Table Of ContentWELCOME
From the Editor
EDITORIAL
Group Editor Daniel Booth
Deputy Editor Robert Irvine
Production Editor Graham Brown
Art Editor Katie Peat The Netflix paradox is that the more shows screen and you’re missing out.
Contributors Dinah Greek, David Ludlow, Jonathan Parkyn,
it offers me, the less I find that I want to Robert Irvine’s recommendations still
Chris Paton, Nik Rawlinson, Andy Shaw
watch. It’s why I’m considering cancelling contain some big names (Paramount+,
ADVERTISING
my account, along with the millions Discovery+), but also many more specialised
Advertising Manager Alexandra Thomas
Deputy Advertising Manager Rebecca New expected to leave this year. channels with content far more compelling
Increasingly I’m seeking niche channels than the latest cliched drama from the US.
MARKETING AND CIRCULATION
Subscriptions Juber Ahmed with content that may be less glossy, but is Thanks to Robert’s suggestions, I’ve
For subscription enquiries ring 0330 333 9493 more interesting and authentic. It’s what recently gone on safari (WildEarth),
PRODUCTION gave me the idea for this issue’s Cover orbited the Earth (Nasa TV) and visited
Head of Production Feature. We often recommend looking the world’s major cities (EarthCam).
Stephen Catherall
beyond the pre-installed programs on your Not once did I wonder what I was missing
Senior Production Manager
Lawrence Brookes computer to find better alternatives – well, on Netflix.
the same is true of your smart TV. Stick Daniel Booth
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Issue 636 • 20 July – 2 August 2022 3
Contents
20 July – 2 August 2022 • Issue 636
6 News Huge rise in scammers
impersonating real businesses
10 Question of the Fortnight How would a
BT strike affect your broadband?
11 Protect Your Tech
‘Link-less’ PayPal email scams
12 Letters Google News no substitute for
local papers
p10
14 Consumeractive
Where’s my model train from eBay?
Will BT picket
16 Grow Your Family Tree
line take you
Explore FamilySearch’s Research Wiki
offline?
18 Best Free Software
Thunderbird 102
Samsung Galaxy Book2 360
21 Named & Shamed
p22
TuberVanced’s hypocritical app adverts
Reviews
22 Samsung Galaxy Book2 360
Galaxy laptop in a world of its own
23 Huawei MateStation X
All-in-one PC could be one for all
24 Lenovo Tab P12 Pro
AMOLED tablet for movie buffs
25 HP Envy Inspire 7920e
Reliable printer looks good on paper
Huawei MateStation X
26 Realme 9 5G p23
A phone of acceptable compromises
28 Logitech G413
Sturdy keyboard makes the right switch
Grell TWS/1 In-ear Headphones
Earbuds for the hear and now
29 CyberLink PowerDirector Ultimate
Video editor is a home-movie star
30 Buy It/Competition
Win a TP-Link Deco X20 Mesh Wi-Fi unit
4 20 July – 2 August 2022 • Issue 636
Subscribe now!
See page 58 for our special subs offer
Workshops & Tips
35 How to… Access all your
passwords on any device
4
38 Record your PC screen with audio
using PicPick
40 Readers’ Tips Use strikethrough to
cross out loads of data
42 Browser Tips Fake your location
when browsing the web
p35
44 Phone and Tablet Tips Move your
WhatsApp data from Android to iOS
Passwords: access all areas
46 Make Windows Better Press Tab to
Best Apps For Your
move through Settings quickly
47 Make Office Better SMART TV
Find and replace special characters
48 In the Club
Embed an Excel file on your site
49 What’s All the Fuss About? Add these to your TV – and go beyond Netflix,
Cancelling Amazon Prime BBC, ITV & Amazon Prime FECAOTVUERRE
50 COVER FEATURE (cid:51)(cid:51)(cid:3)(cid:3) Watch free films & TV P50
Best apps for your smart TV (cid:51)(cid:51)(cid:3)(cid:3) Stream from your PC
There’s more to your smart TV than just the (cid:51)(cid:51)(cid:3)(cid:3) Listen to radio
usual streaming services. We reveal the
(cid:51)(cid:51)(cid:3)(cid:3) Unblock restricted TV
apps that’ll revolutionise your telly
Remove unwanted apps
60 Ditch these old devices?
Is your tech on borrowed time? Find out if
your device is nearing the end of support
62 Remove junk with BCUninstaller
Get rid of unwanted programs, folders and
leftovers quietly and completely
64 Problems Solved
Where’s my CMOS battery?
71 Reader Support How can I uninstall
‘irritating’ YouTube extension?
72 Jargon Buster
74 Easy When You Know How
Robert Irvine reads the web bionically
Issue 636 • 20 July – 2 August 2022 555
News
The top stories in the world of technology
Huge rise in scammers
impersonating real businesses
Scammers impersonating by banking trade body UK
legitimate businesses Finance (www.snipca.
and organisations stole com/42579), which warned
£580m from Britons in 2021, that the country is suffering
an increase of 40 per cent year from an “epidemic of fraud”.
on year. In ‘authorised push
The figure comes from the payment’ (APP) scams,
annual fraud report published criminals pretend to be from a
trusted source like the NHS,
WHAT WE THINK government departments or
your bank or solicitor and
It’s important to realise trick you into authorising a
that the APP code places payment
some responsibility on These attacks aren’t random
your own actions. You’re because the scammer has
expected to pay attention to intercepted emails from you
warnings from your bank, to the service you owe money criminals stole gold, property Katy Worobec, UK Finance’s
and follow any instructions to. It means often you’re and cryptocurrencies managing director for economic
to confirm the legitimacy expecting the payment that’s accounted for the biggest total crime, noted that fraudsters
of the payment. To make a being requested, making it loss (£171m), followed by “have become increasingly
successful claim, you must more likely you’ll fall for the scams impersonating police adept at adapting their
have had a “reasonable scam. or bank staff (£137m). methods to suit changes in
basis” for believing that the In the past banks have been UK Finance said that our lifestyles and in consumer
person you paid was the reluctant to refund the money push-payment scams made behaviour”, in a reference to
person you were expecting you lost because technically up 44 per cent of the £1.3bn how criminals continuously
to pay, and that they offer a you approved the payment. stolen by fraudsters in 2021. evolved their scams during
genuine service. Whenever However, most have now Another 40 per cent involved the Covid pandemic.
we get an invoice by email, no signed up to the Authorised payment cards, including “We need continued efforts
matter who from, we always Push Payment Scam Code, counterfeits, while the rest from government and other
phone the sender to check it’s which means they must seek were fake transactions made sectors to tackle what is now a
authentic. You should too. to reimburse victims. online, over the phone or national security threat,” she
Investment scams in which through mobile apps. added.
Microsoft delays banning ‘copycat’ Store apps
Microsoft has delayed generally available for free, free, and asked the company This seemed to suggest
banning paid-for apps nor be priced irrationally to clarify. that Microsoft would stop the
from the Microsoft Store that high relative to the features In response, Giorgio Sardo sale of ‘copycat’ apps that
are available for free elsewhere and functionality provided by – the General Manager of impersonate official tools,
following complaints from your product” (see Issue 635, Apps, Partners, Store at but developers still asked for
developers page 7). Microsoft – tweeted that the more detail.
It had said that its new However, developers aim was not to prevent Sardo then tweeted that the
Store policy would prevent said that Microsoft was open-source software being new rules will be delayed to
open-source apps from being wrong to assume that sold, but to clamp down on give Microsoft time to “clarify
sold when it’s “otherwise open-source should always be “misleading listings”. the intent”.
You’ll like this… but not this…
3,000 rural primary schools are getting Fake UK passports are being sold on the
1Gbps broadband (www.snipca.com/42578) dark web (www.snipca.com/42584)
6 20 July – 2 August 2022 • Issue 636
New-look Gmail is here,
IN BRIEF
but you can easily go back AMAZON TESTS
DELIVERY BY E(cid:2)BIKE
Amazon is
Google is rolling out a new trialling delivery
design for Gmail, but you by electronic bike
can revert to the previous in central London
version if you don’t like the as part of its
changes. ambition to be
The new look adds a panel carbon neutral
on the left that Google says by 2040. The ‘e-cargo bikes’
lets you switch more easily (pictured) are being used
between Gmail, Chat and the alongside deliveries made on
video-tool Meet (see foot. Amazon says it already
screenshot right). has 1,000 electric vans on
Notifications of new UK roads, which made
messages in Chat appear as 45m deliveries in 2021.
“bubbles” at the bottom of the Read more at www.snipca.
panel. You can change which com/42558.
tools appear in the panel in
ADD POWERTOYS TOOLS
Gmail’s settings, as Google
TO RIGHT(cid:2)CLICK MENU
explains at www.snipca. the old style.
com/42575. To do this, click the Settings Microsoft has released a
Google first announced the cog at the top right, then new version of PowerToys
redesign in January, offering it select ‘Go back to the original (0.60) that adds the tools
to people who wanted to ‘opt Gmail view’ (see screenshot Image Resizer and Power
in’ to try it. It’s now being right). If you haven’t got the Rename to the right-click
rolled out as the default design new design yet but would like options in Windows 11. If you
for “select users”, who will it, click the cog, then select already have PowerToys
need to ‘opt out’ to go back to ‘Try out the new Gmail view’. installed, open it, then
click ‘Check for updates’.
If not, you can download it
NHS digital revolution ‘must not leave
from the Microsoft Store
elderly patients behind’ (www.snipca.com/42572),
or from the developer’s
GitHub page at www.snipca.
Patients groups have merit consideration”. com/42573 – scroll down
called for the He added: “Where and click ‘PowerToysSetup-
Government to ensure that are the safeguards for 0.60.0-x64.exe’.
elderly people are not those who do not own
neglected as part of its smartphones or find it TOMORROW’S
“digital revolution” for very difficult to work WORLD
the NHS. with apps because of
It follows then Health dexterity or eyesight This robot has just learned
Secretary Sajid Javid problems?” what toddlers know
announcing plans to Javid also announced instinctively: play dough
modernise the NHS app to that by March 2023 is fun. Scientists at the
make sure the service can patients will be able to Massachusetts Institute of
meet “the challenges of use the app to receive Technology taught it to turn
2048 – not 1948, when it messages from their the “shapeless sludge” into
was first established”. GP, and see their identifiable
He said the current NHS medical records. Some letters, saying
App (www.nhs.uk/nhs-app, who aren’t comfortable using patients who use the app it could be
pictured) will be upgraded to a phone. can already access these used to help
allow video consultations Dennis Reed, from the services. people with
with GPs by March 2024. over-60s’ rights group Silver The Government wants at mobility
Ministers claim it will give Voices (https://silvervoices.co. least 75 per cent of adults to problems.
patients easy and direct uk), told MailOnline: “In the be using the app by March Watch it at
access to a doctor, but critics rush to digitalisation, older 2024. Currently, less than www.snipca.
say the move risks excluding people are being swept to one half – about 28 million – com/42557.
millions of elderly Britons side, as if their needs do not have installed it.
Issue 636 • 20 July – 2 August 2022 7
News
Driver cancels parking fine after
IN BRIEF
Google proves he wasn’t there
MICROSOFT TESTING
EDGE IMAGE EDITOR
Microsoft is testing an image Am otorist has overturned a
editor in its browser Edge. £100 parking fine after
The tool (pictured), available using Google’s Location
in the Canary preview History to prove he had not
version of Edge (www. overstayed in a car park.
snipca.com/42562), lets Premier Park, which
you edit a picture before you manages 850 car parks across
save it using several features the UK, fined Jamie Chalmers
from the Windows Photo for over-staying in a car park
app. These include cropping, by three hours, even though
changing brightness, and he claimed he hadn’t used it.
annotation. See more Chalmers, from Hilsea,
screenshots at www.snipca. Portsmouth, appealed by
com/42561. sending evidence of his fight wrongly issued fines, To enable Location
Location History that showed he added. Reporting, tap on your
he had instead visited two Google’s Location History phone’s Settings app, then
drive-through restaurants saves where you’ve been while Location, followed by
nearby. Premier Park upheld in possession of your phone. Google Location Reporting.
his complaint and cancelled You need to be signed into Now tap Location Reporting,
the fine. your Google Account, and then turn the slider on.
He told the Telegraph that have both Location History Back in the ‘Activity
LEBARA ADDS WI(cid:2)FI
he was “shocked” by the fine, and Location Reporting controls’, you can also tell
CALLING TO PHONES
which he was given while turned on. Google to automatically
Mobile network Lebara has on a night out celebrating his To activate Location delete your location data
added Wi-Fi Calling to its 21st birthday. History, visit Google’s after three months, 18
service, letting you make He said Premier Park sent ‘Activity controls’ at www. months, or three years.
phone calls over your home photos of him driving back to snipca.com/42555 and click Visit Google’s ‘Account
Wi-Fi connection. It has also a main road, and giving way at the ‘Turn on’ button (see Help’ pages for more
added 4G Calling, which a junction. Other drivers screenshot), then ‘Turn on’ information: www.snipca.
keeps calls on 4G, rather could use Location History to again to confirm. com/42554.
than dropping back to 3G or
2G. Lebara is a mobile virtual
Hackers deface British Army’s Twitter
network operator (MVNO),
using Vodafone’s network.
and YouTube pages
Check its coverage at www.
snipca.com/42568.
The Ministry of Defence is attack, at one point
THE WORLD’S investigating how hackers showing a cartoon
GONE MAD! were able to deface the British pink head severed
Army’s Twitter and YouTube from the rest of the
Hong Kong’s accounts. body (pictured).
Transport Its YouTube channel (www. The biography
Department youtube.com/britisharmy) underneath was
is doing its was hacked to show videos replaced with the 364,000 followers on Twitter
best to make about cryptocurrency and message: “We all have a and 177,000 subscribers on
sure this man images of tech entrepreneur dark side. What will yours YouTube.
doesn’t get run Elon Musk, while its Twitter look like?” It follows another security
over. He’s being bathed in a account (https://twitter.com/ The attack took place on scare in March when data
‘zombie traffic light’ designed BritishArmy) retweeted a Sunday 3 July, and seemed to relating to 124 UK military
to remind pedestrians glued number of posts appearing last just a few hours before recruits was found being sold
to their phones not to cross to relate to digital assets order was restored. Defence on the dark web.
while the red light is on. known as NFTs. sources haven’t commented The leak forced the Army to
Four such lights have been The Army’s profile picture on whether Russian hackers shut down its computerised
installed across the city. on Twitter was changed were responsible. recruitment system for over a
several times during the The Army has more than month.
8 20 July – 2 August 2022 • Issue 636
Apple fails to block mass
IN BRIEF
lawsuit for ‘app overcharging’
VIRGIN SWITCHES ON
UK’S FIRST 5G HOSPITAL
Nearly 20 million UK presenting it, but the Virgin Media O2 has switched
iPad and iPhone users Competition Appeal Tribunal on the first 5G network to
are a step closer to winning disagreed and the case is run in an NHS hospital. Trials
compensation from Apple now expected to go to trial are underway at Bethlem
after the company failed in a next year. Royal Hospital, part of the
bid to limit a lawsuit that If successful, compensation South London and Maudsley
claims it overcharged people of £1.5bn could be shared NHS Trust, that will allow
for apps. among everyone who bought medical staff to make
The case, bought by Dr apps, or paid for subscriptions ‘e-observations’ on handheld
Rachael Kent – a lecturer in or in-app purchases, from devices. 5G will also be
digital economy at King’s Apple’s App Store since used in AR headsets, and
College London – alleges that 1 October 2015 – around to monitor the temperature
Apple breached competition 19.6 million people. of fridges storing medicine.
law by forcing app developers If you’re not sure whether In addition, you can Read more at www.snipca.
to use Apple’s payment you’ve bought anything since check your eligibility on com/42537.
system for in-app purchases, then, check by logging into the lawsuit’s official site:
CHECK WHETHER
and taking up to 30 per cent your App Store account. www.snipca.com/42525.
WEBSITES ARE SCAMS
commission on each Open the Settings app You don’t need to do anything
transaction. on your device, then tap to be considered for A new scam-checking site
This unfairly increased the your name, followed by compensation. The case is lets you verify the legitimacy
prices consumers had to pay ‘Media & Purchases’. Next, tap ‘opt out’, which means you’re of a website by typing its
for apps, Dr Kent argues, View Account, then sign in (if automatically included unless web address (URL). Created
while generating “excessive” prompted) and tap Purchase you choose not to be. by internet safety group
profits for Apple. History (see screenshot). Tap Dr Kent applauded the Get Safe Online and fraud-
The company claimed that ‘Last 90 Days’, then select an decision, saying that Apple’s prevention service Cifas, the
Dr Kent’s case should be older date range (see these “almost unlimited resources” ‘Check a website’ tool uses
dismissed because she used instructions at www.snipca. will make the case a an algorithm based on more
the wrong legal test when com/42526). “challenging fight”. than 40 security sources to
provide a “trust score”. Visit
www.snipca.com/42536,
Doubts over broadband
type a URL, then click ‘Check
this site’ (pictured below).
firms’ ‘cost of living’ plan
Most of the UK’s manageable payment plans”.
broadband and mobile Providers also agreed to
providers have agreed a protect vulnerable customers of available social tariffs.
‘cost of living’ plan with the as a priority, and to raise Digital Secretary Nadine
NETFLIX CONFIRMS
Government to help people awareness of their social-tariff Dorries said the measures
ADVERTS COMING SOON
pay their bills, though it’s deals, which are low-cost will help families who face
unclear whether the measures packages available to people “increased anxiety about Netflix has confirmed that
can be enforced. claiming Universal Credit. keeping up with bills” (www. it’s launching a cheaper
BT, Openreach, Virgin In February, Ofcom said that snipca.com/42465). subscription plan that contains
Media O2, Vodafone, Three, fewer than two per cent of However, the commitments adverts. CEO Ted Sarandos
TalkTalk and Sky, along with people eligible for Universal don’t appear to have any legal said it’s for “folks who say
several smaller firms, all Credit are signed up to a basis, and are similar to ‘hey, I want a lower price and
signed up to commitments at social tariff. Across the UK previous pledges announced I’ll watch ads”. He added that
a Government-led “summit” 4.2 million households are by the firms. The Government it would be available “sooner
in late June. eligible, but only 55,000 didn’t say whether it would rather than later”, but didn’t
The pledges include offering homes have taken advantage monitor how the companies mention pricing. It follows
struggling customers ways to of the discounted rates. were honouring the Netflix losing 200,000
keep them connected, such as It calculates the average commitments. subscribers in the first three
“allowing them to move to household saving is £144 a months of 2022, its first fall
Have you switched to a social
cheaper packages without year. Visit www.snipca. in over 10 years.
tariff? Let us know: letters@
charge or penalty, or agreeing com/42466 to see Ofcom’s list computeractive.co.uk
Issue 636 • 20 July – 2 August 2022 9
QQuueessttiioonn o of ft hthee F oFrotrntingihgtht
How would a BT strike affect
your broadband?
Repairs and installation of new lines could be delayed nationwide
In January 1987, 117,000
THE FACTS
British Telecom phone
engineers went on strike
•
over pay and working hours. Openreach engineers and
Back then the impact was on BT call-centre workers
phone lines, with banks and have voted to go on strike
•
credit-card firms particularly BT has offered a 5-8 per
badly affected. We might see cent pay rise, but
similar disruption across the Communications
broadband networks this Workers Union has called
summer if workers proceed for 10 per cent
•
with strike action. More than 30 million
In late June, 30,000 people use broadband
Openreach engineers voted to provided on the Openreach
strike (equating to 96 per cent network
of a turnout of 75 per cent). It
followed BT Group, which
owns Openreach, offering staff of the industrial action, in
a £1,500 annual pay rise, up which 9,000 call-centre
from an initial £1,200. workers voted to strike. If it
The company claimed it goes ahead, there won’t be
would be the biggest pay rise by 32 per cent to £3.5 million. maintain the broadband anyone to answer your calls
for frontline workers in more As we go to press, BT is infrastructure that most should you have a problem.
than 20 years – an average considering the union’s providers use, including EE, Recent history suggests an
five-per-cent increase, and up demand of a 10-per-cent Plusnet, Sky, TalkTalk, agreement could be made.
to eight per cent for those on increase. If it’s rejected and Vodafone and Zen Internet – Last July, the CWU called off a
the lowest salaries. engineers down tools, you over 30 million customers vote to strike after BT agreed
across the UK. Only customers to a series of measures,
of providers that use their including pay increases and
During lockdowns, Openreach
own cables, such as Virgin steps to avoid compulsory
postponed any non-essential Media O2 and CityFibre, will redundancies.
escape disruption. But the union will surely
planned engineering – that’s likely BT claims its Civil Resilience have one eye on the outcome
team will work to “keep our of that strike 35 years ago. Two
to happen again
customers and the country weeks into it, as banks
connected”. This unit is struggled to cope and the
dedicated to dealing with stock exchange’s telecoms
But the Communications probably won’t notice any emergencies, such as power system collapsed, unions
Workers Union (CWU), which difference at first. It won’t be cuts, flooding and – as we’ve accepted BT’s offer of a 12.75-
represents the engineers, said like the ongoing train strikes, seen – pandemics. However, per-cent pay rise over two
that because of soaring inflation where no drivers means no it’ll be far from business as years, higher than their
the extra money amounted to trains. You don’t need usual. During the Covid original request of 10 per cent.
a “dramatic real-terms pay engineers for your broadband lockdowns, Openreach With broadband now as
cut”. It pointed out that BT to run. But you do need them operated a “change freeze”, essential as phone lines were
made £1.3 billion in annual to fix faults and install new postponing any non-essential then, you wouldn’t blame
net profit for the year ending services. Both are likely to be planned engineering. That’s union bosses for feeling
31 March (though down 13 per severely delayed by strikes. likely to happen again. confident – and if inflation
cent from the previous year), It’s important to note that it Even if you’re not switching continues to rocket you
and highlighted that CEO won’t just be BT customers service or needing repairs, you wouldn’t bet against another
Philip Jansen’s pay increased affected. Openreach engineers might be hit by the other half dispute next year.
10 20 July – 2 August 2022 • Issue 636
