Table of contents for January 2018 in Tech Advisor

Free for Windows 10 computers Microsoft’s Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is what every sequel shoots for: bigger, better, more ambitious than the original. As it rolls out in phases, our review focuses on Windows’ big, risky bet on mixed reality, plus smarter investments in the pen, creative 3D apps, Edge, and even speech. A ton of practical, everyday additions won us over, including OneDrive placeholders and much longer battery life while watching movies. Taking a page from Apple’s playbook, Microsoft has also chosen to synchronize the Fall Creators Update with new hardware introductions. The upcoming Surface Book 2, mixed-reality devices from a handful of partners, the Harman/Kardon Invoke, and the Xbox One X populate a hardware/software ecosystem that’s a cohesive whole. If Microsoft wins its big bet on mixed…

The best free PC software programs aren’t about the cost (lack thereof), they’re about a fresh opportunity – collections of code that puts the dumb hardware in your computer to smart use, tools that could accomplish anything from balancing your household budget to helping to cure cancer. Stocking your PC is an intensely personal task. Even still, some programs are so helpful, so handy, so useful across the board that we heartily recommend them to everybody. These free PC programs – a mix of must-haves and delightful auxiliary apps – have earned a place on almost any computer. 1. Another browser Before you start, make sure to snag your web browser of choice. Using Windows’ default Internet Explorer or Edge browser when you’re accustomed to something else feels like wearing…

£1,299 inc VAT from fave.co/2xjTf1r The ZenBook Flip S UX370UA is a premium 2-in-1 laptop. It follows the Flip UX360, which suffered from a highly reflective screen and too much keyboard flex. Asus has solved these issues in this new model, resulting in a laptop that feels much better-made. While many of you will be better off buying a non-hybrid laptop with a longer-lasting battery, the UX370UA is one of the best 2-in-1 options around. Design The UX370UA is one of the slimmest 2-in-1 laptops in the world – at just 10.9mm thick, it’s thinner than some tablets. A weight of 1.1kg is also exceptional for a 13.3in model. Carrying this laptop around is a dream. The look is, for the most part, typical of the ZenBook series. There’s a…

£427 inc VAT from fave.co/2yNdMNE Despite being introduced as a concept phone, Xiaomi’s Mi Mix was arguably the most interesting smartphone we saw in 2016. It was the phone that inspired Samsung, LG and Apple to feature 18:9 full-screen displays in their latest flagships, and it garnered so much attention in the consumer tech industry that today I have no fewer than six Chinese copycat phones sitting on my desk waiting to be reviewed, all with the product name ‘Mix’. Producing a successor to that revolutionary handset was always going to be a tough job for Xiaomi, but in the Mi Mix 2 it has returned a gorgeous flagship that is more manageable in the hand and significantly faster. It also features the same primary camera as the company’s Mi6,…

As we’ve seen, the Fall Creators Update is stuffed with all sorts of cool new features. That doesn’t mean you’ll get it immediately though, as Microsoft rolls out big updates in waves. But it is available right now if you’re the impatient type. And bold: Microsoft only pushes the update to PCs if it knows your computer won’t run into technical issues or nasty bugs, like the broken webcams, Kindle-induced crashes, and system freezes that followed in the wake of Windows 10’s Anniversary Update in 2016. In fact, Microsoft actively discourages workarounds like the one below even though it makes them available. Your PC will probably be fine if you download the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update ahead of schedule, all that said – but heed the warning and back…

£799 inc VAT from fave.co/2yKBhqq Expectations were high for the second-generation Pixel phones, and Google hasn’t disappointed. This year’s flagship – the 2 XL – is better in almost every way, but it does come at a higher price. Price Prices of top-end phones have risen dramatically in the last year, and the Pixel 2 XL is more expensive than its predecessor. The base model – with 64GB of storage – costs £799, but you’ll pay £899 for the 128GB version. You can pre-order a Pixel 2 XL from Carphone Warehouse at tinyurl.com/y8536cve – it will arrive from 15 November. As with the original, there’s no microSD slot for expanding the storage of either model. You’ve got one other choice: colour. The Pixel 2 XL comes in Just Black or…

£49 inc VAT from fave.co/2yKJ5IH If you’ve not decided what you want for Christmas this year, let us help you with that: a Google Home Mini. (Or multiple such devices if your loved ones are feeling generous.) Why? Because it’s awesome. We love the standard Google Home, but the Mini offers the same functionality at a fraction of the price. It offers a fraction of the audio quality, too, of course, but that doesn’t make us love it any less. Available now for £49 direct from Google or third-party vendors such as John Lewis, Currys, Argos and Maplin, Google Home Mini is sufficiently affordable to gift, and cheap enough that you can dip your toes into the new world of smart home voice assistants without a significant outlay. Better still,…

Killing Cortana isn’t as easy as it used to be. When Windows 10 first released, turning off Cortana was as simple as flipping a switch in the digital assistant’s settings, but Microsoft removed the option in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. Now there’s no obvious way to disable Cortana – but it is possible using not-so-obvious methods. Eradicating Cortana requires a quick registry edit, which we’ll detail here. If you don’t want Cortana spying on you but also detest the idea of mucking with your PC’s deepest software innards, our colleagues at PCWorld’s guide to privacy-boosting Cortana tweaks (at tinyurl.com/yaLya26t) can shows how to limit the personal information it sends Microsoft. Cortana will still run in the background with limited functionality if you don’t perform the registry edit, though. Turn…