The team discusses the IT vulnerabilities that sent innocent Post Office workers to prison, price hikes at Spotify, a new look for Microsoft Word and the shocking cost of LinkedIn. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the AVerMedia PW315, a webcam with a fast frame rate and built-in AI to help frame and clean up your stream. Featured links: BBC podcast, “The Great Post Office Trial”: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/series/m000jf7j Microsoft’s five candidates for its next default font: https://twitter.com/...
Apr 29, 2021•1 hr 5 min
The team discusses new product announcements from Apple, criticises a misleading report from the NSPCC and questions whether the government is right to intervene in Nvidia’s proposed acquisition of Arm. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the PC Specialist Vortex Elite R, a £999 do-it-all desktop PC.
Apr 22, 2021•1 hr 5 min
The team discusses the would-be bomber who hoped to blow up AWS, Spotify’s plans to become a fixture in your car, legal moves to limit the use of facial recognition and the planned merger between O2 and Virgin Media. Our Hot Software candidate, hem hem, is Parallels Desktop 16.5, the first edition of the popular virtualisation suite to officially support running Windows on Apple Silicon.
Apr 15, 2021•1 hr 9 min
The team discusses a huge leak at Facebook, China’s national investment in cryptocurrency, the end of Yahoo Answers and LG’s departure from the smartphone market. Out Hot Hardware candidate is the Dell OptiPlex 7090 Ultra, an ultra-compact desktop PC that’s entirely built into a monitor stand. Nintendo’s distinctly dodgy advice about port forwarding: pcpro.link/pod537a Digits To Dollars report on smartphone manufacturers: pcpro.link/pod537b
Apr 08, 2021•1 hr 7 min
The team discusses Amazon’s anti-union machinations, a boom in mobile browser usage, the latest on Nominet and ARM’s first new chip design in a decade. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Netgear Orbi RBK352, a (relatively) affordable Wi-Fi 6 mesh system. Check out the browser usage stats referred to by Jon Honeyball at https://twitter.com/TheRealNooshu/status/1377547942274465793
Apr 01, 2021•1 hr 7 min
The team discusses an embarrassing data breach at FatFace, the downsides of working from home, big changes at Nominet and how Intel plans to regain its mojo. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Acer ConceptD 3 Ezel Pro, a laptop with a novel flexible design.
Mar 26, 2021•1 hr 11 min
The team discusses Intel’s new Apple-bashing ads, a silicon shortage threatening the smartphone market, controversy over privacy labelling and new plans to encourage tech giants to pay for the content they use. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the latest model of the LG Gram 17, a laptop that’s big but very light.
Mar 18, 2021•55 min
The team discusses the EU's chip ambitions, a huge attack on Microsoft Exchange, the use of CCTV to track social distancing and Dropbox's acquisition of DocSend. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Elgato Stream Deck, a smart button bank that works with almost any application.
Mar 11, 2021•1 hr 6 min
Microsoft wants to augment meetings with its Hololens technology, but three out of our four experts think it’s fighting a losing battle. Plus, our take on the automated Amazon store shortly to open in London, a brief explainer on what NFTs are (and if they’re a good thing), and why Google’s move away from personalised ad tracking comes with caveats. Finally, can Tim persuade the others to make a £200 laptop Hot Hardware of the Week?
Mar 04, 2021•1 hr 5 min
The team discusses a speed boost for satellite internet, the uncertain future of Wear OS, concerns over Apple SSDs and Spotify’s plans for lossless streaming. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Acer ConceptD CP5271UV, a 27in monitor designed to please creatives and gamers alike.
Feb 25, 2021•1 hr 3 min
With LastPass announcing that its free version will be severely limited in the future, what’s your best option for switching? Plus what’s coming up in the next Windows update (don’t get excited), why we think Microsoft is charging way too much for the Surface Duo in the UK, and all the rest of this week’s news tied up in a conversational bow.
Feb 18, 2021•1 hr 2 min
The team discusses privacy concerns over Clubhouse, Twitter's vision for a custom-curated social media feed, a milestone for Microsoft Excel and Intel's first public response to the Apple M1 SoC. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Expanscape Aurora 7, a powerhouse laptop with a 17.3in 4K display, plus six other fold-out screens.
Feb 11, 2021•1 hr 4 min
Jeff Bezos stands down as Amazon CEO and Google closes its in-house games studio; we also share a sneak preview of Windows 10 X and discuss the tech winners and losers of the pandemic. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Asus ROG Strix G17, a stonking gaming laptop with an AMD Ryzen R7 CPU.
Feb 04, 2021•1 hr 8 min
The team discusses Twitter and Facebook opening their archives to researchers, Google’s threat to quit Australia, a worldwide shortage of graphics cards, and how Reddit users are causing ructions on Wall Street. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Prime Computer PrimeMini 5, a low-power desktop PC that’s small and silent yet surprisingly well connected. The day Volkswagen briefly conquered the world (from the Financial Times, may be paywalled): https://www.ft.com/content/0a58b63a-4294-3e07-8390-c3...
Jan 28, 2021•1 hr 9 min
The team discusses Wikipedia's 20th anniversary, Sir Tim Berners-Lee's new idea for protecting our online privacy and the potential dangers of online shopping algorithms. Our hot hardware candidate is the Asus ZenBook Duo UX482, the company's latest stab at creating a dual-screen laptop. Spotlight link: List of hoaxes on Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_hoaxes_on_Wikipedia
Jan 21, 2021•1 hr 3 min
The team discusses the highlights of this year's virtual CES, an ignominious end for "free-speech" social network Parler, concerns over Flash-only online exams and a new CEO for Intel. Our Hot Hardware candidate is Virgin's Intelligent Wi-Fi Plus, a whole-home booster based on the Plume mesh platform.
Jan 14, 2021•1 hr 3 min
The team discusses the technology implications of the recent mass incursion into the US Capitol; a new look for Outlook; the challenges of home schooling; and Microsoft's threat to bring deceased loved ones back to life as chatbots. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the HP EliteOne 800 G5, an all-in-one desktop PC that could be ideal for homeworkers.
Jan 07, 2021•1 hr 6 min
As 2020 recedes into the rear-view mirror, the team looks ahead to the big issues and technologies that might shape 2021. Video link: "The Square", as mentioned by Tim Danton as a possible way to make working from home more sociable - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lS9D-43Q9aQ
Dec 31, 2020•1 hr 1 min
It's time once more for our annual quiz! Darien Graham-Smith plays quizmaster as Barry Collins, Tim Danton and Jon Honeyball compete for the tech trivia crown.
Dec 24, 2020•54 min
The team discusses a short but disruptive Google outage, privacy controversies at Twitter and Facebook, and a major step forward for Windows on ARM. Our Hot Hardware candidate is Apple's AirPods Max, a pair of noise-cancelling, over-ear headphones that can be yours for the pocket-money price of £549.
Dec 17, 2020•1 hr 7 min
The team discusses the EU's proposed "right to disconnect", legal challenges to Facebook, a technical trick that can uncover pixelated passwords and new accessibility features in Android and iOS. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Acer Book RS i7, a premium Windows laptop designed by Porsche. For the original tweet about pixelated passwords, see https://twitter.com/spibblez/status/1335638633970348032
Dec 10, 2020•1 hr 8 min
The pandemic has hammered home the importance of connectivity for workers wherever they are in the country. In this special podcast in association with O2, Tim Danton, Jon Honeyball and O2's Ant Morse cover the lessons learned so far and look ahead to the future - including the role of 5G and the steps we need to take to connect the whole of Britain.
Dec 07, 2020•46 min
The team discusses Android apps on Windows, the acquisition of Slack by business giant SalesForce and the rise of Spotify as a podcasting platform. Our Hot Hardware contender is actually a piece of software this week, namely the latest version of Pixelmator Pro, a powerful but affordable image editor.
Dec 04, 2020•1 hr 4 min
The team discusses online bots snapping up Black Friday bargains, a row over royalties paid to musicians by streaming services, the hidden risks of smart doorbells and a disappointing government U-turn on broadband targets. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Alcatel 1, a bona fide smartphone costing less than £30.
Nov 26, 2020•1 hr 6 min
Apple halves its App Store cut to 15% for smaller publishers, Google Pay gets a big update and "free speech" social network Parler continues to grow. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the new Apple MacBook Air, the first computer we've seen built on the Apple M1 processor. And finally, two Radio 4 programmes, mentioned during our discussion of Parler, that address the challenge of discourse across ideological divides: Across The Red Line: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09m2bj1 Sweet Reason: https...
Nov 19, 2020•1 hr 8 min
The team discusses Apple's new ARM-based Macs, looks into Android app security and asks how AI is affecting our spending habits. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Raspberry Pi 400, a new variant of the Pi that comes in a classic-style keyboard casing.
Nov 12, 2020•1 hr 3 min
The team discusses a huge leak of user credentials from across the web, the influence of social media on the US election, confidential data being recovered from second-hand USB flash drives and Intel's new foray into world of discrete GPUs. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the 2020 iPad Air, a tablet offering much of the cachet of an iPad Pro at a slightly lower price.
Nov 05, 2020•1 hr 9 min
The team discusses the end of the road for Flash on Windows, the latest updates to the NHS Covid-19 app, an online hoax that proclaimed the return of defunct high-street giant Woolworths and the rise of the right-to-repair movement. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the DJI OM 4, a magnetic gimbal that helps you capture professional-grade video on your smartphone. Check out the mobile phone compatibility list for the OM 4 at https://pcpro.link/podom4...
Oct 29, 2020•1 hr 2 min
The team discusses the latest update to Windows 10, the arrival of Windows apps on Chrome OS, new AI-powered tools in Adobe Photoshop and a warning over malicious ad-blocking tools. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Honor Router 3, a Wi-Fi 6-compatible router costing just £72.
Oct 22, 2020•1 hr 7 min
eng||The team discusses Apple's new iPhone and Homepod models, Amazon's apparent evasion of a new UK tax, the future for Google Chrome and an update for the pocket-sized micro:bit computer. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Pixel 5, Google's latest own-brand Android smartphone.
Oct 15, 2020•1 hr 8 min
