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YouTube is now blurring thumbnail images for search results that “frequently include sexual themes”. It announced the “experimental” feature in the Community section of the YouTube Help Center (www.snipca.com/54795), saying it’s aimed at “providing safer search experiences for all users”. Viewers will still see the video title, channel name and description. Also, unlike Google’s SafeSearch, it won’t remove sexual content. Viewers will be able to unblur the thumbnails. YouTube added that it will analyse the test feature to see whether it helps viewers avoid coming across content that doesn’t break its rules, but is “sensitive in nature”. Only a “small percentage of viewers” will see the blurred thumbnails, it said. It didn’t mention what kind of results will produce blurred thumbnails. We blurred the images ourselves in our screenshot above,…

Microsoft will ask users creating new accounts to sign in with passkeys by default rather than passwords. Passkeys are ways of signing in without a password, such as by receiving a message or PIN on another device. Microsoft announced the move on Thursday 1 May, which tech companies have called World Password Day in recent years – though the company suggested it should be renamed ‘World Passkey Day’. It said new accounts are now “passwordless by default” and that new users “will have several passwordless options for signing into their account”. These include using Windows Hello to sign in with face recognition or fingerprint, Microsoft added, as well as receiving codes by phone. When you create an account Microsoft will “automatically detect the best available method on your account and…

USB Safely Remove www.snipca.com/54784 Price: £19.08 a year Free trial: 30 days What you need: Windows 7, 8.1, 10 or 11 We always test programs in this section with an open mind, but we installed USB Safely Remove with a degree of scepticism. What could justify paying for a tool that safely removes USB sticks from your PC, when you can do it for free in a couple of clicks? However, USB Safely Remove has more features than its name suggests, and can prevent data loss when you unplug a device before files have been successfully transferred. It works not only with USB sticks but any type of plug-and-play external drive, so it’s useful for managing multiple devices. While Windows often gives USB drives a generic ‘USB Mass Storage Device’…

The Pixel 9a is the most affordable model in Google’s current line-up of smartphones. Its release follows the same pattern we’ve seen from Google over the past few generations, with the expensive flagship phones (in this case the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro series) launching first, then the affordable ‘a’ version appearing a few months later. “The best Android phone we’ve seen in its price range” The 9a looks a little different to the other Pixel 9 phones, losing the wide camera bar across the back and replacing it with a protruding section in the top-left corner. This makes it look more like a generic smartphone than a Pixel, and with its flat sides and rounded corners, it’s reminiscent of Apple’s iPhone 16e (£599 from www.snipca.com/54407, reviewed in Issue 708).…

Q One of my grandsons is mad about drawing and 3D printing. I have some 3D printers that we’ve been experimenting with in the hope that this opens up opportunities for him in the future. With that in mind, I’d like to buy him a graphics tablet for his drawing, but which one should I choose? Robert Lindsay A As you’ll probably be aware, graphics tablets vary greatly in price. If you’re happy to start off with a basic device to see how your grandson takes to drawing on a screen, we’d recommend the One by Wacom (£36 from www.snipca.com/54729). This is a great entry-level device that connects to a PC, though colour accuracy and brightness levels are limited. If he’s serious about drawing and your budget is bigger, the…

The OnePlus Watch 3 builds on the success of its award-winning predecessor, the Watch 2 (£299 from www.snipca.com/49769, reviewed Issue 681), with a number of improvements. Most of these are incremental rather than revolutionary, but together they make for an even more useful and satisfying device. “Battery life is 120 hours, much longer than its predecessor and rival watches” One of the Watch 2’s main strengths was its 100-hour battery life. The Watch 3 takes this even further, lasting 120 hours, or almost an extra day. That’s significantly longer than watches from rivals such as Apple and Samsung can go between charges. The Watch 3 is slightly thinner than its predecessor but otherwise similar in size. This means it’s still quite hefty and best suited to those with larger wrists.…

Who are they? People who like to take a crafty peek over your shoulder when you’re using your phone or laptop in public. Most of them are just being nosy – curious about what you’re typing and to whom. But there are also plenty of criminals who do it to steal your login details when you unlock your devices and sign into accounts. It’s a growing security threat. Says who? Several security experts in recent years. In 2023 Detective Superintendent John Roch, head of economic crime at the Metropolitan Police, said scammers are getting better at shoulder surfing. He described phones as being like “a bag of cash” if they fall into the wrong hands. His warning was echoed last year by Chris Ainsley, head of fraud risk management at…

Originally called Location History, Timeline is a feature in Google Maps that uses GPS, Wi-Fi and mobile networks to keep track of your location at all times. It uses this data to create a detailed, searchable map of where you’ve been and when (see screenshot below). In Google’s words, you can “go back in time” to see places you’ve visited in the past. This makes Timeline a useful tool for retracing your steps on a given day, or logging your travel for work or fitness purposes. As you might expect, however, the feature has been a source of controversy, because it tracks your every movement in the real world and stores this information online, raising privacy concerns. Google is responding to these criticisms by making fundamental changes to the way…

720p/1080p/1440p Common types of high-definition video of 1280x720, 1920x1080 and 2560x1440 pixels respectively. APK Android Package Kit. The file format Android uses to install apps. ATX Advanced Technology Extended. A motherboard and power supply standard for PCs, defining dimensions, mounting points and power connectors. Benchmarking Comparing software and products with an accepted standard. Beta A version of software that’s being tested. Beta versions are often released so problems can be ironed out. BIOS Basic Input-Output System. Software built into every PC that connects the vital components. CAPTCHA Distorted text you have to type to prove you’re a human. cd/m2 Candela per square metre. Standard unit of brightness. Chatbot A computer program designed to recreate conversation with human users, especially over the internet. Typically used to offer automated customer support. CMOS…

You’ll soon be able to group your Start menu apps into category folders, Microsoft has confirmed. It’s the most significant of several changes that will make it easier to control what the Windows 11 menu shows. The new ‘category’ view is similar to the App Library on iPhones and iPads, which groups apps by function, such as Social, Entertainment and Travel. Microsoft says apps will be categorised automatically. In our screenshot (right) it has created groups for Productivity 1, Other 2 and ‘Utilities & Tools’ 3. It’s one of three layout options you’ll see when you click ‘All’, which as part of the changes will move to the bottom of the main menu. Another new option is a grid view that presents apps in three columns. These join the existing…

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg (pictured) has said people could talk to AI chatbots to tackle loneliness and seek emotional help instead of paying for therapy. In a 75-minute interview with influential tech podcaster Dwarkesh Patel (www.snipca.com/54792), the Meta boss said chatbots could be useful for “talking through difficult conversations”. He acknowledged there’s a “stigma” in confiding in AI, but predicted that “over time, we’ll find the vocabulary as a society to articulate why they are valuable, why the people who are doing it are rational for doing it, and how it is actually adding value to their lives”. “The average American has, I think, fewer than three friends,” he said, adding that most people need “meaningfully more”. In another interview with business analyst Ben Thompson (www.snipca.com/54793), Zuckerberg said AI chatbots…

Firefox’s finance boss said the browser could go out of business if Google is prevented from paying to be the default search engine in browsers. It’s one of several proposals from the US Department of Justice aimed at ending Google’s monopoly in online search. Currently, Google pays Firefox’s owners Mozilla around $450m (£337m) a year to be the default search engine on the browser. Mozilla’s Chief Financial Offer Eric Muhlheim told a court that Firefox accounts for about 90 per cent of the company’s revenue, and that 85 per cent of this comes from its agreement with Google. Mulheim was testifying in the US Government’s antitrust case against Google, which could end with the company being forced to sell Chrome. He said the possibility of losing Google’s payments was “very…

Two of the most trusted brands on the high street have spent the past month trying to recover from devastating cyber-attacks. Both the Co-op and Marks & Spencer had to suspend online orders after a ransomware attack from the prolific gang DragonForce. Some storeshadtoswitch to cash-only payments, while shelves were left bare as warehouses couldn’t restock supplies. This inconvenienced customers of both companies, but the long-term impact for Co-op shoppers could be more severe. This is because the attackers claim to have stolen the details of 20 million Co-op members, past and present. The company didn’t confirm that figure, but has admitted that data from a “significant” number of its members has been taken. “The theft contains names and contact details, which is all scammers need to target customers” The…

The first thing that caught our attention with this laptop was how light it is. MSI quotes it as 990g, but it came up at 967g on our scales. Either way, you’ll barely notice it if you need to carry it around in a rucksack. MSI achieves this with a magnesium-aluminium chassis that’s as durable as it is light. It should stay looking smart well beyond the life of the one-year warranty. Inside there’s an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V processor, which is more powerful than the Core Ultra 7 in our current favourite laptop – Asus Vivobook 16 Flip (£1,300 from www.snipca.com/54366, reviewed in Issue 708) – and, unsurprisingly, it performed better in our benchmark tests. “Faster than previous favourite laptops thanks to a more powerful processor” And while…

These earbuds are a follow-up to Sony’s excellent WF-C700N (£68 from www.snipca.com/48438, reviewed in Issue 673) and offer some welcome hardware improvements. The highlight is the noise-cancelling feature, where Sony has truly upped its game. While testing on a busy commuter train we found it was the most effective we’ve ever experienced at this price – and certainly better than the already excellent C700N buds. Sound quality is also impressive without noise cancelling switched on. However, it’s only marginally better than the C700N buds, so if you already own these there’s no point upgrading if you don’t use noise cancelling much. Battery life has been doubled to 40 hours (with noise cancelling off – 12 hours from the buds, 28 from the case) and 30 hours with cancelling on. This…

What you need: GIMP Time required: One hour The last time you painted a room, how did you stop your wall colour getting on the ceiling? Or the gloss of your door frames straying into the surrounding emulsion? You probably used tape to mask off those areas. Layer masks in image editors like GIMP, Photoshop and Affinity Photo work in much the same way, letting you control which areas are affected by a new layer of pixels. Here, we’ll explain how to use layers in the powerful free image editor GIMP (www.gimp.org). You can then easily transfer what you’ve learned to any other image editors you may use. 1 Make thumbnail image Open GIMP then press Ctrl+O, select a photo and click Open. When the picture opens in the main…

PROBLEM OF THE FORTNIGHT Can I keep SSID and password from my old router when buying a new one? Q I’m struggling to find a clear answer on a particular point regarding the upgrade of my router. In my house we have loads of devices connected to the Wi-Fi, from PCs, tablets and phones to smart speakers and even a solar-panel system. My idea, when purchasing a new router, was to change the SSID (see screenshot) and password to those of the old router – meaning I wouldn’t need to spend a lot of time going around the house having to reconnect our numerous existing devices. I thought that would work, but matters were confused by a family member who had a Virgin technician update her existing router and then…

I spend most of my working day switching between two computers. One runs Windows 10 (at least until 14 October) and the other Windows 11, so I can ensure all the software we recommend in Computeractive works on both operating systems and provide accurate advice for each. “Planck takes the sinking feeling out of syncing your clipboard” This involves a lot of back and forth, especially when capturing screenshots on one PC that need to be edited on the other. But I do realise it’s hardly akin to toiling down a coal mine. Besides, since I discovered LocalSend (www.snipca.com/52690 – see Issue 697, page 18), sharing files between devices is a doddle. LocalSend also lets me paste text from my clipboard to send to other PCs, though this requires a bit…

Microsoft is updating Snipping Tool so it takes “perfect” screenshots every time by adjusting the capture area to “tightly frame on-screen content”. It claims this will reduce the need to crop screenshots after you’ve taken them, though you can still do this to fine-tune the results. To use it, you need to click the ‘Perfect Screenshot’ button at the top (see screenshot). This analyses the visible screen and “snaps around the most prominent content in view”. Microsoft demonstrates how it works at www.snipca.com/54815. However, it uses AI, so will be available only on Copilot+ computers. These are modern machines with special processors for running AI tasks. Read Microsoft’s blog for news of more AI tools coming soon: www.snipca.com/54814. You’ll like this… Switching between classic and new Outlook will soon be…

APPLE STARTS SELLING REFURBISHED IPHONE 15 Apple has added iPhone 15 models to its refurbished store. The cheapest is the standard iPhone with 128GB (pictured), priced £589 – £110 less than the full price. Visit www.snipca.com/54786 and choose a phone in the left-hand menu. Apple launched the iPhone 15 in 2023. OPENREACH AXES COPPER IN 163 AREAS Openreach has named the next 163 areas where BT will stop selling copper-based phone and broadband services, including exchanges in Clacton, Pontypool, Sunderland, Telford and Turnberry – see the full list at www.snipca.com/54785. It’s the 20th ‘tranche’ of exchanges to stop selling services over copper wires, taking the total to over 1,500. STOP USING USB HUB FROM TIKTOK Trading officials have recalled a popular USB hub being sold through TikTok because it poses…

BT has teamed up with veteran newsreader Moira Stuart (pictured) to raise awareness of the switch from copper-based landlines to digital phones. The company hopes the publicity campaign will reassure customers that for most people “switching to a digital landline is simple”. It also wants people with additional needs to understand “what support is available to them and how they can make the move with confidence”. The campaign coincides with a fresh effort this spring to roll out BT Digital Voice to vulnerable customers in four regions: East of England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Yorkshire & Humber. Engineers will visit homes to offer support and supply battery-backup units to keep customers connected during power cuts. This rollout will continue across the summer in East Midlands, London, North East England and…

This affordable and compact mono laser printer is just 205mm tall with a small footprint of 355x427mm (WxD). And because its protruding paper tray can be removed when not in use you can reduce the depth to 280mm. There’s no scanner, no touchscreen display (a simple print-only device like this doesn’t really need one) and just the one paper input, so it looks clean and functional. The buttons on the top are easy to access, while a vivid LED strip on the front panel lets you know when the printer is on and connected. “Prints crisp black text on plain paper at a top speed of 30 pages per minute” The paper-input tray feels flimsy and comes unclipped a little too easily for our liking, but its forward-facing flap makes…

Plugs that charge your devices aren’t the most exciting gadgets, so Chinese firm Ugreen has given its Uno 65W charger a personality. It’s added an animated face that makes it look like a robot. It’s a gimmick that’s more likely to appeal to kids than the average Computeractive reader, but behind the twee facade is a remarkably capable charger. It can charge up to three devices simultaneously, with two USB-C and one USB-A ports. To get the full 65 Watts of power to a device it will need to be connected to the primary USB-C port and have no other devices attached. Start charging more devices and you’ll get 45W from the main USB-C port, then anywhere between 20W and 7.5W from the other two, depending on how many ports…

LAPTOP Asus Vivobook 16 Flip £1,300 from www.snipca.com/54366 Tested Issue 708 Versatile device that can be used like a laptop or flipped over like a tablet. It’s faster than the Dell Inspiron (below) with office software and web browsing, has a stunning screen, and lasts nearly 14 hours. Worth the money. ALTERNATIVE Dell Inspiron 14 Plus Comes with 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD and a 14in 2240x1400-pixel screen. Great value. £599 from www.snipca.com/54634 ANDROID TABLET Honor MagicPad2 £399 from www.snipca.com/53150 Tested Issue 700 With a larger screen (12.3in) than the Galaxy Tab S9 (below) and a similar performance for less money, Honor’s MagicPad2 is a superb new tablet. The OLED screen has a strikingly sharp resolution, and yet battery life is a mighty 18 hours. ALTERNATIVE Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Has…

What you need: Windhawk Time required: 30 minutes The superb free program Windhawk (www.windhawk.net) lets you set Windows to work the way you want by installing ‘mods’, which change how core features work. The first time you launch Windhawk, click ‘Browse for Mods’ on the home screen, then use the search box on the following page to find the mods we outline here. For any youwant to use click the Details button below the mod’s title, followed by Install. Each mod has a default way of working, but in many cases you can change this by clicking the Settings tab on the mod’s home screen. These screens also contain an Install button that changes to a Remove button once the mod has been added (letting you uninstall it later). STEP…

The past few years have seen an AI frenzy, with all the big tech companies competing to add the latest cutting-edge technology to their products. But while many of these tools are genuinely innovative and exciting, some are being foisted on us whether we want them or not. Here we explain how to remove AI features you don’t need from websites and software you use every day. Look out for the new AI Tips section in our next issue. Copilot in Windows and Edge It’s fair to say that a large proportion of Windows users don’t share Microsoft’s enthusiasm for its AI assistant Copilot. But that hasn’t stopped the company adding Copilot to many of its programs and apps, and even introducing a Copilot key for new PC keyboards (www.snipca.com/54770).…