Innehållsförteckning för November 2017 från Tech Advisor

Google has unveiled the final version of Android 8.0, aka Oreo. We explain the new features coming to your Android device. Release date The search giant unveiled the Developer Preview of Android O in March 2017, ahead of its May Google I/O Developer’s Conference. Since then we’ve had various public betas, and on 21 August Google announced the final version. It will begin rolling out the OTA update to Pixel and Nexus devices soon, but right now is pushing Oreo only to Android Open Source Project (AOSP) for other manufacturers to begin working on their own updates. Those on the public beta will also be updated to the final version from today. Google states: “We’re pushing the sources to Android Open Source Project (AOSP) for everyone to access today. Pixel…

Choosing the best laptop can be difficult these days. With companies like Dell, HP, Acer, and Asus continually launching updates of popular notebooks and expansions of product lines, we’re all but swimming in options right now. Summer has pushed even more convertibles, 2-in-1s, and traditional notebooks onto store shelves. The most interesting ones poke holes in existing assumptions about certain categories. Microsoft’s Surface Laptop, for example, is an attempt to revive the company’s battle with Chromebooks, while Dell’s Inspiron 15 7000 Gaming – our ‘Best budget gaming laptop’ pick – offers 1080p gaming for just £899. Vendors also are serious about squeezing AMD’s new CPUs into their line-ups, with Asus recently debuting the first Ryzen laptop at Computex. Best ultrabook laptop Winner: Dell XPS 13 Price: £1,149 from inc VAT…

From smart heating to smart plugs, just about everything in your house comes with a processor and Wi-Fi support these days, and light bulbs are no exception. If you want the best smart lighting for your home, you’ll find it here. Whether you want white, dimmable lights or colour mood lighting that you can control from your phone – or even smartwatch – there are options here. We also explain the benefits of ditching those traditional incandescent bulbs for LED. What to look out for Smart lighting is undeniably pretty cool. Some of the bulbs we’ve listed below can set mood lighting for the different rooms in your house, be controlled from afar or scheduled to turn on and off at preset times from your phone or tablet, and even…

1. Check the power supply Laptops This is one of the most common problems. There are various things that can go wrong, from using the wrong laptop power supply (delivering the wrong voltate) to a blown fuse in the plug. It might be that your power supply has simply failed. First, make sure the battery has some charge. If you’re not sure, and there’s no power indicator on the battery itself, then remove it entirely and just use the mains charger. Double-check, too, that the charger is the right one for your laptop. Many laptops – especially from the same manufacturer – use the same size plug, and if you own more than one, it’s not too difficult to plug in the wrong power supply, which might provide a different…

Ahhh. I see what you did there, Samsung. By releasing a Galaxy Note8 that looks and feels remarkably like the Galaxy S8+ (a phone most Android enthusiasts would love to have in their pockets), you stand to dissolve all the bad mojo associated with the Galaxy Note 7 (a phone most Android enthusiasts would consign to a fireproof safe). Seriously, with a 6.3in, curved-glass display and remarkably slim bezels, the Note8 is an S8+ doppelgänger. It’s got the same 2:1 aspect ratio – which delivers copious screen real estate, without all the bulk—and only a 0.1in increase in display size, a second rear camera, and the addition of an S Pen really differentiate the Note8 visually from its less productivity-focused stablemate. The fingerprint sensor is even slapped on the back,…

Your computer is slow. Annoyingly slow. You can add RAM, or buy a faster SSD, but that costs money. No, the first thing you should do is try to make Windows faster. Thus we present nine ways to speed up your PC without spending a penny. Be warned: There’s always a trade-off. More speed may mean less battery life, or even giving up a beloved program. You’ll have to decide what sacrifices you’re willing to make in order to increase Windows’ speed. Last spring, I bought a Lenovo IdeaPad Miix 310 as a second, smaller PC. I found it so slow it was painful. I used that machine for researching this article. The Miix still isn’t fast, but it’s a lot faster. 1. Give it the reboot If your PC…

One of the biggest improvements the Creators Update recently brought to Windows 10 was enhanced support for Precision Touchpads, the built-in mousepads on select laptops that support multi-touch gestures. As many a Mac user knows, the ability to use one-, two-, and three-finger gestures to navigate apps, switch desktops, and perform various clicks and selections can really speed up your workflow. Here’s how to configure these settings on your Windows 10 device. Open touchpad settings From the Start menu, go to Settings > Devices > Touchpad to access your touchpad options. You should see ‘Your PC has a precision touchpad’ at the top of this page. (If you don’t, your device doesn’t support a precision touchpad and you won’t see any of the associated options.) You’ll also see a toggle…