Table of contents for April 2018 in Tech Advisor

Massive security vulnerabilities in modern CPUs are forcing a redesign of the kernel software at the heart of all major operating systems. Since the issues – dubbed Meltdown and Spectre – exist in the CPU hardware itself, Windows, Linux, Android, macOS, iOS, Chromebooks, and other operating systems all need to protect against it. And worse, plugging the hole can negatively affect your PC’s performance. Everyday home users shouldn’t panic too much though. Just apply all available updates and keep your antivirus software vigilant, as ever. Here’s a high-level look at what you need to know about Meltdown and Spectre, in plain language. If you like diving deep into technical details read Google’s post on the CPU vulnerabilities – fave.co/2DoKeKV. What’s the issue? Again, the CPU exploits in play here are…

C ES may be all about consumer electronics, but sadly that doesn’t really include phones. Most companies hold off until the spring to unveil their newest handsets, and there hasn’t been a big Android splash at CES since Google unveiled the Nexus One back in 2010. But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t any Android news coming out of Las Vegas in January. While the Intel-AMD love affair and Google Assistant-powered speakers might have snagged most of the headlines, Android fans still found enough cool things on the show floor to entertain them. Here’s a look at seven things you might have missed: 1. Moto Mods Moto Mods were all the rage a year ago, but the fad isn’t completely over. During its keynote, Lenovo showed off two new magnetic Moto…

Amazon has brought put a screen on an Echo device in June last year, with the Echo Show (though it took a few months longer to reach the UK). Now, more than half a year later, Google has finally caught up, partnering with third-party manufacturers to build its own Echo Show rivals powered by Google Assistant. LG, JBL, and other manufacturers are all working on Google Assistant devices with displays, but the most impressive so far is the Lenovo Smart Display. We went hands-on with the new device at CES 2018, and here’s what we thought. Price The Lenovo Smart Display doesn’t have a firm release date yet, but it’s expected to arrive – in the US at least – in “early summer”. We’re not sure yet if other markets…

£449 inc VAT from fave.co/2CClrCE Hot on the heels of the mid-range 7X, Honor has announced the View 10, a flagship device that starts 2018 with the 2017’s biggest smartphone trend, an 18:9 display. The phone was expected to be called the Honor 9 Pro as per its usual naming conventions, but the company have chosen View 10 thanks to its similarities to the Huawei Mate 10 Pro. It’s the first time the View branding has been used outside of Asia. The device has premium build, and while is not exactly the same dimensions as either Huawei’s Mate 10 or Mate 10 Pro shares many of the traits of the two. For a company trying to break into the UK mainstream at the same time as its parent company Huawei,…

C ES 2018 is over, and we have a chance to pause and reflect on what we saw that was actually great. Products that advanced their category, or broke new ground. Things that leaped ahead of the competition, Or maybe they just looked cool. It’s easy to hit saturation at CES, but these are the products we’re still talking about when everything else has blurred together. We start with the product that was so innovative, two of us raved about it. 1. Creative Super X-Fi headphone holography Hands down, this was the best demo at CES – and it’s the product I’m most looking forward to reviewing this year. Creative’s DSP chip and software analyses how your ears perceive sound, based on photos of each of your ears and your…

Another CES, another Razer prototype. Unlike last year’s three-screened laptop Project Valerie, Razer’s Project Linda is something that might actually make it to market. Project Linda is a dock for your Razer Phone in the form of a laptop. Razer’s approach might have taken inspiration from the clamshell-like Lap Dock (originally called the Mobile Extender) that shipped as an option for HP’s Elite x3 Windows phone. That phone is dead, though, so Razer has an opportunity to reincarnate the idea on a more successful phone platform. I’m optimistic: Project Linda is only a prototype, but it’s the best I’ve seen from Razer. Hybrid hardware Because it uses the processing power of the Razer Phone, there isn’t much inside Project Linda. The form factor mimics the Razer Blade Stealth with a…

Dell has doubled down on its successful XPS laptop line-up this year, using CES 2018 to launch not only a revamped version of the ever-popular XPS 13, but also a brand-new XPS 15 2-in-1. There’s a lot more to the new convertible than just a larger screen size though. It also boasts an impressively slim profile, a new ‘Mag-Lev’ keyboard design, and is one of the first laptops to market boasting the new Intel Core processor with integrated Radeon graphics. Price As with just about everything announced at CES, we don’t have a firm release date and pricing details, but Dell has announced some details of the US launch at least. The XPS 15 2-in-1 will go in sale in the US in April, with prices starting from $1,299 (around…

Entry-level model £4,899 inc VAT from fave.co/2COcC5s Review unit £9,039 inc VAT from fave.co/2D0cCTy We’re still waiting for the new Mac Pro (and don’t even know which year it’ll be launched in), but in the meantime Apple is placating its pro users with this high-powered slab of processing muscle. It’s available with anywhere from eight to 18 cores, and from 32- to 128GB of RAM. The thermal architecture, so problematic on the Mac Pro, has been redesigned with ‘dual blowers’ for a claimed 80 percent increase in thermal capacity. And the machine looks great too, with the current ‘pregnant iMac’ design given a new and rather lovely Space Grey finish, and matching peripherals. Design Picture the 2017 27in iMac (the i7 model – we’ll be making comparisons with this machine); now…

An ominous Spectre hung over CES 2018’s PC announcements, as the industry grapples with how to protect against devastating CPU exploits that melt down security on almost every computer on the planet (see page 4). But put all that aside for now: 2017 was one of the best years for PC hardware ever, and at CES 2018, the PC kept the pedal firmly planted to the metal. Intel and AMD joined forces on a powerful chip. Nvidia pushed gaming displays way past the limits of what we’ve seen so far. Next-generation routers, while Asus used an optical illusion to make multi-monitor set-ups even more immersive. Let’s dig into the big CES reveals that PC enthusiasts need to know about, starting with a big one. 1. Intel <3 AMD As we…

Technically, Nvidia did not announce any smart TVs at CES. Instead, the company announced a set of 65in monitors that it’s calling Big Format Gaming Displays (BFGD). Built by Acer, Asus, and HP – but all using the same 4K HDR panel – they’re supposed to bring high-end PC gaming into the lounge. But if you look past the gaming elements, Nvidia’s BFGDs could become the best smart TVs that money can buy when they arrive in the second half of this year. Their display quality rivals some of the best televisions from companies like Samsung, they use a fancy variable refresh rate technology that no other television has yet, and they have the guts of an Nvidia Shield TV – arguably the best media streamer on the market today…

The Lenovo Miix 630 2-in-1 is one of the first three Windows 10 devices to be released that are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processor – rather than an Intel chip. Qualcomm revealed the HP Envy x2 and Asus NovaGo late in 2017, but Lenovo waited until CES 2018 to unveil its Miix 630. The upshot of using the Qualcomm chip is that the Miix 630 enjoys always-on LTE connectivity along with a mammoth battery life of 20 hours. Price The laptop is expected to go on sale some time in Q2 2018, but Lenovo hasn’t been any more specific than that, or confirmed if that release window is just for the US, or other markets as well. In terms of price, the base configuration will be $799 (around £575),…

£699 inc VAT from fave.co/2DkqeZJ Following its acquisition of Nextbit, gaming brand Razer has entered the smartphone market with a handset aimed at gamers. It’s called the Razer Phone and offers incredible tech not found on any other smartphones on the market including a 120Hz Quad HD display capable of offering double the frame rate of the likes of the iPhone X, Pixel 2 and more. It’s a great concept, but has Razer done enough to cement its place in the smartphone market? Read on to find out. Design Let’s be honest, the Razer Phone won’t be winning any smartphone design awards when compared to the likes of the iPhone X, Samsung Galaxy S8 or OnePlus 5T. The rather angular, blocky design that the Razer Phone employs is oddly reminiscent…