effects, including Glamour
Glow, Mimic HDR, Tilt Shift and
Night Vision, and lets you save
your edited photos directly to
Facebook, Flickr, Instagram,
Dropbox and Picasa.
www.gimp.org
File size: 86.2MB
Although GIMP (GNU Image

Manipulation Program) is a good
free alternative to expensive
image-editing tools such as
Photoshop, its far from being
the easiest program to use. It
has a messy interface thats
made up of separate floating
windows for the program,
toolbox, and layers and brushes.
You can opt to switch to a single
unified layout (go to Windows
and click Single-Window Mode), but its
still not the most user-friendly image
editor around, and youll need to
customise it to get it looking and
working how you want. If all you want to
do is enhance and apply effects to your
images, you might find GIMP
unnecessarily complex.
WHAT TO USE INSTEAD

Pixlr
pixlr.com
ALSO RECOMMENDED
Photoshop Express Editor

www.photoshop.com/tools
Sometimes you just need to make minor

tweaks to a photo, such as cropping it
or adjusting the brightness and contrast;
other times you might want to
make major changes, such as
adjusting levels and compositing
shots. Pixlr offers a choice of
editors to suit your different
needs, all three of which are
web-based, free and easy to use.
Theres the full-blown and very
powerful Pixlr Editor; the speedy
but more basic Pixlr Express; and
Pixlr-O-Matic, which lets you add
PicMonkey
www.picmonkey.com
MINI WORKSHOP Edit and improve your photos using Pixlr

5
1
4
4
Pixlr Editor looks and behaves just

like any regular photo-editing
program. The tools are arranged in a
strip on the left, 1 with Navigator, 2
Layers 3 and History panels 4 on the
right. You can rearrange these by
clicking and dragging. Other menus
can be accessed through the menu bar
at the top of the screen. 5
44
26 March 2014
Because the editor runs in your

browser, you lose space to the
address bar and tabs. You can hide
these by going to View, 1 Full screen
mode. To make improvements to your
photos, go to Adjustment. 2 Auto
levels 3 can fix a lot of problems. Old
photo 4 adds an aged effect to your
image.
The Filter menu 1 includes blurs,

tools for adding and removing
noise, and sophisticated options such
as Tilt shift and Kaleidoscope. Each
filter has a slider you can use to adjust
the strength of the effect. To save a
finished image, go to File, 2 Save and
select a location 3 and format. 4
R
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MINI WORKSHOP
SOFTWARE TO SKIP
iTunes
www.apple.com/uk/itunes
File size: 142MB
Apples iTunes is one of the most

popular programs in the world,
but its become very large and is
notoriously slow to launch and run,
even on a speedy system. If you
have an Apple device, such as an
iPhone, iPad or iPod, then youll get
a lot out of the software, especially
for buying music, TV shows and
apps. Otherwise, youll only use it to
organise and play your media
collection. Youre also limited to
listening to songs you already own,
though at least iTunes Radio which
lets you stream tracks from the
iTunes Store is rumoured to be
launching soon in the UK.
using the Xbox Music Web Player.

Sign in with your Microsoft account
(its free to sign up) and search for
some songs to listen to. You can
browse by artist, album and track,
create playlists and collections of
favourite songs, and listen to
customised radio stations, based on
the music you like. The service is
also built into Windows 8 and 8.1,
and lets you match songs stored on
your computer with ones in the
Xbox Music online database, which
can be streamed to other Windows
8 devices. There are apps for iOS
and Android, too.
Youll be able to enjoy unlimited
(ad-supported) free listening for six
months, after which streaming is
reduced to 10 hours a month. You
can upgrade to the unlimited
Premium service for 8.99 a month
(theres a free 30-day trial
available).
3
2
4
To start listening to music, just search

for an artist, song or album. 1
Alternatively, you can find something to
enjoy by clicking the Explore button 2
and browsing the selection on offer. You
can discover new music, 3 and listen to
top songs 4 or top albums. Hover over a
track to preview it.
Spotify Web Player

play.spotify.com
2
3
music.xbox.com
ALSO RECOMMENDED
WHAT TO USE
INSTEAD
Xbox Music
You dont need to own Microsofts

games console to listen to music
Listen to any song

anywhere using Xbox Music
Blinkbox Music
www.blinkboxmusic.com
Click a song to start playing it. Use the

bar at the bottom to control playback. 1
You can add tracks to the Now playing list,
to a Collection or to a New playlist. 2 You
can also share 3 the song on Facebook,
Twitter or via email, so your friends can listen
to it too.
To create a personalised radio station,

click Radio 1 and enter an artist. 2 You
can access your stations below. 3 Hover over
a station and click More 4 to access Artist
info. This shows information about the source
artist or band, and lets you listen to their top
10 songs.
26 March 2013
45
MINI WORKSHOP
SOFTWARE TO SKIP
TuneUp Utilities
Speed up and clean up your

PC using Agomo
www.tune-up.com
Price: 29.99
Sign in and install a small program on your

PC (thats the only thing youll need to
download), and youll be able to remotely
access it through Agomos web interface.
The PC youre connected to will be shown
here 1 and you can add further systems to
monitor, 2 and view past events and potential
problems. 3
1
TuneUp Utilities from AVG cleans

and optimises your PC and offers a
range of powerful tools to speed up
your system and keep it running
smoothly. However, although theres
a free 15-day trial, it will ultimately
set you back 30 to buy, and there
are plenty of alternatives that
deliver the same kind of features for
free. Although it boasts a lot of
tools, quite a few of them are basic
and dont have many configuration
options. Some people have
reported that its difficult to fully
uninstall the program, too.
ALSO RECOMMENDED
essentially a web-based version of

the popular clean-up program,
which can remove junk files,
manage Windows start-up items,
find duplicate files, fix Registry
errors and more. It also lets you
connect multiple PCs, so you can
view information on all of them, and
manage each computer remotely.
This is useful if you need to help
friends or family members solve
problems with their machines.
Agomo also includes Piriforms
Defraggler disk defragmenter,
which lets you defrag your hard
drive, including blank space, to
make it impossible for someone to
recover your deleted files.
At the time of writing, Agomo
was still in private beta, so youll
need to register your interest, then
wait for an invitation.
PC Pitstop
www.pcpitstop.com/pcpitstop
You can view a Summary of your PC 1

and get detailed information about the
system configuration on the Hardware tab. 2
The Software tab 3 lists details of the
operating system and Windows Update
settings. You can also view all running
processes 4 and terminate any misbehaving
ones. 5
To find and remove junk files, click the

CCleaner tab. 1 It works just like the
downloadable version. Click Analyze 2 to find
junk, then click Run Cleaner 3 to remove it.
You can also fix errors in the Windows
Registry. 4 Defrag and optimise your hard
drive using Defraggler. 5
46
26 March 2014
WHAT TO USE
INSTEAD
Agomo
www.agomo.com
If youve ever used the brilliant

CCleaner (which were guessing
most Web User readers have), then
youll appreciate Agomo. Its

SOFTWARE TO
SKIP
Windows
Movie Maker
and featured albums

created by other users, so
you can see what it can
achieve.
The video editor is also
available for iOS and
Android, from which you
can upload up to 10
different clips and five
photos for free. Theres
also a Chrome app that lets
you upload content more
quickly.
Before you can use
Magisto, youll need to sign
up to the service using
your email address or
Facebook account.
bit.ly/moviemaker341
File size: 1.2MB (installer only)
Movie Maker is only available

as part of the Essentials
bundle, and you have to
deselect all the other
applications before installing
it. Windows Photo Gallery
comes bundled with it,
whether you want it or not.
Although Movie Maker
offers a good selection of
features, its not as powerful
as paid-for software and lacks
some basic tools, such as the ability to
adjust contrast and saturation. Many of
the effects are very good, but they
mostly have one-click controls, so you
cant tweak the settings if your pictures
dont look quite right. For a free
program, Movie Maker does a decent
job, but its not much use for editing
videos on the move or away from home.
R
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WHAT TO USE INSTEAD

Magisto
www.magisto.com
ALSO RECOMMENDED
Video Toolbox
www.videotoolbox.com
Although its not the most powerful

video editor around, Magisto lets you
turn video clips and photos quickly and
easily into attractive movies you can
share with friends and all without
downloading any software or paying a
subscription fee.
Magisto is very easy to use: just
upload some content, choose a theme,
pick some background music and give
your project a title. Although this
sounds restrictive, its able to produce
some excellent results. Additionally,
Magisto lets you browse popular movies
WeVideo
www.wevideo.com
MINI WORKSHOP Make a film from video clips and photos using Magisto
1
2
1
2
2
Sign into Magisto and click the

Create Movie button. Click Select
Files 1 to choose the items to upload.
You can also load clips and photos
from Google Drive. 2 The free web
version lets you upload up to 10 videos
and 20 photos. The files must be less
than 500MB in size, with a maximum
running time of 15 minutes.
Thumbnails of the uploaded content

will be displayed. Hover over one
and click the x to remove it. 1 You can
choose the editing style you want 2 or
click the I Feel Lucky link 3 to have the
video created for you. There are eight
styles including So Cute, Indie, Traveller,
Lets Party and Sentimental.
Choose a soundtrack by uploading

your own music 1 or picking a
tune from the selection on offer. 2
Hover over a track and click the Play

button to preview it. Finally, name your
project and click the Make My Movie
button. When the progress bar hits
100 per cent, youll be able to watch
the finished film.
26 March 2013
47
SOFTWARE TO SKIP
Microsoft Security
Essentials
bit.ly/mse341
File size: 10.9MB
This is a controversial one, because wed

never recommend uninstalling your
security software in favour of an online
tool. But some free anti-virus programs,
even the best ones such as Avast (www
.avast.com), can be resource-hoggers
and slow down your PC, especially when
running on older hardware. They can
also clash with other security tools,
tease you with powerful features that
are only available if you upgrade, and
even come bundled with unwanted
extras such as browser toolbars (AVG
springs to mind). Microsoft Security
Essentials is one of the simpler, faster
choices, but according to recent tests,

including one by the independent
testing lab AV-Test (www.av-test.org), it
doesnt do its job as well as it should do
(or used to), and fails to detect threats
found by other anti-virus tools .
WHAT TO USE INSTEAD

Trend Micro Housecall
housecall.trendmicro.com/uk
Were not going to lie to you: a webbased anti-malware tool wont (and
cant) provide the same level of
protection as a Desktop security
program, primarily because it doesnt
offer real-time protection and you have
to run scans manually. That said,
provided you run regular (daily) scans
and dont visit dangerous sites or do
anything risky to get your computer
infected (easier said than done!), you

may find Trend Micro Housecall suffices.
However, its best used to give you a
second opinion on potential infections
rather than as a replacement for
anti-virus software.
It can scan both 32 and 64-bit
systems just click the button for the
one you require. The software
downloads a small launcher before you
can run a scan, but this makes it
independent of your installed browsers.
Housecall offers full and quick scans,
lets you target individual folders and,
unlike other online scanners, removes
threats rather than just detecting them.
ALSO RECOMMENDED
VirusTotal
www.virustotal.com
ESET Online Virus Scanner

bit.ly/eset341
SOFTWARE TO SKIP
Skype
www.skype.com
File size: 33.2MB
Skype is everywhere its even now

part of Microsofts Outlook.com
webmail service. However, its ubiquity
doesnt make it the best communication
tool available, and it occasionally suffers
from quality issues. If you want a
one-to-one video chat, then the service
is perfect, but if you want to engage in a
group call with up to 10 friends, youll
need at least one of those participants
to have a paid-for Premium account.
WHAT TO USE INSTEAD

Google+ Hangouts
www.google.com/hangouts
Googles chat service lets you enjoy

video conversations with up to 10
friends (or have a one-to-one chinwag)
for free. Youll need a Google+ account,
but most of us already have one, even if
we never use Googles social network.
Hangouts is integrated into Google+
and Gmail, and is also available for iOS
and Android devices. You can share
photos and smilies during video chats,
and send SMS messages over your
phone. Its easy enough to start and join

chats in Hangouts, and you can switch
between video and audio calls with
ease. Integration with Google Drive
makes it possible to transfer files, too.
ALSO RECOMMENDED
Appear.in
appear.in
Bistri
bistri.com
48
26 March 2014

What you
say...
SOFTWARE
TO SKIP
7-Zip
www.7-zip.org
File size: 1MB
We asked Web User readers which

online tools they use instead of
downloading software. Heres what
you told us
Most people only use a

compression program to
zip or unzip software, and
Windows 7 and higher
includes built-in tools for
performing both actions
directly within the
operating system. 7-Zip
offers higher compression
using its proprietary 7z
format, but installing a
program just to use that
one format seems a bit excessive,
especially since you can only share your
compressed files if your friends also
have the software installed.
KashFlow (www.kashflow.com),
rather than other accounting
software for small businesses.
Bruce Lauderdale
can use it to compress files in the usual

ZIP format, but also in other formats
including TAR.GZ, TAR.BZ2, and 7z. Just
add the files to compress, or enter a
URL of an online file and click Convert.
The service also lets you convert
between formats, so you can convert
7z files to regular ZIPs.
ALSO RECOMMENDED
ZipMyFiles
www.zipmyfiles.net
Google Drive (drive.google.com) is

great for making documents and
sharing them. Its simple to use and
tracks every change.
Adrian Millington
An online storage service such as
Microsoft OneDrive (onedrive.com).
Matt McCallion
Online storage service Mega (mega
.co.nz) and the online code editor
Codeanywhere (codeanywhere.net).
Joel Cieslar
Apart from Outlook.com for email
and OneDrive for storage, I use
conversion service Zamzar (zamzar
.com), especially when converting
an online file from a URL.
Jack Schoeld
I edit my images online using the
new tools in Google+ (plus.google
.com). Many of the improvements
are done automatically, which saves
a lot of time.
Hugh Jeffries
WHAT TO USE INSTEAD

Online-convert.com
archive.online-convert.com
Online-convert.com can convert most

file types from one format to another,
including documents, music, video and
images. The site also has a dedicated
area devoted to creating archives. You
R
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WobZip
wobzip.org
NEXT ISSUE
THINGS YOU
SHOULD NEVER
PAY FOR AGAIN
Save money on everyday
products and services by
getting them for free online
Textlocal (www.textlocal.com) for

instantly reaching people.
Alastair Shortland
ON SALE WEDNESDAY 9 APRIL 2014
PLUS...
SECRET SEARCH TOOLS

Find things faster on
your favourite sites
WHAT NOT TO DELETE

Preserve important files
during PC clean-ups
BACK UP GOOGLE DATA
Download everything
from your accounts
SUBSCRIBE TO WEB USER AT

SUBSCRIBE.WEBUSER.CO.UK
26 March 2013
49
BEST FREE
READ-IT-LATER tools
Do you often spot
the most interesting
links when youre
too busy to click
them? Jane Hoskyn
tests six apps that
let you save articles
to read at a time
that suits you
POCKET
getpocket.com
PERFORMANCE
EASE OF USE
FEATURES
Wha did we like?

What
Se
Seven-year-old
Pocket
is the elder statesman
of read-it-later apps.
It was even called Read
It Later until the rise of
sim
similar
apps triggered a
c
name change
to something
less generic. Pocket is light on features,
simple to use and as stable as youd
expect from such a well-established
program.
You can add web links to your reading
list (or queue) by pasting the URL into
the app on your Android, Windows
Phone or iOS device. You can also
send them by email, share them by
tapping Add to Pocket on any one
of hundreds of other mobile apps, or
add them from your Desktop
browser. The extensions for Chrome,
Firefox and Internet Explorer let you
add links from your computer with
one click, and sync them instantly to
your mobile device. These links dont
need to be to articles you can
pocket YouTube videos and even
entire websites. On your device, tap
an item in the queue to download it
for offline access. Pocket makes
reading as easy as possible by giving
you a couple of mobile viewing
GOLD
D
AWAR
50
26 March 2014
options: Web View, which suits video and

rich content but uses more storage space
and data; and a text-only Article View,
which results in smaller files and less
data. You can change text size to suit
you; tag, share and favourite articles;
and archive or delete them when youve
finished reading.
How can it be improved?
The filing tools fall far short of Evernotes
folder system, and we prefer Instapapers
sorting options. Pockets Article View
is no match for Readabilitys

customisable layout, and you cant
mark some articles as private. We
would also like to see more flexible
archiving options.
OUR VERDICT
Pocket set the pace for read-it-later
apps, and its simplicity, readability
and seamless cross-platform
syncing still lead the pack. Easier
bulk-editing and privacy options
would earn it five stars.
READ-IT-LATER APPS
EVERNOTE evernote.com
PERFORMANCE
EASE OF USE
FEATURES
Wha
What did we like?
Evernote is more than an
app; its an empire made of
extensions and sister apps.
If you can work out how to
jug
juggle
them all, Evernotes
potential approaches something the
size of an entire operating system.
For now, however, were interested in
simple read-it-later tools. The Evernote
Clearly extension for
Chrome, Firefox and
Opera lets you save web
pages in one click for
viewing offline on your
phone or tablet. To save
content directly from your
mobile browser or other
apps, you need the
separate EverWebClipper
app (1.79).
Articles are stripped of
clutter to make them easier
to read, and you can
organise content into folders
that can be rearranged and
renamed, as in Windows
Explorer. This is essential if
SILVERD
AWAR
youre prone to getting trigger-happy

when saving content.
Evernote is confusing when you first use
it. To get the best out of it, you need to
find the right combination of Ever-apps
to suit your needs, but wed rather not
have to do this, especially if we have to
pay for them.
OUR VERDICT
Evernote is perfect
if youre planning a
project such as a
trip abroad or a
house renovation.
Once you get your
head around all the
things you can use
it for, your
persistence will be
rewarded. But its
overkill if you just
want to save some
links to read on the
train.
READABILITY www.readability.com
PERFORMANCE
EASE OF USE
FEATURES
Wh
What did we like?
Th
The clue to Readabilitys
main priority is its name.
Or
Originally designed to turn
we
web pages into clean,
readab
readable text for Kindle users, it
now works with Android and iOS, too.
Like Pocket and Evernote, Readabilitys
browser add-on lets you save links on
your computer, reformats them and
syncs them to your phone or tablet for
reading later. You can also add links by
email or by sharing from
other mobile apps.
Readability is perfect
for reading long-form
articles. The singlecolumn reading view
uses clean, elegant
typography that you
can customise to suit
your tastes and needs.
Your whole archive is
searchable, but you
can tag and favourite
articles for easier
organisation, and forward
E
BRONZD
AWAR
links to friends or post them online.

Readability integrates with far fewer
apps than Pocket, but then Pocket is
almost impossible to match in this
regard. Were more concerned by the
laggy sync times (Pocket and Evernote
both sync instantly) and the surprisingly
high data usage. Given that Readability
is aimed at people who dont want
multimedia getting in the way, it should
be more data-light.
OUR VERDICT:
Gorgeous interface,
shame about the
syncing problems.
Readability has so much
potential but it seems
unable to fix basic
problems such as video
support, data usage
and, most importantly,
syncing that often
doesnt work.
Discuss the best read-it-later apps at forum.webuser.co.uk
BEST OF THE REST

Flipboard
flipboard.com
Flipboard is a free,
attractive,
multi-platform app
(theres even a
BlackBerry
version) that lets
you curate your
own digital
magazine of
selected web
content, including video, music and
feeds. Brilliant idea, but it is very
data-hungry and load times can be
slow. The gesture-based page-flip
format will irritate some, but we like
being able to swipe through the
pages of an article or even a Twitter
feed without endless scrolling.
Instapaper
www.instapaper
.com
If Flipboard is the
media megastore
of read-it-later
apps, Instapaper is
your local library.
It cuts out all
distractions from
your saved pages,
renders them as text-only for
reading offline in comfort, and lets
you set the brightness and choice of
font. You can sort your unread
articles in different ways, get
definitions from the dictionary and
send to your Kindle. The superb
Chrome and Firefox add-ons are
free, but the Android app costs 1.93
and the iOS app is 2.49.
Springpad
springpad.com
Springpad, like Evernote, is a
personal organisation app that
happens to have a read-it-later tool.
The Spring It bookmarklet gets full
marks for ease of use: you just drag
it to your bookmarks bar and dont
even need to install an add-on.
Springpad supports video, though it
didnt accommodate us adding a
YouTube link.
It also offers
various
projectmanagement
tools such as
to-do lists and
a recipe finder.
26 March 2014
51
CAPTURE AND SHARE
whats on your screen

Sometimes, rather than trying to explain how something works, its
easier to show someone. Rob Beattie reveals how to record, save and
share anything you do on your PC
Grab and annotate
screenshots
If you need to capture a single screen

shot, Windows 7 and 8 offer a built-in
Snipping Tool. This lets you grab whats
on-screen and add simple annotations,
then either save the resulting image as a
PNG, GIF
or JPEG
file, copy
it to the
clipboard
or attach
it to an
email. To
launch Snipping Tool in Windows 7
(Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate
and Enterprise editions), go to Start,
type snipping and press Enter. In
Windows 8.1, type Snipping Tool into
the Search box, then click or tap Apps.
To capture more sophisticated screen
grabs, including pictures with fixed
frame sizes (useful for creating tiled
wallpaper) that you can rotate and add
frames to, check out the tiny free
program MWSnap (bit.ly/mwsnap341).
Its old, but it works with any version of
WIndows and lets you set up timed
captures. Alternatively, try PicPic (www
.nteworks.com/picpick), which is free
for home and personal use, and has
some useful extras, such as the ability to
capture whole web pages in scrolling
browser windows.
Capture and share your

Chrome tabs
The excellent Chrome extension

Screencastify (bit.ly/screencastify341)
lets you record anything you do in the
currently active browser tab. Just click
the film-strip icon on the toolbar, set the
video quality and choose whether to
52
26 March 2014
capture the sound from the tabbed

window or
your own
voice via the
microphone
(you cant do
both). Click
Start
Recording,
then Pause or
Stop when
youre done.
Screencastify records every mouse
movement, opening of a menu, button
click, playing of videos and music, and
more. Once youve finished recording
you can save or share the finished video
with a friend support for direct upload
to Google Drive and YouTube is built in.
The resulting files, which are saved in
WEBM format, play fine in video
software such as VLC Media Player and
although a touch jerky, are adequate for
demonstrating tricky web tasks to less
tech-savvy friends and family members.
Record and share your

own screencasts
If you want to capture and share

something other than a browser
window, there are various options for
creating a screencast. Normally, wed
recommend the simple free online tool
Screenr (www.screenr.com) but, at the
moment, we and some other users are
experiencing Java-related problems
getting it to work. ScreencastOMatic
(www.screencast-o-matic.com) is more
or less a direct replacement, with a
CAPTURE ANYTHING
are saved as a series of screen shots and
compressed to a zip file to save space.
They can be emailed to anyone who has
offered to help you solve the problem.
Create photo-based
how-to guides
more generous 15-minute recording

limit (Screenr allows only five) and the
option to save your screencasts directly
to YouTube or as Flash, MP4 or AVI files.
Its also worth trying Jing (www
.techsmith.com/jing.html), which lets
you draw a window around whatever
you want to capture (or you can grab
your entire Desktop) and record a
voiceover to describe whats happening.
Recordings are limited to five minutes
and saved as Flash files, but since these
can be played back via any browser this
isnt much of a limitation, though you
cant edit them. Jing pushes you
towards its own Screencast-sharing
service (you get 2GB of space for free)
and although it does support
mainstream services including Twitter
and Facebook, setting these up is a bit
DIY for our liking. Still, its free and
finished videos are smooth and the
sound is good.
Record and share your

PC problems
Windows 7 and 8 have a clever built-in

feature called Problem Steps Recorder
(just Steps Recorder in Windows 8),
which you can use to get help with
technical difficulties youre experiencing.
To access the tool, press the Windows
key+R, type psr and press Enter. When
the program window opens, click Start
Record. Go through the steps to recreate
the problem youre experiencing,
clicking Pause if necessary and Stop
when youre done. If a particular part of
the process needs more explanation,
click the Add Comment button, use the
cursor to highlight the relevant area of
the screen, then type an explanation into
the box that appears. Click OK to close
and continue. Your finished recordings
Sometimes the thing you want to share

isnt on your PCs screen at all; for
example, you might want to connect an
external USB headset or set up an audio
hardware interface. If thats the case, try
Snapguide (www.snapguide.com), an
iOS app and web service.This makes it a
doddle to create a series of still
photographs, annotate them with text
and then share them via the Snapguide
website. The guides can also be
embedded in a blog or website, or
shared on social-media sites. Snapguide
is slick, simple and completely free.
have to root your phone or tablet to

use either one. To capture single screen
grabs, just press the volume-down and
power buttons at the same time on your
phone or tablet.
Record your Skype video

calls
If someone at home is going to miss an

important overseas call from one of the
family, you can use DVDVideoSofts free
Video Call Recorder for Skype (bit.ly/
skypevideo341) to record both sides of
the conversation so they can enjoy it
later. The program has simple record,
pause and stop controls, and saves
videos as MP4 files to your Videos
folder. Playback isnt particularly
smooth but the program works fine
just be careful to choose the Custom
option when youre installing it to
decline any unwanted extras.
Bear in mind, too, that its illegal to
share Skype calls (whether phone or
video), unless you have the other
persons consent.
Capture from a
smartphone screen
Apple deliberately makes it difficult to

record whats happening on iOS devices.
Individual screen captures are easy
enough hold down the Home key and
press the power button but capturing
a sequence requires some serious
hoop-jumping. If
you must, try
installing Apples
free XCode
developer suite
(developer.
apple.com/
xcode), which
includes an iOS
simulator you
can use to
record from your
Macs screen.
Alternatively, UX
Recorder (www
.uxrecorder.com) lets you record
30-second videos from mobile websites
(but not apps) for free.
Android users are more fortunate,
thanks to an app called Recordable (bit
.ly/recordable341), which lets you create
MP4 videos directly from the device to
share with friends. The free version is
limited to 4fps (frames per second) and
also displays the authors logo, but the
full version is only 99p, and you dont
Find more screen-capture tips at forum.webuser.co.uk
Make a video with system

sound and a voiceover
If you want to show someone how to

use a music program or anything that
requires sound, check out Apowersoft
Free Screen Recorder (bit.ly/
apower341), which can simultaneously
record both system audio (so you can
hear music and dialogue) and a
voiceover (so you can describe whats
happening). Make sure you download
the free version (the Pro one costs
around 24) and, once its loaded, open
the Audio Input drop-down menu and
select System sound and microphone
to record both the PC audio and what
youre saying. Finished videos are saved
as WMV (Windows Media Video) files.
26 March 2014
53
TIME-LIMITED DEALS
Grab it before its gone!

Some of the best online deals are only around for a
short time. Robert Irvine picks seven super discounts
you should snap up today
Redspottedhanky.com
voucher
bit.ly/redspotted341
Amazon Local currently has a great deal
that gives you half-price rail travel
through ticket-booking site
Redspottedhanky.com. Simply buy the
offer for 8 to receive a 16 voucher you
can spend on rail travel through the site.
You can spend it on train tickets or
first-class upgrades, there are no
transaction or booking fees, and you
can pick up your tickets at the station.
With only a limited number of vouchers
available, youll need to get in quick!
Expires: 30 June
Roxio MediaBook feature

pack
bit.ly/roxio341
This new iPad app lets you turn photos,
videos and words into multimedia
ebooks. Although Roxio MediaBook is
free to download, certain tools are only
available in an advance feature pack,
including unlimited pages for your
ebook, tools for trimming your videos
and highlighting the best segments, and
sophisticated photo and video effects
and templates. This pack usually costs
2.99, but until the end of the month
you can get it for free.
Expires: 31 March
Tickets for Ascot

Raceday
www.ascot.co.uk/discover-ascotraceday
If you fancy a free day out at the races,
head to the Ascot website now, where
you can order up to four free tickets for
the Raceday meeting on Wednesday 30
April. The tickets give you admission to
the Ascot grandstand, and usually cost

around 15. There were originally
24,000 available, and theyve been
going fast, but there were still a few
thousand left at the time of writing.
Print your tickets at home to avoid the
2 booking fee.
Expires: 30 April
Free Cadbury Mini Eggs

with ink cartridges
www.cartridgepeople.com
If you need to replace the ink in your
printer and you fancy some early Easter
eggs, head to CartridgePeople.com. The
store is currently giving away packs of
Cadbury Mini Eggs with multi-pack
bundles of compatible cartridges. The

offer runs until the Easter weekend.
Turn to page 74 for details of another
great CartridgePeople.com offer, which
saves you 20 per cent on everything
in-store as well as getting you some free
chocolate!
Expires: 18 April
54
26 March 2014
Albelli photo book or

canvas print
www.albelli.co.uk/promotions
Photo-printing service Albelli is offering
new customers a 15 discount on its
photo books. This means you can either
get one of the cheapest books
(21 x 28cm, 24 pages, soft cover) for
free, or just save some money on an
expensive one. Youll still need to pay
for delivery, which costs from 2.95. To
claim the discount, enter the code
MVEPBWG. If you dont want a photo
book, you can get 10 off your first
canvas print instead.
Expires: 31 March
Cheap food at Burger

King
bit.ly/
burger341
Print and
slice up a
PDF of 18
discount
vouchers for
Burger King, offering total savings of
45. These include buy-one-get-onefree deals on Whoppers, a free sundae
with any large meal and a caloriepacked Family Bundle for just 9.99.
Expires: 4 May
Free wills for the

over-55s
freewillsmonth.org.uk
This month is Free Wills Month in which
a group of charities has come together
to offer members of the public aged 55
and over the chance to have their wills
written or updated free of charge. Enter
your postcode
and contact
details to find
participating
solicitors in your
area. Youll need
to ring before
the end of the
month to book your free appointment,
and download the Will Planner from the
site to complete and take with you.
Expires: 31 March
WEB QUIZ
YEARS OF THE WEB QUIZ

Its 25 years this month since Sir Tim Berners-Lee
invented the web. Test how well you know your
internet history by taking our quarter-century quiz
What was the name of the first web

browser, released by Tim BernersLee in 1991?
8
9
10
What were Melissa, Sasser and I

Love You?
15
Whats the significance of this

photo?
16
17
18
How many people are now

estimated to be online?
Which website was originally called

AuctionWeb?
What did the first webcam focus

on, when it was set up at
Cambridge Univeristy in 1993?
11
2
3
4
5
6
7
What type of products did dotcom

flop Boo.com sell?
Which company introduced dial-up

internet to Britain in 1992?
In which year did Microsoft launch
Internet Explorer?
What is the name of the founder
and CEO of Amazon?
What was the original name of
Mozillas Firefox browser?
At which US university was

Facebook founded in 2004?
In which year did Apple launch
the iPhone?
What do the letters HTML stand

for?
In which year did the Google search
engine launch?
12
13
What did Google pay $1.65 billion

for in October 2006?
14
What was Ray Tomlinson the first

man to do in 1971?
Which site was originally called

Jerrys Guide to the World Wide
Web?
19
20
Which popular device was

codenamed Fiona?
What launched on 22 March
2001?
Identify the company logos

Can you guess which big names these letters belong to?
21
22
23
Get the answers online at www.webuser.co.uk/webquiz
24
25
26 March 2014
55
14 pages of workshops, tips,

projects and problem solving
Send anything between your PCs

and devices instantly
Pushbullet: www.pushbullet.com
Windows 7/8+, Android 4+, iOS 7+
20 mins
oving data between your PC and phone or tablet is a lot

harder than it should be, largely thanks to commercial
restrictions. Pushbullet breaks down these barriers to let you
move and sync files, web links and notifications between all
your devices via Wi-Fi or mobile internet.
The app was initially available for Android and Chrome, and it
recently launched versions for Firefox and iOS. Now theres a
Windows version that lets you push content to and from your
PC without needing to open your browser.
Pushbullet for Windows is still in early beta, and there are

problems to be ironed out. The EXE file was originally flagged
as malicious by our anti-virus software, so we asked
Kasperskys virus lab to run tests and they confirmed that the
software is safe (it was a false positive). Pushbullet is working
on an update, so keep an eye on its website for news.
Install the Pushbullet

app on the device or
devices you want to
link to your PC. There are
free apps for Android (bit
.ly/pushdroid341) and iOS
(bit.ly/ipush341). For this
Workshop, we used the
new iOS app. When you
first open the app, youll
be prompted to link it with
your Google account. 1
Go to bit.ly/pushbullet341, choose Click here to download

the installer and open the EXE file. Pushbullet launches
automatically. Click Log in with Google. 1 If prompted,
sign in and click Accept. 2 Pushbullets website will open in
your browser. Click Sign in to log in online, again using Google.
2
3
3
1
1
4
To send a note from your Desktop to your device, click

the Pushbullet icon. 1 The program window contains a
drop-down menu which lists all your PCs and devices
that have Pushbullet installed. 2 Select a device from the list,
fill in the Title and Message fields 3 and click Push It. 4
58
26 March 2014
To send a web link from your PC, select a device as

before and click the link icon. 1 Give the link a name, 2
type or paste the URL 3 and click Push It. You can also
send a numbered list by clicking the list icon 4 or send a map
link by clicking the map icon 5 and entering an address.
WORKSHOP 1
EXPERT TIP
JANE HOSKYN says
You can use the Pushbullet website to send things between your PCs and devices from any
computer. Sign in securely at www.pushbullet.com and youll find your devices listed under Devices
and Friends. Simply choose a device to send from, click Push It, choose a device to send to, and tell
Pushbullet what to send.
The item is sent

instantly to your
device. It doesnt
need to be on the same
network, and if youve
enabled push
notifications for
Pushbullet on your
device, youll get a
notification on your lock
screen. 1 If you havent
enabled notifications,
youll need to open the
app. You can change this
setting from inside the
app to see your received
notes and files.
1
1
To send photos, videos and other files up to 25MB in size

to a device, click the paperclip icon 1 and select the file
or drag and drop it onto the window. 2 Alternatively,
right-click the file on your PC and select Send with Pushbullet
3 to open it in the program window. Click Push It to send.
To view an item
thats been sent to
your device, tap it
in the list on the apps
main screen (your Inbox).
1 Links and maps open
automatically in your
default browser or your
maps app. Photos and
videos download and
open in Pushbullet. To
open a photo or video in
a different app, tap the
share icon in the viewer
and choose an app.
2
1
To send an item
from your device to
your PC, tap the
icon at the bottom-right
of your Inbox. You can
send a note, clipboard
text, a link, an address or
a photo. Tap an item to
select it. Tap again to
choose a device, 1 fill in
the text fields or select a
file from your device, and
tap Push it to send. 2
2
3
3
1
When items arrive on your PC, youll see notifications in

the bottom-right of your screen. 1 Click a notification to
view the item and dismiss the notification. Files open in
their default program 2 and are saved to the Downloads folder.
Right-click a notification to view the file in Windows Explorer. 3
10
To edit your Desktop notification settings, right-click

the Pushbullet icon and select Settings. 1 If you
change the PCs name, 2 it only applies in Pushbullet.
Click to enable or disable notification options such as pop-ups
(Show notifications) 3 and notification sounds. 4 Click OK.
26 March 2014
59
WORKSHOP 2
Speed up browsing in Firefox
ight-clicking a link lets you choose different ways to

open or save it, but selecting options from the rightclick menu can be fiddly. The Firefox add-on Super Drag
Super Drag: bit.ly/super341
opens a pop-up panel you can drag

and drop links into, which is quicker
and easier than right-clicking.
5 mins Firefox
2
4
To use Super Drag, left-click and hold a link or button, then

drag it in any direction. A pop-up will appear. 1 If you drop
the link outside the pop-up panel, the page youve linked to
will load in a new tab behind the current one.
Alternatively, you can drop the link into one of the

panels boxes. This lets you open the link in a background
tab, 1 in a new tab over the top of the current tab 2 or
in the current tab (as would normally happen if you just click
the link), 3 Drop the link on the no entry symbol to cancel. 4
4
1
2
1
Highlight and drag some text to see the search options.

As before, you can open the results in the background, 1
foreground 2 or the current tab. 3 When you drop the
link, you can choose from Firefoxs search engines. These can
be configured from Manage Search Engines. 4
Dragging text links will open a double-layered panel,

which lets you open the link 1 or perform a search. 2
Dragging an image switches the search row for image
options. You can open it in a background tab, 3 foreground tab
4 or save it. 5
1
3
4
Click the cog icon 1 to access the add-ons settings. You

can change what happens when you drag and release
links without landing on the buttons; 2 set the distance
to move before the menu pops up; 3 and specify where it
should appear when it does. 4
60
26 March 2014
1
2
You can also choose where new tabs open, depending

on whether youre opening them in the background 1 or
the foreground. 2 Background tabs can open to the
right of the current tab; foreground tabs to the right or left.
Click Reset All 3 to return to the default settings.
WORKSHOP 3
Get alerts when programs hog memory
f your computer slows when youve got lots of programs

running, it can be tricky to root out the cause and shut it
down. Process Piglet is a small, free, user-friendly tool that
Process Piglet: bit.ly/piglet341
monitors your running processes and lets you know

when one of them starts to hog memory. You can
then kill or restart the culprit with one click.
5 mins
Windows XP/Vista/7/8+
Download and install

Process Piglet. It runs
automatically in the
background, and all youll
see is a piglet icon in your
notification area. 1 Rightclick it for options
including Enable alerts.
2 If you disable alerts,
the program will still
record the memory usage
of your processes in its
logs. We recommend
leaving alerts enabled.
You dont need to

do anything else
for now. Process
Piglet builds an inventory
of your processes and
programs, and their
average memory usage.
To see a list of your
biggest memoryconsuming processes 1
and their usage, 2
double-click the pig icon.

By default, processes
using less than 50MB of
memory are ignored.
1
3
2
1
To find out about a process in the list, right-click it and

select Search web for info. 1 This lets you identify an
unknown or unwanted process. To find out where its
system files are stored, click Explore process home. 2 To
close it, click Terminate process or Restart process. 3
If a process starts consuming more memory than

normal, an alert tells you it has pigged out. It shows
the amount of memory its using compared with its
average. 1 Click here to shut-down and restart the process.
2 Avoid restarting a process while its actively saving data.
Click the cross in the corner to close the alert. 1 It will

reappear if the memory spike continues. To delete it
and stop it reappearing, click the cross at the bottom
2 or wait for the spike to subside. When this happens, the
message will change to an updated memory figure. 3
To manage settings, right-click the pig icon and click

Edit Options. 1 If you regularly use memory-heavy
programs such as video players, increase the minimum
level of memory to 100MB 2 to avoid false alarms. You can
also set up an Exclusions list of processes to ignore. 3
26 March 2014
61
Your top tips
Our pick of the best advice from our readers. To get help
or offer it to others, visit forum.webuser.co.uk
HARDWARE
Why SSDs dont need

defragging
If youre wondering whether to pay for

one of the many defragmentation tools
that claim to boost the performance of
solid-state drives (SSDs), dont bother.
Defragmenting a standard hard drive
puts all the pieces of any large file
together in one area, so your PC takes
less time to read files because it doesnt
have to search all over the hard drive for
the different parts. But an SSD scatters
data around its memory chips according
to a special code that isnt shared with
the operating system, so using a PC
program that rearranges that data wont
speed it up. In fact, because an SSD isnt
as hard-wearing as a regular hard drive,
moving data around unnecessarily will
reduce its lifespan.
SSDs are very useful you can breathe
new life into an old PC by installing one.
But if you do this, make sure to disable
the operating systems built-in
defragmenter. Windows 7, for example,
defrags every week by default. Type
defrag into the Control Panel search
box, open Defragment your hard drive
and click Configure schedule to disable
automatic defragging.
Spiraleye, Web User Forums
25
winner
TOP TIP
GENERAL PC
Manage software
installations
When you uninstall software in
Windows, files and Registry settings
often get left behind, which can result
in a lot of clutter over time. Ive found a
useful tool called Regshot (bit.ly/
regshot341), which lets you see a list of
the files that have been added to your
computer, so you know what needs to
be removed to uninstall them fully.
Before you install a program, run
Regshot and it will take a snapshot of
your computers system. Run it again
after installation to create a second
snapshot. Regshot then compares the
if you delete a file in an Explorer window

or on the Desktop, then change your
mind, pressing Ctrl+Z puts the file back
where it was. You can see it in the rightclick menu as the shortcut for Undo
Delete. Its a useful tip to remember.
Note that Ctrl+Z cant undo Shift+Del,
which fully deletes a file from your
system without putting it in the Recycle
Bin first.
Richard Webber, via email
Switch off your scheduled defrag if you

use a solid-state drive
GENERAL PC
Undo file deletions
Many programs have an Undo tool, which

can rewind the last few things youve
done if you find youve made a mistake.
The universal keyboard shortcut for
Undo is Ctrl+Z and it works in almost
every program, for example when editing
Word documents, drawing in Paint and in
lots of other software.
What you may not know is that it also
works in Windows Explorer. For example,
62
26 March 2014
Ctrl+Z will undo actions in Windows

Explorer, just like in other programs
EMAIL
Set up an email filter

system
Spam filters dont do a very good job of

blocking unwanted emails. Mine blocks
and misses things that it shouldnt and is
generally useless, so I now use a system
of rules to control how my emails are
Use
Regshot
to take
before
and after
snapshots
of your
PC when
installing
software
two snapshots to create a list of all the

files and Registry entries that have
been added and deleted. If you ever
uninstall the software, you can refer to
its list in Regshot to make sure that
everything that was added has been
removed.
Mike Jefferson, via email
filtered.
Most email
programs
and
webmail
services let
you do this.
For
example, in
Gmail,
theres a
Filters tab
Take control of unwanted
in Settings. emails by setting up rules
In Microsoft
Office Outlook, which I use, go to Tools,
select Rules and Alerts, click New Rule
and use the Rules Wizard to create your
filter. Outlook rules can apply to existing
emails as well as incoming messages.
Setting up a rule is similar in all email
programs and services. Type in some
identifying information and set matching
emails to go straight to the bin or some
other folder. For example, if you keep
getting annoying emails with the same
title or from the same sender, cut and
paste that exact information into the
Rules Wizard, choose an action and save
your rule. You can edit or delete rules in
Rules and Alerts.
Ive found that creating rules involves
some trial and error. If you use too much
specific information, the rule will rarely
Visit our Hints & Tips forum at forum.webuser.co.uk
READERS TIPS
find any matching emails. If the
information is too vague, lots of valid
emails could end up in the bin. Only use
information that always appears in
unwanted emails. Give all your rules titles
so that you can identify and manage
them easily.
Philip G Coggin, via email
BROWSERS
Search in a new Firefox tab
When you use the search box at the top

of the browser in Firefox, the results
appear in the current window, which
means you lose your current page. To
avoid this, tweak your Firefox settings to
show the results on a new tab instead.
Type about:config into the address
box and press Enter. Youll get a warning
about the risk of changing advanced
settings. Click Ill be careful and untick
the check box so that you dont see the
warning next time you want to change
the settings.
On the page that appears, scroll down
until you find browser.search.openintab
and double-click it to change its value
from false to true. Now, whenever you
run a search in the top bar, the results
will appear in a new tab.
The Firefox about:config page contains
loads more useful settings that you
might not have realised you can control.
To find out more about an entry in the
list, right-click it, select Copy Name and
paste it into Google. If you cant figure
out what something does, you should
probably leave it alone.
Dave Hughes, via email
you can just click to start the installation

wizard without having to leave your
browser window.
But the really useful part is that
Chrome keeps virtual copies of all your
downloaded files. To open the list, press
Ctrl+J or type chrome://downloads in
the address bar. Your most recent
downloads appear at the top and you
can work through them chronologically.
You can also search the full list using the
box at the top.
To download a file again, click its
underlined title in the list. If the title isnt
clickable, the files source has been
removed or is no longer available.
The list can also help you instantly
locate a downloaded file on your
computer. Click Show in folder and it
will open in Windows Explorer, which is a
much quicker way to find a downloaded
file than digging through your folders. Its
particularly useful if youve enabled Ask
where to save each file before
downloading in your Chrome settings,
because this means that your
downloaded files could be anywhere.
To remove an item from the list, click
Remove from list. This doesnt remove
the file from your PC, but deletes the
source of the download, so you cant
download the file again without finding
its source. To clear the list in one go, click
Clear all.
Bedstor, Web User Forums
Web User says: For more control over

searches and links in Firefox, see our
Workshop on Super Drag on page 60.
Chrome lets you manage your download
history and re-download files
WINDOWS 8
Get more space on your

hard drive
Use about:config to change advanced

Firefox settings
BROWSERS
Easier downloads in
Chrome
If you use Chrome, youve probably

noticed that when you download a file, it
appears as a button in the bottom-left of
the browser window. These buttons show
the progress of your downloads and give
you one-click access to files when
theyve finished downloading. This is
particularly helpful with EXE files, which
My Windows 8.1 PC is running short of

hard-drive space, so I searched the web
for ways to free up room and came
across a new one on the Microsoft
website (bit.ly/space341). It frees up
space by removing unnecessary
components from the C:\Windows\
WinSxS folder. I havent a clue what
these components are and the page
doesnt go into details, but right-clicking
the folder in Windows Explorer and
selecting Properties revealed that it
contained over 52,000 files and uses
6GB of space on my computer.
To clean it up, type schedule tasks
at the Start screen and click it when it
Send your tips to webuser@

@dennis.co.uk - win 25 for the best tip!
Free up space on your Windows 8 PC by

running StartComponentCleanup
appears in the search results below. In

the left pane, go to Task Scheduler
Library, Microsoft, Windows, Servicing. In
the middle window, youll find
StartComponentCleanup. Select it and
click Run in the right-hand pane.
It didnt do much on my PC, probably
because the Last Run column had
yesterdays date in it, but its worth a
shot if youre really short of space.
Neil King, via email
GENERAL PC
Colour your Windows

folders
If you have hundreds of folders on your

PC, you might be interested in a small
free utility called Rainbow Folders (www
.english.aionel.net), which lets you colour
them. This makes it much easier to find
them on your computer.
The program lets you insert a Rainbow
Folders option into the right-click menu.
As well as choosing colour, saturation
and brightness, you can add tooltip text
and change the size and style of folders.
You can even extract a colour from an
image on your computer and use that.
During installation, leave the system
shell extension ticked to get the rightclick menu
option.
I wasnt
offered any
unwanted
extras such
as toolbars
and Ive
had no
trouble
running the
program.
Colour-code folders in
L Mall, via
Windows Explorer to make
email
them easier to find
If you see words that look like
theyve been typed in a
typewriter, follow the instructions
and type them exactly as they
appear, paying close attention to
spaces and punctuation.
26 March 2014
63
Readershelpdesk
Our pick of the best solutions posted on our reader forums.

Visit forum.webuser.co.uk its friendly and free!
GENERAL PC
How can I get my PC to

start more quickly?
I got fed up with how long my

laptop took to start, so I use
Hibernate rather than Shut down. I no
longer have to wait ages for my
computer to switch on, and it saves my
session so I can restart where I left off.
But Ive noticed that it drains the battery
faster. Can I configure Hibernate to use
less battery? Or is there a better way to
speed up my start-up?
Vista, Web User Forums
Hibernate and Sleep modes let your

computer start up almost instantly
by keeping some programs and services
running in the background, but, as youve
noticed, this uses up memory and battery
power. Rather than configure Hibernate to
use less power, look at why your PC takes
so long to boot. Its probably because
too many programs run automatically in
the background at start-up. Programs
often insert themselves into the Startup
menu when you install them, and they
can quickly accumulate.
To see all your start-up programs, press
Windows+R, type msconfig and press
Enter. Click the Startup tab. You may be
shocked by the number of enabled
programs. Click to untick anything you
dont want to run automatically, click
Apply and restart your laptop.
You could disable all of them if you
want - your computer should run fine
with all start-up programs unticked. That
said, its probably best not to disable any
Microsoft services. If youre unsure about
what to disable, use a free program such
as Malwarebytes StartUpLITE (www
.malwarebytes.org/startuplite) to help
weed out the unnecessary items.
Disable items in your start-up menu to

make your computer switch on faster
64
26 March 2014
SOFTWARE
Can I download Paint.NET without the

annoying extras?
Does anyone know where I can

download the image-editing
program Paint.NET without all the
unwanted software thats bundled with
it? Im running Windows 7.
Kingmikey, Web User Forums
A reputable program like Paint

.NET wont force you to download
anything you dont want just make
sure that you download it from the
developers official site (www.getpaint
.net) and run a custom install, so you
can opt out of any sponsored extras.
However, its easy to miss a tick box
or forget to use custom install, even if
youre careful, so I recommend running
Unchecky (free, from unchecky.com)
whenever you install free software. This
useful little program, which was
One extra tip: if you ever want to

uninstall a program listed on the Startup
tab, re-enable it before running the
uninstaller. If you dont, it could leave
behind references in the Registry.
Greysts and Cantrel, Web User Forums
SECURITY
Has Facemoods taken over

Internet Explorer?
My grandsons laptop has ground to

a halt. One of the only programs
that runs is Internet Explorer, which
seems to have been taken over by a
program called Facemoods.
I ran Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
(www.malwarebytes.org), which found
no fewer than 787 nasties, which I
deleted, but it hasnt stopped the
problems. Ive tried to download Firefox,
Avast and CCleaner, but none of them
would install. Norton 360 is installed but
wont run. What should I do?
Humptan, Web User Forums
Go to Programs and Features in the

Control Panel and see if theres an
entry for Facemoods. If so, uninstall it
and restart the laptop. Then run a scan
Unchecky helps you avoid unwanted

add-ons when installing software
featured in Issue 335 of Web User

(bit.ly/webuser335), warns you if youre
about to download a potentially
unwanted program (PUP) and
automatically deselects it. You can also
run your anti-virus and other antimalware programs to check if a set-up
file is safe.
Madeline, Web User Forums
using the free Norton Power Eraser tool

(bit.ly/nortonpe341) in Safe Mode with
Networking.
If that doesnt help, find Manage
browser add-ons in the Control Panel
and disable the add-ons one by one until
you find the culprit, then remove it from
the browser. Theres more information on
Microsofts website (bit.ly/addons341).
That page also explains Enhanced
Protected Mode (EPM), which is like a
Safe Mode for your browser and may
help you sort out the problem.
NortonSupport, Web User Forums and
Simon Wells, via email
If youre having browser trouble, disable

your add-ons one by one to find the culprit
Share your knowledge at forum.webuser.co.uk
READERS HELPDESK
PRIVACY
How do I make my netbook

safe to borrow?
One of my students has damaged

his laptop and needs to work on his
lecture notes while its being repaired. I
could lend him my Acer Aspire netbook
because I dont use it much, but I have an
email account on it, and its set up for my
home Wi-Fi.
Im quite happy to let him use it to
connect to the web, but I want to disable
my ISP connection (BT Yahoo) so that he
can connect with his own email software.
Im fine to leave programs such as Avast
in place, but what should I do to clear the
machine of anything personal?
Yorkshirelass1, Web User Forums
It depends on how you get your

email. If you use a webmail service
in a browser, log out then log back in
again, but set it to forget your password.
If you use email software installed on
the netbook, you need to delete the
account in the software. You can always
put it back later.
To be honest, the only way to stop an
enterprising student getting access to
anything you have on your netbook is to
wipe it clean by taking it back to its
factory settings. You say you dont use it
much anyway. The process varies
depending on the computer, so enter
factory reset in a search engine along
with the make and model of the netbook
to find out what you need to do.
Alternatively, get the student to save
his work in Google Drive (drive.google
.com) so he can work on it from a
computer in the library until his machine
is fixed. That way he wont have to
transfer everything back from your
netbook. Most academic libraries have
hundreds of computers reserved for
student access. Google Drive supports
loads of online tools for word processing,
graphics and research. Theres an
interesting paper on research and
collaboration tools for students and
academic staff at bit.ly/collab341. Its
from 2012, but its full of suggestions that
Google Drive lets you edit and store work

securely from any PC
Get more tips at forum.webuser.co.uk
youll still find relevant and useful.

Greysts, Web User Forums, and
Heather Smalley, via email
Web User says: See our feature on page
43 for more free, secure online
replacements for Microsoft Office
SOFTWARE
Why doesnt this link work

in Word?
Im trying to collaborate with a

colleague on a Word document that
contains a link to a website. When I click
the link, it opens in my browser (Internet
Explorer). When he clicks it, his IE
taskbar icon flashes but the browser
wont open. Whats the problem?
Dellus, Web User Forums
A default
It sounds like he needs to reset his

default program for opening links.
Type
in the Start menu, open
Default Programs and go to Set your
default programs. When the programs
load, click Internet Explorer and click
Choose defaults for this program. Make
sure that all internet file extensions such
as HTML and SHTML are selected, and
click Save.
The same process applies to other
Set your file associations to make web links

open in your browser
browsers. Just choose one from the list,

such as Chrome, and tick all the internet
file types.
If that doesnt work, your colleague
may need to update or reinstall Internet
Explorer, or use a different browser such
as Firefox or Chrome and set that as the
default. It may also be worth running a
check with Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
(www.malwarebytes.org) to make sure
there are no unwanted programs on his
computer.
Difarn, Web User Forums
GENERAL PC
How do I edit the

right-click menu?
When I right-click a file or my

Desktop and select New, I get a
list of options I dont want. How do I
remove everything from the New menu
other than Folder?
Golden, Web User Forums
Right Click Enhancer (bit.ly/

rightclick341) by RBSoft is a free
tool that gives you an editable list of
items in your right-click menu. To
remove an item you dont want, click
the bin icon next to it. You can also put
items back, add third-party items and
create sub-menus. Make sure you opt
out of any extras during installation.
If youd rather not download extra
software, you can tweak the menu
yourself, but this will mean editing the
Registry. Be very careful and back up
the Registry before you start. Microsoft
has instructions for this at bit.ly/
backupreg341.
To open the Registry Editor, press
Windows+R, type regedit and press
Enter. Find and expand the HKEY_
CLASSES_ROOT key. Look for the file
Customise your context menu with

Right Click Enhancer
type you want to remove from the New

menu, expand it and delete its
ShellNew key. It will be removed from
New menu.
To add items to the New menu,
expand the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
key again and look for the file type that
you want to add. Right-click it, select
New, select Key and name it ShellNew.
Right-click the right-hand pane and
select New, then String Value. Name it
NullFile and press Enter. You can find
these instructions in more detail at bit.
ly/newmenu341.
Moonshine and Madeline,
Web User Forums
26 March 2014
65
Ask the Experts
Web User answers all your technical questions.

Email us for help at webuser@dennis.co.uk
HARDWARE
Turn off ClickPad
How do I turn off the ClickPad

on my HP laptop so I can just use
a mouse?
Martin Devlin, via email
You dont need to turn off the

ClickPad just plug in your
mouse and youll be able to use it.
However, if you accidentally touch the
ClickPad while youre typing, this will
move the cursor, so you may still want
to disable it. In you Control Panel, look
for a tool called Synaptics ClickPad
(or similar). Clear the ticks to disable
swiping, clicking and tapping.
To completely disable the ClickPad,
open Mouse and select the ClickPad
Settings tab, then click the ClickPad
HARDWARE
Cant revive a hard drive
I accidentally knocked my Platinum

1TB external hard drive and now
my PC cant read it. The green power
light switches on, goes out and the drive
makes a ticking sound. The drive holds a
massive amount of music downloaded
from SoundCloud over 18 months. Is
there anything I can do to recover the
data? I will use Busbi mini USBs to store
the files.
Ricky Cooper, via email
If you knock a hard drive and it

subsequently produces clicking
sounds and cant be read, then its dead.
The read/write has failed and it may
have hit the drives surface and gouged
it. Youll just have to bin it and chalk it
up to experience. If files only exist in one
place and that place fails, you will lose
everything. For this reason you should
always keep files in two places. Make
sure you have a copy on another hard
drive, a DVD-R, or use online storage
such as OneDrive (onedrive.live.com).
EMAIL
Hotmail hacked
Ive started having problems

accessing Hotmail. When I try to
log in, I get the message: Someone is
66
26 March 2014
You can disable the ClickPad

temporarily when a mouse is plugged in
Disable button. However, a better

option is to Disable the internal
pointing device when an external USB
pointing device is attached. This
means the ClickPad is automatically
disabled when the mouse is plugged
in, then enabled again when
unplugged.
already using this mailbox, followed by

a long list of questions. It suggests that
if I answer these questions, Ill be let
back into my email, but because it asks
for my bank account and password, Im
presuming its a scam. Its not caused by
a virus on my computer, because I get
the same problem when trying to access
my mailbox on a friends computer.
Dave Anderson, via email
You are right to be suspicious of a

questionnaire asking for bank
details because Microsoft would never
do this. We logged into Outlook.com
(the new Hotmail) on two computers at
the same time without any problems.
This would indicate that the message is
not being generated by Outlook.com
and the problem lies closer to home.
The most obvious suspect is malware
of some sort. Could your computer and
your friends have the same infection?
This could happen if you exchange
emails or files. There are lots of good
free malware scanners and clean-up
tools, such as Panda Cloud Cleaner
(pandacloudcleaner.pandasecurity
.com), Norton Power Eraser (bit.ly/
norton341) and Sophos Virus Removal
Tool (bit.ly/sophos341).
It is possible to maliciously redirect a
browser from a real website to a fake
one. One method is by using a proxy

server. Go to the Control Panel and
open Internet Options. Select the
Connections tab and click the LAN
settings button. Make sure the proxy
server box is unticked and also clear
Use automatic configuration script.
Another way to hijack a browser is to
add entries to the hosts file. Open
Windows Explorer and go to the
Windows folder, then type hosts into
the search box. Open each one using
Notepad and make sure it contains only
the help text at the top, indicated by
lines that start with a hash symbol.
You dont need a proxy server to access

the web, so if you find one, disable it
HARDWARE
Motherboard repair costs
I bought a computer from PC

World but after 15 months, it
wouldnt launch Windows although the
power would come on. I am a 75-yearold novice and I didnt have a clue what
might be wrong, so I took it back to PC
World and paid 50 for their find and
fix deal. They said they could not fix it,
but would send it away for me. They
have now notified me that the repair will
cost 194 for a new motherboard. Do
you think 244 is a fair price for that
type of repair? What is a motherboard?
Pete, via email
The motherboard contains all the

chips and electronics that make a
computer work. If it fails, replacing it
with a new one is often the only
Find more solutions to PC and web problems at forum.webuser.co.uk
ASK THE EXPERTS

solution. There are two costs involved:
the motherboard itself and the labour.
As with many repairs, labour can cost
more than parts, and swapping the
motherboard on a laptop can be
difficult. Whether a laptop is worth
repairing depends on its age and value.
If it was an expensive laptop, then its
worth going ahead, but for a few more
pounds than the 244 repair price, you
could get a new model.
GENERAL PC
Windows Update error
I have an Acer Travelmate 2420

running Windows XP. It is still has
the original hard drive and memory,
which is small by present standards.
Recently, I used the on-board tools to
take it back to its factory setting. All
went well until I tried to use Windows
Update, but this has proved impossible.
To try to get beyond the 0x80244019
error code, I upgraded Internet Explorer
from 6 to 8, then loaded the Windows
Download Manager. But Download
Manager wont work until I upgrade to
Service Pack 2, and I cant get the
update to work. There then followed a
chase around the houses, which
involved not being able to install Service
Packs. I installed .NET versions 2 and
3.5, but they had no effect.
I am now thinking of installing
Windows 7, but I dont know if my
computer is powerful enough to run it.
Gordon Rogers, via email
Windows 7 should work on your

laptop as long as you have at least
1GB of memory, but the limited
processing power and memory will
reduce performance and it may run
poorly.
Reinstalling XP would probably work
better, but its not going to be
supported by Microsoft for much longer.
However, if you want to stick with it, the
Microsoft website has two tools that
should solve the problem. Go to bit.ly/
update341 and bit.ly/upd341, and click
the Fix it tools. Some updates rely on
previous updates being present, so keep
running Windows Update until there are

no more updates to fetch, after which
everything should eventually install.
SOCIAL NETWORKING
Too many Facebook pages
About a year ago, I experienced a

problem when opening my
Facebook account. In my effort to
rectify the situation, I accidentally
created another problem.
I dont know what I did wrong, but I
now appear have two accounts in my
name; one is the account that I initially
log into and the other appears within
my Friends list. I would like to revert to
having just one account, but without
losing information from either one. The
strange thing is that when I create a
photo album, it doesnt appear on the
account Im logged into, but on the
other one. This is where all the albums I
have created over the years are,
irrespective of where they were created.
Ive contacted Facebook for help, but
received a message to say that they
dont resolve individual problems.
Bob Gamble, via email
There are two possibilities. One is

that having failed to open
Facebook, you created a new account
with a new username and password.
This is a problem because you cant
merge two separate accounts. If you
Get more tips at forum.webuser.co.uk
can get into each of them, you could

download everything to your PC from
the account you no longer want. You
can then upload your photos and videos
to the account you want to keep. Click
the gear icon in the top-right corner of
Facebook and select Settings. Select
General on the left, then click Download
a copy of your Facebook data.
The other possibility is that you
created a Facebook Page. This is a bit
like a sub-account and can be used in
various ways, such as for a club, hobby,
interest or group. Click the gear icon in
the top-right corner and find Use
Facebook as, which lists the pages you
have created. Select your main
Facebook account and then select
Manage Pages to view a list of pages.
Click a page, select Edit Page and then
Edit Settings. There is a Remove Page
option that deletes everything, but
when two pages are very similar, you
get the option to merge them. If not,
save everything and then remove it.
WINDOWS 8
Annoying screen
lock
Please could you tell me how to

stop screen lock from shutting
me out of my computer every 50
seconds? My new Windows 8 laptop
was set to never allow the screen to
lock. However, I stupidly upgraded to
Windows 8.1 and now it locks me out
in less than a minute of use.
Microsoft Help is useless and I have
now gone back to using my old
Windows 7 PC.
Michael Sollory, via email
Reinstall Windows and keep running

Windows Update until youre up to date
Back up everything on Facebook by

downloading it and saving it to your PC
There are two ways that the

screen can lock. One is that the
screensaver is being activated and,
when its deactivated, has been set to
lock the computer (usually for
security reasons) instead of returning
you to Windows. The screensaver may
be set to a very short time-out of one
minute.
The second possibility is that the
Set how long the computer waits before

switching off the screen and sleeping
power-saving features, which help to

conserve a laptops battery by making
it go into sleep mode when its not
being used, have been set to lock the
computer when it wakes.
Right-click the Desktop and select
Personalize, then Screen Saver. Select
a longer time in the Wait list and, if
you dont mind lowering the security,
clear On resume, display log-on
screen. Click Apply then click Change
power settings. Click Choose when
to turn off the display and increase
the time for turning off the display
and putting the computer to sleep.
26 March 2014
67
ADVANCED TIPS
Web Users top tips
Regedit isnt the only Registry editor. Our

experts recommend some brilliant alternatives
TOP TIPS FOR EDITING THE REGISTRY
The Windows Registry Editor
any tips, tweaks and

solutions to PC problems
involve making changes to
the Windows Registry, and the
obvious tool to use is Windows
own Registry Editor (press
Windows+R , type regedit and
press Enter). Its built into every
version of Windows but is very
basic and doesnt have many
features.
Fortunately, there are alternative
tools that provide more
sophisticated features, making it
Descriptive keys
Registrar Registry Manager (www

.resplendence.com) is available in two
different versions: a free Home edition
and a rather expensive 48 Pro
version. Although the Home edition
has fewer tools, it is one of the best
Registry-editing programs available.
One of the difficulties faced when
editing the Registry is trying to work
out what each key or value does.
Registrar solves this by showing
descriptions of some of the more
common and useful Registry sections.
As with the Windows Registry Editor,
the left-hand pane contains a list of
Registry keys, but in Registrar, some
of them are coloured green. When
selected, these display a description
telling you what information Windows
is storing there. Selecting a key shows
the Registry values it contains, but as
well as the usual name, type and data
display, there is a description column
with more information.
These key and value descriptions
alone make Registrar worth installing,
but it also has some other great tools.
When you search with Windows
Registry Editor, it shows the first
match found, and you then have to
keep pressing F3 to find subsequent
matches. Registrars search facility
displays a list of every match found.
Double-clicking a search result jumps
68
26 March 2014
easier to browse the Registry to find

keys and values the elements that
can be modified to boost
performance and solve PC problems.
straight to it in the edit window. There

are two tabs, one for search and the
other for editing, so you can quickly
return to the search results if you want
to jump to a new location.
Any part of the Registry can be added
to Bookmarks to make it easy to return
to, and theres even a list of predefined
bookmarks. Go to Bookmarks,
Bookmark Editor to view a list of
bookmarked Registry locations,
complete with their descriptions.
Double-clicking an item jumps to it.
easy to browse. Double-clicking an

item jumps straight to it in the
Registry.
RegmagiK also has an integrated
Google search. When you right-click a
key or value and select Find it on the
web, a browser window opens with
Google search. Right-clicking a value
shows a link that lets you search for
its data on the web, which is useful
when theres a lot of text. The 32-bit
version is free and runs on 64-bit
Windows; the proper 64-bit version
costs $15 (around 9).
Compare Registry files
All Registry editors can import and

export Registry files, which is useful
for back-ups, but Registry Workshop
(www.torchsoft.com) lets you open a
saved Registry on a separate tab. This
makes it easy to compare the Registry
as it is now with a previously saved
version. To make things even simpler,
theres a Registry compare function
that shows the differences between
the two versions. It is useful to save
the Registry when the PC is working
properly or before installing software,
so you can compare it against the
new Registry if theres a problem or
you want to see what changes have
been made.
Another useful feature in Registry
Workshop is that it lets you search for
keys and values that have been
changed between certain dates. This
could help you find out what went
wrong with your PC yesterday, last
week or last month. Like RegmagiK, it
has a search-results pane at the
bottom that lists every match, which
is much more convenient than the
standard Registry Editor.
Search on the web
RegmagiK (regmagik.com) is a much

simpler tool than Registrar, but it still
has advantages over the Windows
Registry Editor. Its three-pane display
shows the key list on the left and values
on the right, but at the bottom is a pane
of search results. Search the Registry
and every match is listed here, making it
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26 March 2014
69
Weekend project
Get to grips with some serious PC DIY

to boost your computers performance
...
How to
Supercharge your
old router
Instead of ditching your old router, give it a new lease of life with
some new firmware. Wayne Williams tells you how
nce your router has been set up and

connected to the internet, it will probably
be completely ignored until it stops
working, is cursed for being too slow or fails to
send a strong-enough Wi-Fi signal to the furthest
reaches of your home.
Routers can keep running for years without
problems, but you might occasionally choose to
replace an aging one, to benefit from improved
features such as stronger Wi-Fi and faster Ethernet,
or handy extra tools such as parental controls and
app-based configuration. But before you throw
away your old router, its worth considering the
many uses you can put it to, because by refreshing
the software that runs on it, you could give it a new
lease of life.
Upgrade your firmware
Routers come with their own firmware

installed. If youre not familiar with the
term, firmware is software that controls
the basic function of a device and has
been written to ROM (Read Only
Memory). It stays firmly in place inside
hardware, even if that device is turned off
and on again.
As with software, updates to firmware
are released when a manufacturer
introduces fixes to bugs and adds
features or enhancements. Updated
firmware releases can usually be found in
70
26 March 2014
the support section of your hardware

manufacturers website, and applying
them involves flashing the ROM (so
called because ROM memory is usually
solid-state flash memory, which
maintains the data written to it, even
when the device is unpowered). All
youre really doing when flashing
firmware is installing new software over
the old.
What you may not realise is youre not
restricted to installing new firmware from
your routers manufacturer you can
install custom firmware from a third
party. There are lots of benefits to doing

this, not least because youll gain access
to loads of powerful configuration
options and features that arent available
in the stock (supplied) firmware. If your
router is old or discontinued, for example,
the manufacturer may not be supporting
updates, so you might be missing out on
potential new tools.
There are several excellent custom
firmware choices available for routers,
including DD-WRT (dd-wrt.com),
OpenWRT (openwrt.org) and Tomato
(tomato.groov.pl).
WEEKEND PROJECT
DD-WRT
DD-WRT is perhaps
the best known
custom router
firmware, and is
mostly used on
Linksys models,
but it can now
be installed on
a wide range
of devices
from other
manufacturers.
You can find
out if your router is supported by
browsing the router database at bit.ly/
routerdb341. Many of the features offered
in DD-WRT can also be found in stock
router firmware, but the custom build
gives you an incredible amount of
configuration options. In fact, DD-WRT is
so packed with possibilities, it can be
quite overwhelming at first. Dont worry,
though, the website offers plenty of
guidance to help you

make sense of it all.
Installing DD-WRT is
fairly straightforward,
and not much different
to installing a program
on your PC.
However, its not
without its risks. If
you make a
mistake, turn off
your router or
computer, close
your browser or
encounter an error midway through, you
could end up breaking your router. That
wont happen if youre careful, but it is a
possibility so its important to do some
research first. Read the wiki at
bit.ly/ddwrtwiki341, follow all the steps
properly and only ever install the
firmware on a router that you dont rely
on for daily use (unless youre happy to
buy a replacement in the event that
things go badly wrong). Weve never had
a problem installing the firmware and
dont know anyone who has, but wed be
remiss if we didnt sound a note of
caution.
To get started, youll need to connect
the router you want to update to your
PC. The process means youll be
temporarily without access to the
internet, so make sure youve
downloaded all the files you are likely to
need before you begin.
prompted to perform a hard reset. This

restores the router to its factory settings.
It doesnt restore the installed firmware,
but it does remove any changes that you
might have made beforehand such as
changing the default login, IP address,
and so on. The method for performing a
reset will vary depending on the make
and model of your router, but its very
simple and can be done in two ways
either by pressing a button on the back
of the device or by pushing a paperclip
into a hole labelled Reset.
With the router on and working, press
and hold the button down (or insert the
paperclip) for around 30 seconds or so.
The lights on the front of the router will
change when the reset action has been
recognised. After performing a hard
reset, youll need to wait a few minutes
for the router to reboot and become
usable again.
See our Mini Workshop, below, to find
out how to install DD-WRT firmware.
Reset button
Perform a hard reset
Check your router is compatible using the

database of devices on the DD-WRT site
At several points during the installation

process (before you begin, and once the
firmware update is complete), you will be
Your routers reset button might be on the

side or the back of the router
MINI WORKSHOP Install DD-WRT on your router

2
1
3
1
Open the router database (bit.ly/

routerdb341) in your browser and
search for your make and model. If its
there, click the name. The page that
opens will provide details about your
router 1 and download links to the
files you will need to install DD-WRT
and revert to the original firmware. 2
Download the image(s) you require.
The exact installation process varies

depending on your router. The
DD-WRT Wiki (bit.ly/ddwrthardware341)
provides instructions. Perform a hard
reset, then log into your routers
web-management page using Internet
Explorer. Look for the Firmware Upgrade
option. 1 Browse for the DD-WRT
firmware you downloaded 2 and click
Upgrade. 3
Subscribe to Web User at subscribe.webuser.co.uk
The firmware install will begin. 1

Avoid doing anything with your PC
until this has completed. The router
will reboot and you should see a
message confirming that everything
has gone according to plan. Wait five
minutes, then click Continue. Perform
another hard reset. Thats it DD-WRT
is now installed on your router.
26 March 2014
71
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WEEKEND PROJECT
What can you do with
DD-WRT?
switch to it under Wireless,

Basic Settings, Wireless
Channel.
You can also boost your
routers transmitting ability to
make it more powerful. Go to
Wireless, Basic Settings and
tick the Advanced Settings
box. Look for the TX Power
setting. Dont simply change
this to a higher figure
because you could end up
damaging your router and it
may already be set to the
maximum amount anyway. Do
a little research beforehand at
bit.ly/txpower341.
To get started and set up the
basics, see our Mini Workshop,
below.
The custom firmware lets you

do all sorts of things, from
managing internet access to
setting up your router as a
range extender and boosting
the coverage of your Wi-Fi (this
option isnt available on all
routers).
You can also track bandwidth
usage, which is handy if youre
on a capped plan or just want
to keep an eye on your
incoming and outgoing traffic.
This feature can be accessed in
Status, WAN.
Theres a QoS (Quality of
A Wi-Fi scanner can help guide you to the best channels for
minimal interference
Service) section in DD-WRT
(click the NAT/QoS tab), which
lets you manage how your bandwidth is
You could make internet telephony a
shared between different applications.
priority, for example, so you can be
certain that someone downloading a file
wont impact on a Skype conversation.
Youll find more information about QoS at
bit.ly/qos341.
A wireless router can transmit on
several channels. If your connection is
being weakened by interference from
other electrical devices or your
neighbours Wi-Fi, switching to another
channel might solve the problem. You
can use a tool such as Wi-Fi Scanner
(bit.ly/wifiscanner341) to discover which
channels are used by your neighbours so
you can avoid any crossover. Once you
Changing the channel your Wi-Fi operates
You can give your router a power boost,
on can help find clear air in busy areas
but dont overdo it
know the best channel for your Wi-Fi,
MINI WORKSHOP Getting started with DD-WRT
1
3
4
5
Once youve installed the firmware,

log into the web-management page
by typing http://192.168.1.1 into your
browser (the address may vary
depending on your hardware, but this
is the default). Youll be prompted to
enter a new username and password.
1 Once youve done that, youll be
presented with the System Information
page.
NEXT ISSUE
Click the Setup tab. 1 The Basic

Setup section lets you customise the
WAN (Wide Area Network) settings, 2
and Network Setup. 3 If youre not sure
what youre doing, you can leave

everything as it is. Click the Wireless tab
4 to manage dual band (if your router
offers this), and configure wireless
security.
The Security tab 1 lets you enable

or disable the firewall, and add
filters and configure settings for it.
Access Policy 2 controls internet
access, so you can limit it to specific
days or times. 3 You can also block
sites 4 and keywords. 5
Administration 6 lets you change the
router password, reset to factory
defaults and upgrade the firmware.
How To... Create a mobile-friendly website
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NEW BBC iPLAYER WHY ITS BETTER THAN EVER

For people who love the internett

Best software New websites Expert tips

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How to upgrade the firmware on

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Get more tips in our newsletter at www.webuser.co.uk/newsletter

SOFTWARE YOU SHOULD

WEBSITES & APPS

Get to grips with the

12 Best New Websites

Capture and share whats

52 Capture anything on your PC

Keep an eye on every corner

14 pages of workshops, tips,

Instantly move data between your

66 Ask the Experts

Get warnings for

Give you router a

LICENSING, REPRINTS, EPRINTS

Get more tips in our newsletter at www.webuser.co.uk/newsletter

BBC iPlayer | www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer

aunched on Christmas Day 2007,

thanks to the Beebs plans to make

To access the new iPlayer, click the

Each BBC channel has its own page,

The iPlayer lets you browse

Select a show, then click Play 1 to

If youre enjoying watching an

Get more practical advice at forum.webuser.co.uk

You can search, as well as browse,

The TV Guide 1 shows whats coming

Get more tips in our newsletter at www.webuser.co.uk/newsletter

The iPlayer now groups programmes

BT found itself in hot water with the

ditching Yahoo Mail as its

Both BT and Openwave have said

How will it affect you?

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This is embarrassing for BT,

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If you agree with BernersLee (and its hard not to),

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Discuss web news at forum.webuser.co.uk