/ MAGZUS.COM / Macworld uk february 2015

APPLE WATCH vs ANDROID WEAR T H E W O R L D ’ S B E S T- S E L L I N G A P P L E M A G A Z I N E

FEBRUARY 2015

SELL MACS, iPHONES & iPADS Make money from your Apple kit

PLUS:

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BY PURCHASING SECOND HAND

Best iPhone Complete battery packs guide to Siri Extend the battery Find out how to life of your iPhone get Siri to work for you

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Contents F E B R U A R Y

10

2 0 1 5

7

Karen Haslam

8

News

Year of the Apple Watch

Apple’s legendary beginning a ‘myth’

10 Sell your old Apple kit Plus: How to pick up a bargain

22 Hazard prevention Three types of backup

36 Safari in Yosemite Tips

New features in Apple’s web browser

40 The future of iTunes

Has iTunes reached a crossroads?

42 Apple Watch and Android Wear

22

Apple’s watch isn’t revolutionary

44 Apple Watch

We can’t wait for Apple’s latest kit

46 Group test: Power banks 48 BrioLite CampStove 48 EC Technology 6000MAH 48 EC Technology 18000MAH 48 EC Technology 22400MAH 49 Freeplay Tuf 49 Intocircuit Power Mini 49 Intocircuit Power Castle 49 LimeFuel Blast L180X Pro 50 LimeFuel Rugged L150XR 50 Lumsing 8000MAH 50 Lumsing 10400MAH 50 MiPow Power Cube 8000L

46

51 Olixar enCharge PC810 51 Olixar enCharge KP-8000 51 Omaker S-X5 10000MAH 51 Onaji Pawa 52 Phonesuit Flex XT 52 PNY PowerPack 2200MAH 52 Powermonkey Extreme 12V 52 RavPower RP-PB13 Deluxe 53 TP-Link TL-PB10400 53 Tylt Energi 5K+ 53 Veho Pebble Smartstick+ 53 Zendure A2 FEBRUARY 2015 • MACWORLD 3

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Contents 56 Reviews

56

56 Apple iMovie vs Adobe

Premiere Elements 13 58 Microsoft Outlook 2015 60 iOS 8 vs iOS 7 63 Optoma HD50 64 Olixar Beats Bluetooth Speaker Bulb 64 Swann ADS-456

SwannCloud HD 65 Brother MFC-J4420DW 66 Samsung Xpress M2835DW 67 HP OfficeJet Pro 6830

68 David Price Twitter time

70 New and noteworthy

Best new kit for your iOS device

72 Complete guide to Siri Everything you need to know

72

77 Message features What’s new in iOS 8

78 iMessage issues Fix iPhone iMessage problems

80 Karen Haslam Highlights of 2014

81 Ashleigh Allsopp YouTube vloggers taking over

82 Notification widgets 10 of our favourites

66

84 Family Sharing How to set up this option

85 FaceTime Audio Make free phone calls

86 Android Lollipop The features iOS 9 should adopt

87 Better selfies Take better pictures of yourself

92 Subscriptions Getting the latest issue of Macworld

94 Buyers’ guide The best hardware and software

114 Matt Egan Takeaway tech

4 MACWORLD • FEBRUARY 2015

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Fusion is an extremely fast visual effects software tool that’s responsive enough to be used in high pressure, client driven sessions. With its GPU acceleration, you get instant feedback while you work so you can see exactly what you’re doing. Whether you’re working alone or with a client, Fusion gives you the real time control you need so you can spend more time being creative and less time waiting.

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From the Editor’s desk By Karen Haslam contact...

Year of the Apple Watch

EDITORIAL Editor Karen Haslam

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Senior Staff Writer Ashleigh Allsopp

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Online Editor David Price

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Group Managing Editor Marie Brewis

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Art Director Mandie Johnson

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Technical Editor Andrew Harrison

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Consumer Tech Editor Chris Martin

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Associate Editor Neil Bennett

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Associate Editor Jim Martin

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Editor-In-Chief Matt Egan

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Contributors Mike Bedford, Christopher Breen, Martyn Casserly, Martyn Clayden, Matt Elgan, David Fanning, Yoni Heisler, Cliff Joseph, Steve May, Caitlin McGarry, Robin Morris, Jared Newman, Adam Shepherd, Michael Simon, Lesa Snider ADVERTISING Head of Advertising Tom Drummond

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All material copyright IDG UK 2015

Whether the Apple Watch lives up to the hype remains to be seen

W

elcome to 2015, the year of the Apple Watch. But will Apple have a success on its hands, or will the smartwatch turn out to be a flop?

I think I’m a realist in my expectations for the Apple Watch. I don’t rush out to buy every new Apple product when it launches. I wait until I’m sure I actually need it, and right now I can’t see what Apple Watch can do for me.

Then again, I said the same about the iPhone. When I first saw the 3.5in iPhone at Macworld Expo in January 2007, I couldn’t see why anyone would want such a big phone. I had no idea that eight years later I would be inseparable from my iPhone 6. Back then I had no concept of the ways in which the iPhone would change my life. When Apple unveiled the iPhone it didn’t release a mobile phone; it launched a palm-sized computer.

So, how does this relate to the Apple Watch? Could I mistakenly write off another Apple device just because I can’t see what I can do for me right now?

I wear a watch, but there are a lot of people out there who check their phone to find out the time. I don’t use a fitness tracker, but a lot of my friends do.

Some are enticed by the idea that wearing a smartwatch means you don’t have to get your phone out every time it buzzes. Even this doesn’t appeal to me – I sit in front of my Mac all day at work, and thanks to iOS 8 and Yosemite, it notifies me of Facebook alerts, text messages, and lets me take a call without getting my phone out.

The Apple Watch will have to do a lot more if it is to change our lives and justify the estimated £300 price tag for the entry-level model. Is that price too high for it to be a success? Perhaps in the short-term, but people voiced the same criticism when the iPod launched, and over time it came in many flavours

The Apple Watch will have to do a lot more if it is to change our lives and justify the £300 price tag at different prices, including the £40 iPod shuffle. There is no reason not to suspect that the same thing will happen to the Apple Watch, with various versions available at various prices.

Whether the features offered at launch are enough to make the 2015 the year of the Apple Watch, despite its price, remains to be seen. Analyst’s sales estimates for 2015 currently range from 10- to 60 million. That 60 million figure is a little crazy – to put things in perspective in the first year it was on sale the iPad sold 14.8 million units.

If Apple sells 14.8 million watches in the first year, you can guarantee that someone will complain. Expectations are always high for an Apple product launch, and if sales don’t send the Apple Watch into orbit then there will be plenty of people writing it off as a flop. But it’s all relative; one person’s flop is another person’s success, and a few years from now I bet I’ll be writing about how the Apple Watch changed my life.

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News Apple’s legendary beginning a ‘myth’ Steve Wozniak calls the legend of Apple’s garage beginnings a myth

BY YO N I H E I S L E R

O

ne of the most persistent legends surrounding the origins of Apple is that the early employees toiled away in the garage of Steve Jobs’ parents house, tirelessly putting in long hours to create what would become the Apple I. Actually, to call this story a ‘legend’ is disingenuous as it’s in essence considered to be 100 percent fact. Or so we thought.

During a recent interview with Bloomberg, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak poured cold water on the heralded story of Apple’s garage beginnings. “The garage is a bit of a myth,” he said. “We did no designs there, no breadboarding, no prototyping, no planning of products. We did no manufacturing there. The garage didn’t serve much purpose, except it was something for us to feel was our home.

We had no money. You have to work out of your home when you have no money.”

If that’s the case, then where was work on the Apple I done? Well, according to Woz, much of it was done during his time at Hewlett-Packard.

“The work was being done – soldering things together, putting the chips together, designing them, drawing them on drafting tables – at my cubicle at Hewlett-Packard in Cupertino. That was an incredible time. It let me do a lot of side projects and it was five years to the summer of 1975, when I built the Apple computer, the first one.” Overall, though, Woz seems to be stressing that none of

the integral computer designs were done in the garage. He says that once the designs were complete, “finished products” were taken to the garage where Apple’s employees would “make them work.”

Crescentgate plagues iPhone 6 users Latest iPhone issue involves strange selfie camera fault

BY ASHLEIGH ALLSOPP

T

he iPhone 6 Plus has been plagued with ‘Bendgate’ issues, but now it seems to be the iPhone 6’s turn, with the new ‘Crescentgate’ issue that has emerged.

In early December, it became apparent that there are a significant number of iPhone 6 owners complaining about their smartphone’s front-facing camera, or the ‘selfie camera’ as it is otherwise known.

According to those users, it has become misaligned, causing a small grey crescent shape to become visible. It’s irritating for those who have forked out

for their shiny new iPhone 6, but it’s a cosmetic issue more than anything because so far it doesn’t seem to have had an effect on the quality of the photos produced.

A related thread on Reddit, which now has almost 200 comments, suggests that Apple will offer a replacement iPhone 6 to anyone with an affected iPhone.

At present, the 6 Plus seems to have avoided the issue, with just iPhone 6 owners reporting that their device is suffering from the Crescentgate problem.

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Team working to bring Apple Pay to UK A new jobs listing suggests that Apple is working hard to bring its mobile payments service to Europe soon

BY ASHLEIGH ALLSOPP

A

pple Pay may be coming to the UK sooner than anticipated.

A new job listing for an Apple Pay intern suggests that the company is working hard to bring the secure mobile payment service to countries outside of the US. The job listing, which was spotted mid-December, states that Apple Pay is “set to expand across Europe, Middle East, India and Africa.”

The job listing also reveals that the Apple Pay intern will be joining a London-based Apple Pay team that will work to expand the service to additional countries by liaising with “issuers, payment networks and merchants across Europe.”

“Apple Pay is a new and exciting area in Apple that is set to expand across Europe, Middle East, India and Africa,” the job listing reads. “Apple Pay will change the way consumers pay with

breakthrough contactless payment technology and unique security features built right into their iPhone 6 or Apple Watch to pay in an easy, secure and private way.

“The new London-based Apple Pay team will work to drive the roll-out of this technology across EMEIA by working with a variety of internal and external partners,” the listing continues, “including teams in the US where the product will first launch and the EMEIA organisation, as well as Issuers, payment networks and merchants across Europe.”

Prior to the job listing, we’d heard from Visa that it is working with Apple to bring Apple Pay to Europe in 2015, but

we’d also heard that a new set of regulations currently being considered

by EU legislators could put a spanner in the works.

Apple beats iTunes antitrust case Steve Jobs even spoke during the trial in a videotape recorded shortly before his death

BY CAITLIN MCGARRY

A

jury decided on 16 December that Apple wasn’t trying to monopolise digital music when it added FairPlay, a digital rights management technology, to songs it sold on iTunes. The class-action suit against Apple was a decade in the making, but it took jurors just three hours to reach a verdict: Apple wins.

The lawsuit covered iPods purchased between September 2006 and March 2009, when only songs purchased in iTunes – and thereby protected by FairPlay – or imported from CDs would

play on the devices. The jury was asked to decide whether two versions of iTunes, which included iPod firmware that made songs from rival services incompatible with the devices, were major product improvements are designed specifically to block rival services. One of the iTunes versions was tossed out of contention, and the jury decided that the other iTunes update improved the product.

The case ended with a bizarre twist: a last-minute plaintiff called to replace two former plaintiffs who weren’t actually victims of Apple’s iTunes DRM. Apple

discovered that the two plaintiffs didn’t purchase iPods during the time period covered by the class-action terms. The new plaintiff was found on 15 December but she didn’t testify.

Another interesting element to this case was the fact that the late Steve Jobs testified in court during the trial, via a videotaped testimony recorded shortly before his death. It’s unsurprising the case fell apart after no one-victimised by FairPlay could be found in time to take the stand. The plaintiffs represented 8 million iPod owners.

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Features

HOW TO BUY AND SELL APPLE PRODUCTS

HOW TO SELL YOUR OLD APPLE KIT PLUS: HOW TO PICK UP A BARGAIN

10 MACWORLD • FEBRUARY 2015

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WE SHOW YOU HOW TO MAKE MONEY FROM SELLING YOUR OLD MAC, IPHONE, IPOD AND MORE, PLUS, HOW TO SAVE SOME MONEY

BY PURCHASING AN APPLE PRODUCT SECOND-HAND, AND WHERE TO FIND THE BEST DISCOUNTS By Macworld staff

L

et’s face it, Apple products aren’t cheap. If you are hoping to invest in a sparkling new Apple device it is always worth considering selling your old, superseded Mac, iPhone or iPad. We’ll start off by looking at how much your Mac might be worth, the best way to sell it and what you need to do to prepare it for sale, before doing the same for an iPhone and then an iPad. We’ll then cover buying a discounted or secondhand version of each of these devices.

SELLING A MAC How much is your Mac worth?

Knowing how much a used Apple Mac is worth is key to getting the right amount of money for your old computer. In this section we’re going to look at getting a good valuation for an old Mac and selling it for the best price.

Apple Macs tend to hold their value a lot better than other IT products but they still depreciate. A good rule of thumb is that you’ll probably get around half the price you paid for it after two years.

A lot depends on the model, year and configuration. With upgrades no longer a possibility across many Mac product lines, we think that higher-spec old models will command a premium because their specs are likely to match the current entry-level models and because they are upgradable. This is, incidentally, a good reason to always buy the best new Mac you can afford.

Because Apple sells only a few different configurations of Mac, it’s often possible to find a similar configuration to your current model still on sale. So if your 2013 Mac has a similar spec to a current model, you may be able to get a similar price for it, especially if the RAM and other features are upgradable.

Another way to see how much a Mac is worth is to check the sales taking place on eBay. You can also use eBay’s Watch This Item feature on these models to see what the market rate is.

When should you sell?

As a general rule, the sooner you sell on a second Mac (or any computer), the higher the price you can get for it.

Typically it makes sense to sell on an old model before Apple announces a new one (rather than after the announcement).

When a new model has been announced, the older ones suddenly lose a small amount of value. So keep an eye on upcoming Apple events and rumours and try to pre-empt them if possible. The wave of Macs and iPhones being traded in just before a new model launches suggests that many other people follow this philosophy.

Obviously this strategy is better suited to someone who owns more than one Mac – otherwise you will be left without a Mac to work on.

Apart from the new £899 entry-level iMac, and the Retina display model, Apple didn’t touch the iMac in 2014. We therefore expect Apple to refresh the iMac range in the first half of 2015. There are also rumours that Apple might introduce a Retina MacBook Air in the spring of 2015. So if you’re looking to sell on an iMac or MacBook Air, now could be a good time.

Now might also be a good time to sell a Mac Pro. The 2013 model is so radically different to the older model that it is unlikely to have depreciated much, but selling it could allow you to pick up the new iMac with Retina display. We expect to see a new edition of the Mac Pro at some point during 2015, so selling sooner rather than later is advised.

What to do before selling or giving away your Mac Before you sell your Mac on as a secondhand machine there are some important things you should do.

1. Deauthorise the Mac from iTunes.

2. Back up your data.

3. Turn off Find My Mac. 4. Sign out of iCloud.

5. Sign out of iMessage.

6. You will also need to format the hard drive and reinstall OS X. 7. Restart the Mac in Recovery Mode – hold down 1 and the R key during restart to do this.

8. Use Disk Utility to erase the hard drive – click on Disk Utility → Continue, select the main volume and click Unmount, then Erase, and then click on Disk Utility → Quit Disk Utility.

9. Click Reinstall OS X and Continue.

10. Follow the instructions to reinstall Mac OS X. You should also take some time to clean the computer, and check to see if you have the original box or packaging.

The more presentable the Mac looks in its photographs, and the more original the packaging you have, the more it will fetch on the second-hand market.

How to sell your Mac Typically you’ll get more cash from a private sale than from a shop or services (as businesses need to add on a markup when they sell it on). But it’s often less hassle to take it to somewhere like Computer Exchange or Cash Generators.

You’ll get more money by selling an old Mac on eBay, Amazon or Gumtree, all of which offer a lively environment for second-hand Macs. If you sell the Mac via eBay and Amazon, you’ll also have to pay a service charge, so Gumtree is the way to go for a completely private sale.

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Features

HOW TO BUY AND SELL APPLE PRODUCTS

Tuning out Before selling your Mac, make sure you have deauthorised it from iTunes.

You can also buy and sell second-hand Macs on the Macworld UK website. With our partner mResell we run a service that lets you sell your unwanted Macs, iPhones and iPads. Once a price has been agreed, we either pick up your Mac, or you can take it to a certified Apple reseller, after which payment is made.

Either way, the Mac, iMac or MacBook is then thoroughly checked, refurbished and reconditioned, and listed for sale on the buy/sell section of our website or on the mresell.macworld.co.uk site.

Alternatively, Apple has a reuse and recycling programme and will buy your Mac from you. So you can sell your old Mac computer to Apple at the same time as you buy a new one. Be warned, though: Apple doesn’t pay the highest rates for Mac computers. For example, a 27in iMac with a Core i7 3.4GHz processor (from mid 2011) in excellent condition, will fetch £580 from Apple. You will typically get a better deal from eBay or mResell.

SELLING AN IPHONE How to sell your old iPhone If you’re thinking about upgrading to a new iPhone now that the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have arrived, you might want to consider trading in your old one. So how

do you go about getting the most money for your iPhone, whether it’s an iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5, iPhone 4s, iPhone 4 or an even older iPhone?

How much is your iPhone worth?

To get a decent price for a second-hand iPhone, you really need to have kept it in good condition. A good, tough case is essential, as is something to cover the screen so that you can avoid scratches.

It’s a good idea to keep the box and make sure the cables are all in order. You should also get your phone unlocked if it isn’t already as this makes a huge difference to the resale value.

Providing you have kept your iPhone in good condition, you should be able to get a reasonable amount of money if you sell it on. Just how much will, however, depend on the age of the handset.

One quick and easy way to turn your iPhone into cash is to sell it back to Apple when you buy a new one. A 32GB iPhone 4, in good condition, could fetch you £80 from Apple’s reuse and recycling programme. That’s more than most other third-party trade-in services offer – O2 will pay around £75, while Envirofone will pay £70. You’re unlikely to get very much more than that on eBay – perhaps around £100.

The iPhone 4s has only recently gone off sale. If you have an iPhone 4s in excellent condition it could fetch £130 from Apple’s programme. Again Apple is slightly more generous than Envirofone and Carphone Warehouse, so it’s worth looking at Apple’s take-back programme.

Apple’s take-back prices rise depending on the age and condition of your iPhone. For example, depending on the condition and specs, your old iPhone 5 could fetch £220, the iPhone 5s £320 and the iPhone 5c £220.

Apple will pay something for every iPhone except for the original iPhone, which is now coming up for eight years old. Apple has decided that it has ‘no resale value’ and won’t even take it in part-exchange. However, if you do have a first-generation iPhone it might be worth something to a collector. In fact, one Australian eBay seller attempted to sell a brand-new, sealed first-generation iPhone for £55,513. So if you do have an original iPhone in a box somewhere we suggest you sit on it for a few more years – by 2037 it might be worth something.

If selling on eBay now, you are more likely to get a good deal on more recent iPhones. A quick look suggests that you could get £265 for a 16GB iPhone 5s, £310 for a 32GB iPhone 5s, or £430 for a 64GB iPhone 5s. But bear in mind that the 16GB and 32GB models are still on sale from Apple – a new 16GB iPhone 5s costs £359 while the 32GB model costs £499 new.

When should you sell?

The best time to sell an iPhone is before the next model launches. Following a launch you can expect to see a decline in the resale value, especially as Apple is likely to continue to sell the same model at a reduced price. But doing this may leave you without a phone for some time, especially if you struggle to get your hands on the new model when it launches. It is often the case that supply is constrained in the first few weeks after a launch.

It’s pretty easy to predict an iPhone launch. Apple has released a new iPhone each September for the past few years.

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So the months running up to September are naturally a good time to sell. But you should be aware that in the past Apple has also released new iPhones in June, so it is possible that one year the company could surprise us all by going back to this cycle.

The best time to sell is whatever is the right time for you. If you want to upgrade your iPhone, don’t stick the old one in a drawer; convert it to cash and use what you make on it to make the cost of the new iPhone seem less prohibitive.

What to do before selling or giving away your iPhone Before selling your iPhone, you’ll need to make sure you’ve wiped all the data you’ve got stored on it, so that the person who buys it doesn’t get access to your sensitive data and details. Thankfully, it’s a fairly simple process.

Start by backing up your iPhone in iTunes on your Mac or on iCloud; that way, when you buy your next device you can copy over the same settings and content. Plug the iPhone into your Mac and choose Back Up Now in iTunes.

Open the Settings app and select General from the left-hand column.

Scroll down and tap on Reset at the bottom of the page.

On the Reset page, you need to pick the second option down – Erase All Content and Settings. When the dialog box appears, click Erase (and type in your passcode if you’ve got one). There will be a short delay and then the iPad or iPhone will be wiped.

Don’t be tempted to sell your iPhone with your data intact because it has Flappy Bird on it or something similar.

When the game was removed from the iOS App Store this year, users began selling their iPhones for slightly more cash on eBay by advertising the fact that Flappy Bird was installed. The problem is that the game is connected to your Apple account, and so you’ll be selling them your personal data, too.

You’ll also want to gather together all the cables, accessories and packaging you’ve got for the iPhone. Make sure you specify what the iPhone comes with in

terms of the cables and packaging, particularly if you’re selling it on eBay.

How to sell your iPhone There are various ways to sell your old iPhone. Typically you’ll get more cash from a private sale than from a shop or services, but you may decide it’s less hassle to take it to somewhere like Computer Exchange or Cash Generators.

As we explained, it is possible to part-exchange your iPhone with Apple when you purchase a new one. Apple’s iPhone reuse and recycling programme allows customers to trade in their old iPhone – from the iPhone 3GS to the iPhone 5c and iPhone 5s – by visiting an Apple retail store with their old iPhone or by visiting Apple’s Reuse and Recycling web page. Apple will pay you £210 for a gold 64GB iPhone 5s in good condition (and unlocked). This is the best price you are likely to get out of Apple if you choose to recycle your iPhone with the company.

Bear in mind that if you do decide to take your old iPhone into an Apple retail store, Apple’s staff will look over it and give a trade-in price estimate. This price is based on the condition of the hardware and the model of iPhone. You will then have that value subtracted from the price of a new iPhone or other Apple product if you wish to trade it in.

Selling the phone back to Apple is a hassle-free way to convert your old iPhone to cash, but you will probably get more money for it if you sell the device privately. Many people turn to eBay, Gumtree and other auction websites.

You just need to weigh up how much the extra hassle of selling your iPhone this way is worth.

You can also buy and sell second-hand iPhones on the Macworld website. Along with our partner mResell, we run a service via which you can sell your unwanted Macs, iPhones and iPads. Once a price is agreed we either pick up your Mac, or

you can take it to a certified Apple reseller after which payment is made. Either way, the iPhone is then thoroughly checked, refurbished and reconditioned, and listed for sale on our website at mresell.macworld.co.uk.

SELLING AN IPAD How to sell your old iPad Apple recently launched new iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 models, both of which offer improvements (substantial in the case of the iPad Air 2, more minor for the iPad mini 3) over older iPads. With this in mind it might be a good idea to trade in your old iPad and put the money towards a new one. But how can you get the best deal for your second-hand iPad? What is a fair price for a secondhand iPad, and where is the best place or online service to sell it?

How much is your iPad worth?

How much you get for a second-hand iPad depends on the model that you’ve got, and where you sell it. You’ll probably get more cash if you sell it privately, on eBay or Gumtree, or on your work noticeboard, than you would if walk into somewhere like Computer Exchange or Cash Generators. However, if you are in a hurry and want to sell the iPad hasslefree, then one of those high-street services or Apple’s own take-back scheme may be more appealing.

Depending on the specs and condition of your iPad, Apple might buy it back from you for as much as £270, although that iPad would have to be in tip-top condition

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and boast the highest storage capacity.

Prices range from £270 for a 128GB Wi-Fi and cellular iPad Air or £190 for a 128GB Wi-Fi and cellular Retina iPad mini; a 16GB Wi-Fi iPad will fetch just £30.

We have found iPads on eBay that are selling for much more than Apple will buy them back for. For example, a 16GB Wi-Fi iPad 2 was recently going for £199, a 16GB Wi-Fi iPad Air for £291, an 16GB iPad mini for £108 and a 64GB firstgeneration Wi-Fi iPad for £117.

Remember that many of the older iPad models are still on sale from Apple, so don’t expect to sell them for the price Apple sells them for new. For example, Apple’s cheapest iPad is the firstgeneration iPad mini, which costs £199 for the 16GB model. However, if you have a higher-capacity version of one of the cheaper iPads that Apple sells you might be able to get a good price for it.

When should you sell?

Like all products the iPad is worth more the newer it is, and Apple products in particular are worth more if sold well in advance of a new product launch.

Online trade-in store NextWorth has noted a drop in the value of Apple products of up to a fifth immediately before the launch of a new model. “There is a predictable 15- to 20 percent value decline seen across all older iPhone models in the six-week period surrounding a new iPhone launch,” says Jeff Trachsel, CMO of NextWorth. The same applies to the iPad. This means that the best time to sell an iPad is probably around a month or two before the new model launches – but that means selling it before you know for sure how much of an improvement the next model will be. Once the

The Macworld option You can buy second-hand iPads from our site at mresell.macworld.co.uk

device’s successor has been unveiled, Apple fans will be less interested, and the price will drop.

Apple is unlikely to introduce iPad replacements until mid to late 2015 – traditionally launches are September for new iPhones and October for iPads, if past years are anything to go by.

However, there are rumours that Apple could launch an iPad Pro this spring.

Even if Apple does launch an iPad Pro, there probably isn’t any urgency to sell an iPad right now: the prices have just suffered their annual dip, and the new models are likely to hold steady until the autumn. But if you’re resolved to sell, it’s still worth looking into doing the trade sooner rather than later.

What to do before selling or giving away your iPad Preparing an iPad for sale is much like preparing an iPhone for sale. As with the iPhone process, described earlier, you’ll need to make sure you’ve wiped all your data – before doing so we recommend you back the iPad up. Resetting the iPad is very simple, just choose Erase All Content and Settings.

Gather together all of the cables, accessories and packaging you’ve got that came with the iPad. Make sure you specify what the iPad comes with in terms of cables and packaging, particularly if you’re selling on eBay. Hopefully, you have looked after your iPad well and it is in good condition. This is the time you will wish you had kept it in a case and not scratched the screen.

How to sell your iPad

A price to match the size The first-generation iPad mini is Apple’s cheapest iPad at £199.

There are a number of ways to sell your old iPad. As mentioned earlier, Apple has a reuse and recycling programme that enables the owners of older iPad models to exchange their device for a newer

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model at an Apple retail store, at a discounted price.

You’ll get a better price by selling it on eBay, Amazon or Gumtree, all of which offer a lively environment for secondhand devices. If you sell via eBay and Amazon you’ll also have to pay a service charge, so Gumtree is the place for a completely private sale.

You can also buy and sell second-hand iPads on the Macworld UK website. With our partner mResell we run a service that lets you sell your unwanted iPads, iPhones and Macs. Once a price is agreed, mResell either picks up your iPad, or you can take it to a certified Apple reseller, after which payment is made.

Either way the iPad is then thoroughly checked, refurbished and reconditioned, and listed for sale on the buy/sell section of the Macworld website.

BUYING A MAC Apple makes great computers, but they’re not always the cheapest to buy: a brandnew Mac can be a quick way to empty your bank account. Many Mac buyers therefore look at second-hand options.

You can get a great deal by buying a refurbished Apple Mac from the Apple Store, or by picking up one second-hand from eBay or your local Apple reseller.

model against the price of the current equivalent in the store.

And as well as price comparison, check out what is on offer from respected retailers such as John Lewis and PC World, or Apple premium resellers like iStore, Stormfront, Solutions Inc, Western Computers and KRCS. They do have sales, and although Apple bargains are rare, they do come along occasionally.

Indeed, if timing is not critical wait until just after Apple refreshes its line of your chosen Mac. Sometimes PC World, John Lewis and the rest will have unsold stock they discount in order to shift. And if you know what to look for and when, you could grab a bargain – just make sure you aren’t buying last year’s model while being sold the idea of this year’s.

The key thing, as always, is to know exactly what you want, and exactly what you are getting, especially if you are buying from a private seller. Get it all in writing, and if at all possible view the device you are buying, and use it, before you purchase. Always use a credit card to make expensive purchases, or a secure payment service such as PayPal. This will

make it much easier to chase up if there is a problem. And remember, if it looks too good to be true, then it probably is: you really want to see proof of purchase before you buy a second-hand Mac to ensure it hasn’t been stolen

Buying a refurbished Mac from Apple Some people don’t know the Apple Refurb Store exists. Many aren’t aware it is possible to pick up a price-reduced, refurbished Mac from the Apple website.

But you can buy refurbished Apple Macs, as well as other Apple products, from this special section of the online store. Go to apple.com/ukstore and scroll to the bottom of the page where you will see various links, among them a link to Refurbished & Clearance.

Refurbished Macs are likely to be brand new but returned models (if it is from a previous year) or reconditioned current models. A reconditioned Mac could be an ex-demonstration model used during Apple teaching programmes, or a unit sold to a customer who subsequently decided to return it. The returned unit

How to buy a cheap Mac Because Apple is strict with pricing and the margin that third-party retailers can make, it is rare that you will find a genuine bargain when buying new from someone other than Apple. And that’s why you should first visit Apple’s online store to find out what is on offer from the mothership, and make sure that if you are buying an outdated model you are doing so knowingly. Copy down the specification and product code you want, and use that in your search.

Be careful when comparing prices in Apple’s Refurbished section, because Apple lists the saving that relates to the price of the model when it was on sale (not the current edition). Many Macs have fallen in price in the past year so be sure to compare the price of the refurbished

Good as new The Macs in Apple’s Refurb Store are refurbished or reconditioned models.

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may have been faulty (and fixed) or may simply have been returned under the standard sale-and-returns procedure – Apple allows any customer to return a Mac bought from the Apple Store within 14 days for a refund as part of its standard returns policy.

We used to think that Apple Macs sold in the Refurb Store were old models that had not been sold. While this might be the case for some Macs in the Refurb Store, Tim Cook has made Apple’s production so tight that the company is rumoured to turn over its entire inventory every five days (only McDonald’s has a faster turnover). As a consequence Apple has no need to stockpile its products and the Macs sold in the Refurb Store are likely to be second-hand.

The important thing to note is that Macs bought from the Apple Refurb Store are not discernibly different from new ones bought direct from the Apple Store.

All the Macs bought from the Apple Refurb Store are cleaned, checked, tested and visually indistinguishable from brand-new models.

The only noticeable difference in our experience is that an Apple refurb Mac will be packaged in a brown box rather

than the white retail box they normally arrive in. Aside from that, we have yet to pick up a Mac from the Refurb Store and find it wanting.

The price for reconditioned Macs changes frequently but is typically 10 to 20 percent less than the original price.

With Macs commanding a high retail price, this reduction can represent quite a difference. For example, a 13.3in MacBook Air can be found on the Refurb Store for £719 – a £130 saving on the £849 you’d pay for the exact same model in the Apple Store.

Buy a second-hand or discounted Mac from an Apple reseller If you’re going to buy from used or independent shops, your best bet is to seek out a certified Apple premium reseller. These are dealers and service providers certified by Apple for their expertise and quality. Apple premium resellers can be found all over the UK and Republic of Ireland.

They will try to meet or exceed the service that you’d get at an Apple Store – and their prices may be cheaper than buying from Apple. We’ve often spotted Apple premium reseller stores having

special events and discounts, normally when stores open up for the first time in a new location. In the past Apple premium reseller Stormfront has offered customers 10 percent off any Mac purchased or ordered from a new store on its opening day.

Some resellers may offer discounts on older Mac models shortly after a new one launches, so look out for bargains.

Buying a second-hand or discounted Mac from eBay A second-hand Mac from Amazon and eBay is also worth considering, although where possible we’d recommend you opt for new, discounted Macs. Buying a second-hand Mac on eBay can be a risky business.

For a start, while eBay does offer buyers some protection if a product doesn’t match the features advertised, or if the seller doesn’t send you the product, if you buy from eBay and the Mac breaks after purchase, then you are on your own.

Buying and selling anything on sites like eBay can be fraught with problems, and this is particular true with high-value products such as computers. The old adage runs ‘buyer beware’, but sellers need to take precautions as well. In a bid to make money quickly, it is easy to be talked into handing over what you’re selling for much less than it is worth.

Having done your research, be prepared to stand your ground. You may have to give way slightly on price, but don’t be swayed too much.

It’s also worth taking a look at Macworld’s own reseller service, which buys and sells a range of second-hand Apple products. Like Apple, we thoroughly check, refurbish and recondition the Macs we are selling. If anything goes wrong, it is up to us to rectify the issue.

Warranty and returns procedures

More bite Certified Apple premium resellers such as Stormfront may offer discounted Macs.

One of the benefits of buying from Apple’s refurbished store is its warranty and returns procedure.

Apple states: ‘Before we put a refurbished Mac, iPod, iPad or Apple TV up for sale in special deals, it undergoes

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supported by Apple for much longer, so you may not be able to update to the latest software, and may struggle to install some apps from the iOS app store. The iPhone 4 and earlier won’t run iOS 8, so they’re already unsupported by Apple.

What’s more, the iPhone 4s and earlier have the 30-pin connector rather than the new Lightning connector, so some new accessories won’t be compatible.

So it would seem that the best way to buy a cheap iPhone is to buy a current model sold by Apple. If that’s still too expensive for you, then it may be that you can find a good contract with a network that gives you an iPhone for less of an outlay up-front.

Buy a refurbished or discounted iPhone from Apple Proceed with care You’re on your own if you take the eBay route.

a rigorous refurbishment process to make sure it’s up to Apple’s tough quality standards.’ iPhones, incidentally, are not sold through the Refurb Store.

More importantly, a reconditioned Mac comes with the same one-year warranty (extendable to three years with AppleCare protection). You also get the same sales and return procedure with Apple, and can return a Mac bought from the Refurb Store within 14 days if you’re not happy with it.

The oldest iPhone you can get on the Apple Store is the iPhone 5c, but it’s worth considering picking up an even older model.

The first thing to note is that the iPhone 5 is essentially the same as the iPhone 5c but without the plastic casing, so you’re still getting a good spec smartphone if you can find that model for sale – although it’s worth noting that it isn’t as 4G-capable as the newer iPhones.

Stepping even further back in time, the iPhone 4s and older are unlikely to be

BUYING AN IPHONE Should I buy a second-hand or discounted iPhone?

If you’re desperate for an iOS smartphone but have a budget that doesn’t quite stretch to Apple’s newest models like the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, buying an second-hand iPhone is a great way to pick up a bargain.

How to buy a cheap iPhone There are a number of ways in which you may be able to pick up a cheap iPhone.

The simplest is to consider the older iPhones that Apple still sells at a discount compared to what they launched for a year previously.

Triple protection AppleCare extends the warranty for reconditioned Macs to three years.

Apple doesn’t sell refurbished iPhones in its Refurbished & Clearance Store, so there is no opportunity to buy a secondhand iPhone from Apple. The latest Apple kit will always command a premium price; even the iPhone 5c, which many expected to be Apple’s low-cost iPhone offering, turned out to be quite pricey when it launched.

If you visit an Apple Store (online or on your high street) to buy an iPhone, you’ll get all the support that comes with buying direct from the manufacturer, and you’ll get good advice if you speak to anyone in the store. However, you’re not going to get any special discounts or deals on iPhones in the Apple Store – it’s full price or nothing.

That said, every year when Apple releases a new iPhone (or iPhones), it reduces the prices of the previous year’s models. The iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c are therefore still available from Apple, with the year-old iPhone 5c now selling for £319. So if you’re desperate for an iPhone but you don’t have wads of cash to spare, then an 8GB iPhone 5c may be just right for you.

One mistake people sometimes make is to think that they can save money by buying an iPhone while on a visit to America. First of all, it’s not much cheaper.

In the US Apple is offering an off-contract iPhone 6 Plus for $749 (with T-Mobile);

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that equates to a pre-VAT price of £459, or £550 in total, which isn’t all that far from the £619 starting price in the UK. The other issue is whether it will work in the UK. Despite being branded as T-Mobile phones, the US models are actually unlocked SIM-free versions, which means you can put any SIM card you want in them.

However, the iPhone 6 sold unlocked in the US is a slightly different model to the iPhone 6 in the UK, and the iPhone 6 Plus sold unlocked in the US is also slightly different to the iPhone 6 Plus in the UK. What’s the difference? It’s all to do with the networks: different models of iPhone support different bands. Here in the UK Apple sells the A1586 iPhone 6 and the A1524 iPhone 6 Plus. Those same models are sold in the US for use with C Spire, Sprint and US Cellular.

In the US Apple also sells the A1549 (GSM) and A1549 (CDMA) iPhone 6 and

the A1522 (GSM) and A1522 (CDMA) iPhone 6 Plus; those models work with Aio, AT&T, Cricket, T-Mobile and Verizon.

As you can see, the iPhones don’t all work with the same mobile networks.

Before buying a phone from the US you need to be absolutely sure that the network you will be using uses the LTE 4G band that your network in the UK uses. This will either be the 2.6GHz band (band 7), the 800MHz band (bands 18 and 19) or the 1800MHz band used by EE and Three (band 3). When it comes to 3G coverage the bands supported by the iPhones are even more nightmarish than the picture painted by the LTE support.

Buy a second-hand or discounted iPhone from a mobile network Of course, you don’t have to purchase your iPhone directly from Apple. Some mobile phone networks will give you an iPhone for free when you sign up to a

contract with them (you’ll be paying for the phone bit by bit on a monthly basis as part of your contract, but split over 24 months or whatever the length of the contract period, the cost is less daunting).

You’ll find the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c available from most carriers in the UK, on much cheaper contracts than the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Carriers include EE, Three, O2, Vodafone, Virgin Mobile, Tesco Mobile and Carphone Warehouse.

You can also buy the iPhone 4s brandnew from the likes of Tesco and Carphone Warehouse. An 8GB iPhone 4s is available from Carphone Warehouse for £15 a month or £199.95 SIM-free.

There are also various websites that list the best deals. Sites such as uSwitch and MoneySuperMarket will compare the best mobile phone deals, but note that often these deals come from less well-known businesses; the network might still be EE, O2 or Vodafone, but you will be paying someone else who is leasing the line from those big players, so you may not be getting as good a deal as you would if you were buying directly from the network. People often find that their coverage isn’t as good when compared with that of friends who are on the same network, for example.

Buy a second-hand or discounted iPhone from eBay You’ll find older iPhones for sale on Amazon and eBay, but be aware that some are overpriced. For example, we saw a 16GB iPhone 4 for sale for £235.99 on eBay, but knowing that the iPhone 4s, a later model, can still be bought from Carphone Warehouse for less than £200, you’d be paying well over the odds for a phone that is no longer supported by Apple if you went for the eBay offer.

Warranty and returns procedures

iPhone 5s and 5c Still available from Apple itself, with the 5c now selling for £319.

If you buy your iPhone from Apple, then you will be able to take advantage of its warranty and returns procedure. For this reason alone, it is worth purchasing a new iPhone 5c or 5s directly from Apple, if you are looking for a cheaper iPhone.

You can also add AppleCare+ for iPhone. This is an extended service that

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get an older iPad with more storage than that offered by the iPads that Apple still sells.

Buying a refurbished or discounted iPad from Apple

Carrier tie-in Mobile networks often hand out iPhones free – but with a contract.

provides expert technical support, up to two years of additional hardware coverage and up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage. It costs £79.

If you feel that £319 for an iPhone 5c is too expensive, or perhaps you need more than 8GB of storage, then you may still be okay purchasing your iPhone from another retailer because your home insurance and consumer rights should cover you for some faults or damage. EU consumer law ensures you will receive free repair or replacement coverage for defects present when you take delivery.

However, if you are buying your iPhone from a private seller on a site such as eBay you will need to proceed with caution. Make sure you have proof of purchase, for example, or you might end up handling stolen goods.

BUYING AN IPAD Should I buy a second-hand or discounted iPad? You can save loads of money by opting to buy a refurbished iPad from Apple rather than splashing out on a brand-new iPad.

How to buy a cheap iPad Picking up a cheap iPad is simple, thanks to the fact that Apple still sells the older models at a discount compared with what they launched for a year previously.

The oldest iPad that you can get in the Apple Store is the original iPad mini, which launched in 2012. It currently costs £199. But what should you do if that’s still too expensive?

What about an older iPad? One thing to bear in mind here is that older iPads are unlikely to be supported by Apple for much longer. For example, iOS 8 doesn’t run on the original iPad, and not all features will be available on other older iPads, so you may not be able to update to the latest software, and may struggle to install some apps from the iOS app store. Some iPads will also have the 30-pin connector rather than the Lightning connector, so some new accessories won’t be compatible.

You may still be able to get a good deal on one of the iPad models that Apple sells from the Apple Refurb Store or from a private buyer on eBay or similar. These deals may be attractive if it allows you to

Refurbished Apple products are technically pre-owned, but they undergo such a rigorous refurbishing process that it’s unlikely you’ll even notice. In fact pre-owned may mean only used once – it may have been a unit loaned to a journalist, or that was returned by a customer who decided they wanted a different iPad after all, or there may have been a fault with it – one that Apple will have rectified as part of its refurbishment when it was preparing it for sale.

The fact they’ve been refurbished by Apple means you can be a little more confident in the quality and reliability of what you’re getting. It’s a nice halfway house between new and second-hand, in effect, and you can save loads of money by opting to buy a refurbished iPad from Apple rather than splashing out on a brand-new version.

Plus, it’s a way to get older models of iPad that are no longer available to buy (such as the iPad 2 and iPad 3), directly from Apple, although this will depend on availability. At time of writing the only iPads available in the Refurb Store that can’t be bought brand-new are iPad 4 models (which Apple just calls ‘iPad with Retina display’). You can get an idea of how old the iPad is that you are interested in buying by looking at the original release date, noted by Apple. The oldest iPads we could see in the Refurb Store were those released in 2012.

To give you an example of what you can save by buying a refurbished iPad, a refurbished Wi-Fi and cellular iPad mini 2 with 64GB capacity costs £359 from the Refurb Store, which is £60 less than its price when bought new. Plus, Apple has stopped selling iPad mini 2 models with capacities higher than 32GB, so it’s the only way to buy the 64GB model direct from Apple. The 128GB model is in the Refurb Store right now too.

When you buy a refurbished iPad from Apple you’ll note that the new box is not

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the same as the box you would get if you purchased a new iPad. We assume that this is to prevent people from buying a refurbished iPad and attempting to sell it on as new. However, we think you’ll struggle to spot anything about the contents of that box that indicates it is not a new iPad. One thing to note, as with the iPhone, is that Apple continues to sell older iPad models at a discount. At the bottom of the line-up you have the 16GB iPad mini for £199, or if it’s a full size iPad you are looking for you can still get last year’s iPad Air for £319 for the 16GB model.

Buy a second-hand or discounted iPad from eBay If you want to save more money, you could try sites such as eBay and Gumtree for second-hand iPads, but you should ensure that you carefully read the description of each item and collect as much evidence of purchase as possible.

Pay through PayPal or with a credit card to help ensure you aren’t left out of pocket should you find yourself dealing with a con artist.

You may be able to pick up one of the older iPads at a higher capacity than

those that Apple still sells but pay attention to how much Apple sells the same generation of iPad for. We saw a fourth-generation 16GB iPad on eBay for £285, which might sound like a good deal, but the newer iPad Air, which also has a 16GB capacity, is sold by Apple for £319 and comes with a year’s warranty.

Buy a second-hand or discounted iPad from an Apple reseller It’s not just Apple that sells iPads, though.

Retailers including Tesco, John Lewis, Argos and Currys also sell iPads. They tend to be the current models or iPad at the same price as they would be from Apple, but occasionally these retailers will offer deals on iPads, so it’s worth keeping an eye out.

You’ll also find iPads available from Apple premium resellers. For those in London, the nearest resellers include Albion iStore, CompuB and Stormfront.

Carriers such as Three, EE and Vodafone also offer iPads, although you’ll only be able to get a cellular iPad by taking out a contract from them. Often these mobile phone networks will discount the iPad if you sign up for a contract with them.

To get more for your money, you can buy a refurbished or reconditioned iPad from a reselling service such as the one we offer here at Macworld UK. With our partner mResell, we run a service that you can use to sell your unwanted Macs, iPhones and iPads, and buy those products at reduced prices too.

If you’re looking to buy an iPad, make sure you take a look. It’s a risk-free way of buying second-hand. What’s more, when we buy the device, we check, refurbish and recondition it, so that when you buy it from us there is no risk of getting stiffed by someone dodgy.

Warranty and returns procedures Apple promises that all the refurbished iPads it sells are in full working condition, and that they have each been fully tested to ensure this. Any parts that were defective when the iPad was returned by its previous owner will have been replaced, and the entire iPad will have been cleaned and inspected to make sure it’s in top-notch condition.

In addition to this, if you buy a refurbished iPad from Apple, you’ll get the same one-year warranty as if you had bought a brand-new iPad, all of the

iPad mini 2 A refurbished Wi-Fi and cellular iPad mini 2 with 64GB capacity can be purchased for £60 less than a brandnew model in Apple’s Refurb Store.

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manuals and accessories that come with a new iPad, a brand-new battery and outer shell, as well as a new white box to hold it all in.

If you’d prefer to have a longer warranty than the one-year warranty that comes as standard, you can buy an AppleCare protection plan for your refurbished iPad. This will extend your warranty to two years, but will set you back £79.

OTHER WAYS OF GETTING CHEAPER APPLE PRODUCTS There is one other way to get a discounted Apple product. If you happen to be a student, you can save loads of money by taking advantage of Apple’s education discount.

How to get an education discount from Apple Apple is keen to make inroads into the education market, and students are a big market for the company. To this end Apple has a whole separate education store that offers a hefty discount on Mac computers and iPads.

Anybody who works in an education environment qualifies for a discount on Apple computers. It’s not just limited to students, teachers or lecturers, but also covers administration and other staff members. Essentially, the education discount is available to anybody who works for a school, college or university.

While parents of schoolchildren do not qualify when buying a Mac for themselves, you can still pick up a Mac for your child from the education store.

The Apple terms and conditions set out the situation as follows: ‘Those eligible to purchase from the Apple Store for Education Individuals include teachers, staff, students and parents as follows: 1. Employees of any education institution – any employee of a public or private education institution in UK is eligible.

2. Post-secondary education students – students attending or accepted into a post-secondary education institution in UK are eligible to purchase.

Not just for students Apple’s Store for Education also offers discounts to staff in the sector.

3. Parents of post-secondary students – parents purchasing on behalf of their child, who is a student currently attending or accepted into a public or private post-secondary education institution in the UK, are eligible to purchase.

4. Purchases from the Apple Store for Education Individuals are not for institutional purchase or resale.’

If you think you could qualify for an education discount, it’s worth paying a visit to the Apple Store for Education.

You’ll first need to select your institution by choosing your region and finding your school, college or university in the list.

Note that if you’re thinking of buying a Mac, not for yourself or for your child but for the educational institution itself (for students to work on), then Apple does not sell through the Apple Store for Education; it uses the Apple Store for Schools and the Apple Store for Universities instead. You’ll need to register with Apple before you can make any purchases. Alternatively, you can call Apple direct on 0800 912 0207.

Shopping at the Apple Store for Education is like shopping at the ordinary Apple store but with different pricing. It’s usually best to log on from your university network if you can, but be prepared for Apple to ask you to supply some form of official identification that proves you’re a student, or the parent and guardian of a student, or a teacher or otherwise involved in the educational establishment. If you’re a student, then your student ID is typically the best way to do this.

Apple now uses UNiDAYS to verify students before giving access to the Apple Store for Education. You’ll need to register using your school, college or university email address.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to register through UNiDAYS, you can call Apple, use Apple’s Chat online feature or visit an Apple Store.

Apple doesn’t offer a stock discount ratio but instead sets different prices for each product range. The discounts are only currently available for Mac computers (iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini) and iPads, and there are no special discounts for any other Apple product.

The MacBook Air starts at £704.40 from the education store, rather than the normal price of £749.

The MacBook Pro with Retina Display starts at £939.60, down from £999.

The iMac starts at £844.80, down from £899, and the new 5K iMac is £1,879.20 rather than £1,999.

The Mac Pro starts at £2,299.20 from the education store – it’s £2,499 on the standard Apple Store.

Finally, the Mac mini starts at just £375.60, down from £399.

You can also get a small discount on iPads from the education store. The iPad Air 2 starts at £382.80 rather than £399, and the iPad mini 3 starts at £306 rather than £319. There are no discounts on iPhones or the Apple TV. These prices all include VAT at 20 percent, so the price quoted is the total price you pay.

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HAZARD PREVENTION

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THE THREE TYPES OF BACKUP ALL MAC USERS SHOULD BE USING YOU MAY HAVE THE VERY LATEST HARD-DISK TECHNOLOGY AND SOLIDSTATE DRIVES WITH NO MOVING PARTS, BUT NOTHING IS FOOLPROOF. IF YOU AREN’T BACKING UP, IT’S TIME TO START, OR YOU’LL HAVE ONLY YOURSELF TO BLAME WHEN THE WORST DOES HAPPEN. By David Fanning

Y

ou could be forgiven for forgetting about backup.

Modern technology means that hard disks are bigger, faster, cheaper and more reliable than they have ever been. If you haven’t had a failure lately, it’s easy to become complacent. But there’s nothing like a catastrophic storage wipe-out to concentrate the mind.

Anybody feeling safe because they’re using the latest technology may find their faith misplaced. Take the SSDs now used by so many laptops. Solid-state drives are superfast and getting cheaper by the day, so they’re popular for laptops – the MacBook Air, for example, insists on one.

But as much as SSDs act like hard-disk

drives (HDDs), they are not disks, and have their own inherent volatility. If anything does go wrong with an SSD, it is far more likely to lose all its data than an HDD is.

Despite their incredible resilience to being dropped or run over, SSDs can still suffer similar problems to those you might expect from an HDD. And things that are relatively simple to fix with an HDD are a very different proposition on an SSD. Take file deletion. When files are deleted on an HDD, they aren’t really deleted at all – a directory keeps track of what files live where. Instead of going to the file and resetting each block to zero, the HDD just tells the directory the file isn’t there, so the blocks where the file lives can be overwritten. As long as you

haven’t overwritten those files, they are retrievable with data recovery software.

SSDs, on the other hand, takes a different approach. SSD cells can’t be overwritten, and must be empty before they can store data. So SSDs manage empty cells, erasing cells that are available to record data. If they didn’t do so, they would quickly become very slow.

With an HDD, so long as the disk is still spinning, and the read head is still controllable, there’s a good chance data recovery software will be able to work its magic. With an SSD, if the operating system has lost track of files, either through deletion or through other problems, the data that once lived in those cells will be erased forever.

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20 percent capacity that they start using as memory cells gradually fail. Each bad cell is reallocated a good block from this secret cache of spare cells. But once this cache of spares is used up, that’s it. It will cease to work, and sometimes in a spectacularly rude way. Most SSDs will go into a read-only mode, which is fine. But many, for reasons the manufacturers struggle to explain, will simply shut down forever and refuse even to power up.

If you’re wondering why I’m so well up on the potential disaster of SSD reliance, it’s because I’ve been there. Eight weeks ago I bought a shiny new MacBook Air, a long overdue upgrade from my MacBook Pro. Four weeks later it developed a problem, so I ran my usual utilities. To my horror nothing could fix the bad node, and the drive was useless until I reformatted it, which wiped everything on it.

THE THREE TYPES OF BACKUP YOU NEED TO BE SAFE

Before it all goes pear-shaped The first thing to try if your drive is acting strangely is Apple’s own Disk Utility. But while Disk Utility is great for hard disks, solid-state drives operate in a fundamentally different way, and don’t always respond to its intervention.

Thankfully I have a belt and braces mentality when it comes to backup.

Actually it’s belt, braces and then another belt, as it’s a three-pronged approach. So even though one of my three backups failed, I still didn’t lose any data and had a relatively painless recovery.

Disk utilities don’t work on SSDs Disk utilities don’t work the same way on SSDs as they do on HDDs. In fact, they don’t work at all for SSD data recovery.

So if in the back of your mind you had the idea you might be able to retrieve data from a failed SSD, think again, because you can’t.

Aside from the issue of emptying data cells in SSDs, there is also the fact that each cell has a limited lifespan and data can only be written to and erased from it so many times before it fails. In normal use, cells won’t exceed that number of rewrites for years. But it’s not always that easy to predict.

To deal with this, SSD controllers are basically little computers that run a very complex management system to shield users from this inherent volatility. These drives typically have an additional 10 to

Restart salvation The quickest way to get up and running again is to have a bootable backup on hand – proof against even total drive failure as well as individual file loss.

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Given a good tidy-up The incredible power still available in Carbon Copy Cloner lies hidden behind version 4’s simplified interface, which also includes a Cloning Coach to alert you to issues with your backups.

It’s that triple threat response to data loss that I want to share here. Because even if you have a backup, these days a single backup is probably not enough to save you from all the pain a catastrophic storage failure can bring.

You can get away with using only one or maybe two of the backup methods I’m about to outline here. But each has its strengths and weaknesses, so it’s up to you to decide where you want to skimp if you must.

Online backup is very popular these days, as it offers an inexpensive way of securing your data. The downside of online backup is that the initial backup is slow, and restoring anything more than a few files can take a long time. It’s definitely worth doing, but if you want to minimise your downtime then you need something quicker.

The fastest way that you can get back to work after the worst has happened is to have a local backup – ideally, one that you can boot from. If you have a local hard-disk drive with a complete copy of your boot drive, then restarting while you hold down the Alt key will allow you to boot from the external drive. You could be up and running again in five minutes, which could be a lifesaver if your job depends on it.

There aren’t too many downsides to a local backup although there are some They won’t help if there is a fire, for

Heaven for techies Although Carbon Copy Cloner’s extremely advanced powerful features may be daunting for the novice, experienced users can do pretty well anything they want.

example. Only an offsite, or online backup can help then. But otherwise a daily backup to a local drive will be sufficient for most, although you could still face the loss of a day’s work.

To make sure that you don’t lose anything at all, the third strand of my backup strategy is live backup. Dropbox is the leader here, although there are alternatives.

Live backup means that as soon as you save a document you’re working on, a copy is made as a backup. This is amazing, although not practical for whole drives because of the way that the software is designed. But if you keep in

your Dropbox folder everything that you might store in your Documents folder, then you will have a live backup of all those irreplaceable documents.

Protecting from drive failure, drive loss or accidental file deletion There are two main reasons for backups.

Either data is gone because of the failure or loss of a drive, or the data is accidentally deleted. Deleted data may mean you want to go back in time to a point before you deleted it. This means keeping lots of backups, or partial backups. A full backup may take up a lot of space, so keeping a week’s worth of

Hold the smelling salts SuperDuper’s super-simple interface explains exactly is going to happen when a backup starts. Offers copy and cloning capabilities in a way that fills the novice with confidence rather than trepidation.

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individual drives are ideal. If you can live without the luxury of a bootable backup, then you can get a bigger drive that would be shared by a number of machines. They can be connected by a Thunderbolt or USB 3.0 connection, or some older Macs might be better with a FireWire interface. Check your Macs’ specs to see the available connections.

If you choose to go for a drive that will be shared, you will need to connect it to one computer and set up sharing. It’s not a big deal, but that machine will be best left on all the time. For a little extra you can get a drive that attaches to the network. This means it doesn’t require a machine on all the time. But it is more akin to having cloud storage in your home. Bootable backups aren’t possible, and the backup and restore is a bit slower than with a directly connected drive.

Laptop users can still choose networkattached storage, which means they won’t have to remember to plug in the backup drive. Instead backups can happen over the Wi-Fi network. Another thing to consider is that it will limit the choice of backup software, as networked backup software is typically a bit more expensive.

Testing, testing SuperDuper’s Sandbox mode offers the admirable ability – aimed at advanced users, developers and users of mission-critical systems – to safely test new software without bringing down a system that has been working perfectly until then.

full backups is usually unrealistic. Usually, a full backup is subsequently updated with incremental or versioned backups.

So if you know you had a file a week ago, you can go to a backup from that time to retrieve it.

So that’s the three-pronged approach to backup I would recommend: n local backup, for fast recovery n live backup, for your most precious files as you create them n online backup, to secure large amounts of data, but slowly Additionally, I would recommend that the local backup should be a bootable drive to minimise downtime if you do need to recover files. It’s also handy to make at least one of the backups a versioned or incremental type so that you can retrace your steps to find deleted files.

Local bootable backup Local backups are fastest, but there’s the expense of a backup hard drive to consider too. However, if you haven’t bought an external HDD lately, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. Prices have tumbled over the past few years, and storage capacities have soared.

It’s now possible to find a good 1TB drive for less than £50, and if you need more, higher capacities are available and inexpensive. Depending on whether you are backing up a single machine, or a number of laptops and desktop machines, there are a few issues to consider.

If you are backing up multiple desktop machines, you can either choose to buy a drive for each machine, or have one that you back all the machines up to. For the ultimate in fast restoration of your data,

FIRST LINE OF DEFENCE: BOOTABLE BACKUP If you have decided to go with a directly attached drive for individual machines, you’ll be able to take advantage of software that creates a bootable backup.

Two pieces of software that have amassed a loyal following from Mac fans over the years are Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper. A recent new option is Mac Backup Guru 2.1, which offers similar features to the more familiar backup options but has a simpler interface and a pretty neat trick up its sleeve. If you’re setting up a backup solution for somebody who isn’t so computer-savvy, Backup Guru is a good option.

Carbon Copy Cloner 4.0 Any long-time Mac fan will probably have a story about how Carbon Copy Cloner has saved their bacon at some point. It has been around for a long time, and is

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No expertise required Mac Backup Guru has no expert mode – and none is necessary. It offers some clever features with real simplicity, despite offering only two backup options.

bristling with advanced features. It makes bootable backups, synchronised backups, can back up to network drives, has advanced scheduling options and is almost infinitely customisable.

Thankfully version 4.0 has cleared up an interface that was becoming unwieldy.

However, there’s no getting around the fact that backup can be a complicated thing. So there’s a built-in Cloning Coach that will analyse your backup and tell you if there are any issues.

The advanced settings mode will delight its techie fan-base as much as it will terrify the casual user. You can tweak these settings to do pretty much anything, from running shell scripts to overriding power management settings. You can even create custom emails to incorporate the finer details of each backup event.

Although Carbon Copy Cloner doesn’t offer versioned backups in the traditional sense, it does have a feature called Safety Net. This copies into a Safety Net folder those files that have been changed or deleted from the source since the last backup. The idea is that you won’t lose files you may have accidentally deleted. It works up to a point, but there are a couple of issues I ran into.

First of all, the default setting ‘prunes’ Safety Net files when there is less than 25GB of space left on the backup drive.

What Carbon Copy Cloner calls pruning is better described as deleting without warning. That may be fine if you know it’s happening, and the pruning is indeed done with some intelligence. But I would recommend opening the advance settings and setting the pruning to kick in only when there is 0GB available on the backup drive. You can’t actually turn it off.

If the Safety Net feature has a backup copy of a file that was accidentally deleted, the other issue is that you have to be able to remember the file’s name or the date it was deleted. Because Safety Net creates a new folder for each backup, you may have to look through dozens of folders if you have forgotten the name.

Overall, Carbon Copy Cloner is a very capable piece of software. However, despite the new simplified interface,

Incremental ingenuity Mac Backup Guru’s unique incremental backup with snapshots feature exploits ‘hard-linked’ files that are a little like aliases to keep dozens of seemingly full backups on a drive that should only have enough space for a couple at best.

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setting up a backup is still a potentially daunting task for non-techies. Only the very simplest of backups wouldn’t require the user to click on the advanced settings mode. So if you are confident in your abilities, it’s a great choice. If you are already using the previous version, the upgrade to 4.0 is a no-brainer.

SuperDuper 2.7.3 Like Carbon Copy Cloner, SuperDuper has been around a long time, and will be familiar to many. Unlike Carbon Copy Cloner, it hasn’t been adding features at every opportunity. So it remains a piece of software that is very easy to get to grips with.

That’s not to say that it doesn’t have some advanced options, but it is designed to perform the most common copying and cloning tasks without taxing the user’s brain. It makes bootable synchronised cloned drives in the most uncomplicated way possible.

SuperDuper does have the ability to copy files to a network drive, but the drive won’t be bootable. The best approach is to save to a disk image on the network drive. While it’s still not bootable it is easier to restore from when the issue with the internal drive is fixed. The point of having a cloned, local backup is to enable quick recovery. So if that’s the aim, backing up to a local, connected drive is the best way forward.

One feature that would make SuperDuper a little more super would be some sort of versioned backup.

Versioning is the feature needed to cope with accidentally deleted files. Relying solely on SuperDuper will mean accidental file deletion is still a hazard.

Online backup options often offer that ability, but not usually for the whole drive.

But a little discipline, such as saving your work to a backed up folder rather than scattering things on the desktop should ensure files aren’t lost.

There is one thing, though, which SuperDuper offers that no other backup or cloning software does. It has a Sandbox mode, which offers a way to safely test new software without jeopardising a system that is working

Way back when Apple’s own Time Machine was a great innovation in 2007, but its features now have much less appeal, especially as it lacks the ability to create a bootable backup drive – an essential for fast recovery from total drive failure.

perfectly. It’s a little difficult to figure out, as there’s really nothing else like it.

It works like this. Make a Sandbox copy of shared users and apps on an external drive. Then boot from that volume when you want to install or update software.

Then run like that for a while to be sure the new stuff isn’t going to mess up the system. If everything seems to run smoothly, the main drive can be updated with the Sandbox data.

This is aimed at people who regularly install risky software, like betas or software that might conflict with installed programs. I suspect most people install mainstream software that has been out for a while. But for the paranoid or riskaverse, it’s a simple way of keeping things working smoothly.

SuperDuper is one of the simplest ways to clone and synchronise a bootable drive.

The Sandbox feature seems incongruous, as it’s a lot more complex than the basic synchronised backup. But most of its users love it because it’s easy to understand, easy to use and very reliable.

If there’s any downside to SuperDuper, it’s the lack of versioned backups. In fairness, though, that was never the purpose of the software. It’s purely a tool for making synchronised bootable drives, and it does that job flawlessly.

Mac Backup Guru 2.1 Compared to Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper, Mac Backup Guru is a relatively new kid on the block. But it has some features that make it a very appealing piece of software. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of Carbon Copy Cloner, although it does have some unique features that are extremely well thought out.

The interface is as simple to understand as SuperDuper’s. In fact, there are only two options you need to choose from: a straightforward ‘synchronised clone backup’, or ‘backup with incremental snapshots’. Aside from that, the only other thing that you will need to do is to choose a source, destination and schedule.

The synchronised clone backup is reliable and simple, but not unique. Both Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper do exactly the same thing. But the backup with incremental snapshots is a unique feature, and so cleverly implemented it actually seems impossible.

Here’s how backup with incremental snapshots works. The first backup is a clone of your drive, just like that produced by any cloning software. But the next time you back up, it creates a folder at the top level of your synchronised drive that has

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Doing a ton Live backup can get pricey, with Amazon Drive costing £1,000 a year for over 500GB.

the entire contents of your drive in it.

Then every time you back up, it creates another folder, with an exact copy of your source drive in it.

That may sound like a terribly inefficient way to back up. You would imagine that doing so would take hours each time, and fill up your destination drive with backup files in no time at all.

But, in fact, it’s only the first backup that takes a long time. The subsequent snapshots are extremely fast; and even more amazingly, you will be able to fit dozens on your hard drive.

So what kind of voodoo is happening that lets you keep dozens of apparently full backups on a drive that should only have room for one or two? The answer:

‘hard links’. A little like alias files, hard links are in some ways virtual files. But unlike aliases, hard-linked files are indistinguishable from the originals. So there’s no need to worry about losing the link, as you might with alias files.

The reason snapshot backups are so fast is because rather than moving a lot of data around, Mac Backup Guru makes hard links to the initial backup files, and subsequently copies any new files created on the source.

And that’s the reason why you can fit so many backups on a drive. Let’s say that you have 600GB of data to back up.

If you copy all that to a 1TB drive, it will have room for only one full backup. But if you let Mac Backup Guru do a daily

The one you can rely on Trustworthy and tested, Dropbox may not be the cheapest live cloud storage system around but it is undoubtedly one of the best.

snapshot, then each day the data on the backup drive grows only by the amount of data added or deleted from your source drive. So after a month there could be 30 folders that appear to have 600GB of data in each. If you get info on any of them, it will tell you there is 600GB in each folder, which would add up to 18TB. Yet your 1TB backup drive might still have 300GB spare.

It makes finding deleted files very simple, as you only need to know how far to go back, and where the file was – something Carbon Copy Cloner struggles with and SuperDuper can’t do at all.

For a new kid on the block, Mac Backup Guru has earned its place among the more familiar options. If offers real simplicity; there is no expert mode, and there’s none necessary. Yet it delivers a bootable backup, with versioned backups. These are things that are traditionally very complex, yet Backup Guru is the easiest of the three programs to use.

I suspect techies who need the advanced customisation of Carbon Copy Cloner will stick with it. There’s nothing else that offers that level of tweakability. If it’s a network backup you’re after, then SuperDuper is the simplest way to get that, although you lose the bootability of that backup, so it’s a double-edged sword. If you want simplicity, a local bootable backup, and a way to keep almost unlimited backups on a drive with limited space, then Mac Backup Guru is the only game in town.

The dropdown at the top The Dropbox app is accessible from the menu bar.

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Good for Googlers Google Drive automatically converts Excel files into Google Docs format.

Time Machine Apple’s Time Machine doesn’t really qualify as an ideal local backup choice here because it doesn’t create a bootable backup. You will need to repair or replace your faulty drive before you can restore from a Time Machine backup. What it does do fairly well, though, is incremental backups, so it’s a quick way to find accidentally deleted or corrupted files.

It can also back up across a network, although it is a little fussy about what kind of network drives it will work with. I’ve only ever found it to be reliable working with Apple products like Time Capsule.

You can find third-party network drives at half the price of a Time Capsule, but I’ve yet to succeed in getting them to work with Time Machine.

If Time Machine is the only backup app within budget, it makes sense to use it.

But it has remained largely unchanged since its launch in 2007, and other options are rapidly overtaking it.

disaster strikes, then any documents created that day after the backup has been made may be lost forever. And even if your backups are taking place hourly, you could still end up losing an hour’s work.

But it doesn’t have to be like that.

Having a live backup that secures a document as soon as it’s saved is now possible. Even better, it can be free.

Since Dropbox was launched in 2009, it seems like every major international

technology company wants to get in on the game. Currently Microsoft, Amazon, Google and even Apple are all offering some kind of free online storage. And that’s great, but it is a little confusing. So here’s how to decide which is the best fit for your needs.

First of all, how much stuff do you need to secure? If you are already using another backup system, there shouldn’t be too much, as it only needs to be the documents you are currently working on.

If you never work on more than 15GB of data in a day, and are diligent and careful, live backup can cost you nothing.

For the less disciplined, or people who work on larger amounts of data in a day, a paid service is sensible. The good news is that the paid services are reasonably priced. You just need to figure out how much storage you need.

The best way to answer that question, is to look at the current size of your documents folder, and allow for a little expansion in the future. One of the great things about a live backup is that it synchs with multiple computers. So if you are using multiple computers, perhaps consider the size of the combined documents folder, again with some room for expansion.

If your requirements are between 20GB and 200GB, Apple, Microsoft,

SECOND LINE OF DEFENCE: LIVE BACKUP Having a daily backup is a great comfort, especially if it’s on a bootable drive. The ability simply to restart a machine the instant the main drive fails is great. But even a once-a-day backup means that if

The infinity cloud Microsoft’s OneDrive offers Office 365 subscribers unlimited storage.

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Sharable settings as well as documents Originally designed for iApps, Apple’s iCloud Drive has been open to third-party apps since the arrival of OS X 10 Yosemite.

Google and Amazon all have good deals, ranging from £6 to £36 a year.

If you think you’ll probably tip over the 200GB mark, then Microsoft appears to have the best deal at the moment, offering 1TB for free for Office 365 subscribers – a subscription will set you back £7.99 per month, but that’s still not necessarily the best option.

If a laptop is one of the devices sharing the live backup folder, it’s unlikely there would be room to take advantage of the whole 1TB. So iCloud and Dropbox Pro are both strong contenders at £83.88 and £95.88 respectively, as they both have features that might tempt Apple users.

If you need over 500GB of storage – and I think that’s rare for the average user – things can get pretty pricey, with Amazon, for example, charging £1,000 a year. For those users, the budgetconscious would choose Microsoft’s bargain offering. Those looking for a more fully featured experience would be best off with Dropbox, although if you happen to be using Microsoft Office 365, you get 1TB included.

public’s attention. Microsoft technically got there first, but its solution was initially only for Windows users. Dropbox is the only contender that is solely focused on live backup, as Microsoft, Apple, Google and Amazon have other fish to fry. In many ways the others are all playing catch-up with Dropbox.

Dropbox is available on pretty much every platform, from OS X to Windows and Linux plus most mobile platforms.

The only ones left out are Windows phone users.

It also just works very reliably. It lets you share folders with other Dropbox users, and there’s a lot of them out there already. It also gives 30 days grace for if you accidentally delete something you didn’t mean to.

Best of all, it just seems trustworthy, and tested. Not that I’m saying any of the others aren’t. But trusting your data to the cloud means handing over control of your most precious stuff. I also know people have trust issues with a lot of big international companies, such as Apple, Microsoft, Google and Amazon, whether well founded or not. But I’ve not had any reason to feel creeped out trusting my files to Dropbox. It’s not the cheapest, but all things being equal, I’m inclined to think it’s the best.

Google Drive If you use Google+ or Google Docs, you’ll probably already know about Google Drive. In fact, documents created with Google Docs are already stored there, and they don’t even count towards the 15GB you get free from Google.

As with many of the services, Google Drive has features that are specific to fans of the other Google services. For example, there’s a setting that will convert

Dropbox Dropbox is probably the most familiar service to many people, as it was the first to bring cloud-based folders to the

Short on collaboration and sharing But it’s early days yet for the Apple iCloud Drive.

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Excel files into Google Docs format when they are copied to Google Drive. It’s really handy if that’s your preferred way of working, although if you’re a Microsoft Office user there’s less appeal.

If 15GB isn’t enough space, then the 100GB option is reasonably priced at around £15 annually (actually priced in dollars at $1.99 a month). That makes it one of the cheapest ways to get 100GB, the same as Microsoft’s OneDrive.

Although the lure of a terabyte for this kind of storage seems appealing, 100GB is a perfectly usable chunk of space and would be a good-value way to secure your most recent documents.

If 100GB isn’t enough, then the next step up is 1TB, which will cost around £75 a year ($9.99 a month). There are cheaper options, but Google fans still get a decent deal compared to Apple and Dropbox, which are more expensive.

Microsoft OneDrive If you happen to subscribe to Office 365, the subscription price has until recently included 1TB of OneDrive storage.

Microsoft has now increased that to unlimited. That may sound amazing but it merely illustrates that, for most people, the limitation isn’t the online storage but the size of the smallest drive being synched to the cloud.

If you have Office 365, then you don’t really need to look any further. It isn’t as fully featured as Dropbox. However, there’s an upgrade that offer more features due to arrive later this year.

There has also been a recent upgrade to the OneDrive iOS app that makes it more appealing. It now supports Apple’s Touch ID and has a PIN code lock. For people using Office Mobile on iOS, it’s a pretty good option.

Another reason you might want to choose OneDrive could be because you are using a mixed network. If you work on Macs as well as PCs, and even Xbox, you might favour OneDrive. But the user experience from the Mac point of view is currently limited. It’s a bargain for Office 365 users, though, so in that scenario it would be hard to justify spending additional money on a competitor.

One Drive would be the number one choice for Office users, especially users of Mobile Office. But for those not using Office, there may not be enough features to be attractive.

Apple iCloud The release of OS X Yosemite and iOS 8 also brought new features to the iCloud storage options. It’s now possible to store any file on the iCloud Drive, and iWork apps like Number and Pages actually create their own folders on iCloud and default to storing their documents there.

It’s not just Apple apps either; lots of third party apps are iCloud-enabled. Also, it’s not just documents that are shared from device to device. Settings for apps can also be shared. So some games can be played on the iPad, then carried on where they were left off, on an iPhone or even a MacBook.

It’s still relatively early days for iCloud Drive, and it’s sure to become more important as more apps support it. But it still lacks some of the great collaboration and sharing features that Dropbox has.

THIRD LINE OF DEFENCE: REMOTE BACKUP We’ve covered the quick ways to recover from a failed drive, and we’ve discussed live backups for the files you work on day to day. But a live backup won’t be able to restore an entire drive while a local backup is still susceptible to bigger disasters, like fire, flood and theft. So to be absolutely sure you never lose a file, no matter what kind of disaster strikes, an offsite backup is essential.

There is a great deal of choice when it comes to online backup. Although they’re typically great value, restoring from this sort of backup is slow, potentially even weeks. So remote backups are not terribly helpful if you need to be up and running in a hurry.

The other thing to consider is how long it takes to complete the initial backup. If your connection is slow, it could be weeks or even months before everything is secured. Once that’s done, though, it won’t be a big deal to keep future updates secure. But flying without a

Disaster relief Crashplan’s offsite backups will protect your documents from fire, flood and theft, and is targeted at enterprise-level users with vast amounts of data to secure.

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backup for two weeks is not advised. So backing up online alone isn’t enough for full peace of mind.

Crashplan Crashplan is one of the longest established online backup services. Its main business is enterprise-level backup, but it offers some amazingly good-value features for consumers.

First of all, there is no limit whatsoever to the amount of data you back up.

Whether you are backing up your entire video library or a portfolio of thousands of photographs, storing it all presents no problem and won’t cost any more than the regular monthly charge.

People taking full advantage of that offer may find that multiple terabytes will take weeks or even months to upload.

But it’s still a bargain. US-based users have the option to send an HD with a first backup, with a restore-to-door option having Crashplan send them the backup drive in the post in case of disaster. Sadly that’s not available to UK users.

However, if you have a good friend who has a permanently on and internetconnected computer, there is a very cheap option indeed. Using the free software, you can back your data up to a friend’s machine. To avoid the long first backup times, you can back up locally, and then take the drive to a friend’s house for future backups.

It’s not for everybody, but if you have a friend like that, then it’s a great budget option. And, of course, you can always return the favour by letting them back up to your machine.

Prices for consumers are very reasonable, with individual subscriptions as low as £2.50 ($3.96) a month if you sign up for four years. Even better value is the family subscription, which allows unlimited backup for between two and 10 computers for just £5.58 ($8.96) for a four-year subscription.

Carbonite While Carbonite is a popular option, Mac users have a limited feature set available to them. Only the basic plan is compatible with OS X, which is limited to backing up

Stop, thief! Backblaze will help you locate your Mac if it’s stolen and is then connected to Wi-Fi.

only the User folder, not the entire drive.

This needn’t matter too much, as you should have a bootable backup locally.

But there are other limitations too. For example, it can’t back up external drives, and files over 4GB in size must be backed up manually.

The storage available is unlimited, but the lack of Mac friendliness and other limitations make it difficult to recommend Carbonite over Crashplan.

Backblaze Backblaze doesn’t suffer any of the limitations of Carbonite and will back up whole OS X drives, including connected drives. While it can’t match all the options available to Crashplan users, especially the free ones, it does have one unique trick up its sleeve.

If your computer is stolen, Backblaze can help locate it if the thief makes the mistake of turning on the computer and connecting it to Wi-Fi. It may sound like a bit of a long shot, but criminals are notoriously stupid, so you never know.

Otherwise, Backblaze is very similar to Crashplan in terms of the features on offer. If you’re buying a one-year subscription, then Backblaze works out marginally cheaper than Crashplan. But if you are planning to back up more than one computer, Crashplan’s family plan is hard to beat.

Conclusion If you want to be sure that your precious data, photos, music and videos, not to mention work, are safe from any kind of disaster, then three types of backup will secure all those files. For immediate resurrection, with only minutes of downtime, a bootable local backup is what’s needed. If you want to be sure that not even the last 10 minutes of work is lost, some sort of live cloud backup is required. Finally, to withstand fire, flood, theft or other apocalyptic happening, an offsite backup is the only way to be sure.

Mac Backup Guru offers the smartest way of achieving both bootable and incremental backups. There’s a lot more choice for live backups, with some free options that may make one work better than others. I’m a long-time fan of the platform/company-agnostic Dropbox, but it’s at the top of the price scale. And while it offers a few more sharing options than the rest, that might not be enough to warrant the outlay for those not already using it. If budget is a concern or a free option is available, there’s nothing wrong with any of the other services here.

For remote backup, Crashplan has the best options, especially for those with a willing friend to host a free backup. But even if not, its family plan to secure up to 10 computers, with unlimited storage, is pretty hard to beat.

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Features

HAZARD PREVENTION

BELLY-UP AND NO BACKUP? What to do if your hard drive or SSD has crashed and you have no backup

I

t’s all very well telling people to back up but human nature means that searching for backup advice is something that usually happens after the worst has already happened. So here’s what you need to do when you’ve crashed and haven’t got any backup protection.

The advice here is also relevant if you have accidentally deleted a file. Deleted files can be retrieved, but only if they haven’t been overwritten. Once the part of the disk that held the data is overwritten, nothing can get it back.

What you should do when you think you have a disk or SSD problem If your drive seems to be having problems but you are still up and running, the first thing to do is launch Disk Utilities.

You’ll find this in the Utilities folder, inside your Apps folder. Click on the disk and then click either Verify Disk or Repair Disk. This is a good first step and if it’s an easily fixed problem, then it could be resolved quickly.

It’s also a good idea to fix Disk Permissions too. In fact, doing this regularly is advisable, as incorrect disk permissions can cause all sorts of issues.

It’s the first port of call for any ‘My Mac is being weird’ issues.

If your disk isn’t a hard disk but a solid-state drive (SSD), you may find the problem is more serious. SSDs are fundamentally different from HDDs, although they seem to act the same.

Fixing them is a whole different matter. If fixing permissions doesn’t help, you can still follow the same process to attempt to save the data but the chances of recovery are far worse. When you delete data, SSDs actively reset their memory to be blank, whereas HDDs simply ignore

any data in a block and only overwrite it if there is new data to store.

Hitting the power button and going into the Recovery position It’s something of a cliché, but turning your Mac off and on again is often a good way to shake out any gremlins in your system. So it’s often the first bit of advice you’ll hear. However, dying disks may not survive the experience.

If you tried to restart and the drive didn’t make it, you may find yourself in an even stickier situation. Now that modern Macs no longer ship with optical disk drives, you may not have an easy option to boot from another disk.

However, so long as the drive failure isn’t terminal, a restart should reveal Recovery HD. This is a partition on the drive that is invisible in most circumstances, and shows up only when you most need it. Booting from this partition doesn’t do anything to the main drive, so there’s no need to worry about overwriting documents.

What to do if your Mac has started from Recovery HD If you have started from Recovery HD, then with luck your Mac will be able to see the offending drive. At this point, run the Disk Utility from the Recovery HD and see if that helps. If you have any disk management tools, such as TechTool Pro, Disk Warrior or Drive Genius, this is a good time to try them out. They all claim to be more effective than Disk Utility, but how well they perform will be heavily dependent on whatever is at the root of the problem.

However, if you attempt to use these tools on an SSD, you’ll probably find they aren’t quite so helpful. The way SSDs

work is so different from HDDs that traditional tools struggle to offer any help.

One thing to bear in mind is that if you do manage to boot from Recovery HD, you’ll need another drive to recover files to. If any of the disk utilities manages to fix your drive enough to let you boot from it again, be very careful how you subsequently use it. You should get an external drive plugged in as soon as you can, so that you can secure your data there. If you have lost any data, it is very important to avoid using the drive, as anything that writes files to the drive may overwrite your lost files, rendering them entirely irrecoverable.

So if you manage to resurrect your sickly drive, quit all your software, including email, to avoid overwriting any lost files. Once you have an external drive plugged in, then you can use that as your boot drive, and recover any lost files to it.

What to do if the Recovery HD partition is missing If you are using an old Mac running an OS older than Lion, then there will be no Recovery HD. Lion has been around since 2011, so anything newer than that should have the Recovery HD partition available if the drive is showing any signs of life. If you have an older Mac, you will need to boot from an external drive, either optical or HDD, that has OS X on it.

If your machine was running Lion or later, and Recovery HD isn’t showing, then it suggests the drive problems are terminal. But it might still be worth trying to boot from an external drive running OS X. Booting from another drive If you are able to get either a DVD drive with OS X, or an external drive that has OS X already installed, to plug into your sickly Mac, then restart your Mac and hold down the Alt key. When your

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Eye before you buy Data recovery software typically lets you check which files on a crashed device it can recover before taking your money to do just that. Here, the free version of Mac Data Recovery Guru displays thumbnails of the files it can save.

machine gets to the point where it looks for an operating system to start from, it will give you the option to choose any suitable drive to start from.

This puts you in a pretty good position to proceed, as you will no longer be using the faulty disk, and you won’t be in danger of overwriting any lost data. You can try running Disk Utility at this point.

But it’s more likely that the problem will warrant using a data recovery app to retrieve any data you can.

Data recovery software If you have managed to start your machine from either the Recovery HD or an external drive, the volume you are trying to recover may not show up. Data recovery software can still work with that drive, so long as the OS can still talk to it.

If the data is still on the drive, then you will still have a reasonable chance of recovering it.

There is one exception here, though, and that is if you were using an SSD. Because of the nature of SSDs, it is often impossible to retrieve data from them, no

matter which tool you are using. This is because, unlike HDDs, SSDs would be very slow indeed if they had to save data to a block, or cell, that already has data on it. HDDs can merrily overwrite data over and over again but SSDs must first erase stored data to be able to quickly record new data.

SSDs have various strategies to manage this. As part of its disk management, OS X uses the TRIM system, which when you delete a file will clear the cells where the data is held.

Other SSDs will always use a similar system – if they had to erase and record at the same time, they would end up being slower than HDDs. The end result of all this is that if you’re using an SSD and it fails, the chances of any data recovery software retrieving that data is slim to none. A sobering thought.

Choosing data recovery software The annoying thing about data recovery software is that you only really use it if you have been caught without a backup.

The developers have you at their mercy,

and if you have lost precious data they can charge whatever they can get away with. But it is a highly competitive market too so the pricing structure represents a sort of equilibrium. Pretty much all data recovery software costs $99 or its current sterling equivalent.

The good news, though, is that developers don’t want to you hand over the money and then have you coming back later and complaining that it didn’t work. So they all offer a free version that will scan your disk and see what is savable. You can then decide whether the recoverable fragments of your dead drive are indeed worth spending the money for retrieving them.

All work in a similar way. If the directory telling where files were originally stored is savable, the rest is easy. If that isn’t the case, the software will scan the data for familiar patterns denoting a file type. If they find a file type, there’s a good change that the following data will be the file. Highly fragmented hard drives might mean not all files can be retrieved, but, given enough time, most will get there in the end.

It can be a time-consuming process to piece the bits of files back together. But with patience, most files that haven’t been overwritten should in theory be savable. If a hard drive is still spinning, and the head is still scanning, there is always hope.

Sickly drives can take days to scan fully, and the higher capacity they are, the longer it takes. But if it’s your wedding photos or your Bitcoin vault that is missing, you can probably afford to wait.

Conclusion If you don’t need data recovery right now, then do yourself a huge favour and make sure that your backup strategy is up and running, working and foolproof. A little pain now could save you a world of hurt in the future. If you have already lost some data, then the process outlined here will help. But without wishing to rub salt into the wound, now would be a really good time to take a look at your backup strategy.

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Features

GET MORE FROM SAFARI IN YOSEMITE

Get more from Safari in Yosemite Karen Haslam reveals the new features that have been added to Apple’s web browser in Yosemite

1.

Reveal the whole URL

Safari has had a bit of a refresh and gained a new look that is all about saving space. But to save space, the web browser now hides the full URL by truncating it to the main website.

This means if you visit Apple, you will only see Apple.com in the Smart Search field, which is not that useful if you’re looking for the UK Apple Online Store.

The new URL display takes its cue from iOS (it also truncates the full URL).

It’s a cleaner system, but if you like to see the details of the page you are visiting, it can be frustrating.

If you click the URL, the full web address will be revealed, however, you can choose to see it all by default.

To see the full URL, you’ll need to go to Safari → Preferences and choose Advanced. Now make sure that Show full website address is selected in Smart Search Field.

2.

Shared links

Click on Ctrl+1+3 to open Shared Links in the sidebar. (Or click the square icon next to the arrow icons and choose the @ tab). This will show you all the links that have been shared by people you follow on social media.

Scroll up to reveal a Search field. You can use this to discover what your social network is saying about a subject. If you haven’t entered your Twitter or LinkedIn details, you’ll need to go to System

Safari has had a bit of a refresh and gained a new look that is all about saving space. But to save space, the web browser now hides the full URL

Preferences → Internet Accounts, click on Twitter and add your ID and password.

3.

Endless scrolling Open Reading List (Ctrl+1+2, or click the open book icon in the left hand column) to view any pages you’ve added to your Reading List.

If you want to add an article to your Reading List, open the page you want to add, then hover the mouse over the Smart Search Field. An Add (‘+’) icon will appear to the left, click it to add the page to the Reading List. This allows you to read the article later, but it also means that you will be able to read it offline, so it’s perfect if you are going to be somewhere with no signal.

If you’re using the trackpad on a laptop, scrolling down to the end of a story makes Safari jump straight to the next article in your Reading List or Shared Links, so you can keep on reading. It will mark the original article as Read.

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you click on the URL bar (presuming you aren’t on the Favourites or Top Sites view). You can also change the order of your Favourites, and remove those you no longer visit by clicking and dragging it in a way that reminds us of iOS.

8.

New tab view

1.

4.

See recent shares

When you click the new Share button (the square with the arrow), you will see the people you share with most often in the Share menu. Select a contact from the list and click their name to share the web page with them either by Messages or by Mail with one click.

5.

Retweet from Safari

You can retweet directly from inside Safari using the Retweet button at the top of the page. This only appears if you have accessed a page from the Shared Links sidebar, though.

Click on the Twitter profile picture to head directly to that user’s page.

To share a page that you have found yourself on Twitter, click on the Share icon (the box with an arrow coming out of it) and select Twitter.

X on those you don’t image you will want to find again. The sites that appear in Top Sites tend to be those you visit most frequently.

7.

Adding Favourites

We like the new Favourites view that you can choose to see by default when you open a Safari window or a new tab (see below). You can add any site to your Favourites view by clicking 1+D when you are on that page.

The best thing about the Favourites view is that you can also see it everytime

The new Safari Tab view is one of the most visually striking new features. It takes its cue from the web browser in iOS. When you click on the tab icon (it looks like two squares over lapping), you can see all the tabs that are open as small preview windows.

If you have multiple tabs open from a single website they will be stacked above one another (you can click on any of the pages in a stack to go directly to that page). This makes finding the tabs you have open much easier, especially if you have a lot open as Apple now concertinas the tab bar at the sides making it very difficult to open those tabs.

9.

Close tabs

Hold down the Alt key and choose File → Close Other tabs to get rid of all the tabs in Safari except for the page you are looking at.

10.

Turn Flash on for YouTube only

Click on Safari → Preferences → Security and Website Settings (next to Internet

6.

Adjusting top sites

When you first open Safari, or if you open a new tab, you’ll see either a page of your Favourites (select the star icon), or a page of your Top Sites (select the grid of dots icon).

You can adjust the Top Sites to show six-, 12- or 24 sites. To add and remove sites, hover the cursor over the preview until you see an X and a pin icon. Pin those sites you wish to keep, and click

7.

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Features

GET MORE FROM SAFARI IN YOSEMITE

plug-ins) to view the Flash plug-in change the When Visiting Other Websites setting to Ask. Now visit YouTube and click Allow to allow Flash from that website. You can click Block other websites, or go back to Manage Website Settings and change the default to Block.

11.

Reopen all windows from last session

Click History → Reopen All Windows from Last Session to quickly recover all the windows you were recently looking at.

12.

Press Space to scroll down a page

It’s a basic tip but most people forget it – tap Space to scroll down a page while reading. This is often quicker and easier than reaching for the mouse or finding the Page Down button.

13.

Private browsing

To open a Private Browsing window click Shift+1+N. You can tell it’s a private window because the URL field will be greyed out.

Hold down Alt while picking Private Browsing to quickly switch it on and bypass the ‘Do you want to switch on Private Browsing?’ alert window if you happen to see it frequently.

14.

Search privately

Privacy advocates will welcome the addition of DuckDuckGo to OS X Yosemite as an option for the default search engine. Unlike Google or Bing, it doesn’t track you or remember your personal information. It doesn’t offer

15.

11. all the functionality of Google, but is a more private system.

To switch web browsers, go to Safari → Preferences → Search and switch the search engine to DuckDuckGo. If you are wishing to search privately, you may find it troubling that even with all possible privacy options enabled, and with analytics disabled, your Safari web browser results are still sent to Apple.

Even if you choose to switch your default

browser to DuckDuckGo. While the web browser’s privacy statement makes it clear that it doesn’t spy on you, Apple’s shortcut to DuckDuckGo within the combined URL address and search bar makes sure that your search queries are being collected and shared with another party – Apple itself.

15.

Clear online history

Speaking of privacy, if you are web browsing and want to clear the last hour’s surfing from your history, then you can clear just a period of that history.

Being able to wipe an hour, or a couple of days from your search history is great because you still get all your useful history (but get rid of those days when you want to forget your browsing history).

Go to Safari → History and scroll down to Clear History and Website Data.

16.

Copy an image from Safari

If you work with images online, you’ll appreciate this timesaver.

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will automatically have the same proportions as the image in the Clipboard.) Press 1+V to paste the image straight from the Clipboard into the image-editing application.

17.

Subscribe to RSS links in Shared Links

RSS (Rich Site Summary) makes a welcome return in Safari for Yosemite.

RSS Subscriptions are now added to the Shared Links field.

Go to a page of your favourite site, such as the News or Reviews pages on Macworld UK, press Ctrl+1+4 to open Shared Links and click on the Subscriptions button. Click Add Field → Add Field. New items from that website will now appear in your Share Links window.

18.

Quickly share pages using AirDrop

16.

Instead of dragging an image from Safari to the Desktop, you can Ctrl+Click it and choose Copy Image to send it

to the clipboard. Now open a photo editor (Photoshop or Pixelmator, for example) and create a new document (it

AirDrop is the quickest and easiest way to share a Safari web page with somebody in the same location as you. Click Share → AirDrop and select the person you want to share the page with. They can then open it on their Mac or iOS device.

19.

Save a page from Safari by exporting it as a PDF

If a page you read has lots of interesting and useful information, you can consider exporting it as a PDF. Click File → Export as PDF. This is a good way to archive important information and also enables you to read the information when you’re not connected to the internet. You can open and read the web page in Preview.

20.

Manage and remove web notifications

20.

Many websites you visit ask whether you want notifications for new stories.

This is great, at first, but can soon become a bit overwhelming.

Remove website notifications by clicking Safari → Preferences → Notifications and setting items in the list of websites from Allow to Deny.

You can also highlight a website and clicking Remove or Remove All.

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Features

WHAT’S TO BE DONE WITH iTUNES?

What’s to be done with iTunes?

Christopher Breen asks whether iTunes has reached a crossroads

T

he reaction to the appearance of iTunes 12 and its rejigged interface was entirely predictable. While some found the Mac OS X Yosemite-like look less cluttered and easier to navigate in the upgrade, others were confounded by the feature reshuffling and redesign. Each point of view has its merits, but few people would argue that iTunes is perfect.

And that invites the question: if iTunes in its current form (not to mention its past several forms) is imperfect, then what can be done with it? This set me thinking.

So many features A common rejoinder to complaints about iTunes is that the moaners can love it or leave it. But that’s a rather short-sighted suggestion unless you think of iTunes only as a simple media jukebox. Sure, iTunes can wear that hat, but it handles far more tasks. Its capabilities include: • Ripping and playing audio CDs • Converting audio and video formats • Obtaining, organising and playing

media (music, movies, TV shows, music videos, podcasts, audiobooks, iTunes U content) • Obtaining and organising iOS apps • Organising and synching ringtones • Creating and managing playlists • Synching media to mobile devices • Sharing media libraries • Tagging media • Streaming internet radio • Streaming iTunes radio • Gateway to cloud-stored media • Offering a gateway to the iTunes Store At one time there were several thirdparty tools for handling some of these jobs, but nothing then or now can touch iTunes’ management of all of them.

This is partly due to the proprietary nature of Apple’s devices and some of the media obtained from its stores, as Apple isn’t interested in letting others share in the fun. But it’s also that Apple has, in this arena as in others, sucked the air out of the room. What developer in its right mind would attempt to create and sell a media manager with fewer features

when iTunes can be had for free? Where some see clutter, others applaud comprehensiveness. Power users want the majority of these features, yet these are the very people who often gripe the loudest as, with each new release of iTunes, their particular favourite obscure feature becomes harder to find or use.

The big rethink And so we confront both rock and hard place. How does Apple move forward?

With iTunes 11, and even more so with iTunes 12, Apple has attempted to make working with your media a more contextual experience by simplifying the interface. In iTunes 11, for example, when you hide the sidebar, you choose particular kinds of media from a pop-up menu in the top-left corner. Just select the media type that you want and it appears in the pane below. You then navigate through that media by using one of a series of buttons centred in the toolbar.

With iTunes 12, Apple has taken the next logical step and largely done away

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with the sidebar altogether. If you now want to navigate through your media, you click on a media button in the toolbar – music, movies or TV shows, for example – and, as with iTunes 11, you then select something from the results below.

Underlining the idea, when you navigate your way to the iTunes Store, clicking one of those buttons moves you to the associated section in the store, rather than back to your local media. Click the Music button while you’re in the iTunes Store and you see what new albums and tracks are on offer that day. It’s not hard to see why some people might find these dual-purpose buttons confusing.

But if this contextual approach isn’t the entire answer, what might be? Let’s consider the possibilities.

Tweak it Filed under ‘do the least damage’, the tweaking approach acknowledges that Apple’s on the right track with its contextual vision. The majority of iTunes users are simply interested in browsing their limited media libraries and having different media types clearly separated.

But tweaking also accepts that some of OS X Yosemite’s interface elements are inappropriate for iTunes. Editable fields must be obviously so. Likewise, buttons. And an information window, which is mostly a place where only power users go, should better reflect the needs of those users.

And there might be a recognition that some attempts to declutter the interface have made iTunes more difficult to use than it once was. As I mentioned earlier, dual-purpose buttons can lead to confusion. And ungainly though a sidebar may appear to someone interested in a minimal interface, it’s a straightforward way to navigate a media library.

Strip it down And then there’s the ‘well, if too many features are the problem’ strategy. If iTunes has become unwieldy because of its many talents, why not simply remove some of them and create a few rich third-party opportunities? And by this I mean cut out the power user. To a greater

or lesser extent, remove the features that the majority of people simply don’t use.

Such lesser visited features might include media tagging, CD ripping, app management, data synching, media conversion, iTunes Match and so on.

Alternatively, iTunes could be presented in two views or modes – normal and advanced. The more obscure features could be hidden from ordinary users and they could use iTunes to do little more than organise and play their media. Those who switch on the advanced mode, though, gain all those niche features and more.

desktop computers, laptops, music streaming, and so on.

In short, the people working at Apple have plenty on their plates. Given this, how anxious do you think Apple is to create a whole slew of apps for Windows users? And what engineering impropriety would one of the Apple team of ‘geniuses’ have to commit to earn an assignment to the team responsible for this drudgery? While there may be Apple employees anxious to explore iTunes alternatives on the Mac, I have to believe that the notion of bringing parity to Windows users ruins this party in a hurry.

Do the splits

Wait it out

And then there’s the iOS approach: scatter the many functions of iTunes into a fistful of separate apps. Movies and TV shows could go into a videos app.

Podcasts and iTunes U would get their own apps, too. Your tracks and albums would be managed and played in an iOS-like music app, which would also provide access to the iTunes Match content. iBooks would take on audiobooks. And App Store and iTunes Store apps would earn their place in the Dock as well.

While longtime iTunes users may find such single-purpose apps more than they care to manage, there’s something to be said for the simplicity of this approach. At least until you factor in practicality. iTunes may have originated on the Mac, but the vast majority of users now experience iTunes on their Windows PCs. After all, our friends at the company’s Californian HQ in Cupertino don’t require you to show your Apple tattoo before allowing you to purchase an iOS device. PC users’ money is just as good as Mac users’.

And so we must consider that were Apple to bust iTunes up into separate apps, its engineers would then have to tackle the job not only on the Mac, but within Windows as well. You may have noticed that Apple has its fingers in a lot of pies these days –operating systems, productivity apps, media apps, mobile phones, tablets, wearables, computers, financial services, home tech, car tech,

And finally, where I think we’re really going with iTunes: a new media model.

If you’re still buying popular music, you’re one of a dying breed. Worldwide music sales from the iTunes Store dropped 13 percent in 2014. This isn’t because of a lack of good music but rather because the population of music buyers is shrinking. Young people listen to much of their music via YouTube and streaming services. And older listeners are reluctant to give today’s music a try.

Movie-watching habits are changing as well. Cinema attendance has fallen (although not nearly as precipitously as music sales have) and neighbourhood video stores disappeared years ago.

Instead, people are increasingly watching movies and TV shows through streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime (as well as on-demand channels that have embraced à la carte viewing).

How much sense does it make for Apple to invest time, effort and a whole lot of money in an app that’s focused on media ownership at a time when the future promises all the media you want, all of the time, anywhere at all? The company purchased Beats Music and routinely adds new Apple TV channels for a reason. And that reason isn’t to convince you that media ownership is primed for a comeback.

Apple understands where all this leads.

And ultimately, that determines iTunes’ fate as an app that will remain largely as it is until such time that it’s unneeded.

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Features

APPLE WATCH AND ANDROID WEAR

Apple Watch and Android Wear Apple Watch isn’t a revolutionary departure from the existing wearables market, writes Jared Newman

W

hatever the hype about it being a transformational product, the Apple Watch has a lot of overlap with its precursor rivals such as Google’s Android Wear platform.

That much became clear recently, when Apple released its design guidelines for third-party apps.

Comparing the guidelines with those for Android Wear reveals two like-minded approaches: quick, contextual interactions are paired with data collection from sensors. The two companies even adopt similar language.

“A Watch app complements your iOS app; it does not replace it,” states Apple, adding: “If you measure interactions with your iOS app in minutes, you can expect interactions with your Watch app to be measured in seconds. So interactions need to be brief and interfaces need to be simple.”

In like vein, Google writes: “A classic wristwatch is designed to let you see the time in a split second and get on with what you were doing. Designing for

Android Wear is no different. The less time it takes to use your software, the more time the user can be present in whatever they are doing. Android Wear is fast, sharp and immediate.”

This isn’t to say that Android Wear and the Apple Watch are exactly the same.

Even if they’re trying to arrive at the same place, they look like they’re taking diverging paths along the way.

Glances and notifications On a basic level, the Apple Watch and Android Wear are both driven by actionable notifications, such as the ability to delete an email or respond to a message straight from the watch, as well as information cards that you can quickly glance at. The primary difference appears to be in the way everything’s laid out.

Android Wear’s interface is like a big spinal cord, with glanceable cards, actionable notifications and even music playback controls mashed up into a single, vertical menu. Swiping to the right of any notification brings up potential actions, such as delete- and reply buttons

for email. In some cases you can launch a proper watch app from its corresponding notification.

The Apple Watch takes a more tentacled approach. Instead of combining glances and notifications into a single column, the two are distinct entities.

When you want a quick hit of simple information, such as a current share price or sports score, you swipe up to the Glances section, then swipe across to the info card you’re looking for. Tapping on a Glance leads to its corresponding app if you want to do more.

Notifications on the Apple Watch are more fleeting than on Android Wear, popping up with only minimal information at first. If you tap the screen or keep your wrist raised, more information and possible actions appear. Otherwise, the notification disappears.

There are pros and cons to both approaches. Android Wear’s single stack of cards seems simpler to navigate, and it allows apps to push out glanceable information only when it’s going to be helpful, such as when a sports score

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changes. On the other hand, Apple gives users more control over what they’re looking at and more privacy for incoming notifications. Apple’s interface also prevents users from having a big pileup of unaddressed notifications to wade through. Both systems tackle the same overarching concepts in slightly different ways.

App approaches The two platforms diverge even more dramatically in the way they let you launch deeper apps, such as to-do lists, music players and fitness trackers. The Apple Watch has a traditional home screen for this purpose, accessed by tapping the ‘digital crown’ on the right side of the watch.

Android Wear has an app launcher as well, but it is obfuscated by the design.

To access it, you have to tap the screen from the main watch face, then swipe all the way down to the bottom of a list of options. It’s possible to launch apps with a voice command, but Google’s guidelines make clear that most apps should automatically jump into the notification stack, presenting themselves at just the right moment based on context signals such as time, location or physical activity.

Apps on Android Wear and the Apple Watch will also have a more fundamental difference, at least at launch. On the Apple Watch, third-party apps will require a paired smartphone to operate until Apple allows for fully native apps later in 2015. It’s not clear which of Apple’s own apps, if any, will be subject to these restrictions. By offloading computational tasks and storage to the phone, Apple Watch apps can run more smoothly and with less drain on battery life.

Android Wear apps can be loaded directly on the watch, and while most require a phone connection to be useful, the system already allows for the independent operation of basic utilities such as calculators and checklists, as well as offline music playback. Android Wear watches with GPS on-board can also keep track of your location, speed and distance travelled without a paired smartphone.

It seems likely that the differences in these approaches will become less pronounced over time. A future update for Android Wear is rumoured to make launching apps easier, while Apple Watch apps may not need to rely so much on a paired phone.

Hardware departures Several other factors divide Android Wear and Apple Watch. The

most obvious is the hardware, with Apple focusing on a single device (in two sizes) and Google working with hardware partners on a wide range of shapes, sizes and prices. By controlling the hardware, Apple is placing a bigger bet on new interaction models, such as the digital crown for non-touch controls and Force Touch for pressure-sensitive touch commands.

The Apple Watch also has the advantage in mobile payments through its support for Apple Pay, which is already gaining traction among iPhone users.

Google has its own mobile wallet service, but hasn’t announced Android Wear support, and no current watches have the necessary near-field communication (NFC) capabilities built-in.

Despite these differences, the Apple Watch and Android Wear don’t seem fundamentally different. They both, in essence, try to save us the trouble of using our phones by delivering quick bursts of information, and acting as collectors of data (fitness data in particular) to help us live richer lives. In doing so, they ensure that the Apple-Google rivalry will be just as fierce on wearables as it has been on smartphones.

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Features

APPLE WATCH

Apple Watch Can’t wait for the Apple Watch? You’re not alone. Mike Elgan reports

W

hen Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the Apple Watch at a special event in September, we only learned the basics. There were some nuggets of gold in that announcement – for example, it was discernible that Apple was going in for establishing a deep psycho-physical bond between the wearer and the watch by combining its ‘Taptics’ haptic engine with interface interactions, on-screen activity and sound.

Overall, though, little was revealed.

We have, however, learned a lot more in the past few months, and the new details are whetting the appetites of three groups of people.

The developers In November, Apple released its WatchKit toolkit to would-be Apple Watch developers. The first wave of development for the watch will take place on iPhone apps, which extend their functionality to the Apple Watch when tethered via Bluetooth. In other words, the compute processing is taking place on the phone.

The way it works is that by using WatchKit, developers can upgrade

iOS apps with the addition of the WatchKit Extension. Inside this is the WatchKit Code and the resources needed for the functionality of the app and for the watch app itself. What happens on the watch is considered a ‘storyboard’ – basically screens populated with data. This is pretty much how Android Wear works, too.

the same 4:5 aspect ratio. The way WatchKit handles this is that objects start on the top-left corner of the screen down and to the right to fill the space available.

Apple has some very clear ideas about how notifications will work. They come in two types: short- and long look.

Raise your wrist to get the short look,

We imagine that the most powerful apps will run mostly on the iPhone indefinitely, while some apps will be able to run on the phone untethered The second wave, which Apple says it will enable later this year, will give developers the ability to build ‘native’ Apple Watch apps that will run even when the wearable isn’t connected via wireless to an iPhone.

We imagine that the most powerful apps will run mostly on the iPhone, while some apps will be able to run on the phone untethered.

The Apple Watch will come in two sizes, and we learned that it will have screens of two different resolutions – 272x340 and 312x390 – but both with

and after a second or two it will change to the long look view, which provides more information and action buttons such as ‘comment’ or ‘favourite’.

The tech giant also revealed a view it calls ‘Glances’. These are one-screen chunks of read-only information that can’t be interacted with in any way.

A conspicuously finite list of possible gestures have also been unveiled. The most interesting of these is ‘force touch’, which means you press on the screen as though you mean it to open a context menu with up to four options. Horizontal

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swipes take you from page to page, while vertical swipes move up and down on a single page. Tapping, of course, selects whatever you tap. Finally, swiping on the edge goes back, while swiping up on the edge reveals the Glances view.

The digital crown, which is a physical dial on the side of the phone, allows you to move through pages fast.

While the Apple Watch doesn’t support video, developers can use up to 20MB worth of pictures, though.

All this information, and all of the tools, is being eagerly devoured by developers, who can’t wait until the Apple Watch ships before building their apps.

The accessory makers The Apple Watch isn’t expected until March of this year at the earliest, but accessories for it are already emerging.

DODOcase (dodocase.co.uk), for example, which makes cases for the iPhone and iPad is advertising a wooden charging stand for the Apple Watch. It uses the watch’s magnetic charger and suspends the device above the surface of the table it rests on. The company says the price will be between $60 and $80, and it’s requiring a $5 deposit for preorders. (At the time of writing, no UK prices had been announced.)

Rest (getrest.co) is also accepting preorders for a $79 charging cradle for the Apple Watch called Composure. It takes the included charger and embeds it in a more appealing wooden slab. The company promises to ship the dock within 45 days of the Apple Watch ship date. Again, at the time of writing no UK prices had been announced.)

These are just two examples of the kinds of accessory expected to be on offer, but by the time the Apple Watch arrives there will no doubt be hundreds to choose from.

The market analysts Another interesting dimension to the coming Apple Watch ship date, which is still unknown, is that there are two separate schools of thought on how well it will sell.

The conventional wisdom is that the Apple Watch is nice, but it’s too ugly, bulky and expensive to have any kind of mainstream appeal.

Rumours suggest, however, that Apple is gearing up for a massive launch. Some analysts agree with this.

Morgan Stanley, for example, predicts that Apple will sell one watch for every iPhone it sells. That adds up to 30 million Apple Watches over the coming year. It also points out that Apple sold only 12 million iPhones in the first year of its release.

Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Brian White thinks that’s too conservative. He predicts 37

million units will be sold in the first year.

We tend to agree with these bullish, optimistic projections – in part because we believe that the Apple Watch will feature a revolutionary interface that will blow people’s minds.

We also think that the true power of the Apple Watch will be unleashed by developers who take advantage of the Retina display, the Taptics engine and all the rest. In short, we think the Apple Watch is going to be a winner.

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Group Test

POWER BANKS

Portable power

I

f you’re going to be away from mains power for a few days or your phone or tablet simply won’t last a full working day, a power bank can be invaluable.

Able to keep your USB-powered mobile devices going as long as you do, these portable chargers let you top up your battery wherever you are, ensuring that you always stay connected.

Power banks come in all shapes, weights and capacities, from the emergency credit-card-sized Onaji Pawa that offers a quick boost to keep you going until you get home, to the ultrahigh-capacity 22400mAh power bank from EC Tech, which might charge your phone 10 times. Then there are those able to recharge their own battery using solar power, which could mean you never need

charge your devices using mains power again. That could save you a few quid on the electricity bill.

Several factors are important when choosing a power bank. One is portability: some of the devices we review over the following pages are small and light enough to slip into a pocket; others you’ll notice their presence even when slung in a bag. Pay particular attention to their weight and avoid bulky designs.

Another factor is capacity. It’s important to note that a power bank will not deliver its full advertised capacity to your device – some of this energy is lost through heat generated and voltage conversion. If a power bank manufacturer doesn’t expressly state otherwise, expect to achieve around 70 percent efficiency. A

10000mAh power bank might therefore deliver 7000mAh of power. Check the specification of your phone or tablet’s battery to estimate how many full charges you can expect from this.

The input rating is key when it comes to recharging the power bank – the higher is this figure the more quickly it will charge.

Some power banks support a feature known as passthrough charging, but expect to pay more for this luxury. This allows them to function as a USB hub of sorts, meaning you can simultaneously charge both the power bank itself and your mobile devices, and ensures the power bank is always topped up and ready to go when you need it.

Don’t expect to get a USB charger in the box – you can use that which was

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Photography by Dominik Tomaszewski

Phone makers are at last taking steps to improve battery life, but keeping your smartphone going as long as you do remains a difficult task. Marie Brewis rounds up the best power banks for charging your phone, tablet and other USB-powered devices while you’re away from the mains With additional reviews from Mike Bedford, Simon Jary and Adam Shepherd supplied with your phone or tablet. Do note, however, that a power bank with a 2A input will not recharge its own battery any faster than one with a 1A input when used with an underspecified USB charger.

The reverse is also true when it comes to charging your devices – a phone that supports only a 1A input won’t charge faster from a 2A output.

The output rating refers to how quickly a power bank will charge your devices. In most cases you’ll find 1A and 2A outputs, the former intended for smartphones and the latter for tablets. You can use either output to charge any USB device – it will draw only the power it needs.

If a power bank has several outputs then the maximum total output capacity is key. For example, the LimeFuel Blast

L180X Pro has four 2.4A outputs, but delivers only 4.2A total output. With four USB devices attached you will find that each charges much more slowly.

Some power banks support auto-on and -off functionality. This allows them to begin charging your device as soon as you plug it in, and switch off when it’s done, so no power is unnecessarily wasted.

In most cases you’ll find a series of LEDs used to denote how much capacity remains. This is fine with smaller-capacity power banks, but with larger-capacity models you’ll find the massive jump in capacity between each LED leaves the system rather meaningless. Look out for power banks with LCD displays that are able to tell you the exact capacity remaining, so you won’t get caught short.

A common feature in power banks is a built-in LED flashlight, but keep in mind that unless the device is reasonably portable and has an ergonomic design you’re unlikely to use it as a torch. EC Tech’s 6000- and 18000mAh power banks are perhaps the best examples here: the smaller-capacity device looks and feels just like a flashlight; the latter is big, heavy and rectangular, making it a bizarre device to use as a torch.

The ideal power bank balances useful capacity with portability, value, fast charging/recharging, multiple outputs and high-end features such as passthrough charging and LCD displays. The closest we’ve found in this regard is the Zendure A2, but several of the devices we review here are well worth a second look.

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Group Test

POWER BANKS

BIOLITE CAMPSTOVE

EC TECHNOLOGY 6000MAH

£139 inc VAT • biolitestove.com • tinyurl.com/Lkrgdx9

£11 inc VAT • iectechnology.com • tinyurl.com/muks7vg

The BioLite CampStove is a portable charger with a difference.

As well as being a camping stove, it can generate power from burning biomass, so you can charge your phone from burning twigs. To get maximum heat from this source of fuel, fanassistance is necessary. The BioLite’s fan is powered from an internal battery, which should be charged before you leave home; a built-in generator serves to keep it topped up, and generates more electricity than is required – the excess is available, via a USB port, for charging electronic equipment.

No-one is going to buy the CampStove just to charge their phone, so we were keen to see how good it is at cooking. We were able to boil 500ml of water in four minutes, which is comparable to similarly sized gas burners.

Even if the battery is fully charged, when you first light a fire the energy used by the fan will be greater than that generated. As such, excess energy isn’t available initially for charging external devices. We found it was ready to charge after three minutes.

We’ve seen a lot of power banks with torches built-in, but none quite so well done as this EC Technology power bank. Not only does this thing look like a flashlight, its 1W LED is also usefully bright. But that’s not the most useful thing about this device.

With 6000mAh of capacity, it can keep your phone – or tablet – going for just as long as you do.

It’s extremely good value, too, at just £11. It offers twice the amount of power you get from the Power Mini 3000, and all for an extra quid. Sure, this EC Tech device isn’t so pocketable as the Power Mini, some 174mm long, but it weighs just 147g and you really won’t notice its presence in a handbag or rucksack.

We like the EC Technology power bank’s design. A cylindrical tube of aluminium with a matte texture, it’s easy to grip and feels reassuringly tough. Plus two chrome rings, one at either end, remind us of a magic wand. Cool.

For refilling the power bank there’s a 1A Micro-USB port.

This is pretty standard, although we’ve seen better – and worse. It does mean that it will take twice as long to charge as it will to drain. EC Tech doesn’t include support for features such as passthrough charging and auto-on/-off – but at this price you really have no right to expect it.

EC TECHNOLOGY 18000MAH

EC TECHNOLOGY 22400MAH

£31 inc VAT • iectechnology.com • tinyurl.com/pzufvbo

£36 inc VAT • iectechnology.com • tinyurl.com/LhgftLj

Portable chargers are great for keeping all your USB-connected devices going for as long as you do, and this 18000mAh External Battery Pack from EC Technology is more stylish than most in its 12mm ultra-slim matte-aluminium chassis. It’s also a lot heavier than many of its rivals at 540g.

Our review sample is a sleek black slab, and the External Battery Pack also comes in stylish pink, silver and green. On top is EC Technology’s logo, and below you’ll find legends for each of the ports – all lie on the device’s right side. Also here is a four-LED status light that doubles as a torch, although at 122mm wide this External Battery Pack is the oddest-shaped torch we’ve ever held. The problem with using an LED system to denote the remaining capacity is that each light represents a huge amount of battery capacity – 4500mAh in this case. Around 70 percent of the 18000mAh capacity will make it to your devices, so you can expect around 12600mAh. That would fill an iPhone 5s (1570mAh battery) eight times. At just £31, that’s fantastic value. With 1A and 2.1A outputs available, fast charging is available. A 1.2A input means this unit will fill up slower than its 22400mAh brother, however.

Of all the power banks we’ve seen, this 22400mAh portable USB charger from EC Technology has the highest capacity. It can charge an iPhone 5s 10 times away from the mains. You might be wondering why, if an iPhone 5s battery is rated at 1570mAh, and this power bank offers 22400mAh, you can charge your iPhone 5s ’only’ 10 times. As with all such devices, some power is lost through the transfer of energy and heat generated – around 30 percent. That leaves 15680mAh for charging your gadgets.

Since the time of our original review the EC Tech has been updated to include a third USB output, with one each now rated at 1A, 2A and 2.4A. That means fast charging for all your devices.

With such a large amount of portable power on offer, it’s also pleasing to see the Micro-USB input rated at 2A. Using a 2A charger the power bank can be charged up in 14- to 15 hours, but it’ll take 27- to 29 hours using a 1A USB charger. You can use whichever USB charger was supplied with your device.

It’s not as good-looking as some of its rivals, but it has a certain charm. Supplied to us in black with a red trim, the plastic chassis has rounded edges and corners and feels tough. It’s also available in white, blue and white, and red and orange. Four LEDs show the remaining capacity, but each represents a huge 5600mAh.

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FREEPLAY TUF

INTOCIRCUIT POWER MINI

£34 inc VAT • freeplayenergy.com • tinyurl.com/nwh9nyy

£10 inc VAT • hisgadget.com • tinyurl.com/kwone54

Hand-cranked electronics is a technology that has been widely adopted, with varying degrees of success, since Trevor Baylis invented the wind-up radio and founded Freeplay Energy. The company’s product line now includes a wind-up charger for mobile phones but, for just £15 more, you can buy the TUF, which adds an AM/FM/SW radio, a torch and a solar panel.

While the TUF has an internal battery, used to power the radio and torch, it can’t be used to charge external electronic gear.

Instead, you must crank the rotary handle. Freeplay says that a minute of winding will give two to three minutes of talk time.

We found that cranking at two turns per second generated a charging current of 500mA at 5V, which is comparable to what you’d achieve when charging from a PC’s USB port. Given that you wouldn’t want to crank at this rate for too long, this as a device for charging a phone only in emergencies.

This is a device designed to provide emergency power.

Given that being able to see in the dark and listen to radio broadcasts have useful safety connotations, the Freeplay TUF is a good all-round package.

Power banks come in two varieties.

On the one hand you have highcapacity power banks such as the EC Technology 22400mAh (opposite).

That’s great if you’re going away for a few days, but for daily use it’s OTT. On the other hand are the smaller 2000- to 3000mAh capacity power banks that will recharge your phone only once, but are cheaper and compact and light enough to slip into a pocket or bag and you won’t notice their presence. Olixar’s PC810 (page 51) and Veho’s Pebble Smartstick+ (page 53) are two such examples, but this Intocircuit Power Mini is a better one. While the Veho Pebble Smartstick+ is pricey at £39, this Intocircuit costs just £10. And while the 2000mAh Olixar won’t fully charge your smartphone, with its 3000mAh capacity this one will.

It’s easier to slip into a pocket than either of those two devices.

It’s a lipstick-style charger, just 128x80x28mm and 118g. Our sample has a matt gunmetal grey aluminium case with rounded corners, a chrome-effect power button and a three-LED system that shows how much power remains. A LED torch is built in.

If you need a truly portable power bank for daily top ups, you won’t find a better deal than this. Cheap, well built, portable and with enough capacity to fill most smartphones once.

INTOCIRCUIT POWER CASTLE

LIMEFUEL BLAST L180X PRO

£22 inc VAT • hisgadget.com • tinyurl.com/nqrpvac

$99 (£62) • limefuel.com • tinyurl.com/owmgsq6

One of our biggest gripes with the majority of affordable power banks is that they use a four-LED system to denote how much capacity remains. That’s fine for the lower-capacity varieties, but when you’ve got a lot of power to hand the large jump between each LED makes it difficult to work out where you are.

Intocircuit’s Power Castle is one of the few power banks we’ve seen to offer an LCD display, enabling you to see exactly how much power remains.

Priced in line with the Lumsing 10400mAh (page 50) and TP-Link (page 53), this Intocircuit bank offers a tad more power for your devices – 11200mAh. You should expect at least 7800mAh to be available for charging your device – or both, with dual 1A- and fast-charging 2.1A outputs mirroring those rivals.

It will take longer to refill its own battery with its 1A Micro-USB input, but if you can live with that you may find the LCD display makes this Intocircuit Power Castle the better deal power bank.

Its brushed-aluminium-alloy shell looks good, and is a comfortable fit in the hand. The Power Castle feels sturdy, plus Intocircuit supplies a soft carry case. It’s heavier than the competition, but not so much that you’ll notice the added weight.

LimeFuel’s Blast might be more expensive than its rivals (available in the UK via LimeFuel’s online shop), but it ticks several boxes that others don’t. It has four 2.4A fast-charging USB outputs and supports passthrough charging, which means it can function as a four-port USB hub that’ll always be powered up and ready to go when you need to take it on road. With a 18000mAh capacity, such a device could otherwise take between 11- and 18 hours to fill up.

That said, even with four 2.4A USB outputs the maximum total output is 4.2A. Devices will charge faster when fewer are connected. There's a two-in-one Micro-USB and Lightning cable supplied in the box, but ours broke after the third use. Another plus point is the LimeFuel’s ability to save power by automatically turning itself on and off when you don’t have a device connected.

Build quality is very decent. It feels tough and durable, and comes with a 12-month warranty.

The Blast is a matt black slab with rounded corners and a smudgeproof coating, measuring 79x24x124mm and weighing 369g. We expected it to be larger and heavier, but while it’ll fit in a pocket a bag might be better.

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Group Test

POWER BANKS

LIMEFUEL RUGGED L150XR

LUMSING 8000MAH

$84 (£52) • limefuel.com • tinyurl.com/ngn7kbm

£24 inc VAT • lumsing.com • tinyurl.com/n7e36ra

LimeFuel’s Rugged L150XR (available in the UK via its online shop) is the ideal gadget for outdoors enthusiasts, allowing them to keep their communications and GPS devices going in the toughest terrains. It’s IP66-certified, which means it’s water-, dirt- and shock-resistant. Plus it looks tough, with a grippy rubber protective casing with a flap to conceal the charging ports.

When you’re in the middle of nowhere, having a means of communication should you get into trouble is vital. Many will also carry a portable GPS device. A smartphone is useful only so long as its battery holds out, and the further you move away from civilisation the more quickly its power will drain as it searches for a signal. With many of today’s high-end smartphones waterproof and increasingly durable, it makes sense to pair them with a rugged power bank such as this.

A Velcro strap with a carabiner clip is supplied, enabling you to secure the LimeFuel to a rucksack. There’s also the same two-in-one Micro-USB and Lightning flat slimline cable that you get with the LimeFuel Blast L180X Pro (page 49). And it supports the same high-end features as that device, such as passthrough charging and auto-on/-off.

With the current craze in gold smartphones and tablets, we were keen to see Lumsing’s gold power bank. It’s a darker shade than Apple’s gold, but this USB charger is pretty bling.

For £24 you get 8000mAh of portable power, from which you can realistically expect at least 5500mAh. That’s three full charges for your golden iPhone 6. It’s not just gold iPhones this Lumsing (also available in black, blue and pink) is keen to keep powered on either. With a 2.1A output it will charge any USB-powered device.

The 1.5A Micro-USB input is also decent, allowing you to recharge the power bank faster than you would many of its rivals.

Few power banks can be described as stylish, but the brushed aluminium chassis and slim, pocketable dimensions of this Lumsing impress – it’s just 10mm thick, and much easier to handle than other brick-like chargers we’ve reviewed.

A Micro-USB cable is supplied in the box. Its coiled cable is too fancy for our liking, but you can always supply your own.

Our one gripe with this device is the LED system it uses to show how much capacity remains. Most high-capacity power banks use four LEDs; some of the smaller pocketable USB chargers use three; this 8000mAh power bank has only two.

LUMSING 10400MAH

MIPOWER POWER CUBE 8000L

£21 inc VAT • lumsing.com • tinyurl.com/mgo3926

£84 inc VAT • mipow.co.uk • tinyurl.com/Lj5bwq8

Lumsing’s power bank is a great choice, allowing users to charge any 5V USB-powered device wherever they were. It’s a 159g, 138x59x20mm harmonica-style device.

You probably won’t want to carry it in your pocket, but the Lumsing will be an easy fit in your bag or even left in your tent. At just £21 you won’t need to guard it with your life, and a soft case is supplied to protect it from accidental damage.

The power bank is available in shiny black, champagne gold or white, with a brushed-metal-effect band on the top and a silver plastic edge. It looks and feels good for its low price. Inside is a Grade A Samsung lithium-ion cell specified at 10400mAh, which should be good for 500 charges. If you’re away from the mains for a few days, that’s a lot of useful portable power.

The Lumsing has two USB outputs, so you can charge two devices simultaneously. The first output is specified at 1A, while the second 2.1A output offers a faster charge. A power button is found to the right of these outputs, along with four blue LEDs to show the Lumsing power bank’s remaining charge. When it’s empty, you can quickly recharge the power bank via its 1.5A Micro-USB input.

MiPow’s Power Cube 8000L might look pretty cool and have a built-in Lightning connector, but it’s an incredibly expensive power bank that does little to justify its price.

You can’t deny the 8000L looks good, with an anodised aluminium alloy chassis mixed with soft grey rubber. A soft carry case is supplied in the box to keep it safe on the road. The grey underside doesn’t sit flush with this case, with a gap running along the MiPow’s edge that you can fit a thumbnail into, but this doesn’t detract from the Power Cube’s sturdy feel.

We like the built-in Lightning connector, too, which is certified

by Apple; not so much the grey button sticking out of the MiPow’s side that must be used to access it, though.

Those flaws aside, this looks like an expensive power bank.

And it is. At £84 the 8000L is four times the price of some of the power banks we’ve seen, and it does little to justify this.

There’s no support for high-end features such as auto-on/-off and passthrough charging. There’s no LCD screen. There’s no LED flashlight. And we can’t even say the Power Cube is particularly light or compact for its capacity – 92x92x17mm and 220g, this 8000mAh bank is heavier than some higher-capacity models such as the Lumsing (left).

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OLIXAR ENCHARGE PC810

OLIXAR ENCHARGE KP-8000

£16 inc VAT • mobilefun.co.uk • tinyurl.com/pyf22kp

£49 inc VAT • mobilefun.co.uk • tinyurl.com/ojhf69x

The enCharge Power Bank from Olixar is an ideal portable phone charger not only for overnight trips, but also to give your device that extra bit of power to help it last all day. At just 75x33x24mm and 58g, it can be thrown into a pocket and you won’t even notice it’s there. A small black box with a soft-touch casing and rounded corners, the enCharge also features a built-in torch and four LEDs to show you how much capacity remains.

It’s functional-looking rather than stylish, and its appearance isn’t as cool as that of the Veho Pebble Smartstick+ (page 53), nor does it hold as much power as that 3000mAh portable charger. But it costs less than half the price, is able to more quickly charge both itself and other devices, and is unlikely to scratch as easily. The enCharge feels reasonably sturdy.

A short Micro-USB cable is provided, allowing you to both charge the device and your phone, although if you’re using an iPhone you’ll need to provide your own USB cable.

A 2000mAh capacity allows the enCharge to provide some smartphones with a single charge. Exactly how much the Olixar will charge your device will depend on the capacity of its own battery. It isn’t so well suited to charging an iPad; for this you’ll want a higher capacity and a faster output.

Even at £49 this is expensive, but four built-in solar panels make the KP-8000 a pretty cool solution.

Supplied in a green foldable case, the enCharge is big and heavy. Folded it measures 179x105x39mm, but expanded for solar charging it’s a huge 550mm long. And given the 8000mAh of juice inside, the battery is very bulky, weighing in at 490g.

Its 1.5A output translates to rapid charging for a smartphone, although there are better options for tablets. You may even find your tablet will refuse to charge – as is the case with our iPad mini 2. For charging itself the Olixar’s maximum input is 1A, whether over USB- or solar power. We laid the device on our sunny 7th-floor roof terrace. After six hours the battery was half full, and it took a further six hours to completely charge the enCharge from the mains. It’s a shame that there’s no LCD display to show you how quickly it is charging via solar power, or tell you how much power is left.

It’s worth noting that how fast the enCharge refills its battery varies: it doesn’t have to be sunny to charge a solar panel, but solar charging is more efficient in bright sunshine.

OMAKER S-X5 10000MAH

ONAJI PAWA

£18 inc VAT • tinyurl.com/kgwzbvq • tinyurl.com/LLgscwo

£19 inc VAT • onaji.co.uk • tinyurl.com/mvcpp7w

Omaker’s S-X5 10000mAh Power Bank is a twin-output USB charger, with both ports supporting fast charging at 2.1A. Its closest rival is perhaps the Lumsing 10400mAh (opposite), which by comparison offers only one 2.1A output, with its second rated at 1A. That power bank is arguably more stylish, but the Omaker’s second fast-charging port, built-in 1W torch and slightly cheaper price may make it the better deal for you.

The two power banks are very similar in size, with this S-X5 ever so slightly larger and considerably heavier. Whereas the Lumsing has a sleek gloss casing with silver painted plastic edging, the Omaker is a matt white candy bar-style device that’s easier to grip and feels sturdier. Functionality is more important than style, of course, and the S-X5 wins out.

We also like the fact the Omaker automatically turns on when you plug in a device to charge. And, more importantly, it turns itself off when you’re done, so it won’t waste power. Four LEDs are used to denote how much capacity remains. With a 10000mAh capacity you can expect between around 6500- and 7000mAh to be available to your phone or tablet. One small gripe is with the supplied Micro-USB cable. The plastic casing came away when we pulled it out the bank.

Power banks can be bulky, while battery cases can make a once slim-design smartphone a bit of a fatty. The Onaji Pawa Card takes the chunkiness out of battery chargers. It’s credit-card-sized in width and length, but thicker.

Annoyingly, it wouldn’t fit into the credit-card holder built into our phone case.

It’s a neat design, though, with connectors for Micro-USB, Lightning and Apple 30-pin dock built into the card, so you needn’t carry around separate cables.

You’re not going to get bags of reserve power out of this slim card, but its 500mAh battery will give you enough charge to get you home or to a friendly power source. Onaji claims it will give your phone up to a 30 percent charge – enough for most emergencies. Our iPhone 5s tests got close to that (around 25 percent), which isn’t going to give you another full day on your but will allow you to go that little bit extra.

There’s also a little torch in case your emergency comes with the lights out. It’s not very powerful but it might come in useful one day. At £19 the Onaji is far from expensive, but it’s not as good value as some of the power banks in this group. If you want something you can slip in your pocket look to the higher-capacity and cheaper Intocircuit Power Mini (page 49).

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Group Test

POWER BANKS

PHONESUIT FLEX XT

PNY POWERPACK 2200MAH

£49 inc VAT • phonesuit.com • tinyurl.com/o77eftq

£17/£26 inc VAT • pny.com • tinyurl.com/q3uv92L

The Phonesuit Flex XT differs from most power banks in that it has a built-in connector for either Lightning or Micro-USB. Whichever device you choose will be restricted to charging only phones and tablets with that connection, although it does make for a neat solution that means you needn’t carry around a cable.

It’s something of a cross between a power bank and a battery case; while the former works with any device and the latter only a specific device, this Phonesuit charger works with only Lightning devices or only Micro-USB devices. It’s also less bulky than a battery case, and you hook it up to your phone only when required. The Flex XT offers a 2600mAh charge, and four LED lights show you how much power remains. Phonesuit claims this will give you an extra 150 percent charge on an iPhone 5.

Phonesuit describes the aluminium Flex Charger as ’thumbsized’. That’s a pretty fat thumb, but it’s certainly equal to the length of an adult man’s thumb, and smaller than most battery packs. It weighs 79g and, while you wouldn’t want it on your person all the time, it’s perfect for slipping into your bag when travelling. You won’t notice it’s there until you get that low battery warning.

At £49, though, it’s expensive, and the PNY PowerPack (right) offers the same features at a much more appealing price.

PNY’s PowerPack offers the same concept as the Phonesuit Flex XT (left). It’s a Lightning- or Micro-USBspecific charger for your phone or tablet, except it’s much cheaper at just £17 (Micro-USB) or £26 (Lightning). On the down side it holds slightly less power than the Phonesuit – 2200mAh versus 2600mAh – but not so much that you would notice the impact.

PNY has a full range of ultraportable PowerPacks for just about any mobile device out there. Each is slightly larger and heavier than a cigarette lighter, but at 60g will hardly be noticed.

The PowerPack DCL2200 (Lightning) and DCM2200 (MicroUSB) are handy battery packs for smartphone users, saving you the hassle of carrying around a separate charging cable. Both have a charge capacity of 2200mAh that should give most smartphones a full recharge. Each unit’s LED indicator uses four lights to display the Power Pack’s battery level status. And both come with a Micro-USB cable to charge the Power Pack.

PNY also sells the affordable PowerPack T2600 (£11)/T5200 (£19)/T7800 (£29)/T10400 (£39) with a Universal USB output for the widest range of devices. All you need to do is plug a MicroUSB or Lightning cable into the battery pack.

POWERMONKEY EXTREME 12V

RAVPOWER RP-PB13 DELUXE

£120 inc VAT • powertraveller.com • tinyurl.com/mhwvf3z

£22 inc VAT • ravpower.com • tinyurl.com/mwc4qo2

Powertraveller’s powermonkey extreme comprises two main components: a battery pack and a solar panel. Its 33.3Wh lithiumpolymer battery isn’t too far short of the iPad’s 32.4Wh battery. There are 5V- (for USB devices) and 12V (for DSLRs) outputs.

The battery pack can be charged from the mains whenever you have access, and a dual-voltage charger is provided.

Alternatively, when you’re truly cut off from civilisation, it can be charged via the solar panel. This is hinged and folds up for carrying. The solar panel includes maximum power point tracking (MPPT) technology to optimise charge even under lower output conditions.

Powertraveller says in optimal conditions it’ll charge its own battery pack from flat in 18- to 22 hours. Expect charging times to be longer in the UK – at midday on a sunny day with 20 percent cloud cover we achieved a charging rate of 3- to 4 percent per hour, as indicated on the battery pack’s LCD status panel.

The battery pack and the solar panel are bigger than most phones, and significantly larger and heavier.

High-capacity power banks aren’t always big and heavy, and the RavPower RP-PB13 Deluxe does a good job of packing a decent capacity and keeping down size and weight. It weighs only 10g more than the Intocircuit Power Castle (page 49), yet it packs an extra charge for your smartphone with 14000mAh capacity.

It costs the same price, too: £22. That’s fantastic value for a device that could charge, say, the iPhone 6 five times.

It is slightly longer and wider than the Power Castle, though, we prefer the Intocircuit’s brushed-aluminium-alloy design.

RavPower uses the common four-LED system – here seen in a blue light strip – to denote how much capacity remains. With each LED representing 25 percent, or 3500mAh, it’s difficult to know exactly how much charge is left.

Neither does the RavPower support advanced features such as passthrough charging and auto-on/-off. To begin charging your device you must press the button on top of the power bank.

A double-press activates the LED flashlight. The RavPower has a 1.5A input, which means it will refill its battery faster than the 1A Power Castle. Like that device, it has dual 1A and fast-charging 2A USB outputs for powering your phone or tablet.

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TP-LINK TL-PB10400

TYLT ENERGI 5K+

£23 inc VAT • uk.tp-link.com • tinyurl.com/nt2mL5k

£64 inc VAT • tylt.com • tinyurl.com/oo6tq94

TP-Link is well-known for producing quality tech at affordable prices, and its 10400mAh Power Bank is no different. It’s perfect for keeping your smartphone and tablet going on the move.

The TP-Link’s closest competitor is the cheaper Lumsing 10400mAh (page 50). Both feature a 10400mAh capacity and two USB outputs – one rated at 1A for smartphones and the other 2.1A for fast-charging tablets and phones. You can plug a phone into this second output, but some iPads may not like the 1A output. All power banks lose some of their power through voltage conversion and heat, but with both the TP-Link and the Lumsing you should expect around 7000mAh. That might charge an iPhone 6’s 1810mAh battery about four times, but the highercapacity 2915mAh iPhone 6 Plus just two and a half times.

TP-Link’s power bank has some advantages over the Lumsing, though. Importantly, it has a 2A Micro-USB input. This means you can refill its battery in just seven hours. It also has a built-in LED flashlight, and it’s better than the Lumsing at showing you how much power remains. The TP-Link’s fourth LED will blink when it gets down to 10 percent remaining.

It’s short and squat, made from glossy white plastic with blue end caps.

It feels reasonably sturdy, too.

The Energi 5K+ is nice to look at – as far as these devices can be – and there’s a choice of red, blue or grey highlights.

The rest of the casing has a semi-gloss finish.

At just over 160g, this power bank+ isn’t too heavy. It’s light enough to pocket without dragging down your trousers, and its 70x142mm dimensions put it at around the same size as a 5in smartphone, albeit twice as thick.

Technically, the Energi 5K+ is also very sleek; it comes with captive Micro-USB and Lightning charger cables that wrap around the device to clip neatly into the body. There’s also a full-size USB output for charging a third device, a Micro-USB input for recharging the Tylt battery itself and a power button/ LED indicator to indicate the remaining charge level.

The capacity of this battery pack is, however, a fairly major stumbling block. The 5200mAh rating may be higher in capacity than the average smartphone, but it’s paltry when compared with some of its competitors in this group – especially given the very high price of £64.

The Energi 5K+ will refill its own battery in around six- or seven hours. That’s a long time, considering the small capacity.

VEHO PEBBLE SMARTSTICK+

ZENDURE A2

£39 inc VAT • mobilefun.co.uk • tinyurl.com/muv9vfg

£33 inc VAT • zendure.com • tinyurl.com/owyp5bo

Veho’s Ayrton Senna-inspired Pebble Smartstick+ is possibly one of the coolest-looking portable phone chargers we’ve seen. It’s a 3000mAh power bank that’ll provide a full charge for any smartphone, and potentially two for those with smaller-capacity batteries. Not that you have any way of knowing how much charge remains. It won’t charge either itself or your device in a hurry, however, with just a 0.5A input and output.

This isn’t a problem with smartphones, and you can leave the Pebble plugged in until the job is done. But it’s worth noting that some tablets will refuse to charge, such as our iPad mini 2.

At £39, the Pebble Smartstick+ is more expensive and carries less juice than some portable chargers we’ve seen. But it’s far more easily pocketable and portable at just 84g The Smartstick+ is a smooth, metal stick with rounded edges and F1 driver Ayrton Senna’s signature emblazoned on the side.

It’s supplied with both a carry case and a carabiner clip, so it’s up to you whether you shove it in a bag or attach it to your key ring.

The Pebble’s charging port is hidden below an end cap, which screws into place to prevent you losing it – at least until your phone is being charged, with nothing then tethering the cap.

It’s supplied with a short USB cable and three interchangeable connectors: Micro-USB, Mini-USB and a 30-pin Apple connector.

There are 24 power banks in this group, and every one has a catch. If they’re high in capacity then they’re big and heavy; if they’re portable then they have insufficient capacity to fully charge your phone or tablet. The Zendure A2 changes everything.

Compact, light and reassuringly durable, this 6000mAh power bank will deliver around 4800mAh to your mobile devices. That’s plenty to fully charge a smartphone at least once, probably twice.

Although it has just the one USB output it’s rated at 2.1A, which translates to fast charging for compatible devices. The A2’s Micro-USB input is also nicely specified at 1.5A, meaning you could recharge this power bank in just four hours. The A2 is well equipped for a life on the road. Built from crushproof PC/ABS material with dual-injection moulding and a shock-absorbing central belt, this silver block is not only tough but it looks cool.

It also supports passthrough charging, ensuring that both phone and power bank are full up and ready to go whenever you are. Plus the A2 will hold 95 percent of its charge for up to six months. Auto-on/-off means you just plug in your phone to begin charging, and when it’s done the A2 won’t waste any power.

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Group Test

POWER BANKS

Conclusion Zendure’s A2 is our favourite power bank in this round-up. At £33 it’s affordable, and its 6000mAh capacity is sufficient for at least two full smartphone charges (potentially three, depending on your phone). It’s lightweight, extremely durable, offers fast charging and comes with useful features such as auto-on/-off and passthrough charging.

The Zendure won’t appeal to everyone, though. And which power bank you choose really depends on your personal needs.

If you want the ultimate-capacity power bank for extended trips, EC Technology’s 22400mAh power bank offers unrivalled value (and capacity) at £36. It’s big and heavy, though. You won’t want to carry this one in your pocket.

If that trip involves some extreme outdoor pursuits then a rugged, waterproof bank such as LimeFuel’s L150XR is ideal. It’s a little pricey, though, and you’ll have to order it from the US. If you need something ultraportable that will slip unnoticed into a pocket, there are really just three options here: Olixar’s enCharge PC810, Veho’s Pebble Smartstick+ and Intocircuit’s Power Mini. The latter gets our vote for doing the best job of

Price

balancing useful capacity and price. Although the Veho looks the coolest, it’s overpriced and slow to charge, while the Olixar couldn’t fully charge our smartphone. PNY’s PowerPack is also worth a look, removing the need to carry a cable.

For something in the middle, offering useful capacity and reasonably portable, we like TP-Link’s TL-PB10400 and Lumsing’s 10400mAh Power Bank. The Lumsing is better-looking, but the TP-Link refills its own battery faster, has a built-in torch, and a slightly better system for showing you how much power remains than most that use LEDs. Even better is that of the Intocircuit Power Castle, though, which is among few power banks in this round-up to feature an LCD display. It offers staggering value.

Finally, for those with an eye on the environment (and their electricity bills) are the Olixar enCharge KP-8000 and Powertraveller powermonkey extreme 12V; Freeplay’s Tuf wind-up radio also features a solar panel. While Powertraveller’s example is technically better, Olixar’s bank offers amazing value – just £49 as we went to press. You might never have to pay to charge your gadgets again.

Star rating

Capacity

Input

BIOLITE CAMPSTOVE EC TECHNOLOGY 6000MAH EC TECHNOLOGY 18000MAH EC TECHNOLOGY 22400MAH FREEPLAY TUF INTOCIRCUIT POWER MINI INTOCIRCUIT POWER CASTLE LIMEFUEL BLAST L180X PRO LIMEFUEL RUGGED L150XR LUMSING 8000MAH LUMSING 10400MAH MIPOWER POWER CUBE 8000L OLIXAR ENCHARGE PC810

£139 inc VAT

N/A

Biomass/gas

£11 inc VAT

6000mAh

1A Micro-USB

£31 inc VAT

18000mAh

1.2A Micro-USB

£36 inc VAT

22400mAh

2A Micro-USB

£34 inc VAT

600mAh

Mini-USB, hand crank, solar

£10 inc VAT

3000mAh

1A Micro-USB

£22 inc VAT

11200mAh

1A Micro-USB

$99 (£62)

18000mAh

2A Micro-USB

$84 (£52)

15000mAh

2A Micro-USB

£24 inc VAT

8000mAh

1.5A Micro-USB

£21 inc VAT

10400mAh

1.5A Micro-USB

£84 inc VAT

8000mAh

2.1A Micro-USB

£16 inc VAT

2000mAh

1A Micro-USB

OLIXAR ENCHARGE KP-8000

£49 inc VAT

8000mAh

1A Micro-USB, solar

OMAKER S-X5 10000MAH ONAJI PAWA PHONESUIT FLEX XT PNY POWERPACK 2200MAH

£18 inc VAT

10000mAh

1A Micro-USB

£19 inc VAT

500mAh

0.5A Micro-USB

£49 inc VAT

2600mAh

1A Micro-USB

£17 inc VAT

2200mAh

1A Micro-USB

POWERMONKEY EXTREME 12V

£120 inc VAT

9000mAh

2.5A Micro-USB, solar

RAVPOWER RP-PB13 DELUXE TP-LINK TL-PB10400 TYLT ENERGI 5K+

£22 inc VAT

14000mAh

1.5A Micro-USB

£23 inc VAT

10400mAh

2A Micro-USB

£64 inc VAT

5200mAh

1A Micro-USB

VEHO PEBBLE SMARTSTICK+

£39 inc VAT

3000mAh

0.5A Micro-USB

ZENDURE A2

£33 inc VAT

6000mAh

1.5A Micro-USB

54 MACWORLD • FEBRUARY 2015

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Output(s)

Extra features

Dimensions

Weight

0.3A USB

Camping stove

110x210x125mm

935g

2.1A USB

Torch

174x22x22mm

147g

1x 1A USB, 1x 2.1A USB

Torch

169x120x120mm

703g

1x 2.4A USB, 1x 2A USB, 1x 1A USB

Torch

160x80x2.3mm

462g

0.5A USB

Solar panel, wind-up radio, LCD display, torch

145x60x60mm

300g

1A USB

Carry case, torch

128x80x28mm

118g

1x 1A USB, 1x 2.1A USB

Carry case, LCD display, torch, auto-on/-off, passthrough charging

110x71x22mm

280g

4x 2.4A USB (4.2A total output)

Auto-on/-off, passthrough charging, torch

79x24x124mm

369g

2x 2.4A USB (4.2A total output)

IP66 rugged, waterproof design, auto-on/-off, passthrough charging

83x27x141mm

375g

2.1A USB

’Fancy’ coiled USB- to Micro-USB cable supplied

130x71x10mm

168g

1x 1A USB, 1x 2.1A USB

Carry case

138x59x20mm

159g

2.1A USB, 1x Lightning

Built-in Lightning connector, carry case

92x92x17mm

220g

1A USB

Torch

75x33x24mm

58g

1.5A USB

Solar panel, torch

179x105x39mm (folded), 179x550x15mm (open)

490g

2x 2.1A USB

Torch, auto-on/-off

159x23x63mm

290g

1x Lightning, 1x Apple 30-pin dock, 1x Micro-USB

Built-in Lightning, Micro-USB and 30-pin dock connectors, torch

92x58x4.9mm

18g

1x Lightning

Built-in Lightning/Micro-USB connector, auto-on/-off

73x21x21mm

79g

1A Micro-USB (£17) or Lightning (£26)

Built-in Micro-USB or Lightning connector

71x21x32mm

59g

1A USB, 12V

12V output, solar panel, rugged, waterproof design, interchangeable connectors, carry case, LCD display

155x60x28mm (battery unit), 170x91x18mm (solar unit)

456g

1x 1A USB, 1x 2A USB

Carry case, torch, interchangeable connectors

123x80x20mm

290g

1x 1A USB, 1x 2A USB

Carry case, torch

89x44x44mm

241g

1x Lightning, 1x Micro-USB

Built-in Micro-USB and Lightning connectors

14x70x142mm

127g

0.5A USB

Interchangeable adaptors for Micro-USB, Lightning and 30-pin dock, carry case, key ring

21x114x21mm

84g

2.1A USB

Carry case, auto-on/-off, passthrough charging, rugged design

93x48x23mm

137g

FEBRUARY 2015 • MACWORLD 55

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Reviews £10.49 inc VAT, or free update Contact n

apple.com/uk

Read more n

tinyurl.com/Lx25bdz

System requirements

OS X Mavericks or later, 2GB of memory (4GB recommended), GarageBand 10.0

Apple iMovie 10 vs Adobe Premiere Elements 13

A

pple just can’t seem to make up its mind about iMovie’s interface, and version 10 had another rather untidy makeover. The Project panel in the lower half of the screen now provides a more conventional editing timeline where you can quickly arrange video clips in a simple linear sequence. That’s clear enough, but the program’s other editing tools are scattered around the workspace almost at random, with audio and video effects activated by the Adjustments button up in the top-right corner of the workspace, while transitions and titles have been moved down into the bottom-left corner of the newly expanded Library panel.

By contrast, Premiere Elements started out with a complex and intimidating interface but has gradually improved its ease of use with each annual upgrade. It now has three separate editing modes for different levels of experience. Its Quick mode displays a simple editing timeline with effects, transitions and other tools neatly arranged along the bottom of the screen. More experienced users can opt for Expert mode, which provides a multi-track timeline that allows you to combine multiple audio and video clips and to perform much more complex and precise editing work. There’s also a Guided mode that helps beginners by providing simple, step-by-step help with common editing tasks, such as trimming clips, adding titles and transitions or recording your own voice-over tracks.

The simpler timeline in iMovie is straightforward and easy to use, but the Guided mode in Premiere Elements is very impressive and does an excellent job of introducing beginners to video-editing.

If you’re new to video-editing work, both iMovie and Premiere Elements also include a number of options that let you quickly create simple but slick movie projects without having to master the full range of editing tools.

Scattered but simple iMovie’s editing tools keep moving but are easy to use.

Magic moments Premiere Elements lets you choose the best bits from a clip.

When you start work in iMovie, you can create a full-blown movie project or use the New command in the File menu to create a ‘trailer’.

When you create a trailer, iMovie presents a series of templates that mimic the style of Hollywood film trailers. There are templates for tough-guy action movies, Bollywood musicals, creepy horror films and many others. Each template includes a storyboard with placeholders into which you can quickly insert your video clips. The template automatically trims clips to the desired length, and adds music and dramatic titles that suit the style of trailer. Each template is typically 60 to 90 seconds long, so you’re not going to create a full-length movie

this way, but it is a fun and effective way of combining short video clips into something that looks pretty slick and professional. You can also convert the trailer into a proper movie project, which will allow you to insert some longer video clips if you want.

Premiere Elements provides a number of different options here.

The Video Story option introduced in version 13 is similar to iMovie’s trailers, as it provides a series of storyboard templates into which you insert a set of video clips. If you want a little more freedom you can use the Instant Movie option.

This lets you arrange clips on the timeline first, and then prompts you to select a template that will add

56 MACWORLD • FEBRUARY 2015

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music and effects to suit various styles or moods.

Premiere Elements 13 also introduced Favorite Moments, which lets you pick the best moments from within a single, longer video clip.

The chosen clip opens up in a new window where you can view it in detail and mark the most interesting moments or events you want to keep. The program then deletes the unwanted sections of the clip, and the sections you want to keep can either be merged by using crossfade transitions, or placed on the timeline as a series of individual clips to provide greater editing freedom.

Editing tools While it may take a little while to figure out where everything now is in iMovie, its main editing tools retain an admirable simplicity and ease of use. The main innovation introduced a few years ago was the ability to skim through video clips.

You can simply move your mouse cursor over any section of a video clip to view it in the main Monitor window. You can skim through a clip as slowly or as quickly as you like, which makes it easy to select just the scenes – or even a few frames – you want to use in your movie.

Other tools are equally easy to use. Just drag a clip from the Browser window and place it directly above another clip in the editing timeline and iMovie automatically displays its Video Overlay menu.

This allows you to instantly create complex picture-in-picture effects, a split-screen effect that plays the two clips side-by-side, or add greenscreen special effects.

Premiere Elements can’t quite match the sheer simplicity of iMovie’s selection and editing features. You can’t skim through clips using your mouse, so selecting specific scenes within a longer clip and then trimming the clip to the required length involves a little more work. However, the multi-track timeline available in Expert mode lets you combine multiple audio and video tracks, along with titles and other effects, in a way that iMovie simply can’t match.

It’s horses for course on this one.

The quick and easy editing tools of iMovie are ideal if you simply want to

trim a few short video clips together and upload them to FaceBook or YouTube. However, experienced users who want to produce longer, more complex video projects will appreciate the greater depth and power of Premiere Elements.

Audio/video controls You’ll often need to tweak your video clips to improve the lighting or colour balance, and iMovie works really well here with an automatic Enhance tool that can adjust the lighting, colour and sound quality in clips with just a single click of a button. If you want finer control you can simply activate the Adjustment Bar, which provides extra brightness, colour and contrast controls. Its audio controls aren’t extensive, but they’re easy to use, with simple options for adjusting volume and recording voice-overs. There’s also an extensive library of sound effects built into iMovie, along with the ability to import music and other projects from GarageBand.

The adjustment tools in Premiere Elements work in a similar fashion, with a Smart Fix feature that can automatically fine-tune colour and brightness, along with tools that provide more precise control over settings such as hue, saturation and gamma correction. However, Premiere Elements provides more extensive audio controls than iMovie.

As well as its built-in library of sound effects, it comes with more than 50 pieces of stock music you can use for your movie soundtrack. There are separate controls for treble, bass, gain and balance, and its multitrack timeline lets you add up to 100 separate audio tracks, along with a mixer that provides precise control over each individual track.

Titles and effects Premiere Elements and iMovie both provide a good selection of transition effects, plus templates that let you quickly add titles and text to your movies. However, Adobe’s design and typography heritage means Premiere Elements offers much more precise controls for formatting and animating text.

Premiere Elements 13 also added a new Guided Edit that shows you how to place moving video inside

titles. This is a complicated effect that would normally require a lot of work, but Premiere Elements does a really good job of guiding you through in just a few seconds.

That also brings us into the realm of special effects, which is where Premiere Elements really blows iMovie out of the water.

There’s a modest selection of about 20 video effects in iMovie, and they’re all pretty basic – sepia tint, hazy soft focus, that sort of thing. Premiere Elements, on the other hand, includes an extensive collection organised into categories such as blurs, distortion effects and JJ Abrams lens flare. A powerful time remapping option lets you speed clips up, slow them down, or even play them backwards. The Applied Effects panel lets you finetune properties such as the degree of distortion, or even the length of the lightning bolt effects you can superimpose over a clip.

The Guided Edits in Premiere Elements 13 come to your aid here as well, with a new guide that shows you how to create masks that can be used to apply special effects to specific areas within the video image. But where Premiere Elements really scores is with its keyframe controls, which let you adjust effects over time. They’re a little tricky to master, but once you’ve got the hang of them you can gradually lower the lighting in a scene to make it look as though night is falling, or create your own custom special effects by flipping and rotating clips any way you want.

£78.99 inc VAT Contact n

adobe.com/uk

Read more n

tinyurl.com/q5nz48z

System requirements

64-bit multicore Intel processor, Mac OS X 10.8 to 10.10, 2GB of RAM, 5GB of available hard-disk space to install applications; additional 5GB to download content

Macworld’s buying advice You don’t have to buy iMovie as it comes free with all Macs, although you will need to upgrade to Mavericks or Yosemite to use iMovie 10. Its interface could be tidier, but its basic editing tools are easy to use, and it’s ideal for quickly editing some video clips shot on an iPhone and then uploading them to Facebook or YouTube.

By contrast, Adobe’s Premiere Elements provides a much bigger and more powerful range of tools and special effects, and is excellent value for anyone looking to produce longer, more professional-looking video. Cliff Joseph FEBRUARY 2015 • MACWORLD 57

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Reviews

Free update to Office 356 Subscribe for £7.99 per month (£79.99 per year)

Microsoft Outlook 2015

Contact n

microsoft.com/uk

Read more n

tinyurl.com/n3o4mjr

System requirements

Mac OS X 10.9.4 or later, Office 365

B 11111

reaking with tradition, Microsoft recently issued a new version of Outlook for the Mac. Normally, the company waits until all its Office components are finished and then releases them together as part of an application suite.

Also new is that Outlook is currently available only to Office 365 subscribers. If you have a subscription, you can download Outlook from your Office 365 portal page now. If not, you’ll have to wait until the new version of Office becomes available in the second half of 2015 when Outlook and the rest of the Office apps will be available in a perpetual licence form (as well as offered to Office 365 subscribers).

To use Outlook 2015, you need to be running Mac OS X 10.9.4 or later (including Mac OS X Yosemite). You can continue to use Outlook 2011 alongside Outlook 2015 if you like.

The two share only preference files.

I’m an Outlook user and have been longing for a new version of the app for ages. Now that I have it, here’s what I’ve found.

First, there aren’t a load of new features in Outlook 2015, but what there are include the following.

What’s different? Not a great deal on the surface, but greater stability, speed and reliability are the big advances that Outlook 2015 has targeted

New theme If you’re looking for a radical redesign of the email program, you’ll be disappointed. In line with Apple’s Yosemite design, the new Outlook’s interface is flatter, uses grey more than solid black, features slimmer fonts, and has removed the colour from folder and mailbox icons in the sidebar. It also discards the yellow theme from Outlook 2011 in favour of the blue and white tones that Microsoft now favours for its Outlook products. The ribbon bar remains, although a few items in it have been shifted around.

Notification Center support New message alerts now appear as OS X notifications and can be found together in Notification Center. To open a message, just click on it and it will appear within a separate Outlook window.

Clearer conversations A conversation is now determined not only by its subject but also by its message ID header. This simple

tweak could mean that you’ll find fewer false-positive messages within conversations that bear the same subject heading.

Category synching In the past, Outlook supported just one set of categories for all your accounts. Now you create and edit one set of category colours and names for your Exchange and Office 365 accounts and another set for your other email accounts.

This can be helpful for companies, for example, that want to use consistent categories among all their employees.

Signature associations As with Apple’s Mail, signatures can now be associated with particular accounts. For example, you can assign one signature to a personal email account and a different one to the account you use at work.

When you select a different account to send from, then the signature appended to your message will change accordingly.

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Apps

New database

Outlook now includes apps — contextual widgets that enhance your email messages. For example, bundled with Outlook comes a Bing Maps app. If a message has an embedded street address, then a Bing Maps entry will appear on the top-left of the message. Click on it and an inline map appears showing the location contained in the message.

You can access additional apps by clicking the Manage Apps entry at the top-right of a message. When you do, you’re taken to the Outlook Web App page where you can enable or disable apps you currently have as well as obtain new ones from Microsoft’s Office Store. You can, for example, install a widget that translates email messages, but right now these apps are US-only.

Outlook’s database was notoriously susceptible to corruption, especially if you had lots of emails. But Microsoft has jettisoned its old proprietary database and adopted a SQLite database for Outlook 2015.

Microsoft claims that the database will be both faster and more robust. If this ends the crashes and corruptions of old, then that alone makes the upgrade worthwhile.

Weather conditions The Calendar component has changed little except for the addition of weather forecasts.

Taking advantage of OS X’s location services, you simply ask Outlook to update your location automatically and current and forecast weather conditions appear near the top of the calendar. You can ask it to search other locations as well.

Send feedback Previous versions of Outlook allowed you to send feedback to Microsoft via the Send Feedback About Outlook command in the Help menu.

Outlook 2015 makes that action cuter. Just below the Search field is a grey smiley face. Click on it and two entries appear — Tell Us What You Like and Tell Us What Can Be Better. Select one and a Microsoft Office Feedback window appears where you can enter feedback, include a screenshot if you like, also optionally include your email address, and send your message.

Under the hood You can hardly be blamed for feeling that this release is underwhelming as far as new features go. But talk to any longtime Outlook for Mac user and they’ll tell you that the primary features they want from the app are stability and speed. Outlook 2015 promises both.

Pushier email If you have an Exchange account you may have noticed that these messages often arrived on other devices before Outlook became aware of them. This is because Exchange Web Services (EWS) polled the server for new messages every minute or so. The new Outlook does away with this delay, so, through push notifications, you should receive messages as soon as they hit the server.

However, whether because the company wanted to make the shipping deadline or simply because it felt the features were no longer necessary, there are some things you can no longer do with Outlook.

Import/export business The Export command in the File menu has gone, so you can’t export contacts in a tab-delimited list nor export a Mac Data File of your Outlook mail, tasks, contacts, notes, and calendars. You can, however, still drag a mailbox from Outlook to the desktop to turn it into a .MBOX archive, which can be imported by most email clients.

Importing data is also now more limited. You can import .OLM or PST archives but you can’t import old Entourage archives or pull in contacts within text files.

Automation slashed Automator actions are entirely gone and a dedicated AppleScript menu is missing. Also, while Outlook still supports AppleScript, autorun scripts work only on Outlook itself because the app’s scripts are sandboxed, so they can’t communicate with other apps.

So long to Sync Services Sign of the times You can now add signatures to specific accounts

Brolly or bronzer? Outlook’s Calendar now forecasts the weather

New storage location Previously you’d find many of Outlook’s components (the database and message attachments, for example) in the Microsoft User Data folder inside your Documents folder. All of these elements have now been shifted to deep within the Library folder inside your user folder. You’ll find them at: ~/Library/ Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.

Office/Outlook/Outlook 15 Profiles/ Main Profile

The Sync Services function – which could prove problematic when sharing info between Outlook and Apple’s Mail, Contacts and Calendar – has been removed. Apple similarly abandoned Sync Services for everything but synching contact and calendar data between a Mac and iOS device in OS X 10.9. This won’t change much for most Outlook users, who either managed all their email, calendars and events within it or were happy to delegate Outlook to their email and otherwise use Apple’s Contacts and Calendar apps.

Moving forward Outlook 2015 is not a release packed with new features. It’s already a very capable email client. Rather, it’s an update that hopefully makes it faster and more reliable as well as brings it into line with other Microsoft efforts including Outlook for Windows and Office 365. If you’re an Office 365 subscriber, it’s worth your while giving it a try. Christopher Breen FEBRUARY 2015 • MACWORLD 59

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Reviews

Free Contact n

apple.com/uk

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System requirement

Will run on iPhone 4s or later, fifth-generation iPod touch; secondgeneration or later iPad

iOS 8 vs iOS 7

T

he latest version of Apple’s operating system for iPad, iPhone and iPod touch, iOS 8, launched to the general public alongside the iPhone 6 at the end of last year.

However, the new operating system’s adoption rate is lower than iOS 7. We contrast the features in iOS 8 and its predecessor, iOS 7, to help those who’ve not yet updated decided whether they should upgrade.

When iOS 7 launched, one of the major concerns people had was the way it looked – brighter, flatter, more colourful, more abstract and generally very different to iOS 6.

Now iOS 6 looks very dated, but at the time it was a big change and one that was hard to get used to. With iOS 8, there’s good news and bad, depending on your viewpoint. The good is that iOS 8 looks much the same as iOS 7; the bad news – for iOS 6 diehards – is that iOS 8 looks much the same as iOS 7.

Continuity If the differences between iOS 7 and iOS 8 aren’t visual, it follows that most of them are functional. And iOS 8 has a bunch of new features, as well as a panoply of small but important tweaks. Let’s start with the all-new features; first up, the Continuity update.

Continuity is a whole suite of features (in both iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite) based on the concept of connectedness or interoperability between your Mac and your iOS devices. They’re designed to make your iPhone and iPad work seamlessly with your Mac. The Handoff feature, for example, lets you continue conversations and suchlike from desktop to mobile and back again. When you start working in one Handoff-compatible app on your iPhone (such as Mail), a link will appear on your Mac. Tap this link and you can continue working on the same account, in this case carrying on writing the email on your Mac that you started on the iPad. Continuity also lets you answer on your Mac any calls coming into your iPhone, and send texts from it too. It’s also easier to set up

a Wi-Fi hotspot that your Mac can easily access, and AirDrop finally works between Macs, iPhones and iPods. iOS 7 devices can’t do any of this.

But if you don’t plan to upgrade your Mac to OS X Yosemite, this won’t be a concern as the features won’t work with Mavericks.

Health and HealthKit Health is a sort of umbrella app for all the data collected by a range of health and fitnessrelated apps and peripherals, bringing the data together for ease of comparison and tracking. It’s a nice idea in its basic form, although it’s debatable how well the healthcare-related elements will go down over here, given the vastly different scenarios in the US and UK. But things could get a lot more interesting as developers get their hands on the source code.

The HealthKit developer tools Apple unveiled at the same time as Health will let developers come up with new ways to manipulate the data in useful ways.

Widgets Ah, now here we go. Widgets have been one of Android fans’ big boasts. In iOS 8 they are usercustomisable mini-apps that sit on the Notifications screen and perform on command – a watered-down version of the wider home-screen customisability in Android, while keeping the tight security of iOS. You can download widgets from apps and customise their position on the Notifications screen. The example Apple cited was an eBay widget that lets you observe the

progress of your auctions, and make a bid from the Notifications Center itself. It’s all part of a wider theme of greater interoperability between the different parts of iOS 8 and its separate iOS apps.

Interactive notifications While we’re on the subject of the Notification screen, it’s worth mentioning that the notifications themselves are more interactive than ever in iOS 8, and far more independent of the apps they connect to.

Whereas in iOS 7 you can swipe a Twitter notification and go straight to the Twitter app to reply, Twitter notifications in iOS 8 let you reply there and then, without leaving the app you’re in; you just pull down the little notification box that is at the top of the screen and a keyboard will appear. The same interactivity marks notifications from Facebook (you can like a status update, for example), Messages (replying to a text),

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Mail Mail got a solid make-over in iOS 8, with a range of handy tweaks and new features. You can use gestures to delete, flag or ‘unread’ messages, swiping across a message to perform the chosen action; it’s a single swipe to mark as unread, a flick across and a tap to flag, or a drag all the way across to delete.

You can flick a message down to the bottom of the screen, check or copy material from another message, and then return to it with a single click. It is roughly the same as minimising a window on a desktop operating system.

Finally, Mail now recognises an invitation in a marketing email as an event, and offer to add it to Calendar.

Interactive direct In iOS 8 you can reply to notifications without leaving the application you’re currently in

Safari

Calendar (accepting or declining an invitation) and so on.

QuickType predictive typing After a long time with few changes to its system keyboard (and a gradual falling behind as Android added various typing-related customisations and enhancements), iOS 8 has made several major improvements in this area.

It comes out of the box with QuickType, a form of ambitious predictive typing. We’re not just talking about completing words you’ve nearly finished typing here – in Messages, Mail and similar contexts, iOS 8 offers entire words that it suspects you may wish to use based on context, in a little palette above the keyboard. For example, if you type a message to a friend suggesting dinner, predictive typing might add ‘and a movie’. Eerie, no?

According to Apple, iOS 8 is able to learn the words you typically use and understand the context in which you’re typing, such as business or personal, and adjust accordingly.

iCloud Drive Apple’s iCloud Drive, new in iOS 8, works alongside Apple’s Documents In The Cloud system, providing direct access to files saved in the Cloud. When your files are saved in

the Cloud, you’ll be able to access the file directly in the iCloud Drive folder in Mac OS X Finder.

In essence, iCloud Drive lets you create documents on one device and use them on another. So you’ll be able to create a Keynote presentation on your Mac and then continue making edits on your iPhone or iPad. You’ll also be able to access files directly, and store and share files other than those created by iCloud apps.

Family Sharing Family Sharing is incredibly handy for those with families, allowing up to six people who share a credit card to share their purchases – games, apps, films and music – from the iTunes Store with each other.

The idea is that if one member of the family buys something from iTunes, the whole family can enjoy it on their iOS devices (and other Apple products) without paying for it again. It incorporates parental controls if you wish, so that if little Jacob wants to download a game on his dad’s account, a permission notification will automatically be sent to his dad’s iPhone.

Family Sharing also includes new iOS family-focused features for Calendar and Photos apps that help a family stay connected.

The small tweaks in iOS 8 Safari include a ‘bird’s eye view’ of all tabs you’ve got open. iOS 8 Safari users are able to use privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo as their default search.

Messages Messages’ updates are particularly focused on the handling of group message threads, but one other new feature stands out: audio messaging.

Audio messages are easy to send, and self-destruct (to save memory) after two minutes unless you choose to save them. These voice messages appear as a waveform graphic, and you can listen to them by simply lifting the iPhone to your ear: iOS detects the motion and interprets the gesture automatically.

You can then reply, again without pressing any on-screen controls; speak your reply, lower the phone and the message will be sent.

Holistic health Data from health and fitness-related apps and peripherals can be brought together

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Reviews

Camera Updates that arrived with the Camera app in iOS 8 include time‑lapse video, a camera timer, access to iPhone 5s’s quicker burst mode for users of older iPhones, access to Panorama photos for the iPad, and separate focus and exposure controls.

And what happens to the photos after you’ve taken them? With iOS

anything away from iOS 7’s feature set. But the entire app ecosystem benefits from iOS 8 thanks to an array of new developer tools and relaxed rules that were announced at the same time. They include extensions, third‑party keyboards, third‑party Touch ID, HealthKit, HomeKit, BitCoin currency transfers, Swift and Metal.

In other words, this is only the start. The real impact of iOS 8 will be felt in the months to come as developers start releasing apps that harness its potential.

In short, upgraders to iOS 8 from iOS 7 get a load of new stuff and don’t really lose anything at all, while things remain visually the same. Sounds like a no‑brainer to upgrade, right?

Should I upgrade?

Family focus Parental controls can easily be set in the iOS 8 Family Sharing function

8, photos shot on any iOS device are automatically saved in the cloud and accessible on your other iOS devices. Hand in hand with this new feature, Apple has beefed up the search across the Photos app – a vital tool if you’re wading through page upon page of shots. Search terms are returned as locations, times and album names. You can also edit photos within the Photos app and the edits are transferred across to other iOS devices, pretty much instantaneously.

Siri Along with Health, one of the biggest rumours about iOS 8 before it launched was Shazam integration.

Sure enough, Siri can now listen to a song, tell you what it is and point you to a download. Siri also got 22 new languages in iOS 8.

Well, we should probably talk briefly about performance – day‑to‑day speed, in other words.

Some people have found that older devices get slower when they are updated from iOS 7 to iOS 8. The latest OS is more demanding, and older hardware, even if it’s officially rated as iOS 8‑compatible, may struggle to cope.

The danger devices appear to be the iPhone 4s and iPad 2, and we’ve also heard reports of the iPad 3 slowing down. For all three of those devices, it’s worth seriously considering how much you really want to have the new features, and whether you are willing to suffer a performance dip in order to get hold of them.

If you’ve got an older device and are determined to upgrade, it could prove valuable, if a friend has the same device as you, to check what performance is like before you make the update. The loss of speed may be more – or perhaps less – drastic than you anticipate.

Finally, bear in mind that you can no longer downgrade from iOS 8 to iOS 7. Apple has stopped ‘signing’ (in other words, authorising) iOS 7 for reinstallation, so you’re pretty much stuck with iOS 8 once you make the upgrade. Think carefully before taking the plunge.

Upgrade problems One reason why iOS 7 users have held off upgrading is the system requirements requested by iOS 8 – more than 5GB in some cases. If this is the reason you haven’t upgraded, you can upgrade via iTunes without having to delete anything.

Macworld’s buying advice Should you upgrade from iOS 7 to iOS 8, then? Well, there are three big issues to consider: visual design, features and performance.

Visuals are essentially the same.

When iOS 7 launched, many users were put off by a starkly different visual design; that is not the case for iOS 8, which is set apart from its predecessor in functional terms rather than visual ones.

New features have been added and they’re great: varied, imaginative introductions that are convenient for the user. And very little – if anything – has been removed from iOS 7’s armoury.

The only reason not to upgrade from iOS 7 to iOS 8 would be if you’re concerned about performance, and the danger models here are the iPhone 4s, the iPad 2 and the iPad 3. For those devices you are likely to experience a slowdown if you upgrade, and we would advise against it unless your heart is set on Health or Family Sharing, or one of the other new features. For other devices upgrading to iOS 8 seems to be a no‑brainer. But remember: you can’t go back once you’ve taken the plunge. David Price

New developer tools That’s quite a few big new features for users of iOS 8, and loads of small handy new features, without really taking 62 MACWORLD • FEBRUARY 2015

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£999 inc VAT Contact n

optoma.co.uk

Read more n

tinyurl.com/ndk2wr5

System requirements

Single-chip DLP; 1920x1080 pixels; 2x HDMI, component and composite video, VGA, RS232c, 12V trigger; vertical lens shift, Eco mode; PureEngine picture processor; 2200 ANSI lumen specified brightness; 50,000:1 specified dynamic contrast ratio; 5000hour lamp life; 1000-hour/6-month lamp warranty; 29dB Eco operating noise; 1.39 – 2.09:1 throw ratio; compatible with Optoma ZF2100 Active Shutter 3D system; 270W Bright mode, 230W Eco mode quoted power consumption; 286x266x124mm; 3.8kg

11111

Optoma HD50

T

he Optoma HD50 is a full-HD (1920x1080 resolution) single-chip DLP projector aimed at the home-cinema and high-end gaming market. It offers greater contrast and higher brightness than its predecessor, the HD30 (tinyurl.com/ p7k5nwc), along with a number of image processing and operational refinements. It is, not to put too fine a point on it, a bit of a belter.

The snowy white HD50 is conveniently small, just 286mm wide and 124mm high. It’s also light at 3.8kg. This makes it easy to pack away should you not want a permanent ceiling or shelf mount.

The lens is offset, and there’s a forward-facing exhaust that expels a lot of hot air. Heavy venting is employed to help keep the projector’s lamp cool, but even in its quieter Eco mode it still runs at a relatively loud 29dB. There’s no onboard sound system (unusual for a sub-£1,000 model).

Connectivity Connections comprise two HDMI inputs, supporting CEC control and MHL for smartphones, component and composite video inputs and VGA. Also available are a 12V trigger, RS232 and 3D sync port.

The HD50 is 2D from the box, but can be used with Optoma’s optional ZF2100 Active Shutter 3D system, which is a £90 extra. It ships with a matching, backlit remote control.

Installation is straightforward.

There’s a manual 1.5x zoom lens and vertical lens shift, to help align the image with whatever

screen you’re using, be it specialised fabric or white wall.

Once positioned and focused, you can opt for any of the well-judged display presets; or if you prefer, dig deeper into the various calibration tools, including a full RGB colour management system.

Room-wise, you’ll need just over 2m to cast an image 120in across. If you have more space available, and a pretty big wall or screen, you’ll be able to go even larger.

At 2200 ANSI lumen the HD50 is bright enough to function with low-level lighting, but looks its best in full black-out conditions.

Its 1080p images were consistently sharp, and while black levels weren’t absolutely Stygian (you’ll need to pay twice as much for that), contrast is high. There was no sense that blacks were greying out.

It’s possible to boost black level depth by using a Dynamic Black mode, which adjusts the lamp output dynamically, based on image content. Unfortunately, this also causes the projector’s cooling fan to speed up audibly from its Eco default. This can be

distracting, depending on how close you sit to the projector.

Lamp life The lamp itself has a quoted working life of 5000 hours so you shouldn’t need to contemplate changing it anytime soon. Optoma’s warranty for the bulb is 1000 hours or six months, whichever event is first.

Colour fidelity is terrific, with deep reds and vibrant blues. The neon-lit street scenes in the Total Recall reboot on Blu-ray looked sensational. The image-processing suite responsible has been dubbed PureEngine by Optoma. There’s an UltraDetail mode designed to eke every ounce of detail from hi-def sources; and PureMotion image interpolation, which doesn’t improve motion resolution per se, but imparts that smooth panning high framerate look so beloved of Peter Jackson. Our advice is keep this Low to avoid image artefacts.

Single-chip DLP projectors have long suffered with a rainbow fringing effect with high-contrast material, created by the system’s spinning colour wheel. That’s been all but eliminated here. Images are refreshingly clean.

Macworld’s buying advice The Optoma HD50 comprehensively over delivers on its upper budget price tag. HD images are exceptionally detailed, making this an ideal partner for a set-top box, Blu-ray player or next-gen games console. Operating noise is our chief remaining complaint. Overall usability is high. Consequently, the HD50 is the sub-£1k 1080p projector to beat right now. Steve May FEBRUARY 2015 • MACWORLD 63

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Reviews

£49 inc VAT Contact n

mobilefun.co.uk

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Specifications

3W LED; 3W speaker; AC110-240V; Bluetooth 4.0 (15m range without obstructions); E27 Edison screw fitting (B22 bayonet adaptor included in the box); 50x126mm; two-year warranty

11111

£135

inc VAT

Contact n

swann.com/uk

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Specifications

IP security camera; 1280x720-pixel resolution; 30fps; 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi; infrared LEDs for night vision up to 5m; microSD slot; Micro HDMI out; 68x85x130mm; 131g

11111

Olixar Beats Bluetooth Speaker Bulb

O

lixar’s Bluetooth Speaker Bulb might sound like a gimmick, but it takes mood lighting to a new level. The beauty of pairing light bulb and speaker is that, provided the light is turned on, the speaker is fired up and ready to go. There’s no fiddling with buttons, and no need to charge the speaker or plug it into a wall outlet. You just grab your phone or tablet, connect to the Olixar Speaker Bulb over Bluetooth 4.0, and are instantly ready to blare out music, podcasts and audiobooks from the ceiling.

This high up, central position is ideal for rocking out audio without obstruction. Not that this 3W speaker is especially loud, but loud enough - about the right level to create a nice atmosphere and fill the room without annoying those in the flat or room upstairs.

One down side to pairing light bulb and speaker is that with no way to separate the two the speaker is good only as long as is the bulb.

That said, Olixar offers a twoyear warranty and LED lasts much longer than a traditional incandescent bulb in any case – around 10,000 hours. There are other benefits to LED lighting, too, such as reduced energy consumption and less heat generated. The £49 tag on the Light Beats Bluetooth Speaker Bulb is therefore much better value than it might appear.

The 3W LED is said to kick out enough light to rival a 50W bulb, but its end cap (visible only when the light is on) meant the 46W bulb we replaced did a better job of lighting our room. We can live with that, given its additional functionality, but if you prefer brighter lighting you may find the Olixar more usefully paired with a lamp – especially considering that when used with the supplied bayonet adaptor this otherwise cool-looking white plastic and gold speaker bulb is rather long.

The Bluetooth connection is functional over 15m without obstructions. We found the output would break up a little when we took our paired phone into the next room and shut the door, but when used in the same room we couldn’t fault it.

Sound comes from the flowerpatterned opening on the underside.

The audio is clear and without distortion, and seemed to struggle with only the bassiest tracks.

Macworld’s buying advice The Olixar Light Beats Bluetooth Speaker Bulb is such a cool idea, really useful and a fantastic gift for that person who has everything. Marie Brewis

Swann ADS-456 SwannCloud HD Swann has a reputation for devising effective surveillance systems that won’t break the bank and its ADS-456 SwannCloud HD is an inexpensive model that still aims to give user satisfaction.

It weighs 131g and comes with a small stand that doubles as a mountable bracket – complete with screws and plugs. Most useful is its Wi-Fi connectivity, although you will need to be within reach of a power socket as it still requires mains power. You can also connect more securely by ethernet.

Establishing a Wi-Fi connection can be through WPS, pressing the WPS button on the back to link to your router. A flashing blue light on the camera signals confirmation.

Once connected, you can then download the SwannCloud app to your Android or iOS device to start watching live streaming.

You can also access the same information via the SwannCloud

website. A built-in microphone on the front of the camera provides live sound, while a circle of infrared LEDs enable night vision up to 5m. The camera sensor captures video footage in basic HD, 720p at framerates up to 30fps. A microSD card slot can be used to grab snapshots on the fly.

Picture quality is good – bright and sharp with strong contrasts in the daylight and clear IR outlines at night even in pitch-black conditions.

You can preset 10-second video captures for motion detection (there’s a Passive Infra-Red motion sensor on the front), intrusion detection (which angle an object enters the frame), camera tampering and face recognition. Alerts can automatically be triggered and all the footage can be stored on the SwannCloud for later viewing. If you have an existing alarm system, this can also be directly linked to the back of the camera.

Swann has also released the companion ADS-446 model, which has all the same features plus the ability to pan up to 350 degrees horizontally and tilt 100 degrees vertically – all remotely controlled and costing about an extra £20.

Macworld’s buying advice An affordable Wi-Fi HD camera that has multiple record settings as well as live monitoring via your mobile device. Martyn Clayden

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£118

inc VAT

Contact n

brother.co.uk

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System requirements

1200x600dpi print resolution; 1200x2400dpi scanner; 300x300dpi fax; 20/18ppm rated speed for mono/colour; 1x USB interface; 802.11n Wi-Fi; 150-sheet input tray; 188x480x290mm; 9.5kg

11111

Brother MFC-J4420DW

M

ost A3 printers are bulky and expensive, aimed at professional designers and photographers who need high-quality page proofs for their work. Yet home and small business users can make good use of them too, perhaps for printing posters to stick on the kids’ bedroom wall, or to advertise a business and products.

Brother’s MFC-J4420DW is a good option here, as it provides a versatile A4 multifunction inkjet printer that is also capable of occasional A3 printing. Priced at a competitive £99, this four-in-one device includes a 1200x600dpi printer, a 2400x1200dpi scanner and copier, and a fax machine, too. Another model, the J4120DW, doesn’t include a fax, but it’s only about £10 cheaper, so the fax doesn’t make a major difference to the overall price.

Other features include two-sided printing and a 20-sheet automatic document feeder. There’s a USB port for connecting to your PC, and Wi-Fi for network connectivity, plus support for Apple’s AirPrint for printing from iOS devices, as well as Google Cloud Print. Brother also provides a Print&Scan app for both iOS and Android devices that lets you scan documents direct to your mobile devices. The only omission here is an Ethernet interface for wired networks; you’d need to pay another £40 for the JF4620DW model to get hold of that option.

The J4420DW is neatly designed, measuring just 188mm high, 480mm wide and 265mm deep. In effect, it’s a standard A4 printer, with the 150-sheet paper tray in the base of the device taking paper no bigger than A4. However, you can print on A3 by using the paper feed slot in the back of the printer. Sheets can be fed in only one at a time so it’s only suitable for occasional use, but it’s still handy to have the option.

Our only criticism here is that the main paper tray feels flimsy, and had to be pushed in firmly after refilling so as to avoid paper jams.

Print speeds Brother quotes speeds of 20 pages per minute (ppm) for mono printing and 18ppm for colour. Our tests didn’t quite match that. We got 17ppm for mono Word documents and 13ppm for PDF files with text and colour graphics; but that’s still good performance for a printer costing around £100, and the J4420DW is certainly fast enough for most home users and small businesses.

Print quality is good. Our text documents displayed very smooth text outlines; it’s not quite laserquality, but perfectly fine for printing business letters or school reports.

Colour graphics were also good, and the J4420DW is well suited for business graphics and charts.

Photos printed on plain paper were less impressive, with rather dull colours and slight banding on larger

images. Glossy photo paper gave better results, with brighter colours and a print time of just 40 seconds for a 6x4in postcard.

The A3 option was speedy too – 50 seconds for an A3 poster with text headlines and graphics.

The J4420DW uses just four standard inks – cyan, magenta, yellow and black – so it can’t match the subtle tonal gradations of more expensive printers using five or more inks, but it’s perfectly good for occasional A3 documents for school work or your office.

Colour printing also turns out to be quite affordable. Brother’s highyield colour cartridges cost £20.39 each direct from Brother and last for 1200 A4 pages, which works out at a competitive 5p per page. The high-yield black cartridge also lasts for 1200 pages, but costs £31.19, which works out at 2.6p per page.

That’s not exorbitant, but it’s at the higher end of the average range for mono printing, so it will be worth shopping around to see if you can pick up a better deal online.

Macworld’s buying advice The J4420DW’s flimsy paper tray is a potential weak spot, so this printer isn’t ideal for a busy office that needs to print hundreds of pages every month. But it’s a versatile and affordable option for home users and small businesses with light printing needs, and who want to print A3 documents every now and then. Cliff Joseph

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Reviews

£129 inc VAT Contact n

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Specification

Print resolution 4800x600dpi; quoted print speed 28ppm; actual print speed 22.7ppm; USB 2.0; 802.11b/g/n; 10/100 ethernet; NFC; Google Cloud; 250-sheet input tray; 128MB memory; auto duplex; toner cost £46; print life 3000 pages; one-year warranty; 368x335x202mm; 7.4kg

Samsung Xpress M2835DW

T

he humble mono laser forms the printing backbone of many a modern business, churning out document after document after document. They may not be the best for graphical extravaganzas, but when it comes to low-cost quality text, nothing can beat them.

Samsung continues to set the pace, and its M2835DW offers a wealth of features for a modest price tag.

The cream/charcoal colour scheme is sober and business-like.

It’s the traditionally blocky laser printer design, but rounded edges and a relatively modest footprint help the M2835DW to melt into the background. It’s relatively quiet and will happily buzz away on your desk, and doesn’t have to be concealed behind a soundreducing screen or rubber plant.

Controls

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There’s no display, and the main buttons besides the power switch handle the Eco mode and WPS setup. The latter is a hint at the advanced connectivity, and the M2835DW can be hooked up to both wireless (802.11b/g/n) and wired (Ethernet 10/100) networks. It can also hook up to mobile devices, and the handy NFC feature allows you to connect just by tapping the device on the printer.

This brilliantly convenient approach is given even greater potency by the help features.

Smartphones, for instance, can take

you straight through clear troubleshooting tutorials, bringing a rare level of user friendliness to laser printing. It comes as no surprise that Google Cloud support is seamlessly integrated. The company has clearly worked hard on ease of use, and the fruits of its labour will be relished by all M2835DW users.

The impressive printer drivers let you alter the favourites list, select which options get most prominence, and import/export presets as FUP files, so you can easily harmonise settings across a batch of printers.

Graphical previews let you quickly see the difference between one option and another, and you can make use of watermarks, overlays and other features.

Eco mode There is even a boost for Eco mode, with a results simulator estimating the percentage saving of any print jobs. No other company’s drivers let you go into such detail – do you take out some bold text, for instance, or make a font one size smaller, to save on resources? In truth, most users will just hit the print button and have done with it. But if you care about the environment or your costs, this brilliant printer lets you delve deep to see exactly how to make practical savings. Other excellent software is available, including network management utilities.

The M2835DW is a printer of some substance. It comes with a sizable 250-sheet tray – which will

jut out slightly at the back if used with A4 paper – and page feeding is flawless. The multipurpose tray is a nice touch, effortlessly handling envelopes, labels and other tricky pieces. There is support for PCL5e/6 and Samsung’s own SPL language, and the 12,000 monthly duty cycle is good for this price. 128MB of memory is a good chunk to be processing data with.

But what of the printing? Well, the text is immaculate. Even in the standard mode, characters are crisply defined, with beautiful lining and no smudging. The real-world print speed of 22.7ppm is good for the price – even the £210 Lexmark CS410dn is only marginally faster.

Our Samsung time was taken using a 10-page bundle from scratch.

Once the M2835DW has started to print, it does indeed hit the 28ppm quoted rate. It drops to 14.9ppm using auto-duplex, but that’s still more than fast enough for everyday printing, making default doublesided printing a genuine option.

Graphics It isn’t quite as faultless with graphics. It’s pretty good at handling different shades, but less so at rendering. The speed is good for a mono laser, though, with an astonishing figure of 16.7ppm (even including the warm-up). As a means of quickly running off mono presentations for reference purposes, it’s a great option.

Even without the Eco mode, the M2835DW is rated for 3000 pages on the higher capacity toner. That works out at 1.5p per page, which is fairly normal for a £200+ laser, but very nicely priced for a model costing little more than £100.

Macworld’s buying advice We tried to find fault with this printer, we really did, but there was nothing doing. Print quality is strong, the design is generally fantastic, and all of the features work exactly how they should.

When a laser is this effective and this thoughtfully put together, it seems churlish not to give it our highest accolade. Robin Morris 66 MACWORLD • FEBRUARY 2015

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£129

inc VAT

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System requirements

1200x600dpi print resolution; 1200x1200dpi scanner; 300x300dpi fax; 18/10ppm rated speed for mono/colour; 1x USB interface; 1x ethernet; 802.11n Wi-Fi; 225-sheet input tray; 35-sheet document feeder; 462x388x224mm; 8kg

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HP OfficeJet Pro 6830

I

n many ways, the HP OfficeJet Pro 6830 is a conventional multifunction printer, aimed at home workers and small businesses. However, it is unique in one respect: it’s the first printer that HP has launched in the UK that can be used in conjunction with the company’s new ‘Instant Ink’ subscription scheme.

Priced at just £108, the 6830 is certainly good value for money. The device incorporates a 1200x600dpi A4 colour printer, a 1200x1200dpi scanner and photocopier, and a fax machine. It includes USB, Wi-Fi and ethernet connectivity, and supports Apple’s AirPrint for printing to iOS devices, as well as HP’s own ePrint app for Android devices.

It also offers two-sided printing, along with a 35-page document feeder. While it has just a single paper tray, with a capacity of 225 sheets of A4 paper, that should be perfectly adequate for the small business users that the OfficeJet Pro 6830 is aimed at.

HP quotes speeds of 18 pages per minute for mono printing with the OfficeJet Pro 6830, and 10ppm for colour. Our test documents actually produced speeds of 14ppm for simple mono text, and 6ppm for documents that contained text and graphics, but those speeds are respectable enough for a printer in this price range.

Print quality is very good too, with sharp, smooth text that comes close to laser quality. Photo printing on ordinary plain paper was a bit dull, but using more expensive glossy paper produced much better

results, so the OfficeJet Pro 6830 can certainly be used to produce marketing brochures or occasional product photos if required.

But, of course, a low purchase price is often accompanied by high costs for replacement ink cartridges.

If you buy one of HP’s value packs you can get a complete set of high-yield colour cartridges – cyan, magenta and yellow for this printer – that will print 825 pages for £37.

That works out at 4.5p per page for colour printing, which is actually very reasonable.

Oddly, though, the OfficeJet Pro 6830 isn’t quite so competitive at simple mono printing. The highyield black cartridge supports 1,000 pages and costs £23, which comes to 2.3p per page. That’s by no means exorbitant, but it is still a little higher than we’d like to be shelling out for a business printer that is going to be used on a daily basis.

There is, however, a third option for the OfficeJet Pro 6830 in the form of HP’s new Instant Ink subscription scheme. This allows you to pay a flat fee that covers a specific number of pages each month: £1.99 for 50 pages, £3.49 for 100 pages, and £7.99 for 300 pages. The OfficeJet Pro 6830 monitors its own ink levels and automatically orders replacement cartridges when they are required, while the cost of the cartridges is covered by your monthly subscription fee. According to HP, this is considerably less expensive than paying for replacement cartridges

as you normally would. The catch here is that the cost per page is the same, regardless of whether you’re printing mono or colour. The £1.99 subscription therefore works out at 4p per page – which is very good for colour, but poor for mono.

The £3.49 subscription works out at 3.5p per page, while the £7.99 subscription drops it to 2.6p per page. The subscription schemes therefore represent good value for colour printing, but poor value for simple mono documents.

If you don’t print the full number of pages in one month, then you can carry some pages over to the next month. There is, however, a sting in the tail here. If you go over your monthly page limit, you could end up paying even higher fees, depending on the number of excess pages and the particular Instant Ink subscription fee you signed up for.

Macworld’s buying advice Any attempt to reduce the cost of running a printer is obviously welcome, but think carefully about your printing requirements before signing up for the Instant Ink service. If you have light printing needs, you may well be better off simply buying replacement cartridges, just as you would for any other printer. In that case, the OfficeJet Pro 6830 is good value for people who regularly need highquality colour printing for brochures and other marketing documents, but less competitive on routine mono printing for letters and other textheavy documents. Cliff Joseph FEBRUARY 2015 • MACWORLD 67

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Spotlight By David Price

Twitter time David Price reveals everything that’s wrong with Twitter

Q

uiz time. What do the following people have in common? Mario Balotelli, Joseph Kony, Dr Matt Taylor, Anita Sarkeesian, Dapper Laughs, former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, Emily Thornberry MP and Lord McAlpine.

No, it’s not the line-up for Strictly Come Dancing 2015. The answer, of course, is that they have all, in various ways and at various times, been the victims of Twitter witch hunts: by which I mean that a rapidly escalating series of posts on the site, criticising them and/or calling for action against them, has snowballed and snowballed until a point of no return.

Sometimes the end point is an apology, a firing or a resignation; sometimes it’s the toppling of a repressive regime. But all of the above have suffered material, real-world consequences following the attentions of social media users.

I use the words “victims” and “suffered” advisedly here, by the way, because clearly some of the people above brought their troubles on themselves. But the extent to which this is true varies enormously. Indeed, I rather hope that the absurd incongruity of that mixed-up rogues gallery – Ugandan warlords alongside bargain-basement comedians, dictators beside Islington MPs – begins to make my first point for me. On Twitter, there is no such thing as perspective.

Twitter’s sense of outrage (and I’m going to be speaking about Twitter specifically in this article, although Facebook occasionally shares its younger rival’s tendency towards crusading sanctimony, and some smaller social networks such as Tumblr can be even worse) very rarely operates in shades of grey. Its three default states – boredom, silliness and outrage, but mostly outrage – are always dialled up to 11, and always focused on whatever is happening right now. The service has a collective attention span you can measure in hours.

Emily Thornberry MP - “that bigoted woman!” as Gordon Brown had it. Tony Parsons (@TonyParsonsUK) Why is Twitter like this? It isn’t because the users are all weak-minded zealots – with 500 million users, Twitter attracts normal and abnormal people alike from all walks of life. It’s because as a group, as a mob, they (we) behave like weakminded zealots. And nuanced tweets that look carefully at both sides of the argument (assuming you can even do that in 140-character chunks) don’t go viral.

Twitter lets you follow whoever you like, which in practice means that most people are just listening to variations and echoes of their own opinions – opinions that are therefore more likely to be retweeted, restated, copied or amplified than challenged. And in the quest to be heard above the din, users necessarily compete to state the party line in ever more aggressive forms.

Of course, most tweets – even the vicious claptrap that people with high follower counts have to deal with constantly – don’t develop into witch hunts. But it’s only a matter of time before the next outrage of the day in one particular Twitter subsphere hits a critical mass and explodes.

No no women are toooootally welcome in our community, just ask the dude in this shirt. t.co/r88QRzsqAm pic.twitter.com/ XmhHKrNaq5. Rose Eveleth (@ roseveleth). See right image.

Witch hunts and lynchings The danger with witch hunts is their addictiveness. Who among us hasn’t got caught up at least once as someone we despise gets their agonising comeuppance? And who can’t remember the first resignation (or arrest) they really enjoyed? For me it was Jeffrey Archer, although in those pre-Twitter days you had to get your kicks watching the news rather than exulting over the developments on social media.

Some of the names above belong to irredeemable monsters with blood on their hands and deaths on their conscience, and the thousands – maybe millions – that have called for their heads on social media no doubt did so with that lovely feeling that they were 100 percent on the side of the angels. But once you’ve grabbed your pitchfork and joined the angry mob going after a theocratic war criminal, it’s a short step before you’re doing the same thing for someone who takes the mickey out of England football supporters. Or someone

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who just makes videos about computer games that you don’t agree with.

And it gets worse. Let’s think a little more about the last name up there. In 2012 a rumour spread on Twitter that Alistair McAlpine had been accused of child abuse in a care home in north Wales, an accusation that would later prove to be the result of mistaken identity and wholly false. But by then his name was known throughout the country and his reputation was in ruins.

In this case, as it happens, the oldfashioned media was almost as incautious in its coverage of the affair as social media, and the BBC and ITV each paid McAlpine more than a hundred thousand pounds in damages. But it’s debatable whether the rumour would have developed beyond the cryptic “senior Conservative” referred to on Newsnight if it wasn’t for the actions of amateur sleuths on Twitter – many of whom had in turn to pay fines to charity when it emerged that McAlpine was innocent.

Getting offended By way of a final thought I will make a confession. I once went to a PR Christmas party that was themed around the concept of giving. Various displays around the room showed trinkets and gadgets (cool things, but very much ‘stuff you don’t need’) that the organising company sold on its website, and each one was labelled with an apposite quote by a well-known writer. One of the quotes was by Anne Frank, and I thought that using the poor girl as the mouthpiece for a marketing campaign was pretty shabby.

(That’s how I would have put it, I think. I was very wary of the idea of taking ‘offence’, which was something that happened to Mary Whitehouse-esque killjoys who wanted to ban amazing video games, not to vigorous young journalists.

But really, it amounted to the same thing.)

So I did what offended members of the media did before we had Twitter accounts: I got into the office the next day, rang the company for comment, and then wrote an article about it. I am still embarrassed thinking about it.

(Fine. You can read it at tinyurl.com/ Lekbnxd. Go easy on me; I was young.

Youngish. Although at least it yielded one of the funniest ‘right to reply’ comments I’ve ever used: “Of course, we appreciate that Anne Frank was not writing about remote-control robots when she wrote ‘No one has ever become poor by giving’, nor did we mean to imply that she was.”)

Why am I so embarrassed by that article? I don’t know, exactly, although I think it’s something to do with the tone.

The tone says, “Something has happened which I don’t approve of, and it’s my duty to make sure everyone knows about it.”

And even though I protested that I didn’t want to ban anything, or get anyone fired, rereading it makes me wonder what exactly I did hope to achieve.

In the end there’s nothing wrong with thinking things are shabby and complaining about them, even if you do insist on referring to that process as “calling out”. There were self-appointed moral arbiters around long before Twitter (I was writing articles like that one several years before I joined the social network,

after all) and they will continue to exist long after we run out of oil and everyone has to farm turnips all day long. But Twitter has given the complainers a voice, the ear of the world’s media, and the power to ruin lives and careers.

So sure: the next time a newsreader uses the wrong word or a video game fails to provide the right mode or a footballer wears the wrong kind of trousers, then by all means complain about it on Twitter. Just remember that nobody is perfect; and that your no-doubt measured and dignified protest will do one of two things: disappear without trace because nobody cares, or get distorted beyond all recognition as everyone jumps on board the bandwagon, and end up losing someone their job – or worse.

I’ve gone off Twitter a bit since it became a tool for destroying lives and careers. Rab Florence (@robertflorence) I miss the days when complaints had to be sent through the post. But I suppose we would have run out of green ink.

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New & noteworthy Ashleigh Allsopp presents the best new iPad and iPhone accessories

Proporta Mohawk TurboCharger 8000 £29 proporta.co.uk Perfect for busy people who don’t always have time to recharge their iPhone before leaving the house, the Proporta Mohawk TurboCharger 8000 is compatible with the iPhone 4 and newer, and is capable of recharging the iPhone 5s five times and the iPhone 6 Plus 2.75 times. You can even charge two devices at once thanks to the dual USB ports.

There’s an LED display that lets you know how much power the TurboCharger has left.

Zepp Multi Sport Sensor £129 argos.com Sports-lovers will enjoy the new Zepp Multi Sport Sensor, which can sense a user’s swing while playing golf or tennis.

The sensor collects the swing data and provides feedback on your smartphone or tablet. You’ll see a 3D analysis of your swing, as well as speed, angles and more to help you improve.

Bowers & Wilkins P5 Series 2 On-Ear headphones £249 bowers-wilkins.co.uk The P5 Series 2 Bowers & Wilkins headphones retain the same stylish design and high-quality build as the original P5s, but have been improved when it comes to sound quality through the use of a revised, Hifi-like drive unit that aims to let the listener forget the headphones and just feel the music. On the cable, you’ll get volume controls and a microphone to making phone calls.

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X-Pop by Brand Nu £39 wowzr.co.uk These tiny, portable Bluetooth speakers have been covered in awesome artwork by designer and illustrator Radim Malinic. You won’t need to worry about the stunning design getting ruined, either, as the speakers are water, sand and oil resistant, so are very durable. They offer up to eight hours battery playback time, and have a built-in microphone for hands-free calls.

Libratone Loop £349 libratone.com Libratone has given its Loop and Zipp speakers an upgrade, adding Bluetooth connectivity into the mix. The new Libratone Loop is a gorgeous, circular speaker that can be wall-mounted or free-standing. There are numerous different cover colours available too, which you can change to suit your interior design scheme. It’s also compatible with NFC, PlayDirect and AirPlay.

CATWALK The best-looking cases for your iPhone Urban Outfitters Fe ather Bamboo iPhone 6 Plu s case £35 urbanoutfitters.com/ uk

Qdos Portland iPhone 6 case £24 qdossound.com

hone 6 ok for iP o B k o o B £40 uth.com twelveso

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Features

COMPLETE GUIDE TO SIRI

Complete guide

U

sing Siri, Apple’s voice assistant, you can speak commands to your iPad or iPhone and have it do your bidding. To activate Siri, hold down the Home button on your compatible iPad or iPhone, or hold down the control button on your earphones. Siri became faster and more reliable than ever with iOS 7 and iOS 7.1, gaining new features and a female voice for the UK, while iOS 8 has added music identification, “Hey, Siri!” voice activation and real-time feedback of the words that Siri thinks you’re saying.

Siri works by recording your voice and sending it to a server that interprets what

you’ve said and returns it as plain text. If you haven’t got an internet connection, then Siri won’t work.

It’s a massive leap forward from oldfashioned speech recognition. This used to mean a limited vocabulary and a glaring inability to do very much. Worse still, for non-Americans, voice recognition struggled with European, Australian and other accents.

Siri, however, doesn’t depend on a limited stock of words – it’ll generally figure out what you’re trying to say. That makes interacting with it seem much more natural. It also works pretty well with a range of accents, and has American,

British and Australian settings. The voice assistant is comprehensive. It’s tied into Messages, Calendar, Music, Reminders, Maps, Mail, Weather, Stocks, Clock, Contacts, Notes and Safari. It’s also linked to Wolfram Alpha, the computational knowledge engine that can provide answers to numerous factual questions, and Yelp, the directory of local businesses.

The voice assistant is also capable of searching Twitter and adjusting settings, and can perform a web search for you.

These days it uses Bing as its default search engine, but specifically asking Siri to “Google” something will get it to use Google instead.

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to Siri

Siri has become an impressively useful voice command system for iPads and iPhones. What’s more, it’s fun. Here David Price explains just what you can do with Siri, and how to get more from it, along with the valuable updates added to it by iOS 8

Get started with Siri Getting started with Siri couldn’t be easier.

Simply press and hold down the Home button. The background will blur, you’ll hear a ba-ding sound and ‘What can I help you with?’ appears onscreen. You should also see a wavy white line at the bottom of the screen.

Speak your request into the iPad or iPhone. When you’ve finished speaking, the white line turns into a round microphone icon and Siri will get back to you with an answer. Sometimes it takes Siri a few moments to think about the answer, but it’s faster than it used to be.

You can also manually control how long Siri listens to you for, rather than having to wait for it to work out you’ve stopped

GENDER REASSIGNMENT

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Features

COMPLETE GUIDE TO SIRI

speaking. Hold down the Home button as you speak a command or ask a question, and release it when you’ve finished.

In the UK, the male Siri voice was updated in iOS 7.1 to sound less robotic and more natural, and a female voice option was added. You can switch Siri’s

gender to female by going to Settings → General → Siri and tapping Voice Gender; choose female.

You can ask Siri all sorts of things, and the more you use it the more accurate it becomes. You soon become aware of just how useful it can be, and what its SIRI CAN PULL INFORMATION FROM TWITTER ABOUT WHAT THE PEOPLE YOU FOLLOW ARE SAYING, OR WHAT’S HAPPENING

boundaries are. It knows a great deal about weather, restaurants, films and football, for example, but nothing about Formula 1.

It is also hooked up to the Maps application, so it can locate businesses, movie times, restaurants and bars near you. One of the great things about Siri is that it can find things in your local area.

There are a few scenarios in which Siri truly excels. The first of those is when you’re in a hands-free situation, most likely when driving a car. The iPad knows when you’re going hands-free and becomes chattier, reading text aloud that it might not if it knows you’re holding it in your hand. Siri is also deeply integrated with the directions feature in Maps, and the iPad works as a fantastic (if slightly oversized) voice-activated satnav.

When you get a message, you can instruct Siri to read the message, and it will. You can then tell it to reply to the message, dictate the entire message, have Siri read it back so you can check it makes sense, and then send it. You can also ask Siri to read out Mail messages and it’ll let you know who sent you a message and what the subject line is.

There are still some gaps. For example, Siri won’t read your emails out to you and it’d be great if you could get it to read out whole books and web pages. And while iOS has the nifty Notification Center, which gives you granular control over how different apps notify you about what’s going on, there’s no option to read alerts out loud when you’re in hands-free mode.

Siri self-help The rest of this feature will go through all the commands and features that you can activate using Siri, but Siri itself also offers some tips worth knowing. You can get to them by holding down the Home button to start Siri and then waiting without asking any questions: Siri will start cycling through pages of suggested commands.

If you’re not driving, Siri can still be useful. In fact, some tasks can be done much faster through speech than through clicking, tapping and swiping. It’s much easier to set an alarm or timer using Siri, for example, than it is to unlock your tablet, find the Clock app, and tap within

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the app. You just tell Siri “Set a timer for three minutes”, and your iPad begins to count down until your tea is ready. “Set an alarm for 5 am” does what you’d expect, with no further faff. “Remind me to record my favourite show” and “Note that I need to take my suit to the cleaners” work equally well too. These are short bursts of data input that can be handled quickly by voice, and we’ve found they work well.

It’s also much faster to ask Siri to access settings than it is to dive through the menu. You can just say “Change wallpaper” rather than opening Settings and tapping Wallpaper.

You will soon become impressed by Siri’s ability to understand the context of conversations. It doesn’t always work, but when it does, it’s magical. We asked Siri for suggestions for places to have lunch and it provided us with a list of nearby restaurants that serve lunch.

Talking to your iPad or iPhone is not much different from talking on your mobile phone. Clearly, it’s not appropriate in all contexts. If, for example, you’re quietly reading in the library and need to set a reminder, you should use the Reminders app, not Siri. And if you’re out in public, well, you can use Siri, but you’ll probably get some funny looks.

Apple’s integration of Wolfram Alpha with Siri is a smart move. If you need answers to factual questions, such as the speed of light or the number of days until Christmas, the answer engine can provide the solution.

How to use Hey Siri A new feature added in iOS 8 is known as Hey Siri, and it’s very sci-fi. By saying “Hey, Siri!”, you can activate the voice assistant from a sleep state without pressing the Home button at all. The device will wake, Siri will start and it will listen out for your next command.

Sadly, though, this works only when the iPad or iPhone is plugged into a power supply; if this wasn’t the case, your iDevice would presumably burn through its battery supply from constantly listening out for those magic words.

Hey Siri is very cool, albeit not always incredibly reliable. The feature appears to be deactivated by default, so if it’s not

working (and remember that the device needs to be plugged in as well), try going to Settings → General → Siri and then slide the switch next to ‘Allow “Hey Siri”’ so that it’s green.

And, of course, if you’re concerned about battery life, you can deactivate it in the same options menu.

Personal dictation

SIRI’S ENCYCLOPEDIC RECALL OF MUSIC, SPORT AND BUSINESS STATS AND ALL-ROUND GENERAL KNOWLEDGE COULD SPELL DOOM FOR THE PUB QUIZ

While Siri gets the bulk of the iOS feature hype, another speech-related technology may ultimately prove to be more important and a bigger boost to user productivity.

On the keyboard you’ll see a new button in the bottom row, to the left of the spacebar, with the image of a microphone on it. Tap this button and the iPad will

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COMPLETE GUIDE TO SIRI

SIRI’S DEPENDABLY QUIRKY SENSE OF HUMOUR MAKES GEEKY COMMENTS AND FLIRTATION FUN

transcribe whatever you say. It will send the results over the internet to a server that analyses your speech and converts it into text. We were impressed at just how fast the results came back, especially over Wi-Fi. And they were generally accurate.

To get the most out of dictation, you’ll need to start thinking in punctuation. For example, to construct a decent email message, you might say, “Dan. Comma.

New paragraph. What do you think about writing a review of iOS numeral eight.

Question mark. New paragraph. Let me know what you think. Exclamation mark.”

It’s a bit long-winded but it does work.

Part of Siri’s charm isn’t in its feature set, but its personable nature. Siri feels a lot less robotic than other voice-activated technology. Even when it gets out of its depth and doesn’t know what to do, it’s difficult to feel too frustrated.

And you can joke around with Siri.

Apple has clearly spent a lot of time providing Siri with a range of comebacks to joke questions. A recent one is to keep saying “Okay, Glass” (the phrase used to activate Google’s rival) and Siri will start to get annoyed.

Siri is by no means perfect, and occasionally can mistranslate what you’re saying, either transcribing the wrong message or finding the wrong result from Contacts. But it gets better the more you use it, and ever more useful. And it’s fun!

Siri is one of the most entertaining aspects of iOS, so be sure to hold down the Home button and try it out. Siri has a quirky sense of humour and will respond to geeky comments, flirtation and famous sayings.

Names

will display a moving audio waveform and a musical icon to indicate that it’s interpreting the music. Then it will tell you what song it was, and offer links to Shazam itself and a Buy Now for iTunes.

Also – and this isn’t something that you’re likely to be doing yourself, but we thought it would interesting to try it out – it turns out that Siri is a passable rapper.

Well, passable might be pushing it a bit but a producer called Skeewiff has done a remix using Siri for vocals.

Siri is able to learn names quickly as long as you keep repeating them and selecting the correct option from a list. So with a bit of practice you can quickly hurdle the frustration of Siri attempting to text, message or phone the wrong person. And if you have relationships added – ‘mum’, ‘dad’, ‘wife’, ‘husband’ and so on.

Sport

Music

General knowledge

It’s not generally known that Siri can identify music. From iOS 8, you can identify music that’s currently playing, thanks to Siri’s new Shazam integration.

Activate Siri while a song is playing and it

Siri uses Wolfram Alpha to provide statistics and facts. It can answer questions related to mathematics, geography, chemistry, words and linguistics, and all kinds of things.

We hope you like Premier League football.

There’s no Formula 1, cricket, rugby, golf or football outside the top-level English league – yet. In fact, when we asked who was winning the Championship, Siri just went ahead and decided that we must mean the Premiership.

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MESSAGES FEATURES

Features

Messages features in iOS 8 Ashleigh Allsopp looks at what’s new when sending and receiving messages

1.

Group conversations In iOS 8, you can add new people to a group conversation. To do so, go to your group conversation, tap Details and then Add Contact.

2.

Exit group conversations If you’re fed up receiving pinging alerts from a group conversation, you can now leave it at any point. To do so, go to Details, scroll down and then tap Leave this Conversation.

More subtly, you can mute group conversations on a per-thread basis – the rest of your messages will carry on generating normal notifications, but your iPhone won’t buzz to let you know any further updates to this conversation.

Again, go to Details, then turn the Do Not Disturb slider on (it will appear green).

3.

Tap to talk A handy new feature is that you can now send short audio messages instead of typing out text. Touch and hold on the microphone icon beside the text box to record your message, or simply hold your device up to your ear and speak, and then swipe up to send it. If you want to cancel and delete, swipe left.

4.

Lift to hear If you want to hear a message, you can simply hold the iPhone up and listen to it like it’s a phone call, in a lovely, neat bit of gesture control. Better still, you can immediately speak your reply into the iPhone once the original is finished, and as soon as you lower the phone it will be sent.

5.

Share location You can now share your location in a conversation, and you can also automatically share your location with every text you send in a conversation (this can be set to turn off after one hour or at the end of the day).

1.

To share your location once, tap details and then tap Send My Current Location. To share your location automatically, tap Share My Location and then choose between Share for One Hour, Share Until End of Day or Share Indefinitely.

6.

Organise attachments With Messages for iOS 8, you can now view every attachment to a Message conversation: they’re all organised in one place at the bottom of Details.

It’s a great way to view all the attachments from a busy conversation at once, and far better than the awkward piecemeal method before.

8.

7.

Mark all as read A handy new feature is that you can now mark all messages as read.

Simply, tap Edit and then Read All.

8.

Send multiple photos You’ll notice that it’s now easier to send photos and videos than it was in iOS 7. Tap the camera icon and then you’ll see a scrollable list of photos you’ve taken recently. You can choose as many as you want from this list by tapping on them (a blue tick will appear if it’s selected).

Alternatively, tap and hold the camera icon and you can capture a photograph by swiping upwards (this photo will automatically send once you’ve captured it) or record a video by swiping right.

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Features

FIX iPHONE iMESSAGE PROBLEMS

Fix iPhone iMessage problems Karen Haslam reveals some of the issues people are experiencing with Apple’s Messages app

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e’ve heard from a number of readers who have experienced problems with Apple’s iMessages app on their iPhone, iPad or Mac. Here we outline fixes for common problems.

The case of the missing iMessage First up and perhaps the biggest of all the iMessage problems is the case of the missing messages.

The problem with iMessage If you swap from an iPhone to another smartphone without first deactivating iMessage any text messages sent by your iPhone-owning friends will no longer be delivered to you because they will be stuck in Apple’s iMessage servers.

If you switch from iPhone to Android, for example, but don’t deactivate iMessage on the old iPhone first, all your messages from friends who use iPhones won’t get through to you.

Why iMessages weren’t delivered iMessages are sent from Apple’s servers rather than via a mobile network. When you set up iMessage, you tell Apple’s servers that text messages should be diverted through this system to your phone number, so you can save money as you won’t be paying your network for the text messages. However, if you don’t remove your phone number from its association with iMessage, text messages destined to be delivered to you might get caught in the iMessage server, unable to be delivered to the new phone that doesn’t have iMessage capabilities.

The solution This issue isn’t new. iMessage – Apple’s messaging service – was introduced in 2011 and even then switchers would have found they weren’t getting messages after moving to an alternative

device. However, it wasn’t until 2014 that the problem became widely known, perhaps because more iPhone users switched to alternative phones.

Thousands of people took to Apple’s forums complaining.

Previously, the only solution was to phone Apple to ask them to manually remove your mobile number from the iMessage database. However, the tech giant has released a web tool so that it is easier to deregister from iMessage.

Now at least consumers can deregister themselves from the iMessage service.

They simply input their mobile number here, and then enter the six-digit

confirmation code that is sent via SMS (presumably not via iMessage). If you remember to deactivate iMessage before moving to a new handset, these are the steps you need to follow: • To switch off iMessage go to Settings → Messages. Switch off iMessage using the slider. After doing so, the text messages you receive on an iPhone will be green rather than blue.

• If you have a Mac, go into System Preferences → iCloud, log in and check all the options to ensure that the phone number is not listed there. It’s worth checking iCloud.com settings and your iPad settings, too.

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FIX iPHONE iMESSAGE PROBLEMS

Why it’s not enough Apple may have finally offered a solution to people who have switched to a different mobile platform and were missing messages, but you may not wish to deregister your device.

Perhaps you frequently switch phones for work purposes. In that case there is no choice but to deactivate iMessage and send basic text messages (that will eat into your contract allowance). Or you

wrote: “Apple takes customer satisfaction extremely seriously, but the law does not provide a remedy when, as here, technology simply does not function as plaintiff subjectively believes it should.”

Some might say that a lack of understanding on the customer’s part shouldn’t be used to justify the fact that a company could stop text messages being delivered, most would expect such a service to continue because they wouldn’t

Apple failed to warn customers that if they switched to another smartphone, the iMessage system would stop them from receiving texts would just have to warn friends to send messages as text messages. To make absolutely sure you get your friend’s text messages, every time they send a message to you they need to tap the ‘i’ that shows up beside an unsent text message and choose Send as text.

Even with these issues aside, it was too little too late. Apple now faces a US federal lawsuit that claims the company failed to warn customers that if they switched to another smartphone, the iMessage system would stop them from receiving text messages.

The judge overseeing the case is Lucy Koh – a familiar name to anyone who followed the Apple versus Samsung case that went through the courts last year.

Plaintiff Adrienne Moore is claiming that by blocking “countless” iMessages Apple caused issues relating to her Verizon contract. She is seeking a classaction status and unspecified damages.

The suggestion is that Apple violated a California unfair competition law, by blocking messages meant for Moore.

Judge Koh wrote: “The plaintiff does not have to allege an absolute right to receive every text message in order to allege that Apple s intentional acts have caused an actual breach or disruption of the contractual relationship.”

Apple wrote in court documents that it never claimed that the iMessage service would recognise if an iPhone users switched to a rival device. The company

understand what was happening at Apple’s end, and nor should they have to.

I am getting the wrong names in Messages If you are seeing short names, or nicknames instead of full names this is due to a setting introduced in iOS 7.

Follow these steps: • Tap Settings → Mail, Contacts, Calendars → Short Name and tap Prefer Nicknames to switch it off.

Features

iMessage is greyed out Some users have reported a problem with iMessage being greyed out. One tip is to reset Messages. Follow these steps: • Go to Settings → Messages → Send & Receive. Tap each email address to remove it.

• Go back one screen and tap iMessage to turn it off.

• Go back again and tap FaceTime.

Deselect all FaceTime emails and tap FaceTime to turn it off.

• Wait five minutes.

• Turn iMessage and FaceTime back on with no email address selected. It should just have your mobile number ticked. Use this from now on.

iMessage is displaying email address instead of my number This was another change in iOS 7 that isn’t technically a bug, but a different default setting. It’s easy to fix: • Tap Settings → Messages → Send & Receive → Apple ID → Sign Out. iMessage should now display your phone number. Note that people will only be able to contact you on iMessage using your phone number, not your email address.

Group messaging no longer works If you’re having trouble sending messages to groups of people you can try performing the following steps: • Start a new group message rather than continuing an old one. See whether this fixes the problem.

• If that doesn’t work you may need to reset the network: Tap Settings → General → Reset → Reset Network Settings. See if this fixes the problem.

Alternatively, you could try backing up and restoring your iMessages.

• To back up the Phone, go to Settings → iCloud → Storage & Backup and Back Up Now. (If you don’t already back up to iCloud you will need to tap iCloud Backup to turn it on first).

• Erase the iPhone.

• Go to Settings → General → Erase All Content and Settings.

• Restore your backup.

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Spotlight By Karen Haslam

Highlights of 2014 Three events, trends or new products that were the most significant for Apple in 2014

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t was a busy year for Apple, with the release of two larger-sized iPhones, a Retina display iMac and the announcement of the Apple Watch.

But three trends have stood out.

1. Throughout 2014 Apple reduced prices across its range of Macs. Then in its final quarter financial results, the company reported more revenue from Mac sales than iPad sales. What’s really interesting is the fact that while Apple was selling more and more Macs, the rest of the PC industry was seeing declining sales. While everyone is fixated on slowing tablet sales, Apple is bucking the trend and selling more Macs. Perhaps the personal computer isn’t dead yet. Going further to ensure that Macs remain popular, Apple has added a number of new features to iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite that benefit those customers who own products across the whole ecosystem. If you own a Mac, iPhone and iPad, then you are able to enjoy Continuity features such as Handoff, which allows better integration of apps on your different devices. Yet another reason to buy a Mac. 2. In October Tim Cook wrote a column for Bloomberg Businessweek publicly announcing that he is gay. This made him the first openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company, but what was most significant was his motivation for coming out. He wrote: “If hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it’s worth the trade-off with my own privacy.”

Apple’s aspiration for equal opportunities doesn’t stop here, though.

In 2014, Apple announced a scheme that would allow its female staff to freeze their

All eyes will be on Apple to see if it can reinvent the smartwatch like it did the music player, smartphone and tablet eggs. While some people have reacted negatively, suggesting this means that Apple is encouraging women to put off motherhood, the real effect is likely to allow those women who would naturally have put off motherhood to further their careers, to parent their own children. By encouraging egg freezing, Apple is raising awareness of the fact that no matter how young and healthy a women is, over a certain age her eggs will not be as viable as they would have been earlier in her life.

3. For a couple of years now Apple has been criticised for the fact that, while Samsung and other smartphone manufacturers were selling larger phablet-style phones, Apple was still insisting that the 4in iPhone was the perfect size. In 2014, Apple changed its tune, selling not only the 4.7in iPhone 6, but also adding the 6 Plus, at a handdwarfing 5.6in, to the line-up.

In my opinion, the iPhone 6 Plus is too big – although perhaps it’s the perfect size for some people who found the iPad mini too big. As for the iPhone 6, I’m not completely convinced that the bigger size is a benefit, and I’ve been suffering from a bit of RSI since I’ve been using it, but if Gartner’s figures are correct, Apple’s sales have been growing since the launch, and that growth has been at the expense of Samsung.

What does 2015 hold Apple’s Watch (pictured below) is sure to steal headlines in 2015, whether it is hugely popular or a massive failure. It’s a new market for Apple, but it’s not a new market – Apple has plenty of wellestablished competition. But beyond geeks and fitness fanatics smartwatches haven’t gone mainstream yet. All eyes will be on Apple this year to see whether the company can reinvent the smartwatch like it did the music player, smartphone and tablet.

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05/01/2015 14:18

By Ashleigh Allsopp Spotlight

YouTube vloggers taking over Zoella, Jim Chapman, Alfie Deyes and other YouTube stars are a new breed of celebrity

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ouTube has been steadily becoming a popular platform for people to voice their opinions, share their experiences and show off their latest purchases, through the growing trend of vlogging, which everyone seems to be talking about at the moment thanks to a particular YouTube star called Zoella.

I recently found myself surrounded by several vloggers (video bloggers) at a book-publishing event in London, and promptly became fascinated with the idea that YouTube has the potential to make you rich and famous from the comfort of your own home.

What really got me while talking to these vloggers, some of which have more than 100,000 subscribers, is that they really aren’t all that different from you and me. I’d always thought of vloggers as people with exceptional confidence and years of acting experience. But in reality, they’re sometimes insecure, they do have bad hair days and they simply took the brave step of picking up a camera one day and giving it a shot.

Some of them are never even seen on camera. There are plenty of gaming vloggers who can be heard giving commentary over the top of gameplay walkthroughs and more. In fact, the most popular YouTube channel in the world is that of PewDiePie, a Swedish gaming vlogger with a whopping 32 million subscribers.

Anyone with access to the web and a video camera (which we all have on our smartphones) can become a ‘YouTuber,’ no matter what their background is, where they come from, or what their career aspirations might be. They’ve got access to a global audience, instantly.

It’s not a new notion, of course, but over the past year several vloggers have been propelled into the spotlight, and

even those that haven’t reached the highest heights have found themselves making some extra cash simply by sharing their thoughts, experiences and stories on YouTube.

Big numbers As a quick example of some of those (now arguably famous) vloggers and their success, Jim Chapman ( j1mmyb0bba, almost 2 million subscribers) and Tanya Burr (pixi2woo, 2.6 million subscribers) have this year starred in a Mulberry campaign, BBC Radio 1 has a show hosted by YouTubers Dan (Danisnotonfire,

4.2 million subscribers) and Phil (AmazingPhil, 2.1 million subscribers), and Band Aid 30 starred Alfie Deyes (PointlessBlog, 3.3 million subscribers), Joe Sugg (ThatcherJoe, 3.2 million subscribers) and Zoe Sugg (Zoella, 6.5 million subscribers).

YouTubers are becoming so popular among ‘millennials’ that they’ve got the potential to completely change, well, a lot.

Getting a product into the hands of a popular vlogger or partnering with one is marketing gold, so the way companies advertise and market their products is changing. According to a report by Neilsen this year, YouTube reaches more 18- to 34-year-olds in the US than any TV network, so the way we consume content is changing, too. They’re also getting book deals and movie contracts, so we can expect to see a whole new breed of celebrities emerging thanks to the vlogging phenomenon.

I’m interested to see what the future holds for vlogging – it’s an exciting movement in my eyes, and another way that the internet is giving everyone a voice and making the world accessible to us all.

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Features

10 BEST NOTIFICATION WIDGETS

10 best notification widgets for iOS 8 While Mac users have been enjoying widgets for years, iOS 8 has only recently given developers the option of displaying useful information in the Notification Centre on your iPhone or iPad. Martyn Casserly gathers together 10 of our favourites

1.

Audible

2.

Evernote

Free, audible.co.uk Without doubt Audible is the best way to listen to audiobooks on your iOS device. With its new widget you’ll also be able to tell at a glance how many hours you’ve been listening to books over the past day, week, month, or since your membership began. There are also indicators of how close you are to reading milestones, and encouragements to push on for a few chapters more and gain one of the services’ many badges.

Free, evernote.com Evernote is a ridiculously handy app, and once you get to grips with it, that little elephant logo becomes one of the most important on your device. For years now Android users have had a Quick Note widget that instantly accesses some of Evernote’s excellent notation features, and finally iOS has the same. Now when you want to create a text document or take a snapshot, just drag down on the Notification centre and tap the icon on the widget. Simple, fast, and incredibly useful.

3.

4.

Wunderlist

Free, wunderlist.com This advanced Getting Things Done (GTD) app allows you to create tasks, group them by folders, set reminders, due dates, while also attaching files and detailed notes to each event. All of this is achieved through a simple and cleanly designed interface. Now Wunderlist also has a widget that displays the various events that are due that day, with hot links to each one and a tick box that allows you to dismiss them without launching the app. This slick, useful approach embodies the GTD ideal, and will be a very useful addition to any iOS device.

iTranslate

Free, itranslateapp.com There are many apps on iOS that allow you to translate text, spoken words, or even entire menus in no time at all. iTranslate takes this idea and makes it easy to get fast translations directly from the notification centre.

After setting the language you want translated in the app itself, the widget quickly converts any text in the clipboard. Simply drag the notifications window down, tap the widget and your message is inserted and translated. You can, of course, do all this in the app, but if you’re on holiday, or a business trip, this handy little solution could save you some time.

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5.

The Guardian

6.

Onefootball

Free, theguardian.com One good use for notification widgets is that of breaking news.

The Guardian app is already one of the best interpretations of a modern, digital newspaper, and with the new widget you can have three headline stories always sitting in your notifications window.

The choice of news you can display is limited at the moment, as you can only elect to have Top Stories, Most Popular or narrow it down to one category, such as Technology. Although this stops the app taking over the window, it would be nice to be able to combine sections in the future.

Free, onefootball.com If you’re one of the millions of people who check their devices each morning for the latest football news, then the Onefootball app is a good one to have installed. Once you’ve set your favourite club team (and also your national one), you’ll be served the top stories relating to them whenever you open the notifications window. The widget is clean and unobtrusive, displaying just the headline and a small image next to it, so it won’t swamp your screen with 20 stories about whether Wayne Rooney is any good or not.

7.

8.

Yahoo Weather

Free, uk.weather.yahoo.com iOS may well have a weather notification built-in, but the Yahoo Weather app adds a bit of aesthetic charm with images from Flickr used as a backdrop for its reports. Alongside the current temperature and conditions, the widget also lets you know the expected forecast for that evening, night, as well as the next day. The backdrops regularly change, so your notification window always has something nice decorating it, even on the rainiest of days.

9.

WDGTS

Free, wdgts.co While many of the widgets here are simplified versions of larger apps, WDGTS has been purpose built to work in the notifications window.

This free app comes with eight different widgets that are very reminiscent of the ones many of us have used on OS X. These include a calculator, currency converter, battery monitor, time zone clock, and a couple of others. It’s a simple, basic collection, but one that may get more use than you think. There is a Premium version available (69p), but the free one gives you enough great tools to make it a very worthy addition to your iOS device.

Calendars 5

Free, readdle.com One of the most useful types of widget on Android is the calendar.

With a swipe you can check your agenda, add an appointment, then return to your day.

Now it’s possible to do the same on iOS. Calendars 5 is a fully fledged organisation app, complete with iPad and iPhone optimised versions. It also packs a handy widget that displays your daily agenda and lets you add entries from the widget. It’s a tidy design that accompanies an excellent app, although you’ll need to spend £4.99 to get it. We think it’s money well spent.

10.

Hours Time Tracking

Free, hourstimetracking.com If you’ve ever wondered where all your time disappears to, Hours might well provide the answers. This time tracking app is a simple, fast way to record your routines. To use it you create different timers for specific tasks – say, working on a project; surfing Facebook; commuting – then you use these timers to measure your day. The results are added to a daily timeline so you can build up detailed reports of your activities. The widget gives you direct access to all your timers with just one swipe, and you can start and stop them right there in the notification windows.

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Features

SET UP FAMILY SHARING

Set up Family Sharing Lou Hattersly shows how to set up Family Sharing on an iPad, iPhone and Mac

F

amily Sharing was introduced alongside iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, and lets you share apps, music, movies, books and more with all members of your family.

Once set up, when one family member buys an app, book or content from the iTunes Store, it is immediately available to all other members of the family to download for free.

Up to six people can use Family Sharing, and you all pay on the same credit card, so it’s ideal for families that want to combine their purchases. It is also possible to set limits for younger family members, so when a child asks to buy an app (or other item from the iTunes or App Store) an alert appear on an adult’s phone. If you have this option activated, the youngster won’t be able to make the purchase until and unless the family administrator agrees to it.

iOS 8 The easiest way to set up Family Sharing is on an iPad or iPhone.

1. Open the Settings app and scroll down to the iCloud section. Check that the correct Apple ID is displayed at the top and tap Set Up Family Sharing.

2. You’ll see a series of windows that describe the features you’ll be able to use with Family Sharing, and contain a few warnings about what exactly you’re letting yourself in for – the things you’ll be paying for, primarily. Tap Get Started on the first screen, and then Continue on the second and third ones.

3. The fourth screen, with the title ‘Payment method’, is very important.

This shows the final four digits of the credit/debit card associated with the Apple ID you’re using. This is the card that will be debited whenever someone who’s part of the family group buys an app, song, film or whatever from Apple.

Make sure that it’s the right one before tapping Continue a third time.

Add family members 1. From the main iCloud screen in Settings, tap Family, then Add Family Member. You can then add type in the email address of your family member.

2. The Ask to Buy screen allows you to stipulate whether a family member needs permission to buy digital content. Select Ask Permission for Purchases. Tap Next.

3. Now decide how you wish to bring the family member into the fold – either by sending an invitation or creating a password they can enter right away.

4. After receiving an invitation, the family member can accept (or decline), then select whether to share location data.

Mac OS X You can also set up Family Sharing via a Mac, though, it needs to have Yosemite.

1. Open System Preferences → iCloud.

2. Click Set Up Family.

3. Click Continue and Continue again.

4. A window will show the account that you will use to share purchases from.

Double-check that it is your main Apple ID account and click Continue.

5. The Purchases Initiated By Your Family window will show which card is being used for payments. Click Continue.

6. Click the tick box next to the I Agree To The iTunes Store terms and conditions window and click Agree.

7. If you want to use Find My Friends to locate your family, tick the Share Your Location option and Continue.

Add family members 1. Open System Preferences → iCloud and click on Manage Family.

2. Click Add Family Member.

3. Enter the email address for the family member and click Continue.

4. Confirm you are the Family Organizer by entering the three-digit CVV security code from the payment card associated with your account. Click Continue.

5. Enter your Apple ID password and click Continue.

6. The person who you sent an email to will receive an email invitation in Mail and Alert in iCloud on their iOS devices.

Who pays for content?

It’s important to note that the person who sets up Family Sharing is the Organizer.

This is the person in charge, and they pay for all purchases. So if you set up Family Sharing for your partner and family members, your card will be charged.

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06/01/2015 11:16

HOW TO USE FACETIME AUDIO

Features

How to use FaceTime Audio

Martyn Casserly explains how you can make free calls on an iOS device with FaceTime Audio

F

aceTime video chatting has long been a popular and very handy feature in iOS. The ability to keep up with family and friends anywhere in the world, and all for free, has obvious advantages. However, one often overlooked aspect of FaceTime is that of its audio function. This works in much the same way as video, without having to broadcast your image or that of your recipients. It can also be used to bolster the call minutes on your mobile phone tariff, and even turn your iPod touch into a mini iPhone. It also means you can make phone calls on your iPad.

What is FaceTime Audio?

This excellent feature allows your iPhone, iPad, Mac or iPod touch to make voice calls using Wi-Fi, or over 3G/4G if your device has a data plan. This type of technology has been around for some time now, going under the name of VoIP (Voice over IP), but FaceTime is a flavour optimised for Apple customers.

All you need is for FaceTime to be enabled on your device, and connected to the internet. You don’t even need to know someone’s phone number, as FaceTime can use an email address instead, so long as the recipient has the feature turned on.

Why should I use FaceTime?

Well, it’s free. That means you can save your phone’s call allowance minutes by talking via Wi-Fi while at home, the office, or even in a coffee shop. As this is over the internet, you can also call friends or family in other countries, on your mobile, without incurring an eye-watering bill (presuming you have enough data).

Call quality is better too, thanks to Apple using the AAC-ELD codec, which provides HD audio but at low bitrates and with minimal latency. This means that voices sound richer when using FaceTime Audio as opposed to a regular phone signal. If you have an

unlimited data plan, you can also chat away while out and about, and there’s also the bonus that if you have a fifth generation iPod touch or at the very least an iPad 2, then you can make voice calls over Wi-Fi using the device. Now your kids finally have the iPhone they always wanted.

What limitations does FaceTime Audio have?

As all of the conversations take place across the internet, you will, of course, need a steady connection, just as you would with a traditional call. It’s also wise to bear in mind that if your data plan has a limit, so you’ll need to keep a close eye on how long you’re talking when using 3G/4G, as you can eat through your rations quickly when using the feature regularly.

How do I make a FaceTime Audio call?

Enabling FaceTime Audio is very simple. In fact, you might have done it already when you initially set up your device. To check, go to your contacts and find someone you know with an iPhone or iPad. 1. Look for a FaceTime option beneath their phone numbers, and then to the right of this should be two icons – a video camera and a phone.

2. Tap the phone and you’ll start a FaceTime Audio call. (If you tapped the camera icon here you would start a FaceTime video call).

You can also place a call via the FaceTime app.

1. Open the FaceTime app.

2. Click on Audio.

3. Tap ‘+’ to add a contact or use the search field to find the contact you wish to call.

If FaceTime isn’t set up on your device, the steps are very easy.

1. Simply go to Settings → FaceTime.

2. Enable FaceTime using the toggle switch. (You may have to wait a few seconds for activation, and approve the fact that you wish to associate the device with your FaceTime and iMessage).

3. Next, select Use your Apple ID for FaceTime.

4. Enter your details and tap Sign In. 5. Finally, select which email and phone numbers you want people to contact you on when using the service. You can be contacted on FaceTime using your mobile number, but also email addresses. You can add a number of email addresses here and pick what you want to show up as your caller ID. Now, you’ve no excuse not to catch up with that distant relative.

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Features

ANDROID LOLLIPOP FEATURES FOR iOS 9

Android Lollipop features for iOS 9 Michael Simon reveals the Android Lollipop features he’d like to see in iOS 9

A

pple and Google are locked in a never-ending game of catch-up. Each time a new version of iOS or Android is announced, there are just as many borrowed features as new ones. With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of Android Lollipop features that we’d like Apple to incorporate into iOS 9.

1.

Smarter notification

Lollipop took a number of cues from Apple for its revamped method of delivering notifications, but Google has added its own twist. Our favourite feature is the new heads-up banners for the Phone app, which lets you ignore incoming calls without having them interrupt a game of Replay. We also like how it handles the lock screen: incoming notifications are sorted by importance, so a mail message from someone in your contacts will be ranked higher than a Candy Crush full lives alert.

2.

Priority mode

On the surface, Lollipop’s Priority Mode looks like iOS’s Do Not Disturb feature, but we prefer Google’s implementation. Instead of just calls, you can also allow events and reminders to get through. What we really like, though, is the timer setting. So if, for example, you need to get some work done, you can turn on Priority Mode for a short time.

share our phones. Google has developed an ingenious method for doing so – switch to a guest user, and not only will your personal data stay private, but everything your guest does will be deleted once they log out.

5.

Multi-multitasking

iOS and Android have a similar method of multitasking, with a swipeable card system that lets you quickly switch between apps. Lollipop, however, does it just a little better. When you enter Overview, you get more than a menu of your recently used apps. Every task and tab that’s running will be displayed.

6.

Print preview

Like iOS 8, Lollipop lets you see which apps are using the most juice, but Google has added a Battery Saver mode that kills unnecessary processes, throttles the CPU, and limits background tasks when the battery reaches the red.

iOS’s print screen offers only the most rudimentary of options. By comparison, Lollipop makes it seem like you’re sitting in front of a PC, with a desktop-calibre preview screen that lets you see exactly how a picture or document is going to print. And if no wireless printer is available, Lollipop users have a save-as-PDF option.

4.

7.

3.

Better battery

Guest mode

Apple fans have given up on the prospect of multiple user accounts in iOS, but there are times when we need to

Tap screen to wake

Clicking the home button isn’t exactly a difficult way to wake up an iPhone, but Lollipop offers a different way

for supported Android phones to wake up: simply tap the display twice.

8.

Search in settings

With each iOS revision, we expect Apple to add a way to search inside Settings, but it hasn’t happened. Now Google has beaten it to the punch, adding an enormously handy magnifying glass to the top-right corner.

9.

Ambient display

It’s true that Android’s new ability to wake the display every time a notification comes in is old hat for iOS users, but in Lollipop it’s an option. We’d love to be able to temporarily turn off all lock-screen notifications with a single toggle.

10.

Smart unlock

Touch ID has made it easier than ever to unlock an iOS device, but there are times when we wish we didn’t have to use it. Google has found a middle ground between convenience and security that we think Apple should adopt. When you get a new Bluetooth or NFC device, paired Lollipop phones and tablets will automatically unlock whenever they come within range of it.

We think the Apple Watch would work really well with such a feature.

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TAKE BETTER SELFIES

Features

Take better selfies Lesa Snider offers her top tips to ensure that you take better pictures of yourself

T

hanks to smartphones and social media, snapping self portraits has become a global obsession. While it’s easier than ever to take good pictures of yourself, it’s all too easy to send the wrong message.

Here are our top tips.

Backgrounds matter Evaluate the setting of your selfie and ensure it’s appropriate. Happily, your smartphone has a front-facing camera so you can compose with confidence. As a rule, hospitals and funerals are out.

Also be careful of surroundings that reflect negatively upon your work. Don’t, for example, post beach selfies on sick days and don’t subject anyone to your messy bedroom, or cluttered car. If you do succumb to the siren call of a car selfie, park the car and ditch the seat belt. Try shooting your reflection in the wing mirror instead.

You are what you’re (not) wearing

possible, turn off your camera’s flash to avoid shiny a forehead or nose.

Shoot targeted close-ups, shadows and reflections

For better or worse, it’s human nature to judge others at first sight, and the pictures you post online live forever and are viewable by anyone. So while a bubble bath shot may have seemed like a great idea at the time, your parents or boss may disagree.

It goes without saying that nude shots always come back to haunt you, but chest-up images that capture bare shoulders are also risky – they make people wonder whether you’re naked, which can come off as creepy.

Chances are good that, by now, your friends and family know what you look like. To avoid the appearance of seriously low self-esteem, treat them to something more creative than your whole face. For example, take a picture of one eye or fill the frame with your hair.

Try shooting your shadow or reflection in something other than a mirror such as a puddle or a rainy window. The problem with mirror selfies, besides making you look like you’re trying too hard, is that the camera is visible in the shot and, if the flash fires, you get a nasty glare.

Let there be light

Strike a (pleasing) pose

Take a moment to assess the lighting before firing off a shot. Ideally, you’ll want this to be in front of or beside you. If you’re desperate for more light, try using the flashlight feature of a friend’s smartphone (if they have this option) or position your monitor or laptop in front of you to create more light. Finally, if it’s

The dreaded trout pout pose – big eyes and puckered lips – should be avoided.

Instead, smile. Alternate between closed and open-mouthed smiles for selfie variety. Or try funny expressions, or even a signature hand gesture, such as peace.

For an extra slimming effect, shoot slightly downward, turn to the side, place

your hands on your hips, and shift your weight to your back leg. Tilt your chin slightly downward – nobody wants to see up your nose – and keep your tongue in your mouth.

Stabilise your camera To avoid blurry selfies, stabilise your camera by setting it atop a surface before firing or by holding it with two hands.

Remember the iPhone has a self-timer, which lets you set the device on a surface and pose yourself in front of or use a selfie stick.

Shoot at different angles For extra creativity, try shooting a selfie panorama or hanging off a surface for an upside-down effect. If there’s more than one person in your shot, try getting behind them or lying on the ground.

Edit your images Once you’ve captured your selfie, you can improve it by using image editing software. For example, the free photosharing app Instagram or iPhoto on your Mac. They include tools and filters that can turn the ordinary into artistic.

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Features

iPOD BUYING GUIDE

iPod buying guide Martyn Casserly’s guide will help you find the perfect iPod for your needs

I

f you’re looking to buy an iPod, which one should you choose? The iPod touch (above) offers far more than just a simple music player, coming equipped with essentially all the features of a fully fledged iPhone bar the call capabilities. The nano is also a capable device, but small enough to carry anywhere, while the shuffle is simple, inexpensive, and tough. It’s not an easy decision, although Apple has simplified matters somewhat – the company quietly retired the iPod classic in October 2014, after seven years of faithful service. In this guide we will compare the various

features of each iPod – such as capacity, price and battery life – to determine which of Apple’s players is the one best suited for your needs.

The first question you should always ask yourself when considering a technology purchase is this – what do I want from the device? It’s all well and good buying the latest and greatest gadget, but this will be a waste of money if you only intend to use a fraction of its capabilities. If all you want is some musical accompaniment while you work out at the gym, the iPod touch is probably overkill. Conversely, the shuffle

will become a very frustrating device if you were intending to use it for Facebook. To lay out some of the more basic capabilities of the various iPods available we’ll start with the storage capacities of each model.

Storage With the iPod classic now a distant memory those wanting a large amount of storage on their iPod will find the options rather limiting. Currently, the iPod shuffle is available with a rather humble 2GB of storage, while the iPod nano boasts a more spacious 16GB. It’s worth bearing

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iPod shuffle in mind that this means the shuffle can hold around 450 songs encoded at 128kb/s, with the nano’s 16GB topping out at around the 4,000 mark. The only model to go higher than 16GB is the iPod touch which is available in 16-, 32- and 64GB variants. While it’s nowhere near the mammoth 160GB capacity of the iPod classic, it should still offer enough room for the vast majority of users. Of course, if you really need that extra space then it’s worth seeking out the second hand market for the classic, or checking whether high street retailers still have any stocks left.

Features iPods have come a long way since the initial music-only device that magically appeared from Steve Jobs’ jeans pocket in October 2001. Now you can buy models that have full access to the internet, play movies, and even make video calls using Apple’s FaceTime technology. All iPods are not created equal though, so here we round up the various features of each model. iPod shuffle: In many ways the shuffle is probably the most true to that original iPod, as it focuses solely on playing audio. The lack of a screen has meant that in the past you had to remember what was on the device, and switching between tracks was something of a lottery. Now, with the impressive VoiceOver feature, the iPod shuffle will read the name of the track, podcast, audiobook, or playlist to you, and allow you to choose the one you want to listen to with nary a touchscreen in sight. This

means that you can have multiple playlists on the device without having to return to your iTunes library. It’s a simple addition, but it really does make the shuffle a far more capable device that past iterations. iPod nano: The most obvious feature that differentiates the nano and the shuffle is the 2.5in multi-touch display.

This enable the nano to have a range of included apps that broaden its appeal.

Music is, of course, still the primary function, with the cool ability to create Genius mixes on the fly by tapping a button while a song is playing; the device will then automatically generate a playlist from your library based around that track.

feature, as it means that you can listen to your tunes wirelessly on bluetooth headphones, or connect to a number of home and car speakers. iPod touch: In the battle of the features, the touch is in a different category to its smaller siblings. As the only iPod to run a full version of iOS, it has access to the full App Store, with all the games, productivity tools, social media, and camera apps that you’d expect to find on an iPhone.

The touch is also a fully functional internet device, so browsing, chatting, and shopping are all available via its 4in Retina screen. The built-in camera, while not up to the quality of that found in an iPhone, still offers great shots that will

With the iPod classic now a distant memory those wanting a large amount of storage on their iPod will find the options rather limiting A screen also means video, with the nano happily playing any media synched to it from your iTunes account. It’s admittedly not the biggest display for Hollywood blockbusters, but for quick fixes on the go, or to entertain the little ones, it does the job. You can also store photos on the nano, and a built-in FM radio app makes it easy to keep up with the latest music, news or sporting events.

If you are a Nike Fitness user, then you’ll find the bespoke app on the iPod Nano a handy addition, as the device doubles as a fitness tracker that can sync up to your Nike+ account with details of your workouts. Bluetooth is also a useful

go well on Instagram or Facebook – both of which are also available. It’s easily the most advanced iPod there’s ever been, and with the category declining due to the proliferation of smartphones, it may also be the last.

Battery life iPods may not have the same always-on nature of smartphones, but battery life is still an important factor for any electronic device. You might think that the shuffle would win this category due to the lack of a power-sapping screen, its diminutive size though means that it lasts for only 15 hours. This loses out to the nano, which

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Features

iPOD BUYING GUIDE

goes for around 30 hours, and the touch – which houses the largest battery in the range-holding out for a massive 40 hours of listening time. If you watch video though, things immediately change, with the nano offering 3.5 hours and the touch reducing to 8 hours.

Price An important part of any buying decision is knowing your budget. While most of us would love a shiny new Retina iMac, the sad reality is that the price tag means we’ll have to wait a while if we want our families to have necessary food and clothing. iPods are more affordable, but the same principle should be applied when perusing the Apple store.

If you really aren’t looking to spend a lot on a device and don’t mind a limited set of functions, then the shuffle is a very tempting option at £40. Moving up to a nano will give you a few more advanced features and eight times the storage, but the price jumps up to £129. For iPod royalty, you’ll find the three models of touch priced at £159 (16GB), £199 (32GB), £249 (64GB) respectively.

When will they be updated?

One of the most frustrating buying experiences is to get home with your new purchase only to find it has been replaced by a newer, shinier model in the time it took you to travel back from the shops. So to set your mind at ease we’ve looked at the last times the current iPods were updated. iPod shuffle: After an initial six month update cycle that started back in 2007, the shuffle has become a somewhat forgotten model. The current device was introduced back in 2013, replacing the previous version which had been on the shelves since 2010, but the only update was to the colours available.

The latest updates have all occurred in September, so it would logically still be a long time before we see the current model superseded.

future is unsure. Apple has said that iPods are a declining market, and with the current model being a perfectly good player for most uses we can’t see how much Apple would change it in the coming months. Up until 2013, the nano was updated once a year, but 2014 saw no new model announced, suggesting this cycle might be slowing down. iPod touch: Of all the current range of iPods, the touch is the one that still seems to be on Apple’s radar. Updated in June 2014, with a price drop into the bargain, we’d expect to see this iOS enabled device continue to be a regular on the shelves of the Apple store and this summer/autumn looks a likely time for an upgrade.

Macworld’s buying advice Having explored the various advantages and compromises that each model offers, hopefully we’ve shed a little more light on the subject. Inevitably there will be some crossover between devices, but we feel that each is distinct enough to occupy its own place on the menu.

With that in mind here are a few final conclusions regarding who might benefit most from the various iPods available.

inexpensive device that is still powerful thanks to the VoiceOver feature, and of course, people who don’t want to spend a lot on a music player. iPod nano: Due to its size and sandboxed nature the nano would make an excellent iPod for younger children.

Those who want a svelte device with more capacity than a shuffle will also find the little iPod a very attractive option, and if you do already use the Nike+ fitness service, then the integrated app might well prove a tipping point. iPod touch: The touch is a very impressive device, but it has a price tag to match. In many ways, it strays a bit too close to the smartphone world to make it a compelling device for those who already own an iPhone. If you do want an internet capable, iOS device but find iPads a bit on the large size, then the touch will give you a good percentage of that experience, including a Retina screen, for about £100 less than the iPad mini 2. One area where it shines though is as an entry point to the Apple world for teenagers that want to communicate with friends, watch the latest YouTube videos, listen to their music, and not have ongoing bills for their parents to pay.

iPod shuffle: We think that this one is the best for sports enthusiasts, due to the fact it’s cheap, hardy, and can clip on to anything. Those with smaller music libraries will also see the value of an

iPod shuffle

iPod nano: Last updated in September 2013, the nano is another iPod whose

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2015 iPod line-up iPod shuffle

iPod nano

iPod touch

Price

£40

£129

16GB, £159; 32GB, £199; 64GB, £249

Capacity

2GB

16GB

16GB, 32GB, 64GB

Display

None

2.5in (diagonal); Multi‑Touch display

4in (diagonal); Multi‑Touch display

29x31.6x8.7mm

76.5x39.6x5.4mm

123.4x58.6x6.1mm

Weight

12.5g

31g

88g

Battery

Lithium‑ion, up to 15 hours playback

Lithium‑ion, up to 30 hours music playback, 3.5 hours video playback

Lithium‑ion, up to 40 hours music playback, 8 hours video playback

Wireless

N/A

Nike+ support, Bluetooth 4.0

802.11a/b/g/n Wi‑Fi; Bluetooth 4.0; Maps: Location‑based service4; Nike+ support

iPod shuffle USB cable

Lightning

Lightning

Cameras

None

None

5Mp iSight 5Mp iSight camera with 1080p HD video recording; FaceTime HD camera with 720p HD video recording

Features

Built‑in clip; VoiceOver

FM radio; Fitness Walk + Run support built in; Nike+ support built in

iOS 8; Siri; iMessage; apps and games; email and internet

In the box

Apple Earphones; iPod shuffle USB Cable

Apple EarPods, Lightning to USB Cable

Apple EarPods, Lightning to USB Cable, iPod touch loop (sold separately for 16GB model)

Navigation

Clickable controls with VoiceOver button

Multi‑touch display

Multi‑touch display

Audio support

AAC (8‑ to 320kb/s), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), MP3 (8‑ to 320kb/s), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF and WAV

AAC (8‑ to 320kb/s), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE‑AAC, MP3 (8‑ to 320kb/s), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF and WAV

AAC (8‑ to 320kb/s), Protected AAC (from iTunes Store), HE‑AAC, MP3 (8‑ to 320kb/s), MP3 VBR, Audible (formats 2, 3, 4, Audible Enhanced Audio, AAX and AAX+), Apple Lossless, AIFF and WAV

Photo support

None

Syncs iPod‑viewable photos in JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only) and PNG formats

Syncs iPod‑viewable photos in JPEG, BMP, GIF, TIFF, PSD (Mac only) and PNG formats

Video support

None

H.264 video, 720x576 pixels, 30fps, Baseline, Main and High Profile level 3.0 with AAC‑LC audio up to 256kb/s, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats; MPEG‑4 video, up to 2.5Mb/s, 720x576 pixels, 30fps, Simple Profile with AAC‑LC audio up to 256kb/s, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov formats

H.264 video up to 1080p, 30fps, Main Profile level 4.1 with AAC‑LC audio up to 160kb/s, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats; MPEG‑4 video, up to 2.5Mb/s, 640x480 pixels, 30fps, Simple Profile with AAC‑LC audio up to 160kb/s per channel, 48kHz, stereo audio in .m4v, .mp4 and .mov file formats; Motion JPEG (M‑JPEG) up to 35Mb/s, 1280x720 pixels, 30fps, audio in ulaw, PCM stereo audio in .avi file format

Size

Connector

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Buyers’ Guide Mac Pro

UPDATED

iMac

19/12/13

Apple’s late 2013 Mac Pro has been completely redesigned inside and out. The new model has a cylindrical case, and the entire top acts as a carrying handle. That’s possible because the new version is about one-eighth of the size of the previous Mac Pro tower, and stands at 9.9in tall. The new design is built around a ‘unified thermal core’ that aims to keep the Mac Pro cool.

Under the hood, there’s an Intel Xeon E5 processor. It can have up to 12 cores, and offers double the CPU performance of the current Mac Pro. It uses a third-generation PCI Express architecture, and 1866MHz ECC DDR3 RAM. When it comes to graphics, the new Mac Pro has dual AMD FirePro workstation-class GPUs, and can run three 4K displays.

It’s up to two-and-a-half times faster than its predecessor, and delivers seven teraflops of computer power.

Apple is outfitting the new Mac Pro with PCIe-based flash memory, which is 10 times faster than traditional desktop hard drives. It has four USB 3.0 ports, six Thunderbolt 2 sockets, gigabit ethernet and HDMI.

UPDATED

17/10/14

Apple has added a Retina display iMac to its range of all-in-one computers. Only the 27in model gains this – the 21in version doesn’t get a hi-res screen. If, however, you don’t want the extra expense of a non-Retina 27in option is still available.

All the iMacs come with Intel’s fourth-generation Haswell processor. The benefits of this for desktop computers are not as profound as for laptops, as a big factor is lower power consumption, and therefore better battery life. But, Haswell could mean you’ll save on your electricity bill, and it will help your machine stay quieter and cooler.

The iMac retains the slimline aluminium design of its predecessor along with the beautiful-looking display. build-to-order options is the Fusion Drive – a hybrid storage device combining flash storage with a regular hard drive.

Price: From £2,499 Pros: PCIe flash memory; six Thunderbolt 2 ports Cons: No internal expansion options

Price: 21.5in £899 to £1,199; 27in £1,449 to £1,599; Retina 5K display, £1,999 Pros: Retina display option, thin design; updated processor; improved graphics Cons: No optical drive or FireWire 800 ports

Macworld preview: tinyurl.com/prj4vp9

Full review: Retina display, tinyurl.com/qhb5rs8; tinyurl.com/pfu6xox

MacBook Pro

UPDATED

11/06/12

Apple removed the 15in model from its non-Retina MacBook Pro range, so only a 13in version is available. Apart from this nothing has changed – it has the same unibody design, upgradability and price, and it remains the only MacBook to have an optical drive. On the inside, there’s an Intel Core i5 Ivy Bridge processor, 4GB RAM and a 500GB, 5400rpm hard drive. Connectivity options include USB 3.0, Thunderbolt, FireWire and ethernet. While these specs aren’t as impressive as Apple’s other MacBooks they are still more than enough for the non-creative professional or the home user. If you want to future-proof your computer, then a number of configuration options are available at the point of purchase, including a 2.9GHz Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB RAM and a 1TB hard drive. Plus, it will run OS X Mavericks, and any other Mac software you may already have.

MacBook Air

UPDATED

29/04/14

This year’s MacBook Air line-up isn’t all that different to last year’s model, apart from a substantial price decrease. As previously, the 2014 options are available in four standard configurations: two with 11.6in screens and two with 13.3in screens. The new prices place the entry-level 128GB 11in MacBook Air at £749, down £100 from £849. Pricing changes aside, there’s a subtle increase in processor speeds for the new machines. All four configurations have the same Intel 1.4GHz dual-core Core i5 processor, which is 100MHz faster than the 1.3GHz dual-core Core i5 processor found in the mid-2013 Air. Everything else is the same as last year’s model: 4GB of DDR3 memory, Intel HD 5000 integrated graphics, and either 128- or 256GB of PCIe-connected flash storage. The 11.6- and 13.3in displays keep the same resolutions, 1366x768 and 1440x900, respectively – the new Air doesn’t include a Retina display like some analysts had predicted. We were disappointed that the new Airs didn’t perform as well in our speed tests as last year’s models, although in many tests the newer models outperformed the 2013 versions.

Price: £899 Pros: USB 3.0; Intel Core i7 Ivy Bridge processors; nVidia graphics; Thunderbolt Cons: No 15in model available; no Retina display

Price: 11in £749 to £899; 13in £849 to £999 Pros: Stylish; super-slim; great battery life; price has been reduced Cons: Still no Retina display

Full review: tinyurl.com/nsbusw4

Full review: tinyurl.com/Ldxfyks

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MacBook Pro Retina display

UPDATED

29/07/14

Apple has upgraded its MacBook Pro with Retina display line-up. The 13- and 15in models have been given a small speed bump and their prices cut. It seems likely that Apple has made these slight tweaks to the range predominantly to allow it to bring down pricing, but also because Intel’s Broadwell processors – the successor to the Haswell chips used in these Macs and the generation before them – aren’t yet available. The screen itself hasn’t been upgraded, but it’s still stunning: the 15in version offers a resolution of 2880x1800 pixels; while the 13in option has an equally striking 2560x1600 pixels. Connectivity options are just as impressive and include 2x Thunderbolt 2, 2x USB 3.0 and 1x HDMI ports. The MacBooks in this line-up also have the same dimensions and weigh the same as the late 2013 line-up, making it a great portable option.

Mac mini

UPDATED UPDATED

20/07/11 20/07/11

Price: £399 to £799 Pros: Thunderbolt 2; small size; 1TB Fusion Drive on top model Cons: Doesn’t come with a monitor, keyboard or mouse

Full review: 13in, tinyurl.com/LctLqL8; 15in, tinyurl.com/pugvnuf

Full review: tinyurl.com/k7c4akh

The most obvious new addition to the iPad mini 3 is Touch ID, which will allow you to unlock the device, and to open compatible apps. Apple has also introduced a gold version to the range. That, however, is it as far as new features are concerned. This isn’t to say this isn’t a great little tablet. It still has a gorgeous-looking Retina display, which offers 326ppi and its diminutive size means it will easily fit into a bag. To power this tablet, Apple has decided to use the same A7 chip as the iPad mini 2 and not the A8X found on the Air 2. The battery life is also the same as its predecessor – 10 hours.

UPDATED

17/10/14

17/10/14

Externally, the Mac mini is more or less unchanged from its previous incarnation, save for the introduction of Thunderbolt 2 ports and the loss of FireWire. It’s 19.7cm square and 3.6cm deep, which is where it earns its ‘mini’ name. The entry-level model has a 1.4GHz dual-core i5 chip and 500GB hard drive, while the mid-range option comes with a 2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 chip and a 1TB hard drive. The top model has a 2.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor and 1TB Fusion Drive. Every model is configurable should you want to boost the specs of your Mac mini. Among the £799 model’s build-to-order options are a 1TB SSD, a 3GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 chip and 16GB of RAM. You should note that while this is Apple’s most affordable system, you’ll need to factor in the cost of a monitor, keyboard and mouse.

Price: 13in £999 to £1,399; 15in £1,599 to £1,999 Pros: Stunning Retina display; USB 3.0; thin design; Haswell processors Cons: No optical drive; expensive; small storage options

iPad mini 3

UPDATED

iPad Air 2

UPDATED

17/10/14

Apple has updated its iPad range, and this time around the company has continued its mantra that slimmer is better – it now measures just 6.1mm wide. It’s also lighter than its predecessor – 437g compared to 469g. However, despite its low weight and slimline design, it still feels solid. The big addition is the introduction of Touch ID, which you’ll be able to use to unlock the tablet, and to open various apps. The slimline tablet also comes with a new chip – the A8X. This offers a 64-bit architecture and three billion transistors and, according to Apple, is 40 percent faster than the original iPad Air. Another benefit of this processor is that it uses quad-core graphics, something that game developers will be keen to utilise.

Price: Wi-Fi £319 to £479; Wi-Fi + 4G £419 to £579 Pros: Touch ID; Retina display Cons: Little to make it stand out from its predecessors

Price: Wi-Fi £399 to £559; Wi-Fi + 4G £499 to £659 Pros: Touch ID; A8X chip; slimmer than ever; beautiful screen Cons: If you already own an iPad there’s not enough here to warrant an upgrade

Full review: tinyurl.com/LgLq54t

Full review: tinyurl.com/mg9t2cx

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Buyers’ Guide

iPhone 6

UPDATED

19/09/14

iPhone 5s 6 Plus

It’s clear that the most important change with the iPhone 6 is its size.

Yes, the processor is a bit faster and the camera is slightly improved, but it’s the 4.7in display that makes the biggest difference. It means a better experience when watching TV shows or movies on your iPhone, it displays photos better, and it allows more information to be shown on the screen at once. In terms of connectivity, the iPhone 6 has better LTE capabilities, and it also has NFC for the first time, which will work together with the company’s new Apple Pay mobile payment service. This won’t be introduced to the UK until sometime in 2015, though. If you’ve got an iPhone 5 or older, then the 6 is a solid upgrade that you’ll get used to after just a few days of adjustment, but 5s owners might want to consider waiting another year for the iPhone 6s as they’ve already got a brilliant smartphone and aside from that bigger display the iPhone 6 doesn’t bring many other new features to the table.

iPhone 6 Plus is a stunning piece of design, and its sumptuous 5.5in screen will be a magnificent showpiece for the latest games, movies and web pages.

It’s also available in capacities up to 128GB, which is great if you want to store lots of programmes and films on your device. The 64-bit A8 chip will improve performance. Whether the clever Reachability feature will be enough to solve the problems of such a large smartphone remain to be seen, however, and the price tag remains intimidating.

The iPhone 6 Plus is a huge leap from the iPhone 5s, not in terms of technology so much as in terms of its physical presence.

It won’t be for everyone, but we are sure that it will pick up many advocates for whom the bigger screen is ideal.

Cons: Reqires inconsistant ‘Reachability’ tool for one-handed use

Cons: Expensive; rear camera sticks out a little;

Full review: tinyurl.com/k2e

Full review: tinyurl.com/kn36zee

UPDATED

20/09/13

The 5c is the cheapest of Apple’s iPhone models. As our Macworld US colleagues put it, the 5c “looks a bit like the iPhone 5 had a baby with the plastic-backed iPhone 3GS”. This is the first time Apple’s handset has been available in anything other than black and white – it’s available in pink, yellow, blue, green or white. It’s constructed from a polycarbonate shell, crafted from a single piece of plastic, and feels good to hold and well built without being heavy. On the inside is a A6 chip, the same processor as the iPhone 5. If you are thinking of buying a 5c, you should note that since Apple updated its iPhone range, this handset is available only with 8GB of storage, which may not be enough if you have lots of apps.

Price: 8GB £319 Pros: Won’t slip out of your hand; colourful; cheapest iPhone

20/09/13 19/09/14

Price: 16GB £619; 32GB £699; 128GB £789 Pros: Great-looking screen; beautiful design;

Price: 16GB £539; 64GB £619; 128GB £699 Pros: New design more comfortable to hold; improved screen

iPhone 5c

UPDATED

iPhone 5s

UPDATED

20/09/13

As with previous iPhone ‘s’ model launches, the 5s looks very similar to its predecessor and feels similar, too, with no noticeable added weight and not much new to look at. However, there are three colour options: silver, gold and ‘space grey’. In addition to these colours, the 5s has a metallic ring around the Home button, which is part of the new Touch ID fingerprint sensor feature. This unlocks the device, although you’ll still need a passcode as a backup to access the device. In addition to unlocking the 5s, the sensor can be used to make secure purchases from the iTunes Store or the iBookstore.

On the inside there’s a new A7 chip, making it the first 64-bit phone. According to Apple this means the 5s is twice as fast as the 5. The camera has also been given a significant boost.

While it’s still 8Mp, it features a five-element Apple-designed lens with a larger f/2.2 aperture.

A dual-LED flash should mean better low-light photos.

Price: 16GB £459; 32GB £499 Pros: Decent camera; new colours; fingerprint sensor

Cons: Only an 8GB version available; colours not to everyone’s taste

Cons: No battery improvements

Full review: tinyurl.com/qjogxkf

Full review: tinyurl.com/kn36zee

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Technical specifications Product Mac mini

iMac Retina 5K display

Processor

Display

RAM

1.4GHz dualcore Intel Core i5

None

4GB

500GB (5400rpm)

2x Thunderbolt 2, 4x USB 3.0, HDMI, SDXC card slot, gigabit ethernet, audio in, headphone, IR receiver

Intel HD Graphics 5000

N/A

£399

2.6GHz dualcore Intel Core i5

None

8GB

1TB (5400rpm)

2x Thunderbolt 2, 4x USB 3.0, HDMI, SDXC card slot, gigabit ethernet, audio in, headphone, IR receiver

Intel Iris Graphics

N/A

£569

2.8GHz dualcore Intel Core i5

None

8GB

1TB Fusion Drive

2x Thunderbolt 2, 4x USB 3.0, HDMI, SDXC card slot, gigabit ethernet, audio in, headphone, IR receiver

Intel Iris Graphics

N/A

£799

8GB

1TB Fusion Drive

Headphone, SDXC card slot, 4x USB 3.0, 2x Thunderbolt 2, gigabit ethernet

AMD Radeon R9 M290X

N/A

£1,999

3.5GHz quad27in core Intel Core Retina i5 processor

Storage

Ports and connections

Graphics card

Star rating

Price

1.4GHz dualcore Intel Core i5

21.5in LED 8GB (BL)

500GB (5400rpm)

Headphone, SDXC card slot, 4x USB 3.0, 2x Thunderbolt 2, gigabit ethernet

Intel HD Graphics 5000

£899

2.7GHz quadcore Intel Core i5

21.5in LED 8GB (BL)

1TB (5400rpm)

Headphone, SDXC card slot, 4x USB 3.0, 2x Thunderbolt 2, gigabit ethernet

Intel Iris Pro Graphics

£1,049

2.9GHz quadcore Intel Core i5

21.5in LED 8GB (BL)

1TB (5400rpm)

Headphone, SDXC card slot, 4x USB 3.0, 2x Thunderbolt 2, gigabit ethernet

nVidia GeForce GT 750M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory

£1,199

3.2GHz quadcore Intel Core i5

27.5in LED (BL)

8GB

1TB (7200rpm)

Headphone, SDXC card slot, 4x USB 3.0, 2x Thunderbolt 2, gigabit ethernet

nVidia GeForce GT 755M with 1GB of GDDR5 memory

£1,449

3.4GHz quadcore Intel Core i5

27.5in LED (BL)

8GB

1TB (7200rpm)

Headphone, SDXC card slot, 4x USB 3.0, 2x Thunderbolt 2, gigabit ethernet

nVidia GeForce GTX 775M with 2GB of GDDR5 memory

£1,599

3.7GHz quadcore Intel Xeon E5

None

12GB

256GB (configurable to 512GB or 1TB)

4x USB 3.0, 6x Thunderbolt 2, dual gigabit ethernet, HDMI 1.4 Ultra HD

Dual AMD FirePro D300

N/A

£2,499

3.5GHz six-core Intel Xeon E5

None

16GB

256GB (configurable to 512GB or 1TB)

4x USB 3.0, 6x Thunderbolt 2, dual gigabit ethernet, HDMI 1.4 Ultra HD

Dual AMD FirePro D300

N/A

£3,299

2.6GHz dualcore Intel Core i5

13in Retina 8GB

128GB flash storage

2x Thunderbolt 2, 2x USB 3.0, HDMI, SDXC card slot

Intel Iris Graphics

£999

2.6GHz dualcore Intel Core i5

13in Retina 8GB

256GB flash storage

2x Thunderbolt 2, 2x USB 3.0, HDMI, SDXC card slot

Intel Iris Graphics

£1,199

2.8GHz dualcore Intel Core i5

13in Retina 8GB

512GB flash storage

2x Thunderbolt 2, 2x USB 3.0, HDMI, SDXC card slot

Intel Iris Graphics

£1,399

2.2GHz quadcore Intel Core i7

15in Retina 16GB

256GB flash storage

2x Thunderbolt 2, 2x USB 3.0, HDMI, SDXC card slot

Intel Iris Pro Graphics

2.5GHz quadcore Intel Core i7

15in Retina 16GB

512GB flash storage

2x Thunderbolt 2, 2x USB 3.0, HDMI, SDXC card slot

Intel Iris Pro Graphics + nVidia GeForce GT 750M

MacBook Pro

2.5GHz dualcore Intel Core i5

13in LED (BL)

4GB

500GB (5400rpm)

2x USB 3.0, HDMI, SDXC card Intel HD Graphics 4000 slot, FireWire 800, Thunderbolt

MacBook Air

1.4GHz dualcore Intel Core i5

11in LED

4GB

128GB flash storage 2x USB 3.0, Thunderbolt

Intel HD Graphics 5000

£749

1.4GHz dualcore Intel Core i5

11in LED

4GB

128GB flash storage 2x USB 3.0, Thunderbolt

Intel HD Graphics 5000

£899

1.4GHz dualcore Intel Core i5

13in LED

4GB

128GB flash storage

2x USB 3.0, Thunderbolt, SDXC card slot

Intel HD Graphics 5000

£849

1.4GHz dualcore Intel Core i5

13in LED

4GB

128GB flash storage

2x USB 3.0, Thunderbolt, SDXC card slot

Intel HD Graphics 5000

£999

iMac

Mac Pro

MacBook Pro with Retina display

N/A

£1,599

£1,999

N/A

£899

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Buyers’ Guide

APPLE HARDWARE

Apple AirPort Time Capsule

Full review: tinyurl.com/Lh6pjqu apple.com/uk, 2TB £249, 3TB £349 Back up your Mac with AirPort Time Capsule, Apple’s wireless hard drive that works with Time Machine in OS X. This new version is also a Wi-Fi base station featuring 802.11ac technology, which is said to provide up to three times faster Wi-Fi than 802.11n.

Pros: Easy to use; combines network storage and high-speed 802.11ac Wi-Fi in a single unit Cons: Expensive; doesn’t include an ADSL or modem cable

Apple AirPort Extreme Base Station Full review: tinyurl.com/mfdLLsc apple.com/uk, £169 The latest version of the AirPort Extreme Base Station offers dual-band Wi-Fi technology to provide wireless access for devices including Macs, iOS devices and the Apple TV. Pros: Excellent performance; nice design; easy to set up Cons: Expensive; lacks advanced features

Apple Lightning to 30-pin adaptor Full review: tinyurl.com/nkqfbfz apple.com/uk, £25 If you want to connect the iPhone 5, 5s or 5c to an speaker system with a 30-pin dock, or other 30-pin audio or synching dock device, then this is the way to do it (although we’d suggest the version with a cable to avoid the precarious balancing act). We’re disappointed that it works only with audio and not video.

Pros: Enables you to connect the iPhone 5, 5s or 5c to older dock and speaker systems Cons: Puts an extra 2cm on the iPhone 5; Lightning feels a bit small to be holding up an iPhone; doesn’t output video; expensive

Apple Thunderbolt Display

Full review: tinyurl.com/nkhkzm8 apple.com/uk, £899 For owners of the 2011 MacBook Air, the Thunderbolt Display is a fantastic way to get iMac-like features in one of the lightest laptops available. If your Mac doesn’t have Thunderbolt, the inflexible Thunderbolt Display is a little less interesting.

Pros: Can charge Apple laptops; USB 2.0, FireWire 800 and ethernet connectivity; single cable from Mac cuts down clutter Cons: Stand lacks flexibility; reflective screen limits display placement; few customisation options

Apple 27in LED Cinema Display

Full review: tinyurl.com/onaxe2n apple.com/uk, £899 Apple’s 27in LED Cinema Display makes a good companion to any Mac with a Mini DisplayPort connection, but is especially well suited to portable Mac users who can take advantage of the MagSafe power connector and the display’s USB ports to attach peripherals.

Pros: MagSafe connector to charge Mac portables; built-in speakers and iSight Cons: Limited adjustment options; glossy screen is prone to glare; Apple doesn’t officially support using the display with anything but Mini DisplayPort

Apple Magic Trackpad

Full review: tinyurl.com/qd474vb apple.com/uk, £59 If you’re a desktop Mac user and a fan of the multitouch trackpads on Apple’s laptops, the Magic Trackpad is for you. It gives you the same clickable glass surface and multitouch gestures as those laptop trackpads in a wireless desktop model, with the bonus of nearly twice the trackpad area.

Pros: Large multitouch surface; works identically to Apple’s laptop trackpads; rugged, portable design matches Apple’s keyboards; easy setup Cons: Not as precise as using a mouse or trackball; not ideal for large screens or multiple displays

Apple Magic Mouse

Full review: tinyurl.com/nc9o95e apple.com/uk, £59 Although it’s not perfect, the Magic Mouse successfully combines design and usability. It’s great as a two-button wireless mouse, but if you need more than two buttons, the Magic Mouse is not for you.

Pros: Looks stunning; multitouch is easy to master; excellent tracking; very fast reconnect after idle Cons: Low profile; may not be comfortable for larger hands; some modes are confusing; buttons and speed settings can’t be programmed; expensive

Apple Keyboard

Full review: tinyurl.com/px5rj8c apple.com/uk, £56 As a portable option that makes typing on the Mac more comfortable, Apple’s own Bluetooth keyboard also complements any iOS device, although you would need an additional case or stand for your iPhone or iPad to make typing truly convenient.

Pros: Low profile; lightweight; portable; Apple function keys; instant pairing; great brushed-aluminium styling Cons: Some function keys missing; no carry case; no numeric keypad; could be too cramped for some users; no dock for iOS devices

Apple TV

Full review: tinyurl.com/q3qa6pz apple.com/uk, £79 There’s a lot to like about the Apple’s set-top box: it’s well-built and easy to use; and now that Apple has reduced the price, it’s no longer the most expensive option for streaming TV. However, the Apple TV – at least in the UK – still doesn’t offer the variety of content offered by much of the competition.

Pros: Relatively inexpensive, easy-to-use and stylish set-top box Cons: Not much content; ties you in to iTunes

Apple AirPort Express Base Station Full review: tinyurl.com/q4xqszq apple.com/uk, £79 Owning an Apple router is a great option for those with multiple Apple devices, and it’s an easier and smarter way to set up and manage a network in the home or small office. Its big brother’s faster ethernet connections and external hard drive support may be worth paying the extra for.

Pros: Small and neat; AirPlay functionality; dual antennae; good software interface that can be used from Mac or iOS device Cons: No longer plugs directly into a wall; has only 100base-T ethernet sockets

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Full reviews: tinyurl.com/ohv23hs N/A apple.com/uk, Free Apple’s latest operating system is available to download now and comes with some exciting new features. The biggest of these is Continuity, which makes it easier to work with, and switch between, all your OS X and iOS devices. Yosemite has also been redesigned, making it easier to use.

Pros: Continuity between Mac OS and iOS; redesigned interface; free to upgrade Cons: Not all of the features work on every Mac – AirDrop and Continuity

Apple iOS 8 Full reviews: tinyurl.com/kmavwnw apple.com/uk, Free iOS 8 has a host of small but convenient tweaks (particularly in Messages, Mail and Photos, but throughout the system), and opens up new possibilities for app developers to get creative. Widgets are a big addition, third-party keyboards are a huge addition, and we can’t wait to see what games developers do with Metal.

Pros: Continuity between Mac OS and iOS; widgets; QuickType and third-party keyboards Cons: Needs a large amount of space to install

Apple Final Cut Pro X 10.1

Full reviews: tinyurl.com/phs7zc7 apple.com/uk, £199 With Final Cut Pro X, Apple’s video editor has finally come of age, with improvements such as enhanced libraries and improved timing options. The software has also been optimised to make full use of the new Mac Pro.

APPLE SOFTWARE

Apple OS X Yosemite

Pros: Flexible media management; added editing functionality; third-party plug-in support; 4K editing workflow Cons: Collaborative workflows needs careful management

Apple Logic Pro X

Full reviews: tinyurl.com/nfgavnz apple.com/uk, £139 Logic Pro X offers a lot of great new features at a price that even starving musicians can afford. Thanks to its easier-to-use interface, Logic Pro X becomes a viable next step for GarageBand users, and everyone with an iPad should be happy with the convenience wrought by the free Logic Remote app.

Pros: Affordable; easy-to-use interface; realistic sounds; great new features Cons: Not compatible with 32-bit plug-ins

Apple iTunes 12

Full reviews: tinyurl.com/kj32hvu apple.com/uk, free Apple’s new iTunes 12 makes the music manager cleaner, clearer and easier to use, but it’s still missing out on a whole generation of social media. It’s time Apple took iTunes apart and rebuilt it from scratch.

Pros: Cleaner interface; neat integration of media library and iTunes Store; apps starting to become less prominent Cons: Remains a cluster of many disparate services; lacks focus; no iTunes Radio in the UK; lacks Facebook or social media integration; missing HD Audio

Apple iLife: GarageBand, iMovie, iPhoto

Full reviews: tinyurl.com/Lpz6sdL, tinyurl.com/L55ycea, tinyurl.com/qa5bq4z Apple has overhauled its iLife range of applications, which have been redesigned to work with both OS X Mavericks and iOS 7. Along with support for iCloud integration and 64-bit coding, the software offers users a streamlined interface and hundreds of new features. apple.com/uk, free upgrade or £10.49

Pros: GarageBand: Drummer track option; iCloud support. iMovie: Better editing tools; new interface. iPhoto: 64-bit support offers improved performance Cons: GarageBand: Crashes some older Macs; can no longer create a podcast. iMovie: No more chapter markers. iPhoto: Photo Stream sharing options are poorly explained

Apple iWork: Keynote, Numbers, Pages

First reviews: tinyurl.com/mkfd9to, apple.com/uk, £13 each tinyurl.com/nov5uor, tinyurl.com/ofht5qg It’s been a long time coming, but Apple has finally updated its suite of iWork applications. Each program has been designed to be used on the Mac, iOS and iCloud, so you’ll be able to edit a document from different devices. Not only that, but the suite has a new interface that promises to make creating beautiful documents easy.

Pros: Keynote: Simplified toolbar; new transitions and animations. Numbers: Beautiful interface; saves documents online. Pages: Excellent editing tools; Format Inspector Cons: Keynote: Interface over-simplified. Numbers: Scrappy Excel conversion. Pages: Missing standalone page-layout tools

iWork for iCloud beta: Pages, Keynote, Numbers Full review: tinyurl.com/kk5cvyv

N/A apple.com/uk, free tinyurl.com/osz2w97, tinyurl.com/nfn843c The different applications that make up iWork for iCloud are beautiful to behold and capable of making equally gorgeous documents. Although we encountered a few bugs, for example, you can’t collaborate with others in Pages, it is still in beta. And it’s free.

Pros: Gorgeous interface; can access and edit documents anywhere; saves documents online; free Cons: Not compatible with all browsers; not as many tools as desktop counterparts

Apple Aperture 3

Full review: tinyurl.com/ppc2d6d apple.com/uk, £54 A lot has changed in this version of Aperture, so much in fact that it feels a little different, but it’s all the better for it: improved RAW engine, updated sorting options, more powerful search features, much more versatile adjustments tools, among many others.

Pros: Vastly improved slideshows; impressive new brushes; multitouch aware; ability to split and merge libraries; easy export to Flickr and Facebook Cons: Sporadic reports of problems when upgrading older libraries; web page creation not overhauled; need a powerful Mac and lots of RAM to run well

Apple Logic Express 9

Full review: tinyurl.com/qcyo2yu apple.com/uk, £159 Logic 9 is first-class home-recording software for all types of musicians, especially guitarists. It offers streamlined audio editing, plenty of loops and instruments, stacks of virtual amps/speakers and pedals for guitarists, and it reads GarageBand files.

Pros: Plenty of virtual amp/speaker/pedal combos; ability to add chord diagrams to printed music; lots of loops and instruments; high-quality effects Cons: Interface still dense despite streamlining; could use more templates and a tutorial for beginners

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Buyers’ Guide

iOS APPS: GAMES

TwoDots

Full review: tinyurl.com/oezrnua weplaydots.com, Free (in-app purchases) Although connecting dots may not be the most thrilling of concepts, the introduction of levels with increasing difficulty throughout adds a level of addictiveness that the original ‘Dots’ just can’t match. The simple design of the game still remains, with all the attention on the puzzle in hand.

Pros: Fun; simple design; addictive Cons: Could get expensive if you don’t resist in-app purchases

Thomas Was Alone

Full review: tinyurl.com/Lv7gtse bossastudios.com, £3.99 Thomas Was Alone is artful without graduating into a full-on art game, and an accomplished piece of game design. It’s an attractive, thoughtful and original series of platforming puzzles, with an unexpectedly satisfying (if light) story popping its head in from time to time. A fine iPad game.

Pros: Clever platform-puzzle gameplay; beautiful and original design; finely-tuned difficulty curve Cons: Danny Wallace’s voice-over is rather jaunty, though, this can be turned off; hardcore puzzle addicts may not find the game brutal enough

Leo’s Fortune

Full review: tinyurl.com/ncq65cu leosfortune.com, £2.99 A visually dazzling, fast-paced – and now Apple Design Award-winning – platform game that’s frequently a treat, but also sometimes a bit too tough for its own good.

Still, the smart design ensures that almost anyone can finish the quest, and speedruns are there for the truly dedicated to master.

Pros: Plenty of levels; inventive traps; looks lovely; surprisingly great voice acting Cons: A few too many leaps into the unknown; insanely tight speedrun targets

FTL: Faster Than Light

Full review: tinyurl.com/nt7ymmk ftlgame.com, £6.99 It’s not cheap for an iPad game, but FTL: Faster Than Light is well worth the money, thanks to its gripping, merciless gameplay and rich depth of content. (This game incorporates the Advanced Edition that PC gamers will be familiar with.) Highly recommended.

Pros: Tense gameplay; addictive; every game is different Cons: Expensive; some might find it off-puttingly cruel

Threes!

Full review: tinyurl.com/qzyqwwL asherv.com/threes, £1.49 Threes is a great iPhone puzzle game. Attractive, potently addictive, simple yet full of strategic depth, Threes (or ‘Threes!’ to give the official title) is an early contender for iOS game of the year. A wholehearted recommendation.

Pros: Beautifully simple interface; real strategic depth Cons: Lack of instant restart button

iOS APPS: VIDEO & PHOTOGRAPHY

Adobe Lightroom Mobile for iPad

Full review: tinyurl.com/pmet6r7 adobe.com/uk, free as part of Adobe Creative Cloud If you are a Creative Cloud subscriber and a power user of Lightroom 5.4, downloading this to your iPad is a no-brainer. Despite several glaring omissions, which hopefully will be addressed in version 2.0, it offers a useful mobile extension to a professional photography workflow.

Pros: Sync with Lightroom Desktop; Collections; range of image adjustments and preset effects; integration with iOS camera roll Cons: Limited rating system; no keywording; no RAW support; available only to Creative Cloud subscribers; slow to sync; no Flickr or Behance; exports low-res proxy files

VSCO Cam

Full review: tinyurl.com/mLu542x vsco.co, free A great set of editing tools along with some beautiful, evocative photo presets, available in both free and paid versions, makes VSCO Cam an essential app for anyone who takes photos on an iPhone. It elevates simple snaps to something approaching art, while showcasing the creative potential of Apple devices to all.

Pros: Stunning photo presets; excellent photo editing tools; ability to import images; full-resolution image making and editing; good support Cons: Some tools are available only on newer iDevices; nine ‘Top In-App Purchases’ could prove expensive if bought individually over time

Analog Film

Full review: tinyurl.com/ngynyos ordinaryfactory.wordpress.com, £1.99 It’s difficult to determine how authentic Analog Film is in relation to the film stock it claims to recreate digitally, but the results are both attractive and evocative.

Despite the lack of even basic editing tools, we love the choice of black-and-white effects, which can add style and substance to even the most casual of snaps.

Pros: Around 250 film stock presets produces subtle yet varied film-like results; plenty of black-and-white variations; simple user interface; compatible with older iOS devices Cons: Lacks editing tools, including ability to adjust, crop, straighten images; no frames or borders

Scout Camera

Full review: tinyurl.com/n6Ltopk crushapps.com, £1.49 Scout Camera’s great strength is to place emphasis on the photographer capturing a moment, not the process of editing images retrospectively using your iPhone or iPad. Although you can combine the app with others to good effect, it still excels as a creative tool that requires little more than a keen eye and steady hand.

Pros: Great range of adjustable colour filters and artistic crops; beautiful, understated user interface; emphasis on capturing the moment not editing images endlessly Cons: No optional grid lines for ensuring straight photographs; no ability to import existing photos for editing; lacks full range of editing tools; rather modest iOS 7 makeover

Perfect B&W

Full review: tinyurl.com/nzz24jc ononesoftware.com, £1.49 There are plenty of photo manipulation apps on the market, but for getting arty with monochrome images, especially with one-click looks, this one is great. Precision tools among the Options would be interesting, but at this price it’s hard to compare the app with more powerful features present in desktop image-editing software.

Pros: Instant preset artistic looks; takes full advantage of iOS camera; integration with social media; compositional aids; non-destructive workflow; inexpensive Cons: Some of the manual adjustment options could be fine-tuned and improved; more border/frame choices would be welcome

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Pros: Attractive, productive user interface; wide appeal; good range of features including ability to sync notes via Dropbox; search function; password protection Cons: Procrastinators may find the lack of set deadlines and alerts frustrating; no desktop version; slightly steeper learning curve than some list-making apps

Vesper

Full review: tinyurl.com/ktkbbdc vesperapp.co, £2.49 Vesper shows a lot of potential with a beautiful, aesthetically pleasing user interface that’s a pleasure to use. It’s a fine example of Apple’s iOS 7 radically streamlined redesign, and we only hope new features – synching of notes particularly – are on the developer’s to-do list.

Pros: Clean, attractive interface; intuitive design makes for productive note-taking and good navigation; ability to add and adjust text and add photos; shows great potential Cons: Synching options on the to-do list; no iPad native version; no Mac version; cheaper and free alternatives; a few iOS 7 bugs noted on Twitter

Clear+

Full review: tinyurl.com/L4twwm8 realmacsoftware.com, £2.99 Embracing Apple’s iOS 7 redesign and new features, Clear+ is one to-do list that’s done right, leaving no excuses not to start organising your daily tasks. Beautifully considered, Realmac Software have crafted an app that’s intuitive to use and has real longevity, one that best showcases Apple’s recent focus on simplicity of design.

Pros: Potential to speed productivity and organise daily tasks; now with iOS 7 tweaks and enhancements; attractive, intuitive interface; modest learning curve Cons: No Reminders as yet; not a radical overhaul of the previous Clear app; iOS 7 only update; some features are iPad only, interface may look like a Windows phone app

Day One

Full review: tinyurl.com/qgtjm44 dayoneapp.com, £6.99 With Day One, the filters are off. Free of the Facebook effect, your life and thoughts become your own. There are no work colleagues to fear offending, no friends who’ll feel left out. It’s a diary for the social-media age that you don’t need to share.

Pros: Integrates with iOS version; markdown support; calendar-based input Cons: No local encryption; only one image per entry

Parallels Access

Full review: tinyurl.com/p68ebm2 parallels.com/uk, £54 per machine, per year It’s a shame that a truly innovative piece of software that shows real transformative potential is so expensive. Compared to its free rivals, Parallels Access is the clear winner on feature count, and its ability to rejig a desktop display on to an iPad’s screen is second-to-none, but at £54 per machine per year it’s more than we’d pay.

iOS APPS: BUSINESS & PRODUCTIVITY

Paperless Full review: tinyurl.com/oLgnzqk crushapps.com, £1.99 Paperless will appeal to those who want to keep track of daily tasks, and anyone who has more long-term goals and even dreams. As Paperless doesn’t set date sensitive goals, it’s a good way to ensure things get done at your own pace, free of the disappointment of missing deadlines.

Pros: Appification process is fantastic; makes Mac remote desktop much easier to use Cons: Too expensive; replaces a similar but cheaper app; currently works only on iPad

Full review: tinyurl.com/Lyn5xLL facebook.com, free On the whole Facebook 8.0 for iPad and iPhone is an improvement over the previous version. It’s a slick and clean app that’s easy to use, and with it installed you may hardly ever use the Facebook website again. We’re also glad to see that Facebook improve matters with a slew of speed enhancements and bug fixes.

Pros: Clean interface; ability to limit sharing to select audiences; good integration with iOS Cons: No easy way to just view stories from Friends; not so easy to manage friends lists; no trending or detailed information

TuneIn Radio Pro

Full review: tinyurl.com/LLuLqo5 tunein.com, 69p The addition of ads on what’s billed as a pro app aside, TuneIn Radio Pro is still an excellent choice for enjoying radio from the UK and anywhere in the world. The ability to catch up with on-demand podcasts and record content for offline playback is a bonus, which only enhances an already great listening experience.

Pros: Impressive choice of content from around the world; ability to catch up with podcasts; record function; option to save favourite channels Cons: Recent addition of ads on TuneIn Radio Pro; broadcasters restrict some content due to regional rights; similar TuneIn Radio is free

Flipboard

Full review: tinyurl.com/Lb3qg83 flipboard.com, free Flipboard is a must-have app, more so with the introduction of iOS 7, one that showcases Apple’s invention to great effect, while maintaining a lead over similar socialnews aggregators. Beautifully tactile and responsive, it makes reading anything on your iDevice an absolute pleasure.

Pros: Attractive, clean user-friendly design; good range of pre-defined news categories; ability to customise news and sources to suit own interests Cons: Some new features are iOS 7-specific; minor bugs reported

Shazam

Full review: tinyurl.com/ndbht56 shazam.com, free For music fans, Shazam is an essential app, one that should also appeal to casual users who simply want to identify a song from an ad or drama. Its ability to identify even the most obscure tracks is very impressive.

Pros: Excellent hit rate identifying tracks; improved user interface; good iTunes and YouTube integration; ability to share track information via Facebook and Twitter Cons: Auto Tagging currently iPad only; mainstream tracks dominate music discovery extras in Shazam Pulse and interactive maps

Yahoo Weather

Full review: tinyurl.com/qemq7zn uk.yahoo.com, free Yahoo Weather stands out thanks to accurate forecasts, good balance of information and an attractive yet simple design. The addition of Flickr photos reflecting different times of the day from across the world, is both a worthy addition and a distraction on days when you wouldn’t want to go out unless you had to.

iOS APPS: ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

Facebook

Pros: Accurate forecasts; attractive design; cool use of Flickr/Project Weather photos; ability to save locations to favourites; interactive radar, satellite, heat, and wind maps Cons: No Notification Centre integration or weather alerts; Ultraviolet information is available only in select countries

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Buyers’ Guide Simple Audio Listen

SPEAKERS

Full review: tinyurl.com/pompxbn www.simpleaudio.com, £399 A price tag of £399 is pretty steep for a set of speakers that will just sit on a desk with your computer. However, we were impressed by the sound quality, and they will earn their keep if you use your Mac and Windows PC as your main music system at home.

Pros: Compact design; impressive sound quality with firm bass; Bluetooth option for mobile devices Cons: Expensive; no equaliser controls

Maxell MXSP-BT3100

Full review: tinyurl.com/Lf4y4he uk.maxell.eu/en/, £170 The Maxell MXSP-BT3100 is around half the price of the similarly specified competition, which makes it look better value. But £170 is still no small outlay and we’d expect better quality and a less plasticky or spitty sound for the money. Against some higher-priced wireless speakers we’ve reviewed, it doesn’t look such bad value.

Pros: Relatively intelligible voice reproduction; extended and harmonious treble compared to much competition Cons: Plasticky coloration; squawks at higher volumes; no aptX capability

Edifier Luna Eclipse

Full review: tinyurl.com/onbz63n edifier-international.com, £150 Fabulous styling goes some way to endear these speakers, and some clever electro-acoustic tricks help move the sound upscale for their size. Ultimately, the speakers proved just too wearing on the ears, brought down by low-grade amplifiers and a third-rate Bluetooth audio codec.

Pros: Sleek; modern styling; discreet; spacious sound; active crossovers Cons: Edgy; brittle sound at times; lacking in musical naturalness

Bayan Audio Soundbook X3

Full review: tinyurl.com/oevqdp7 bayanaudio.com, £250 This is a smart and well-made compact Bluetooth speaker, with the added benefit of an easy-tune FM radio. While competent for quieter if muffled background kitchen chat radio, it lacks any subtlety when in its full-volume element. It may have some style and convenience, but it’s overpriced.

Pros: Clever industrial design like an opening book; neat style Cons: Muffled indistinct sound; no high-frequency presence; tune-free bass

Audio Pro Addon T10

Full review: tinyurl.com/qbnzny6 audiopro.com, £300 The Audio Pro Addon T10 can appeal with its retro square box, and its decent build quality, plus enormous potential for sheer volume that helps to justify the high price.

Overall, though, it failed to inspire thanks to a flat, monotonic sound and lower mid-range.

Pros: Loud and full of bass Cons: Little subtlety; expensive for available sound quality

IOS ACCESSORIES

Everything Tablet 360° Rotating Case Full review: tinyurl.com/ntzoo6w everythingtablet.co.uk, £29 Everything Tablet’s 360° Rotating Case is a highly protective yet lightweight accessory for the iPad Air, and its stand (provided you avoid the rear-most slot in portrait mode) is stable and versatile. The price is okay, too. There are three colours to choose from: cherry red, orange and black.

Pros: Protective; lightweight; clever stand function Cons: Stand becomes unstable in certain slots in portrait mode

Covert Slim Folio Case

Full review: tinyurl.com/n7m89k3 covertaccessories.com, £19 The Slim Folio iPhone 5s case is great value and packs in a lot of useful features without it feeling like overkill. Due to the vibrant and limited colour options, though, it would likely fare best with a younger audience.

Pros: Affordable; stylish; viewing stand; credit card holder Cons: Card holder is a bit tight; no neutral colour options

Kensington KeyFolio Pro

Full review: tinyurl.com/oc522pm kensington.com, £99 The KeyFolio Pro keyboard hits a sweet spot of functionality and weight. We’re particularly keen on the removable keyboard that enables the case to function without its additional weight. This works extremely well.

Pros: High quality professional-style case; detachable keyboard; thin and light keyboard with raised chiclet-style keys; keyboard has Function keys; magnetic clasp stand Cons: Enclosed case for iPad; at 898g it is bulky with the keyboard included; doesn’t function well when on your lap

Kensington KeyCover Plus

Full review: tinyurl.com/md57p3h kensington.com, From £99 We liked the Kensington KeyCover for iPad Air. It’s a lightweight keyboard cover for the iPad Air with a solidly backlit keyboard. We have reservations about the battery life of the device, and you’ll need to be careful to keep the backlit keyboard off, and turn off the device when not in use. But it’s a small, light and functional option.

Pros: Sturdy protective case; solid plastic keys; easy to type on; good Function keys; backlit key feature Cons: iPad Air clips in only face down; backlit keys can drain battery

Kujali case for iPad mini

Full review: tinyurl.com/ompg9tv kujali.com, £29 The Kujali iPad mini case is an all-around winner. It’s durable, sleek, functional and affordable. We’re excited to see what other tech accessories the Kujali brand will offer in the future.

Pros: Attractive; sturdy; extra protective skin; lifetime warranty Cons: Just one colour option

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Full review: tinyurl.com/n3cjhjj uk.akg.com, £15 At £15, it’s hard to be too unkind to the AKG K311. They’re not the best set of earphones we’ve heard, though they’re not the worst either. And at this price they’re the cheapest we’ve come across for a long time. We’d probably suggest going up to the Apple EarPods at £25, but for £15 this is a good set of headphones.

Pros: Extremely cheap; comfortable; sturdy Cons: Sound quality is markedly average; no iPhone controls

Klipsch Image X10i

Full review: tinyurl.com/qzrfmh3 klipsch.com, £249 Klipsch’s Image X10i in-ear headphones come with a two-year warranty, which is reassuring when you are spending a whopping £249. But, if you have that sort of money to spend, and you’re looking for a good, comfortable pair of in-ear headphones – without caring so much about making calls – then these are a great buy.

Pros: Incredibly comfortable; light; good acoustic seal; really clear sound reproduction; you can find them for under £100 on Amazon Cons: Bling; not great for phone calls

Nocs NS600 Crush

Full review: tinyurl.com/mztrp96 eu.nocs.se, £149 If you’re into dance and electronic music, then these headphones deliver exceptional quality. They’re not cheap, though, and if you have a wider taste in music you should probably go for something a little more accurate.

IN-EAR HEADPHONES

AKG K311

Pros: Powerful bass; stylish design; Kevlar-coated wire; great for dance fans Cons: Mid-range isn’t so hot for traditional rock music

Plantronics Backbeat 903+

Full review: tinyurl.com/pkdayrx plantronics.com/uk, £50 It can be a bit tricky getting the darn things hooked over your ears, but the light, rugged design of the Backbeats make them a good choice when you’re exercising at the gym or out running in the park. The audio quality is also very good, considering the current low price.

Pros: Affordable; lightweight; good sound quality Cons: Can be fiddly hooking them over your ears; the maximum volume level isn’t very high

Altec Lansing Muzx Ultra mXx606 Full review: tinyurl.com/nr8tra4 alteclansing.com, £80 These in-ears have a smart-looking remote on the cable and excellent overall sound quality. The sound is rich and warm, with good breadth across the spectrum; the bass feels punchy without overshadowing any of the upper notes.

Pros: Interesting designs; fantastic sound quality across a wide spectrum of musical styles Cons: Slight artificial feel to some guitar music

Full review: tinyurl.com/qawoz9L turtlebeach.com, £349 The asking price seems a bit high and puts these in the same league as Bose and Sennheiser. We’d also expect noise cancellation for this kind of money, but the surround sound quality is superior, and as a result, we suspect that it would take a lot of external noise to distract you.

Pros: Great selection of audio presets available via iOS app; use Bluetooth and Wi-Fi at the same time Cons: No noise cancellation; audio levels aren’t uniform; high price

Logitech UE 6000

Full review: tinyurl.com/pLfv8bh logitech.com/en-gb, £169 We like these headphones a lot. They combine stunning bass and superb treble audio with nice styling, and the active noise cancellation technology makes them ideal for long journeys. They come with a padded carry case, an audio splitter and a replaceable audio cable, too.

Pros: Amazing bass and treble audio; iPhone controls; separate earphone cable; noise-cancellation technology Cons: Heavy weight; audio not great for rock and vocal music

The House of Marley Buffalo Soldier Full review: tinyurl.com/L7r9dzy thehouseofmarley.co.uk, £79 The Buffalo Soldier headphones are a decent pair of on-ears with good environmental credentials. The audio is on a par with other headphones at this price point, but we were impressed with the fit and finish.

Pros: Great build quality; good audio; solid environmental credentials; it’s nice to have tech products made from wood Cons: The whole Bob Marley branding thing seems a bit strange

OVER-EAR HEADPHONES

Turtle Beach i60

Logitech UE 9000

Full review: tinyurl.com/odr6b4b logitech.com/en-gb, £299 The high price of the Logitech UE 9000 is what’s stopping us recommending them outright. If you can find them at a discount in the sub-£200 price range, we’d give them serious consideration for the convenience of the combination of Bluetooth and high-capacity internal battery.

Pros: Very well constructed; plenty of detail across all frequencies Cons: Mediocre active noise cancelling; minimal headband padding; high price

Jabra Revo

Full review: tinyurl.com/nzfghmh jabra.co.uk, £187 Although the Jabra Revo wireless headphones are not exactly cheap, they warrant their price tag thanks to the good looks, features, comfort, durability, wireless performance and overall sound quality. These are a very solid pair of headphones.

Pros: Stylish appearance; comfortable; durable; impressive audio performance; good battery life; NFC pairing available; touch control panel Cons: Not cheap

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Buyers’ Guide

SLR CAMERAS

Canon EOS 1200D

Full review: tinyurl.com/oy6m7Ly canon.co.uk; £349 (body only), £399 (18-55mm lens) While the 18Mp EOS 1200D might not offer all the bells and whistles of models higher up the range, such as a tilting and swivelling LCD screen, it’s possible to get professional-looking results. As such this is a very affordable route to getting sharper, more obviously ‘pro’ pictures from the get go.

Pros: Affordable; well built; professional-looking results; easy to operate Cons: Fixed LCD screen; no built-in wireless connectivity; maximum capture speed is modest

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10

Full review: tinyurl.com/obaywbj sony.co.uk, £1,049 Resembling a cross between a digital SLR and a Howitzer cannon, the Sony Cyber-shot RX10 looks like a serious contender for serious photography, alhough it isn’t an inexpensive option, when you add up what a semi-pro DSLR body and a similar zoom would cost, investing in this makes for a sound investment.

Pros: Solid magnesium alloy build; tilting LCD and eye-level viewfinder; impressive zoom; knockout image quality Cons: High price may limit appeal; big lens means bulky body

Nikon 5300

Full review: tinyurl.com/kbb342p nikon.co.uk, £829 For a beginner’s camera, the D5300’s layout is as busy as a photo enthusiast would want, while it’s as speedy to get up and running from cold as we’d expect from a DSLR in this price bracket. More importantly, it’s capable of capturing an impressive degree of detail.

Pros: Excellent image quality; tilting LCD screen; built-in digital effects; easy-to-navigate user interface Cons: Glossy body cheapens look; pricey

Pentax K-3

Full review: tinyurl.com/q8tq23e pentax.co.uk, £1,199 (18-55mm lens) Providing excellent rendition of colours and sharp images, the Pentax K-3 offers slightly more bang for your buck than the Nikon D5300. If you need a lens, the 18-55mm zoom kit is the best bet at £1,199.

Pros: Solid feel; professional-grade body; in-body image stabilisation; switch on or off anti-aliasing filter Cons: No Wi-Fi connectivity; blocky design

Nikon D610

Full review: tinyurl.com/qcczouz nikon.co.uk, £2,299 (24-85mm lens) Nikon’s DSLR comes across as a subtle update of the previous D600 rather than major overhaul. Like its predecessor, the D610 is an affordable route into full-frame photography for anyone wedded to the Nikon brand. You can’t fault the images, so this is a purchase where the head wins out over the heart.

Pros: Large full-frame sensor; waterproofed body; workhorse-like build; swift response times; large and bright optical viewfinder Cons: No integrated Wi-Fi; expensive if you don’t need full-frame DSLR; chunky and bulky

Sony A58

Full review: tinyurl.com/ouje6wb sony.co.uk, £419 (18-55mm lens) Sharp and well-saturated images from the camera, as well as ultra-smooth video clips, confirm this cheaper-than-average model as a jack of all trades. So if you don’t mind an electronic viewfinder as opposed to the traditional optical version supplied by a regular DSLR, the Sony A58 can be considered a steal.

Pros: Well saturated colours and warm feel to images; rear LCD can be tilted up or down; DSLR-style handling yet quicker to get video recording up and running Cons: The rear LCD screen is smaller than most rivals (even if it can be tilted)

Pentax K-50

Full review: tinyurl.com/pf5xgkn pentax.co.uk, £599 (18-55mm lens) The Pentax K-50 is so nearly a great camera, but a slightly bland design and lack of adjustable LCD when used as viewfinder let it down. However, if you plan on using this camera in the rain and snow, the semi-pro level of ruggedness makes for a worthy investment.

Pros: Camera body and supplied lens are both weatherproofed, while internal sensor shift shake reduction mechanism means specially image stabilised lenses are not required Cons: Body design reflects price in being chunky with big buttons and relatively frill free; LCD is fixed rather than angle adjustable

Sony DSC-RX1R

Full review: tinyurl.com/ma6sqxs sony.co.uk, £2,599 (35mm lens) Thanks to a lens aperture range from f/2.0 to f/22 plus a focal distance up to infinity, it’s a jack-of-all-trades device, providing lovely shallow-depth-of-field results where a subject’s sharp but the background’s attractively soft. Superb it may be, but whether the RX1R is worth it depends on the application to which you may wish to put it.

Pros: High-resolution full-frame sensor in a small-ish camera package; high-quality bright aperture lens; built-to-last metal construction suggests a device fashioned for war Cons: Hard to justify on price alone; no viewfinder built in (accessory viewfinder is pricey, too); short-ish battery life of 200 plus shots

Alpha A580

Full review: tinyurl.com/ndf7qok Sony, www.sony.co.uk, £569 (body only) or £649 (including 18-55mm lens) The A580 has many of the same core features as the smaller A55 for £100 less – including a top whack light sensitivity setting of ISO 12800, although shooting video isn’t quite as fluid or intuitive.

Pros: A cheaper alternative to the A55 with identical resolution and many of the same core technologies Cons: Chunky build

Nikon D7100

Full review: tinyurl.com/o57zqLr nikon.co.uk, £1,099 The Nikon D7100 is a new range-topping 24Mp APS-C sensor DSLR for aspirational amateurs. It’s a respectable showing, although if extras such as weatherproofing aren’t required there are cheaper alternatives delivering a very similar still image quality.

Pros: Weather resistant; high-res backplate LCD; high res sensor; top plate LCD window as shortcut to key settings; compatible with over 60 Nikon lenses; 51 selectable AF points Cons: Basic image quality no better than most DSLRs costing £500+; non-angle adjustable LCD; common image artefacts such as pixel fringing still present

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Full review: tinyurl.com/o423c5w fujifilm.eu/uk, £269 While the S9400W may not excel, it’s one of the very best options out there in terms of zoom range, build and handling within its lower-priced section of the market, which is why we’re happy to give it an above average score.

Pros: Big zoom power offers a wealth of framing opportunities; affordable; good build and handling; manual features alongside the fully automatic Cons: Small-ish sensor; no rechargeable Lithium-ion battery supplied with this model, small and pokey viewfinder; fixed LCD screen; results no match for the DSLR it resembles

Fujifilm X-E2

Full review: tinyurl.com/k89vvdc fujifilm.eu/uk, £1,149 (18-55mm lens) Improvements over the earlier X-E1 (tinyurl.com/Lk8j3qy) seem to be largely performance based, and come down to enhanced speed and accuracy.

That said, if you’re considering spending this amount, then we’d also recommend taking a look at Fujifilm’s X-T1 (tinyurl.com/ogstmv6).

Pros: Semi-professional compact system camera with an eye-level viewfinder; rangefinder-like controls; build quality is reminiscent of an even pricier Leica camera Cons: Pricey if you don’t need an eye-level viewfinder; other CSCs are more intuitive to use

CSC CAMERAS

Fujifilm FinePix S9400W

Fujifilm X-A1

Full review: tinyurl.com/Lej65yq fujifilm.eu/uk, £359 (16-50mm lens) The X-A1 is Fujifilm’s handsome-looking entry-level interchangeable lens X-series compact, a range noted for reviving the critical fortunes of the brand with its classic styling and a feature set more geared to enthusiasts and professionals than the happy-snappy brigade.

Pros: Premium look and feel; swift and accurate autofocus; plenty of effects and Fujifilm’s Film Simulation modes provide a point of difference; tilting LCD Cons: A larger handgrip would have been useful; longer zooms in danger of making the camera feel a tad ‘front heavy’; no built-in eye-level viewfinder

Sony A5000

Full review: tinyurl.com/kysrxfy sony.co.uk, £419 (16-50mm lens) It might not look the flashiest on test, but the stripped back Sony A5000 is one of the easiest and most accessible routes to achieving more professional-looking shots for anyone upgrading from a smartphone. It’s affordable, too.

Pros: Large 20.1Mp resolution from an equally big APS-C sensor results in detailed shots; tilting LCD screen; built-in flash; fairly priced kit with Power Zoom Cons: No viewfinder or hotshoe

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GM1

Full review: tinyurl.com/m3jupwp panasonic.co.uk, £569 (12-32mm lens) Pocket-sized if you remove the lens, the GM1 maintains a premium feel thanks to a lightweight yet sturdy aluminium frame and a DSLR-like magnesium-alloy finish.

Images are surprisingly detailed, while colours straight out of the camera are engagingly warm.

Pros: Playing card dimensions; sturdy DSLR-strength build provides a premium feel; size hasn’t unduly affected handling and the images are a knockout Cons: So-so battery life; touch-sensitive onscreen icons are small, as are the hard keys on the backplate; lacks an eye-level viewfinder

Olympus OM-D E-M10

Full review: tinyurl.com/ko3dpng olympus.co.uk, £699 (14-42mm lens) Offering 16Mp stills and full-HD video in one compelling package, the Olympus E-M10 is the retro-styled camera for photo enthusiasts who couldn’t justify spending a *grand on previous OM-D E-M1 models (see below).

Pros: Classic design provides a premium feel; pop-up flash and Wi-Fi connectivity; tilting LCD screen with high resolution; 1.4-million-dot eye-level finder Cons: Smaller sensor size than other big-name rivals; nose butts up against LCD screen when using eye-level viewfinder

Canon PowerShot S120

Full review: tinyurl.com/p56qdLc canon.co.uk, £449 If you’re looking for compact that will ape a digital SLR’s quality without sacrificing portability, then the PowerShot S120 is a good choice. Despite its pocket size and slender proportions, it’s solidly built. It’s also easy to use and the images it produces are rich.

Pros: Solid feel; high-quality construction; touchscreen control; customisable lens ring function will appeal to those who love getting hands-on with camera operation Cons: For the money, you could buy a cheap DSLR; lacks a handgrip; omits an eye-level viewfinder

Olympus OM-D E-M1

Full review: tinyurl.com/k3e4u6v olympus.co.uk, £1,299 (12-50mm lens) Despite a few reservations, the OM-D E-M1 is right up there at the pinnacle of what a compact interchangeable-lens camera can achieve. For most of us, in comparison with a DSLR, the image and build quality will be more than good enough to prompt a possible switch of allegiance.

Pros: Solid build quality; dust- and waterproofed; in-body image stabilisation; decent image quality Cons: Small image sensor; buttons feel squashed in

Canon PowerShot G16

Full review: tinyurl.com/oz6ddq8 canon.co.uk, £529 Aside from the rock-solid build quality and DSLR-feature set, the pictures are also worth treasuring, with colours beautifully realistic and detail pin-sharp. If you stick under ISO 6400 to avoid an obvious deterioration of fine detail, you’ll find this compact hard to beat Pros: High-end premium shooter; solid set of features; impressive pictures Cons: Missing tilting rear LCD panel; price a little on the high side

Samsung NX2000

Full review: tinyurl.com/qaqz27b samsung.com/uk, £499 (20-50mm lens) More evolution than revolution, the NX2000 should prove popular with photographers on a budget, who want a better quality of camera for those special occasions, but not the added bulk of a DSLR and larger lenses. For those who already own Galaxy phones and tablets, navigating its menus and icons will feel familiar.

Pros: Good value; large touchscreen; sharply detailed and colour-rich images straight out of the camera with minimal effort; increased connectivity options Cons: If you do need to remove the media card it’s a pain, as the NX2000 has opted for the small and fiddly fingernail-sized microSD; no onboard flash or eye-level viewfinder

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Buyers’ Guide AOC Q2770PQU

MONITORS

Full review: tinyurl.com/Lkcejxc aoc-europe.com/en, £420 AOC’s latest professional display may not be packaged in the finest of chassis, but the Q2770PQU is a high-quality model that’s well suited for use with a Mac. It’s also the finest quality panel we’ve tested at this price.

Pros: High 2560x1440 resolution; superb image quality; telescopic, rotating stand; low power consumption Cons: Bland styling

NEC MultiSync E243WMi

Full review: tinyurl.com/kncgvou necdisplay.com, £200 The NEC MultiSync E243WMi could prove ideal as a high-quality monitor that you can run all day without adding much to your electricity bills. Specified at just 13W, this monitor ought to prove cost-effective over time. The display is neat and accurate, well-built and functional.

Pros: Nicely built; fully adjustable stand; excellent overall colour accuracy; well rendered text; good screen uniformity; decent sRGB coverage; Eco modes and low power use Cons: Menu system poorly implemented; more expensive than budget consumer designs

Philips 234E5QHAWL

Full review: tinyurl.com/o2ggrv8 philips.co.uk, £130 The Philips 234E5QHAW is a good-value IPS panel at the popular 23in size. It should have reasonable luminance consistency and good colour coverage and accuracy. There’s some penny-pinching on the frame and the stand is weak, but this monitor offers good quality and modestly stylish looks.

Pros: Cheap; AH-IPS; good-quality display; great viewing angles; easy-to-use menu controls; nice looks; HDMI and MHL connectivity; speakers; ultra-thin bezel Cons: Not 100 percent sRGB coverage; poor stand; average build quality average; not a lot of interfaces

AOC i2769Vm

Full review: tinyurl.com/Ldtanwc aoc-europe.com/en, £200 While the build quality is average, reflecting where the costs have been saved, it’s not bad to look at and, while it wouldn’t take a lot of punishment, it isn’t particularly flimsy. Throw in the excellent colour uniformity and consistency, and you have a decent, large-screen, budget 27in IPS option.

Pros: Large screen for £200; IPS panel; wide viewing angles; good colour consistency; configuration options Cons: Mediocre build quality; awkward menu system; more luminance variation than most IPS panels

Samsung S24C650PL

Full review: tinyurl.com/pkLazjr samsung.com/uk, £170 Although Samsung’s bland-looking 24in PLS screen offers excellent colour accuracy and consistency, it’s let down by light leak and inconsistency in luminosity.

For general use, the viewing angles make it a good screen to demonstrate ideas to a group, but for designers and photographer there are better options.

Pros: Very good colour consistency and accuracy; 5ms refresh rate; telescopic stand; rotates and swivels; USB hub in base Cons: Light leak all along the bottom of the screen; awful luminance consistency; bland looks; not 100 percent sRGB; weak and tinny speakers

NEC MultiSync EA273WMi

Full review: tinyurl.com/n6yahxr nec-display-solutions.co.uk, £285 The relatively low resolution for the size and the mid-range price tag mark it out as a solid performer. For standard office duties where the power-saving features can come into play, it’s a decent quality display that will serve well.

Pros: Good viewing angles; excellent colour uniformity; plenty of contrast; solid build quality; display rotates; eco power saving features; lots of interfaces Cons: Middle of display brighter than everywhere else; boxy design; relatively low resolution for the size; impossible to see menu controls in dark rooms

Asus PQ321QE

Full review: tinyurl.com/k2rLs8a asus.com/uk, £2,999 Amazing detail on the screen makes it ideal for all manner of applications where you need detail rather than speed. The quality of the screen is commendable making this a great purchase for those editing 4K video or needing as much detail as possible.

Pros: Fantastic resolution delivers incredible detail; excellent colour accuracy; puts out a large amount of light; good contrast; stand swivels; monitor tilts Cons: Expensive; requires high-end graphics to produce 60Hz mode; only a single DisplayPort interface; colour gamut is some way off sRGB

Samsung S27B971D

Full review: tinyurl.com/pwc4yph samsung.com/uk, £850 Although the price is a little high, you can’t argue with the build quality or colour consistency and accuracy as these are excellent. For photographers and designers who want something stylish and don’t mind paying for it, there’s lots of screen space to enjoy.

Pros: Great build quality; stylish looks; touch-sensitive menu controls; high 2560x1440 resolution; lots of screen space at 27in, bundled leads; excellent colour accuracy Cons: Expensive; contrast and brightness aren’t anything to write home about; stand doesn’t offer much flexibility

Hanns.G HW246HBB

Full review: tinyurl.com/Lrt48o3 www.hannsg.com/eu/en, £117 For general Mac use, this is a good purchase, offering stylish looks, lots of screen space and good contrast ratio. The colour uniformity and accuracy are both commendable and only the lack of complete sRGB coverage and the uneven luminocity are drawbacks. Otherwise, this is a lightweight and well priced panel.

Pros: Lightweight; plenty of screen space; stylish two-tone looks; good value; great colour accuracy and good uniformity; plenty of contrast Cons: Stand is fairly insubstantial; average brightness; two areas of wildly differing brightness; limited interfaces; mediocre sRGB coverage

BenQ GW2760HS

Full review: tinyurl.com/nf3wvfy benq.co.uk, £210 This is a superb monitor to choose to go with a Mac mini or as an external display for your MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. At around £200, it offers premium quality and high performance at a price normally associated with a much lower-quality display.

Pros: Large 27in display; flicker-free technology; non-glossy AG matte coating; fantastic colour gamut range; unobtrusive bezel; amazingly low price Cons: Resolution not as high as Apple Cinema Display; colour accuracy isn’t as good as a high-end monitor

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iFi nano iDSD

Pros: High-resolution audio playback; relatively low cost; great build quality Cons: A zipping noise is just audible when changing volume while music is playing

Elgato Thunderbolt Dock

Full review: tinyurl.com/qzjufge elgato.com/uk, £189 We’ve tried all four of the Thunderbolt docks currently available on the market, and found that Elgato’s just nudges ahead in build quality and style. And while it seems to be based on exactly the same reference design used by CalDigit and StarTech, Elgato’s offering lets you charge your iPad. Pros: Three USB 3.0 ports; gigabit ethernet and HDMI 1.4 available for any Mac with Thunderbolt; added iPad charge capability with software kext Cons: Limited audio quality; no FireWire

DIGITAL LIFE

Full review: tinyurl.com/nfrwsgd ifi-audio.com, £165 The iFi nano iDSD serves as a great upgrade to the headphone sound of MacBooks, iPhones and iPads. It’s superbly made and brings a major upgrade to CD-level sound, as well as open up the many possibilities for real high-resolution music that are now available from computers and mobile devices.

Asus USB-AC56

Full review: tinyurl.com/n3dm7kq asus.com/uk, £60 The Asus USB-AC56 is an effective upgrade that can bring faster wireless networking to your Mac. You’ll need a USB 3.0 port for best results, but under the right conditions you may get close to half-gigabit wireless transfers at short range, and the benefit of increased performance at longer ranges, too.

Pros: Upgrades Wi-Fi to 11ac; fast real-world speed; increased range Cons: Bulky add-on; rudimentary software

StarTech Thunderbolt Station

Full review: tinyurl.com/o98xwd6 uk.startech.com, £230 If you need to expand your port count or just make it quicker and easier to interface a MacBook with your home/office setup each day, then the StarTech Thunderbolt Station will serve you well.

Pros: HDMI output; three USB 3.0; relatively inexpensive; cable included Cons: HDMI limited to full-HD; USB 3.0 working slowly; won’t charge iPad

View Quest Hepburn

Full review: tinyurl.com/ku9bvnw viewquest.co.uk, £149 Overall, we’d suggest that the View Quest Hepburn speaker is ideal for anyone with a love of vintage or retro-style, as it’ll sit nicely in a living room or kitchen and provide satisfactory sound that will suit a dinner party, barbeque or general background music for a day bustling around the house.

Pros: Gorgeous vintage design with multiple colour options; Bluetooth speaker & DAB radio combination; easy to use and simple setup Cons: Some distortion at highest volume; no rechargeable battery; high price tag considering the sound quality

Pure Evoke D2

Full review: tinyurl.com/ohnrvoa pure.com, £99 The Pure Evoke D2 packs great audio quality for the size. The combination of digital radio and Bluetooth ensure it has a lot of functions. Its small stature will keep it from being your main speaker, but it makes a great digital radio with iPhone or iPad connectivity for the kitchen or bedroom. It offers a lot of functionality for the price.

Pros: Small footprint; good audio clarity; Bluetooth connection; easy to set up Cons: Separate Pure ChargePAK required to use portable battery; small size limits volume

CalDigit Thunderbolt Station

Full review: tinyurl.com/kdhyLdn caldigit.com, £179 The CalDigit Thunderbolt station is a useful addition for anyone who needs up to three USB 3.0 ports, or a quick way to connect all their peripherals. Improved audio quality and consistent HDMI operation would make this product stand out from the crowd.

Pros: USB 3.0; gigabit ethernet and HDMI 1.4 available to any Mac with Thunderbolt; convenient Cons: Poor audio quality; erratic HDMI issues; no FireWire; low bus power on USB ports

Elagato EyeTV Netstream 4Sat

Full review: tinyurl.com/qemoawc elgato.com/uk, £259 If you have a satellite dish, or can accommodate one and wish to dovetail your media with your computer network, then Elgato’s Netstream 4Sat is a delight.

Performance, styling and build quality are first-class, and being able to record four different HDTV channels is worth every penny of the asking price.

Pros: Four satellite tuners in one box; great build quality; smart software Cons: Cumbersome channel editing for iPhone/iPad; unable to update firmware on a Mac

IK Multimedia iRig Pro

Full review: tinyurl.com/nu4dx6w ikmultimedia.com, £120 As an all-in-one unit for connecting your live instruments to a DAW, the iRig Pro is very easy to recommend. IK Multimedia has thought carefully about the needs of musicians and built something simple to use that produces great results. It might be small in size, but it packs a seriously impressive punch.

Pros: Easy to use; no discernible latency; excellent sound quality Cons: Gain dial is a little fiddly to adjust; no headphone out

Focusrite iTrack Solo

Full review: tinyurl.com/ozfszdx uk.focusrite.com, £129 in essence, the iTrack Solo does the one thing you ask of any recording device, it simply gets out of the way and lets you make music without any fuss. Focusrite also includes a code for its Scarlett plug-in suite and Ableton Live Lite 8 in the box, which makes an already excellent package even better value for money.

Pros: Excellent audio quality and a simple setup with the iPad Cons: The Device Link cable feels frail and awkwardly short

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Buyers’ Guide

LASER PRINTERS

HP Colour LaserJet Pro M177fw

Full review: tinyurl.com/Lzzgbpf hp.com/uk, £274 The £274 price tag represents good value for money, as the LaserJet Pro provides excellent print quality and useful connectivity features. However, running costs for both colour- and mono printing are above average, which means that it can be recommended only for small businesses that need laser-quality on an occasional basis.

Pros: Excellent print quality; ethernet; Wi-Fi and AirPrint connectivity Cons: Slow colour printing; very expensive toner cartridges

Samsung M2070W

Full review: tinyurl.com/nnhmt6k samsung.com/uk, £129 The M2070W is a neatly designed and versatile laser printer that will appeal to home workers and small businesses that need a fast, high-quality mono printer for letters and other business documents. However, the relatively low capacity of Samsung’s toner cartridges means that running costs are above average.

Pros: Initial purchase price; built-in Wi-Fi; iOS app for Apple mobile devices Cons: Expensive toner cartridges; no ethernet or automatic duplex printing

Dell C1765nf

Full review: tinyurl.com/no2evbb dell.co.uk, £189 It’s not often that we recommend Dell hardware to our readers. However, there aren’t many colour laser printers available for £200 or less, so the Dell C7165nf is a good option for home workers or small businesses that need an affordable workhorse printer.

Pros: Fast, affordable laser printer; 30,000ppm duty cycle; iOS and Android apps; USB and ethernet Cons: No Wi-Fi; modest capacity; colour printing is expensive

Epson AcuLaser C3900DN

Full review: tinyurl.com/L8Lxjk7 epson.co.uk, £400 It might be overkill for many small businesses – especially the self-employed people who work from home – but the C3900DN will earn its keep if you need a fast printer that can handle fairly high volumes of work with competitive running costs.

Pros: Fast; good print colour for mono and colour; competitive running costs Cons: Initial purchase price of toners is very high

Kyocera FS-C5150DN

Full review: tinyurl.com/mun9sa6 kyocera.co.uk, £240 If you need to print lots of colour documents every day, then the FS-C5150DN may not be fast enough for you. However, its competitive running costs ensure it’s still a good choice for any business needing a high-quality printer.

INKJET PRINTERS

Pros: Low purchase price; competitively priced toner cartridges Cons: No Wi-Fi or AirPrint; colour printing is relatively slow

Canon Pixma iP2850 Full review: tinyurl.com/nwvxLw7 canon.co.uk, £40 The low cost of the iP2850 is certainly attractive, so it’s bound to appeal to home users and students who need a basic, affordable printer. Print quality is also very good for such a low-cost device, but the high cost of the black ink cartridge outweighs any savings you might make on the printer’s initial purchase price.

Pros: Inexpensive to buy; pigmented black ink produces very good mono text Cons: Black ink cartridges are very expensive; no Wi-Fi; Mac support could be improved

HP OfficeJet 4630

Full review: tinyurl.com/p9hLgme hp.com/uk, £89 The purchase price of the OfficeJet is hard to beat, especially as it includes two-sided printing, a document feeder and AirPrint connectivity for under £100. Print quality and speeds are also respectable for such an affordable printer. Unfortunately, printing costs are higher than we’d like – especially for mono printing.

Pros: Initial purchase price is very competitive; built-in Wi-Fi and AirPrint; fax and document feeder Cons: Expensive ink cartridges; no ethernet interface

Epson Expression Home XP-412

Full review: tinyurl.com/n3g7kLq epson.co.uk, £89 The Expression Home XP-412 could certainly be faster, and lacks a few useful options such as duplex printing. However, it’s a compact and affordable printer that provides good quality and reasonable running costs. It’s a good option for home users who need to print only occasional documents or photos.

Pros: Affordable inkjet printer; supports Wi-Fi and AirPrint; good text and graphics output Cons: Slow; no duplex printing

Epson Expression Premium XP-610 Full review: tinyurl.com/kd5mvvq epson.co.uk, £149 The Expression Premium XP-610 crams a lot into its neat and compact design. Text output is excellent, with smooth, clean text outlines, and the photo-black ink adds contrast to photo output, producing crisp, bold colours. It’s fast, too, for such a compact printer, turning out 11ppm for text, and 8ppm for colour.

Pros: Compact and affordable multifunction printer for home users; supports Apple AirPrint; duplex printing and AirPrint for iOS Cons: No ethernet; modest capacity; cost for text printing is a little high

HP OfficeJet 7610

Full review: tinyurl.com/q96qdkg hp.com/uk, £200 It’s good to see a printer that provides an affordable A3 printing option, and the only real disadvantage with the OfficeJet 7610 is that it’s pretty bulky. However, it produces very good results, with bright, strong colours and crisp smooth text that comes close to laser quality.

Pros: Versatile A3/A4 printer; includes scanner, copier and fax; supports Apple AirPrint Cons: Big and bulky; duplex printing is an optional extra

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Full review: tinyurl.com/lvrsolq caldigit.com; £586, 6TB The CalDigit T3 is a versatile desktop RAID system that makes good use of original Thunderbolt speeds with its preinstalled hard disks. It offers greater capacity than systems that rely on 2.5in drives, and reasonable value in capacity per pound at under 10p per gigabyte.

Pros: Large capacity from three RAIDed disks; sturdy build; relatively quiet in operation Cons: Slower at random file access; no data security in RAID 0

LaCie Little Big Disk Thunderbolt 2 Full review: tinyurl.com/kpkzf79 lacie.com/uk, £1,000 It may not be bus-powered, but the cute Little Big Disk 2 can certainly be toted when required. Not only compact and blissfully quiet in use, it’s also the fastest storage drive of any persuasion, albeit at the higher price bracket at exactly £1 per gigabyte. But if you need super-speed storage up to 1000GB there’s none better.

Pros: Compact; stylish and quiet; supremely quick Cons: Not cheap at £1/GB; still requires mains power

Promise Technology Pegasus2 R6 Full review: tinyurl.com/Ldda3u8 promise.com £2,499, 18TB As much as the blistering speed available from a tightly knitted collection of fast hard disks, the Promise Pegasus2 R6 impresses with its cool and confident character. That, and the attention that’s gone into support of the whole drive through its advanced management software utility.

Pros: Huge 18TB capacity; SSD-like speeds; comprehensive software management Cons: Unique capacity/speed combination doesn’t come cheap

PROFESSIONAL STORAGE

CalDigit T3

WD My Passport Pro

Full review: tinyurl.com/ke53fap wdc.com/en, £239, 2TB; £349, 4TB Portable drives generally trade performance for portability, but the My PassPort manages to provide desktop-levels of performance wrapped up in a portable design.

It’s also competitively priced when compared with other Raid drives, making it a great choice for professional users who need a fast, portable backup device.

Pros: High-performance and high-capacity; Thunderbolt interface; supports Raid 0; Raid 1; JBOD Cons: Bigger and heavier than a conventional portable drive; no USB interface

Synology DS1513+

Full review: tinyurl.com/qbf3w4y synology.com, £630 While the new DSM 5.0 software interface falls victim to the opinion-dividing Windows 8 look, the performance and feature set of this Synology NAS drive lift it clear of all competitors. Its performance in serving files is second to none, which lets it earn its keep.

Toshiba STOR.E Slim

Full review: tinyurl.com/khqfnqb toshiba.co.uk; £65 The Toshiba STOR.E Slim for Mac is relatively tough and affordable. It’s generously sized internally at 1000GB, while modestly sized externally, taking very little space in your bag or pocket. Performance is as good as any notebook hard disk.

Pros: Large capacity; attractive price; relatively quiet Cons: Slow

Freecom Mobile Thunderbolt/USB 3.0 Drivemg Full review: tinyurl.com/nluk7b2 freecom.com; £179 If you’re looking for an unfussy, lightweight portable drive to connect by Thunderbolt or USB 3.0, the Freecom Mobile Drive mg is one smart solution to look out for.

It’s available in 1TB or 500GB capacities using disk technology and offers a better balance of capacity against price compared to flash drives.

Pros: Slim; lightweight design; relatively tough magnesium construction; high capacities at cheaper prices than flash storage Cons: Inevitably slower speed than flash; mechanical drives less resilient

Sony HD-SG5

Full review: tinyurl.com/pubdtnf sony.co.uk, £75 If performance is your main priority, then there are faster Thunderbolt and SSD drives. However, the slimline design of the SG5 is both attractive and practical, and it’ll be a particularly good choice for owners of the MacBook Air who want a portable backup drive that they can carry around with them.

CONSUMER STORAGE

Pros: Fast; easy-to-learn interface Cons: Windows 8-like software interface; pricey

Pros: Slimline design; weighs just 130g; USB 3.0 Cons: Modest performance; no Thunderbolt

Seagate Central

Full review: tinyurl.com/Lf3x47a seagate.com/gb/en, £100 Most of Seagate’s NAS drives are aimed at business users, but the Seagate Central drive is designed for use in the home. There’s nothing innovative about this drive, but it gets the basics right. It’s competitively priced and easy to use, if very slow when writing files to disk.

Pros: Attractively priced; easy to use; good support for Mac and iOS devices Cons: Very slow for copying files; no Raid protection of data

Western Digital My Cloud Full review: tinyurl.com/pnqmn9k wdc.com/en, £120 (2TB) To make a home hardware-based personal cloud, the device and software must be easy to set up and use, and be completely reliable. With the My Cloud, Western Digital has made that setup straightforward, even if the need for separate device and WD server accounts is asking for trouble.

Pros: Relatively quiet; clear and approachable web admin interface; smart iOS apps Cons: Slow write speeds; Java requirement for Mac remote access; problems in setting up remote access; security issues with US-based DDNS

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Buyers’ Guide

CREATIVE SOFTWARE

Adobe Premiere Elements 12

Full review: tinyurl.com/pygte69 adobe.com/uk, £78, £63 (upgrade) If you’re a home movie buff who wants to use titles and other effects to create more professional results, then Premiere Elements 12 will provide all the editing tools you need at an attractive price. Its new Guided Edit mode also makes it a great option for beginners who want to learn more advanced editing techniques.

Pros: Powerful video-editing tools at a competitive price; Guided Edit mode provides help for new users Cons: Requires fast processor and plenty of memory to edit HD video

QuarkXPress 10

Full review: tinyurl.com/oz7fha9 quark.co.uk, £959, £359 (upgrade) If you’re a QuarkXPress 8 or 9 user, there are plenty of reasons to upgrade. (If you’ve got an earlier version, you’ll have to pay the full price). And anyone unhappy with Adobe’s switch to a rental-only model for Creative Cloud will appreciate the fact you can still buy or upgrade QuarkXPress 10 outright.

Pros: New user interface; improved image displays; new tools; Cocoa code Cons: Expensive; loss of some familiar menus

Smith Micro Manga Studio 5 EX

Full review: tinyurl.com/psadd3s manga.smithmicro.com, $210 (£130) Whether you opt for Manga Studio 5 or 5 EX, you’re getting a worthy upgrade to 4 EX that isn’t just a powerful tool for creating comic book art – but, as many artists are proving, is powerful for creating amazing digital art in general.

Pros: Excellent performance; updated brush engine; layer modes; multiple file handling; custom brush creation; new user interface; EX4 page and story file importing Cons: Only two features differentiate between the cheaper standard version and the EX version

Maxon Cinema 4D R15

Full review: tinyurl.com/nprhhdu maxon.net; Prime £720, Broadcast £1,380, Studio £3,120, upgrade from £276 Overall this release adds stability and refinements, as well as more flexibility and power — especially on the rendering side. Most of the updates seem to have been well thought-out, and definitely build on what was already a very solid package.

Pros: Ease of use; new Team Render; newly developed Irradiance Cache; updated Bevel tool; Intel Embree in physical renderer; extremely stable Cons: Hoped for more updates to modeling workflow; no updates to BodyPaint 3D; no updates to UV editing

Autodesk Mudbox 2014

Full review: tinyurl.com/o3mmgt4 autodesk.co.uk, £840, upgrade £588 Regardless of any retopology issues, Mudbox remains a great choice for producing digital sculptures and is unmatched in 2D/3D texture painting. However, since the main new features in Mudbox 2014 are for retopology – and they’re not up to par with those found in the competition, it’s difficult to recommend the 2014 upgrade.

Pros: Top-notch 3D sculpting and 2D/3D painting workflows; shallow learning curve Cons: Retopologising imported or scanned models requires that models be prepped prior to retopology

Avid Media Composer 7

Full review: tinyurl.com/kjg3hst avid.com/uk, £862, £262 (upgrade) Most of the changes with Media Composer 7 are performance related rather than adding killer new features. Existing Avid customers will love these changes as they speed up the workflow significantly, but if you’re not already committed to Media Composer then this probably won’t convince you.

Pros: Ability to dynamically extract resolution from hi-res sources; more audio options; cheapest version yet Cons: Relies on keyboard shortcuts; stereo workflow requires 16GB RAM; spanning markers are clunky; window system can be messy

Adobe InDesign CC

Full review: tinyurl.com/m3gvmqo adobe.com/uk, £17 per month single-app plan, £37 a month for teams InDesign CC contains very few new features – from a user’s perspective this isn’t a major upgrade. However, if your work involves creating ePub books, you’ll want it just for the improvements to ePub formatting. Numerous enhancements to the font menus make choosing fonts much more efficient and flexible.

Pros: Retina display support; font menu and ePub improvements; QR code generator Cons: Meagre new features

Adobe Edge CC

Full review: tinyurl.com/kw7po7t adobe.com/uk, £17 per month single-app plan, £37 a month for teams Unless you require the animation features of Edge Animate, we would find the price hard to justify. For more experienced teams, we’re not sure how useful are these tools when simpler tools may suffice. However, if you’re already a Creative Cloud member and heavily wedded to Adobe’s app ecosystem, they may prove more useful.

Pros: Tight integration with other Creative Cloud applications; preview design and code easily on iOS and Android devices; use web fonts on your desktop Cons: Applications lack native UI and share an inconsistent design; preview functions limited to Chrome browser; applications not available to purchase separately

Adobe Illustrator CC

Full review: tinyurl.com/kcuu7uv Adobe, adobe.com/uk, £17 per month single-app plan Illustrator CC introduces three new features that will be a useful addition to every designers toolkit. The first of these is the Touch Type tool, which lets you individually edit each letter. Secondly, you can now have a brush made up of a raster image. And finally, there’s the Kuler online palette generation tool.

Pros: Smarter workspace appearance; extensive resources; Kuler iPhone app interaction; improved type control Cons: Commitment to CC, uninspiring bitmap image strokes

Adobe Dreamweaver CC

Full review: tinyurl.com/ny34xej Adobe, adobe.com/uk, £17 per month single-app plan For those wedded to Dreamweaver, upgrading is a no-brainer, even if there’s hardly a glut of new features. It’s also a powerful tool for working on sites created with the program itself, as you’d expect. For those who’ve abandoned Dreamweaver, there’s little reason to return. For newcomers, it’s a decent product.

Pros: Edge Web Fonts integration; user-friendly responsive site workflow; great CSS Designer panel Cons: Default responsive layout is dated; still a weighty – and sometimes sluggish – app; ‘Adobe OS’ UI can be fiddly

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GIMP 2.8.10

Pros: Free; constantly updated; OS X Mavericks support; many useful and some unique tools; new cage transform; rotatable brushes; layer groups and improved text tool Cons: Slow operation; clunky dialogs; proprietary file format; no file management/image organisation

CyberLink PhotoDirector Ultra 5

Full review: tinyurl.com/p4em2fq cyberlink.com, £79 Still keeping focus on organisational tasks, the 64-bit PhotoDirector also gains strength in the image-processing and correction areas with this release. Features such as HiDPI support, HDR Bracketing, Split Toning and Channel Curves are welcome, as is automatic stacking in the Photo Browser.

Pros: HiDPI and 64-bit support; RGB channel curve adjustments; auto-stack groups of shots; bracketed HDR; output to 4K video slideshow Cons: No .PSD support; lens profiles database needs more expansion; automatic stacking a bit hit-and-miss

Pixelmator 3.0 FX Full review: tinyurl.com/naztkjL pixelmator.com, £20 Pixelmator feels bit like a cross between Photoshop, Motion and QuarkXPress – although there’s no CMYK support for print workflows. It would be nice if filters could be applied as live or ‘smart’ effects, but the power and variety on offer here is welcome.

IMAGE EDITING

Full review: tinyurl.com/k7wnsux gimp.org, Free When using GIMP, you soon realise just what the little paid-for productivity touches are worth in other applications. There are interface niggles and it’s also slow at times. However, it’s free, so giving it a trial should be a no-brainer. You’ve got nothing to lose but time.

Pros: Good value; rewritten for OS X Mavericks; new Layer Styles and Effects; liquify tools; versatile; Retina display support; GPU acceleration via Core Image Cons: No photo management/cataloguing; smart effects would be a bonus; lack of cross platform support might bother some; App Store download only

Corel AfterShot Pro

Full review: tinyurl.com/ouay3y7 corel.com, £80 Decently priced and powerful, there’s a lot to like about AfterShot Pro. The lack of some tools is a downside, but you can assign an external editor in the Preferences for fine detail work. This is a fast and powerful Raw tool, with strong colour correction, while using Layers and Regions is good for selectively sorting portions of a photo.

Pros: Speedy Raw workflow; Layers and Regions adjustments; Adjustment presets; third-party plug-ins support; GPU hardware acceleration Cons: No .PSD support; relatively low number of tools; not the most powerful cataloguing workflow; no Retina display support

Alien Skin Exposure 5

Full review: tinyurl.com/kL5tcxL alienskin.com, $149 (£89) While this isn’t a radical update in terms of the number of effects you are getting, the interface change so that far more grunge and grime effects can be applied at once is very welcome. It’s also still the best film- and retro effect plug-in money can buy.

Pros: New Polaroid film emulation; new lighting effects; redesigned interface; changes to some of the presets; save own combinations; grunge-orientated effects more flexible Cons: Not enough new effects; can only flip effects not rotate them; previews are split screen with no side-by-side option

PicSketch

Full review: tinyurl.com/n5mv36z softease.biz, £2.99 PicSketch produces some good effects, but making the surrounding scribbling part of a separate mode that doesn’t even turn the photo into a sketch is a little stupid. It’s cheap, but the sketch styles get repetitive too quickly, making this app one for the occasional conversion rather than if you need to do it all the time.

Pros: Cheap; good results easily attainable; various paper backgrounds; some preset sketch effects; blending and colouring options Cons: Control for brush size is a blunt instrument; surround scribblings in a separate mode; Preset mode doesn’t turn photo into a sketch; not enough control over process

Adobe Photoshop Elements 12

Full review: tinyurl.com/kLbb49o adobe.com/uk, £78, £65 (upgrade) While the user interface could use some tweaking to make it more intuitive, this has many useful photo-editing and organising tools for hobbyists who don’t want to fork out for the professional version of Photoshop. We’d suggest looking into cheaper alternatives such as iPhoto or Aperture before purchasing Elements, though.

Pros: Effects, textures and frames add fun ways to edit photos; new features such as Content-Aware Move and Pet Eye are frequently useful Cons: Some textures, frames and Guided Edits are gimmicky; interface is clumsy and unintuitive; Revel feature costly if more than 50 photos are required

Corel Painter X3

Full review: tinyurl.com/nkd2bmd corel.com/uk, £315, £158 (upgrade) If you’re looking to upgrade from a previous version, there are some pretty enticing improvements to X3 that may well make it worth your while, but like all upgrades, it’s whether you feel that the additions will be of use to your own creative process.

Pros: Intuitive improvements; affordable Cons: Steep learning curve

Adobe Photoshop CC

Full review: tinyurl.com/Lo9Leu9 adobe.com/uk, £17 per month single-app plan This release has plenty for you to get your teeth into. There’s something for everyone, but the real star is the Camera Shake Reduction filter. The improvements to the 3D engine are also notable. As it is, this is a decent release with usable functions rather than unnecessary bloat.

Pros: Camera shake filter; 3D performance increased; Spot Removal in Camera Raw excellent; upsampling is better than CS6; vector objects with corners can be re-edited Cons: Smart Sharpen not massively better; upsampling not as good as third-party plug-ins; limited 3D-format support; numerous windows use old colour scheme

Adobe Lightroom 5

Full review: tinyurl.com/Ljcwse2 adobe.com/uk, £57 or from £17 per month for Creative Cloud subscription Busy photographers may view Lightroom 5 as the release that enables them to let go of Photoshop for most tasks. New features keep coming and propel Lightroom ahead of Apple’s Aperture. The fact you don’t have to subscribe to own your copy is also good.

Pros: Lots of ways to sort images; build catalogues; creative presets; Healing Brush good for simple areas; considerable control over exposure; retrograde geotagging Cons: Library getting overly complex; some bugs; Upright tool well hidden; Advanced Healing Brush not called that in the app

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PRODUCTIVITY SOFTWARE

Nuance Dragon Dictate

Full review: tinyurl.com/mfwrcwg nuance.co.uk; £125 (£65 upgrade) Although OS X includes voice-command software, Nuance Dragon Dictate for Mac 4 is a far more mature product. The speech recognition is excellent and the addition of the transcription feature could prove invaluable to students and those who need to write up speeches or presentations.

Pros: Excellent speech recognition; new multiple-profile transcription mode and Gmail integration Cons: Browser control a little lacking; no punctuation in transcription mode

Draft

Full review: tinyurl.com/k5cvwua draftin.com; Free, $3.99 (£2.40) per month, $39.99 (£24.40) per year Drafts is currently free to use as the developer, Nathan Knotny, improves and adds features. Note that it’s all the work of just one guy. You’re encouraged to subscribe to keep the project going – and we think it’s worth it.

Pros: Collaborative document editing; strong version control Cons: A little slow when switching between views or importing

SimpleTax

Full review: tinyurl.com/n6pudsf

gosimpletax.com, Free SimpleTax is a great service for those with straightforward tax affairs but who lack the confidence to do their own calculations. Accountancy fees can be an unwelcome expense, but this does a similar job – and for free. Best of all, it demystifies the whole process, showing in simple terms what you can and can’t claim for.

Pros: Free; import data from your own sources; calculations performed for you Cons: You’ll need to have all your tax details to hand before you start

FileMaker Pro 13

Full review: tinyurl.com/nwsp3hc filemaker.co.uk, £286 If you’re already a FileMaker user, the upgrade shouldn’t take much thinking about. This version builds significantly on the offering you already have – especially if you need to deploy to mobile devices. And if you’re looking for a database-building tool for the first time, FileMaker Pro 13 has many attractions.

Pros: Fast database design with Starter Solutions; styles and templates; deployment to web and mobile devices Cons: Additional costs build up for web deployment

Extensis Suitcase Fusion 5

Full review: tinyurl.com/Lpwyxgp extensis.com; £84, upgrade £42 The latest upgrade to Extensis’ font-management system doesn’t give you as many new features as did v.4 but, as designers adopt Creative Cloud, Suitcase Fusion users will inevitably need the new plug-ins. The QuickComp feature is attractive and works well if you’re doing initial concept work.

Pros: Adobe CC in-app support, QuickComp template previewing, tweaked user interface Cons: No support for Adobe Typekit

NoteSuite 1.0

Full review: tinyurl.com/px4wrd3 notesuite.io, £2.99 NoteSuite is a good note-taking app, even if it can’t outgun rivals such as Evernote. However, its outstanding feature is the smooth iCloud synching, which will definitely appeal to anyone that uses an iPad or multiple Macs.

Pros: Affordable, versatile tools for organising notes and to-do lists; automatic iCloud synching; works on Mac and iPad Cons: No iPhone version; fewer features than the iPad version

TopXNotes

Full review: tinyurl.com/q9kh4xk

tropic4.com, £27 TopXNotes’s price is pretty steep, but it’s clear its features were designed for those who take seriously the task of keeping notes. If you fall within this audience, the app does its job capably and efficiently, with an impressive array of features and a user interface that’s well thought out and provides an excellent user experience.

Pros: Plenty of functionality at your fingertips; effortless search features; helpful MultiView for perusing multiple documents Cons: MultiView windows don’t resize properly

Scapple for OS X

Full review: tinyurl.com/oo6vv93 literatureandlatte.com, £10 If you are prepared to embrace thinking visually, Scrapple is a useful tool that could turn small ideas into big ones without too many headaches. Equally, it’s a handy way of collecting scraps of ideas that may not come to anything, but make more sense when seen together.

Pros: Drag-and-drop simplicity; freeform note making; Scrivener integration; ability to easily export notes for sharing and printing; iCloud support; MathType support; inexpensive Cons: Users need to start mapping ideas visually and regularly; some features including iCloud support dependent on OS X

SiteMaker Moonfruit Standard

Full review: tinyurl.com/ndfemre moonfruit.com, £7.20 per month Moonfruit is a polished, slick, web-design application, with nearly all the features you could need. It’s well-designed and makes it easy to customise a template. All the key features are in place to create a modern-looking, full-featured site that’s easy to edit.

Pros: Very well-designed; easy to select and customise a template; key features in place Cons: Low storage allowance

1&1 MyWebsite Personal

Full review: tinyurl.com/ojxq2oy 1and1.co.uk, £6 per month, £72 per year 1&1 MyWebsite Personal is a decent tool for putting together a standard website. There are a lot of predefined templates (300 to be precise), so finding something from which you can work is easy.

Pros: 300 templates; straightforward; automatic picture-size optimisation Cons: Template categories are less than helpful

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Intego Mac Internet Security X8

Full review: tinyurl.com/Lyfznco intego.com; £40 per year If you want software that consistently scores highly for spotting malware, Intego is for you. It’s simple to install and set up, scored highly in our lab tests and has a minimal effect on Mac resources in normal use.

Pros: One of the most effective malware solutions for OS X; little resource hogging; easy to set up and use Cons: Not as configurable as some

Full review: tinyurl.com/nsu3zqz eset.co.uk; £30 per year Eset Cyber Security for Mac is a sophisticated security application with good malware detection. It’s suited to anyone who likes to tweak and optimise, but is still simple enough to install and start comprehensive protection for any user.

Pros: Decent malware protection; sophisticated options available; fast on-demand scans Cons: Can be complex to configure

Avira

Full review: tinyurl.com/mnpoory avira.com; Free Avira’s free offering for Mac users has good malware-spotting skills and a tidy user interface that doesn’t detract from its duties. With a low impact on system performance, Avira shouldn’t make its presence known when working behind the scenes.

UTILITIES

Eset Cyber Security

Pros: Free; good malware detection; little system slowdown; better privacy policy Cons: Heuristic scanning sometimes produces false positives

Parallels Desktop 9

Full review: tinyurl.com/qjepsw4 parallels.com/uk, £64 Parallels has added some useful new features to its Desktop 9 application, keeping it the highest-performance virtualisation package for OS X. It’s support for OS X guests is embarrassingly poor, but Windows and Linux both work very well, and with terrific graphics that make these VMs feel like native installs in full-screen mode.

Pros: Fast and fluid for Windows and Linux VM guests; good integration for Windows 8 and 8.1; easier installation from disk images; better battery economy Cons: Mac OS X as guest machine almost unusable

Cocktail 6.7

Full review: tinyurl.com/noq5co6 maintain.se, £10 While most of Cocktail’s features already exist on the Mac, being able to access them without using a number of system tools and Terminal make Cocktail a highly useful utility. The unregistered version of Cocktail allows for 10 launches before timing out – that should be sufficient for you to decide whether it is right for you.

Pros: Comprehensive set of repair and maintenance tools; additional Automator actions; automatic Pilot mode; software frequently updated Cons: Some tools are complex to use

Freeway Pro 6

Full review: tinyurl.com/kx9toz4 softpress.com, £104 This design-led tool will let you publish content-rich websites in modern browsers, simply and at a very fair and reasonable price. It’s not perfect: laying out elements could do with some automation, for example, and Freeway Pro apparently has only one level of undo.

Pros: Publish content-rich sites; fair price; HTML 5 support; 20 percent discount to education, charities and the elderly Cons: Could do with more automation; one level of undo

Samepage.io

Full review: tinyurl.com/Lxgbhjc kerio.co.uk, free Kerio Samepage.io will appeal to small businesses and individuals who have used Workspace before, but it’s far more accessible to newcomers, with its much reduced learning curve. It’s free to try, too, so if you’re managing team projects, take a look.

Pros: Cloud based; remotely hosted; build your own team collaboration or project space; 10GB storage in free version Cons: Workspace users may be disappointed the software has been replaced by Samepage

CleanMyMac 2

Full review: tinyurl.com/qftexvd macpaw.com, £34 This seasoned utility can deal with almost every aspect of data cleaning. It’s expensive when compared with single-function open-source apps, but its integrated approach is well worth the money. There’s a good reason why CleanMyMac has built up an enviable reputation, and this version will only further enhance that.

Pros: Excellent user interface; comprehensive set of tools; clear explanations of scan results; highly configurable Cons: A little expensive

PrivacyScan 1.2

Full review: tinyurl.com/qygtfer macscan.securemac.com, $14 (£9.70) PrivacyScan is a worthwhile addition to your set of security tools. It’s easy to use, handles most modern web browsers and also supports common Mac apps.

As long as you remember to run it, you can rest assured that your privacy will remain protected.

Pros: Easy to use; can remove an array of privacy threats; supports most modern browsers and essential Mac apps; includes secure shredding as well as standard delete Cons: No scheduling or automation features; no ability to preserve some data

Extensis Portfolio Server 11.0.1

Full review: tinyurl.com/o73r6tx extensis.com, Studio £1,798, POA for Professional and Enterprise editions Portfolio Server effortlessly handles media management, and support for more file types and client customisation is welcome. Flash is required for all Client and Server web browsers, so may restrict your Client base. The Studio version has a one catalogue/three-user restriction.

Pros: Rapid and effective cataloguing of growing range of assets; more user customisation; AutoSync folders; enhanced keywording and metadata features Cons: Flash-based web clients restricts some use; Studio version is limited to one catalogue and three users

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Spotlight By Matt Egan

Takeaway tech Why you’ll soon be wearing McDonalds wristbands and Starbucks glasses. Probably

Y

ou know a market is commodified when supermarkets start selling own-brand items and prices drop to next to nothing. As it was in the smartphone and tablets market, so it is in the wonderful world of wearables. Yes, no-one knows how popular smartwatches and -glasses are set to be, but wristband activity trackers abound and the consumer tech industry is determined that we will all be wearing our computers soon enough.

And the commoditisation is already taken care of. Because just as the super cheap Tesco Hudl told us that tablets had become an everyday purchase, so now we see the Aldi Activity Tracker. It’s a wristband from the budget supermarket that tracks your exercise and it costs just £29. Wearables are now impulse purchases to be made when getting the weekly shop, it seems.

This is interesting on several fronts.

For one thing it suggests that we are all paying a premium for activity trackers.

Indeed, I recently had to replace my Jawbone Up24 (pictured) after it stopped working, and I was pleasantly surprised at how amenable was Jawbone to replacing it no questions asked.

Pleasantly surprised, that is, until it occurred to me that the device I purchased for £125 was so easily replaceable for the manufacturer.

It probably costs pence to make and ship.

And if Aldi is knocking out activitytracking wristbands for £29, it won’t be long until they are available for free.

This is not least because – like Tesco with the Hudl tablet – the benefits to manufacturers of wristbands reach beyond the profit they make from selling them.

The Hudl is an extension of the Club Card, giving Tesco an insight into the viewing and surfing habits of customers

It would be great PR: earn more unhealthy food and drink by exercising more.

The fast-food vendor as fitness trainer about whom they already know a lot. I would posit that Jawbone’s long-term profitability is based more on the massive amounts of user data it generates than on its ability to sell wristbands.

Which is why a recent survey from PriceWaterhouseCoopers makes for interesting reading. One of the survey questions asked the 1,000 respondents how excited they’d be about wearables from various brands. While Apple unsurprisingly came out on top, the

bottom of the list is more interesting.

Apparently, 18 percent of respondents said they were somewhat or very interested in wearable technology from McDonald’s. The survey also found that 27 percent of respondents were interested in a Starbucks wearable, and 26 percent were interested in wearable tech from Coca-Cola. This has been widely mocked, in so far as it has been reported at all. But the bean counters are on to something here.

Imagine the benefits to McDonalds or Starbucks of giving away activity tracker wristbands with meals. It would be great PR: earn more unhealthy food and drink by exercising more. The fast-food vendor as fitness trainer. And it would be an incredible way of generating data about customers, and enticing them back into the store. Perhaps a Starbucks or McDonalds wristband would buzz when a certain amount of steps was achieved, and then use GPS to point customers to the nearest ‘restaurant’ in order to consume the treat they’d earned.

Trust me, it will happen. Free and cheap gadgets as a mean of generating loyalty and user data is already an accepted business model. And the more personal the device the better the data. So free wearables from your favourite brands is the next step on from loyalty cards. Coming soon to a fast-food joint near you.

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